Monthly Archives: June 2015

Human Resources

Trick Your Brain Into Change

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rexRex Huppke is a humorist and writes a twice weekly workplace column for  the Chicago Tribune titled
“I Just Work Here“.

The Sunday, June 21, 2015  Dallas Morning News business section featured one of his columns titled “Trick the Brain Into Change“.  Huppke interviewed Art Markman, Director of the Human Dimensions of Organizations program at UT Austin for the article.

According to Markman, there is a habit based side of the brain and an intellectual side.  To effect change, you must convince the intellectual side that the change is worth the time it takes to change the habit.  Therefore, the best way to get people to change is to make the new idea easy to do.

Do you have an upcoming change you need to implement?

  • Analyze how to reduce the complexity of the change.
  • Brainstorm the impact of the change on yourself and others
  • Determine what can be put into place to change the current habit in order to create the new desired habit
  • Communicate the change and its impact

And remember to make the change easy to do!

You may also listen to a recorded interview with Rex on the same topic on WGN.

Human Resources, Uncategorized

Update on Background Checks During the Hiring Process

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The Department of Human Resources has updated the background check release form to ensure SMU is compliant with the Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Here is what you need to know as a hiring manager.

  • Main changes to the background check release form include removal of the indemnity clause and questions regarding criminal convictions.
  • Our vendor Intellicorp will not run a background check if the prospective employee completed a previous version of the form, therefore Human Resources will only accept the updated form.
  • The forms section of the HR website and new employee packets distributed to hiring managers and have been updated with the new background check release form.
  • Hiring managers who are currently conducting a search will be contacted to ensure they have the updated form.

For questions about the updated background check release form, contact RecruitU@smu.edu.