Ask The Corporate Nanny™
UNDOING A PROMOTION PROMISE March 22nd, 2010
Dear Corporate Nanny,
I promised to promote an employee on my staff without checking with HR or my manager. While they value my employee, I learned the company isn’t ready to promote him, and now I’m not quite sure what to do. How do I undo my promise? Addie
Hello Addie,
Honesty is the best policy here! Sometimes we try to reward people’s good work and productivity with promotions, but this is not the only way! So I would sit with your staff member, be honest and offer him some other professional development opportunities. For example, assign him to an organizational task force, ask him to do research in a specific area, offer to send him to a training class or any other developmental opportunity that will benefit his promotion possibilities. Let me know how it goes!
-The Corporate Nanny
A SO-SO PERFORMANCE REVIEW March 22nd, 2010
Dear Corporate Nanny,
Whenever I deliver a performance review that isn’t totally positive, I get stressed out. Do they get any easier? Anna
Dear Anna,
Delivering “not such good news” is never an easy thing to do. First of all, bad news should never be a surprise to the employee, unless he/she turned from a great employee to a not-so-great employee overnight. Managers should provide feedback throughout the year – both good and bad – so there are no surprises at review time. A way for you to build confidence in your delivery is to practice! Practice with your HR Director or someone you trust who can provide you with feedback. It does get easier as time goes on. Google my article “Managing your employees’ performance isn’t a once-a-year task…,” it’s an oldie but a goodie. Good luck!
-The Corporate Nanny
KNOW WHO YOU ARE RECRUITING FOR March 8th, 2010
Dear Corporate Nanny,
I haven’t recruited in quite some time and I am now in the market to recruit for a new employee in my department. Any advice on how to get started?
-Alex
Hi Alex,
I have lots of advice! Checkout “Recruiting: Getting “Back to Basics” is Key” on my website www.thecorporatenanny.net. Recruiting in any economy, not to mention an uncertain economy, is not as easy as one would think. Make sure you know why you want to fill the job, how much you are willing to pay, what skills/competencies you are looking for and where you think these future candidates “hang out” (social media networks, Monster, community-based organizations, etc.). After the interviews, ask yourself, “Is this candidate able to make contributions to my company beyond what I am expecting as the manager?” This should help separate the good candidates from the so-so candidates. Good luck!
-The Corporate Nanny
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