The Latest Carnival of HR Is Up!

All - It's here...the latest Carnival of HR is up and running - #18!

Special thanks to Kris at The HR Capitalist for this edition...

Enjoy and be sure to check out "The Trainer" section!

The Latest HR Blog Power Rankings are out!

All - the latest HR Blog Power Rankings for the week of 10/08/07 is out! It looks like I'm holding steady again at #14 and need to do some more work to climb closer to the top.

Thanks to Kris over at HR Capitalist for keeping us HR Bloggers engaged and connected...

Enjoy!

Viewing George Clooney's Medical Records - Was It Worth Being Suspended For It?

For those of you unaware, George Clooney and his girlfriend, Sarah Larson, were involved in a motorcycle accident last month, on 9/21/07.

But, you probably haven't heard that 27 employees at the hospital where he was treated were just suspended for a month without pay for viewing his PHI (Protected Health Information) - here's the story on CNN...

Check out this quote from the article... More than two dozen employees at Palisades Medical Center have been suspended after accessing the personal medical records of actor George Clooney, who was taken to the North Bergen, N.J., hospital last month after a motorcycle accident.

Hospital spokesman Eurice Rojas said late Tuesday that 27 employees were suspended for a month without pay, after an internal investigation. Accessing a person's medical records without authorization is a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) -- a federal law that protects the privacy of patients.

So, what is your take on the punishment - a month off without pay? Does the punishment fit the crime? Even George Clooney, the victim, doesn't think these workers should be suspended for it...

My take? I don't think the punishment fits the crime. If the same 27 employees were found to have viewed my PHI then at the most they would have received a "verbal warning" for the file - but add George Clooney to the mix and the celebrity hype that comes with it, all bets are off and the punishment is taken to the extreme.

Anyone else out there with a take on this?

Offensive Candidate Voice Mail Greeting...Please Edit!

I can't believe it happened again...offensive candidate voice mail greeting...and yes, it has now eliminated this candidate from consideration.

I immediately thought of this post by Kris over at The HR Capitalist titled, Press "1" To Eliminate Yourself As a Candidate.

Here's the scenario: On paper you've found a candidate that is a perfect match for the position you are looking to fill. As you look at their resume you can see that their education, work history, experience, and knowledge - basically every qualification you are looking for is included in this resume. You're next step is to get on the phone with the candidate for a phone-screen and to get them started through your process. You dial their number and to your surprise you don't hear a ring but a song starts to play. You are then treated to some of the most explicit lyrics you have ever heard - so bad you've never even heard this song played on the radio.

Check out this quote from Kris's post...I'm treated to 30 seconds of a profane Notorious B.I.G track before the innocent, professional voice I was expecting comes through over the track during the chorus. Professional position, 50-60K job. Bye-Bye...

Now what? Do you leave a message to schedule a phone-screen or are you done with this candidate?

For me, I'm done with this one and will move on to the next qualified candidate...

Candidates, for those of you out there that are one, please edit your voice mail greeting during this job search process. You may have just spent $1.99 for this greeting but the payoff for getting a new job is worth much more than what you spent on the greeting.

During this experience I immediately thought of George Costanza and his answering machine greeting. I know it's not the same situation but play the clip and listen to the message - many would say that it's just as offensive as the explicit lyrics...

Enjoy!

Update: Michigan State Government Shutdown...

All - here's an update to my previous post over the weekend titled Michigan State Government Shuts Down - 35,000 Workers Sit at Home.

I just found an article this morning that sums up pretty well the circumstances, pressures, and resolution surrounding this ordeal.

It sounds like there actually was a brief (4 hour) shut down where workers did end up sitting at home but we're glad that it didn't last long.

Check out the first few sentences in the article...

There's nothing in the state tax increase/budget cuts/reforms package approved early Monday morning by state lawmakers that they couldn't have agreed to last summer.

They didn't have to wait until state services had been shut down for four hours before coming up with a budget agreement.

Yet the citizens of the state of Michigan were treated to an astounding display of political cowardice, mostly on the part of House Democrats, who could have passed a tax increase without a single Republican vote.

Maybe the next time this happens we won't need students attempting to raise money for their school so that they doesn't risk closing.

I'll end on this last quote from the article...

Had the shutdown persisted, Jonesville Community Schools would have been able to last through October and then may have had to cancel teacher paychecks, halt sporting events and/or use the fund balance just to keep the doors open.