I have to admit, I don't watch the local news too often nor CNN or MSNBC.  However, I will read www.cnn.com or even www.msn.com for world news to keep current as to what is going on around the globe.

For those of you who do make it point to watch Anderson Cooper, Diane Sawyer and your local newscasters - kudos to you.  But don't stop there, it is also very important to stay in the loop of what is going on in the industry in which you work.  I often read Human Resources themed periodicals and magazines.  It is important for me to keep up with industry innovation, newsworthy leaders and benchmarking standards that are being set in my field.

As an HR professional I read:

• HR Magazine
• Staffing Management
• Diversity Executive
• Risk Management
• Employee Benefit News

While I don't subscribe to all of these magazines, my employer does!  Try to get your employer to subscribe to those magazines that are applicable to your job function as well.  Assure them that their investment in you staying current in your field is a win-win.  Depending on the industry these subscriptions can get pricey, so you can always check them out at your local library, or go online to get digital version or ezine versions of the publication within your career field, if subscribing is not an option.

With the click of my mouse (Google Queen Alert) I located resources for magazines in a couple other industries, take a look: 

Marketing

• Advertising Age - http://www.adage.com/

Medical

• Advance - www.advanceweb.com - this is a good find as it caters to a wide array of medical professionals.  Some of the magazine subscriptions are FREE for those licensed in the field.  FREE is always good.

Engineering

• Mechanical Engineering - www.memagazine.asme.org
• Civil Engineering - www.asce.org

Business

• Forbes - www.forbes.com
• Business Week - www.businessweek.com

Science

• Science - www.sciencemag.org

Information Technology

• Computer World - www.computerworld.com
• Information Week - www.informationweek.com

Next time you contemplate something to read, pick up or log on to some industry info and while you do that, I will put forth some effort to watch the news!

We are all customers

Customer service matters. We all have or will be on the giving or receiving end of customer service at some point in our daily lives or careers. By day, as a Human Resources professional administering benefits to a company with over 2,000 active employees, retirees and COBRA participants and their dependents, I choose to perform exceptional customer service for the following reasons:

• Benefits (Medical and Dental to be exact) are sensitive subjects for all, including me. No one wants to arrive at the doctor only to find that they're not covered. Respect what is important to the customer.



• I never know who is on the other end of the phone. Great customer service should be blind to status, title, gender, race, etc. One day I may talk to the mail guy and on another day it might be a former CEO, either way they would have received remarkable customer service.



• Do unto to others as you would have them do unto you. I recently had the worst experience with an airline whose name I will not mention. I have written a very detailed letter and have made numerous calls to their corporate customer service office and am awaiting a response. Its well-known that one tells more people of an unpleasant experience than a positive one. Don't put your reputation on the line - just think about your reaction to unacceptable customer service.

Check out the 2010 Customer Service Champs listed on BusinessWeek.com and see what they did to make the list. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/10/02/0218_customer_service_champs/index.htm