Archive

August 2013

The Next Blog was created to help facilitate a conversation between practicing HR pros and non-HR audiences about the strategic importance of the HR profession. Next Official Bloggers create and contribute meaningful posts that explore the latest trends and best practices for the HR profession.

We compiled a list of Next Official Bloggers as a resource for our readers. You can find them below with the links to their individual author pages on the Next Blog, to their Twitter profiles and to their personal blogs, as well.

Enjoy!

August 29, 2013
We get so caught up, as HR professionals, in trying to justify our existence, telling anyone who will listen and tweeting to the Twittersphere, that we matter and we add value. We spend so much time that we lose sight of why we are really here for our organizations. We are here to cultivate and develop human resources. We are here to make sure these resources have the tools and environment to learn, develop and succeed. This may not directly generate revenue. This may not get us on the front page of our intranet or the cover of CEO Fancy, but it is our job. We choose to do this.
August 29, 2013
Having a social media policy—and training employees to follow it—are critical practices for every organization. Even if your company is not using social media, you still need a policy because your employees are using it in their private lives and they need guidelines to protect your interests and your organization’s reputation.
 
News Updates
August 29, 2013

On August 28, @weknownext chatted with special guests, HR and Social Media "Nextperts," Aliah Wright (@1SHRMScribe),  Jay Kuhns (@JayKuhns), Jessica Miller (@blogging4jobs

August 28, 2013
 
Welcome to leadership. You’re now a manager, with direct reports. Congratulations!
 
I moved into my first formal leadership role in my late 20s. I was a top sales performer, and I saw my promotion to sales management as the natural next step in my career. I was energized, armed with big ideas, and ready to change everything — immediately!
 
You already know what’s coming next.
 
August 28, 2013
 
Employers are reassessing the way that they manage their global mobility programs, especially in the areas of immigration, taxes and international employment law.
 
Increasingly, employers are shifting to globally integrated operating models, requiring them to design new organizational structures, governance models and business processes. In this transformation, HR will be a change agent.
 
News Updates
August 28, 2013
Organization leaders should take a cue from their employees and spend some time on social media, experts said.
 
Even though employees may misuse social media—and need to be trained on what is and is not acceptable—it is a powerful tool that companies can use to promote ethical practices and culture, a recent study found.  
 
News Updates
August 27, 2013
Never in the history of marketing has there been so much talk about branding. The conversation in the world of branding is well beyond product and service brand discussion by marketers and ad agencies. Branding has proliferated big time – we now have personal brands, country brands, political brands, cause-related brands, even cultural brands. The ramification is clutter, the arch enemy of brand identity.  So, wouldn’t you expect a heck of a lot more corporate attention to commercial brands?
August 27, 2013

As more American employers turn to high-deductible health plans to reign in escalating health care expenses, many are offering health savings accounts (HSAs) in an effort to encourage workers to make cost-conscious health care decisions. But according to a recent survey by financial services firm Fidelity Investments, two-thirds (65 percent) of Americans who make household health-benefit decisions simply do not understand how an HSA works.

News Updates
August 26, 2013

In a recently article by McKinsey “Help Wanted: The future of work in Advanced Economies” (March 2012), the author mentions 5 trends that are influencing employment levels. One of which is untapped talents; “Advanced economies have growing pools of underused talent: older workers, women, and youth”. This segment of the population, more specifically: Retirees, stay at home moms and university students can fill a much needed void in the economy. They can help companies reduce or fill skill gaps.

August 26, 2013

The multitude of new HR systems and solutions currently on the market all promise to bring greater efficiencies to the way we conduct our talent management processes.  And as HR technology continues to evolve, so has the way these solutions are implemented.  Long gone are the days of on-premise implementations and heavy involvement from the IT department; as SaaS-delivered solutions have become the norm, organizations can simply implement a new system with the press of a button.

August 26, 2013

Did you know that 43 percent of companies block their employees from social networking sites, according to SHRM research? Yet, statistics show that by 2014, that number will drop to fewer than 30 percent.

The fear is that they’ll goof off on Facebook, look for jobs on LinkedIn, or Tweet something that could damage the corporate brand.

But nothing can be further from the truth.

Let’s look at some stats.

August 23, 2013

Yesterday, I had the great opportunity to participate in the SHRM #NextChat focused on women in business. After answering the questions, I realized that there’s a theme to my answers — flexibility is key.

August 22, 2013
In Reality-Based Leadership, expert Fast Company blogger Cy Wakeman reveals how to be the kind of leader who changes the way people think about and perceive their circumstances - one who deals with the facts, clarifies roles, gives clear and direct feedback, and insists that everyone do the same - without drama or defensiveness.
August 22, 2013
Dangle a carrot in front of a horse and he’ll pull the cart faster. Set down a bag of oats and a team of horses will come running. It doesn’t take more than a month in an HR office to figure out that incentives work pretty well on humans, too.
 
News Updates
August 22, 2013

On August 21, @weknownext chatted with special guest Emily Jasper (@emilyjasper) about some of the most important issues that women are currently facing in the workplace and what they can do to get around them.

In case you missed it, here are all of the great tweets from the chat...

 

August 21, 2013
Bob Filner. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Herman Cain. Samuel Kent. Suzanne Barr.
 
What do these five people have in common? All are (or were) powerful professionals or politicians whose reputations and careers were blemished by allegations that they sexually harassed others.
 
At a time when companies and government entities are pouring money and manpower into preventing sexual harassment, how can some leaders—despite being smart, educated and worldly—still not get it?  
 
News Updates
August 21, 2013
Talent acquisition has always been an important part of effective talent management. This has become especially evident over the last 15 years, as the rapid evolution of technology and major shifts in the world economy have tested traditional processes. From the Dotcom boom to the Great Recession, a lot has changed in the world of work -- and many organizations struggle to keep up.
 
Reactionary Recruiting Doesn’t Work, Y’all!
August 21, 2013
A few months ago I attempted to make a video job description with a colleague for a new paid internship we just opened for Generation Listen. It bombed. Our intentions were in the right place, but our execution missed. I’ve tried a few others. Some turned out okay, some were so bad they couldn’t make a blooper real. I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned so far as I’ve experimented with video.
 
August 20, 2013
At a time when professional development is mandatory at many companies and 360-degree feedback is the rage, nearly two in three CEOs in North America fail to seek outside leadership training, according to a recent survey led by Stanford University.
 
News Updates
August 20, 2013
Number of female Fortune 500 CEOs: 21
 
Number of Fortune 500 that have zero female board members: 50
 
Percent that GDP would rise if women were paid equally to men: 5
 
Amount that women lose over the course of career due to not negotiating for raises: $1.5 million
 
August 19, 2013
I know, many of you are thinking, “Happy workers? I just want them to come to work and be productive!” Don’t worry, I think today’s discussion will be helpful for you as well.
 
August 19, 2013

The Next Blog was created to help facilitate a conversation between practicing HR pros and non-HR audiences about the strategic importance of the HR profession. Next Official Bloggers create and contribute meaningful posts that explore the latest trends and best practices for the HR profession.

We compiled a list of Next Official Bloggers as a resource for our readers. You can find them below with the links to their individual author pages on the Next Blog, to their Twitter profiles and to their personal blogs, as well.

Enjoy!
 

August 16, 2013
Very few things in this life are set in stone. While businesses do operate under budgets and have set amounts that they are able to pay per position, there is often quite a bit of wiggle room in the salary negotiation process. Here is a quick three-item list of things you can negotiate with a potential new employer.
 
Salary
August 15, 2013
As more Baby Boomers approach age 65, they are confronting the complexities of making first-time Medicare enrollment decisions.
 
“At many companies, retiring used to mean transitioning from your employer’s health plan to a retiree health plan,” said Paula Muschler, manager of the Allsup Medicare Advisor. “Now, rather than selecting from one or two employer-provided options, more individuals are faced with trying to navigate through dozens of different Medicare plan options,” Muschler said in a media release.
 
News Updates
August 15, 2013

On August 14, @weknownext chatted with special guest Steve Levy (@levyrecruits) to discuss what it will take to improve the image of the HR profession.

In case you missed it, here are all of the great tweets from the chat...

Part One: 

 

August 14, 2013

Summer interns come and go, and some are so wonderful that you feel the need to write about them.

This summer, I had the pleasure of working with Lindsey Allen. Lindsey is the social media summer intern in the Public Affairs Department and, as a soon-to-be senior at Virginia Tech, she will be leaving SHRM on Aug. 21.  She helped manage the We Know Next campaign this summer, among several other projects within the department -- and she is awesome.

August 14, 2013
Part-time workers in the U.S. are 54 percent more likely to report having been diagnosed with depression than their full-time counterparts, and those with a history of depression miss 57 percent more workdays than do full-time employees with the same background, according to a new Gallup poll.
 
News Updates
August 14, 2013
That George Costanza was definitely on to something.
 
A federal court in Virginia (here) recently denied an employer's attempt to dismiss the complaint of a former employee who claimed that his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act were violated when his employer failed to accommodate him by waking him when he fell asleep on the job.
 
August 14, 2013

At the 2011 SHRM national conference, former SHRM President Susan Meisinger chaired a session entitled, “10 Things Your CEO Will Never Tell You but HR Needs to Know.”  Why wouldn’t a CEO be compelled to tell the head of HR what they tell others who sit around the table? Why, why, why?

The core issue seems to be one of HR having both a longstanding identity problem and a fairly widespread public relations problem.

"That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain” –Hamlet.

August 13, 2013
Dear Mr/Ms Manager –
 
I hope you’re having a super week.  I realize it’s a busy time of year for you, but I trust you’ll indulge me and read this quick note that I’ve jotted down and sent to you about managing people.
 
No doubt you’ve attended some training courses/classes on how to effectively manage people.  And even if you never have, it’s pretty easy to find tips and resources ANYWHERE.  Go ahead – google “tips for managers” or something similar and you’ll find more info than you can possibly devour in a few sittings.
August 13, 2013
More than half of HR leaders responding to a recent survey strongly agreed that their role has required them to manage increasing levels of complexity in recent years, and that they feel ill-equipped to cope, according to results released July 18, 2013, by global talent management firm Lumesse.
 
News Updates
August 13, 2013
Summer is typically the peak employment season for teens; yet the percentage of America’s 16-to-19-year-olds who land jobs during the sunny months has plummeted over the past decade, and so far this summer, the percentage already lags behind last year’s figures.
 
News Updates
August 12, 2013
In a video, three men from three different generations explain to three different audiences why they won’t share their wealth with relatives. Each uses the same words, tones and gestures, but it’s the oldest man whom viewers dislike the most, according to a poll of the audiences.
 
News Updates
August 9, 2013

As almost everyone now knows, Sheryl Sandberg is the COO of Facebook.  She is also the author of the ground-breaking book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead .

I have read the book twice.  Simply put, I think it is a brilliant manifesto for women and men alike.

Yet, the acclaim is not universal.  To the contrary, the book has been met with some hot criticism.

August 8, 2013
Trends data show that as U.S. unemployment rates drop during economic recoveries, wages traditionally increase for the country’s workforce. But many employees are still waiting for a better payday.
 
August 8, 2013
It is no secret that strategic leadership is critically important for today’s executives, and even more so for HR professionals charged with delivering HR services effectively and developing adaptive leaders who drive the business forward. 
 
News Updates
August 8, 2013

On August 7, @weknownext chatted with special guest Emilie Mecklenborg (@EmilieMeck) about the importance of creating a personal brand.

In case you missed it, here are all the great tweets from the chat...

 

August 7, 2013
In August, half of manufacturers and more than one-third of service-sector companies will conduct hiring, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) survey for August 2013.
    August 7, 2013

    The American Heart Association reports that more than 154 million U.S. adults are overweight or obese. And according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 39 percent of U.S. employees say they work in white-collar professions, which can mean spending a lot of time sitting at a desk.

    News Updates
    August 7, 2013
    The definitive guide for using social media to build more effective organizations.
     
    August 6, 2013

    Generation Y’s desire for transparency and near-instant feedback will mark the end of recruiting as we know it, predicted Doug Douglas, managing director and partner of Texas-based Providence Partners, which helps companies with strategic recruitment plans.

    News Updates
    August 6, 2013

    India Outsourcing Service Changed in the United States

    Indian consulates in the U.S. awarded a new contract to BLS International Services Limited to provide visa and other immigration services to U.S. residents, since July 1, 2013.

    The previous provider, Travisa Outsourcing, ended its services on June 28, 2013.

    News Updates
    August 5, 2013
    What’s more important – experience or influence?  IQ or Klout?  These are the questions companies are beginning to ask as we move from a knowledge economy to a social economy.
     
    August 2, 2013

    Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah issued a royal decree June 23, 2013, shifting the nation’s weekend for public workers from Thursday and Friday to Friday and Saturday, beginning June 28.

    News Updates
    August 2, 2013
    We all know the importance of employer branding in talent acquisition – it has become one of those buzzwords in the HR industry that everyone likes to talk about and most people like to claim they are doing right. But employment branding is so much more than just posting jobs on social media sites. Instead, the most successful companies recognize that employer branding is critical to not just finding talent, but ensuring that HR strategy is aligned with overall business strategy.
     
    August 1, 2013

    In the coming two years, more than 5,000 U.S. minors and young adults could have their criminal records expunged with the help of $26 million in federal grants, which means that their future employers may never know about their convictions.

    Or, if employers do find out about the erased convictions—and today’s technology makes this possible—that raises the question: Do laws or regulations prevent them from discriminating against applicants because of their criminal history?

    News Updates
    August 1, 2013