Crystal Spraggins

Crystal Spraggins, SPHR, is an HR consultant and freelance writer who lives in Philadelphia. She also writes at her blog, HR BlogVOCATE. For the past 15 years, Crystal has focused on building HR departments in small- to mid-sized companies under the philosophy that "HR is not for wimps." She is also the CEO and Founder of Work It Out! and partners with HRCVision, a full-service HR consultant practice specializing in leadership and diversity training. Contact her at crs036@aim.com.

Here’s Why Incumbents Shouldn’t Hire Their Replacements – Period

Crystal SpragginsJune 19, 2015

The other day I had a phone interview with a potential employer about a part-time position, and the employer told me the incumbent was “very interested” in … Read more

How to Deal With a Ruthlessly Competitive Boss

Crystal SpragginsJune 12, 2015

Americans love to compete. Whether on turf, on television, in the classroom, or in the boardroom, we’re all about outwitting, outfoxing, and outdoing our … Read more

The Mark of a Leader: What Does Your Communication Say About You?

Crystal SpragginsJune 5, 2015

Last week, TLNT republished an article from the vault in which John Hollon wrote that when it comes to good bossology, “There is no such thing as over … Read more

Why Isn’t HR Driving Company Culture?

Crystal SpragginsMay 29, 2015

The other day while with a client, I mentioned something about the organization’s culture, and the client grumpily replied “I’m sick of hearing about the … Read more

Why Meddling Management Can Be Just as Bad as Micromanagement

Crystal SpragginsMay 22, 2015

It’s long been established that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Why then, do so many leaders beg to disagree? If not, how to … Read more

It’s Hard to Get Off Easy When You Make a Really Bad Hire

Crystal SpragginsMay 15, 2015

There’s a certain type of manager you only have to work with for, oh, five minutes, before concluding that they really suck. Why? Mostly because said … Read more

Yet Another Management Challenge: Coping With the Narcissistic Boss

Crystal SpragginsMay 8, 2015

Of all the offensive managerial types, the narcissist has got to be one of the worst. For our purposes, the term “narcissist” does NOT refer to those with … Read more

Why Smart Leaders Make Dumb Decisions

Crystal SpragginsMay 1, 2015

Like many of you, I spend a good bit of my time thinking about and/or interacting with organizational leaders and wondering what the hell makes them tick. … Read more

Never Trust HR and Other Workplace Tips for Millennials

Crystal SpragginsApril 24, 2015

One of my favorite Millennials is graduating from college next month, and it occurs to me that he, like millions of others from the so-called Godless … Read more

Workplace Inequality: Can We Talk About How We Treat Each Other?

Crystal SpragginsApril 16, 2015

The other day a friend asked me what I thought about the rape allegations against Bill Cosby, and I told her. She said she thought he was probably guilty, … Read more