The picture above is of my Book.  The Book is my North Star, my compass, my magic wand for imposing order on chaos.  I have had a Book of one sort or another since I was about 8 years old.  As a kid, the book was about my observations of the world, a record of things I didn't want to forget about.  I wrote to myself about the space program, becoming a spy, becoming a witch, becoming a doctor.  In high school, college, and grad school my Books began to transform from a record of long term wishes to the short term tactical strategies needed to attack and conquer my academic responsibilities.

In 1983 I started my first job in high tech sales, selling timesharing services for Control Data.  I kept the notes from all of my sales calls, my to do lists, progress against my quarterly sales quota, etc. In the 30 years since,  I've tried highly structured note-taking "systems" like  the Franklin Planner, but mostly  have used plain lined paper that allows me to structure my time and tasks in a way that makes sense to me.   For the last ten years or so, the Book has been a black Coach portfolio.  This baby is my favorite of all times - with multiple pockets inside and a zipper around the whole thing so stuff doesn't fall out.  In one of its "secret" compartments, I keep notes and photos from my husband and children that remind me who I am outside of work.

The secret of the Book is that there is a code of the Book.  At all times, the book contains a to-do list of long term objectives in order to keep me focused on my more strategic goals.  Throughout the week as I attend meetings, do email, read articles, talk to people, or have occasional bursts of inspiration, I make copious notes.  More importantly, I code the things I have to take action on.  If I put a double asterisk on that puppy, that puppy is getting done. Every Friday, for at least 30 years, I create my to-do list for the coming week.  I review the strategic to-do list, and schedule the tactical items that have to be addressed in the coming week to meet my commitments.

Folks who've worked for me over the years will tell you that I'm relentless on following up, that I don't forget things.  I forget lots of things, but the Book has a very long memory.

Here's this week's reading list for those of you looking for a little inspiration of your own:

4 words you should never say to your boss: http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2013/03/21/4-words-you-should-never-say-to-your-boss/

A new way to read news and a multimillionaire at 17: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323605404578382243461824094.html

The ideal praise to criticism ratio: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/03/the_ideal_praise-to-criticism.html

The 2 most important words: http://hbr.org/2013/04/the-two-most-important-words/ar/1

How Direct Deposit killed one of life's great joys: http://www.tlnt.com/2013/03/28/how-direct-deposit-killed-one-of-the-lifes-great-joys/

3 Ways To Take Advantage Of The Virtual Workforce http://ow.ly/jnZX2 via @Forbes

Workforce Burnout: A Corporate and Health Crisis http://ow.ly/jo0qJ via @HuffPostBiz

Labor Costs Impact Your Business - And Your Customers Too http://ow.ly/jqpIv via @hrbartender

Want Better Engagement? It Helps if Employees Know What It Is: http://ow.ly/jqLeo via @TLNT_com

Morning Advantage: Why It Pays to Pay Your Employees Well http://ow.ly/jqMR0 VIA @HarvardBiz

If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try, Try Again http://ow.ly/jsO54 via @blogging4jobs

#HREOnline: The Telecommuting Tempest http://ow.ly/jsOHo via @HRExecMag

Give Workers the Power to Choose: Cave or Commons http://ow.ly/jsPfa via @HarvardBiz

10 Things To Do Every Workday http://ow.ly/juOOA via @LinkedIn

Kronites are writing about:

New Time Well Spent #Cartoon: http://ow.ly/jo1oh #marchmadness

RT @SmarterCafe: Based on my extraordinary customer experience, there's no doubt @LowesCares. http://ow.ly/jotHK #custexp

RT @WF_Institute: Enough with the #MarchMadness, I have March Malaise http://ow.ly/jsDNW

RT @SmarterCafe: Overworked Easter Bunny blues... http://ow.ly/jsE8o

All is not equal when it comes to workforce management for retail http://ow.ly/jsEbd via @simonmacpherson @KronosUK

Travel Size - Affordable or Refillable? http://ow.ly/jt5xn via @ToddBlackHRMS #ACA #AffordableCareAct

Piecing together bits of my broken life http://ow.ly/jyfk1 via @SmarterCafe

Flaming Forum http://ow.ly/jyfnB via @SmarterCafe

@MNCPPC (Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission) Deploys #Kronos in the #Cloud: http://ow.ly/jnYcY #KronosCloud

Experience Workforce Innovation That Works at #KronosLive 2013 http://ow.ly/jqNjH

Register now for our FREE customer event to learn about our latest innovations, make connections, & get valuable tips http://ow.ly/jsGgw

The Medical Device Excise Tax: Minimizing Its Impact with a Lean Labor Strategy http://ow.ly/jsGvs

Though I possess no sports fan genes whatsoever, even I know we're in the midst of March Madness.  Everybody's making their picks and excited about the outcome of the tournament.  (Is that what you even call it?)

I, on the other hand, am struggling with March Malaise.  The snow and rain just keep coming.  You've heard  that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  If this source is correct, the origin of the expression comes from the stars.  Specifically, March begins as the Constellation Leo is crossing toward the meridian. Leo is the Lion. As Leo marches away, the Constellation Aries begins to rise toward the end of the month. Aries is the ram."

Hmmm, this weather certainly feels more ram-y, then lamb-y to me.  And on top of that, we don't have another federal holiday until Memorial Day weekend - another nine weeks away.  In Punxsutawney,  they're even suing groundhog Phil in over his inaccurate forecast of the arrival of spring.  I predict the first day the temperature goes above 60 degrees here in Massachusetts, we're going to have a lot of desperate people suddenly "coming down with something".

If you're despairing of ever seeing the sun again, perhaps you can put your agitation to good use and peruse the following...

Turn the Big Game Into a Reason to Come to Work - Friday Distraction: http://www.hrbartender.com/2013/employee/turn-the-big-game-into-a-reason-to-come-to-work-friday-distraction/

Ten Apps to Increase Your HR Work Productivity: http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/HR-Administration/HR-Strategy/zns-10-apps-increase-HR-work-productivity

How Should We Measure Clouds?: http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/how-should-we-measure-clouds/240151231

To Build Trust in Cloud Engagements, Ask These 3 Questions: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/03/19/business-cloud/

Companies Turning to Tools to Manage Contingent Labor: http://www.workforce.com/article/20130319/NEWS02/130319980/companies-turning-to-tools-to-manage-contingent-labor#

Play or Pay with Obamacare: http://www.tlnt.com/2013/03/20/play-or-pay-with-obamacare-employers-wonder-which-way-to-go/

Against the collaborative workspace: http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2013/03/14/an-office-of-ones-own/

Is Leading While Learning Really Effective http://ow.ly/j9ujB via @hrbartender

Look For Employees With High EQ Over IQ http://ow.ly/j9tPm via @Forbes

5 Reasons Telecommuting Is Still Beneficial To Your Employees http://ow.ly/j9v5W via @blogging4jobs

Why Hopeful Employees Are 14% More Productive http://ow.ly/jcSAX via @HPGoodNews

Pushing the Boundaries of the Workplace http://ow.ly/jcTdy via @nytimes

5 Easy Ways To Motivate - And Demotivate - Employees http://ow.ly/jcTsD via @Forbes

The True Power of Treating Employees Right? Customers Will Benefit, Too http://ow.ly/jfdEi via @TLNT_com

RT @mikewcassidy: More evidence that analytics drives better decision making and financial performance. #kronos http://ow.ly/jirq5

Whose Job Is It To Help the Bad Fits? http://ow.ly/jhLPI via @Conferenceboard

Kronites are writing about:

New Time Well Spent #Cartoon: http://ow.ly/j9pTM #ACA #AffordableCareAct

Real Time Information - Are you ready? http://ow.ly/j9qwD via @simonmacpherson @KronosUK

The Madness of Lost Productivity http://ow.ly/j9Uyg via @SmarterCafe #marchmadness

RT @Jacquifenn: Retail Week Live 2013 - review of the event by @andrewbusby http://ow.ly/jirxf

Talking with @williamtincup and @sharlyn_lauby (@hrbartender) about #mobile workforce management http://ow.ly/jfc3u via @WF_Institute

Did you know we can test your Kronos system to figure out its stress level & help prevent system failure & data loss? http://ow.ly/jcZJp

Join Me For Leading Workforce Management Event http://ow.ly/jfiQb via @simonmacpherson @KronosUK #KronosLive

RT @SmarterCafe: #NASA rover #Curiosity a-bandoned and a-scared on #Mars. Needs a software update. http://ow.ly/jfigA

RT @smartercafe: #Bigdata or small, your workforce data can save you BIG. http://ow.ly/ji9NN #Kronos

@ClemsonNews Adds More Innovation in Workforce Management with @kronos http://ow.ly/j9rOv

RT @KronosUKRetail: Join us at #KronosLive EMEA! Sessions include how #bigdata & #analytics are shaping the future: http://ow.ly/jb0kq

Pay or play? Determining your company's best solution to the #AffordableCareAct #ACA: http://ow.ly/j9voV

#KronosLive 2013: You're invited to a FREE local customer event! Register now: http://ow.ly/j9wCn

Interested in speaking at #KronosWorks13? Speakers receive complimentary conference registration! Sign up now: http://ow.ly/j9xEq

Kronos Survey Reveals Nurse Fatigue is Pervasive in Healthcare & Directly Linked to On-the-Job Errors http://ow.ly/jfbey #AONE2013

Live Demo: Workforce Ready Time & Attendance http://ow.ly/jhvXy Tuesdays 1-2pm ET.

#Kronos Tips & Tricks! See what's new in KnowledgePass: http://ow.ly/jhwpo

Taking the Kronos Cloud Tour: FREE. Value of taking it: PRICELESS. http://ow.ly/jhx3c #cloud #KronosCloud

Experience Workforce Innovation That Works at #KronosLive 2013 http://ow.ly/jhxcs

Last week, I spoke with our board members Sharlyn Lauby (aka the HR Bartender) and William Tincup (so many aliases, I don't know where to start) about the future of mobile workforce management.  At Kronos, we've invested in smartphone and tablet solutions that enable managers and employees to take action on common tasks like punching in and out, scheduling shifts, approving  timecards, and the like.  Frontline managers are thereby freed to "manage in the moment" while going about their daily routines, untethered from their office computers.

We're seeing rapid adoption of mobile technologies at Kronos and in the world at large.  As consumers become more wedded to the conveniences of mobile devices for communication and entertainment, they increasingly expect to experience similar conveniences in the workplace.

We talked about the following questions that are top of mind for organizations using (or thinking about using) mobile technology to extend their workforce management environment:

You can listen in on our discussion here:

Are you using mobile technology on the job?  What are the pros and cons?

A leader I used to work for once told me "it's always hottest on the nose cone of the rocket".  Her point was that when you lead, and especially when you're driving big change, you will have to learn to tolerate the friction created by critics and naysayers.  It was her way of coaching me to continue leading, and to expect that breaking through obstacles wouldn't happen without discomfort.

I've been thinking about that this week as the firestorm has grown around Sheryl Sandberg's new book  Leaning In, a call to action to women about what it takes to achieve success at work.  Like the Marissa-Mayer-Yahoo-Telecommuting tempest of the last few weeks, the feedback seems to be particularly pointed because she's a woman, and a successful one at that.   Women like Marissa and Sheryl have broken through the glass ceiling, and are both no doubt accustomed to picking the shards of glass out of their hides.  They have to have juggled competing priorities all the way to the top.  That they've been spectacularly successful doing so is clear.

Timothy Leary famously encouraged my generation to "turn on, tune in, drop out".  Ironically, we female boomers not only didn't drop out, we charged into the workplace body and soul and many burned out on the nose cone of that rocket.  Some of the critical backlash aimed at Marissa and Sheryl comes from the legions of exhausted women who -  juggling childcare, elder care, housework, volunteerism, schoolwork and their partners - resent the implication that they just aren't trying hard enough.  They expect Sheryl and Marissa to know better.

Read on to hear what journalists and bloggers have to say

Why you should “lean in” to Sheryl Sandberg's new book: http://www.wired.com/business/2013/03/lean-in-to-sheryl-sandbergs-book/

Maybe You Should Read the Book: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/03/maybe-you-should-read-the-book-the-sheryl-sandberg-backlash.html#ixzz2Mk8gWkg1

What Your reaction to Powerful Female Executive Says About You: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2013/03/female-executives/62675/

Sheryl Sandberg Isn't the Perfect Feminist, so what? http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dear-fellow-feminists-ripping-apart-sheryl-sandbergs-book-is-counterproductive/2013/03/01/fc71b984-81c0-11e2-a350-49866afab584_story.html

And a great guest post from our own Laura Souza:  @LSouz: Leaning…Out http://ow.ly/iWKAj via @WF_Institute

Also on our radar this week:

The wage gap is getting worse: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/07/the-wage-gap-between-men-and-women-has-grown-during-the-recovery/

What's the role of cloud in work-from home? http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/telecommuting-and-cloud-computing-innovators-only-213783

Should Gen Y have their parents in their performance reviews? http://www.tlnt.com/2013/03/14/holding-employees-accountable-maybe-its-time-to-call-mom-dad/

Does FMLA work? http://www.tlnt.com/2013/03/14/after-20-years-its-time-to-ask-is-the-fmla-still-working/

The Real Women's Issue: Time    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324678604578342641640982224.html

RT @mikewcassidy: Great article on the #ROI of #Cloud across the Enterprise. http://ow.ly/iYSkj

Want to Retain Employees? Ask _What Would It Take to Make You Leave?' http://ow.ly/iVffc via @TLNT_com

'I'm Outta Here!' Why 2 Million Americans Quit Every Month (And 5 Steps to Turn the Epidemic Around) http://ow.ly/iV441 via @Forbes

RT @SteveBoese: Taking his talents to technology: More on the Danger of Hiring for 'Fit' http://ow.ly/iYSnG

8 Rules to Make Telecommuting Work http://ow.ly/iRJ41 via @Inc

How Businesses Can Address Severe Weather In The Workplace http://ow.ly/iRHFE via @Forbes

Do You Listen to Your Employees? http://ow.ly/iRG3T via @nytimes

Finding a Problem and Fixing a Problem Aren't the Same Thing http://ow.ly/iRFuY via @hrbartender

#HREOnline: The Cost of #ACA Compliance http://ow.ly/iO4kg via @HRExecMag

Office Oasis: When The Workplace Doubles As A Space To Unwind ow.ly/iO6bC via @HealthyLiving

Taking Your Pulse: You Need Data to Test How Company Culture Is Doing ow.ly/iO2vZ via @TLNT_com

RT @williamtincup: RT 97% of Employers Have No Plans to Eliminate Telecommuting a la Yahoo! & Best Buy bit.ly/10DBxTV @EntryLevelJob

Kronites are writing about..

@williamtincup, Complexity, and Grown Up Pants http://ow.ly/iV3wb via @WF_Institute

Are you ready for spring? Today's Time Well Spent #cartoon is very fitting: http://ow.ly/iRF6m

RT @SmarterCafe: When I went to #SXSW, we didn't have Google Shoes. http://ow.ly/iKf5X

10 Ways to Cut Costs Without Cutting Jobs http://ow.ly/iV34g via @simonmacpherson @KronosUK

RT @SmarterCafe: Screwing with dinosaur DNA is not for the meek. http://ow.ly/iWeKu #SaaS

RT @SmarterCafe: Is #Skynet coming as the cloud-based robot brain, #Rapyuta? Related: are there clowns in the cloud? http://ow.ly/iOkXw

#Kronos Survey Reveals #Dining Industry's Urgent Workforce Management Priorities: http://ow.ly/iVcx1

#KronosLive 2013: You're invited to a FREE local customer event! Register now: http://ow.ly/iVbUM

March 21 Webinar: Are you using #BigData to build a more productive workforce? http://ow.ly/iV4Kz

Pay or play? Determining your company's best solution to the #AffordableCareAct #ACA: http://ow.ly/iV3G8

#LEAN labor principles turn #BIGDATA into operational efficiency. Learn how: http://ow.ly/iRPQr

@transavia Selects #Kronos AD OPT to Optimize Crew Rostering http://ow.ly/iRF1Z

Registration is NOW OPEN for #KronosWorks13 in #Orlando! Register before 5/31 & save $300! http://ow.ly/iKXZ8

Survey reveals majority of #publicsafety agencies still rely on paper templates for scheduling & more. http://ow.ly/iKOqD

Take a Sneak Peek at the Survival Guide for #Manufacturers Facing Global Competition: http://ow.ly/iK95x

Feb. 12, 2013

A new survey commissioned by The Workforce Institute™ at Kronos Incorporated and conducted by Harris Interactive reveals that while the majority of hourly workers are not paid for time they spend out sick, they often opt to stay home to, among other things, protect their co-workers from getting sick.

According to Joyce Maroney, director of The Workforce Institute at Kronos “For hourly employees for whom presence is required, calling out sick more often times than not means they won't be getting paid. Our survey shows that this is one of the top three considerations of hourly employees when considering whether or not to go to work sick. Particularly during a harsh flu season like the one we are in, employers should encourage sick employees to stay home when they are sick. An automated workforce management solution with mobile capabilities can help ease the burden on employers by making it easier and faster to find replacement workers.”

Key Findings:

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Kronos from January 24-28, 2013 among 2,474 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 604 are employed and paid an hourly wage. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact laura.souza@kronos.com.

January 30, 2008

New survey findings suggest that an estimated 1.5 millioni employedii U.S. adults may call in sick to work the day after the Super Bowl. The “Super Bowl Fever Sidelines Employees on Monday Morning” survey of 1,430 adults employed full-time was sponsored by The Workforce Institute at Kronos® Incorporated and conducted online via Harris Interactive.

The survey shows that another three percent of respondents, or an estimated 4.4 millioniii employees, may arrive late to work the Monday after the Super Bowl. This number is in-line with the three percent of respondents who admit to, in the past, having arrived late to work the Monday after the Super Bowl. Interestingly enough, three percent also say that they have previously called in sick to work the Monday after the Super Bowl, indicating that the number of employees who actually do call in sick may be significantly higher than the number who say they might.

Super Bowl-related absences could be particularly striking for organizations with a high population of Gen X and Gen Y employees, as the majority of the employed adults who say they may call in sick the day after the Super Bowl are males and females between the ages of 18-34 years (4 percent and 3 percent, respectively).

Unscheduled absences, including those that organizations will experience after the Super Bowl, cost U.S. employers billions of dollars each year in lost productivity, impact production and customer service, and create employee satisfaction problems. Until recently, few organizations were conscience of this hidden cost or were simply not focused on controlling it.

“Today, best practice organizations are using automated solutions to manage and apply attendance policies fairly and consistently throughout their organizations,” said Joyce Maroney, director of the Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated. “Managers benefit from the timely information, which enables them to quickly adjust to unscheduled absences without impacting production or employee satisfaction. Employees are empowered with self-service tools, which provide access to vacation and personal leave time balance information, encouraging them to plan appropriately for time away from work. This supports a healthy work/life balance and reduces unscheduled absences.”

Study Methodology

This Super Bowl survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Kronos Incorporated between January 24 and 28, 2008 among 3,091 U.S. adults aged 18 and over, of whom 1,430 were employed full-time. Results were weighted as needed for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

Workforce Institute's opinion
The Institute recommends using automated solutions to manage and apply attendance policies fairly and consistently. Managers can use the real-time information to quickly adjust to unscheduled absences without impacting production or employee satisfaction.

Today's guest post is from my friend and colleague at Kronos, Laura Souza.   Laura, a high performing professional, also has two young daughters at home.  The following is her reaction to the furor over Sheryl Sandberg's new book, and her reflection on what it means to be deliberate about our work-life choices.  Because climbing the ladder has consequences...

Much has been written in the last month about the launch of Sheryl Sandberg's new book Lean In. For anyone who has been living under a rock, Sandberg is the COO of Facebook and former executive at Google, a billionaire heavy hitter in male-dominated Silicon Valley.

DISCLAIMER: I have not read Sandberg's book yet, but in all the coverage of the book that I have read and in the 60 Minutes interview she gave, one point seems to have been entirely missed. It's not just women who “lean back” from there careers - men do it too. I know this because I was raised by one.

My dad worked, and worked hard, for more than 30 years for what we referred to in our house as, “the phone company” - depending on the year, it was New England Telephone, NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, or Verizon. He commuted 1-2 hours every day into Boston from the suburban town in New Hampshire where we lived and he felt strongly the responsibility of providing for his family. BUT, he was home every night for dinner.

When I was young enough to still have stories read to me at bedtime, it was often my dad who did the reading. My favorite nights were when rather than read he would tell me stories about the fictional character he invented named Bruce Long who was always “embellishing” (a word I learned from my dad around the age of 5) his daily adventures. It would be up to me to determine what Bruce had actually done to inspire his tall tale.

As we got older, my dad still focused on getting home for family dinners. He would ask my brother and me trivia questions, talk to us about politics and sports, tell us about what happened in his day and ask us about ours. After dinner he would help us with our homework, or, in the summers when we didn't have homework, he'd often take us outside to, somewhat competitively I may add, play wiffel ball or basketball or whatever sport we felt like doing.

When my brother and I were in grade school, my dad was offered a big promotion. It would have meant moving to White Plains NY. Ultimately, he and my mom decided that they didn't want to uproot their family and their kids, and so my dad turned down the promotion in order to provide more stability for us. He wasn't bitter about it and my brother and I never really knew the details until we were much older. In my dad's mind, choosing the happiness of his kids over the advancement of his career was just part of being a good dad.

When I was in high school, my dad started working from a regional office in Manchester NH one or two days a week. It gave him a break from commuting, but more importantly to him, it also meant that he was able to attend the sporting events that my brother and I were involved in. He was often one of the few dads watching.

There's no doubt in my mind that my dad could have risen higher in his organization and probably made more money, if he “leaned in” to his career more. But what would he have missed?

Australian palliative nurse Bonnie Ware, in a social media post that went viral about a year ago, revealed the top 5 regrets of the dying and number 2 on the list was “I wish I hadn't worked so hard.” Noted Ware, “This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence."

And that, for me, is the bottom line about leaning in - for men and women. I agree that we need more women in leadership positions at every level of society and I am incredibly grateful to those women who strive for and achieve those positions. They are doing important work. But I don't envy them. I always think that maybe someday when my children are grown (they are right now 2 and ½ and 4) I'll log more hours in the office, or look to get involved in more causes, or pursue membership on a corporate board. But for now, I want to be there to hear about what happened at preschool, volunteer in their classrooms, eat dinner as a family, and put them to bed - just like my mom - and my dad - did for me.

What choices have you made about career vs. life?

Our board member William Tincup contributed today's post.   Read the post, think about a complex issue in your (work) life and ask yourself, am I looking for the easy solution or the best solution?

What we do is hard. Really HARD in fact.

Human beings are complex. Work is complex. Software is complex. Everything is complex.

So, why do we gravitate towards simplistic solutions to complex problems? Why can't we acknowledge that complexity is NOT the bane of our existence but rather nectar that makes our civilization great?

Take the popularized concepts of "big data" and/or "the cloud" and you'll notice a majority of the language is about how simple it is. Don't trust that. In fact, in both cases, we haven't even begun to unravel the outer layers of complexities.

The thing is, we have to embrace complexity. We need to force those around us to also embrace complexity. Truth is, we'll get to our desired destination by understanding complexity rather than avoiding it.  Solving big problems or capitalizing on big opportunities generally involves hard work.

So, when folks use keywords like: fast, easy, cheap, simple, etc... an alarm should go off in your mind.  Most things are marketed using terms like this but end up not being that way.

I know what you're thinking: William, some things are indeed simple. I know, I know. Some things are, but most are NOT. The love I have for my sons is unconditional. Pretty simple. Yet talk to any parent that has grown up children and they'd tell you: my unconditional love was tested once or twice. Things can be simple, but when it comes to HR, workplace, employees, software, etc... nothing is simple. Nothing.

And it is about time that we, we as in ALL of us, recognize that fact. Time for us to put on our grown up pants, time for us to embrace complexity, time for us to stop looking for shortcuts.  Embrace complexity.

I heart complexity. Say it at the beginning of the day AND at the end of the day for a week. I promise -  it will change your outlook.

I'm not even going to pose the question.  Of course we still need special focus on the issues that hold women back in the world.  Today is International Womens' Day, an annual event started in 1911 in Copenhagen.  At the time, the focus was on women's suffrage and driving for equal rights in society for women.  I bet the women in attendance at that event would have been stunned to learn that over 100 years later, their mission wouldn't have been accomplished on a global basis.

While women in developed countries largely enjoy equality in the eyes of the law, wage inequity persists. For women in developing countries, wage inequity as a challenge will rate way below violence, illiteracy and poverty.  Malala Yousufzai, pictured here, came to international attention last October when she was shot in the head by the Taliban because she advocated for education for girls.

By all means, take a moment today to celebrate how far women have come.  This video from Kronos reminds us of many ways that women have contributed to society and have enjoyed expanded rights from the suffragette days.  But let's not forget our many sisters, though, for whom the most basic of equal rights still remain out of reach.

United Nations ”@UN

A child born to a mother who can read is 50% more likely to survive. Share this fact! http://j.mp/VLRiqz #1woman #IWD2013

Our board member John Hollon, Vice President for Editorial of TLNT.com, muses on how to channel worker creativity.  What works for you?

It's not a secret that employees can be incredibly creative when they want to be. The big issue is getting them to be equally creative, in a positive way, when they're on the job.

I was thinking of this while going through the results of a CareerBuilder survey in February that focused on the most memorable excuses that employees give for being tardy or late for work.

According to the survey, more than a quarter (26 percent) of employees admit that they're late to work at least once a month, and 16 percent say they're late once a week, or more.

No wonder so many managers say that they spend way too much time just getting people focused on doing their job.

As bad as those numbers are, the thing that really jumped out of the CareerBuilder survey were some of the outrageous excuses that workers gave for being late to work. For example: ·

Yes, some of these excuses are real whoppers, but it just goes to show you how incredibly creative that workers can be when they find themselves in a pinch.

Overall, the survey found that traffic was the most common cause for workers to be late, according to 31 percent of those surveyed. No big surprise there. Other factors for tardiness include lack of sleep, the need to drop off the kids at daycare or school, bad weather, and public transportation delays.

All of that sounds reasonable, because just about anyone who has managed people for any length of time knows that all of those things happen to employees on occasion. It's just one of the issues that managers have to deal with as part of their job.

But, it's the wild and crazy excuses that give me pause, because I keep coming back to a simple question when someone lays one of these crazy excuses on me: why can't you be this creative and resourceful when it comes to doing your job everyday?

In 30 plus years of managing people, I still haven't come up with a good answer - but I'm still looking. Let me know if you have a reasonable explanation. There has GOT to be some way we can channel all of that into positive, workplace behavior.

If you follow this blog, you know we're investing heavily in moving our customers to the Cloud at Kronos.  And not just Cloud, but smartphones, tablets and snazzy time clocks that take advantage of the growing consumer preference for always on information technology and connectedness.

That transformation from product provider to service provider is huge - moving from intermittent contact with your customers to an always on service delivery machine requires changes in every aspect of our business.  We need to anticipate and head off problems that might interrupt customer service.  And we're connecting a lot more of our employees more directly to our customers' experience as we create new jobs to support this transformation.

I spoke to a group of leaders last week about how to think about changes we're driving with a customer-first point of view.  These are all senior leaders with plenty of technology development and delivery experience.  And all agree that the Cloud is different and drives us to up our game.

Recently, I spoke with our board members Sue Meisinger and Bob Clements to discuss the growing importance of the cloud in human resources.  Among other topics we discussed:

You can listen to a podcast of our conversation here: Bob Clements and Sue Meisinger Discuss Cloud Strategy for HR Leaders.

I was pleased to join Bryan Wempen and William Tincup again Friday on DriveThru HR.  It's always fun to shoot the breeze with them, and hopefully their followers enjoyed our chat. You can listen to the broadcast here.

We were talking about the politics, moving to the cloud and the fallout over Marissa Mayer's decision to order Yahoo telecommuters back to the office.   Our poll shows 67% of respondents don't think she made the right decision.  The media coverage varies from “How dare she!” to  “she made the right decision for her company"; i.e. did the job she was hired for. I think she could have taken a more nuanced approach - determined where individual initiatives called for more presence and implemented changes accordingly. As Maureen Dowd wrote last week,  "Mayer has a nursery next to the executive suite. But not everyone has it so sweet".

You can see some representative media coverage below.  Read on...

The latest from Kara Swisher who broke the story: http://allthingsd.com/20130227/cfo-goldman-says-mayer-regime-has-been-improving-quality-of-life-at-yahoo/

Yahoo came out and basically admitted to what everyone suspected: this was not an indictment of working from home, but an acknowledgement that it isn't working for Yahoo right now:

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/27/technology/yahoo-work-at-home/

One perspective on how working from home is not the answer for moms: http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/06/about-that-atlantic-article-why-working-from-home-isnt-the-answer-for-working-moms/

Strong defense of working from home: http://www.tlnt.com/2013/02/28/no-more-flex-work-are-you-freaking-kidding-me/

Lisa Belkin weighs in: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-belkin/why-work-from-home_b_2774794.html

It's such interesting timing with Sheryl Sandberg's new book coming out…there is something here about how harshly women leaders are judged, I think, by men, but also by other women. When Jack Welch publishes a book, people don't question about what he is doing for the cause of men everywhere…it feels like for women like MM and SS it really is a no-win situation in some ways….

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanne-bamberger/sheryl-sandberg-marissa-mayer_b_2760331.html

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-28/carly-fiorina-on-marissa-sheryl-and-women-in-tech

Other Articles of Interest Last Week:

Turnover is Turnover: What Churning Employees Says About Your Culture http://ow.ly/i1k2q via @TLNT_com

Keep on Trucking? Not if Canada Doesn't Hire More Truckers http://ow.ly/i1mb4 via @WSJ

Sheryl Sandberg's Lessons to Succeed and Savor Work and Life http://ow.ly/i1mLT via @HuffPostWomen

Train Your Brain to Be Optimistic http://ow.ly/i1o2z via @Inc

Why You Need to Vote For TLNT For Best Human Resources Blog http://ow.ly/i2iUU via @TLNT_com @johnhollon

Can a Little Relaxation Increase Your Employees' Productivity? http://ow.ly/i3QIl via @blogging4jobs

RT @williamtincup: RT Failure Is Not an Option - Shallow Motivational Tip 3 http://ow.ly/i8ZKe @TomBolt

Love this piece written by @ChinaGorman on the Yahoo work from home issue. http://ow.ly/i8ZHz. Good for Marissa Mayer & Jackie Reses.

Same Train, Same Track: You Gotta Be Honest to Build Better Engagement http://ow.ly/i5TYe via @TLNT_com @TimSackett

Unhappy Employees Are Not Disengaged Employees http://ow.ly/i8bJG via @hrbartender

Kronites are writing about:

New Time Well Spent #Cartoon: http://ow.ly/i1i1T #openshift #snowball

RT @simonmacpherson: How Mature Are You? Part 2 http://ow.ly/i8ZNq

RT @SmarterCafe: A project is like a life... Ask every question you can. http://ow.ly/i4an5

Yahoo in a gray flannel suit? Is forcing the telecommuters home a recipe for success? http://ow.ly/i6PQY

Quote the Raven “Perfect Paycheck” http://ow.ly/i8cEh via @ToddBlackHRMS #HR #Payroll

How Mature Are You? Part 3 http://ow.ly/i8aFa via @simonmacpherson @KronosUK

RT @smartercafe: If Belle was a #Kronos customer, you know she'd seek out every training opportunity! http://ow.ly/i8WLD #KnowledgePass

Limited time savings on Kronos Workforce Ready just for you! Get the details: http://ow.ly/i1iBP #SMB #WFM #HR

The @WF_Institute at #Kronos Explores How The #AffordableCareAct Will Impact Organizations http://ow.ly/i1lJw

#HIMSS13 Attendees; Schedule a meeting, join us at our exclusive party – or both – & we'll be happy to tell you more! http://ow.ly/i1oEl

Follow @Work4Kronos to learn about the latest on jobs & culture @KronosInc and @KronosUK.

Get Sold on Training Incentives http://ow.ly/i2er0

RT @AronAin: @KronosInc in full planning for our summer internship program. Energetic, bright & motivated should apply. Follow @Work4Kronos

RT @WF_Institute: Making another appearance on @drivethruhr Friday 1PM ET. I'll talk about what #Cloud & Politics have in common... #dthr

#SupplyChain #Technology: The State of Labor Management Systems http://ow.ly/i8au9

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