February manufacturing-sector hiring activity will reach a four-year high, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) survey for February 2013.
Surveyed manufacturers reported their hiring rates will increase a net of 47.2 percent, while service-sector companies reported a net increase in hiring activity of 33.1 percent for February 2013.
Very few people are more engaged than rabid sports fans. And big sporting events, like the Super Bowl, can bring out the sports fan in all of us. Some employers are turning the passion and energy of sports fans to their advantage and are using the Super Bowl to build a stronger sense of community and pride among their staffs.
Managers should take the time to recognize all employees on a regular basis, experts say—focusing on behaviors they want to reinforce—rather than singling out certain individuals or groups at scheduled times.
On January 30, SHRM @WeKnowNext chatted with David Kovacovich (@DavidKovacovich) about How Organizations Can Tame Social Media's Wild West.
In case you missed it, here are all the great tweets from the chat:
In a final rule published in the Jan. 25, 2013, Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) altered the definition of “breach” under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy, Security and Enforcement Rules.
The rule implements the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (the HITECH Act), which amended HIPAA.
Productivity is a key metric on the shop floor of Industrial Mold and Machine in Twinsburg, Ohio. But when manufacturing workers there wanted to collaborate with colleagues on ways to improve the output of their metal-cutting machines, they had to leave their workstations to access computer kiosks located around the plant.
Face it: Most HR consultants are not natural salespeople. But in order to nurture and maintain a thriving practice, they must continue to feed the pipeline with prospects and work to turn those prospects into customers. Here’s how.
Building a Network
There’s been a lot of conversation lately about the role of social media in today’s workplace. While we’ve pretty much established that social media is here to stay, there are still many workplaces that discourage -- if not totally prohibit -- the use of social media (or any internet activity) at work.
Hiring a consulting firm to develop or support a diversity and inclusion (D&I) function is fine, experts say, as long as senior leaders drive the organization’s diversity strategy. Before seeking outside help, therefore, it’s important to ensure executive buy-in and support, experts say.
One surprising result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) may be that lower-paid employees hope their employers will offer no or unaffordable health insurance, according to John Woyke, an attorney at Brody and Associates in Westport, Conn. That way, they’ll qualify for “pretty generous” subsidies to buy coverage on health care exchanges, he said during a Jan. 16, 2003, firm webcast.
Subsidy Eligibility
I was reading this federal court opinion over the weekend. It involves a disability-discrimination claim brought by a deaf man who applied to become a lifeguard at a county pool, but didn't get the job because the county thought his disability would compromise swimmer safety. Plus, the town was not convinced that it could accommodate the deaf applicant because it couldn't be 100% certain that he could safely be on the lifeguard stand alone, without someone constantly by his side.
Folks, I'm guilty.
On January 23, SHRM @WeKnowNext chatted with Craig Fisher (@Fishdogs) about hiring manager and recruiter buyer's remorse.
In case you missed it, here are all the great tweets from the chat:
I love puzzles! I mean it. I love the challenge of opening a box and seeing thousands of tiny, misshapen pieces that only show a portion of a bigger picture. To be honest, I like puzzles that are also a little unique. I’m not a big fan of the large, scenic panoramas. If it’s something that challenges you and comes out with a very cool end product – then I’m in.
At Christmas, the kids and I all got puzzles. Here’s a look at them . . .
Cool puzzle of the US made up of license plates!
A majority of global employers are less confident about adding staff this year than they were at the start of 2012, suggesting a more difficult time ahead for international job seekers, according to ManpowerGroup’s first-quarter 2013 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, released Dec. 11, 2012.
Some hiring managers and recruiters call it buyer’s remorse. After a brilliant interview, you hire a candidate that you believe is the perfect fit for the job. A few weeks later, you’re wondering what happened to the person you originally interviewed.
Corporate wellness is not just the physical and mental wellness for employees. Corporate Wellness can also refer to the health and well-being of corporate systems like email. For 2013, resolve to get your inbox in shape and rethink how you use email as a communication tool.
In January 2013 the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) released a series of "State of Employee Benefits in the Workplace" reports, based on surveys fielded among SHRM members in 2012. Key findings highlighted the benefits most often used to help recruit and retain employees, and organizations' efforts to communicate the value of employer-sponsored benefits.
Recruitment
The 2012-2013 flu season has hit early and hard. The severity of the flu outbreak has left many employers pondering if their organizations’ health and attendance policies are helping or hampering their efforts to keep the flu from spreading.
Think for a moment about every interaction you had yesterday.
A few text messages, a slew of e-mails. The phone rang a few times. You met a colleague for a quick afternoon coffee. You watched a YouTube video. You clicked around Facebook and read a few blogs. You did a Google search on your phone because you had to know exactly what “capers” really were. There was that hour (or more) spent poring over data, correcting someone else’s oversight, scratching out the inklings of a great idea, and then … you did it all again today.
This isn’t just your life.
We’re about a month into 2013…hard to believe, eh? I wanted to see how those resolutions are coming along.
Don’t worry if you didn’t set any resolutions – there’s still time. Or if you’ve already forgotten about them, you can start again. The important part of resolutions is having something you want work toward that’s important to you.
On January 9, SHRM We Know Next chatted with John Hudson (@JohnPHudson) about the topic: "Should Recruiters Judge Candidates by Their Social Media Profiles?"
Among the numerous Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) terms that have left employers scratching their heads, few are as puzzling as what constitutes “affordable” health care.
Men value—and benefit from—workplace flexibility, research and experts say, regardless of their personal circumstances. Yet men can be more reluctant than women to use such options, even when available, unless a flexible culture exists.
I have been thinking a lot about wellness initiatives for the past couple of years perhaps due to having participated in Illinois annual Workplace Wellness WOWIE Awards a couple years back. ILSHRM in partnership with Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Illinois has really created an excellent program in acknowledging companies across Illinois in their wellness efforts as well as encouraging others to step it up a notch!
I'd like to call your attention to what is essentially more wood for the fire of the seemingly endless 'Skills gap' debate - a summary of some recent research by two Northeastern University academics, William Dickens and Rand Ghayad, titled 'It's not a skills mismatch: Disaggregate evidence on the US-unemployment-vacancy relationship' posted this past weekend on the Vox site.
U.S. companies that expand operations into regions where skills training is a strategic, long-term and collaborative effort endorsed by educators, government agencies and the business community will have a distinct advantage over competitors, according to ManpowerGroup.
Should job seekers clean up their social media profiles when actively searching for a job?
Perhaps it would be wise to delete the “I hate my boss” posts, the mug shot of your wild weekend in Vegas, or the rants about your disdain for baby seals. But the weekend pictures where you are having a beer or a glass of wine and a great time? Those funny cat memes? Where’s the harm?
Social networking sites have an intended purpose, but most are created for people to share their experiences and to show a personal side.
People who work from home say they expect to be outfitted with the latest technology in order to work more effectively, according to a new survey.
TeamViewer, which provides remote control and online meetings software, surveyed 500 American adults who work from home either full time or part time. The study was released Dec. 4, 2012.
According to the survey, telecommuters said that their work did not suffer, despite not being in the office, with nearly nine out of 10 (88 percent) of telecommuters saying they are equally as or more productive working from home.
The author of the first-person account below is vice present for people at Confluence, a 130-employee, Pittsburgh-based financial services technology firm.
Without leadership, a business enterprise will eventually fail. Survival is possible without a strategy but seldom over the long haul. Great strategy with lousy execution isn’t worth the piece of paper it is written on. The consequence of these proclamations is obvious. Get it right, bring it all together and you have commercial magic. The glue that binds leadership, strategy, and execution is people – quality individuals at the board level, in the C-suite, in the office, on the factory floor, and in the field.
On January 9, SHRM We Know Next chatted with Laurie Ruettimann (@LRuettimann) and Tim Sackett (@TimSackett) about the topic "Why HR Still Has an Image Problem."
It’s a brand new year, a time where many people attack their New Year’s resolutions with excitement and resolve. If you were one of the many people whose resolution involves finding a new job or making career change, you may be wondering where to start. Here are nine steps you can take today to position yourself well to find your next gig.
A number of bills introduced in the 112th Congress that did not result in legislation likely will be re-introduced in the 113th Congress, beginning in January. Following are a few that we may see again.
Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Have you ever worked for an extraordinary leader?
I have. It can be a life-enhancing experience.
Leadership is an awesome responsibility. The best leaders are acutely aware of the impact they have and at the same time recognize that leadership isn’t about them. It is about helping people become who they are capable of becoming in an effort to get the best results.
Already-weary sponsors of group health plans must now prepare to calculate and pay yet another significant fee resulting from health care reform. On Dec. 7, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published in the Federal Register proposed regulations regarding the “transitional reinsurance program” under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
On Jan. 2, 2013, the Internal Revenue Service published in the Federal Register a proposed rule, "Shared Responsibility for Employers Regarding Health Coverage," with guidance on complying with the requirement that large employers provide affordable health care coverage to employees under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The proposed rule has a comment period that ends on March 18, 2013.
Aretha Franklin was on to something. She sang it loud and proud, "All I want, honey, is a little respect." And that applies to work as well. The number one reason people leave a job? A disrespecting boss. Not lack of money. Lack of respect.
What if joy was a leader's responsibility? A skill required. An expectation of good leadership. A competency no less important than thinking strategically or leading change.
What is joy?
Instead of a raise, some employees will see their take-home pay shrink in 2013 due to higher Social Security and Medicare taxes.
The maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) increasedto $113,700 from $110,100 as of January 2013, the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) announced on Oct. 16, 2012.
On Jan. 1, 2013, Congress passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (H.R. 8), preventing the U.S. from going over the impending “fiscal cliff,” and President Barack Obama signed the bill into law the following day.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) put all its cards on the table in its new strategic enforcement plan, which the commission approved Dec. 17, 2012. The plan noted that the commission will focus enforcement efforts on hiring, pay and harassment.
So there shouldn’t be much guesswork among employers in prioritizing their EEO compliance efforts for 2013 or, theoretically, for the next four years covered by the plan.
Last month, I wrote a blog titled, “A Holiday Tale by a Jewish Guy Who Wears a Chai.” I wanted to address the serious potholes we navigate around the holiday season, but in a fun way.
I dedicated the blog post to my grandparents. I shared how I miss lighting the menorah candles with them.
In response to the post, I had a lot of conversations with clients and other friends about the legal and HR issues raised. But more than that, many shared with me stories about memories of holidays past with their grandparents and others no longer with us.
On January 2, SHRM We Know Next chatted with SHRM's Knowledge Center Operations Manager Margaret Fiester (@SHRMKnowledge) about the topic "Helicopter Parents Descend Upon the Workplace."
I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions. Everyone else, though, has their top ten lists of resolutions for 2013. And for HR, everyone wants you to go socially mobile into the Cloud.
Me? Not so much.
I am big on “to do” lists, though. And, while there’s lots for HR to do in 2013, here are my top 4:
After months of intense effort to win election to Congress, it might seem like the hard work is done. But for many incoming members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, it’s just beginning.
As the new legislators scramble to set up their offices in Washington, they must make critical decisions about staffing that will impact their effectiveness throughout their terms. Mistakes are common and can be costly.
One of the most important pieces of advice new legislators get, and one of the hardest to follow, is “Don’t rush to hire your staff.”
The training and development (T&D) sector will be shaped in the year ahead by some current trends, according to AMA Enterprise, a division of American Management Association that provides assessment, measurement and tailored learning solutions.
