Back to ODD HR duties for a moment, I am also a landlord. The majority of our staff live in housing we provide for them. So HR gets to deal with housing deposits, move in/out forms, inspections, etc.
Would that be anything like the Pants of the Month Club? I used to belong, but only halfway into my subscription everything started to look like it was stolen from M.C. Hammer's dry cleaners.
I AM a landlord in the real world and would gladly relinquish those duties. One of my tenants sent me an e-mail notification that they were moving and I received it while at my nephews' graduation. That property has since been turned over to a management company.
Oddly enough I am now the 'landlord' for the Bank's foreclosures which are rented. Keeping up with the rents, taxes, expenses, repairs, etc.
How did that become part of your job? I volunteered. I am a sucker.
It always appeared to me that if anyone in the organization (current or former employer) received mail or a phone call that they didn't know how to handle, they would refer it to HR. So, combination junk collector-triage doctor has always been one of my duties.
Recently, I was almost given the task of managing vending machines in the building; but was able to side-step that one.
David also reminded me that whenever a transient comes on our property, I get the call. I generally try to take them to a shelter or find some resources for them once they have agreed to a quick criminal history check by our local police.
I actually enjoy this duty. All people deserve to be treated with dignity.
Well, managing the vending machines is only one step removed from that other HR core function of ensuring refrigerator cleanliness, so it isn't that much of a stretch, David.
[QUOTE=NaeNae55;716639]You are so right David. The other day the mail clerk told me that if she doesn't know who the mail should be directed to she gives it to me.[/QUOTE]
I get all the odd mail that nobody knows what else to do with, also. I'm not sure why...I think it originally stemmed from the fact that any mail for former employees used to be sent to me because somebody (erroneously) believed that I would always be the one who would have a current address for them and would forward it. That evolved into the idea that, whether anybody knew if the person was a former employee or not, it was still automatically sent to me. I even get stuff that was clearly mis-sorted at the post office and doesn't even have our actual address anywhere on it!
HR was added to the other duties I already had such as facility maintenance, janitorial and vending, safety and security, loss prevention and business continuity, purchasing, real estate acquisition and construction/renovation, space planning, and moving associates.
When I came into HR we had 130 associates, but as the company grew, all but the HR responsibilities went to others. One of my fondest memories is of the day I spent the morning in strategic planning with the big dogs and the afternoon up to my ankles in overflow from the restrooms.
The "HR only" days could be just as varied. Some days, for all of us probably, are spent in a flurry of unrelated activities. But, I have to say the most perplexing activity I was ever charged with was being chief answer lady. You just wouldn't believe some of the things people ask about.
But, I have to say the most perplexing activity I was ever charged with was being chief answer lady. You just wouldn't believe some of the things people ask about.
Sharon[/quote]
Here's probably the strangest thing I was asked: I reported to work to find part of our campus under water. Apparently a water main had broken and flooded several blocks of campus. The City asked us to shut down our plumbing while they repaired the break; so we notified the entire campus that bathrooms would be inoperable for about two hours. I actually had several people call and ask: "I have to go to the bathroom, what should I do?" Well I was probably empathetic with the first one or two callers; and tried to help them think through what they would do if the same thing happened while they were home. By the fourth or fifth calller, I lost my empathy and was not as kind.
The lesson I learned from that is that in a crisis there are some people whose thinking shuts down. I definitely don't want to be around those people in a crisis. It also reminded me to help teach my children to think critically.
David, that story reminds me of the time my boss got an e-mail from an employee saying "Our water cooler is empty....what should I do if I need a drink of water?" He responded that not only did all the faucets in the building dispense cold water that was fine for drinking, there are several other water coolers in the building and also a vending machine that sells bottled water. The employee didn't want to drink the tap water (worried about chemicals or some such thing, even though our tap water is some of the cleanest around) apparently didn't want to take the elevator to another floor to get water from a different water cooler, and was offended that he would suggest that they spend their own money to buy a bottle of water!
Some people just don't have any common sense or much of any other kind of sense.
We had one of those broken restroom days also. I can remember shuttling associates to and from the McDonald's down he street. We allowed associates to drive themselves to the nearest facilities if they preferred and most were very cooperative and kept the disruption of work to a minimum. I only had to make a few trips for folks who had been dropped off that day and didn't have their car there.
However, one associate made it clear that it was the company's responsibility to provide appropriate restroom facilities and if they were inoperable then we should bear the expense of providing an alternative. By afternoon, we had port-o-potties set up in the parking lot. Everyone really hated that and were quite vocal about their displeasure. The "Catbirt" in me let slip that we brought them in so that associates wouldn't wouldn't have to "bear the expense." They all knew where that issue had come from and made his life pretty miserable for a few days. As I recall, they "rolled" his cubicle.
Comments
Needs a haircut, though. No guy his age should be allowed that much hair.
Frank, maybe Paul belongs to that 'hair club'...?
Its not as fun as it sounds.
Oddly enough I am now the 'landlord' for the Bank's foreclosures which are rented. Keeping up with the rents, taxes, expenses, repairs, etc.
How did that become part of your job? I volunteered. I am a sucker.
Frank, .... Can't touch this!
Recently, I was almost given the task of managing vending machines in the building; but was able to side-step that one.
I actually enjoy this duty. All people deserve to be treated with dignity.
I get all the odd mail that nobody knows what else to do with, also. I'm not sure why...I think it originally stemmed from the fact that any mail for former employees used to be sent to me because somebody (erroneously) believed that I would always be the one who would have a current address for them and would forward it. That evolved into the idea that, whether anybody knew if the person was a former employee or not, it was still automatically sent to me. I even get stuff that was clearly mis-sorted at the post office and doesn't even have our actual address anywhere on it!
When I came into HR we had 130 associates, but as the company grew, all but the HR responsibilities went to others. One of my fondest memories is of the day I spent the morning in strategic planning with the big dogs and the afternoon up to my ankles in overflow from the restrooms.
The "HR only" days could be just as varied. Some days, for all of us probably, are spent in a flurry of unrelated activities. But, I have to say the most perplexing activity I was ever charged with was being chief answer lady. You just wouldn't believe some of the things people ask about.
Sharon
Sharon[/quote]
Here's probably the strangest thing I was asked: I reported to work to find part of our campus under water. Apparently a water main had broken and flooded several blocks of campus. The City asked us to shut down our plumbing while they repaired the break; so we notified the entire campus that bathrooms would be inoperable for about two hours. I actually had several people call and ask: "I have to go to the bathroom, what should I do?" Well I was probably empathetic with the first one or two callers; and tried to help them think through what they would do if the same thing happened while they were home. By the fourth or fifth calller, I lost my empathy and was not as kind.
The lesson I learned from that is that in a crisis there are some people whose thinking shuts down. I definitely don't want to be around those people in a crisis. It also reminded me to help teach my children to think critically.
Some people just don't have any common sense or much of any other kind of sense.
However, one associate made it clear that it was the company's responsibility to provide appropriate restroom facilities and if they were inoperable then we should bear the expense of providing an alternative. By afternoon, we had port-o-potties set up in the parking lot. Everyone really hated that and were quite vocal about their displeasure. The "Catbirt" in me let slip that we brought them in so that associates wouldn't wouldn't have to "bear the expense." They all knew where that issue had come from and made his life pretty miserable for a few days. As I recall, they "rolled" his cubicle.
Sharon