Another Plug for Napping at Work

Here at the Astron Solutions World of HR blog, you may think that we're obsessed with napping. In January of 2009 we quoted a study that we found on ESPN.com that says that people ought to take afternoon naps, in March of 2009 Jennifer wrote about National Nap Day, Labor Day last year we posted that Bloomberg and Yahoo! gave a nod to napping, and a month ago Astronology said that 50 million Americans suffer from sleep problems. Well napping has moved past the traditional workplace and is now prevalent among basketball players in the NBA according to the New York Times:

In the United States, napping is often stigmatized, seen as evidence of laziness or a lack of purpose. But in the world of sports, and certainly in the N.B.A., the attitude is entirely different.

“You’re nocturnal in terms of what you do, playing at night, so your body adjusts to the rhythm of being up late, getting in early in the morning,” said Grant Hill, [Steve] Nash’s teammate with the Phoenix Suns. “You’re tired around midday. Naps are important. It refreshes you. It gets you ready for competition.”

The key now is to figure out a way to get rid of that stigma in the rest of society. A 20-30 minute "power nap" at work can be the way to keep your employee base fresh and to keep them from burning out or making mistakes. While others may be okay shunning naps, here at Astron's World of HR, we're trying to make it an accepted practice in the workplace.

Speaking of basketball...if you are interested in getting involved in a NCAA tournament pool, you can check out my sports blog, NYaT, where we have a pool open to all Astron Solutions World of HR readers. Go over there and test your mettle for a chance to win bragging rights as the best of the blog. Good luck!

Astronology - 2011 Salary Increase Updates

Astronology Volume XI Issue 24 5 March  8, 2011 Dear Andrew, Astron Solutions provides high-quality, low-cost, innovative human resources consulting services to organizations like yours. Call us for advice, innovative program design, and user-friendly Web/PC based software.   The Astron Road Show It's spring, and the Astron Road Show is kicking into high gear!  Our National Directors have a number of speaking events booked over the next few months.  Where will we see you in the coming weeks? On Monday, March 21st, Jennifer Loftus will be the guest on Coach World TV.  Jennifer will talk with host Terry Yoffe regarding Human Resources and the impact of coaching on individuals.  Watch locally on New York City cable TV, or stream the program live through the internet. National Director Mike Maciekowich will be in Ithaca, NY on March 22nd, presenting to the Society for Human Resource Management of Tompkins County.  His topic is "A History of Pay Equity: From FLSA to Lilly Ledbetter and Beyond." We look forward to meeting you on the road!   2011 Salary Increase Updates As we explored in Astronology last year, many organizations were projecting an optimistic 2011. The sense was that the economy would be on the mend, inflation low, and the stock market on the rise.  But much has happened over the past few months which may run contrary to these hopes - from the unsettled Arab world, skyrocketing oil prices, and labor unrest in America's heartland....more     Have a Question? If you have a topic you would like addressed in Astronology, or some feedback on a past article, don't hesitate to tell us!  Simply reply to this e-mail.  See your question answered, or comments addressed, in an upcoming issue of Astronology. Looking for a top-notch presenter for your human resource organization's meeting?  Both Jennifer Loftus and Michael Maciekowich present highly-rated sessions on a variety of compensation and employee retention issues.  For more information, send an e-mail to info@astronsolutions.com.   The Fine Print We hold your e-mail address in trust.  Astron Solutions promises never to share or rent your personal information.  We also promise never to send you frivolous e-mails and will allow you to leave our list, at your option, at any time. To remove yourself from this list, please follow your personalized subscriber link at the bottom of your Astronology alert e-mail. Copyright 2011, Astron Solutions, LLC ISSN Number 1549-0467 Quick Links Client List Meet the Astron Team Contact Us   World of HR Blog Bringing you Human Resource news from around the globe...compliments of Astron Solutions. More

 

Contacting Ex-Employees

When employees leave your organization, a lot of information tends to leave with them. As much as they document their everyday activities and hand off work to co-workers, there's always something that they forgot to leave behind. Most of the time the employee who leaves says "contact me for anything you need", and although this is just said as a courtesy, there may be times when contacting that employee for a quick question is absolutely necessary. But how much is too much and how long is too long to contact an old employee?

The question comes after I read an article from Ask a Manager about an employee who was being harassed by their old boss 16 months after leaving their old job. This is an extreme circumstance (it seems like the boss is an extra vindictive person) but it should prove a point that while it's okay to contact an old employee a few times, it should be done sparingly and it should be done with a great deal of gratitude.

In one of my old jobs, my predecessor left for another job within the company (at a new location). He was a really nice guy and had a hard time saying no to anyone so he let everyone know that he was available to help when he left for his new job. Well the problem was that everyone wanted to contact him and they wanted to contact him all the time. It not only made him feel that he really had never left his old job, but it also was really frustrating for me because--correct or not--it always made me feel that no one had trust in me to make the right decisions in these situations.

It's always nice to have old employees who are readily available to help, but it's always worth understanding that the person who left is under no obligation to actually help you--and it could be doing a lot of damage to the confidence of the people left behind. It's okay to contact old employees but, as they say in alcohol commercials, if you choose to do so, do so responsibly.