Check out the life lesson below about “when keeping it real goes wrong”. Now, this clip is most definitely NSFW, so don’t go watching this in the office, getting in trouble, and then blaming me.

Yeah, it is just that easy for things to go completely wrong. Because authenticity at work is important, but “keeping it real” is never a good idea. So for your sake and mine, keep it professional, not “real”.

Wu Tang!

Happily, last week I started a new role that has brought out those feelings of excitement again. I want to take on the challenges, get to know the people, and start contributing in a meaningful way. This is going to be an exciting year, I can tell.

But thinking about those, let’s say, less than satisfactory positions I sometimes wonder why I stayed in those roles. Why does anyone stay in a bad job? Lack of better alternatives? A good paycheck? Or the conviction that you can make a difference and turn it all around?

When people talk about motivation at work, it’s easy to focus on the positive aspects. You know, all that feel good, intrinsic motivation stuff. But when you are living day to day, seconds away from rage quitting or giving up, what motivates you to keep going? Isn’t that a more important question? I think those answers would tell you more about a person than any personality test.

Now, not every job can be the best job you’ve ever had. Sometimes a job is just a job, good or bad. There is more to life than work, and if the only motivation you really need to go into the office everyday is that “something”, then that’s good enough. Motivation is in the eye of the beholder.

What is your motivation?

And made you some chocolates…

Because he thinks you are damn sexy and I do too.

Lots of love and hugs to you all dear readers, have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

I am writing this post still a little high from the excitement of my first day in a new job. That’s right, this minion is once again gainfully employed! Wohoo! I’m going to be a recruiting/training machine too. Now, good career advice will tell you that you shouldn’t count on a job until you have a physical offer letter in your hand. Me, well, it never feels real to me until I arrive on the first day. Maybe it’s anxiety, but I always worry about what could go wrong in between the offer and start date so I don’t really breathe a sigh of relief until I walk in and they don’t kick me out.

The first day at a new job brings out so many emotions and a fair amount of stress. New jobs are great but that doesn’t mean there might not be a time or two where you have a moment of panic.

But if you end up in a good company and role that is right for you, here are the emotions that should be zipping through you:

1. Excitement. You love the company, the job, your trainer, even the taupe walls. Everything is shiny, new, and it’s the best. first. day. EVER.
2. Overwhelmed. There are so many people to meet, names you have already forgotten, so much information to absorb, and shoot but where was the bathroom again?
3. Determined. You are going to rock this job! You will pick things up fast, impress your boss, and be 100% right from the start.
4. Grateful. You are grateful all that hard work you put into your job search has finally paid off and are thankful you stuck it out and are able to make a good living again.
5. Anxious. What if you don’t like anybody? Worse, what if they don’t like you? Worst of all, what if you let them down?

It’s an emotional roller coaster that’s for sure. But there are some emotions that you shouldn’t be feeling on your first day. If you find yourself confused, angry, defensive, alone, deceived, ignored, or trapped there is something wrong. Like really wrong. Like maybe you need to re-consider the situation you find yourself in kind of wrong. I hope you never find yourself in that kind of situation. This is why a little research (stalking) and honesty with yourself about what you want and need is so critical.

I hope you only find yourself in good situations though, with awesome first days. The right job for you is out there, even if you have to create it yourself. There is a job out there that you will never want to give up, never want to let down, will never make you cry, or hurt you…

Yeah, free time, how likely are you to get that? Having just moved to a new state, I find myself in possession of this mythological free time. Except that I don’t really. Finding a new job, unpacking, just getting settled in general; it’s funny how that free time somehow disappears. And really, that’s what I want.

Why? Because a lot of free time isn’t a good thing. Sure, we all need time every now and then to relax but if you find yourself with lots of time on your hands then something is wrong. Too much free time means a lack of responsibility, a lack of challenges, or even a lack of opportunities.

Being busy is good because people who are busy are also people who are getting things done. As long as you aren’t being overwhelmed by obligations, you aren’t letting people down, and there is a purpose behind what you are doing, isn’t that something to feel grateful for? Shouldn’t we all be so lucky to be in that kind of position?

Even so, every now and then I may still whine about needing more time, but really, I couldn’t be happier. However, I do wish I had more time to devote to all my social media stuff…

Professional development isn’t easy though. Not only does it require an honest self-reflection of one’s abilities and failings, you also need to seek out honest, constructive feedback from others that you are willing to actually listen too. Those are hard things to do but both are necessary, even if you find yourself stumbling through it.

So far, I think I have identified a few areas of professional development I should focus on:
Communication – Now, I pride myself on my communication skills because I have worked hard over the years to develop them. Through Debate, Speech, Theater, past jobs, and even this blog I feel I have built a strong foundation for these skills. But I think I need to continue refining them, especially because while I feel my written communication continues to improve, I think my verbal communication skills development may have stalled. And that’s a shame because I love presenting and speaking to people. So the question becomes, what would be the best way to improve my verbal communication?

Emotions – I’m sure this may come as a huge shock to all of you, but I tend to be a casual person who wears her heart on her sleeve. Surprised right? Yeah, I didn’t think so. One thing I’ve always struggled with was perfecting the “HR Mask of Neutrality” that is so important sometimes. Happy, sad, frustrated, or excited; you always know what I’m feeling. While I find that it helps people relate to me in some occasions, like recruiting, it’s not the best when handling tough situations. But my biggest question for this area is not so much “How do I improve this?” as much as “Can I/Should I change this?”

SPHR – My current PHR certification expires this year and I have been debating whether I should attempt the SPHR or not. Is it worth it? Will it help my career significantly? Wouldn’t I benefit from the studying regardless? Should I just renew my PHR? In 2008 when I first decided to go for my PHR I always planned the next step to be my SPHR. But I’ve been through a lot over the last 3 years, maybe that shouldn’t be my goal anymore. Clearly, I have a lot to think about on this one.

Whew. Professional development really is hard. I would love to hear any suggestions you all have, what you have done in the past, and even what professional development goals you are setting for yourself so hit me up in the comments!

- Moving to a new state
- Getting re-settled/unpacked
- Finding a new job
- Trying for my SPHR(?)
- A new tattoo
- Devoting more time to my blog and social media (Is that possible?)
- And there is even talk of 2 puppies now (Yay!!)

And that’s only the stuff I know about/planning for. But that also means 2012 is going to be a year of opportunities. Now it may be silly and optimistic but when I worked at Target they always referred to problems as opportunities. It’s easy to brush that off as corporate speak and roll your eyes, but it’s also true. Some of the best things in my life have come my way because of the problems I had to face first. And we always learn more from the rough times than the good.

So no matter what kind of “opportunities” come your way in 2012, I hope that when the year ends, assuming there is no Mayan apocalypse, that we are all still happy, healthy, and ready for more! Bring it on 2012!

But on the plus side, I sometimes get special “insider” information form the community. So just in time for Christmas, here is a special message from Santa, for all my darling readers out there!

Have a great holiday, enjoy the time off from work, and lots of hugs and love to you all!

Quick Breakdown: A Macy’s employee saw a transgender customer exiting the women’s dressing room. She approaches the customer and refuses to let her re-enter. Macy’s has an LGBT policy that allows transgender customers to use either the men’s or the women’s dressing room. This was pointed out to the employee and she cited religious discrimination as she felt complying with the policy violated her Christian faith by causing her to “compromise with homosexuality”. The Macy’s employee was then fired for refusing to comply with the policy.

Welcome to the world of HR where policies, belief, and equality all collide in a battle of wills. Which one will be the victor?

Let’s say that you are the HR pro who gets this problem. What would you do? Strict adherence to policy so termination? Move the employee to a comparable position within the company where this wouldn’t be an issue? Re-evaluate/change policy to accommodate religious freedom?

Personally, I support Macy’s stance that they want to promote a culture of non-discrimination towards the LGBT community. Makes me want to go spend money there right now. However, religious discrimination is also a very valid concern and business are required to make reasonable accommodations whenever possible, as the article points out with Pharmacists who refuse to fill birth control prescriptions.

For me, I have two questions: Is managing dressing rooms a critical function of her job? And if yes, are no alternatives available either for the customer (Other employees who can assist them) or for the employee (Another position they can be moved into)?

If it is a critical function and no alternatives exist, I would argue that compiling with company policy is an unavoidable part of her job and the employee should be expected to follow it as a condition of her employment. Taxi drivers who refused to pick up drunk passengers or passengers with service animals because it violated their religious beliefs have been found to be in the wrong. Picking up passengers is a critical part of the job and they weren’t allowed to discriminate in such a manner, in spite of their beliefs.

But if it isn’t critical or if there are alternatives… I don’t know. I think Macy’s was probably too quick to let this employee go without trying to accommodate her religious beliefs. Even if she acknowledged the policy and Macy’s is committed to non-discrimination of the LGBT community they could have still violated Title VII.

No lawsuits or claims have been filed as of yet, and by no means am I a lawyer so I can’t hazard a guess how the law will come down on this issue if given the opportunity.

But what decision would you have made if this was your company? I would love to hear your opinion so hit me up in the comments!

I don’t know how long my torrid love affair with you will last this time, but for now the passion we share will sustain us… somehow. Err, yeah. Enough of that silliness.

Sigh. Let me just tell you that if I can get through this move with out burning all my belongings and avoiding a panic attack I will consider it a success. This will be my 3rd cross country move in 1 1/2 years so believe me when I say I will not be moving again for at least several years. I am moving in January so I only have a little more time to get into trouble. And I would be moving right when I consider the weather to be at it’s best too.

But I’ve been able to do a lot of great things while here, got to hang with a lot of great people, and got to see a lot of the state. Not all of it mind you, Florida is huge, so I guess that means I’ll just have to come back for visits.

However, one thing I won’t miss is this:

Yes, that is a Gator and yes, I was about five seconds away from yelling at the tour boat driver if he got us any closer. Freaked. Me. Out. But I still got a picture.

It’s been real Florida, let’s make the most of my remaining time here.