I have mentioned Basecamp on this blog twice before, both in 2015 when they moved from 37signals to Basecamp. Yes, that is how long I have been tracking them. On 26th April 2021, Jason Fried, founder & CEO of Basecamp, announced yet more changes. However, this time, unlike before, my reactions are not all positive. … Continue reading Changes at Basecamp
We’ve crossed the one year mark since countries around the world began enforcing lockdowns in some form or the other; one year of living with restrictions and work taking a 180-degree turn. For organizations that survived and thrived, there’s never been a better year to show employees that they value more than just profits and … Continue reading Annual Review: Organizations & COVID-19
And it’s upon us yet again. Call it what you may – annual performance management, talent review or plain old appraisal season, you cannot escape it. Yet, of all the years gone by, the 2021 annual appraisal cycle promises to be, by far, the most agonizing of them all. Individuals within organizations have begun raising … Continue reading It’s appraisal season….or is it?
A lot of what I know about HR today is based on experience, observation of trends, blogposts, news and conversations. When I analyze the systems that surround me, they too seem largely based on what organizations have done in the past, few experiments and many perceptions. While I question these often, I rarely dig deep … Continue reading First Principles
Goal setting is a slippery task. No matter how much effort you put into it, it always seems to be lacking an elusive magical element. Just when you feel like you’ve got it right, the year takes an unexpected tumble and you find yourself back at the drawing board.
How many times in your career have you waited with nervous anticipation for feedback from your manager? If am not wrong, at least once every year, if not twice or once a quarter. How many times has your manager called you in and given you immediate feedback – either positive or negative? Now let’s flip … Continue reading Sending feedback up the chain
This is not yet another article advocating the benefits of a strength-based philosophy. We’ve seen many of those already, haven’t we? Gallup, Peter Drucker and the industry as a whole have successfully convinced me to believe that employee performance and consequently organizational productivity is positively impacted when organizations routinely focus on strengths. I’m sold! However, despite all the … Continue reading What does one do with the strength-based philosophy?
On 2nd March 2018, United Airlines President Scott Kirby attempted to spice up the life of his employees. The organization decided to get a little creative with their rewards system and messed with employee bonuses. In case you haven’t heard (which would be surprising given the stir it has created), the scheme was this – you take … Continue reading What was United thinking?
I was lucky to stumble upon this tweet a few days back and immediately knew that I just had to make my own Mixtape. What I didn’t know is how much fun this would end up being. Hence, the part 1. Needless to say, another will follow. Because I am dealing with a lot of … Continue reading Part 1: Performance Management Edition #HRMixTape2018
It is because external feedback and self-retrospection are the only two tools I have towards continuous growth and I’d be damned if I don’t abuse both.
The HR Business Partner Story 