The basic management of personnel files used to be pretty simple: Collect some basic information and stick the files on a shelf somewhere. Today, the matter of collecting and storing private employee information is not as simple, even with the available option of going digital. For example, today’s employers and human resources managers have to track immigration forms, Equal … [More]
5% More
5% More presents a painless route to change, with results that can last a lifetime. Whether the goal is to boost health, wealth or wisdom, this book reveals a key technique that makes it stick. Breaking big goals into small chunks makes them easier to achieve, but the trick is in making those chunks large enough to be productive yet small enough to be sustainable. This book … [More]
Aligning Skills and Expectations
Professionals across all industries are expected to do more with less. As such, strategy and high-level thinking often take a back seat to the tactical. It’s easy for days to turn into reactionary spirals rather than proactive, purposeful ones. A recent Pragmatic Marketing survey of product managers and marketers shed light on this very trend that is seen across all industries, … [More]
Digital Forces a Change in World of Work
Responding to disruptive changes in digital technology, business models and workforce demographics, 92 percent of business and HR leaders have identified the critical need to redesign their organization to meet global business demands. This is according to Deloitte’s fourth annual report, “Global Human Capital Trends 2016: The new organization, Different by design.” Yet only 14 … [More]
Are We Really Hard at Work?
Americans outwork many of their foreign peers by hundreds of extra hours per year, a fact that sometimes intrudes into discussion of healthcare coverage as a workplace issue. Personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s Hardest Working Cities in America to identify where Americans work the hardest, comparing the 116 largest cities across six key … [More]
Is Work About Time?
In this day and age of hyper connectivity and changing values, it’s a wonder that many of us still work in an office during a fixed window of hours. Of course, for airports, hospitals, shipping companies, retail stores and many other organizations to run efficiently, they need to have strict schedules and their workforce has to be there or bad things can happen. But what … [More]
To Telecommute or Not to Telecommute?
Today’s workforce is changing. More than 80 percent of employees consider telecommuting a job perk, and 36 percent would sacrifice salary for the option of telecommuting at work, according to a survey conducted by Global Workplace Analytics. This begs the question: Should employers provide telecommuting options? The increased demand and employee popularity of telecommuting in … [More]
The Value of Values-Based Hiring
It happens all the time: A candidate with impeccable credentials steps up to a nonprofit leadership position only to step down within a year or so. But why? And why so often? A number of reasons could be at play — expectations aren’t being met (by employee or employer), co-workers’ work styles clash, the workload is not as expected — but mostly it boils down to not the right … [More]
What Is Fair Competition in the War for Talent?
In today’s hyper-competitive global economy, talent is often your most valuable weapon. If you’re like most business leaders, you’re not above engaging in a little employee-poaching to improve your position. After all, if you can entice an MVP from another company to enlist in your ranks, you’ll deprive the competition of a key asset while taking immediate advantage of your new … [More]
We’re Stuck in a Success Crisis!
Success and leadership have gears — and we’re not shifting them correctly. We’ve gotten stuck in the “more-better-faster, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, too-busy-racing-around-to-enjoy-our-lives” gear. We’re over-fed, under-nourished, over-medicated, under-rested and under-satisfied. Think of the wear and tear trying to drive everywhere using only one gear — second gear — … [More]
Holiday Etiquette, HR Style
’Tis the season … when merriment sometimes gets the better of good HR sense. Here are a few tips to help companies stay out of hot water at the annual holiday party. Invite the “better halves.” Holiday parties are synonymous with alcohol, and while there are many ways a company can reduce its risk, a non-traditional (yet highly effective) option is to invite employees’ … [More]
Make Room for Millennials
It might seem an odd fit: a nonprofit aligning itself with 20- to 32-year-olds who, at first blush, appear to have little in common with such institutions. But successful nonprofits believe such a pairing is simply good strategy, especially considering that half the U.S. work force by 2020 will consist of this young demographic known as millennials. They are 80 million in … [More]
Harnessing the Power of Volunteers
Volunteers are everywhere — sorting donations at food banks, tutoring children at local schools and greeting visitors at the zoo. They play an integral role in nonprofits across America, guiding tours at museums, visiting the sick at hospitals and wielding hammers for Habitat for Humanity. They also are active behind the scenes, serving on boards and committees, and even … [More]
Employers, Employees and Workplace Violence
Workplace violence affects nearly 2 million American workers every year — more, actually, as that is just the number of incidents that are reported. According to Jessie Atencio, assistant director and consultation and training program manager for the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, violence can occur at any workplace, and he notes it is the responsibility of … [More]
Where are America’s Most Innovative Technology Hubs?
An important question to ask, of late, is, “Who is on top in innovation technology?” because the answer truly can make a difference in local markets that are all vying for the top position — or very close to the top. The good news is, many of the top communities are on top because they are making a concerted effort to compete. The bad news is some, like Phoenix — although they … [More]
How to Hire the Best Job Candidates
Most business leaders claim that hiring quality individuals for their organization is one of their highest priorities. Nevertheless, many of them tend to think that skilled interviewing and hiring come naturally, and that, because they are good at their jobs, they must also be innately good at interviewing and hiring. The truth is, effective interviewing and hiring skills do … [More]
NLRB: Off-Hours Email OK
Employers who monitor workers’ electronic communications cannot discipline workers for using company email off hours for non-business-related purposes, according to a ruling issued last December by the National Labor Relations Board. The new ruling (361 NLRB No. 126) states that employees with access to employer email systems “in the course of their work” must, in most cases, … [More]
Passion Fires Sustained Performance Improvement
Companies need passionate workers because these workers can drive extreme and sustained performance improvement. However, a mere 12 percent of the United States work force exhibits all of the attributes that define the “Passion of the Explorer,” according to a new report from Deloitte’s Center for the Edge entitled “Passion at work: Cultivating worker passion as a cornerstone … [More]
