A bank manager was in the final stages of hiring a cashier and was down to two final applicants--one of whom would get the job. The first one interviewed was from a small college in upstate New York. A nice young man, but a bit timid.

Then he called for the second man, "Jim Johnson!" Up stepped a burly young man who seemed quite sure of himself. "He looks like he can take care of any situation," thought the manager, and decided, there and then, to hire him.

He turned to the first applicant and told him he could go and they would let him know. Turning to Johnson, he said, "Now Jim, I like the way you carry yourself--that's an important asset for the job as cashier. However, you must be precise. I noticed you didn't fill out the place on the application where we asked your formal education." Jim looked a little confused so the manager said, "Where did you get your financial education?"

"Oh," replied Jim, "Yale."

"That's very good...excellent. You're hired!" said the manager. "Now that you're working for us, what do you prefer to be called?"

Jim answered "I don't care... Yim.... or Mr. Yonson."

(source: http://www.bepop.com.ar/chistes/jokes269a.html)

With hiring on the upswing, and a whole host of new compliance and benefits issues (thanks to the PPACA), HR's job has become more demanding than ever. If you find yourself feeling overburdened or stressed out, use these tips to effectively broach the tricky subject of job burnout with your boss.

Have a mile-long to-do list? We can help with that! Email me at ddavis@davis-staffing.com to discuss how we can ease your workload and restore the work/life balance you need.