Former HR executive writes book about career
DBell@CalhounTimes.com
Gordon County resident Paul Allen Payne says he’s probably fired more people than Donald Trump.
Payne retired to the area after 40 years working in human resources and has now published a book sharing many of the stories from his career. “Kicking Aand Taking Names” will teach readers how to do hiring and firing the proper way, Payne said.
During his career the newly minted author worked in three different industries — health care, manufacturing and banking. He has a business degree and law degree and now lives in Ranger with his wife of 50 years, Mary.
Payne said work on the book probably began about 20 years ago with journal entries, as friends and family members told him he should write a book about all the experiences he’s had dealing with employees. The result, he said, is both informational and entertaining.
“It’s both because I tried to intertwine some humor into it,” he said. “It’s how to do it and how to do it
Paul Allen Payne is the author of “Kicking A** and Taking Names,” a book about his career in human resources. right. It includes situations I’ve encountered over the years.”
Payne said others who work in management could potentially use the book as a roadmap because it offers guidance for a number of different situations. He acknowledged that for many people, hiring and firing can be a difficult task, and he hopes others can benefit from his wealth of experience.
“We usually end up having to fire our hiring mistakes. So, I’ll walk you through that process, step by step, to help you do it correctly and avoid some of the mistakes I have made along the way,” Payne said. “At the end of the day, you have to be able to go home and sleep soundly at night, knowing that the actions you have taken during the day were the right thing, for everyone involved.”
In one chapter of the book, Payne writes that an employee should rarely be surprised when they are fired. Often they have built up a long list of rule infractions, or even tip-toed up to those lines without crossing. Sometimes that cumulative action, when shown to the employee, alerts them to the inevitable.
In such instances, the human resources person did not fire the employee, they fired themselves.
“Kicking Aand Taking Names” was published by Outskirts Press in October and can be purchased online via Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other book sellers.