Archive

January 2014

SHRM’s Metro Economic Outlook reports provide comprehensive analyses of the economies of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States. Click below for reports on the following California metro areas:

News Updates
January 31, 2014

With improved economic conditions come increases in staff turnover. As the market improves, HR professionals will be looking for new jobs of their own, according to the results of a new HR Jobs Pulse Survey, released Jan. 22, 2014, by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

News Updates
January 31, 2014
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In his 2014 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama announced he would instruct the U.S. Treasury to create a new kind of salary-deferral retirement savings vehicle, the "myRA," to give workers whose employers don't offer 401(k) plans a way to save for retirement.

News Updates
January 30, 2014
A couple of years ago when I know I was one of the few folks in the space regularly writing about robots at work and the potential impacts that were going to be realized from these developments, I used to get a boatload of Google search traffic simply from keyword searches on the word 'robot'. These days, I see much less of that kind of search directed traffic, even though I am probably writing even more frequently about the topic. 
 
January 30, 2014
Six years ago the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was buried under a backlog of patent applications, with few resources to ease the burden. After it revised its teleworking policies, the office slashed that backlog significantly. 
News Updates
January 30, 2014

On January 29, @WeKnowNext chatted with Brad Galin (@BradGalin) about Being Present.

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

 

January 29, 2014

On January 28, President Obama delivered his fifth State of the Union Address from the Capitol. The SHRM Government Affairs team and the Council for Global Immigration hosted a live Twitter chat to engage HR professionals in a conversation about the President's legislative agenda and HR public policy issues in the current Congress.  

January 29, 2014
When Teamwork Skills Are Lacking, What Do You Do?
 
I received a call from a potential client who was looking for some facilitated activities around teamwork. His goal was to enhance the teamwork skills of several team members who seemed to prefer working alone. When I asked him why he thought they preferred this and he said, “well they are introverted and you know how introverts are.”
 
January 29, 2014

Companies looking to pare health costs by requiring working spouses to get health insurance through their own employer may find the move has some unexpected consequences, according to a new study by the nonprofit Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

News Updates
January 29, 2014

What does it take to be an effective leader in today’s workplaces?  It’s a long list; however, one trait that will always appear at the top is being present.  Leaders have to get out of their offices and walk around so that they get to know their employees, professionally and personally.

To express sincere interest in an employee’s livelihood and well-being shows care and compassion, which, in turn, builds trust.  And trust encourages greater engagement and loyalty. 

January 28, 2014

Shifty eyes? Crossed arms? Gaps in the resume? 

To some, these things might signal that an employee or job applicant isn’t being entirely forthcoming. But detecting deception requires more than familiarity with body language or red flags on applications, HR experts say. 

News Updates
January 28, 2014

It’s January and all the posts about HR in 2014 are out. They discuss how we will change in 2014, what will be hot, what will fail and where we will be if we do not implement, adapt or conform to these new ideas. Some are the same ideas we have been discussing for years and others are truly revolutionary trends.

January 28, 2014

Confronting the growing burden of health care compliance documents

News Updates
January 27, 2014

The California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) is taking aim at employers for wage theft. In the latest example of the division’s aggressive stance, it claimed Little Lopez Corporation, a janitorial services provider, owed wages to 41 current and former employees and, following an investigation, has issued citations to the company totaling $332,675.

News Updates
January 24, 2014
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Employers should always strictly follow a wage garnishment court order, even when the person is not employed or appears not to earn enough money.

News Updates
January 23, 2014
The year ahead could see companies in China feeling the disruptive impact of technology, chief information officers becoming a hot commodity, the government focusing on job creation over growth, and shoddy infrastructure reaching its end life, according to Gordon Orr, director and chairman of McKinsey Asia, based in Shanghai.
 
In a recent podcast, Orr laid out two macro themes that will shape China in 2014: productivity growth and technology-based disruption.
 
News Updates
January 23, 2014

On January 22, @weknownext chatted with special guest Nisha Raghavan (@TheHRBuddy) about the topic "Trust in the Workplace."

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

 

January 22, 2014

Plaintiffs’ lawyers were falling over themselves last week in a race to the courthouse to sue Target as a result of its recent data breach. By at least one report, over 40 lawsuits have already been filed against Target, the first of which was filed the day after the breach became public.

News Updates
January 22, 2014
The new year is a common time for reflection. How do you get from where you are now to where you want to be in your career? So, I’m sharing lessons learned from my own career transition. First, I tackled the hardest step: getting unstuck. Now, here’s the next step in my career transformation story: getting real.
 
January 22, 2014

"The surest way to make employees untrustworthy is to distrust them -- and to show it." - Henry Stimson

January 21, 2014
Employers seeking high-skilled foreign talent must start identifying those who need sponsorship for new H-1B visa petitions now, well ahead of the April 1, 2014, start of the filing season. 
 
On April 1 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept cap-subject H-1B petitions for fiscal year (FY) 2015 for workers starting work on Oct. 1, 2014.
 
News Updates
January 21, 2014

As a certified professional, I try to challenge myself when it comes to recertification. Each year, instead of doing the same types of activities, I try to complete at least one activity in each section. And I try to find new ways to obtain recertification credits. This year, my goal is to use the new SHRMStore Credit-Approved Book program.

January 21, 2014

The Future of the Human Resource Profession

Presenter: Anna Tavis, Ph.D., HR People & Strategy (HRPS) 

January 28, 2014 - 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT 
Program length: 60 minutes
 

News Updates
January 20, 2014
It is no secret that the economic success of the world’s leading companies depends on the healthy marriage of strategic corporate initiatives and sound financial support. Experts say that’s probably why chief financial officers (CFOs) and other C-suite executives are being asked to be more innovative and collaborate with peers in other departments.
 
News Updates
January 20, 2014

When people were asked why they weren’t participating in their employer’s wellness program, most said they felt confident they could make changes on their own, according to new research from the nonprofit Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

News Updates
January 19, 2014

Reality shows have always been a hit, controversial and yet entertaining! I don't deny the fact that some of them are BS, too!

But here is the one show that is focused on making an impact by helping the audience find a job, learn what is happening behind the veil of job interview, and that brings you the tricks and tactics of a recruiter and the fresh and latest of the recruitment industry! The one that has its fingers on the pulse of recruitment industry-Top Recruiter the Competition on TopRecruiter.tv

January 18, 2014
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Just a few days after the federal government delayed online enrollment in federally run Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) marketplaces, California announced better news for small businesses that want to buy health insurance.

News Updates
January 17, 2014

Six years ago, I left the world of technology sales to join the “employee recognition” industry. At the time, trophy manufacturers and fulfillment houses were giving prizes to people for their organizational tenure. Much in the way one receives a class ring, employees were rewarded a milestone award that was centric to their company brand. These mementos served as badges of honor to certain employees. Then technology took over.

January 16, 2014

Workplace wellness programs can significantly lower health care costs by helping workers to better manage chronic diseases. However, encouraging workers to adopt healthier lifestyles may not noticeably reduce an employer's health costs or lead to lower net savings for otherwise healthy individuals, according to a new Rand Corp.

News Updates
January 16, 2014

On January 15, @weknownext chatted with special guest Emily Jasper (@EmilyJasper) about Creating Groundswells in HR.

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

 

January 15, 2014

As employers struggle with decisions regarding how to insure their employees in the changing health care landscape, brokers are using newly accessible data to help employers assess their options.

News Updates
January 15, 2014

What will challenge chief executive officers in 2014?

Human capital and how best to develop, manage, engage and retain talent were among the leading challenges cited in a new survey of executives from more than 1,000 companies worldwide.

News Updates
January 15, 2014

We begin the New Year with strong motivation to build on our experiences and set out to rid ourselves of the shortcomings of the past. We aspire with greatness to set goals and romanticize our dreams for the coming 12 months. So often, we focus on overcoming our weaknesses or eliminating our bad habits – quit smoking, eat healthier, drink less, exercise more. We cherish dreams of greatness for the year ahead, hoping to be not only better, but to attain perfection by ridding ourselves of everything we do poorly.

January 15, 2014

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provisions that took effect Jan. 1, 2014, require health care coverage for individual- and small-group markets on one of four levels—referred to as an essential health benefits package—bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

News Updates
January 14, 2014
By now you’re aware that we’ve entered a New Year.  The flurry of posts that flood blogs encouraging resolutions, new attitudes, new approaches, etc. have died down.  I love to see the positive launch into a new year because I think people are eager to start clean and move forward.
 
January 14, 2014

New protections for job applicants convicted of crimes, for employees who use medical marijuana and for workers’ private social media accounts are among the state laws that took effect in 2014. 

News Updates
January 14, 2014
 
Each year the SHRMStore announces its top-selling 8 products based on customer sales. Plus, we’ve listed the Great 8 for popular categories such as SHRM-Published and Accessories.
 
Many of the titles on the list are repeats from 2012 and even 2011. The top sellers year-to-year include books, DVDs, and software specific to:
 
  •  Employment law compliance
  •  Harassment training
  •  HR management
January 13, 2014
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Much like a groundswell where a massive storm can create huge waves and a rise in the sea level, a groundswell among large groups of individuals -- using the power of technology and social media to connect -- can create a major surge in support, approval and enthusiasm to accomplish goals. Companies have started using groundswells to inspire consumers to rally around a cause -- and a brand.  Procter & Gamble successfully created a groundswell around the Secret brand with their “Fearless” campaign.

January 13, 2014

In U.S. workplaces, men who speak at length are considered powerful.

News Updates
January 10, 2014
The king is dead. Long live the king!
 
Teens are beginning to drop Facebook like a bad habit; instead, taking advantage of messaging apps like What'sApp, Snapchat, and Instagram to social network.
 
January 9, 2014
Although some of America's largest companies—including Yahoo, Best Buy and Bank of America—banned or scaled back telework in 2013, a new study reveals that it’s on the rise for federal government employees.

In December 2013 the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released the 2013 Status of Telework in the Federal Government Report to Congress, which reviewed the implementation of the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010.

News Updates
January 9, 2014

The research, literature and advice available for employers around the issue of workplace wellness initiatives is massive.  Not only can one access reams of data that supports the benefits of implementing such programs but there are also a number of HR vendors (technology, service, and consultative) that can assist in management should your organization choose to focus on employee wellness. 

January 8, 2014

Robust during the first half of 2013, hiring in the information technology and engineering sectors slowed down considerably in the last quarter of the year, according to data recently released by two trade groups. And Robert Half Technology’s most recent hiring forecast indicates the slowdown might continue into the new year.

News Updates
January 8, 2014

I agree with leadership maven John Maxwell and others who have stated that that the key to leadership is influence.  In my view, leadership is influence.

I have read a great deal about levels of leadership and level of influence. For this blog, however, I have divided influence, upon which leadership hinges, into three general categories:

First, there is influence based on positional authority.  Get it done because I am your boss.

January 7, 2014
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With all of the attention being paid to the public health insurance exchanges established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), it's easy to overlook the growth in private health insurance exchanges that has taken place in recent years.

News Updates
January 6, 2014

It’s not what you know that can hurt you; it’s what you don’t know.

That adage is particularly appropriate today as Congress quietly considers an issue that could affect every American—yet few are aware of it.

While every conscientious HR professional has been working overtime to keep up with the evolving status of the Affordable Care Act, developments with immigration reform, and the implications of new workplace rules, something else has been happening behind closed doors on Capitol Hill.

January 6, 2014

As many companies are still in the midst of their planning for 2014, there are a number of factors that will impact the way they hire new talent and manage their employees. As the HR space is constantly changing, with new ideas and technologies constantly cropping up, organizations need to identify how the latest developments can improve their talent management processes and figure out how they can be integrated into their current systems.

January 6, 2014

Global professional services firm Mercer has produced surveys of multinational employers showing that most intend to increase the number of employees they send on both long-term and short-term global assignments over the next two years. While some employers have large, mature mobility programs with hundreds of expatriates in dozens of countries, others have small, newer programs.

News Updates
January 6, 2014
 
 
Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, employer-provided coverage is considered "unaffordable" if it:
  • Costs more than 9.5 percent of the employee's W-2 wages, or
  • Doesn’t cover an average of 60 percent of the employee's medical expenses.
If an employer does not provide affordable coverage, the employee can shop for insurance through a public exchange and may qualify for federal tax credits.
 
News Updates
January 3, 2014

Demand keeps compensation competitive; experience is a plus.

News Updates
January 3, 2014
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In January, layoff rates will fall in manufacturing and
services compared with a year ago, while job growth will
be tempered in both sectors, according to the Society
News Updates
January 2, 2014

Morale boosters can lift workers out of January slump 

News Updates
January 2, 2014

The new year can present an uncomfortable task for HR managers, who may find themselves having to say the following to underperforming employees: “Happy holidays; you’re doing a terrible job.”

News Updates
January 2, 2014
For those who rely on technology to conduct HR business, 2013 was a good year. HR technology vendors’ long-promised improvements in the user experience, workforce analytics tools and mobile capabilities became a reality.  
 
Here’s a look at the major HR technology developments of 2013 and trends to watch in 2014.
 
Recruiting Technology
News Updates
January 1, 2014
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