If you are familiar with Helios, you know that we are infamous for the color orange. Naturally, Halloween is one our favorite holidays to celebrate. Not only because our CEO loves practical jokes and “releasing her energy” around the office by hiding under desks, behind doors, or any other unexpected places she finds fitting to shout “BOO!” to a casual passerby (not that I’ve ever been a victim), but because it allows us to engage our employees. Utilizing opportunities like the holidays to further engage your team can really make a BIG difference with their experience of your corporate culture.

“I need to interview candidates and hire someone as soon as possible. This position is urgent and I needed someone yesterday.” Does this phrase from a hiring manager sound familiar to you?

I love fall. The crisp, cool air reminds me of walking to basketball practice in sweatpants and a hoodie, and I get excited! At the time I was just having fun, but looking back I realize how much I learned from sports that can be translated into life and into business. Coaching is one of those things.

They say when you love someone; you have to let them go. Although it may be hard to believe, from my experience, the same can be said for our jobs. When you dedicate a significant amount of time and energy to a project or position within a company, you build relationships with co-workers and form an attachment to the projects and initiatives on which you have worked. These bonds and attachments can make it challenging to hand over the reins to another team member or leave a company altogether. So if change is indeed constant; how do we make the best out of a difficult situation?

As HR professionals, we are often approached to help investigate a situation that has arisen within an organization. Workplace investigations typically begin when an individual notifies a company representative of a concern or occurrence in the workplace that they feel should be further explored. There are a number of situations that could trigger a workplace investigation. Some of the most significant and common situations that initiate the investigation process include but are not limited to:

With the recent tragic events at the Navy Yard in Washington DC, many organizational leadership teams have begun the unnerving conversations on ways to keep their most valuable assets safe in the workplace. Unfortunately, those talks are no longer about how to prevent slip and fall accidents, or even fire safety. In coming to terms with the world in which we live, a reality has to be faced, and those conversations are now strongly focused on saving lives in the event of a gun toting disgruntled employee or a complete stranger’s ambush.