I’ve gotten quite a few reader comments on some of my recent blog posts. Here are some of the best:

• From an HR manager at a manufacturing company in Massachusetts, commenting about my item on a manager mindlessly defending an employee’s boorish behavior:  “I agree that a good manager goes to bat for their employees wrongly accused. … However, this employee was not wrongly accused by the generally accepted standard of behavior in our society. The supportive manager is an enabler who would prefer to accept loud, boorish behavior and all the resulting consequences of it than address the behavior in a creative, effective and non-confrontational way. While we all have and love our eccentric co-workers, family members and friends, there are limits, and sometimes we have a responsibility to others to prevent them from embarrassing themselves in a public way. Don’t we all get enough of people’s stupid behavior from people like Britney and Paris?”
• From a manager at the U.S. Department of Education, writing about my post questioning whether Jack Welch is really the “greatest manager of the 20th century”: “I’ve had the privilege of hearing the firsthand wisdom of Mr. Welch at two events in Washington, D.C. Everything he said still sticks with me today. Not only is the man smart, but he never let that get in the way of his common sense. … In short, I like him because he makes sense.”
• From a Massachusetts-based consultant, responding to my post about the list of best-selling books from SHRM’s annual conference in Las Vegas: “The [SHRM] book list says to me ‘quick fix’ and ‘give me a step-by-step solution, one size fits all.’ Ironically, I think that’s one of the reasons HR gets a bad rap, often being forced to band-aid situations that need a more in-depth look. I think there are some issues in orgs that you just have to spend the necessary time to resolve, and the more you apply a quick fix, the more complicated the issue eventually gets.”
• From a reader with the handle “Studentoldtimer,” writing about my post on the call center experience: “I can speak from personal experience that dealing with call centers can be a trying experience. … You are also absolutely correct when you state that the customer remembers the interaction as much as the product. Price is only one consideration when I’m shopping. As important (or more) is the service I receive from the warm body I deal with. For example, even though Wal-Mart has some of the lowest prices, shopping in the stores is unpleasant for me. Finding an associate is akin to tracking down a fugitive. The lines are very long at the cash registers. For these reasons, I will often choose to pay a little more at another, better-staffed store.”

I really enjoy getting comments from readers, and now it is easier for you to make a comment on one of my blog posts. The long-promised “comments” feature is now working, so feel free to click on the word “comments” at the bottom of any blog post—not only to have your say, but to also see how other readers are responding.