Archive
February 2012
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A New Kind of Stress
The recession is taking its toll not only on businesses and unemployed Americans—it’s also affecting the employees still reporting to work, day in and day out. In fact, the stresses have grown so great that workers are starting crack under the pressure. Employees are reporting thoughts…
February 29, 2012 | in Workplace
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Texting Appears in Employment Litigation
Texts can resurface in employment law litigation, so employees should be trained to keep all of their communications, including texts, professional. All too often, employees think that their texting is personal, according to Christine Walters, MAS, J.D., SPHR, a consultant with FiveL Company in Westminster, Md., and author of…
February 29, 2012
| in Workplace
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The Age of Digital – Creating a Better Work-Life Balance and Higher Productivity
We are entering a new digital era, an era in which people are connecting with content and with brands through multiple screens – through their PCs, TVs, smartphones, and tablets. 2011 marked an exciting year for the digital media industry and signaled an even more momentous year ahead with…
February 28, 2012 | in Trends
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Military Employment SHRM Poll
Approximately two-thirds of HR professionals indicated that their organizations (64%) had hired a veteran with the past 36 months, yet only 13% reported being “very aware” of effective resources for recruiting veterans. These findings explore various recruiting tools and the potential benefits and challenges of hiring veterans. Data from this poll…
February 28, 2012
| in Workforce
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HOOKING UP ON TWITTER (A CAUTIONARY TALE)
I begin this cautionary blog with a story. After the story, you’ll understand why I began the blog as I have. I wrote an article on holiday parties for Business Week. I discussed the risks, including too much alcohol consumption and sexual harassment. Of course, the…
February 27, 2012 | in Workplace
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2012 Political Outlook for HR Professionals
SHRM’s Vice President of Government Affairs Mike Aitken shares his thoughts on key issues in the 2012 political landscape that relate to HR professionals. To hear more insights into the legal and regulatory issues of importance to HR professionals join us at the 2012 SHRM Employment Law …
February 27, 2012
| in Public Policy
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Employers Contribute Less, Employees More, to Health Accounts
Enrollment in health savings accounts (HSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) continues to grow, but contribution patterns to these account-based health plans are changing, according to a February 2012 report from the not-for-profit Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Collectively, HSAs and HRAs are known as consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs). HSAs can…
February 24, 2012
| in Workplace
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Executive Book Club: February 2012
The Executive Guide to High-Impact Talent Management is a must read for business leaders who prioritize the need to continue to drive future business performance to enable their companies’ upward mobility and secured sustainability. Recent studies…
February 24, 2012 | in Trends
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BYOD or Bust - Managing Devices for a Mobile Workforce
Via smart phones, mobile sites, business applications and more, the consumerization of IT continues to impact the way employees use technology at work. Many organizations are shifting away from company-issued devices and adopting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies, which allow employees to use the mobile technology they’re…
February 23, 2012 | in Workplace
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Why Mission Statements Suck
I’m not arguing against a clear definition of where a company is going and what sets it apart. My beef is with the way the particular corporation’s guiding principle is expressed; it is generally verbose, convoluted and incapable of resonating with employees or inspiring them. I…
February 23, 2012 | in Trends
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Is Requiring Flu Vaccinations Worth the Risk?
More employees at health care facilities around the United States are facing a choice: Get the flu shot or look for a new job. Some health professionals are saying they agree that health care workers should receive the vaccine—but that they shouldn’t be forced to do…
February 23, 2012
| in Trends
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Global Leaders Aren’t Made in the Classroom
Last month, we chatted about what global leaders need to know—Intellectual Capital, Psychological Capital, and Social Capital--and where to start with their development—by leveraging development opportunities and tools already in your organization. Once you’ve identified existing resources, what do you do with them?…
February 22, 2012 | in Workforce
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Survey Findings: How Social Media Is Embedded in Business Strategy
This is part four of a series of SHRM surveys focusing on the use of social media in the workplace. The topics explored in the final part of this series include who is responsible for leading workplace social media activities, the percentage of organizations with staff dedicated to social media…
February 22, 2012
| in Workplace
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Who Owns Your Company Talent?
Culture eats strategy for breakfast. It’s a popular cliché I’ve seen tossed around a lot. And I get the premise – strong cultures can make or break your organizational strategy. It’s true. But where does culture start? Well, Steve Boese recently…
February 21, 2012 | in Workforce
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Even in 2012, What Women Wear Matters
Regardless of whether a woman is just entering the workforce or “of a certain age,” an athlete or secretary of state, beautiful or plain, what she wears to work matters and might affect her career advancement, experts say. According to research published in the Journal of Social Psychology…
February 21, 2012
| in Workplace
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Dr. Daniel Crosby: You’re Not That Great
You’re not that great. Yes, you read that right. Wait a minute, you think, “This must be about that extra 15 pounds I’m carrying around.” Nope. “Well, maybe it’s because I always seem to quit on my New Year’s resolutions…
February 20, 2012
| in Workforce
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Fewer Companies Offer CEOs Perks and Incentives
A steady cutback in nonperformance-based pay components Executive compensation packages in the U.S. are being dissected under a microscope as companies find it more difficult to offer perquisites and incentives without facing backlash from the public, according to Compdata Surveys'Executive Compensation 2011/2012 report. …
February 17, 2012
| in Trends
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Media and the 21st Century Resume
In an attempt to circumvent the keyword-laden resume game, job seekers are taking a more creative approach to captivating recruiters. Rather than dropping the resume altogether, the trend seems to be a breakaway from over-automation and a return to the heart of what makes a good hire. Laurie Barkman of…
February 17, 2012 | in Workforce
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5 Ways to Change Careers
The problem with trying to change occupations or industries, is that most people don’t have the skill set to support a broad leap in jobs. So they end up willing to do practically anything other than what they are currently doing, and subsequently flounder in their job search. …
February 16, 2012 | in Workforce
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Companies Continue to Underreport Injuries, Illnesses
Since 2006, academic and government studies have suggested that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) misses a certain percentage of injuries or illness sustained by the U.S. workforce because organizations do not report them. In 2009, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that workplaces were underreporting…
February 16, 2012
| in Workplace
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#NextChat Success – A Recap of our Twitter Chat on Social Media
There’s no denying that social mediais changing the way we work. From its emergence in the recruitingsphere to the way it is redefining workplace culture and flexibility, organizations and HR professionals are quickly adapting and growingwith each and every innovative step that social media takes. As social media…
February 15, 2012 | in Trends
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Failure and Learning Through Leadership
Achieving milestones within a department or an organization is a process that involves a clear strategy, research, team members, and the flexibility to change and adapt along the way. Just like leaders, a company’s culture or environment doesn’t just happen. Great cultures are made…
February 15, 2012 | in Workforce
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Consultants Can Say ‘No’ but Keep the Door Open
Even in a tough economy, HR consultants can’t take on every opportunity that comes their way. Sometimes the timing is off. Sometimes the expertise required is beyond the scope of their services. Sometimes, they just might not be interested. But, saying “no” can be risky. A…
February 15, 2012
| in Trends
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I Love You
It is 9 am. The secretary reports to her desk. Waiting for her is a sealed card. The secretary opens the envelope and it is a Valentine's card from her manager. Having undergone sensitivity training, the manager signs it "fondly" as opposed to "lovingly." The…
February 14, 2012 | in Workplace
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Social Media Policies Slowly Catch On Worldwide
Be nice. Don’t pick fights. Own up to your mistakes. Treat others with respect and, above all, watch what you say. Sounds like advice your mom might give you—but it’s the crux of most social networking policies at companies around the globe. …
February 14, 2012
| in Trends
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Jobs Blog: When Demand Is Low, It’s Time to Train
Much has been said about the contribution of the “skills mismatch” to the United States’ elevated unemployment rate. Even President Barack Obama weighed in during his State of the Union address, calling it “inexcusable” that there are job openings in many industries that can&rsquo…
February 13, 2012 | in Workforce
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From Idle to Innovative: 8 Ways to Ignite Managers in the Middle
2011 Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X Challenge The Cleanup X Challenge offered $1 million to the team that could invent an oil-recovery system able to recover oil from the surface of the ocean at a rate two times the industry standard. The building and testing of such a device…
February 10, 2012 | in Workforce
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Retiree Health Benefits Continue Their Slow Decline
Among U.S. employers, 21.9 percent offered supplemental retiree health coverage to retired employees in 2011—a slight dip from 22.9 percent reported in 2006, according to Compdata Surveys' Benefits USA 2011/2012 report. On average, employees were required to work 12 years for their employer to qualify to receive supplemental health benefits at retirement,…
February 10, 2012
| in Workforce
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How Employers Gain Access to Talent with Brain Injuries
Companies must reach out to people with disabilities to make sure such individuals know they are welcome, experts say. Some of the people with in-demand workplace skills who need certain accommodations are people—including military veterans—with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Northrop Grumman Corp. prides itself on…
February 9, 2012
| in Workforce
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Where do you marinate from 9 to 5?
When I was a teenager my parents told me to be careful about the character of my circle of friends. Positive friends make good friends and will likely improve your quality of life and decision-making. Negative friends, on the other hand, will have the opposite effect. Before you…
February 9, 2012 | in Workplace
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Diversity and Inclusion: Getting It
What will you do? If your team or organization is going to get serious about pursuing additional value or advantage associated with diversity and inclusion this year, it will likely be because you decide to make it so. I spoke to a lot of HR professionals in 2011 and…
February 8, 2012 | in Workforce
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Employee Must Show Work Was Substantial Factor in Disability, Alaska High Court Says
To be eligible for occupational disability benefits, an employee must prove only that her employment was a substantial factor—not the substantial factor—in causing her disability, the Alaska Supreme Court has ruled. The claimant, Shirley Shea, had a medical procedure in 1984 that resulted in intermittent soreness in…
February 8, 2012
| in Workforce
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Does a Mentor have to Breathe?
To most of us, mentors are people of experience and knowledge who help the less experienced advance their careers and/or their education. There are plenty of well-known examples throughout the course of history; Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great, Laurence Olivier mentored Anthony Hopkins and Freddy Laker mentored Richard Branson.…
February 7, 2012 | in Workforce
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Are Your Employees Comfortable Disclosing Disability?
Americans with disabilities are most likely to disclose their disability when they need an accommodation or have a supportive supervisor and are least likely to do so if they fear they will lose a job, or fail to gain one, by doing so. But lack of disclosure could impact the…
February 7, 2012
| in Workforce
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Next Generation Leadership – Have You Talked to a Customer Today?
Did you talk to a customer today? Simple yes or no answer. According to Frank Pacetta (a hero of mine) and his Blueprint for Success a “no” gets the leader or manager (CEO especially) an immediate failing grade. {click through and take the rest…
February 6, 2012 | in Trends
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Social Media for HR and Recruiting
French novelist Alphonse Karr once wrote, “the more things change, the more things stay the same,” which might explain why this same phrase shows up in Zeppelin lyrics a century after Karr’s death. And nowhere is that more true than HR, which as a…
February 6, 2012 | in Workforce
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Top 10 Workplace Flexibility Blogs Worth Reading
As the workforce grows more complex, businesses and organizations are tapping into new trends and people strategies to recruit and retain the best and brightest talent. With today’s four-generation workforce and the increasing globalization of business, workplace flexibility is an imperative for today’s 21st century workplace.…
February 3, 2012 | in Workplace
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The 2011 Execution Round-Up: Six Organizations That Couldn’t “Get It Done” This Year
It’s that time of year when business owners and senior executives take stock of the past twelve months. What did 2011 look like for you and your company? The questions you could ask during your year-end assessment are endless. But there’s only one that really matters: …
February 3, 2012 | in Workforce
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SHRM: February LINE Report
According to the SHRM Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) Report for February 2012, although the pace of job creation at this time last year was higher, the hiring outlook for this February shows that far more companies are expected to hire than lay off. Specific to the manufacturing…
February 2, 2012 | in Public Policy
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SHRM Report: February 2012 Hiring Gains Expected But Will Trail One Year Ago
Though far more companies are expected to hire than lay off in February 2012, the numbers will lag compared to one year ago according to a report from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) that surveyed 500 service-sector companies and 500 manufacturing companies. The report shows that on an annual basis…
February 2, 2012
| in Public Policy
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Social Networkers: A Special Breed
Many business leaders have long suspected that active social networkers are a breed apart from other employees. A new report looking at the state of business ethics in the U.S. supports that belief. The nonprofit Ethics Resource Center (ERC) says that corporate ethical behavior will likely get worse…
February 2, 2012 | in Workforce
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Talent Management—or Lack Thereof—Evident in Sports Playoffs
The National Football League (NFL) will host Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb 5, 2012. A big day indeed for the competing teams—the New England Patriots and the New York Giants—and for their fans. But beyond the obvious impact on these sports insiders, there&rsquo…
February 2, 2012
| in Workforce
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Celebrating a Milestone for #Workflex!
Paper — symbolizing strength from the connection of individual threads — is a traditional gift for a first anniversary. Making a strong connection is a fitting description as SHRM marks the first anniversary of the groundbreaking partnership on workplace flexibility with the Families and Work Institute (FWI). …
February 1, 2012 | in Workplace
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Tools and Training Prepare Managers for Workplace Flexibility
During the past decade, much of work/life research has been dedicated to identifying and measuring the bottom-line benefits of workplace flexibility to an organization and its employees. Unfortunately, far less attention has been paid to the challenges that managers face when integrating flexibility into their work groups. A 2010…
February 1, 2012 | in Workplace
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Pepsi Settles Dispute over Criminal Background Checks for $3.13 Million
Pepsi will revise an overly broad criminal background check policy, provide training and pay $3.13 million to settle an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) claim that the policy violated Title VII, according to Julie Schmid, acting director of the EEOC’s Minneapolis area office. Schmid noted that 92 million Americans…
February 1, 2012
| in Workforce
