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Jigsaw Puzzles and Job Seekers

billiesucher

8 Feb 2010 | 8:31 am

Who invented the jigsaw puzzle? A. Ben Franklin B. George Washington C. Abraham Lincoln D. John Spilsbury E. Thomas Edison F. Christopher Columbus According to this site, an Englishmen by the name of John Spilsbury invented the jigsaw puzzle in...
Seeking a How-To Book to Get Your Search Started?

Chandlee Bryan

5 Feb 2010 | 1:37 pm

One of the biggest challenges of any career transition is getting started--especially when you are confronted with shifting priorities such as family, financial pressure, or simply the overwhelming feeling that your talents could be better used elsewhere. In the words...
Transform Your Job Search

billiesucher

5 Feb 2010 | 10:50 am

The other day I attended a transformational leadership program called "Lessons From Gettysburg" delivered by The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg. When I attend seminars, I am always interested in how I can take what I have learned and apply...
Hot Spots for Finding Jobs

Mark Hovind

3 Feb 2010 | 6:22 pm

There are over 2,000 Hot Spots nationwide for finding jobs, and you might be surprised how many there are where you live now. Hot Spots are industry-location combinations that are adding new jobs and growing faster than the normal workforce...
5 Steps To Overcoming Your Fears

Sital Ruparelia

2 Feb 2010 | 4:01 pm

Are you….. Scared of making a vital call? Worried about sending an email to that contact? Fearful about making a big decision? …..do you consequently feel paralysed and powerless? Ok, try following these steps: 1) Write down EXACTLY what you’re...

Rehaul by Lance Haun
Now Up For Hire: Me

Lance Haun

8 Feb 2010 | 8:30 am

This is an odd post to be writing. Again. Yes, about six months ago, I wrote about how I was available for work. And then a job found me. Now I am looking again. What gives? For starters, I love working for MeritBuilder. I would love to continue working for MeritBuilder full time. It is a really great fit. We have spent the last month pushing forward on exciting plans that are making MeritBuilder what I imagined it could be when I first joined in August. What has developed is a fee free but fully featured way of managing your employee incentive and rewards program. We developed it to the…
Podcast: Multi-Generational Workforce

Lance Haun

3 Feb 2010 | 5:58 am

A couple of weeks ago, my buddy Chris Ferdinandi over at Renegade HR and I talked about multi-generational workforces and what they mean to employers for his podcast (one of the few I actually listen to). Want to have a listen? Of course you do: Listen Here So what are always my main points about generations? There are differences between various generations. Sometimes these differences are blown out of proportion to their importance. Often these differences relate to career level rather than generations. Truly skilled managers rarely have issues dealing with a multi-generational workforce.
Doing a Career Transition the Right Way

Lance Haun

2 Feb 2010 | 7:45 am

We all know that the recession is making Americans think differently about where they are heading in their professional lives. Whether it be by choice or by the force of circumstances, many people are taking this approach. I know it has certainly pushed people I know to change (or postpone, or move up) their plans given the state of flux. Are you ready to prepare for your career change? Given the lack of resources for people going through this (especially updated resources since the job market has changed so drastically in the last few years), I was pleased when I heard that Alexandra Levit…
Words Matter But Actions Matter Most

Lance Haun

1 Feb 2010 | 6:22 am

When I went to visit Washington DC last week, I stopped by the National Archives to visit some of the US’s greatest political treasures. By far, the most compelling exhibit was the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Taking a look at these two documents side by side was a powerful moment in my life. The words (now barely visible) jumped out of the bulletproof cases and into my psyche. It got me thinking: Why are these words important to me? The words are obviously significant. There is quite a bit of hubris centered around what is and isn’t defined by the…
Connecting In Person Still Critical In The Digital Age

Lance Haun

28 Jan 2010 | 9:36 am

Yesterday, I attended #connectHR and it was, by all measures, a smashing success. Even for a guy who has pretty great luck working a room and talking to new people, I don’t think I got through the entire guest list of over 100 people in a little over two hours. What I continue to find is that as my digital network expands, getting to know people in a face to face environment becomes even more critical to connecting with a person rather than a user name or an avatar or a profile. I’ve always considered social networking a shortcut to get past the first few steps of networking. You…

Human Resource News
Recovery requires small biz hiring

9 Feb 2010 | 8:56 am

Small businesses are becoming the Achilles heel of the U.S. recovery by limiting growth and job creation.
Paychex Faces Threat From Intuit; ADP Continues SaaS Roll-up

9 Feb 2010 | 4:45 am

Payroll giant ADP started off the year with a SaaS acquisition, DO2. This is its second SaaS acquisition within three months, the previous one being HRinterax.
StarTek Announces Philippine Expansion

8 Feb 2010 | 8:33 pm

StarTek, Inc. , a leading provider of high-value business process outsourcing services, announced today the recent signing of a lease for a new customer care facility in Ortigas in the Eton Cyberpod Corinthian business center.
StarTek to expand in Philippines

8 Feb 2010 | 12:23 pm

StarTek Inc. has leased new space in the Philippines and will triple its presence there with a new call center it plans to open this year.
No Job Growth for Small Business Inspires Doubts Over Sustainable Recovery

8 Feb 2010 | 8:15 am

Small businesses are becoming the Achilles heel of the U.S. recovery by limiting growth and job creation.

Bizjournals: Human Resource News
DSS seeks stimulus funds for jobs

9 Feb 2010 | 9:19 am

The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners will vote Feb. 16 on a plan to help low-income residents find temporary work.
Thompson named CEO of Premier Federal CU

9 Feb 2010 | 9:06 am

Lori Thompson has been named the new president and CEO of Premier Federal Credit Union, according to an announcement.
Atlanta job market shows slight improvement

9 Feb 2010 | 8:57 am

Atlanta’s job market got a bit easier in February, according to job search engine Juju.com.
More than $10M in 2009 unemployment fraud, says Washington

9 Feb 2010 | 8:34 am

There was more than $10 million claimed last year in fraudulent unemployment benefits in Washington state, officials said this week.
BOTH aligns with LinktoExpert

9 Feb 2010 | 8:27 am

BOTH USA joined forces with LinktoExpert in a move the companies said will help experts and entrepreneurs streamline administrative functions and effectively market their businesses.

HRvendorNews.com
Clark Hill, a full-service law firm, Highlights Benefits of Maintaining Form I-9 Compliance with the E-Verify System

admin

9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

DETROIT, Feb. 9, 2010 — The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) E-Verify electronic employment verification system is now required for many government contractors and subcontractors. Additionally, according to numbers released to the Center for Immigration Studies by the Department of Homeland Security, E-Verify is currently being used to determine work authorization for one in four new hires in the United States. nowHIRE.com will host a complimentary webinar to highlight the importance of being Form I-9 compliant and shed light on the implications of the E-Verify mandate on…
Perspectives Ltds Social Media ABCs For HR Webinar Sees Immediate Demand

admin

9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

CHICAGO — Feb. 9, 2010 — When Perspectives Ltd, a workplace resources company specializing in high-touch employee assistance programs (EAP) and organizational development services, sent an email to customers about a webinar on social media implications in the workplace, the company experienced immediate demand. The event filled to capacity within 24 hours and was overbooked by nearly 100 participants within a week. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE WEBINAR! The FREE webinar, Social Media ABCs (Awareness, Boundaries and Considerations) For HR, is now available to the public online. It aims…
Profiles International Releases Leaders Guide to Managing Workplace Stress

admin

9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

Austin, TX, February 8, 2010 — Profiles International, a global leader in employment evaluation and human resource management assessment tools, has released a report for business leaders who need a way to help their employees manage workplace stress. The report helps executives raise their awareness of the causes and effects of excessive stressors and it helps them encourage and support the use of stress-prevention measures by their employees and supervisors. Additionally the report helps executives provide employees with tools and techniques for assessing and managing stress, as well…
Leading UK Insurance Provider Adopts iCIMS Talent Platform for International Talent Management Needs

admin

9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

HAZLET, N.J. (February 9, 2010) – iCIMS, the second-largest provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) talent acquisition solutions, announced today that a leading insurance provider has selected the iCIMS Talent Platform to support its international talent management needs. With more than 3,000 employees and offices throughout the United Kingdom, this company joins an influx of UK based mid-market organizations adopting iCIMS’ Talent Platform. The insurance leader joins more than 800 worldwide organizations who currently power their talent management initiatives using the iCIMS…
Cytiva Releases New White Paper: Performance Management in a Recovering Economy

admin

9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

Cytiva Releases New White Paper: Performance Management in a Recovering Economy New White Paper Provides HR Practitioners a Blue Print on How Performance Management Technology Can Drive Success in a Post Crash Economic Environment EMERYVILLE, CA — February 9, 2010 — Cytiva Software, Inc. (CRX:TSX.V), a leading provider of on-demand talent management solutions, announces the availability of a free white paper detailing performance management technology’s potential role in helping organizations thrive in the coming economic recovery. Studies show that companies revamp their…

Punk Rock Human Resources
Job Do-Overs

Laurie

9 Feb 2010 | 3:45 am

I wish I could have a do-over of an experience in 2007. I worked for a VP of HR who was losing his job in a company-wide reorganization program. I had one foot out the door, too, and there was no love lost between the two of us. I spoke my mind. He spoke his. It was a sad level of dysfunction, and I never missed an opportunity to be a bitch for the sake of keeping myself entertained. When it was confirmed that the VP of HR was scheduled to leave, one of my colleagues asked me to take a professional portrait as a gift to the VP. My picture would be included as part of a larger departmental…
Rejection

Laurie

8 Feb 2010 | 6:45 am

Jess left a comment on my blog that I wanted to share with you. What I’m disgruntled about currently… is the long online application process of many organizations. I’ve spent upwards of 6+ hours for a good job submission… carefully constructing my cover letter, researching the company a bit, tailoring my resume to that position, crafting essays…. taking online personality tests, skills assessments, etc. Only to hear nothing. Or to receive a generic email two months later that the position was not created. I understand why the online submission process is lengthy… but after…
Monday Morning HR Humor: New E*TRADE Baby Commercials

Laurie

8 Feb 2010 | 3:45 am

Last year, I hailed the arrival of the E*Trade Baby commercials as the savior of the Super Bowl. This year? You tell me. Whaddya think? Do you like these new commercials or is E*TRADE trying too hard?
Sunday Shout Out: Jennifer Hughes

Laurie

7 Feb 2010 | 3:45 am

Happy Sunday! I want to recognize my friend, Jennifer Hughes, who works in the Public Affairs/Media department at SHRM. Jenny has been a supporter of Punk Rock HR since I first started writing this blog. (I hope that doesn’t get her fired.) She is so helpful when I need information and data from SHRM. Whenever I can’t figure something out, Jenny is there to lend a hand. Some people wonder why an anti-establishment blogger would remain an active member of a large HR association — and it’s because of women like Jenny. She makes that organization great. Jenny, you are…
Guest Post: UNC Grad Seeks Non-Lameass Job

Laurie

6 Feb 2010 | 3:45 am

Today’s post was sparked when I saw an ad from James Diagle on Facebook. I’d like to thank Laurie for the opportunity to guest post on Punk Rock HR. Laurie clicked on one of my Facebook ads that I use to drive traffic to my job search website, and was kind enough to let me share with you all how my job search has gone so far. I’m a December, 2009 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communications, and I’ve been looking for a job for about two months. I started my search about a month before I graduated. Like a lot of people, I posted my…

Latest news from People Management
Vauxhall to axe more than 500 jobs

9 Feb 2010 | 9:31 am

Bosses at vehicle manufacturer Vauxhall confirmed today that over 500 jobs will go at its Luton van plant and offices.
Employers urged to identify serial litigants

9 Feb 2010 | 8:37 am

HR professionals can pre-empt costly discrimination claims by establishing early that they are the victim of a serial litigator, experts have warned.
'Lax corporate governance has caused executive pay spiral'

9 Feb 2010 | 7:30 am

Institutional shareholders should exercise more power to clamp down on executive pay, financial services minister Lord Myners said today.
Fujitsu strikes on hold while Acas talks continue

9 Feb 2010 | 7:30 am

Further strike action at Fujitsu has been postponed this week as unions and management negotiate job and pension cuts at Acas-brokered talks.
Graduate market 'beginning to turn the corner'

9 Feb 2010 | 3:12 am

The graduate market did not deteriorate as much as expected in 2009 and there are tentative signs of recovery, according to the latest figures from the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).

HR Morning
Top 5 employer concerns of 2010

Christian Schappel

9 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

What are your peers’ top five concerns heading into the rest of 2010? A recent study reveals what HR and benefits pros are thinking and doing. By now, it’s no secret that the recession has killed employee job satisfaction and productivity. The No. 1 reason: Payroll budgets have dropped off a cliff. But employers are determined to find ways to keep talented employees happy and working hard, without increasing payroll, found a recent CareerBuilder survey. What did the survey of more than 2,700 employers uncover? Pay worries Employers’ top five concerns are: Providing competitive…
Do you employ techno-troglodytes?

Jim Giuliano

9 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

Gadgets are great, except when people use them in a rude way that disrupts business, productivity and workplace relations. Here are the five main types of offenders and what to do about them. The identities and remedies come courtesy of Robert Half Technology: 1. The Misguided Multitasker. This person thinks that e-mailing or texting during a meeting or conversation demonstrates efficiency. But all it really demonstrates is rudeness. Suggestion: Ask this person to use the handheld device only in an urgent situation and to step out of the room to reply in such situations. 2. The E-mail Addict.
Blind but qualified: Dismissed candidate sues and wins big

Sam Narisi

8 Feb 2010 | 12:22 pm

Here’s an easy recipe for a lawsuit: A manager sees a resume and likes the candidate’s qualifications — but after meeting the applicant in person, immediately changes his mind. That happened in one recent case. An employee applied online for a job at debt collection agency. She had eight years of relevant experience, and the hiring manager liked her qualifications enough to invite her in for an interview. But once the candidate met the manager in person, she was immediately turned down for the job. Why? Apparently because she was blind. According to the candidate, once the…
Dependent care: Keys to preventing health cost increases

Christian Schappel

8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

In the battle to contain healthcare costs, it’s easy to overlook one key cost-driver — employees’ dependents. That’s especially true when it comes to employees’ adolescent children. A host of serious medical conditions can emerge during teenage years — if warning signs are not spotted early. Check ‘em checked out — regularly It’s every bit as important for employee’s adolescent dependents to undergo complete health assessments as it is for employees themselves. Here’s where to focus: Immunizations (shots or vaccines) to reduce…
Court: Workers can’t sue for electronic monitoring

Sam Narisi

8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

A legal battle erupted recently when an employer began using new technology to keep an eye on employees. Two fire inspectors in Bridgeport, Connecticut were required to travel to different buildings to perform their inspections. They drove city-owned vehicles which were equipped with GPS systems. But the navigation tools weren’t there to help the employees get around — they were used by the city to monitor where the employees were when they were on duty. The workers weren’t told the devices were installed. The two employees were disciplined after the GPS showed they took…

Human Resource Executive Online -- ALL
Show Me the Money

Salaries have begun to thaw from 2009's deep freeze, and experts see pay climbing ever so slightly in the coming months. But with such futile gains for workers, how can HR keep its talent happy? Enhancing communication efforts is a good start, experts say.
What Does Salary.com Actually Do?

The talent management suite vendor is another unfortunate example of a "best kept secret" in HR technology. That will change soon, following its victory at the HR Technology® Shootout, as it widens its functional footprint faster than any other in the market.
Don't Slip and Fall Over Workers' Comp

Workers' compensation fraud can bedevil employers. While some fraud-minded employees are around, the bulk of the illegality is committed by physicians, service providers, adjusters and more, according to research. Virtually anybody who touches a claim could "cheat the system," an expert says. Here are some tips for HR.
Reader Feedback

This is in response to Executive Comp for the Average Joe.
Comp, Consultants and Conflicts of Interest

Hewitt Associates recently announced a partial spin-off of its executive compensation consulting practice. The news, which comes just a month after the Towers Perrin/Watson Wyatt merger, may be further encouragement for companies to seek out independent compensation consultants, experts say.

HRM Today Featured Posts
Seven Tips for Selecting Salary Surveys

Catherine Dovey

8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pm

Salary surveys are an essential tool for any organization. Knowledge of the market makes it easier to make good pay decisions. But there are always new and changing data sources. How can we get the most out of this important resource without unnecessary spending? Here are some tips for finding the best surveys for your organization. 1) You get what you pay for. HR is sometimes penny wise and pound foolish when selecting survey data. For example, in a company with $10 million in revenues it would not be unusual to have $7 million going to salaries. Yet we are reluctant to spend…
Undercover Boss and Decision Making

speakingofmbti

8 Feb 2010 | 3:56 pm

I’m hoping you were able to fight over your food coma after the Super Bowl long enough to catch CBS’s new show- Undercover Boss. If you did, I bet the show gave you goosebumps. It really affected me in a profound way. The premise of the show is a CEO goes undercover and works in the entry level jobs that are too often under appreciated in large companies. Larry O’Donnell, President and COO of Waste Management, was the first to take on the challenge of going undercover in his own organization. He picked up liter (and got fired), cleaned out port-a-potties, and ran a trash…
Will HR Become More Effective?

Karen Wills

6 Feb 2010 | 3:49 pm

HR has the unfortunate tendency to be inward focused; rather than collaboratively engaging cross functional colleagues in HR project design and implementation, they garner sources of information from other HR practitioners to inform their project process. Successful HR projects that drive business goals require the expertise, input and engagement of the rest of the organization. Therefore the CHRP should include a significant requirement to develop a high level of competency in cross functional collaboration, project management and systems thinking. Business acumen is all well and good but of…
We Ask, You Win: Share Your Biggest 2010 Recruitment Challenge and How You Plan to Navigate It & and You May Win a Garmin!

The Hiring Site

5 Feb 2010 | 3:40 pm

How are you navigating your biggest recruitment challenge this year? Share with us for the chance to win a Garmin GPS Navigator! (See what we did there?) With a new year comes new hope for improved economic conditions, but it also often comes with new challenges – as evidenced by CareerBuilder’s recent survey about the staffing challenges employers anticipate having this year. Among the challenges mentioned are the ability to provide competitive compensation, maintain productivity levels, and retain top talent. (Any of this sound familiar?) In light of these results – and in an…
Survey: How Customer-Focused Is Your Organization?

HRM Today

4 Feb 2010 | 1:51 pm

i4cp research has not only shown that having a customer-focused workforce is the most important issue facing companies in 2010, but that high-performance organizations are more customer-focused than others. But what practices separate these firms from the rest? What workforce strategies are companies taking to make their employees more customer centric? To get answers to these and other questions, i4cp is conducting an important new study. The findings will be used by many of the largest and most respected companies in the world to identify next practices on the topic. As always, in exchange…

Complinet HR
Whistle-blowing claims to be referred to regulators

8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

On January 20, 2010, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced a proposed new approach to employment tribunal claims which would enable whistle-blowing claimants to consent to all or part of their claim forms being disclosed to relevant regulators.
Mercer GCC region benefits survey

8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Employee benefits, including private medical cover, retirement savings plans and death and disability insurance, are clearly becoming increasingly important elements of rewards packages as employers compete to define a longer term proposition for employees in the Gulf.
'Mixed' reaction to fit notes

8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Medical and HR professionals have given a mixed reaction to the final template for the new "fit notes" set to replace doctor's sick notes in April, according to reports.
Australia update: Jobs growth improves weekly

8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Recruiters are painting a mixed picture for job growth in 2010 -- but all agree that conditions are improving week by week.
HR pros signal 'cautious optimism' over recruitment

8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

There "cautious optimism" among senior HR professionals that employers are set to start expanding their workforces and boosting graduate recruitment over the coming year, according to a new poll.

Seasonal Human Resources Blog
My Favorite Super Bowl Ad

Kari Quaas

7 Feb 2010 | 11:36 pm

I love that even in the midst of all of the chaos related to their jobs, networks, and life experiences, they can come together and make light of it all. And really, isn't that how we all should (re)act sometimes? Work is a part of life, but it certainly isn't the end all be all.
How do you say no?

Kari Quaas

5 Feb 2010 | 10:08 am

Yesterday, I was speaking with one of my clients about how you politely, but firmly tell someone that they didn't get the job. It's a tough thing to do, but as I've said before on this blog, it is courteous and the right thing to do to notify someone that they won't be working for you. So, I'd like to use this post as an open forum to get your thoughts on how you say no. Do you share a lot?
Still Not Using Social Media?

Kari Quaas

2 Feb 2010 | 4:02 pm

Perhaps you should. Everyone else is. If you're curious about how many, check out this blog post by Jake Hird. 20+ mind-blowing social media statistics revisited We definitely do and try to keep up with the biggest and best. A sampling: Vote for CoolWorks.com as your favorite job website for the DOL Tools for America's Job Seekers Challenge. Amazingly enough, I was
All That Potential

Kari Quaas

28 Jan 2010 | 5:51 pm

Cool Works is HOPPING! Lots of employers have returned for the summer jobs season 2010. Our traffic is up. The enthusiasm is pulsing through our Cool Works branded social network. Job offers have been made and accepted already. Plans are taking shape. Dreams are coming true. Are you taking advantage of this? Ready to jump in? We're here to help! : ) First off, if you're new to Cool
Your Job is Tough (And Funny)

Kari Quaas

21 Jan 2010 | 9:19 pm

Watching The Office tonight I was reminded of the strange things that HR folks need to deal with, the serious, the not-so-serious, and the what?!? Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the episode. Life is to be enjoyed, and, the idiom of "Don't take life so seriously" comes to mind.

HRmarketer.com Blog
Beyond Mediocrity: Why quality content with a chewy nougat center makes for great story

9 Feb 2010 | 6:50 am

I love great story. Not just good ones -- great ones. Unfortunately there's too much sift through each and every day and our prefrontal cortices can't process that much information.Especially when most of it's crap.That's a grumbling I'm hearing more and more in the HR marketplace and beyond is that everyone and their third cousins are cobbling together shoddy marketing content and pushing it on the street, usually heavily promotional and lacking best-practices substance.We do our best to advise HR suppliers to develop and release quality content for marketing purposes -- to further…
REMOVE ME FROM YOUR LIST

2 Feb 2010 | 7:22 am

A senile cat that wails for hours pre-dawn and breaks the family sleep cycle makes for cranky folk, especially when pregnant mama and toddler daughter have colds.And then there's all the crap spam email I have to sort through first thing every morning.This morning is no exception (with the cat and toddler still wailing in the background). I'm really grumpy and must call out Avon.Why Avon compared to all the other spam I get about Russian wives, Viagra and monetary transfer offers?Because I asked them to remove me from their mailing list. Three times. And they still haven't done it.The reason…
Got a cool HR strategy? Win an iPad in HRExaminer's Blank Slate Challenge.

27 Jan 2010 | 2:36 pm

Inspired by Apple's announcement of their "game changing" iPad, the folks at HRExaminer have announced a very interesting contest.In their words:"Imagine an HR led strategy that could produce results in your organization like the iPhone has for Apple. How would you change the way you recruit, hire, develop and retain your employees so they could reach their full potential while keeping them engaged?How would you change your company go-to-market strategy in areas like product, sales and marketing? Step in their shoes for a while and then come back to your expertise – people. Would you…
Mass Career Customization (MCC) - Flexibility for ALL Employees

25 Jan 2010 | 4:38 pm

Jessica Toonkell Marquez researched and wrote an outstanding article in the latest Workforce Magazine titled "The Perfect Fit". (I wish I could link to the story but this publication does not put their articles online - ughhh!).The cover story article features Cathy Benko, Vice Chairman and Chief Talent Officer for Deloitte LLP and her "Mass Career Customization (MCC)" program.What is MCC? In the words of Cathy (who also wrote a book about MCC):"Mass Career Customization is a wake up call to corporate America and a guide book for business leaders. Centered on the powerful insight that today's…
Good news: It looks like we're more mature than Charlotte Simmons going in.

22 Jan 2010 | 9:13 am

UPDATE (1/22/2010): Now Available - “Trends in HR Marketing: HR Buyer’s Behavior – What to Expect in 2010” Download Now, no registration required. I'm reading a Tom Wolfe's I am Charlotte Simmons about a young high school graduate from a poverty-stricken rural town whose intelligence and hard work at school have been rewarded with a full scholarship to a prestigious college. Book learnin' isn't her problem, but it's her first semester and mercy does she have a lot of social learnin' to do, which she does with her own unique strength and mindful presence. Besides reminding me of the…

Ask a Manager
when does advice become consulting?

Ask a Manager

8 Feb 2010 | 4:45 pm

A reader writes:I work in the field of Community Development with an expertise in sustainable agriculture. In the past few years as the organic movement has increased, I have been contacted by nonprofit and government organizations who were referred to me by casual colleagues to answer questions and give advice to people and organizations with regard to their new agriculture programs. I always speak with these people, free of charge, and have been told on occasion that my advice was helpful or that I was the inspiration for their new project. The conversations last maybe an hour by phone or…
and we're going to strip-search you before the job interview

Ask a Manager

5 Feb 2010 | 10:21 am

A reader writes:After filling out an online application, I received an email from the (large and well-known) employer asking that I return to their career website to provide my date of birth, social security number, and driver's license number. They added that they will only use the information to begin a background check if I were to receive and accept a job offer from them.Is it weird for a company to ask me for this information and consent (permission to do background check) before even a phone interview or any preliminary step like that? Maybe I am paranoid or maybe it's just that I've…
how do you survive without a job?

Ask a Manager

4 Feb 2010 | 3:11 pm

In the comments on a recent post, Kathy asked:Hi, I have a question that I do not mean with any snotty tone, whatsoever. I am truly curious because it's something I've always wondered:For those of you unemployed for lengthy periods of time, how do you survive? Did you have a large emergency fund built up? Do you tend to live on credit? Do you just cut back significantly?Also, is a part-time job a possibility? Again, please understand that I'm asking out of curiosity--not as an attack. I have often wondered this as I contemplate what would happen if I lost my job. I have probably several…
how to prepare for a phone interview

Ask a Manager

3 Feb 2010 | 6:16 pm

I'm always amazed by how often I can tell that a candidate hasn't really prepared for a phone interview. Laziness aside, preparing takes a lot of the stress out of the experience and lets you answer the phone feeling confident and possibly even excited.Here's what I recommend you do to prepare. Ideally, you'd do this the night before.1. Go to the employer's Web site. At a minimum, read the "about us" section. Better yet, read enough to get a good feel for their clients, work, and general approach. Don't leave the Web site until you can answer these questions: What does this organization do?
combating unhealthy power dynamics during a job search -- the ones in your head

Ask a Manager

2 Feb 2010 | 8:17 am

One of the many things that sucks for job seekers is the power differential that exists between job-seekers and employers.Because the employer has something you want and it's as important as money and possible career happiness, and because at times it feels like employers can wield their power arbitrarily, many people respond in a way that makes the job search experience even harder: They lose all assertiveness and feel utterly helpless during the process. They feel 100% at the mercy of employers, and when those employers act in ways that are confusing or inconsiderate, they feel helpless to…

Compensation Force
Making Compensation Work in 2010 & Beyond: Workforce Webinar

Ann Bares

8 Feb 2010 | 10:50 am

On February 18, 2 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m. Pacific, I'll be doing a webinar titled "Making Compensation Work in 2010 and Beyond" for Workforce, for whom I am priviledged to be a featured blogger. Webinar description below: As organizations emerge from the recession, they confront the challenge of how best to reward and retain their current employees—and attract the new hires they'll need in the future. The pre-recession pay and reward models may no longer be working in many organizations. Decisions made during the recession to freeze or cut pay may need to be revisited.
Survey Statistics: Are You a Mean or a Median Aficionado?

Ann Bares

5 Feb 2010 | 12:29 pm

This is the true test of compensation geekdom. The real geeks just sat forward in their chairs in eager anticipation of a meaty statistics debate. Everyone else either felt their eyes begin to glaze over, or ran for the hills. A recent exchange with fellow Minnesota blogger Lisa Rosendahl (if you aren't reading Lisa's blog, start today) reminded me that it's been a few years since I tackled this topic, so here it comes once again. Pay surveys present us with a variety of descriptic statistics to choose from in our efforts to review or develop new compensation structures and…
Pay Complaints & Doggone Labor Market Inequalities

Ann Bares

4 Feb 2010 | 9:52 am

Sometimes it appears that the labor market is the great unequalizer. I expect this pattern to only continue as we move through and out of the recession. Conversations with a number of colleagues and clients over the past few weeks confirm that many employees have noticed this too... and they're not liking it much. Fact is, some skill sets are mission critical for a lot of organizations today, some skill sets are in short supply relative to demand, and some skill sets are both of these things. Some skill sets are neither. And the truth is that this matters - quite a bit, in fact -…
Books That Have Influenced How You Influence (Next Influence Insiders Radio Show)

Ann Bares

1 Feb 2010 | 7:17 am

You may remember that I am part of a monthly blogtalkradio show called Influence Insiders, a multi-disciplinary group that tackles different topics related to influence - with my particular focus being on influencing employees. In this Wednesday's show, (noon EST) we're going to talk about the books that have influenced us - and the way we each look at influencing others through the programs and tools we develop. I think it promises to be a pretty interesting discussion - and (as a bit of a book addict myself) I look forward to picking up some new ideas for my next read. Hope…
Sales & Collaboration... or Wherefore, Whyfore Team-Based Sales Incentives

Ann Bares

22 Jan 2010 | 8:20 am

Is there a place for team-based incentives in your sales compensation plan? Some pointers and thoughts on the question in my post today at the Compensation Cafe. Check it out!

Evil HR Lady
Bad Grades

Evil HR Lady

7 Feb 2010 | 12:29 pm

i found ur id on;line and found that u ans evil hr question. i am struck with a question in interview of "why my grades are so low". and also cant find an ans where a positive mindset is going to be created in mind of the interviewer. i am a law graduate.You know why you can't come up with a positive answer? Because your grades are low because you don't care one whit about them. Or at least you didn't until now when you are in need of actual employment.How do I know this? Because you did a Google search, found my blog and thought I could solve all your problems (and I could, if I wanted to!),…
How Did It Work Out?

Evil HR Lady

4 Feb 2010 | 2:21 am

Evil HR Lady has been up and running for long time and I've answered a ton of questions. (Although, not nearly as many as I have not answered, unfortunately.)Anyway, Ask A Manager had people write in with updates, and I hope she doesn't kill me for copying her, but if you had your question posted here, send me an e-mail at evilhrlady@hotmail.com and let me know what happened. Good or bad. If you could include a link to the original post, that would be helpful.Please? I promise it will be fun. And I'll post the updates so everyone can see what happened.
Break Room Cell Phones

Evil HR Lady

2 Feb 2010 | 3:45 am

I have a question regarding the use of cell phones in the employee lunch room. I was recently asked this question by a manager, who I might add is problem manager, but that is another topic. So this is the question she asked"I keep asking my staff not to use their cell phones in the building and around the lunch tables while other people are there, eating and socializing with others. I often ask them to punch out and take a walk 'downstairs'. I personally don't like being in the break room and listening to people on cell phones. What's your opinion on this please?"So, Evil Hr Lady, what do…
The Joy of Unions

Evil HR Lady

27 Jan 2010 | 3:43 am

My brother-in-law works for a unionized company and has for 2 years now. He has all the qualifications needed for his job and is going to night school to get even more qualifications that are recommended for his job but not required. Another co-worker in another sector of the company is being laid off and was told by HR that if he gets a certain class of driver's license by the end of the week he can have my brother-in-law's job instead and they will lay my brother in law off instead. Is this even legal?Yep! It's called bumping and it happens all the time in a unionized workforce. How the…
PIP

Evil HR Lady

25 Jan 2010 | 2:11 am

Can a company divulge the details of a performance improvement plan to another company verifying a candidate's (assuming the candidate was put into a performance improvement plan by his former employer) employment history?Can a company? Sure! (Keep in mind that I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice, and I have no knowledge of your actual location, so this may not apply to you at all.)People have this strange idea that companies are a. only allowed to verify titles/dates/salaries or b. forbidden from giving bad reviews. This is false. Now, if you follow the official rule book and your…

Fistful of Talent
Superiority Complexes in Hiring Teams May Be the Real Culprit of Long Fill Times. Ask Tiger Woods.

Dawn Hrdlica

9 Feb 2010 | 2:45 am

Tiger Woods made a horrendous goof in the world of employment and it’s not what you think. Cheat on wife? Horrible! Not biggest goof. Engage with a harem of ladies? Horrible! Not biggest goof. Leave his actual voice on several of his ladies' voicemails? Stupid! Not biggest goof. Hurt family who supported him? Whew, I want to say biggest goof….but NOT biggest goof. He quit playing golf. Think about it. He is a highly skilled worker, who chose to quit his career indefinitely. Anyone in a hiring gig knows (corporate recruiter, headhunter, manager) that filling…
FOTv 7.0 - Monster Sucks Up Hotjobs... Film at 11....

Kris Dunn

8 Feb 2010 | 4:29 am

FOTv is back, and in this episode KD, JLee and Tim Sackett are breaking down the Monster.com acquisition of Yahoo HotJobs, with nuggets related to the following: Should HR and Recruiting pros care about the death of HotJobs? How to know if you suck... Are big job boards dead? Why JLee watches Jersey Shore.. What's the next acquisition for Monster or CareerBuilder? Why Tim Sackett is a proponent of Soccer Moms. Only at FOT can you weave "The Situation", inappropriate t-shirts and job boards. Hit us in the comments and tell us what you…
Like the Biggest Loser? How About Fat-Freeing Your Employees.

Tim Sackett

5 Feb 2010 | 2:30 am

I'm a big fan of the TV show Biggest Loser. Each Tuesday night, I sit down on my couch with a soda and usually something sweet/salty/fattening and watch a bunch of fat people duke it out. (Yeah, I used the "F" word - if you take offense, you're probably fat - get over it - getting upset about someone using the word "Fat" when you're fat is just a victim's way out of focusing on the truth that you're fat. Get over your fat self and do something about it.) And I love competition, so whether I'm watching the world's greatest…
You Really Made That Much? Bring me Your W-2...

Kris Dunn

4 Feb 2010 | 8:01 am

I riffed a lot last year about the unwillingness of some managers to negotiate on what they were willing to pay for a position at both the HR Capitalist and FOT. I think managers ought to enter into pay conversations with some form of flexibility, but if you're not flexible, at least be inflexible based on some relevant factors - not because you think you've got the power and the individual ought to accept whatever you need to offer. That stinks, and it's going to boomerrang back at you when the economy recovers... It's the power in the hands of the employer that…
FOT/HRCapitalist v. 6.0 Talent Management Blog Power Rankings - Our Top 25 Blogs!

Jessica Lee

3 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

On the surface, this is just a list - a list of the top 25 blogs in the talent management space as determined by this blog and its contributors. So what?! I know. Some of you think that lists don't matter much. It's a popularity contest after all. Or perhaps you think that too often lists are rigged or gamed so there's no trusting them. Your glass is half empty though and I beg to differ. Lists are important. You may not agree with any critic's picks for a list - be it FOT or the Oscars - but lists are helpful, as they serve as a starting point to help you form your own…

Flip Chart Fairy Tales
Team building can seriously damage your health

Rick

8 Feb 2010 | 3:46 pm

“We’re going to run a team-building event.” The first time I heard those words I was a young graduate trainee. I was still too junior to go on the three-day outdoor bonding exercise but I remember the effect it had on the middle managers who were being forced to participate. They were, to put it bluntly, shitting themselves. Now don’t get me wrong, I have seen team-building events work really well. I have even witnessed a few that have actually improved the way the team works. All too often, though, they are either expensive jollies, excuses for macho posturing by…
Public services facing a management crisis

Rick

7 Feb 2010 | 8:42 am

A recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) draws some damning conclusions about management capability in the public sector: There is a management crisis looming in our public services. Whichever party wins the next election will be targeting major changes in public service delivery. But there is an elephant in the corner that is completely overlooked in most of the current political debates over service reform, which is the poor quality of people management at the sharp end of public service delivery. Compared to their counterparts in the private sector,…
And Sir and friends were crucified

Rick

6 Feb 2010 | 3:53 am

Over the past couple of days, most business pages have reported on EMI’s downfall. If anything, the people who are working in the business have done well. Despite a tough business environment, operating profits and market share are up. But, back in the days of cheap and easy credit, EMI was bought with debt by a private equity company led by Guy Hands. It wasn’t its music and entertainment business that screwed EMI, it was the financial engineering which came with private equity ownership. As the Guardian’s Julia Finch explains: EMI’s music business – which has a…
Ten great HR blogs

Rick

5 Feb 2010 | 3:29 pm

Thanks to HPA for including Flip Chart Fairy Tales in their Top Ten HR Bloggers list. I was in good company, with the likes of Jon Ingham and Scott McArthur. I appreciated the description of FCFT too: HR blogs don’t get more straight talking than this. The author, ‘Rick’, calls his mix of personal, political and business-related posts ‘reflections on the world of work and organisational crap’. He freely admits he’s going to upset a few people but of course that’s what’s made his 3-year-old blog so popular. Heh! Perhaps it’s rather like those restaurants people flock…
Chief executive sacked – without a payoff!

Rick

2 Feb 2010 | 10:11 am

Here’s a slightly unusual employment tribunal case. Tim Wheeler, formerly the £780k a year CEO of property firm Brixton, is suing his former employer for breach of contract and unfair dismissal after being sacked last March. A number of allegations and, according the Evening Standard, quite a lot of foul language, have kept up the media interest in the case. All entertaining stuff but the most interesting thing about this case is that it has come about because a chief executive was sacked. Chief executives are hardly ever sacked. OK, the headlines might say that a CEO has been…

Shauna Moerke is...
HR Happy Hour #30

Shauna

4 Feb 2010 | 7:33 pm

Another HR Happy Hour is in the can and it was our 30th show!! Cheers to Steve Boese and to everyone who has helped us get this far! Here’s to another 30 (and more!) shows. Tonight’s show involved some HR Technology Royalty because we had the Queen herself, Naomi Bloom! It was open mic night and Naomi was there to answer any and all questions you might have. Naomi brought her A game, I learned a ton, and much HR Geekery was shared by all. And we all learned that Naomi was quite the wild child in the past. The best revelation of the evening though had to be the announcement of…
The Super Bowl Carnival of HR

Shauna

3 Feb 2010 | 5:56 am

The latest Carnival of HR is up and running and it’s a good one for all you sports fans out there! Steve Boese was our awesome host this time around and he put together a Carnival of Super Bowl proportions. My only question: Where are all the puppies from the puppy bowl show? Everything is better with puppies. Well, puppies or no puppies, there is a lot of great posts so you have to go check it out here! The next Carnival of HR will be on February 17th and I can’t think of a better host for around Valentine’s Day than Mike Krupa at Info Box, because he is an absolute…
Groundhog Day

Shauna

2 Feb 2010 | 6:48 am

One of my favorite movies is Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. It struck me the other day that being unemployed can feel a lot like being stuck repeating the same day over and over again. You wake up, putz around the house, do chores or exercise if you are particularly motivated, look for work, take a nap, network, make dinner, veg out in front of the TV. Rinse and repeat the next day. And the next. Sound familiar? When you are unemployed it’s hard not to feel your days blur together and it’s easy to give into self-destructive patterns of behavior. Who isn’t tempted to just…
My brain doesn’t need me anymore

Shauna

1 Feb 2010 | 6:55 am

Lately, I think I’m getting in the way of my own brain. It almost feels like it could get more accomplished without my interference. For example, last week I heard a song that I really liked. Unfortunately, by the time I went to go find it online, I had forgotten the lyrics. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t think of them and I found myself getting frustrated by the whole thing until I just gave up on it. Then last night, the song came to me in my dream. The lyrics that I had fought so hard to remember came through clearly. It surprised me enough that I woke up and wrote some…
HR Happy Hour #28 & #29

Shauna

30 Jan 2010 | 9:31 am

This was a busy week for the HR Happy Hour, we had two, count them two, awesome shows for your listening enjoyment! Don’t you feel special now? First up, episode #28 was all about the importance of understanding culture in modern organizations. Grant McCracken, author of Chief Cultural Officer was our amazing guest and we had a great conversation! Check it out below and find out if your organization needs it’s own Chief Cultural Officer. Next up, for episode 29 we had a special show on a special night! You see, Friday January 29th is the one year anniversary of Job Angels! The…

Lisa Rosendahl
The Anti-Writing Demon

Lisa Rosendahl

9 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

Two things I've got on my mind lately are writing and credibility. I took up leadership credibility earlier last week so today I'll toss out some thoughts on writing. I just started reading Thinking Write by Kelly L. Stone. Besides thinking the title of her book would have been an awesome name for a blog if I only would have thought of it first, I was drawn to the tag line, "the secret to freeing your creative mind." Now, my mind could use a little freeing these days. I love to write, am committed to writing more, would welcome a little mula for…
Leadership Development Carnival

Lisa Rosendahl

8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

While it's snowing in many places across the country and the football game is on, The Leadership Development Carnival is on at Talented Apps. With talk of masks, leadership and authencity, this moth's carnival kicks off in grand style with contributions from across the web. Hitting on a variety of leadership topics, I came across many contributors new to me. I'll be taking some time over the next week to read through the posts and I hope you do too. Be sure to mark your calendar for next month (March 7th) when the carnival returns to its home at Great Leadership.
Fistful of Talent and HR Capitalist Power Rankings

Lisa Rosendahl

3 Feb 2010 | 1:50 pm

Our friends at Fistful of Talent and HR Capitalist, published their February Talent Management Blog Power Rankings and believe it or not, this is the sixth round. Yes, it's the 6th version and I still look forward to it each and every time! When I scan the list, I am honored to be included amongst people who inspire, friend and whether they know it or not, challenge me to keep getting better. My Google Reader is in flux with new blogs being added all the time. There are new voices joining the conversation and it is so great to see them…
HR Carnival Super Bowl Edition

Lisa Rosendahl

3 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

The HR Carnival is hosted this time by Steve Boese over at Steve's HR Technology Journal, where he takes on HR Technology, teaching and a little barbecue. Little is an understatment as this guy does BBQ like no other - with passion. Steve was one of the first people I met in Twitter and he has made HR Technology a little less overwhelming for me. Because of Steve, I am that much more comfortable asking questions, trying out software and widgets and can even sort of impress my friends and neighbors. I love the theme and the lead ins to the posts. Steve out did…
Have You Checked Your Credibility Lately?

Lisa Rosendahl

1 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

Two things I've got on my mind lately are writing and credibility. I"ll take up writing and the anti-writing demon I'm reading about in a separate post. But I do want to toss out some thoughts about credibility. When was the last time you were asked to decide a black and white issue? Keep thinking . . . keep thinking . . . got one yet? The last time I was asked to decide a black and white issue I told the group to do an about face and come back to me with the answer, but I digress. Why is it that issues are never black and white? When was the last time you…

systematicHR
The New Order of HR Existentialism

systematicHR

8 Feb 2010 | 1:00 am

Thanks to Bill Tincup for bringing us the marvelous series of “what’s next by some of HR’s greatest thought leaders. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I love Sumser and am proud to call him a friend and mentor. His entry into “What’s Next” actually did make me laugh out loud, on an airplane of all places. Here’s a repeat of his thoughts, but many others on Bill’s site that are worth reading: Job Boards Refuse To Sign Do Not Resuscitate Orders. The habits of job hunters outweigh the push towards social media. Job Boards find new lives. Multiple Kafka Moments. People who…
The Error of Operational Reports

systematicHR

4 Feb 2010 | 1:00 am

Julian had a childhood friend named Lucy. One day, he came home with one of those kindergarten drawings with a little girl and diamonds and presented it to his father. John asked him what the drawing was, and Julian replies, “It’s Lucy and the sky with diamonds.” Thus, the song. You can take some core facts, and given those facts, you can make some assumptions, correlations, and logical guesses. But at the end, assumptions, correlations and logical guesses don’t get you anywhere but a certain probability of correctness. With John Lennon and the Beatles song, you have Lucy…
David Zinger 3 Words Follow-up

systematicHR

2 Feb 2010 | 1:00 am

3 Words Follow-up to yesterday’s post written by David Zinger. I am so pleased you took so much away from 3 little words. It makes me feel stronger than the 3 little pigs and I know some wolf can blow my 3 word structure down. The words are all important to me and my work. I thought about the words quite a bit and waited until I found 3 that “fit.” When I looked at those three, they expressed me. Authentic: I can only be who I am. I am getting to be more of who I am. I work at ensuring that I voice my authentic perspective as opposed to what I think someone might want to…
Branding and the 3-word Theme

systematicHR

1 Feb 2010 | 1:00 am

I was checking out David Zinger’s twitter page and noticed his 2009 3-word theme. They are “Authentic, Connections, Engage.” A part of me wants a 5 page manifesto on his choice of these words and why they are important to him this year. (he probably wrote a blog post on this, but I missed it). I got to thinking about the very topic that he is an expert on, employee engagement and all its relationships with deploying brand to the employee audience. I’ve done many branding exercises but perhaps this is the right way to address it. Certainly when trying to brand and engage, we…
Survey Design 101 – Part 2: Which questions should I keep or drop?

sjeong

28 Jan 2010 | 1:00 am

Guest Author: Stephen B. Jeong, Ph.D. In Part 1 of Survey Design 101, we discussed two broad topics related to survey design – choosing the right topics and creating quality questions. Survey design (or questionnaire development), however, is not complete until you can show that all or most of the redundant questions have been filtered out from the final set. Moreover, this “redundancy” is often only visible through statistical analysis (i.e., factor analysis, discussed below) conducted after the data have been collected. In other words, the initial draft of survey questions…

Gautam Ghosh on Human Resources
Photos from the Indian Marketing Summit

Gautam Ghosh

31 Jan 2010 | 6:19 am

I had earlier posted on my presentation on Social Media for Small And Medium Businesses that I made at the Indian Marketing Summit on 23rd January. Here are some pics from the Summit. If you'd like me or someone else from 2020 Social to come and address your firm/conference on how building Online Communities (of customers, partners, employees) can help your business, just email me. Connect on Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook | HR Community | At 2020 Social, I help clients connect their customers, partners and employees. Ask us how we can help your firm
Changing the Business Game

Gautam Ghosh

27 Jan 2010 | 11:51 pm

Nilofer Merchant asks: Can we Change the Game of Business? She suggests we all need to change to change the way business is conducted. She suggests: Stop wanting praise. Stop focusing on Titles, Shmitles. Remember, be good humans. Shooting the conflict avoiders. Discussing/Owning Failure. Killing Power-games. As much as I agree and identify with Nilofer in her mission to change business into collaborative and open discussions, there are other things that need to change apart from just people and their behavior. People are the most difficult to change - if they don't see how they and the…
Small Businesses, Social Media and the Internet

Gautam Ghosh

26 Jan 2010 | 7:57 pm

I got quoted in the SME Times article on how social media can help small businesses. Building social platforms around a social object (lifestyle, cause or passion) might not be scalable for all SMEs - this step can be done by a third party - a facebook for SMEs somebody - to connect not around the products but around users. Here's part of the article: Another prominent speaker on the occassion, Gautam Ghosh, Consultant of 2020 Social Media, said, "Internet can act as a leverager for users who are already using the Internet. If a person is not on the Internet it really can't help much." When…
Connectedness and Transparency

Gautam Ghosh

25 Jan 2010 | 2:51 am

Building open organizations that embrace radical transparency is not easy. It is resisted by the powers that are. Whenever people want to open up anything that was guarded and secret - there are always people who are threatened. These can be the Supreme Court in India (which is saying that the Right to Information does not apply to it) or the big-wig editors in the Media (who question the right of bloggers to question them). However, there have been organizations even before the age of social media who have implemented radically transparent systems like shown in the book Maverick by Ricardo…
Managing People - The toughest job?

Gautam Ghosh

24 Jan 2010 | 10:29 am

Is managing people the toughest job in the world? Some people might disagree - saying things like managing finances is tough. Or managing disasters is tougher. Or something else. Here are my reasons why I think managing people is tough (if not the toughest job in the world!) People (you bosses and your subordinates!) expect you to be a mindreader and understand what they want Whenever you take a decision for your team there are sure to be at least some people who are unhappy about it When people have to give good news they'll do that directly - but when it's bad news its you who have to…

The Simplest Thing That Works
A New World

Erika Andersen

8 Feb 2010 | 2:43 pm

I was working with a client group today, and the sales guy said, "It feels post-recession to me now. People are starting to relax and decide again."And I thought - Yes, it feels that way to me, too: post-recession. But like a lot of other "post" things (post-surgical, post-war, post-partum), just because something is over, doesn't mean it's back to the way it was before.Even though the numbers seem to be going in the right direction (slight drop in unemployment, growth in the GDP for 4th quarter), and people do seem to be "relaxing and deciding…
Love All

Erika Andersen

30 Jan 2010 | 10:10 pm

In tennis, and business, avoiding unforced errors is key - The Globe and Mail.I really like this blog post, by a guy named Harvey Schachter. He's quoting a writer named Jeffrey Krames, who's written a book called Unforced Error.The tennis metaphor is great - I'm a sucker for a good metaphor - but more important, Krames says some true and simple things about what managers and leaders need to avoid in order to be successful.The basic premise is that in tennis, the player with the fewest number of unforced errors - mistakes that are totally that player's responsibility, vs.
Yummy - and Congratulations

Erika Andersen

21 Jan 2010 | 9:34 pm

How Panera Bread Defies the Recession - TIME.This article made me happy for two reasons. First, I really enjoy eating at Panera. Good, reasonably healthy food, well-prepared and served quickly by almost invariably pleasant people. (I'm an especially big fan of the black bean soup.)Second, I'm pleased to read that they've succeeded during the recession by doing pretty much exactly what we've been encouraging our clients (and ourselves) to do for the past 18 months: Don't panic. Get clear about what you do that's most valuable to your customers, and do it…
Self-reflection

Erika Andersen

12 Jan 2010 | 9:56 am

A 2010 Personal Leadership Checklist : The World :: American Express OPEN Forum.I've never been much of a fan of New Year's resolutions - they seem all too often pro forma and doomed to failure. But I am a big fan, as you know of reflecting deeply and accurately on your current state and then envisioning the future you want to create for yourself, given where you are now.Here's a great blog post about how to do that regarding your future. The author, Matthew E. May, starts by encouraging readers to ask the question "Am I making the most of what I have to offer the…
The Crystal Ball

Erika Andersen

7 Jan 2010 | 6:45 am

I have a feeling this is going to be a good year. Now, that might be simply because I'm (as someone who reviewed one of my books once said) a "relentless optimist." But it might also be true.I suspect that the economic upheavals over the past 18 months could actually provide - are actually providing - all kinds of impetus for new growth, fresh thinking, alternative pathways to success. It's like a forest fire. It's a scary, awful thing when it's happening: animals die, people lose their homes. In fact, though, forest fires are necessary - beneficial in…

HR Maven
So how do I reach you?

8 Feb 2010 | 6:40 pm

It happened again today. We are hiring, three nice positions are open right now. We sent out notifications to applicants who indicated a preference to receive updates announcing openings. And what do we get? Email bounces. Lots and lots of email bounces. I don't want to see these notices that don't get to you. And we don't have the people resources to contact each one of you and ask you to update your contact info. So I have a few ideas that should help. At least this one dilemma. So some really basic ideas of staying organized…
Reclaim your brain

1 Feb 2010 | 3:24 pm

It was as if someone read what was left in my brain when they sent the announcement via snail mail. Reclaim Your Brain, the flyer read. Oh if they only knew how relevant those words were to me! For the last several months, I was not sure which way to turn on professional development. I am content with my level of education, happy with the SPHR certification and love what I do. I can always do more as it's in my nature to push and explore. I thought that my brain was atrophying. I tumbled around thoughts about more education and certifications, night…
Celebrate! One year of JobAngels

28 Jan 2010 | 5:37 pm
Job descriptions

23 Jan 2010 | 5:18 am

This is odd, coming from the likes of me. I don't like job descriptions. I never have. If I could rewrite my job description, it would simply say, "get the work done." Period. But I have to know what work I need to get done, so job descriptions have an initial value, plus the keep us in HR in business. It isn't exciting or sexy, it's administrative. And I am always looking for ways to alleviate high administrative work. That's why I love the DOL and all their free resources. :) I recently helped a small company revamp job descriptions.
Just the custodian

8 Jan 2010 | 4:57 pm

I heard it again this evening. NPR was interviewing someone who had difficulty finding a job. It's tough out there. We know this, it isn't new. But what I heard jarred my thoughts. The woman being interviewed mentioned her husband, who with all kinds of education, "can't even get a custodial job." I have heard this before too. People who have held other, in their eyes -more prestigious positions, lamenting the fact that they can't even, even get a custodial job. So let me tell you about the custodians where I work. We have a number of enormous buildings - a campus with hundreds of thousands…

Thoughts from Training Time
The blurry facts about sexual harassment training

2 Feb 2010 | 11:45 am

I guess it all depends where you look. One study says sexual harassment in the workplace is down. Another one says it's up. And then there are the stats on who exactly is being harassed. Used to be assumed that it was all women. Then gay, lesbian and transgendered employees moved up on the list. Now straight men are filing an increasing number of sexual harassment complaints, usually aimed at their female bosses. As if all of this wasn't confusing enough, there are questions about what to do to stop, or at least reduce sexual harassment at work. Heck, most of us can't even agree on what is…
Management needs training too!

28 Jan 2010 | 7:00 am

There is no nice way to put this...Lots of managers are terrible at being managers. Some are manipulative, some are glory-hogs taking credit for staff accomplishments, some hide behind rules instead of taking the lead, some are know-it-all's, and some are control freaks who micromanage employees to death. If you're in the HR department, you know I'm telling the truth. You see it, hear about, and all too often, try to clean up the messes bad management leaves behind. So what is HR doing about it? Are you training your managers? Odds are, the answer is no. Somewhere, somehow, we got the idea…
The very un-glamourous training hardworking employees need

25 Jan 2010 | 10:49 am

There was a time, not too long ago, when employees who worked in hazardous areas or at hazardous job had to supply their own Personal Protective Equipment, also known as PPE. I guess that seemed like a good policy at the time. It saved the company money, because the cost came out of the employees pocket. And in theory, since the employee was protecting themselves, they would be extra careful and make sure all the bases (or the fingers or whatever) were covered. In theory. But in reality? Let's take the case of Pat. A good name that could apply to a woman or a man, so no one will be…
Getting training out of the box, Part 3 --- Finally!

18 Jan 2010 | 5:38 am

Okay, okay, so it wasn't the next day. But hey, it was New Year's Eve. And if you're like most of us here, that first week back after the winter holiday madness was, well, more madness! But now we're a week into 2010 and it's time to get back on track. So where was I? Oh yes, your objections to opening the box on training. Number 1It costs too much. This one had the most hands waving in the air, I'm sure. Budgets are tight. Got it. But how many people at your company are now expected to pick up the slack for those who have left -- or were let go? When you eliminate a position or leave one…
In case you needed some more reasons

14 Jan 2010 | 9:27 am

Okay, I promise, this is the last post (for awhile!) on why you have to, must, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY need to train your employees! I was on Facebook, and came across a post from Milton Corsey, linking to a truly awesome article by Bill Bartmann over at Entrepreneur. Bill listed the six myths about training employees (including the all-time fave "It costs too much" that I just dealt with in my last three posts. If my rants and tantrums haven't convinced you that training is a non-negotiable MUST for the very top of your professional to-do list, check out his 6 points, then let me know what…

Jason Seiden
This is BS: The Criminalization of Failure

Jason Seiden

9 Feb 2010 | 3:19 am

Imagine a world in which learning were criminalized. Where zero-tolerance policies were used to punish students for honest mistakes. Where doing your best with the information you have and the latest in modern technology were not enough to protect you from liability. Where simply anticipating the impact of macro-economic shifts on your company could result in a groundswell of distrust and populist angst, while not anticipating them could get you subpoenaed to testify before Congress. Where doing something right but unpopular—ie, trusting others to see beyond the tips of their noses—can…
Do It Right the First Time, My Foot!

Jason Seiden

8 Feb 2010 | 3:19 am

Last weekend, my daughter sat down at the kitchen table and tried to write out the lyrics to one of her favorite songs. It was her first time trying to transcribe lyrics, she struggled, and got so frustrated that she wasn’t “doing it right the first time” that she started to cry. She’s five. She got through an entire page’s worth of the song before losing track of things in her head and giving up. Most of her spelling was right, too. It was great. She should have been celebrating, but she was mad at herself. See, she wasn’t done it right the first time. So,…
Real Life Fail: Generational Stereotypes & Power

Jason Seiden

5 Feb 2010 | 3:19 am

Yea! It’s 2010! You know what that means? It means nobody’s infatuated with generational differences anymore, so we can actually get to the heart of the matter of what’s happening inside organizations. Just kidding! Who wants to learn anything?! We love our oversimplified stereotypes! Please, reduce all my organizational problems down to a few simple charts and astrology-style solutions! But wait, maybe we can oversimplify things even further? Yes, I’m sure we can… Here, I’ll go first: (Ahem) I believe all generational differences can be reduced down to a…
Practical Inspiration: Lessons from Dad

Jason Seiden

4 Feb 2010 | 3:19 am

I got very, very lucky in the dad department. I’ve always enjoyed his company. Still do. In honor of the man who gave me my start and continues to guide me to this day, here are some of the things I’ve learned from him—life lessons he’s taught me either directly through conversation, or indirectly through his actions. Life isn’t fair. When trusted with other people’s secrets, keep them. Always be doing something. Know your house, and how to fix it. Know your car, and how to park it. When driving, always leave yourself an “out” should one of the cars…
Tips & Tricks: Develop Your Conversational Awareness (4 of 5)

Jason Seiden

3 Feb 2010 | 3:19 am

How do some people always seem to know how to take control of a conversation? The answer is so obvious, it may surprise you: by going beyond what people say and paying attention to how they say it. For instance, below are two common behaviors you might see in a conversation, including an overview of the impact of each, and what you should do that would be better. (For the rest of this series, see the links at the bottom of the page.) #7 WHAT YOU SEE A coworker waits so long to deliver important news that you hear it from others first. Then the person delivers her news as if she expects it…

Polly Pearson's Blog
Valentines Day Gifts for the Passionate, Tough, and Stylish Leader in your Life!

polly pearson

2 Feb 2010 | 3:29 pm

Photo: London Wasp Rugby, Sponsored by EMC. Player in EMC- and Wasp-branded Canterbury Shirt.VALENTINES DAY GIFTS! For those in the extended EMC community wanting to give a loved one some cool branded material, check out the Wasp site. Lots of wearables that would amp the hottness of your hottie.My husband has two Rugby shirts made by Canterbury (the maker of these Wasp shirts), and my fashionable 14 year old daughter wears one constantly as well. They ooze with cool you can't easily find in the US. Even guys comment each time my husband wears one -- ("Hey, where did you get…
10 FREE RESOURCES for your Journey with Social Media in the Enterprise and Employee Engagement

polly pearson

22 Jan 2010 | 2:48 pm

My friend Allan Steinmetz of Inward Strategic Consulting and I just finished a Webcast featuring EMC's story on building an employment brand and engaging employees by leveraging web 2.0 and social media behaviors /tools. I discussed how the body of work started, our strategic approach, how the brand was built out across multiple mediums and social properties, and how along the way organic brand ambassadors emerged and started making real magic happen.This topic always draws a large audience and today was no exception. For those who want to start the social media/Web 2.0 behavior and…
The White House and EMC -- Cool Brand Affinity

polly pearson

22 Jan 2010 | 8:32 am

The White House Likes Us! The White House Likes Us! When I was the PR manager at EMC (long ago), we liked to find customers who were happy about our products and willing to be featured in News Releases. To my knowledge, 99 out of 100 times, it was us, rather than the customer, who would be issuing the new release and discussing how EMC's technology benefited their operation or business.* So it was with delight when I opened my news feed on EMC this morning to see the headline generated by The White House declaring that they were using EMC technology -- and had been using it ever…
How Significant is Social Media for Job Search?

polly pearson

21 Jan 2010 | 4:26 pm

This week DICE.com came to visit me for a video interview on job search for technical talent in today's market. A big take away for the interviewer was that job seekers needed to break out of comfort zones and "get out there; be found on the Internet." Recruiters operate on-line today. If they can't find you on-line, you are at a competitive disadvantage. And the disadvantage is GROWING by the day.Check out this just-issued chart by JCSI. They state that more than 50% of recruiters will use social media to find candidates, get referrals and post open positions in…
Quite Nice Today ...

polly pearson

20 Jan 2010 | 6:40 am

About yesterday's post with the awful snow photos ... thought I'd make up for that today with some nice shots of my backyard in Westborough, MA this morning. It was actually stunningly gorgeous when I drove my daughter to her friend's house at 6:50am. There were people out walking dogs and jogging -- the sky was bright and the air was crisp.When I got home from work last night, I was delighted to hear my kids had spent the afternoon out sledding. My two little ones had so much fun, they kept playing sweetly when they got in-doors ... including rehearsing for a musical that…

Inflexion Point
Social Media Detox

mark.stelzner

2 Feb 2010 | 6:08 pm

Like most detox programs, this one was not initially my choice. No, I was not dragged away from my laptop by white-clad brutes who strong armed me into a secure but nondescript van. Nor was I happily driven out to the country, realizing (only too late) that this wasn’t the park or the zoo, but instead a hospital with barred windows and no wifi. There was no intervention. Tears were not shed. It was much simpler and in many ways symbolic of why this issue is so important. My family needed me. I had to be present both physically and mentally. Everything else could wait. Although I am a…
7 Life Lessons From Moving

mark.stelzner

27 Jan 2010 | 5:42 pm

Moving is often cited as one of the most stressful events you’ll face (just behind death and divorce). It can be messy, is often driven by the actions of only one family member and is a very costly endeavor. Having just completed the fifteenth (and longest) move of my adult life, I decided to take a markedly different approach. These are the lessons I learned along the way. Lesson 1: Pick A Destination This takes time, focus and a willingness to look at the realities of your situation through untainted glasses. Make lists. Do research. Talk with those who have already…
On Life, Death and Work

mark.stelzner

5 Jan 2010 | 3:19 pm

Rose Kovach’s journey was difficult from the start. She was born in 1916 to immigrant parents who settled in a suburb of Milwaukee. Her childhood was tumultuous. At the age of 14, Rose was forced to testify that her mother’s murder of her father was in self-defense. Rose knew otherwise. Rose never really had an easy life. She went on to marry a gregarious man named Tony. In the midst of World War II, Tony got into an argument with Rose and whimsically joined the Marines. This was not their first argument as Tony abused Rose both physically and emotionally. Left alone to care for…
An HR New Year’s Resolution

mark.stelzner

29 Dec 2009 | 11:29 am

It’s that time of year when we reflect on the past and revise our goals for the future. For many, January 1st represents an opportunity to break free of many of the challenges in our personal and professional lives. After perusing a number of articles describing the most successful techniques for sticking to your newfound goals, one element stood out above all the rest - pick just one resolution. With that level of focus, here is my 2010 HR New Year’s Resolution… Listen More/Talk Less Now don’t accuse me of cheating by squeezing two resolutions into one. I could have…
My HR Christmas List

mark.stelzner

23 Dec 2009 | 8:18 am

Although I’m a cynic at times, I try to find irony and humor in a lot these days and it doesn’t take much to make me smile. If you’ve met me (and many of you have), I probably drink more than you’d expect, stay up later than I should and am a huge fan of self-deprecating humor and stories. In other words, I try not to take myself too seriously. So when others take me seriously I have a hard time reconciling their theory with my own reality. As an example, I was recently named as numero uno among the Top 25 HR Digital Influencers of 2009. This list was compiled by John…

The Talent Buzz
Avature for Recruiting

Jason

9 Feb 2010 | 7:40 am

When responding to an open job req, how many Recruiters have ever said to a hiring leader: “Let me develop a sourcing strategy” or “Let’s see what comes in after we post it”? How about changing that with this response: “Here’s what we have in our portfolio of talent” and/or “Here’s who [...]
The Twitter DM Deleter - Twedemption

Jason

9 Feb 2010 | 5:10 am

Blast applications announced today the official launch of Twedemption, a new “mass delete” direct message service for twitter. For Recruiters and other twitter users that frequently communicate with their followers, Twedemption allows users to mass-delete direct messages. For a a one-time fee of $5.99, you can safely and securely delete multiple or all DMs from your [...]
LinkedIn Moves On Campus

Jason

7 Feb 2010 | 9:06 pm

As LinkedIn gets closer to its’ 7th Anniversary this May, the professional networking site is picking up steam on College and University Campuses world-wide. The site surpassed 55 million users in December, 2009. Their members span all 7 continents and 200 countries are represented. A new member joins every second. So what’s next for the professional [...]
2010 Superbowl Ad Winner: CareerBuilder vs. Monster.com?

Jason

7 Feb 2010 | 8:06 pm

With air time estimated between $2.5 and $3 million, both job boards are looking to gain traffic and exposure during high unemployment times. In our poll last year, CareerBuilder won the superbowl ad contest big time with 71% of the vote. After announcing the acquisition of Yahoo! HotJobs last week, the Monster.com beavers hope to take [...]
Monster acquires HotJobs

Jason

4 Feb 2010 | 1:30 pm

With Monster.com controlling 1/3 of online job postings, they announced their eating one of two main competitors, HotJobs. The deal is expected to close the 3rd quarter of this year. Monster also plans on doubling the number of newspapers that it works with to about 1,000 for online job postings and advertising. Background: Yahoo acquired HotJobs in 2002 [...]

LeapComp - Sales Performance Management Blog
Super Bowl, Oscars and Olympics

Julien Dionne

8 Feb 2010 | 7:16 am

I was a bit puzzled regarding the reasons why my blog has seen a significant increase in traffic over the past few days. Upon reviewing the keywords used by my readers to find LeapComp, I realized that there were 3 old posts in particular that were getting a lot of attention. Super Bowl XLIV: I wrote my first Super Bowl post last year with an analysis of how much football players participating to the Super Bowl received in bonus ever since the first Super Bowl. With yesterday’s great performance of the New Orleans Saints against the Indianapolis Colds, many people are intrigued by the…
The Power of Trust

Julien Dionne

4 Feb 2010 | 7:12 am

This summer I was sitting on a dive boat off the coast of Cozumel chatting with the dive master and about to dive Palancar caves when two distinct thoughts occurred to me. First, I trust this dive master. He is an expert in his craft, and I know he has successfully and safely led people on this dive before and second, I’m fairly certain I could lead people on this dive myself. What led to that point where I felt like I was self-sufficient enough to a lead a deep dive that requires somewhat complex navigation? One that can have unpredictable currents and no signs or markers on the surface to…
Percentage of reps making quota in 2009 dropped to 51.8% from 58.8% in 2008

Julien Dionne

3 Feb 2010 | 1:24 pm

Yesterday, CSO Insights released a summary of the results of their 16th annual Sales Performance Optimization study. The survey of 2,800 companies revealed that the number of reps making quota in 2009 dropped to 51.8% from 58.8% in 2008. This caused plan attainment to drop to 77.9% from 85.9%… And this is after 86% of the firms surveyed increased quotas for 2009. This year, 85% of the firms surveyed have raised their sales rep quotas again. Without seeing the entire survey, it’s hard to come up with good conclusions, but this seems to indicate that many companies failed to adjust…
Influence Insiders’ Book Club Edition - Tune In Today

Julien Dionne

2 Feb 2010 | 9:28 pm

For February, Influence Insiders are going to have a good old fashioned book club. Tune in to hear from our group on the books that influenced the way we influence. I’m sure with our group the selections will be diverse and interesting. Tune in today (Wednesday at noon EST) by following this link , or dial in: (646) 381-4430. I will talk about two books that I read recently: Talk Less, Say More by Connie Dieken and Covert Persuasion by Kevin Hogan and James Speakman.
Insurance ICM Industry Market Overview

Julien Dionne

1 Feb 2010 | 7:52 pm

Gartner released a market overview specific to the insurance incentive compensation industry. For those who haven’t seen it or don’t have access to it, here is a summary of what I found to be the most interesting facts: There are 9 main ICM vendors in the life, property and casuality (P&C), and health insurance industry: ActekSoft, Callidus Software, CSC, CSSI, MajescoMastek, SAP, SunGard, Synygy and Versata. 2009 saw 30 new ICM insurance deals, 27 of which were in North America. Callidus Software closed 10 of these deals, while CSSI closed 7 and ActekSoft closed 5. (Callidus acquired…

UndercoverLawyer
Steps Toward Workplace Civility Law & Could You Qualify for Disability Benefits?

UndercoverLawyer

25 Jan 2010 | 3:17 am

We also have a highly informative interview with Brian Therrien of Disability Digest about qualifying for disability benefits, and the differences between short term, long term, and social security disability. I learned a lot just from interviewing Brian, and I know you'll find this to be one of our most informative interviews yet. Related posts:Do You Know the 4 Key Steps to Taking Back Your Life from a Bully? Hostile Workplace Podcast #5: “I Don’t Know What FMLA Is, But I’m Sure YOU Don’t Qualify For It” When Your Bully Boss is Behind Closed Doors, Do You Want…
Is This Retaliation or Discrimination? Q & A with Derek D.

UndercoverLawyer

18 Jan 2010 | 2:29 pm

When Derek's boss harassed him into a near stress attack, Derek went out on 8 weeks of FMLA leave. The company demanded he come back to work, and then began retaliating against him by playing doctor, ignoring the release to work by two other doctors. Since Derek is learning his employee rights, he now has the upper hand. Related posts:Three Female Employees Win $485,000 For Retaliation & Sex Harassment from Fred Meyer Stores Can Your Abusive Boss’s Unattainable Goals for You Actually be Discrimination Against You? Bully Boss Survivor Marilyn Veincentotzs and the new Undercover H.R.
Academy Open! Free Copies of Printed Book Going Fast

UndercoverLawyer

12 Jan 2010 | 12:03 pm

The Undercover Lawyer's Employment Law Academy has opened with a very special offer for a free copy of his $197 printed book for Fighting Back Against a Bully Boss. Only for the first 500 to enroll. Related posts:To Your Resounding Success in 2010 Employment Law Academy Logo When Your Bully Boss is Behind Closed Doors, Do You Want to Know What the Lawyers Are Telling Him?
To Your Resounding Success in 2010

UndercoverLawyer

8 Jan 2010 | 10:55 am

After receiving a huge response to the following email, I decided to share it with everyone here on the site as well. A sneak peak into the new Employment Law Academy is at the bottom of the post. People have told me that there are more urgent problems in the world that workplace abuse, bullying [...] Related posts:Steps Toward Workplace Civility Law & Could You Qualify for Disability Benefits? Academy Open! Free Copies of Printed Book Going Fast When Your Bully Boss is Behind Closed Doors, Do You Want to Know What the Lawyers Are Telling Him?
Episode #13: How to Never Give Up and Never Be Alone. An Interview with Our Forum Den Mother, Lulu

UndercoverLawyer

15 Dec 2009 | 8:47 pm

Learn from experienced Bully Boss Fighter, Lulu, about how she has gone through hell at work but not given up, but instead gives back. Related posts:Bully Boss Survivor Marilyn Veincentotzs and the new Undercover H.R. Director (OnYourSide!) When Your Bully Boss is Behind Closed Doors, Do You Want to Know What the Lawyers Are Telling Him? Do You Know the 4 Key Steps to Taking Back Your Life from a Bully?

Maximize Possibility Blog
Startups and Culture-Shaping

"The Rainmaker"

9 Feb 2010 | 4:37 am

I see it often... Employee team members who should have been let go a long time ago but because they paid their dues early in the history of the company - they get to stay and drain the lifeblood from the company in terms of cash and employee morale. The "golden children" are easily recognized. They do not perform at the same levels of new employees and everyone knows it. Unfortunately, this "story" is more common than everyone may think and it is not just a "story" of the private sector. All companies have powerful stories of sacrifice and determination...
The Rainmaker 'Fab Five' Blog Picks of the Week

"The Rainmaker"

8 Feb 2010 | 3:53 pm

I like to start every week by pointing you to my choices for the top five talent management, leadership development, and human resource management blog posts from the past week. Below are my top five picks for the week of February 1st - February 7th. Steve Roesler, All Things Workplace: How to Get Your Good Ideas Heard Michelle Malay Carter, Mission Minded Management: How To Interview Your Prospective Boss for Leadership Potential Micheal McKinney, Leadership Now Leading Blog: Leadership Book for February 2010 Derek Irvine, Globoforce: How Loyal Are Your High Performers? Tim Nolan, Fistful of…
Possibility Maximizer: Jim Jacobus' "Man-Up" 2010 Challenge

"The Rainmaker"

5 Feb 2010 | 6:27 am

Happy Friday! I've got a great resource for you today to help Maximize Possibility in your organization and your personal life. Enjoy! The Resource:Jim Jacobus' "Man-Up" 2010 Challenge What it is: One Urban Dictionary entry for "man-up" defines the term as "being an adult male in the truest sense of manhood". That is what Jim's "man-up" challenge is all about - discovering what it means to be an adult male who exemplifies all the qualities of true manhood. To clarify, Jim is not talking about how to be a man in the primordial sense of the term (think…
The Rainmaker 'Fab Five' Blog Picks of the Week

"The Rainmaker"

1 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

I like to start every week off by pointing you to my choices for the top five talent management, leadership development, and human resource management blog posts from the past week. Below are my top five picks for the week of January 25th - 31st, 2010 . Enjoy! Chris Ferdinandi, Renegade HR: Renegade HR: Getting Started - Chiris shares his manifesto for Renegade HR - "Recruit great people, and help them do amazing things that drive your business " - and goes on to explain how you can start practicing Renegade HR in your organization today. Michelle Malay Carter, Mission...
Possibility Maximizer: SHRM on Facebook

"The Rainmaker"

29 Jan 2010 | 6:25 am

Every week I like to highlight a resource that I feel will add value to your life at work and improve your professional effectiveness. This week I'd like to shine the spotlight on a great networking and social media resource. The Resource: The Society For Human Resources' Facebook Page What it is: If you are not familiar with a Facebook Fan Page, it is a place on Facebook where fans of an organization, club, group, or other entity can come together to interact with that organization and other individuals who are also fans. Why You Should Be a Fan: Facebook...

Profitability Through Human Capital
What is the #1 HR Metric to Report to Your CEO?

8 Feb 2010 | 1:39 pm

I ran across a very interesting blog from Halogen Software regarding Hot Button HR issues for 2010. I liked the 10 questions they posed to the HR subject matter experts in the HR Raging Debates Forum. What I found the most interesting is that Halogen conducted a poll with HR professionals and one of the questions asked was, regarding the #1 metric HR reported to their CEOs. Here are the responses according to Halogen:1) ROI on talent management - 35%2) Employee engagement - 24%3) Retention - 17%4) There isn’t one - 24%I found this list pretty incredible, although I do not know the…
Can You Train Your Employees to Solve Problems?

1 Feb 2010 | 7:16 am

Over the last week I have had some very interesting interactions in the B2B environment involving our company. It is a New Year and part of our company's strategy is to be BOLD. (See Barbara A. Hughes, Intellectual Capital Consulting's Co-Founder, first blog on the subject). So, we really are taking some of our own advice...imagine that.So, with BOLDNESS in mind we decide to :1) Buy email marketing lists2) Buy new laptops3) Buy a license for salesforce/email automationWe made all 3 purchases in one week. (is that BOLD or just CRAZY?)So, I would like to contrast the customer experiences to see…
Change, Change Change....Change is Brewing!

25 Jan 2010 | 6:08 am

Since the New Year began, we have visited several of our clients. The one thing they all have in common is a MAJOR change:1) One company is dramatically changing their strategy2) Another company is going through a transformation, executing strategy that necessitates a change in culture, systems, and structure.3) Another company is going through a top leadership change.4) Another company is executing on an existing growth strategy.5) Another company is creating a growth strategy for their highly niched businessWOW, and all of that is taking place in an environment that has changed and…
What is Your Company's "It's My Pleasure?"

18 Jan 2010 | 3:56 pm

Over the last week I had the opportunity to present to the SHRM-Atlanta new Perimeter GEM. It was a great experience. The topic was "Leading Companies the Engaged Way." Lots of good discussion was sparked with attendees. We began discussing the 5 enablers that drive business outcomes: Strategy, Leadership, Culture, Employees and Customers and how important it is for all areas being aligned to the same mission/vision such as a service focus. We began discussing service cultures where you can FEEL the empathy and the deliberateness in which employees serve…
Is Engagement SO Last Year?

11 Jan 2010 | 12:02 pm

My inbox is full of information about employee engagement. I have several interesting conversations over the last week regarding employee engagement and what that means post the Great Recession.Saturday, I had a great lunch with some really smart, savvy HR professionals. We discussed how we all felt the new model of how we work is going to be much different. We believe the recovery from our recession will have employers being very careful about their hiring of "permanent" workers. With healthcare costs rising, and futures uncertain many companies are adding staff back through contract (1099)…

hr bartender
Failure Is Nothing Personal

hr bartender

9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

Normally I sleep like a rock. But recently I haven’t been sleeping well. One night, while I was surfing the infomercials to cure my insomnia, I stumbled across a commercial from a drug company about losing weight or smoking cessation (something like that.) It was one of those “make a better you for the new year” products. But the commercial started out like this: If your efforts haven’t worked so far remember this – it’s not that you’ve failed, it’s just your method has. Do people really understand this difference? Reminds me of the Thomas Edison quote, “I have not…
The Party Is Just Starting . . .

hr bartender

8 Feb 2010 | 8:55 am

. . . for the people of New Orleans that is. Congrats to the “Who Dat” Nation for a great game yesterday. The Saints truly brought their A-Game and it was a real victory for the fans. I have to say I enjoyed most of the commercials this year. My fave is the McDonald’s commercial with LeBron James and Dwight Howard. Even if it is a redux. If you haven’t gotten the SuperBowl completely out of your system, be sure to go visit last week’s HR Carnival – SuperBowl Edition hosted by Steve Boese’s HR Technology blog. Always good reading and Steve presented the posts in an…
What I Learned About Business Playing Fantasy Football

hr bartender

4 Feb 2010 | 2:00 am

I’m a big football fan. My father taught me the rules of the game when I was a teenager. He said that knowing football was a great way to meet guys. (Thanks Dad!) Over time, I’ve resisted the Fantasy Football craze but this year, I got sucked into signed up and played. I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but surprisingly I did. Not just because I like football and I’m extremely competitive, but Sundays became this ritual – Mr. Bartender and I would make something in the slow cooker and spend the afternoon watching football. It was relaxing, fun and we were spending time…
Healthy Competition

hr bartender

2 Feb 2010 | 1:00 am

Admittedly, I’m a very competitive person. My father was extremely competitive and I learned it from him. But over the years, I’ve tried to direct my competitive nature as appropriate. Here’s an example: I’m the owner of a small human resources consulting firm. There are other owners of small HR consulting firms that offer the same services. When bidding on business, some days I’m selected for the assignment. Other days, another firm is selected. And, some days I partner with another firm to work on a project. That’s because our combined talents are what’s…
More Sun For Your Money

hr bartender

31 Jan 2010 | 6:38 am

It appears my compadres to the north are getting a nasty snow storm this weekend. Hang in there. I’m sure Spring can’t arrive a day too soon for ya. And I can guess that because I’ve been there. I remember living in the snow belt prior to the invention of the Snuggie. The gray skies and arctic winds. Fortunately for me, I was working in hospitality at the time and was able to remain sane (and warm) by enjoying a brief tropical getaway. Don’t feel you have to just sit at home, shivering in front of the fire. Take a long weekend to someplace warm. It doesn’t have to be…

Powerdyme
Haiti: If you want to help, here's how.

5 Feb 2010 | 9:08 pm

Since I've returned, a lot of folks have asked me how they can help. If you text the word "HOPE" to 25383 it will send $10 to the folks at Medical Teams International (you can do it more than once if you like). If you would like to donate a larger amount, please visit their site at www.medicalteams.org. Thank you to all of you that have supported the work in Haiti. My biggest fear is that we will move on and forget. There is such a tremendousRead More...
Hypnotizing Haitian Chickens

3 Feb 2010 | 7:57 pm

During my senior year at Washington State University I did research on chickens at the Veterinary school. You know, it was just one of those things. In the process of it, I learned how to hypnotize (mesmorize) chickens. It really is something that everyone should know how to do. After all, you never know when it might come in handy. At WSU we did iRead More...
Haiti Update: Great News! You are going to love this!

2 Feb 2010 | 6:49 am

(Photo: Pastor Devariste's wife in route to Miami aboard a donated Learjet about 2 weeks ago.)I was able to speak to Pastor Devariste in Miami and he told me that his wife is doing well. Not only is she going to live but it looks like she is going to be able to keep her vary own foot as well. Please keep her in your prayers. She is having surgery this Wednesday.Not only that but...Phedeline, oRead More...
Jan 26 Haiti: Change Comes Suddenly

31 Jan 2010 | 9:41 pm

For nearly the past two weeks I've been working as hard as I know how to get King's Hospital up and running with two functioning ORs that could simultaneously do surgery on three patients. We met that goal about 48 hours after we started it. After reaching that goal, we then began to focus our attention on the tent Read More...
January 25th Haiti: Real Life Teamwork Saving Lives

31 Jan 2010 | 7:51 pm

We are still seeing a lot of wounded people that have not yet been evaluated by anyone. Unbelievable!Today was an interesting one. Once again, for me it was a day of networking and coordination. We received word today that the anesthesia machine that we had been aRead More...

I2I - Incentive Intelligence
Leadership Training Everywhere - But Not a Drop to Drink

Paul Hebert

5 Feb 2010 | 6:34 am

142,000,000 - the number of listings on google when searching for leadership. 33,500,000 - the number of listings on google when searching for leadership training. 21,300,000 - the number of listings on google when searching for leadership training courses 13,100,000 - the number of listings on google when searching for leadership consulting firms 1,600,000 - the number of listings on google when searching for leadership consultants For context - searching pornography only returns 11,600,000 hits (that may be a function of the audience not being able to spell such a long word since "sex"…
What Do Mother Teresa and Joseph Stalin Have In Common? Influence Insiders Radio

Paul Hebert

4 Feb 2010 | 5:18 am

If you ever needed a reason to listen to Influence Insiders consider this... we used quotes from Joseph Stalin and Mother Teresa to reinforce the same point. Now that's different! Yesterday the group highlighted their choices on books that helped us influence people's behavior. We covered everything from Dale Carengie to the Heath brothers - an eclectic mix of ideas and points of view. To recap the books we discussed - and recommend: Ann Bares: Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World Julien Dionne: Talk Less, Say More: Three Habits to Influence Others and…
Motivation is a Game of Inches

Paul Hebert

2 Feb 2010 | 5:05 am

Vince Lombardi once said...."Football is a game of inches and inches make a champion."How many hail mary passes are thrown by championship teams each year (less than the number of runs or shorter slant passes)?How many grand slams are hit by the World Series Champion each year (less than the number of singles)?How many hole-in-ones does Mickelson have each year (less than the number of birdies)?In other words - champions don't consistently perform because of big plays.Motivation - or more accurately - incentive and reward programs - are the same. Designing a great program that helps you…
Best Laid Plans Of Mice and Influence Insiders

Paul Hebert

1 Feb 2010 | 6:06 am

Influence Insiders - our monthly group radio show is poised to jump onto your computer this Wednesday, February 3 at noon EST (not that I needed to remind you!) Our listenership is growing quickly - each espisode doing better than the last. Soon we hope to rival Seinfield as water cooler fodder. But, Houston - we have a problem this month I posted after the last show in January that one of our insiders - Heather Margolis had lined up author Jon Wortmann to discuss his book "Mastering Communication At Work." Unfortunately, schedules got disrupted and Jon and Heather won't be able…

About.com Human Resources
Communicate Tax Changes

6 Feb 2010 | 2:20 am

In recent weeks, several numbers have caught my attention because of their implication for both the economy and for employers. Without a lot of comment, I am providing links to the material from this blog post and tomorrow's blog post. I'd love to see these numbers spark some discussion on the site. I am especially concerned because of what they are telling us about the changing American economy for business. It feels a bit like under the cover of darkness, the IRS has quietly published new withholding charts for 2010. These employer required withholdings are best described to employees…
Job Interviews Help Assess "Fit"

4 Feb 2010 | 2:11 am

The job interview is a powerful factor in the employee selection process in most organizations. The job interview remains key to assessing the candidate's cultural fit. The job interview remains the tool you can use to get to know your candidate on a more personal basis. The job interview process helps other employees "own" the new employee who joins your organization. Don't base your hiring decisions completely on the job interview - some research indicates that a positive job interview only increases the likelihood of your hiring an excellent employee by 2%. So, consider other important…
Do They Know What You Want?

2 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

In an earlier. popular piece about what Human Resources staff do, I highlighted the overall components of major HR roles. Then, at your request, I developed individual job descriptions for key HR roles. Today's post features a sample Human Resources Generalist job description. One of my readers commented that it is so long, as is the sample Human Resources Director job description I wrote. Here's why. I try to provide comprehensive samples for your use in your own company. But, I also have lots of readers who sincerely wonder what HR Generalists or HR Directors actually do. Consequently, the…
Recruiting to Ensure Hiring Employees Successfully

30 Jan 2010 | 10:00 pm

If you've read this site for any time at all, you know that I am a big fan of identifying the characteristics, traits, skills, and experience necessary to perform the job before the hiring process begins. With this information identified, you can do a much better job of: posting the opening with the most important requirements; reviewing resumes for the appropriate skills, traits, and experience; developing the appropriate interview questions; and selecting your best candidate. With the short list of characteristics, traits, and experience, and a behavioral interview, you can zero right in on…
Make the Best Impression

29 Jan 2010 | 1:38 am

Leading meetings, speaking in public, standing up to a workplace bully, or sharing ideas with your boss are all positive career enhancers. Your ability to present yourself articulately in the workplace will massively affect how far your career will travel. Some studies of elementary classrooms indicate that young girls receive more positive attention from teachers. This is often linked to the earlier development of communication skills by girls than boys. So, too, in the workplace, the employees who are more willing to speak up - intelligently, of course - receive more attention from the…

Michael Specht - HR, Recruitment, Enterprise 2.0, Social Media, and technology
Building your technology business case

Michael Specht

31 Jan 2010 | 1:26 pm

One of the most important tasks of any project is building and maintaining your business case. Unfortunately the business case is so often a single document not covering full life cycle costs and produced to obtain funding approval and never looked at again! Bad! In fact your business case needs to document the full cost of the business change you are creating and be monitored for viability on a regular basis. A business case has many components and will usual vary by organisation and it’s own requirements. However in general a ”good” (I use the term to define the scope…
The Launch of Inspecht TV

Michael Specht

29 Jan 2010 | 9:45 pm

Over the years I have thought about creating a local HR or Recruiting focused podcast or video podcast, however each time I decide I really do not have the motivation to keep something like that up. Well today I launched Inspecht TV. So what changed? Several things did actually. Firstly Inspecht TV is not a regular show, it is not even a podcast, which satisfies my first requirement of not requiring a heap of work to get going. Secondly I have been playing with video over the last few months as part of the ATC Social Media event (Youtube videos as well) and with the Inspecht webinars. As…
Unique Video Usage

Michael Specht

19 Jan 2010 | 9:14 pm

If you have been following some of the other HR and Recruitment blogs in Australia there has been a bit of talk about using video, even I joined the discussions with a bit of a technology review. Today I want to highlight a fairly unique use of YouTube Video. (If you are in marketing circles you might have seen this already.) Ad agency BooneOakley moved their whole web site on to YouTube! Yes you heard it their whole web site onto YouTube.
Leaders are temporary

Michael Specht

17 Jan 2010 | 1:38 pm

A couple of years ago the Collab@Work blog wrote a very interesting article on how leadership in MMORPG’s, such as World of Warcraft is temporary. They provided reasons why in these MMORPG’s it makes sense to have temporary leaders: In those games, leadership is a temporary position. At one point in time, you’re leading, the week after you’re following another leader. Reasons vary: too much pressure, less availability, someone else better suited for the job at hand, … Unfortunately they highlighted that in traditional business leadership is virtually never temporary. Over…
Using Video within your HR Processes

Michael Specht

11 Jan 2010 | 3:58 pm

Yesterday afternoon I sat in to listen Bill Boorman’s Downunder Recruiting show where the discussion was on video, an interesting topic. I am very interested in video within a talent acquisition strategy as this has been a topic for many many years and I am glad to see people are starting to move away from the “Video Resume” as quite frankly that is probably the worse use case for video. Before we go too much further we need to see video as just another form of content, it just happens to have audio and moving images. This is the key as I see people get stuck with video as…

TalentedApps
February Leadership Development Carnival – Carnevale di Venezia Edition

Mark Bennett

7 Feb 2010 | 2:12 pm

Last year about this time, our colleague Jon Ingham hosted the HR Carnival and pointed out that it was during Carnevale in Venice. We’re continuing that tradition for this month’s Leadership Development Carnival.* Carnevale is perhaps best known for the wide variety of masks that participants wear. The role of a mask in leadership has also been recognized throughout history, particularly in the context of politics and war. We tend to associate masks with “hiding” and “being fake”, but one can argue that even authentic leadership sometimes entails keeping a calm demeanor while…
Focus on Failure!

Mark Bennett

6 Feb 2010 | 1:00 pm

No, this is not advice to try to fail, but rather if (and when) you do fail, you’ll want to expend some time, thought and energy into actively learning from that failure. This is hinted at by an interesting finding from some neuroscience research done at MIT, which has implications not only for individuals, but organizations as well. The research showed that the part of the brain that tracks success and failure appears to change and process more efficiently after success, but not after failure. What does that mean for us? Here’s a telling quote from the HBR article citing the…
Are You Ready for Some HR Carnival?

Mark Bennett

5 Feb 2010 | 9:06 am

Steve Boese has posted the Carnival of HR – Super Bowl Edition over on his HR Technology blog. Go check it out – there are 30 submitted posts! Steve has also taken the time to create an entertaining, Super Bowl theme categorization of the posts, including a brief description of each post. Some posts that stood out include: ‘Is Risk Avoidance Adding More Risk to your Company’s Talent Strategy?’ by Susan Burns at Talent Synchronicity ‘Four Ways HR Can Operate More Like a Profit Center’. by Trish McFarlane at HR Ringleader ‘Optimizing Talent in the…
Stacked Ranking and Karate

Amy Wilson

2 Feb 2010 | 5:27 pm

I bristled momentarily when the Sensai told my son and the other 4-6 year old girls and boys to line up in ranked order. Flashbacks of painful ranking exercises clouded my mind. Recent customer meetings in which talent leaders voiced their distaste for such practices echoed. I was temporarily outraged and indignant: “why are you oppressing my son in such a manner?” “and at such a young age?” However, my fury dissipated immediately as the children easily lined up. No feelings were hurt. No one quit or threatened quitting. I realized some noticeable differences: 1) It…
but why?

Meg Bear

1 Feb 2010 | 12:20 pm

I hear a lot of people talking about their Talent strategy in a way that makes me think that they might be missing the big picture. A good example is the current focus on Performance Management solutions. Conversations often go something like this HR group: Our talent strategy is to have 100% participation in the performance process, where every person in our organization has a recorded performance rating. Me: Why? HR Group: So we can make sure we have a common measurement of our resources Me: Why? HR Group: So we can benefit from the Pay for Performance best practice. [Alternate: So that…

Steve Boese's HR Technology
What's Missing from the 2010 Social Software Predictions

Steve

9 Feb 2010 | 2:32 am

Recently the Gartner Group released its key predictions on the use of social software and collaboration technology in the enterprise, details can be found here - 'Five Social Software Predictions for 2010 and Beyond.' Among the five predictions the most interesting and provocative to me are two: Flickr - bitterjug One - By 2014, social networking services will replace e-mail as the primary vehicle for interpersonal communications for 20 percent of business users. This may not seem like too bold a prediction, but even if only 20% of business users do migrate to social networking as the primary…
Trulondon Track Preview - The Endangered Species List

Steve

8 Feb 2010 | 6:35 am

Next week I have the great pleasure of heading over to trulondon, the dynamic Bill Boorman's true 'global mashup' that will bring together Human Resources, Recruiting, and Technology pros for two days of discussions, explorations, and certainly a bit of fun. The event, as is becoming more and more popular, is framed as an 'Unconference', meaning no formal presentations, no Powerpoint slides, and with discussion topics finding their own way to the forefront. Good ideas and concepts get promoted, while others that are not so interesting or compelling simply Flickr - katmeredrift off. This…
The HR 101 E-Book

Steve

7 Feb 2010 | 8:13 am

Over at the Creative Chaos Consultant blog, the King of NYC, Victorio Milian has organized a great series of posts called the 'HR 101' series. These posts cover a wide range of business topics that HR professionals (and students) really need to become more familiar with and to develop a stronger understanding of to strengthen their skills, and to continue to make more significant impact in their organizations. The series covers topics like Law, Finance, and Technology among others, and has been a collective project (led by Victorio) to provide a forum for various subject matter experts…
Possibly the coolest job ever

Steve

5 Feb 2010 | 5:16 am

Last week on the HR Happy Hour show, our guest Grant McCracken author of Chief Culture Officer shared his thoughts about why corporations need to have mechanisms to better understand external culture, methods to leverage that understanding to make better strategic decisions, and to position themselves to anticipate where culture and markets are leading, instead of having to react always to changing consumer tastes and trends. Grant's idea, and the thrust of his book, advocates for the creation of the Chief Culture Officer for the corporation. This is a C-suite level executive responsible for…
You're Great. Now What?

Steve

4 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

Yesterday at the Fistful of Talent, the FOT crew announced their latest Talent Management blog power rankings. And in a shock that has to rival Villanova beating Georgetown for the NCAA title in 1985, or the Jets surprising the Colts in Super Bowl III, my blog, this little HR Technology blog, came out at number one on the rankings. I don't believe it either. From unranked to number one. Calls for a recount are clearly warranted. I am still waiting for Tim Sackett or Kris Dunn to announce the mistake and tell me that I have just been punked. Seriously, many thanks to Kris, Jessica Lee…

Recruitment Directory
CareerBuilder vs Monster. 2010 Super Bowl Commercial

7 Feb 2010 | 10:39 pm

Super Bowl XLIV has just finished airing in the United States. One of the highlights each year is the release of new commercials. Over the past few years we have seen CareerBuilder battle against Monster for the best commercial. Who will take out the title this year?
Examples of Search Suggest and Auto-Complete use in a job search

7 Feb 2010 | 12:27 am

Search Suggest and/or Auto-Compete is a function usually applied to the keyword field of a job search form. The use of these functions enhances the users search experience through a "suggest as you type" or auto-complete functionality built into the job search form.
Recruitment Consultant vs HR

4 Feb 2010 | 11:55 pm

Is this why Recruitment gets a bad name?
Job Board Statistics - January 2010

1 Feb 2010 | 7:53 pm

Australian Job Board Statistics measuring the total unique browsers during January 2010. Data source - Nielsen NetRatings. SEEK 3.872m, CareerOne 1.747m, MyCareer 1.448m
Creating a custom Apple iPhone icon for your website

31 Jan 2010 | 5:17 pm

We are all used to creating a fancy favicon for our websites. But have you got around to creating a custom iPhone or iTouch icon yet?

Renegade HR
True Fans

Chris Ferdinandi

9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Image by Baxton This article is only for the true fans – the people who believe that human resources is about hiring great people helping them do amazing things. The HR renegades. If you’re just a casual reader of this site, this article isn’t for you. You can keep reading if you want, but I won’t feel bad if you leave now. The True Fans Still here? Cool! Now that it’s just us, I wanted to let you know about a project I’m launching next week. It’s not that I don’t want everyone to know about it. It’s just that I don’t think casual…
How can you improve HR?

Chris Ferdinandi

8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

A few months ago on Google Wave, Victorio Milian asked: What does HR need to get better? Since Google Wave is still closed to the public and in beta testing mode, I thought I’d share my answer to Victorio’s question with you here. BTW, I have a few Google Wave invites left. If you want one, let me know if the comments section. How can you improve HR? I think we spend too much time talking about “what we need to do to get better” and not enough time actually putting all those ideas into action. HR doesn’t have to be as complicated as we seem to make it. Understand…
Lance Haun on the Multigenerational Workforce

Chris Ferdinandi

3 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Lance Haun and I discuss the multigenerational workforce. What’s fact? What’s myth? And what’s actually important for HR pros to focus on? (19:40) Direct mp3 Download Links from this Podcast Jason Seiden on Career Phase Podcast Highlights Is Generation Y different than other generations in the workplace? Sure. Are they that they different? No, I don’t think so. There’s no money in exploring what’s similar and common among generations. To me, that’s why a lot of focus has gone in that direction. Instead of focusing on similarities, focusing on…
Random Rules for Ideas Worth Spreading

Chris Ferdinandi

2 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Last weekend, Seth Godin posted a list of random rules for ideas worth spreading. Since Renegade HR is all about putting ideas into action, I thought I’d share the list with you. Here are my favorites. Head over to Seth’s blog to read the full list. Waiting for inspiration is another way of saying that you’re stalling. You don’t wait for inspiration, you command it to appear. Avoid powerful people. Great ideas aren’t anointed, they spread through a groundswell of support. Seek out apostles, not partners. People who benefit from spreading your idea, not people who…
How to Turn Average Performers into Rockstars

Chris Ferdinandi

1 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Image by Stephen Poff Frank Roche over at Know HR wrote a thought provoking post on how to release the energy of high-potential HR employees. His post got me thinking about the way we treat (and reward) HiPo’s in general. I often wonder how many would-be HiPo’s come across as average to subpar performers because they’re either: In the wrong position that isn’t well aligned with their passions and strengths, or… Poorly managed, and thus demotivated. I know there’s a lot of HR pros who would say you need to show you’re a HiPo before you get the rewards HiPo’s get. The whole…

Federal Employment Law Articles
H-1B Filing Season to Open April 1, 2010.

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

The filing season for the Fiscal Year 2011 H-1B quota is at hand. Despite the sluggish economy, analysts are predicting positive growth in employment during the course of the year. Thousands of new H-1B cases will be filed on April 1, 2010. Employers need to project their labor needs for the coming year and position themselves to take advantage of the new H-1B quota.
The Risk of Automatically Terminating Employees After Leave Expires.

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

The EEOC published a press release a few days ago about the distribution of a $6.2 million settlement it had reached with Sears, Roebuck & Co. The lawsuit had been filed in November 2004 in federal court in Chicago. The consent decree was entered and publicized on September 29, 2009 as the largest ADA settlement in a single case in EEOC history.
New Notice Requirement of Group Health Plan Sponsor CHIPRA Premium Assistance.

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (“CHIPRA”) imposes certain notice requirements on employers maintaining group health plans. Under CHIPRA, beginning in April 2009, employers sponsoring group health plans must provide notice of the new special enrollment rights CHIPRA affords.
New Guidance Regarding Penalties for Child Labor Violation.

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

The Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division has issued a Field Assistance Bulletin that provides guidance that employers can use to determine when they can expect to be subject to child labor civil money penalties under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and how much they can expect to pay. The Bulletin also addresses the Child Labor Enhanced Penalty Program (CLEPP) created by the Wage and Hour division to incorporate changes made by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) to the FLSA's child labor penalty provisions.
DOL Publishes Model CHIP Notices for Eligibility for Premium Assistance Under Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program.

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

As previously discussed in our February 17, 2009 Legal Alert, President Obama signed into law the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). Among other things, CHIPRA requires that employers inform each employee of potential opportunities currently available in the State in which the employee resides for group health plan premium assistance under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). These notices are referred to as Employer CHIP Notices.

Federal Employment Law Articles
H-1B Filing Season to Open April 1, 2010.

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

The filing season for the Fiscal Year 2011 H-1B quota is at hand. Despite the sluggish economy, analysts are predicting positive growth in employment during the course of the year. Thousands of new H-1B cases will be filed on April 1, 2010. Employers need to project their labor needs for the coming year and position themselves to take advantage of the new H-1B quota.
The Risk of Automatically Terminating Employees After Leave Expires.

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

The EEOC published a press release a few days ago about the distribution of a $6.2 million settlement it had reached with Sears, Roebuck & Co. The lawsuit had been filed in November 2004 in federal court in Chicago. The consent decree was entered and publicized on September 29, 2009 as the largest ADA settlement in a single case in EEOC history.
New Notice Requirement of Group Health Plan Sponsor CHIPRA Premium Assistance.

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (“CHIPRA”) imposes certain notice requirements on employers maintaining group health plans. Under CHIPRA, beginning in April 2009, employers sponsoring group health plans must provide notice of the new special enrollment rights CHIPRA affords.
New Guidance Regarding Penalties for Child Labor Violation.

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

The Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division has issued a Field Assistance Bulletin that provides guidance that employers can use to determine when they can expect to be subject to child labor civil money penalties under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and how much they can expect to pay. The Bulletin also addresses the Child Labor Enhanced Penalty Program (CLEPP) created by the Wage and Hour division to incorporate changes made by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) to the FLSA's child labor penalty provisions.
DOL Publishes Model CHIP Notices for Eligibility for Premium Assistance Under Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program.

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

As previously discussed in our February 17, 2009 Legal Alert, President Obama signed into law the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). Among other things, CHIPRA requires that employers inform each employee of potential opportunities currently available in the State in which the employee resides for group health plan premium assistance under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). These notices are referred to as Employer CHIP Notices.

The Job's On! Blog
Business Bullets from the Canberra Business Council – 4 February 2010

admin

4 Feb 2010 | 10:35 pm

The 2010 Intergenerational Report The Federal Government has released the 2010 Intergenerational Report, entitled Australia to 2050: Future Challenges. The report provides a comprehensive study of the challenges that Australia will face over the next 40 years. The long term economic outlook demonstrates that while living standards are projected to rise over the next 40 years, population ageing means that this growth will be slower than over the past 40 years unless appropriate action is taken. Real economic growth is expected to slow from 3.3% over the past 40 years to 2.7% in the future. The…
Business Bullets from the Canberra Business Council – 28 January 2010

admin

31 Jan 2010 | 9:58 pm

Leading Indicator of Employment Rising The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) Monthly Leading Indicator of Employment has risen for the seventh consecutive month in January 2010, confirming the prediction that employment is likely to grow more quickly than its long-term trend rate of 1.8%. After falling for eighteen consecutive months, there is a tentative signal that cyclical employment has troughed over the past two months. For more information click here Job Vacancies Mixed The latest Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR)…
Job ads start strong for 2010

admin

24 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

Welcome to 2010 and a happy new year to all of our advertisers, job seekers and friends. The early indications suggest that 2010 is going to be a whole lot better than 2009. In the job market, the signs are already positive. The Olivier Report for December showed a small increase in online job ads of 0.48%. Whilst that doesn’t appear to be a remarkable statistic, it is important to recognise that December is not traditionally a hiring month, so any increase on November vacancies is significant. The increase was later corroborated by the government’s December announcement that…
Why organisations that fail to change ultimately fail – Stephen Collins at RecruitTECH 2009

admin

7 Jan 2010 | 8:39 pm

Next cab off the RecruitTECH 2009 rank is Stephen Collins… Stephen Collins is a thinker and doer in social media and user experience. He’s recognised internationally as an innovator, community builder and engaging public speaker. Having worked for many years in the Australian public sector and consulting industries, Stephen founded acidlabs in late 2006 to help bring his philosophy of a more open, collaborative and hyperconnected world to his clients. It appears to have worked. Stephen now works with a range of organisations in the public and private sectors helping them change…
CapitalJobs.com.au now offers Education & Training Courses

admin

5 Jan 2010 | 8:37 pm

CapitalJobs.com.au is pleased to announce a new affiliation with Canberra education provider, the Australian Business Academy. Through the ABA, CapitalJobs.com.au nowoffers a suite of nationally-accredited professional training and education courses in Canberra. Further information about our courses is available in our new Education section at http://www.capitaljobs.com.au/Education. Students can choose from the following list of Diploma and Advanced Diploma training and education courses in Canberra: Accounting Courses Advanced Diploma of Accounting course Business Administration Courses…

Kaye Monty
You’re Only As Good As Your Word

kaye.monty@hillandknowlton.com (Kaye Monty)

22 Jan 2010 | 12:56 pm

“You’re only as good as your word” was a mantra that was always at the back of mind when I worked in sales a lifetime ago. If I promised a customer that I would follow-up in a week, then I made sure that it happened. As a recruiter, I always try to close the loop and give feedback one way or another once I hear back from the hiring manager to candidates who I have screened over the phone or in-person. Candidates always appreciate the call even if they did not make it to the next stage of the interview process. Unfortunately, not everyone seems to take this mantra to…
Flu Pandemic

kaye.monty@hillandknowlton.com (Kaye Monty)

5 Nov 2009 | 9:24 am

I realized how much discussion there has been about the flu pandemic when my daughter asked me if I had the swine flu when I was at home battling a cold. The swine flu fear erupted into violence in New York City’s D train when a woman coughed without covering her mouth. Although I do not condone violence, it is certainly understandable for people to be concerned especially as the number of swine flu related deaths appear to increase. I was not sure whether or not to stock on up hand sanitizer in preparation for the hand sanitizer shortage as I recall hunting for them in three…
Helicopter Parents

kaye.monty@hillandknowlton.com (Kaye Monty)

10 Jul 2009 | 10:08 am

There have been a lot of articles written about helicopter parents. While it is great to have a parent who is involved with their children’s life, there is a fine line between being involved and being too involved. Regardless if you are a recent graduate or an experienced professional, you should utilize your network for job leads or business opportunities. In my personal opinion, this should be limited to an introduction. Parents are generally biased and will sing praises about their children. You need to start developing your personal brand as a professional. What does it say…
Scams Targeting Job Seekers

kaye.monty@hillandknowlton.com (Kaye Monty)

7 Jul 2009 | 8:40 am

I was reading an article by Eileen AJ Connelly in The Examiner on my way to work. It was talking about scams targeting job seekers. Scam artists post fake job postings and ask job applicants to enter their credit card info for details about the job. The article suggested that job seekers visit the following sites to learn more about job scams: http://www.ftc.gov http://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com http://www.ic3.gov http://www.ic3.gov http://www.bbb.org Although job scams have been around it seems that there are more of them out there trying to take advantage of the high unemployment…
H&K Hosts a TweetUp

kaye.monty@hillandknowlton.com (Kaye Monty)

4 Jun 2009 | 8:28 am

HKARcarde and @Gartenberg are hosting a tweetup. For those who do not hang out in twitterverse, this is an event where twitterers meet. The invitation is usually sent via Twitter; however, invitations do cross over other mediums. For example, I attended a tweetUp where I met a former colleague who did not even use Twitter. He was a self-proclaimed fan of LinkedIn but heard about the tweetup through LinkedIn Groups. Mashable had a great post on what to do and not to do when hosting a tweetup in case you are interested in hosting one. Here are some answers to questions that I have…

JD Supra Labor & Employment Law
EFCA by Fiat? What a Becker Confirmation to the NLRB Could Mean for Employers

Ford & Harrison LLP

8 Feb 2010 | 11:12 pm

Contributor: Ford & Harrison LLP [View: Profile | Documents]
Unemployment Insurance and COBRA Extension Due to Expire

Virginia L. Hunt

8 Feb 2010 | 2:17 am

Contributor: Virginia L. Hunt [View: Profile | Documents]
Third Party Liability in Construction Accident Avoids Limits of Workers Compensation Laws

Collins & Collins, P.C.

4 Feb 2010 | 4:33 am

Contributor: Collins & Collins, P.C. [View: Profile | Documents]
Ninth Circuit Rules No Compensatory/Punitive Damages, No Jury Trial in ADA Retaliation Claims

Williams Kastner

4 Feb 2010 | 3:59 am

Contributor: Williams Kastner [View: Profile | Documents]
Wage and Hour Collective Actions Against Employers Continue to Grow/ Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Advisor

Williams Kastner

4 Feb 2010 | 3:19 am

Contributor: Williams Kastner [View: Profile | Documents]

Bayt.com HR blog
Career Success by Ashraf Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Number 1 Sales Trainer and Author of “The Craft of Selling Yourself”

Ashraf Chaudhry

2 Feb 2010 | 6:44 am

In order to blossom into a productive body of the society, one needs to treat his career like a baby- with careful handling, nurturing, ownership, grooming, acquiring& application of skills and a freedom to make experiments and meaningful socialization. Career Management consists of: Taking initiatives, staying valuable to the company, cultivating relationships and continuously learning. Taking Initiatives: Every great achievement is the result of taking initiatives. A Chinese proverb says that a journey of thousand miles starts with taking the first step. People who marshal courage and…
Everything and Then Some

Lama Ataya

26 Jan 2010 | 12:30 am

That’s what can potentially be bought and sold on the new state-of-the-art Classifieds site Bayt.com just launched. Be specific? Let your imagination run riot and that’s how specific we can be. Fancy vintage cars from the 1920s, fur coats, limited edition books, collectors items, and even really useful stuff like hot properties with seaside views, new and used furniture, electronic items, toys for you and the kids and compact gardening equipment for those moments when you are not in your job wishing you were elsewhere, or busy trying to find a new job. Without waxing lyrical here…
Where does internet usage stand in the Middle East today?

Mona Karaoui

19 Jan 2010 | 2:50 am

While the world average internet penetration rate stands at 25.6% today( according to the World Internet Statistics Website- September 2009), the Middle East scores a bit higher- at 28.3 % following elevated rates in Latin America, Europe, Oceana/ Australia with North American topping the list (74.2% penetration). The past decade in the Middle East has witnessed an upward slope in the usage of internet- it no longer is a commodity but a necessity in the lives of professionals, students and youngsters alike. Bayt.com & Yougov Siraj have dug deeper into internet usage in the Middle East…
E-MBA at 45?

Bayt HR Guru

19 Jan 2010 | 2:32 am

Question from Job Seeker: I have been a full-timer accountant with my company (in Egypt) for over 10 years now and I would very much like to pursue a MBA. My question to you Bayt Guru is: do you think pursuing a MBA at my age (45) is feasible and are professionals resorting to e-MBAs yet? It seems like a much easier way for me, given the fact that I am overloaded with work and cannot honestly afford to leave early and attend physical classes during the week. Answer from Bayt HR Guru: Knowledge has no borders or limits. The urge that you have to pursue a MBA (even at 45) is very common between…
Career UnCovered: Tony Azzi, General Manager of Logicom, KSA

Tony Azzi

16 Jan 2010 | 9:50 pm

Biography Tony grew up in Beirut, Lebanon and graduated from Université Saint Joseph with a BS in Business Computer followed by a MBA. Prior to his position as General Manager, Toni held the role of Business Development Manager with Logicom Beirut for 4 years before moving to KSA- Toni has an extensive experience in developing business plans, conducting strategic business planning, sales and marketing. Best career advice I ever got Failing to plan is planning to fail Favorite Job task I ever had to do Business Planning and Development Most dreaded job task I ever had to do Restructuring a…

Cincy Recruiter's World
Personal Branding and Women Leaders

Jennifer McClure

3 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Today, I had the privilege of speaking about Personal Branding to the 50+ participants in the 2009/2010 class of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber's Leadership Development Program for Women - - WE Lead. It was an honor to be able to spend some time with some of Cincinnati's leading women and to talk with them about the importance of having a "personal brand" to better manage their careers and attract business opportunities. During the presentation, I shared how my own personal brand has evolved over the last few years and is currently "under construction"…
Can Your Awesomeness Be Contained To 7 Words?

Jennifer McClure

1 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Recently in the LinkedIn Group that I founded and manage - LinkedCincinnati - a member posted an interesting Discussion topic that sparked over 175 comments - by far the most active Discussion in our Group since it's inception in October 2007. It was a simple request:Describe what you do in exactly 7 words. It was interesting to see all of the responses to the question over a few weeks and through them I learned about/became interested in several people I wasn't familiar with who conveyed their personal or business brand in a concise and meaningful way. Others paid no attention to the 7 word…
Unsolicited Emails: I See Spam - Some See Bacon

Jennifer McClure

25 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am

As I'm sure you do, I get tons of email - much of which is spam or unsolicited - but I've come to accept that as something that goes with the territory of having a pretty public presence on the internet. So I spend a portion of each day eliminating the junk. Unsubscribe. Block. Delete. You know the drill. I rarely give these unsolicited emails much attention after the first sentence or two, but recently, one pulled me in - at least long enough to annoy me more than usual. I've included it below for your reading enjoyment: Dear Jennifer,The title "HEADHUNTER" is often gratuitously adopted by…
Wanted: A Positive Onboarding Experience

Jennifer McClure

22 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am

Earlier this week, Michael VanDervort shared a post on his blog The Human RaceHorses about his first day on the job in HR. It’s a great read and made me think about my own “first day” experiences. Unfortunately, I’m long overdue for a good one. Job 1My first job post graduation was at Margaret’s Employment Service. I responded to a “Help Wanted” sign in Margaret's front yard and when I met her - a recruiter for 30+ years - she put down her phone only long enough to say “You’re hired”. I was provided a desk, chair, phone and the Yellow Pages and my training consisted of…
Don't Call It a Comeback...

Jennifer McClure

18 Jan 2010 | 4:00 am

"Don't call it a comeback / I've been here for years" Sorta. Many of you probably recognize the first line as coming from rapper LL Cool J's 1991 hit song Mama Said Knock You Out. Those of you that are readers of this blog may also recognize the second line as coming from - well, me. You know. The Random Blogger. Oh, I've got reasons. Lots of reasons. All of which are poor. I overthink potential blog posts: "it's too personal", "it's off-topic", "it's been too long since the news broke", "Kris Dunn / Laurie Ruettimann / Lance Haun beat me too it" - or, my personal favorite - "I haven't…

Gruntled Employees
Why employment lawyers screamed more than those Denny's chickens

Jay Shepherd

7 Feb 2010 | 9:33 pm

If you couldn't find the remote after the Saints pantsed the Colts (regretting their "We're baaa-ack!" call in the pregame yet?) in this evening's Super Bowl, you were stuck watching CBS's new show "Undercover Boss." I have to admit: I wasn't planning on watching it, and when the remote fell between the sofa cushions, I then planned on hating it. But in the end, I didn't. I'm not saying that I'm going to fan it on Facebook and start planning my life around it, but I did watch this debut episode. The premise is simple: The president of a huge company goes "undercover" as a frontline worker for…
Gruntled at Solo Practice University

Jay Shepherd

25 Jan 2010 | 6:34 am

One of my big goals for 2010 was to adjust my role as a commentator (mainly over at The Client Revolution) on the state of the practice of law and become more of a change agent dedicated to helping fix it. Today I'm taking a first step in that direction by joining the faculty of the pioneering Solo Practice University. If you're not familiar with SPU you should head on over and check it out. Under the leadership of legal-education trailblazer Susan Cartier Liebel (who also blogs at the ABA Blawg 100 site Build A Solo Practice @ SPU), Solo Practice University picks up where law school left…
Why FOX can hire Conan as soon as he leaves NBC

Jay Shepherd

13 Jan 2010 | 8:56 pm

People are still talking about the late-night wars at NBC. One interesting thing I keep hearing is that Conan O'Brien is ... well ... kinda screwed. His statement yesterday rejecting NBC's plan to move him and "The Tonight Show" was brilliant and worthy of respect. (See "How Conan O'Brien powned NBC.") But even if he makes good on his promise to leave NBC rather than move, many have speculated that he will not be able to head on over to FOX (or ABC or cable) because of his noncompete agreement. As far as I know, no copy of Conan's employment agreement has found its way online. Presumably,…
How Conan O'Brien powned NBC

Jay Shepherd

12 Jan 2010 | 8:35 pm

(For the definition of "to pown," check out Urban Dictionary here(Noob. I've got to be honest with you. I've never been a big Conan O'Brien fan. At least, not until today. This afternoon, the New York Times reported that Conan had rejected NBC's plan to move his "Tonight Show" from its 11:35 p.m. slot to 12:05 a.m. to accommodate Jay Leno's return to late-night television. This is just the latest step in a drama that has quickly spun out of NBC's control. Some background, in case you haven't been paying attention: Conan replaced David Letterman on "Late Night" (at 11:35 p.m. Eastern) in 1993,…
Client Revolution hosting next week's Blawg Review

Jay Shepherd

7 Jan 2010 | 8:53 pm

Hey, blawggers and blawg readers! Actually, as I've said before, I'm not a fan of using the term blawg to mean "law-related blog." The problem with it is that blawg sounds exactly like blog. When you're speaking and you say "blawg," there's no way of conveying that you mean "law-related blog" without also saying something pedantic like "with an A and a W instead of an O." Yeesh. Anywho, I'm honored to have been invited to host Blawg Review #246 on Monday over at our sister site, The Client Revolution. For those of you unfamiliar with it, Blawg Review is a blog carnival, which comes out every…

UpstartHR
Technology-Easier Than It Looks

Ben

8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Recently I was working with a friend to figure out an easy (free) way for her to create a place for her coworkers to share documents and connect with each other from remote locations. The half an hour we spent setting up the site showed me just how easy it is to collaborate with coworkers using free and readily available tools. There really isn’t any reason not to do it, but you’ll still get some pushback in several ways. Too Technical With thirty minutes of training, I can get someone up and running with a basic understanding of a Wordpress (my preferred web software) site. And that’s…
The GPHR exam

Ben

5 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

In all of the HR certification talk that I get into, I really don’t know much about the Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) exam. What’s on it? Who takes it? Is it worth the effort? Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Lori Goldsmith, SPHR/GPHR (LinkedIn, Twitter) about what her experience was like. If you’re wondering what the GPHR exam is all about, you’re going to learn from someone who’s been there and done that. Me: Why did you decide to get GPHR certified? Lori: No one looks HR Smart until they make the commitment to certify and keep…
We all have something to offer

Ben

4 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am

What do you have to offer the world? A week or so ago, I was doing some research for a leadership project I’m working on. I came across a moving video that I really think you should check out. It’s longer than most, but the message is worth the wait. Check out The Butterfly Circus video below. (Email/RSS subscribers may need to click through to view.) Here’s the original link to the video. My thoughts What does this mean for your employees? What does it mean for you as an HR pro? Are you aligning your staff’s talent with the organization’s needs and motivating…
Just what is RSS really?

Ben

3 Feb 2010 | 5:22 am

What the Heck is RSS? And why should I care? Good questions. First, here’s why you should care. Unlike getting website updates or ezines by email, RSS feeds give you absolute, 100% complete control over the situation. You don’t have to reveal your email address. If you want to stop receiving content, you don’t have to request to be “taken off the list.” One click, and poof… the subscription is gone. Plus, since there’s no email address involved, there’s no way a publisher can sell, rent or give away the means to contact you. That’s right… no more spam, viruses, phishing,…
The HR Capitalist Challenge

Ben

1 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

Okay, so I may have made up the name for the HR Capitalist Challenge (HRCC), but I didn’t make up the idea. Kris Dunn wrote a post last week about having passion for what you do. Like KD, I firmly believe that being passionate about what you do will put you ahead of so many others. Pause: If you don’t know who Kris Dunn is, then you might want to check out his site linked above. He’s a pretty cool guy. The photo you see here is from when he came to my local SHRM chapter and spoke about using social media as a business professional. You can see from the line that he was…

TradePub: Human Resources
What's Working in Human Resources

4 Feb 2010 | 3:20 pm

Qualify for Your Risk-Free Trial Issues Now! Try two issues of What's Working in Human Resources – Risk Free! The twice monthly, eight-page newsletter covers critical human resource issues like effective recruiting techniques and the latest trends in training, development and employee motivation. It offers real-world examples of how companies cope with the bottom-line pressures in the American workplace while still doing what's right for their people. In every issue, top HR experts show you how to better manage your company's human assets and increase profitability. Subscribe to What's…
Learn how to streamline your business' HR operations

2 Feb 2010 | 3:50 pm

Receive this FREE "PEO Services & Employee Leasing" Buyer's Guide along with complimentary, no obligation price quotes (via phone and email) from multiple quality & independent PEO Services & Employee Leasing providers.Managing employees can be a costly and time-consuming job. More importantly, if you operate a business without an experienced HR professional on staff, you could put the company at risk. A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) can provide employee leasing services to relieve your company of its administrative and legal burdens and becoming a co-employer of your…
Learn how to make your HR Department more efficient with a Human Resources Information System (HRIS)

2 Feb 2010 | 3:50 pm

Receive this FREE "HR Information Systems" Buyer's Guide along with complimentary, no obligation price quotes (via phone and email) from multiple quality & independent HR Information Systems providers.This HR Information Systems Buyer's Guide explains:Assessing your HRIS needsUnderstanding which features to look forDetermining how to choose among multiple providersKnowing how much you can expect to payRequest Free!
Learn why Payroll Services can help you save time and money as well as avoid costly tax and clerical mistakes

2 Feb 2010 | 3:50 pm

Receive this FREE "Payroll Solutions" Buyer's Guide along with complimentary, no obligation price quotes (via phone and email) from multiple quality & independent Payroll Services providers.Very small firms with a stable, salaried staff and minimal changes in tax obligations may well be better off processing internally; it can be more convenient and cost-effective if your needs are straightforward. But many ultimately discover it is not all that cheap when they factor in the time spent managing the process. This Payroll Services Buyer's Guide will explain the full range of solutions…
Learn the pros and cons of outsourcing your Human Resources functions

2 Feb 2010 | 3:50 pm

Receive this FREE "HR Outsourcing" Buyer's Guide along with complimentary, no obligation price quotes (via phone and email) from multiple quality & independent HR Outsourcing providers through BuyerZone.Whether you have five employees or 500, an HRO (Human Resources Outsourcing) provider can supply experienced professionals to handle your company's staff management needs from payroll and employee recruitment to benefits and policy manuals. This HR Outsourcing Buyer's Guide will explain the full range of solutions HRO providers offer, how to find the right vendor, and the various costs…

Interesting Bits
How To Protect Your Ideas (BC Business)

Brad Herbert

6 Feb 2010 | 5:11 pm

I was recently interviewed by BC Business about how to protect your ideas. Here's the article:Ideas are what drive innovation and progress, and seeing them through to fruition usually means having to share them with somebody. Protect yourself. But once you’ve shared your wonderful idea with the world, how do you ensure you are rightly credited? We talked with three professionals who know a thing or two about protecting ideas: David Hannah is an associate professor of management and organization studies at SFU; Bradley Herbert is owner and principal of Bradley Herbert HR Consulting Inc.; and…
Transparency

Brad Herbert

5 Feb 2010 | 3:48 pm

Great article on the benefits of a fully transparent organization. In my experience smart people absolutely need and respond well to full information. There will be the inevitable hiccups along the way, but in the big picture I think this author nailed the huge benefits.http://workforce.com/wpmu/bizmgmt/2010/02/05/the_case_for_transparency/
Structure? The Flatter, the Better.

Brad Herbert

3 Feb 2010 | 8:50 am

This is a great article from the NY Times with Cristóbal Conde, president and C.E.O. of SunGard on managing modern, info-rich, highly decentralized organizations (thanks @mitchlasky).Favorite quotes:(1) "You have to work on the structure of collaboration. How do people get recognized? How do you establish a meritocracy in a highly dispersed environment? The answer is to allow employees to develop a name for themselves that is irrespective of their organizational ranking or where they sit in the org chart. And it actually is not a question about monetary incentives. They do it because…
Deloitte's Talent Development Framework

Brad Herbert

20 Nov 2009 | 9:01 am

Here's an interesting article from Kim Lamoureux at Bersin & Associates, a research firm focused on talent management systems. She shares how Deloitte helps its employees describe their ideal career through four factors. I think this is a smart idea, especially for a firm like Deloitte with highly specialized employees in a physically decentralized environment. The key to this is (1) accurately profiling your jobs in a standardized way so people can compare and contrast opportunities; (2) rewarding managers for strong talent development results (3) allowing employees to revisit these…
H1N1 Guide From The Society For Human Resource Management

Brad Herbert

9 Nov 2009 | 11:04 am

Here's a PDF from the Society For Human Resource Management with comprehensive employer tips on how to prepare for, and deal with, the H1N1 issue.The key is helping people stay home when they're sick because it really does prevent the spread of the disease. Unfortunately, employees might feel pressure to come into work because:They feel deadline or sales pressure.There are inadequate sick time allowances or programs.There are unintentional incentives to come into work sick. For example, some employers lump sick and vacation into a simple paid time off category. Less use of this category for…

The HR Store
Job offer negotiation

2 Feb 2010 | 6:44 am

From a reader:I came across your blog while searching for some info. Really must appreciate your efforts in answering our queries.I’m writing to you to seek your advice on a job offer.I’ve been working for 4 years with an IT company that’s in another city. I‘ve been in search of a job opportunity in my hometown for over six months. Currently, I’ve got an offer from a company in my hometown. But I’m not that excited with the offer. Though I’m getting a very good role, responsibility and position (designation), the salary which they are offering is not that good. When I’d…
Joke!

2 Feb 2010 | 12:58 am

This one's hilarious! Couldnt help but place it on the blog. Should be labelled under, "What not to do with a Twitter account?"PS: Click on the image for a better view.
Candidate Tip - Part 4

28 Jan 2010 | 3:16 am

Few months back, I had started the ‘Candidate Tip Series’ with the intention to answer hiring related questions from readers. The series was introduced in an attempt to avoid redundancy in replies.Further, I tweet these tips on my twitter account too using #candidatetip. If you are a candidate, hope this helps. If not, you can help send this post to anyone searching for answers. I’ll continue to take questions and should you have one, you can send it to thehrstore@gmail.comLooking for the earlier posts on candidate tips? Here’s part – 1, 2 and 3.Here’s Part – 4:Don't pick up the…
Happy Republic Day!

26 Jan 2010 | 8:26 am

Wishing everyone in India a Happy Republic Day
Recruiter mails offer letter to official email ID!

19 Jan 2010 | 4:21 am

From a reader:I had interviewed a couple of weeks back and got through after multiple rounds of interview. Prior to the start of the interview process I had filled out a ‘pre-interview’ form that was given to me by the recruiter. In the contact details part of the form, I had mentioned my personal email id and phone number as primary contact points. I was also asked to give my current official email id as part of the form filling exercise. I had clearly indicated that I was not to be reached or sent any communication about the interview process to my official email id, since the email is…

XpertHR
Don't slip up on D&G procedures

Rachel Suff

9 Feb 2010 | 7:51 am

The statutory maximum unfair dismissal compensation award from 1 February 2010 is £65,300 - a high price to pay for not following a disciplinary procedure deemed to be fair and reasonable. In Metrobus Ltd v Cook (EAT/0490/06) the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ruled that an employment tribunal did not err in increasing the amount of unfair dismissal compensation by 40% where an employer had failed to follow the statutory disciplinary and dismissal procedure. IRS is conducting research to look at how employers deal with grievances and disciplinaries. We also want to collect feedback on the…
Graduate starting salaries to be frozen for second year running in 2010, says AGR

Michael Carty

8 Feb 2010 | 11:30 pm

The graduate recruitment market is expected to begin a slow process of recovery in 2010, but the average graduate starting salary will remain frozen at £25,000 (external website) per year for a second consecutive year. This is according to the winter survey 2010 from the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) (external website). The biannual survey - conducted in November and December 2009 - is based on responses from 214 organisations who between them recruited 19,247 graduates in 2009. It also finds that the overall number of graduate vacancies fell by 8.9% during…
Guidance on work-related stress

Clio Springer

8 Feb 2010 | 2:53 am

Employers, particularly those that have had to make redundancies as a result of the recession, need to be aware of the signs of work-related stress in their staff. Redundancy survivors may have to work longer hours to cover the work previously carried out by redundant ex-colleagues, while at the same time facing the threat of redundancy themselves. Employers that do not address work-related stress may be subject to negligence claims, not to mention the damaging effects of poor morale and increased absenteeism on their business. The most recent statistics available from the Health and Safety…
TRU London: a new way forward for HR and recruiters?

Martin Couzins

5 Feb 2010 | 3:14 am

There is a very interesting and, for many people, unusual UK HR and recruitment event taking place in London on 18 and 19 of February. The event is TRU London and what makes it unusual is that it is an unconference. It's not the first - that took place in London last November, but it is the biggest in the UK so far.In the words of the organisers, "An unconference is an event that has no fixed structure and only two rules, no power point and no presentations."So, besides the format, what else makes TRU London so eye-catching?Well, here are a few for starters:The format is less about lectures…
Benchmarking HR costs in 2010: Every penny counts

Michael Carty

5 Feb 2010 | 1:50 am

Every penny counts for HR practitioners in the current economic context faltering profitability for many organisations and weak overall economic growth. And so, as I tell Jeya Thiruchelvam in this week's XpertHR Podcast, benchmarking employment practices can represent a highly effective way to keep on top of costs and do their jobs more efficiently and more cost-effectively. Here is just one example of how benchmarking can help employment practitioners and HR professionals do their jobs right now. We can use the XpertHR benchmarking service to drill down into the data for the 2009/2010 IRS HR…

Human Resources Pufnstuf
Tough Week

humanresourcespufnstuf

25 Jan 2010 | 5:19 am

Last week was a very tough week for me. My best friend back in OH committed suicide. There was no indication of a problem, and no answers as to why. All we know is that he left a beautiful family, and many, many loving friends behind. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, while I was burying my friend, my wife was home in MN dealing with a sick dog. Vader (who was under 2 years old), had to be put to sleep while I was gone. This one-two punch certainly hit my wife and I hard, and we took time to grieve together. I apologize that the blog didn’t get updated last week, but I will…
A Lesson in Poor Leadership Via NBC

humanresourcespufnstuf

12 Jan 2010 | 6:32 am

I’m a pop culture junkie, years of doing stand up sort of demand it of you, and I’ve been following the NBC – Jay Leno – Conan O’Brien saga since it started playing out last week. I don’t think there can be any debate that the entire affair has been handled poorly by NBC. Somewhere there is a leader that is afraid to make a decision. Conan and Jay both come across as nice dudes, that are grounded and not arrogant, and good company employees. They are franchise players at NBC based on their comp and worth. However, they both covet the same thing the 11:30 late night slot, a…
It’s Amazing Monday

humanresourcespufnstuf

11 Jan 2010 | 5:54 am

Today is the day that you can start doing amazing things! Chris Ferdinandi from the excellent blog Renegade HR has put together a free ebook Do Amazing Things – Things You Can Do To Become A Better HR Pro in 2010, written by practicing HR pro’s for practicing HR pro’s. It contains brief easily digestible, and most importantly, actionable items that HR pro’s can implement to make 2010 their best year ever. It includes ideas from: China Miner Gorman from SHRM Michael VanDervort from Human Race Horses Chris Ferdinandi from Renegade HR Lance Haun from Rehaul Karla Porter from…
What I Do or Reading Between the Lines of My Resume

humanresourcespufnstuf

4 Jan 2010 | 6:12 am

I’d like to thank all the folks that have been get the word of my availability out to their networks, it’s much appreciated! My resume has already been posted on this blog, but I wanted to take a few moments to expand on it, to write about the things that I’m best known for. My primary area of expertise is in the strategic development and tactical implementation of best in class recruiting organizations. Whether it’s building a first time recruiting function, or overhauling an existing group, I build recruiting teams that proactively source and recruit talent. I start by…
My 2010 Predictions

humanresourcespufnstuf

23 Dec 2009 | 9:28 am

The holidays are upon us, and first let me say how thankful I am to all the folks that have offered and provided assistance in my job search, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I’ve always enjoyed the holidays, I’m an extrovert so I love getting together with friends and family to celebrate, although I do admit that it’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen midnight on New Year’s Eve (we love being able to ring it in on East coast time, and be in bed by 11:15 Central!). With New Year’s coming up, and this being the prediction season, I’m going to make my 5 HR/Recruiting predictions and…

Mumblr
Attracting, Managing and Engaging Gen Y Employees

Abhishek

8 Feb 2010 | 6:14 pm

Browsing through the Human Resource Executive Online site, I came across this interesting article which talks about how we can attract “Gen Y” and engage them in the workplace. Increasingly, companies and managers grapple with this whole Gen Y issue. And, the sheer economics of the demographics make them indispensable. Read on to find out more about: - Who are Gen Y? - What are their expectations from the workplace? - Why are they indispensable for your organization? - What kind of workplaces do they like? - And most importantly, what can you do about this issue, without turning…
Using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn at Work? No Problem!

Abhishek

27 Jan 2010 | 6:44 pm

I stumbled upon this very interesting post on Gautam Ghosh’s blog, where Gautam has shared a Harvard article, citing research on the use of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc. in workplaces. The article concludes that in uber-connected organisations, employees who spend a reasonable amount of time (20%) surfing the internet for “fun” are 9% more productive than those who don’t!! Access to social media improves productivity. According to Dr Brent Coker from the Department of Management and Marketing at University of Melbourne in Australia, workers who…
Employee Engagement Advice for Managers: Free E-Book

Abhishek

19 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am

The ever-growing Employee Engagement network has come up with yet another free e-book containing simple advice for managers to boost employee engagement. Employee-Engagement-Manager-Free-Ebook I have quite a few pieces of ‘one-sentence’ advices in the book: - Communicating “what” is not enough – explain the “why” behind everything. - Remember that employees are human first; seek to build what matters the most to humans – personal relationships. - When employees come to talk to you, do not carry the “I am very busy” look. - Two ears, one mouth…
Read Up! (8th Jan)

Abhishek

8 Jan 2010 | 12:24 am

Welcome to 2010! And have a great one! Just to get things started here, here are some interesting reads I found in the first few days of this year: Michael Specht writes an insightful post on HR strategy and how it needs to be “real time”. On the other hand, the Flip Chart Fairy Tails blog carries an interesting post wondering if HR Strategy is a Myth or Reality. Read about Deloitte’s employee engagement approach. They call it Talent Dialogue and also talk about using social media in the process. Finally, if you are still hungry for more, head to the new year’s HR…
List of the Top Blog Posts of 2009

Abhishek

21 Dec 2009 | 10:23 pm

And finally! Finally, the year is coming to an end. It has been a long, tough year for many of us. And, it’s the time for me to reflect back. Overall, this has been a great year for this blog, as I got more and more readers and was featured on Alltop as one of the top bloggers on HR. I thought it will be a good idea to put together a list of the most interesting and popular posts for 2009. So, you have an employee engagement program. But have you looked at the key ingredients of a successful engagement program? We all intuitively understand motivation. But, let’s get the basics…

PseudoHR
From APA to SHRM

adowling

9 Feb 2010 | 3:30 am

Let me say up front that I’m an advocator of SHRM; I think they’re a great resource for the majority of HR professionals. Do I think there’s room for improvement? Of course, there’s always room for improvement in any organization as large as SHRM and China Gorman is helping to lead the way. When I first started my career in something other than being in front of customers/members it was in Accounting as a Payroll Administrator. I was obsessed with learning more about payroll and benefits. The American Payroll Association was the first place I went to do my research. One slow day…
No moment wasted

adowling

8 Feb 2010 | 3:30 am

Goodbye is never easy to say. One begins to ponder their own mortality, which is always frightening. Watching what my grandmother is going through and watching my mom try to deal with the pain of losing her mother is heart wrenching. Being the eternal optimist that I am, I think back on the good times we had together; holidays, weekend sleepovers, the good southern breakfast. I’m also thinking about my own life and the path that it’s on. I’ve often questioned whether I was on the right path, if my life was headed in the direction it was supposed to be. I don’t know that there is…
Traveling with a cold sucks

adowling

3 Feb 2010 | 3:30 am

If there’s one thing I’ve learned this week, it’s how to travel with a sinus infection. First of all, don’t do it. Flying with a stuffy head is not cool. That piercing feeling you feel as the plane lands is your eardrum cussing you for doing something stupid. If you must travel for work, training in my case, with a sinus infection there are a few things you need. Drugs, day time and night time. The day time drugs will help you get through the training class with just tolerable sneezing and sniffling. The night time drugs will help you sleep in that foreign bed. Kleenex from…
The untitled leader – a review of ‘You don’t need a title to be a leader’

adowling

29 Jan 2010 | 3:30 am

On my most recent trip back from Chicago, I stopped by a bookstore in Terminal 3 of the O’hare airport for something new to read while I waiting for my flight to board. The book I picked up was titled You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader by Mark Sanborn. What caught my attention about the book is something our Center Director frequently says, “I don’t care what title I have, call me what you want, what matters is what I do and the difference I make.” Sanborns book is about the untitled leader, a phrase he frequently uses. While reading I kept tearing my receipt apart to…
Boobs and involuntary friends

adowling

27 Jan 2010 | 3:34 am

Last week Laurie wrote a post over on Lemondrop about women showing their boobs at work. One particular section kicked started my thinking gears: One of the readers of the original post wrote a comment that spoke to me: “There are no friends in the workplace.” I’m not sure I agree with this. Work is emotionally tough and taxing on the soul, especially in this rotten economy. Telling someone not to have friends at work is like telling a thirsty person not to crave water. We’re not robots; we seek out connections and meaning. Sometimes we confide in our colleagues,…

KnowHR Blog
Communication Advice: Listen to How the Locals Pronounce Words

Frank Roche

5 Feb 2010 | 6:50 am

There’s a very interesting article in Ad Age about how in Spain, Pepsi is called “Pesi.” The embedded video below shows soccer star Fernando Torres being reprimanded by an American director who wants Torres to say, “Pepsi.” He says, “In my neighborhood they call it ‘Pesi.’” Would you consider listening to how the locals in your company pronounce words and call things what they call them? It would be killer communication. What regional items can you think of? For instance, a “steak” in Philly has a particular meaning. Yours?
KnowHR on the FOT/HR Capitalist Power Rankings Again

Frank Roche

3 Feb 2010 | 7:17 am

This rocks. We made the FOT/HR Capitalist Power Rankings again. I am absolutely delighted. Thanks so much to the great team at FOT!
You Know What I Mean?

Frank Roche

3 Feb 2010 | 6:33 am

Here’s a communication hint: When you say, “You know what I mean?” people don’t know what you mean. Use your words. Explain. Then you don’t have to say, “You know what I mean?” That goes double in HR communication. Don’t leave ‘em guessing.
What Would You Do If You Could Start From Scratch?

Frank Roche

2 Feb 2010 | 10:48 am

If you had to design your company (and HR) from scratch, would you: –have performance reviews? –build walls in your offices? –ever use the word “boss” in a non-ironic way? –hire average employees? –keep a slacker? –write a bereavement policy? –pay women less than men? –pay anyone unfairly? –conduct “warm body” recruiting? –hire more HR people to make up for bad managers? –keep bad managers? –use the word “engagement”? –have so many layers? –have chairs in your meeting rooms?
A Master’s Class in Hiring a Person With Credit Wrecked By Bad Health and Being Laid Off

Frank Roche

31 Jan 2010 | 6:01 am

I saw this question/plea on Ask Reddit this morning. For those of you in HR making hiring decisions, here’s your master’s class in the impact that credit check policies have on hiring decisions. Read the article and the comments. Here’s the setup. I was out of work to fight an illness and can’t get a job now because my credit is bad. I have 13 years of IT experience -will work my a** off for you. Since early 2008 I have been out of work. I had to bow out and go full time to Rochester, MN for medical care. I stayed current with my skills and I am better than ever…

Fireside HR
Will the Olympics create the workplace of the future?

researchvoice

3 Feb 2010 | 12:47 pm

Yes, folks, the Olympics are starting in Van City in 9 days! Those nail-biting worries we had are now becoming reality. One being the lack of snow on Cypress Mountain for the snowboarding events but contingency planning saved that one. And considering the city crackdown on the car with those traffic-halting road closures, how will Metro Vancouver’s 2.2 million inhabitants get around? Today is one of the first days that I got a true taste of it as people are finally starting to understand the message: “leave your car at home”. With potential wait times of up…
The best of the worst business words

researchvoice

27 Jan 2010 | 9:36 am

Last week, the venerable CBC News posted a funny and cringe worthy story, “The most painfully annoying business jargon”. It’s a summary of some of the worst words and phrases that we use in business today. Among my most favourite (or is it least favourite?) are: “full service”, “circle back” and “learning” used as a noun. Shudder! After an unscientific poll with my colleagues of some other choice words that are overexposed and have lost all relevance (aka the Tiger Woods Syndrome): touch base at the end of the day……
Want to learn HR? Blogging is where it’s at

researchvoice

8 Jan 2010 | 3:16 pm

A recent online poll by HR Executive Online shows that 90% of HR professionals are reading blogs with 48% saying that ”HR blogs give me new, fresh ideas about the HR profession and where it’s heading”. I’ve definitely found that reading HR blogs is a great way to keep a pulse on what’s going on out there on a timely basis, have your thoughts and beliefs challenged, and 9 times out of 10, it’s a very entertaining way to learn valuable HR lessons, such as on HR metrics. Best of all, blogs are a super quick and easy read if you only have 3 seconds…
The best business school (and cheap, too!)

researchvoice

5 Jan 2010 | 4:22 pm

I heart Dragons’ Den, the best “reality” show around. It features 5 highly successful entrepreneurs (the “Dragons”) who have experience building companies, have money to burn, and are looking for the next great idea to invest their venture capital. Entrepreneurs pitch their idea, state the value of the company and make an offer to the Dragons. The Dragons decide whether or not they love the idea so much that they invest in the company with their own funds. In the U.S., Dragons’ Den is essentially Shark Tank (but is, alas, a more superior…
My 2010 wish list

researchvoice

17 Dec 2009 | 3:47 pm

Ten years ago I was determined to bring in the new millenium with gusto, praying that Y2K would blow over and practicing not starting off dates with 19XX. Well, another year is over and a new decade about to begin. It’s been an amazing and amazingly productive year. When I look back, I think “wow!” at all the fabulous people I’ve met and all the great work that I’m hearing about. It just occurred to me that at the beginning of this year I would have never considered blogging; the world and our minds can change pretty rapidly in the course of just…

Managing The Curve
When You’re A New Boss – You Never Get A Second Chance To Make A First Impression

JP Elliott,PhD

3 Feb 2010 | 9:26 pm

We all know the old adage “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression,” but how many of us really take this advice to heart, especially when starting a new job. The first 90 days are critical to establishing your credibility in a new organization, but the stakes are even higher when you are the new boss. Not only do you have to learn your way around a new company and adjust to a new role, but you also have to gain the respect of your new team. No small task. In my experience, you cannot underestimate the impact these early impressions can have on your career, your…
Talent Wants To Be Free, Or Does It?

JP Elliott,PhD

29 Jan 2010 | 1:28 pm

There is quite a debate going on over at the HR Bartender on who “owns” the talent in a company – 1) the organization 2) the managers or 3) the individual employees? This is an important discussion, so I wanted to weigh in… Let’s begin by taking Managers out of this conversation entirely. A managers job is to drive business results, and to do that they need to get the best performance out of the people they are leading. So, do they need to influence, direct, coach, and develop the talent they have - yes, but do they own it – no. So, that leaves…
Why HR Needs To Fail More Often, A Lot More Often

JP Elliott,PhD

21 Jan 2010 | 12:39 am

I am guessing you are not a big fan of household chores like dusting, scrubbing the bathroom, or doing the laundry. Well, I am right there with you except for vacuuming. Here is the thing, I have a Dyson vacuum and it is seriously the best damn vacuum on the planet, bar none. It actually makes doing household chores fun (well, at least vacuuming). If the Dyson vacuum is this good, you would imagine that it took some time and energy to develop, right? Sure, but how many prototypes do you think Mr. Dyson built before finally perfecting something that many of us thought was working OK…
Jay Leno vs. Conan O’Brien: When Succession Planning Goes Very, Very Wrong

JP Elliott,PhD

14 Jan 2010 | 12:11 am

Let’s face the facts - TV is for entertainment purposes only, right? Especially those “Late Night Shows” with their predictable monologues, contrived interviews, and those oh-so friendly bands. They are the comfort food in America’s TV diet and have been filling us up on empty calories for over 60 years. Well, the times they are changing and you can thank NBC for this week’s after school special on the “Don’ts” of leadership transitions and succession planning. Here is the situation in a nutshell brought to you by NY Times… NBC…
Southwest Wins Over The Judges (Their Employees) and is Voted #1 on Glassdoor’s Best Place To Work

JP Elliott,PhD

6 Jan 2010 | 6:22 pm

Southwest Airlines has long been the most profitable, well-run, and well-respected companies in one of America’s toughest industries. One of key reasons Southwest has had such great success over the years is the esprit decorps of their 35,000 employees, which is known for their fun-loving attitude (yes, singing songs at 40,000 feet help!), do whatever it takes customer service, and a family-like work environment. With all those things going for them, it is not surprising that Southwest won Glassdoor’s second annual Employees’ Choice Awards for Best Places to…

Easy Small Business HR.com
Employee Fired From Job For Being Too “Homely”… Sues and Wins!

Dianne

9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

A senior manager at a hotel chain in the Midwest takes issue with a female employees’ “Ellen DeGeneres” looking appearance, short hair, and lack of makeup indicating that she is “not attractive enough” to work at the front desk of the hotel. The front desk role was actually a position that the employee was promoted into. Despite the fact that this employee received good performance reviews, she was eventually fired from her job. The employee sued the hotel chain for sexual discrimination, and won. You can learn more about the details of this extremely interesting discrimination case…
8 Tips for Hiring and Retaining Diverse Employees

Dianne

1 Feb 2010 | 12:06 am

Many managers and business owners understand the value of hiring a diverse group of employees, but aren't quite sure of the steps that need to be taken towards reaching their goal of an inclusive and diverse workforce. Finding and retaining employees that represent a wide range of diversity at all levels takes time and commitment. The following 8 tips should help towards developing a plan of action that over time, will help you to hire and retain staff that are representative of the community at large. Finding Diverse Employees 1. Participate with associations or organizations whose primary…
Is It Really Stealing? “Petty” Theft In The Workplace

Dianne

26 Jan 2010 | 12:00 am

An employee puts a pen and notepad in his bag on the way out of the office because he’ll need something to write with so that he can make a "things to do list" on the way home. Another employee needs to make copies of her bank loan paperwork and uses the office copy machine along with the office copy paper to make copies of a 12 page document in triplicate. The pen, notepad and copy paper were purchased by the company for company business, yet these items are being used for personal use. Are these employees stealing from the company? Workplace theft is an issue that can't be ignored.
December 2009 Unemployment Stats By Gender, Race and Industry

Dianne

21 Jan 2010 | 12:09 am

Based on December 2009 stats released by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rates across the nation for adults are still at or near double digits: 10.2% for men compared to 8.2% for women.
New Hire Paperwork Checklist: Important Forms Not To Overlook

Dianne

15 Jan 2010 | 6:06 pm

The following are a list of documents that you should have on file for every new employee. The amount of time that businesses should keep these documents may vary from state to state. Resume or Job application Federal and State Tax Forms Employment Eligibility Form, (I-9) Resumes/Job Application Having a resume or a job application on file is not a legal requirement, but a best business practice as it will be important to have a record of your employees’ experience for the job that they were hired for. Federal and State Tax Forms Employers are required to submit federal tax forms to the…

alstin communications
Who won the Super Bowl of Ads: Monster or CareerBuilder?

Tony Rosato

9 Feb 2010 | 6:53 am

Sunday’s Super Bowl was prime time for advertisers looking to launch new campaigns and get their products noticed. In the fragmented demographics of today’s TV viewership, it’s also an increasingly rare opportunity to have your message seen by the majority of the country. Combine that with a hefty price tag (estimated cost this year for a 30 second spot was $2.6 million) and you can see that the stakes are very high. Of course, two of the biggest players in our industry are Monster and CareerBuilder, and both ran new spots during the Super Bowl. The ads are below. Judge for yourself who…
Remembering J.D. Salinger

Tony Rosato

5 Feb 2010 | 4:24 am

By the looks of this blog, you might think we over here at Alstin eat, breathe and sleep all that is recruitment and retention. Every so often we’ll stray from the HR talk and bring you more on some of our favorite things, places and activities that also populate our daily lives. As readers of my blogs know, I’m a big fan of great fiction (click here to read my link to my favorite novels of 2009). Certainly, one of the seminal novels of this century has been J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, first published in 1951. While popularity and critical acclaim of the novel seem to…
BMP in the Road: Design-a luxury we can live without?

Jay Scheuerle

4 Feb 2010 | 5:39 am

Penny’s get pinched when the economy is tight, by individuals and companies alike. Why pay a designer to put together a new ad campaign or design your logo when you already have an employee who likes using different fonts in Word and has access to a large library of clip art? The utility of the job will get through and you’ll save money. Besides, who cares if it’s clever or looks good? Nobody has time to pay attention to that kind of stuff anyways! Your iPod begs to differ. From cell-phones to cars, disposable razors to televisions, cameras to coffee-grinders, good design is…
Make That 120 of the Funniest Recruitment Ads …

Annette DeHaven

3 Feb 2010 | 7:18 am

Last Friday – all in the name of research, of course – I came across a blog titled 117 Funniest Creative Job & Recruitment Ads. After a few minutes of diversion and more than a few laughs, I thought of some of the really clever campaigns Alstin’s had the pleasure creating for clients. (We’re not the most award-winning, single location employer branding firm for nothin’!) To round that blog’s tally up to an even 120, here’s a campaign series that remains one of my favorites. It combines smart with funny – not so easy to do – to build Kennedy Health System’s…
Do you have an App for that? Mobile computing and recruiting.

Jennifer Hitchens-Greenfield

2 Feb 2010 | 12:37 pm

I’m always on the quest for discovering (and downloading) new and useful apps for my iPhone. News apps, career apps, social media apps, cooking tips apps, music apps, stopwatch apps for timing my mile pace, etc. I swear I even downloaded that level app and actually used it—seriously! I don’t think my weekends would be complete without checking Yelp or letting Google Maps navigate me through road trips. And, as Alstin is developing an app of our own (coming soon to the App Store!), I started to wonder—there must be a huge demand for developers to create customized apps? I’ve talked…

PAK HR UPDATES
Pizza Hut Pakistan Sr.HR Manager Required

PAK HR UPDATES

8 Feb 2010 | 12:12 am

Pizza Hut Pakistan Sr.HR Manager RequiredRequired Qualification Business gradateRequired Experience 5 yearRequired Gender AnyLast Date February 28 ,2010 Send You CV recruitment@pizzahut.com.pk and CC to hrjobspk@gmail.comMCR (Pvt.) Limited Franchisee of Pizza Hut, 7th Floor, Shahnaz Arcade, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Karachi, Pakistan. Telephone::021-4914000, 4140842-3-6-7 Fax: 021-4916022 HR
Lahore HR Forum 80th Session

PAK HR UPDATES

8 Feb 2010 | 12:08 am

Dynamics of Employee Rewards and Engagement (80th Session of LHRF)The Cornerstones of Talent Management Date: Wednesday, 10 February 2010 Time: 18:30 - 20:00 Location: Dome Hall @ Royal Palm Lahore Description Lahore HR Forum is the largest network of HR Professional in Punjab with a representation from more than 50 foreign and local organizations and a total strength of 250 plus HR
Admin and Finance Assistant UNDP

PAK HR UPDATES

8 Feb 2010 | 12:06 am

Admin and Finance Assistant (NIM- SC) - KarachiUnited Nations Development Programme Job Category: Admin Assistants Career Level: SC-5 Job Type: Service Contract Positions: 1 Agency / Project: Strengthening PRS Monitoring Project (SPRSM) City/Location: Karachi, Sindh Country: Pakistan Posted On: 07 February, 2010 Last Date to apply: 21 February, 2010 Experience: •5-7 years experience
HR Officer Required Multilynx Lahore

PAK HR UPDATES

8 Feb 2010 | 12:05 am

At MULTILYNX, we assist our customers by providing and implementing high value, high-tech, innovative but cost effective IT solutions and services tailored to suit the requirements of a small company to a large corporation. Jobs Description Updation and maintenance of employee database, HR-DB and HRMS Managing Leaves, Mobiles, and other benefits Software. Supporting the recruitment process,
Investigation & Interview Techniques by UBG Associates

PAK HR UPDATES

8 Feb 2010 | 12:04 am

Investigation & Interview Techniques Host: UBG Associates Date: Thursday, 25 February 2010 Time: 09:00 - 17:00 Location: Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore, Pakistan Description The Interview and Investigation Techniques course combines the studies of behavioural science and cognitive interviewing techniques to produce an effective process of drawing out relevant information from the reluctant,

Compensation Today
How to Calculate Employee Turnover

Dr. Al Lee, PhD

1 Feb 2010 | 6:32 pm

Costs of Employee Turnover - Part 2 In our first post on the costs of employee turnover, you learned why hanging onto your employees is important to the financial well-being of your organization, as long as those employees are a good fit. In part 2, I will show you some twists and variables on those calculations that you must make to see the full picture that employee turnover in your organization is telling you. I will also cover a few of the many variables that can affect your turnover rate and affect how you choose to interpret results of your employee turnover calculations. Further…
Employee Competency Checklist

Dr. Al Lee, PhD

29 Jan 2010 | 5:06 pm

Employee Core Competencies – A Proven Tool for an Organization’s Success “Hi, you got a minute?” It’s your fourth interruption this morning. It’s Sally, the Operations Manager. You know when she says, “Do you have a minute?” it usually means, “Do you have a half hour?” She comes in and sits down in your guest chair and you figure that you can spare a half hour before your next meeting. You’ve been the HR manager for your company now for five years so you can tell that Sally really needs to talk to you and it’s about one of her employees. You can probably guess which…
How to Explain Employees’ Total Compensation

Dr. Al Lee, PhD

26 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

Communicating Compensation Plans to Employees How well do your employees understand your compensation plan and philosophy? Clearly communicating compensation plans to employees is worth the effort. It can lead to harder-working, more loyal and satisfied employees. “But it’s complicated!” you say. You’re right. Let’s talk about what your organization might do to make compensation plans more transparent to your employees. Working on next year's comp plan? Get it done fast in 5 easy steps. Download our Compensation Planning Guide. Defining Compensation Plans Explaining compensation…
Taking Care with Layoff Laws

Dr. Al Lee, PhD

23 Jan 2010 | 8:26 pm

Firing Employees: A Lawyer’s Advice The world of human resources has officially arrived to mainstream media. In his recent blockbuster movie, George Clooney tackles the death-defying world of human resources and employee terminations. His character racks up tens of thousands of frequent flyer miles travelling to distant lands to be a “hired gun” and terminate employees on behalf of their employers. As the movie suggests, terminating an employee is a very sensitive task. Poorly-handled employee terminations are more likely to breed lawsuits by the former employee, discontent among the…
The Necessity of a Leadership Development Model

Dr. Al Lee, PhD

19 Jan 2010 | 5:25 pm

When Less Must Become More: The Case for a Talent and Leadership Development Model Now Today’s slimmed down workforce has been placed very clearly in the position of working to accomplish more with far fewer resources than before. This contradictory challenge seemed to be destined to fail from the start and it may well be, inadvertently, designed to fail for many organizations. Companies all across the United States have reduced their workforces to what has been termed “essential levels” and have cut costs to what is believed to be “essential expenditures.” Developing a new talent…

In Full Bloom
Thinking Is My Job: Blogging Those Thoughts Is Now My Passion

Naomi Bloom

9 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

I started my career as a programmer writing payroll applications in machine language to run in 4K memory. Over more years than most women would admit, I’ve focused my career on the application of information technology to HRM in order to achieve breakthroughs in business outcomes. Rather than being satisfied with cheaper payroll operations or faster resume processing or even getting everyone’s performance reviews done on time, I’ve focused on total compensation plans that achieve more productivity for the dollars spent, collaborative and competency-centric staffing…
Reflections Of A Digital Immigrant Gone Semi-Native: The Sad Tale Of Charles Phillips

Naomi Bloom

22 Jan 2010 | 10:02 am

Yesterday an Oracle story broke big-time, and it wasn’t about Fusion application delivery dates, pricing, or how much work it would take to get from EBS or PeopleSoft HCM to Fusion HCM apps. It also wasn’t about Oracle giving its installed base a break on their maintenance fees or committing to keep most of Sun’s workforce. More on all of that in future two-handed posts. Yesterday’s Oracle news was very sad indeed for Charles Phillip’s wife and children (child?) but perhaps it was good news for Safra Catz . With a famously stealth succession plan in the…
Reflections Of A Digital Immigrant Gone Semi-Native: Professional Value Of Social Technology

Naomi Bloom

13 Jan 2010 | 10:51 am

I’ll get back to the world of HRM and IT as soon as I have two arms with which to tackle the really meaty stuff, but for now I’m continuing my one-armed reflections of a digital immigrant gone semi-native, the first installment of which is here This post owes a shout-out to Jason Averbook and Ray Wang for launching me on Twitter in early 2009 and for lifelong friend and artist Scott Kahn for asking the question “are you benefiting from your personal investment in social technology and, if yes, then how?” The easy answer is that, for me, the value of selected…
Reflections Of A Digital Immigrant Gone Semi-Native: An Embarrassment Of Riches

Naomi Bloom

9 Jan 2010 | 5:53 pm

As many of you know, I had left shoulder rotator cuff repair surgery on 12/18/09 and have been mostly offline since then except for backlogged blog posts (extensive, probably boring suggestions for “killer” scenarios) and the odd tweet (sometimes very odd as a result of the pain meds I’ve been taking, as sparingly as possible). With vision blurred by the pain meds and my left hand/arm not available, I’ve nonetheless been trying to keep up with the blogosphere, twitterverse, email, voicemail, and the flood of wonderful holiday letters that we so appreciate getting…
More Of Naomi’s “Killer” Scenarios: Discontinuous Organizational Changes

Naomi Bloom

28 Dec 2009 | 4:00 am

Mohorovicic Discontinuity -- diagram by USGS, red line added by Geology.com This is the last, at least for a while, post in a series I’ve been doing that suggest some “killer” scenarios for HR leaders and their teams to use when considering how to design their HRM processes and their HRM delivery system. These are also excellent topics for the scripted scenario demos that I believe are the best way to evaluate HRM software and HRM BPO service offerings. Having now covered some critical object model and architecture-revealing aspects of work and workers, the worker…

The Business of Talent - Josh Bersin
SuccessFactors Lays down the Analytics Gauntlet: Acquires Inform (InfoHRM)

4 Feb 2010 | 5:36 pm

Today SuccessFactors announced plans to acquire InfoHRM (renamed Inform Business Impact) - a small but very well established leader in the area of HR and Talent Analytics and Workforce Planning. We believe this acquisition is very significant for the talent and HR systems marketplace: it now establishes SuccessFactors as the emerging leader in the broad and important area of delivering actionable talent and HR measurement and analytics.Consider some of the most important yet difficult questions all companies face: how many employees do I have on the payroll today? What is my retention…
Learning and Talent Management in Europe

1 Feb 2010 | 9:11 am

This week I had the opportunity to keynote the largest learning conference in the UK, the UK Learning Technologies Conference (developed and run by Donald H. Taylor, one of the most knowledgeable professionals in our industry). The title of my presentation was “Informal Learning: What, Why, and How – and what it means to You.”The thesis of the presentation is that three converging factors have accelerated the interest and adoption of informal learning: the recession, the need for deeper skills specialization, and the proliferation of new sharing and social networking…
Why Talent Mobility Matters

19 Jan 2010 | 7:33 pm

One of the most daunting talent management challenges in organizations is something we call "talent mobility" - the ability of an organization to enable and direct the movement of people from role to role. In today's business environment this includes lateral movement, upward movement within a role, movement into leadership, movement into international assignments, movement into functional specialties, movement into developmental or exploratory assignments, and often movement from part-time to full-time or vice-versa. When we launched our High Impact Succession…
Peopleclick Authoria – A New Talent Management Leader?

12 Jan 2010 | 9:37 am

Last week Bedford Funding announced its acquisition of Peopleclick and the immediate combination of Peopleclick with existing portfolio company Authoria, creating a combined talent management systems company with more than 2,000 customers and $100 Million in revenue. The combined company (named Peopleclick Authoria) is now a significant player in the talent management systems market. History and Analysis of this Merger. Authoria is one of the pioneers in the talent management market, with a strong solution for integrated benefits communication, performance and succession management,…
SuccessFactors Vs. Taleo – The Gorillas For 2010

26 Dec 2009 | 8:29 am

As we recap 2009 and look ahead to 2010 in the market for talent management software, two gorillas have emerged: Taleo and SuccessFactors. While together these companies make up less than 20% of the total market, their size and growth has made them companies to watch as this market continues to grow and mature.In October, SuccessFactors announced plans to raise an additional $180 Million through public sale of stock at a price around $15 per share. Not to be outdone, in November, Taleo announced plans to raise over $140 Million on the public market by selling shares at around $20 each.

Overseas Recruitment Assoc. Blog
Canadian Immigration And Health Insurance

Osrec

15 Jan 2010 | 11:02 am

My purpose is to discuss the important information that you’ll need to know if you are thinking about or planning on moving to Canada as a permanent resident. In this article, we’re going to talk about some of…
Canadian Immigration Documents

Osrec

15 Jan 2010 | 10:52 am

Your Personal and Financial Documents are very important when you submit your application for the Canadian Permanent Residence visa.I recommend sending with your application NOTARIZED copies of all the documents. You should be sending all the documents except…
Becoming an Expat with a New Job

Osrec

15 Jan 2010 | 10:49 am

People are getting very interested about high paid jobs in abroad to ensure a promising and lavish lifestyle. In the recent few years, demands of foreign workers in different countries have also increased. If you are a qualified professional, you can also apply for a job abroad. One of the primary reasons…
Break Out Of The Teaching Rut And Teach English In Hong Kong

Osrec

15 Jan 2010 | 10:43 am

Teaching English in Hong Kong is very exciting for anyone. There is great chances to opt in a career as a linguist in Hong kong. Speaking English is a major priority for the people of Hong Kong. The business world is always moving quickly, and global communication is vitally important. In order to compete…
English Teaching In Israel Can Be Immensely Rewarding

Osrec

15 Jan 2010 | 10:32 am

Are you considering instruction English in Israel? If so, here are a few key things you should know before you start your job hunt. In Israel, the need for English-speaking citizens has recently risen to epic proportions. With this increase in demand, finding a job instruction English in Israel…

Glennlist
Why We Can’t Stand Losing Passwords

Michael Glenn

3 Feb 2010 | 5:23 am

Forgot your password? No problem. Just follow the steps and answer the questions: A temporary password will be emailed to you along with an incredibly long link. However, you will not receive the email until 1 hour has elapsed for each attempted login. Once you have logged in with the temporary password you will need to answer the security questions below to ensure your identity and account protection. 1. What is the name of your first dog? 2. What is the name of your mother’s maiden name 3. Who is the first person you had sex with? 4. Where did you do it? 5. …
Play This Video Game To Get A Job!

Michael Glenn

2 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

The App store would be the Suck-ness Monster if it weren’t for the games. Everyone that has an iPhone will at some point download and play a game. According to Business Insider, of the 2 billion apps downloaded on Apple’s app store, 65% are games. We are talking over a bill-yun games that have been downloaded. Unlike Apple’s app store, every company career website is a big ball of suckness. It’s true. Company career web pages are bah-bah-boring. It’s time to level up. Offer up downloadable games on your career website. All the hype around employment branding and attracting top…
Now Your Dog Can Tweet - The Puppy Tweet

Michael Glenn

28 Jan 2010 | 12:18 pm

Yeah, like, you can have your dog or puppy tweet his daily activity. Seriously. Don’t believe it? Check out Puppy Tweets. It’s to be officially launched at next month’s Toy Fair in New York. How it works is simple. It’s a device that is a small sound and motion sensor worn on a dog’s collar and translates their barks or activities into Twitter posts. It communicates with a receiver that connects to your PC and only posts ‘pre-recorded’ tweets based on what the dog is doing. This is great when your Puppy is getting in the garbage can. Read more here. Share and…
Do You Have The Recruiting Sixth Sense?

Michael Glenn

28 Jan 2010 | 6:14 am

Good recruiting intuition takes time to build up. But once you develop your recruiting sixth sense you will know the job hoppers, the excuse makers, the troublemakers and the bullspitters (yeah, I said spitters, trying to keep it pg-13 folks). Remarkably, some Recruiters can simply read a resume and know instantly if the candidate is full of it. Some Recruiters need to have a phone screen and then make a determination. The rest of us need to meet face to face and then know why the candidate job hopped, were “let go”, and to gauge their work commitment. Trust me. You have the Recruiting…
Shareflow as a Recruiting Tool.

Michael Glenn

26 Jan 2010 | 5:50 am

Recruiters need certain things to survive like food, water, commissions and resumes. Take a look at Shareflow, you might not be able to survive without it. This is a great tool for Recruiters that need to work on staffing projects. Shareflow has been around before Google Wave and it uses technology in a way that allows the users to create and share documents on the web. Instead of using messy emails that get lost in your inbox, Recruiters can use Shareflow to create events, add links, videos and chat about it all in real time. While your inbox is collecting tons of emails, I foresee…

The Freak Factory
Top 7 Human Resources Blogs

drendall

2 Feb 2010 | 11:25 am

The Freak Factory is now listed on Alltop, a site that categorizes the best blogs on the internet. My blog is featured in the HR category. It's easy to find because it's the last one on the page. I like Alltop because it helps me to find blogs that match my specific interests. MyAlltop also allows me to create a page of my own favorite blogs. It's like a blog reader except everyone can see it. Below is my list of the Top 7 Human Resources blogs. 1. Renegade HR by Chris Ferdinandi - Check out How to Turn Average Performers into Rockstars. Chris argues that many potential high…
Your dream job is hiding inside of your biggest weakness

drendall

28 Jan 2010 | 10:32 am

Although many people have found jobs that allow them to flaunt their weaknesses, is is easy to conclude that there is no career that fits your unique flaws. But sometimes the perfect job for you is hiding inside the very words that you use to describe your shortcomings. - You are a control freak. I've written before about 10 jobs for controlling people, including financial controllers and air traffic controllers. - You're too critical. There are many jobs for that . . . food critic, music critic, movie critic, etc. You can get some practice by publishing online reviews, judging at local…
20 questions to help you discover your strengths and weaknesses

drendall

22 Jan 2010 | 9:09 am

If you like the freak factor concepts but aren't sure about your own strengths and weaknesses, this post is for you. Below are twenty questions to help you: increase your self-awareness clarify your own freak factor find a more fulfilling career. Strengths 1. What is the biggest success that I've ever had? 2. What was the happiest day of my life? What was I doing? Who was I with? 3. What was my favorite class in school? Which part did I like best? 4. What do others consistently praise me for? 5. What activities energize me? When do I lose track…
Freak of the Week: Allan Bacon

drendall

20 Jan 2010 | 2:10 pm

No, it's not Allyn Bacon, the publisher of education and social science books. This is Allan Bacon, author of the Avocationist blog, which is listed as an Alltop Career site. He wants to help you find your passion without leaving your day job. I met him at Pam Slim's Escape from Cubicle Nation event last summer in Charlotte. In the post below, Allan shares his weaknesses and how he has used these apparent flaws to build a fulfilling life, career and business. "My first weakness is that I'm too social. When I was on a YMCA soccer team as a child I got the 'Ma Bell Gossip Award' because…
More than half of Americans work for failure factories

drendall

15 Jan 2010 | 9:37 am

According to a CNN Money report, job satisfaction in the United States just hit a 22-year low. More than half of American employees are frustrated by their work. "The Conference Board's survey polled 5,000 households, and found that only 45% were satisfied in their jobs. That's down from 61.1% in 1987, the first year the survey was conducted. Even though one in 10 Americans is out of a job, those who are employed are increasingly dissatisfied. 'Through both economic boom and bust during the past two decades, our job satisfaction numbers have shown a consistent downward trend,' said Lynn…