Amy Poehler confirmed to The Associated Press that she'll be joining the planned "Office" spinoff, paving the way for her eventual exit from "Saturday Night Live" and promoting the comedian to primetime. Speaking by phone Thursday shortly after her Emmy nomination for outstanding actress in a comedy series on "SNL," Poehler said she will join NBC's spinoff of "The Office." She's ...

Does your employer or insurance company offer bribes or threaten blackmail if you don't lose weight, stop smoking or take other steps to improve your health? An article (sorry, but unless you're a subscriber, you have to pay to read beyond the first 150 words of the piece) in today's New England Journal of Medicine examines how far employers and insurers ...

As an HR professional you're used to talking to people when they've just lost their job. You may know all the right things to say, but when it comes to your friends, it's a whole different ballgame. You want to be supportive. You want to help them see the positive side of their misfortune. You want to buy them a ...

I'm worried about Generation X and corporations. As far as I can tell, these two have a tentative relationship at best—and are likely headed for some rocky times ahead. Corporations really need Gen X—folks in their 30's to early 40's, who should begin to serve as our primary corporate leaders over the next couple years. But I fear many current corporate ...

1. A Closed Body Whether sitting or standing, your body should be loose and open. Do not cross your arms. Do not cross your legs. While you may think it conveys a sense of ease, studies have shown that a people read a closed body differently: they subconsciously think you have something to hide. What's more, you're missing a golden ...

In sports, even great athletes need coaches to ensure peak performance. Coaches keep athletes motivated and focused, identify the position they're best suited for and help them fine-tune their skills. [widget:quiz_what_kind_of_leader_are_you] Think of a career coach as someone who does the same for your work life. They can keep you on track by offering assessment, strategies and motivation. They're a great ...

As Human Resources continues its progression from Personnel towards Human Capital Management, the profession has an increasing internet presence (this site being a prime example). With more choices, of course, comes more difficulty separating the good sites from the bad. To make your search a little easier, the HRPeople team has put together our picks for the best HR blogs. [photo:1562] ...

Autodesk software engineer Hawkeye Parker would have to drive more than 20 miles north, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County, if he worked at his company's headquarters in San Rafael, Calif. Instead, 37-year-old Parker takes a seven-minute train from his home in San Francisco's bustling Mission District to the design-software maker's outpost on the city's eastern edge. The dress ...

Are you thinking about a career in HR? Are you a line manager considering giving HR a try? Or, how about a training or OD specialist, considering a cross-functional developmental assignment as an HR generalist? A while back, when I was a training director at a large multinational, that’s exactly what I did. I was advised that if I wanted to ...

As Human Resources professionals (or aspiring ones!), we all know that showing up late to an interview or dressing sloppily can ruin your chances for a job offer. But what about the more easily-overlooked things that could acreate an interview gone wrong? Don’t let it happen to you! Keep in mind these 10 common subconscious mistakes that you probably don’t ...

Do you need more exposure for your business? Do you want ways to connect quickly with many people? Then social networking is for you! Many professionals are on social network sites like HRPeople. The opportunity to expose our business is there, but do we understand how to use it to grow? Web 2.0 has greatly changed the face of business – ...

There are hundreds of finance and accounting concepts, formulas, methods, and terms, most of which the majority of HR leaders will never need to learn. That’s why we have our friendly neighborhood finance and accounting professionals. However, there are a few critical financial terms that most HR leaders need to at least be able to define, better yet, have a basic ...

Q: If a job posting doesn’t specify that they will contact you, how long is a sufficient amount of time to wait before checking on the status of your resume? A: Waiting one week to follow up from a resume submission is good rule if you have emailed it to a general email address or human resources department. Far too often ...

Ahh, the shaking of hands. It sounds simple enough: Two hands meet and greet and do a little shake. Easy, right? Not so fast. Unfortunately, there are quite a few ways a handshake can go south. From an overly moist hand to a bone-crushing grip, handshakes come in all shapes and sizes — and only the best will hit the ...

The congressional hearing on executive compensation featured another class of superstars accused of bulking up at the expense of the average American. It's been quite a season for the grilling of superstars on Capitol Hill. Not long ago we witnessed the allegedly steroidal hurler Roger Clemens and the soap opera of his friendship with a big witness for the prosecution. Now ...

For most business executives, Facebook remains a remote, somewhat mysterious, online frontier. Many executives harbor strong doubts that Facebook is at all relevant to "real business." After all, isn't it just a bunch of college kids sharing photos of drinking exploits and trying to hook up with each other? Let's start with the stats. Facebook now brings together 66 million online ...

You've been unemployed for six months. You think you're too old, fat or stupid to find a job. Keep thinking that way, and you'll prove yourself right. Negative thinking and speaking can derail your job search. Most employers want to hire happy people -- not people who are down on themselves and the world. Picture two job applicants. Each walks into ...

You've circled the ad in Sunday's paper and loaded your resume with punchy verbs. Your dream job is in sight, but you're not ready for the job hunt until you've crafted the perfect cover letter. The cover letter is your chance to give the powers-that-be more than just your name, rank and serial number. But if you don't pay attention to ...

"So, when do I start?" A question like that is about as aggressive as you can get at the close of the interview. It may knock the interviewer for a loop and appear to be overly aggressive, but some people think of it as closing the sale. For some people it has worked. For others this approach may not feel comfortable, ...

In a century where convenience is the standard form of measurement, telecommuting is growing in popularity. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2005, more than 11 million people worked from home — that's about 8 percent of the U.S. population! And what's not to love about telecommuting? When you can work from the comfort of your home, skip commuter ...