HR is in a boring field. We are in business of mitigating risk and keeping our executives out of trouble. There are very few bold predictions for 2012.
Here is my attempt to gaze into a crystal ball and tell you about the upcoming year.
For many demographers and social scientists, the long-awaited year has come and gone, almost. It was estimated that between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2011, more than 7,000 people would turn 65 years old every single day. Those numbers are astounding.
In AARP's 2010 survey of boomers turning 65 in 2011 finds this first wave of the boomer generation were generally satisfied with their lives and optimistic about the next third of life. Financial security and improving their health were a few top concerns which affected their outlook about the future, and their retirement plans.
If you own a small business, where every hire counts, or if you are hiring someone for a key role, don’t get complacent after you’ve interviewed your ideal candidate. Too often, leaders set their minds on a candidate and delegate the rest of the hiring process as a pro forma exercise. Doing so is a mistake no company, these days, can afford.
Much has been said about Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, whose come-from-behind victories during the 2011 NFL season have been chronicled far beyond the sports pages. The second-year player out of the University of Florida makes exceedingly public displays of his Christian faith. That bothers some people. But aside from that divisive issue, one important question about the Tebow saga carries significance for the business world:
Is Tim Tebow a great leader?
At SHRM we have been researching some of the factors that are affecting job growth in the U.S. This is important information for HR professionals who are on the frontline and in the trenches dealing with the filling of jobs. Although there are many reasons that U.S. job growth is very slow, SHRM Research has identified some problematic issues that need solutions from HR professionals.
With 20 slides and 5 minutes, Joe Gerstandt brings a new clarity to what diversity is, why it matters and how it shows up in our work and our relationships with others.
What does flexibility have to do with social media?
Plenty. Social media can help employees stay engaged—particularly those who work remotely.
That’s what conference attendees learned during a session at the inaugural Work-Life Focus: 2012 and Beyond Conference held recently in Washington, D.C.
Sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Families and Work Institute (FWI), the conference served as a chance for HR professionals to learn how to implement flexible work options into their workplaces.
When creating a social media recruitment strategy, there are 3 critical considerations every employer or talent organization must address directly and comprehensively. The good news is, you already know the answers to these crucial questions, and while unique to every company, recruiter and job opportunity, those answers provide a strategic, measurable framework for social recruiting success.
The holidays are a wonderful time to share good feelings and sometimes that includes gifts. But you don’t want your seasonal gift to result in a January gift for plaintiffs’ lawyers.
Now is a good time to look at your policies on giving and receiving gifts and remind employees of their application to the holiday season. Here are some suggestions:
I saw Jack Welch speak at the 2009 Society for Human Resource Management's annual conference in New Orleans. Welch delivered the opening speech for the conference and completely dissed the idea of work-life balance for women in corporate America.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Welch told the audience, "There's no such thing as work-life balance. There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences."
HR embraces gaming as way to inspire, motivate and train employees
More companies are choosing “serious” games and simulations over traditional training methods for their ability to mimic real-world work challenges and keep employees engaged in learning.
During the month of November, the U.S. traditionally celebrates Veterans Day, focusing attention on those who have served our country through military service. It is a time to reflect not only on their contributions but also on their post-service needs, which have evolved over the years. One key challenge today, for example, is how to successfully seek employment after service.
When it comes to using social media websites for recruiting - what we call social recruiting - how far is too far? Beyond learning the hard way what works and what doesn’t, there are some best practices emerging to help recruiters know when they’ve pushed the proverbial envelope too far. And hiring professionals are discovering a new line of recruiting applications and tools built into applicant tracking software to help them rise above the same old hashtag to better identify, connect with and place viable candidates.
3 Lessons Learned from the Trenches
Late November, I had the privilege of delivering the luncheon keynote address to the 1,000 volunteer leaders gathering in Washington, D.C., for the annual Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) Leadership Conference.
File this one under Idle Curiosity.
CareerBuilder has released a survey noting senior leaders’ workplace habits and personal characteristics. Ever wonder if CEOs go out for lunch or bring a brown bag? What kind of car does the chief finance officer drive? Is the senior vice president of marketing more likely to wear black or red?
Now you know:
Typical Office Attire
Workplace flexibility initiatives are moving more workers out of cubicles and into home offices. This can represent meaningful cost savings for companies, reduced stress for employees and higher productivity. The challenge for management is to keep these isolated employees working well together.
How are you devising ways to make isolated employees feel connected?
We want to hear from you! Share your stories in the comments section below. We’ll feature the most interesting and instructional ones on Next.
SHRM’S Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) report tracks trends in the labor market on a monthly basis, including hiring projections released one month ahead of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Employment Situation report. Exclusive metrics also include new-hire compensation trends and recruiting difficulty, as well as job vacancies in exempt and nonexempt employment.
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The Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) Report predicts that hiring expectations in both the service and manufacturing sectors will decrease slightly compared with a year ago.
Often, working remotely is the simplest accommodation for a host of impairments
The use of telework as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has increased in recent years, experts say.
It’s unclear, though, how much of the increase was spurred by 2008 amendments that brought many short-term disabilities and illnesses under the act’s jurisdiction and how much is attributable to the boom in businesses’ adoption of telework, they said.
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