What Does Christmas Mean?

The race began on Black Friday (or earlier) to get the best gifts, the most gifts at the lowest price.  There are lights to be strung, songs to be sung, and decorations to be hung.  Parties are planned, cookies are baked and cards are written and sent. Children wait breathlessly for Santa. It can be the most wonderful time of the year or the most stressful time of the year.

Don't get me wrong.  I love the season with all the lights, decorations, and songs.  I have so many fond family memories of decorating the Christmas tree with my siblings and father -- laughing and squabbling.  And baking cookies with my mother -- "don't forget to burn one tray because your father likes them."  I still remember the year I got a baby doll with a crib and wardrobe.  It was much more than I expected and it was wonderful!  The best part of the season was going into Manhattan with my father for a day, walking down Fifth and seeing the stores decorated, seeing the tree in Rockefeller Center and having lunch or dinner someplace special.

Now I live in an area where people come from many diverse religious and cultural backgrounds.  Not everyone celebrates the holiday, and if they do they bring different rituals and customs to it.  The most diversity I remember from my days of ole were my Jewish friends who went out for Chinese food and a movie on Christmas day. 

These days I see a holiday that has become over-commercialized.  People bemoan the fact that clerks in stores (where I live) "won't even wish you Merry Christmas!"  Perhaps they don't celebrate the holiday and it doesn't occur to them. 

Last year I was in Albuquerque, NM for Christmas.  It's a diverse geographic area in many ways, but the cultural and religious diversity are different from Washington DC.  Associates in stores still say Merry Christmas.  The local paper ran an article about what atheists do at Christmas.  Christmas Eve and Christmas are normal days.  One gentleman (who was raised Catholic) spoke of still decorating with lights and greenery, pagan, not Christian, symbols.  When greeted with Merry Christmas he thanks people, acknowledges the thought, and responds that he's an atheist.  He respects the role religion plays and the meaning it has in other people's lives.

Christmas is a day that celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, but the date of his actual birth is unknown. It is not recorded in the Bible.  The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336 AD, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the December 25. Christmas is a religious holiday that has become a universal holiday for government and business offices.  And the universal holiday has created a commercial one.

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Theodor Seuss Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss)

Religion aside, for me the month leading up to Christmas is filled with wonder and light -- the excitement before the gloomy days and nights of January and February. It's a reflective period, one of hope and compassion. Whether you celebrate Christmas, another holiday, or no holiday at all, do you take any meaning from this time leading up to a new calendar year? Are those meanings reflected in any of your traditions?

Even cultures that celebrate Christmas, have different traditions. Some cultures that I didn’t think of as celebrating Christmas, have traditions associated with it.  I was surprised when I visited China in December 2008 to see Christmas decorations and hear Christmas music playing. Over the next two weeks our phototweets will feature Christmas traditions around the world.  Follow us on Twitter @bigbookofhr and enjoy the journey.  We’ll be back in January.

Marriott – Changing With The Times

Earlier in 2014, I heard Karl Fischer, Chief Human Resources Officer for Marriott Americas, speak on the topic of Human Resources in a Digital World.  I was expecting him to talk about how the company was using technology for all of their HR needs.  He did, but it was in the context of changing generational expectations. 

Marriott hotels have been built around the values and needs of the baby boomer generation, which wants consistency in their travel experiences.  Yes, that’s me, especially when it comes to business travel.  And I can attest that I’m never surprised when I stay at Marriott.  There brands may vary, but my experience at the various brands has always been consistent. 

Marriott is now seeing the necessity of evolving its hotels to meet the needs and wants of the next generation of travelers, the Millennials or Generation Y (Gen Y).  They are looking for adventure in their travel experience, and Marriot must change their brand to attract those travelers (just when I was getting comfortable).

Gen Y is the demographic cohort that follows Gen X.  By 2018, the majority of the workforce will be Gen Y.  They generally have a different approach to work and to life than previous generations.  Consider the following expectations of Gen Y:

1.     Meaningful work, and work that is interesting.  They want to make a contribution and an impact.  They want to work in an environment where they feel comfortable.   It's normal for them collaborate and to interact – all the way to the top of the organization.   Gen Y has no problem sending an email to the CEO and expecting an instant response. 

2.     Smart technology.  They are highly tech savvy.   They are very connected through technology and grew up with the Internet and instant messaging.

3.     Authentic connections.  They want to talk things through (dialogue) and not be talked to (monologue) – and many of those conversations are virtual.  For example, unlike Baby Boomers, Gen Y don't connect with brands (I'll always choose a Marriott hotel, given a choice and availability).  Rather, they'll ask for recommendations, virtually, on line from friends and from people they don't know.  More important to them is what other people say versus any advertisement Marriott can place on TV or other media.   

4.     Exploration and discovery.  They want the unique experience, not the consistent one.

While Marriott is seeing the need to change its lodging brand to attract the new generation of travelers, it also must change its employment brand to attract Gen Y into its workforce.  The challenge for Marriott is how to connect with them in the way Gen Y wants to connect.  Gen Y wants simple, interactive access, anyplace, anytime.

At Marriott’s site, Marriott.com/careers, potential employees can search and apply for a job, explore career paths, and learn more about Marriott.  There is a “Connect With Us” feature on their career site where you can meet people who work for Marriott and discover why so many stay for a career.  They have a “Stay in Touch” feature that provides a way to explore possibilities and learn about Marriott culture.  Since Gen Y is all about their tablets and PDAs and not about laptops, they can visit Marriott Careers Mobile on their devices.    

Marriott associates share news and make connections through all the social media platforms, where Gen Y hangs out.  A Gen Y can check out job opportunities through Marriott Careers on Facebook, Marriott Careers on Twitter, and Marriott Careers on Weibo in China.  There is even a GPS feature on the career site that allows applicants to calculate commute time to the particular property at which they are interested in working.

What impressed me after listening to Fischer was that Marriott is applying the research about the Millennial Generation to its marketing strategy and its employment strategy -- recruitment and retention -- so it can attract this generation as guests and as employees.  Marriott is not standing still.  It is recognizing that times are changing and is changing with the times.

Taking Care: A Leadership Competency

I once heard David Ulrich speak about leadership and the need for leaders to invest in themselves. He offered several examples. The most interesting and powerful to me was the need for leaders to take care of themselves emotionally and physically.

We are living in times when organizations are doing more with less and workers are concerned about losing their jobs. Anxiety about the economy and fear of the unknown are fueling employee stress. I was talking to someone recently who indicated that with changes in his company’s leadership, employees were being urged to adopt a 24-7 mindset and always be accessible to their clients. I asked him if the management team was “leading by example”. The response was: “Hardly, they may work long hours Monday to Friday, but they take their weekends off.”

That is hardly what Ulrich meant when he talked about leaders taking care of themselves. That was just one of the many competencies for the leadership model he offered. He also talked about the need for leaders to assure that their moral compass was intact. Leaders also have to assure that they are taking care of the organizations and those organizations’ assets that have been placed into their care.

Leaders who are not aware of the stresses that their employees are feeling and the employees’ need to deal with these stresses run the risk of appearing indifferent. This perceived indifference may add to employees’ stress. This, I’m afraid, is what my acquaintance was experiencing.

The moral compass of the enlightened leader takes care that the message that he or she is sending is not contradictory. Enlightened leaders model the behavior they expect from the employees. Taking time off on weekends and for vacations to rest, relax and reflect is reasonable behavior. However, expecting employees to be tuned in and turned on 24/7 when you’re not is contradictory.

The moral compass of the enlightened leader sets realistic expectations. It’s not realistic to expect that people have no time to disengage, refresh, unplug and look inward on a regular basis. That includes taking a break from the electronics that consume their time.

The moral compass of the enlightened leader looks at the bottom line and the economic costs associated with employee morale and stress. When employees are under stress they are not engaged and productivity suffers. Even in difficult economic times, turnover can increase especially among top producers and high potential employees. Dissatisfied employees can impact customer satisfaction and profits decrease. Stress affects employees’ health and absenteeism and healthcare costs increase.

Establishing a regular routine to take care of oneself can be simple. Here is a list of “Zen Things” I came across:

1.     Do one thing at a time.

2.     Do it slowly and deliberately.

3.     Do it completely.

4.     Do less.

5.     Put space between things.

6.     Develop rituals.

7.     Designate time for certain things.

8.     Devote time to sitting.

9.     Smile and serve others.

10.  Make cleaning and cooking become meditation.

11.  Think about what is necessary.

12.  Live simply

There are many things individuals can do to take time to rest, relax and reflect. The challenge is creating a culture in organizations that values and provides the opportunity to do so for the health of the workers and the organization.

Thanksgiving – A Time to Reflect

The classrooms have been filled with construction paper (brown, orange, red, and other hues of fall colors) scissors, and glue and children are making turkeys, Pilgrim hats and figures, "Indian" headdresses and figures, and other symbols of Thanksgiving culture.  Stories will be told in school about how the Indigenous people of North America (Native Americans) shared their harvest feast with the starving English settlers.

Dinner tables will be filled with turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, yams and pumpkin pie -- traditional foods for our cultural day of giving thanks.  At the first Thanksgiving feast, the Native Americans and the English settlers ate turkey, waterfowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash.

For the Wampanog tribe, the purpose of the harvest feast was to give thanks for the bounty of food that the growing season had produced -- for the rain and the sunshine which caused the plants that bore the food to grow.  Giving thanks is integral to the Native American culture.  The harvest celebrations allow a time to reflect on being thankful, to be with family, and to count blessings. 

Thanksgiving has its roots in Native American culture, not European culture.  Consider that the Wampanoags were caring people who lent a hand to the settlers who were, at the time, less fortunate.  They were the heroes.  The holiday and celebration belonged to them, not the Pilgrims.  Yet somehow this has become lost.

Did you know that the day after Thanksgiving is designated as our country's official day to pay homage to Native American heritage and culture?  Somehow, this too has become lost.  Black Friday (and now Gray Thursday) morphed into the official kickoff of the "holiday" shopping season where we pay homage to retail.

As I’m writing, I sit looking out the window on a grey autumn day watching both leaves and rain fall.  I remember the conversation I had with a Native American gentleman two summers ago.  “We should celebrate the rain.  It’s the source of food.”

As the year draws to a close, take some time to reflect and pay homage to the things that are important.  Reflect on accomplishments and celebrate successes in your organization.   Give thanks to the people who made those successes happen.  Reflect on your own organizations culture -- it traditions and celebrations.  Review the past, look to the future and take some time to just be!

Don't Make Assumptions

It was one of four rules to live by that apply to everyday life.  It showed up in an "Instragram"-type photo, the type that circulate on social media pages.   It caught my attention right away because of a situation that occurred a few days earlier.

We were having breakfast at a local eatery and the order came out all wrong.  Since we hate to waste food, we ate it and moved on. Except, I was drawn to the request for feedback so I took management up on the offer.  I sent an email explaining what we ordered and what we received, and attached a copy of the receipt that detailed the order.  A short time later I received a heartfelt apology with an offer of gift certificates for the next visit. 

The same email also contained an inquiry: "Was the cashier who took your order male or female?"  Fair enough question I thought, she wants to get to the root of the problem and correct it. However, it was followed by the statement: "(I bet it was a female since she is new.) We'll certainly go over things with her so she does not make the same mistake again."

This was wrong on so many levels.  First, the cashier was a male, someone who’s been there for a while. Second, as best we could tell, the order was placed correctly and it was the kitchen staff who got it wrong.  One of the items was the breakfast special, an omelet, and the omelet we received did not have the ingredients advertised on the daily menu.  Third, the owner, who was not on the premises at the time, had jumped to conclusions and already assigned blame.  This was a teachable moment and not necessarily for just the counter and kitchen staff, but for the management staff as well.

Workplace problems occur.  Some problems are huge—blatant misbehavior, blatant disregard for policies, practices, etc.  People don’t have the skills to perform the role in which they are placed.  Some problems are small. People make mistakes.  No matter the size or scope of the problem, the problem has to be correctly identified, addressed and solved.   To do that, here are some basic guidelines to consider:

·       Keep an open mind and remain unbiased

·       Get all the facts

·       Ask questions that will give you the facts

·       Listen to the answers

·       Look at any and evidence

·       Use good judgment

·       Consider all the possibilities

·       Don’t make assumptions

In situation presented, someone in management made an assumption and assigned blame without getting all the facts or examining all the evidence presented.  You’ve got to get to the root of an issue before you can figure out how to fix it.  You’ve got to fix the right problem.  I don’t know the root of this problem.  There could have been many contributing factors, including the establishment’s internal processes.  I certainly hope that management didn’t start talking to this new female employee about the mistake they assumed she made before they had the feedback from me that she was not at fault.

People issues at work is one of the biggest challenges.  Don’t avoid them, embrace them with grace and dignity.  When we wrote The Big Book of HR we had managers in business of all sizes in mind!  It’s challenging, but if you treat people with fairness and respect, they’ll be there for you and for your customers.

Honor Heroes

On a flight from Albuquerque in August 2013, my husband Carl struck up a conversation with Robert. Both men served in the Marines during the Vietnam War. I asked Robert, who lived in New Mexico, about the Navajo Code Talkers, who fought during World War II. During a visit to the Balloon Fiesta there in 2006, we met the Code Talkers in Albuquerque’s Old Town. They were selling and autographing copies of their book. We spoke with one Code Talker's grandson, who was trying to capture as many of their stories and histories as possible while they were still alive. As my husband asked each to sign the book we bought, he shook each hand, thanked them for their service, and said "Semper Fi." I was struck by the contrast between him and them. Carl was from a different part of the country, with a different background, from a different generation, and he had fought in a different war. Yet there were ties that bound them. Robert told us there was only one of the Navajo Code Talkers still living.

This past June, the last of the Code Talkers, Chester Nez, died at his son’s home in Albuquerque. Four months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Mr. Nez helped form an elite, top-secret group, the Navajo Code Talkers. Using their native language, they developed an unbreakable military communications code to send and decipher messages critical to the U.S. and its allies in World War II. The interesting thing is that Mr. Nez was sent to a government boarding school by his single father who was struggling to raise five children. His father hoped he’d learn English and other skills that might help him succeed among whites. If Mr. Nez dared to speak his native language at the government school, he was punished. Ironic!

It was after boot camp that Mr. Nez and his fellow Marines learned the nature of their assignment. The Japanese had broken every code used by the Allies. The Navajo language was proposed as the basis for a new code. The language had no written form, used complicated syntax, and had unusual tonal features, all of which added to its complexity and made the code difficult to break. It was a success. Messages were translated and deciphered in 20 seconds by the Navajo Code Talkers rather than the 30 minutes that other systems required. They encrypted, relayed, and deciphered messages about strategy, casualties, supplies, and enemy positions. They participated in key battles of the South Pacific, including Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, New Britain, Saipan, Guam, Peleliu, and Iwo Jima.

After their discharge, the Navajo Code Talkers were forbidden to talk about the nature of their service until their mission was declassified in 1968. (No wonder I never learned about it in school!) Because of this secrecy, many had had a difficult time finding jobs when they returned to civilian life because they could not tell prospective employers what they had done during the war. Mr. Nez was lucky -- he was able to get a job at the VA hospital in Albuquerque.

Each Veterans Day should be a time when Americans stop and remember the brave men and women who have risked their lives for our country. Today we have veterans from new wars and conflicts. It's important to honor them and help them with their transition back into civilian life. Last week our guest blogger, Neal Henderson, wrote about why hiring a veteran is a sound business investment. You can read his blog on our website at www.bigbookofhr.com and at www.bigbookofhr.blogspot.com. Let’s honor all veterans for their service. More important, let’s honor those who are now returning to civilian life with jobs.

Honor Veterans With Jobs!

Have you noticed the preponderance of media outlets telling us that we need to hire military veterans? Have you read the suggestions for how to go about doing that? I have, and to commemorate the birthdays of the Air Force (September 18^th), the Marine Corps (November 10^th), and the Navy (Oct 13^th), I would like to advocate for hiring a veteran. I don’t write that because it’s a patriotic thing to do or because the Federal Government is starting to push for more veterans in the workforce; I write it because hiring a vet is a sound business investment.

Aside from the technical skills and security clearances veterans bring to the table, there are five non-technical reasons companies should hire veterans:

1)    They are quick learners.  Veterans have experience learning and applying new concepts very quickly. All branches of the military teach new technical skills and concepts in a very short period of time.  Most initial training is accomplished in under a year, and the higher level technical training takes no longer than 2 years to complete.

2)    Strong Leadership Qualities.  All branches differentiate between leadership and management, and they train everyone - from the most junior recruit on up - in effective leadership. Throughout their tours of duty, each veteran has been delegated responsibilities that are vital to helping the entire team accomplish a mission,

3)    Commitment to the mission, and the ability to work in complex, fast-paced environments.  Veterans have extensive experience working to complete a mission, regardless of the time it took, or the levels of stress and adversity they faced.

4)    Respect.  There is a saying in the Navy: All Navy Regulations Are Written In Blood. Veterans respect authority and have respect for policies and procedures. They understand the stability and structure policies and procedures bring. They also understand the potential catastrophic consequences of not following procedures.

5)    Work well in a diverse work environment.  Few businesses and organizations are as diverse as the branches of our military. Veterans have worked successfully with other personnel from all nationalities, gender and sexual orientations, and religions.

And these are just the five reasons that quickly come to mind; I could literally make this list pages and pages long, but, again, that’s for another post(s).

All veterans want to make valued contributions to the workforce, not unlike most civilian workers, eh? But because of the high number of veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, along with those who have more obvious physical injuries, I think that some employers are nervous about how to make the workplace friendlier to their specific needs. It is, however, surprisingly easy to accommodate these individuals per the guidelines of The Americans with Disabilities Act. One of the easiest things to do is review a job’s requirements and determine the fundamental skills needed to be eligible for it; for example: Does a candidate need a Bachelor’s degree to be considered for an entry-level position? 

So don’t be afraid to hire veterans, even wounded warriors. At the end of the day, every organization needs to hire qualified men and women who are enthusiastic to learn, improve themselves, and move the organization forward. Military veterans have proven themselves; you owe it to yourself to bring them in and allow them to compete for one of your positions.

Neal Henderson

FrontRow Performance Coaching

Halloween—A Time for Team Building?

It used to be that Halloween was a holiday only celebrated by children but it has now become one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the US (and it’s catching on in other countries as well).  I remember when I moved from Chicago to Los Angeles and was absolutely amazed that pretty much everyone dressed up on Halloween.  Even the bank tellers and the grocery checkout clerks were in full costume and I don’t mean they just put a mask on with their work uniform —they wore amazing costumes that took great creativity to put together!  I remember driving to work on the first Halloween in Los Angeles and almost driving off the road when I looked to my right at a stop light and saw someone dressed like a bear in the car next to me!

So, my first Halloween in LA was pretty amazing for me!  Our office had over 200 employees and there was a contest for the best individual costume and another competition for departments—and that is where it really got interesting!  One of my favorites was the year the accounting department came as the “fruit” from the Fruit of the Loom logo.  Picture the very conservative CFO wearing 20 inflated balloons to replicate the grapes in the logo! 

As you can imagine, not much work was accomplished on Halloween but it was a huge amount of fun and it was a team building day as well.  Putting together a departmental theme took a lot of time and effort and everyone had to participate.  The best part of this story is that EVERYONE participated—even the top executive staff.  Imagine coming to work and seeing the CEO dressed as Dracula—you have to laugh at that sight!

Celebrating Halloween at work has caught on across the US and now many organizations encourage people to come to work in costume.  I share this with you because, if you are a long-time reader of this blog, you know that we think lightening up at work can have a positive impact on productivity, engagement, and retention.  Halloween give you a perfect excuse to have some fun at work and for your employees to work together on something a little more creative and enjoyable than their usual projects!   It may be too late this year to put team costume competition together but think about it for next year!

What will you be for Halloween this year?  Come on—have some fun and see how your employees respond! You may discover Halloween is a great way to strengthen your team.

Celebrating Abilities!

As a young child, I was probably about 8 or 9 years old, my grandfather took me to his company picnic on Long Island, NY.  My young mind was fascinated that my able-bodied (a term I didn’t know at the time) grandfather worked in a place where there were people with missing limbs and other disabilities (another term I didn’t know).  My grandfather worked at the Viscardi Center (www.viscardicenter.org) which prepares adolescents and adults with all types of disabilities and levels of experience for entry or re-entry into the workforce. It was founded over sixty years ago by Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr. who himself wore prosthetic legs.  He became one of the world’s leading advocates for people with disabilities and an advisor to U.S. eight presidents, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Jimmy Carter.  Years later, in my corporate life, I would once again cross paths with the Viscardi Center. 

On July 26, 1990 President George H. W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act.  This law was modeled after Section 503 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which prohibited government contractors from discriminating against individuals with disabilities and required them to engage in affirmative action to employ and advance in employment this group of individuals.

Under these laws, an individual with a disability has i) A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual; (ii) A record of such an impairment; or (iii) Being regarded as having such an impairment.  For employment purposes, the individual must be able to perform the job’s essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation in order to enjoy the protections of the law.

On March 24, 2014, new regulations became effective under Section 503. Government contractors must now establish a utilization or representation goal for individuals with disabilities in their workforces.  To meet this utilization goal, the US Department of Labor suggests working with:

·       State Vocational Rehabilitation Service Agencies

·       Employer Assistance and Resource Network funded by DOL

·       Employment One-Stop Career Centers

·       Local Employer Network Organizations in SSA’s Ticket to Work Employment Network Directory www.yourtickettowork.com/endir

·       Placement Offices of educational institutions specializing in placements of individuals with disabilities.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of working with Cindy Roberts from the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services.  I learned that DARS Business Services provides business with

·     Prescreened Qualified Candidates - (Matching candidate skills and background with job requirements)

·     Pre-employment testing  and Background checks on DARS referrals

·     Financial Incentives

·     Job Retention/Return to Work Services

·     Accessibility Analysis and Solutions

Some of the ways they support business and clients is by helping with recruiting and staffing by setting up job internships or on-the-job training to make sure the employee is a good fit, arranging job fairs, and partnering with job coaches to guide the clients (employees) you hire who need extra support services.  Additionally, they can help identify accommodations and assistive technology that are simple and inexpensive.  They can also help by providing financial incentives for businesses through on-the-job training reimbursements and assisting with Work Opportunity Tax Credits.  Virginia employers can learn more about DARS and the services they offer employers by visiting their website at www.vdars.org.

Each state has a vocational rehabilitation agency which is federally funded to assist people with disabilities to prepare for, obtain, or regain employment.  If your organization hasn’t already done so, conduct a search for the one in your state and contact them.  You’ll be amazed at the resources they can offer you.

The US Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) sponsors four research and technical assistance resources, including

·       Job Accommodation Network (JAN) the leading source of free, expert and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.

·       LEAD Center, a collaborative of disability, workforce and economic empowerment organizations led by National Disability Institute dedicated to advancing sustainable individual and systems-level change to improve competitive, integrated employment and economic self-sufficiency for adults across the spectrum of disabilities.

·       Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) which helps employers hire and retain workers with disabilities. 

·       National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth), a partnership to promote success for youth with disabilities entering the workforce.

To learn more about these resources and ODEP visit the website at www.dol.gov/odep.

There are so many success stories regarding employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.  For example, between 3,000 and 4,000 DARS clients become successfully employed each year.  October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month.  Learn more about what your organization can do to celebrate successes and the abilities that every potential job candidate can bring to your organization. 

Keywords:  ADA, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, ODEP, Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, Viscardi Center, disability, employment

Beautiful

Our favorite dialogue from the Broadway musical Beautiful went something like this: toward the end of the play, before the closing scene where Carole King performs at Carnegie Hall, Barry Mann says to her, "Carole, play one of our songs." His wife and songwriting partner, Cynthia Weil, calls him on his comment. His response -- "Royalties" -- elicits the following from Weil: "Carole, play all our songs."

We saw Beautiful, based on Carole King's early life, in August. We'd taken the train to New York to attend a writers’ conference sponsored by Writer's Digest. The same morning that we saw the play, we had the opportunity to meet with our literary agent, Marilyn Allen. We were all celebrating the news that sales of The Big Book of HR had reached the point where our advance was covered and we would all start receiving income from the book. For us, that meant we could each expect a royalty check, albeit a modest one, in the near future. And as Marilyn reminded us, "every copy that sells now will earn royalties."

For authors and composers, a royalty is a sum of money paid to the original creator of a product, book, or piece of music based on how many copies have been sold or for each public performance of a work. Wow, we've something in common with Carole King, albeit on a much smaller scale. As our colleague Sharon Armstrong would say, "Fabulous!"

While we can dream about selling millions of copies of our book, we have no expectations of depending on its royalties to support ourselves. But there are many artists, composers, and authors whose livelihoods do depend on royalties. They bring their talent and intellectual capital to the marketplace and have every right to expect to be compensated for it. Through copyrights, they have the legal right to be the only one to reproduce, publish, and sell a book, musical recording, etc., for a certain period of time.

Five exclusive rights are granted to copyright holders under the Copyright Act of 1976:

·       the right to reproduce (copy) the work into copies and to exclude others from doing so

·       the right to create derivative works of the original work and to exclude others from preparing such derivative works or creations

·       the right to distribute copies of the work to the public by sale, lease, or rental, and to exclude others from such distribution

·       the right to perform the work publicly (if the work is a literary, musical, dramatic, choreographic, pantomime, motion picture, or other audiovisual work), and to exclude others from doing so without paying royalties

·       the right to display the work publicly (if the work is a literary, musical, dramatic, choreographic, pantomime, pictorial, graphic, sculptural, motion picture, or other audiovisual work), and to exclude others from doing so

It’s important to respect the intellectual capital of others and honor the creator’s right to receive compensation for his or her original work. Don’t infringe on their rights and don’t expect something for nothing.

To thank all our readers who’ve supported (and purchased) The Big Book of HR, we’ve got one short message, “You’re Beautiful!”