February 2000. Pets.com, an online pet supplies company, made its Initial Public Offering on the US stock market. Shares began trading at $11 but reached a high of $14. Pets.com were on a roll. In the New Year they won numerous advertising awards for their website, and were ranked number one by USA Today’s AD Meter for their first national commercial. Just 9 months later pets.com was liquidated with a share price of $0.19.
Archive
July 2014
Casablanca is viewed by many as one of the greatest movies of all time, and it is certainly among my favorite movies. It is hard to argue with Humphrey Bogart in his prime, especially as a cynical nightclub owner, simultaneously wooing Ingrid Bergman and sticking it to the Nazis. Here’s what IMDB has to say:
Set in unoccupied Africa during the early days of World War II, an American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.
Breaches of confidentiality via Facebook and other social media are more common than most of us would like to think. Employees post information about customers, clients, and patients on Facebook, in violation of internal company policies and privacy laws, such as HIPAA, for example. I recently wrote about a plaintiff who could not collect a sizeable settlement payment because his daughter posted about the settlement on Facebook, which s
Youngest workers likely to 'power up' challenges to traditional workplaces.
With some high school tech wizards drawing posh Silicon Valley salaries and other teenagers nearing their grown-up working years, it’s not too soon to explore how members of “Generation Z” may shape, and shake up, the workplace.
When the Kohler Company began using more contingent workers following the Great Recession, HR leaders there sought a certain type of vendor management system (VMS) to help manage the shift in workforce strategy. Two top requirements in a VMS were advanced reporting capabilities and an ability to address contractor-related security issues, said David Pittner, a senior HR analyst and head of external labor management with Wisconsin-based Kohler, which makes kitchen and bath products.
Before you think this is a post about Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, it really takes a different twist (even though I’m a devout Python fan !!)
C-level relationships matter most, while digital marketing skills add value.
Chief marketers who report directly to CEOs are likely to earn more than their peers, according to a new study by the 7,000-member Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council. Additionally, good peer relationships provide an advantage as the most highly paid CMOs have forged close partnerships with chief financial officers and chief information officers.
“Act like you own the place,” is a silly slogan when people are treated like expendable cogs in machines.
Hypocritical leaders expect people to act like owners while being treated like employees. Everyone knows its sleazy manipulation.
Employees don’t take ownership when they are treated like employees.
Central concern:
Owners run the place.
Although 63 percent of employees at small businesses say they are extremely or very satisfied with their job, many think there's room for improvement when it comes to their benefits packages. Only 12 percent are extremely satisfied with their benefits and only 14 percent believe their benefits package meets their current family needs extremely well, according to the 2014 Aflac WorkForces Report for Small Businesses.
California’s retailers are not legally required to provide automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in anticipation of medical emergencies inside their stores, the California Supreme Court ruled.
The court ruled in favor of Target Corp. in Verdugo v. Target, a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of a woman who died in 2008 after suffering sudden cardiac arrest at a Target store in Pico Rivera.
I have worked in the talent acquisition world for many years. I got started while working as a manager in the manufacturing world and then shifted my focus to the HR generalist side in the non profit and professional services space. Over 8 years ago I moved to the Executive Search world where I work with candidates every week, if not every day.
Many organizations fail to manage talent effectively because they are stuck using outdated practices and narrow ways of thinking, according to a webcast sponsored by global consulting firm Mercer.
The June 26, 2014, webcast “New Frontiers in Talent Management” focused on steps that HR professionals can take to help their organizations compete more effectively in the war for talent.
On July 23, @weknownext chatted with Lisa Haneberg (@LisaHaneberg) and Sharlyn Lauby (
There are some similarities between human resources and marketing. When we think about the 4 P’s of marketing – price, place, promotion, and product – it’s very aligned with the HR functions of compensation/benefits, work environment, talent development, and corporate culture.
At the midway point of 2014, it is clear that the U.S. labor market has shaken off its winter slowdown. Preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that on average, 231,000 jobs were created each month from February to May, compared with an average of 114,000 jobs in December 2013 and January 2014.
When Zappos stopped posting open positions and urged prospective hires to sign up as company “insiders” on its proprietary social network instead, the online shoe store encouraged candidates to get noticed by submitting video cover letters.
It’s been about a month since the 2014 SHRM Annual Conference in Orlando. By now, those of us who attended have settled back into the realities of our jobs and day to day life. We’ve probably filed away our notes and stashed our swag, but have we thought about what we actually learned? Have we spent any time at all considering how we can take some of the ideas we gathered and put them into practice?
Six ways leaders can protect their reputation during a reduction in force
Impressions are a finite resource, which is why first impressions count. Yet now, more than ever, personal recommendations are spoiled by bad first impressions, and brand advocacy is sullied by negative PR.
In our social media-driven world, we must be aware of the impressions word of mouth creates—especially during sensitive situations such as workforce reductions.
We often hear that our supervisors are our eyes and ears in helping to ensure legal compliance and minimize risk. This is true when it comes to social media, but only if supervisors receive training on what to do and what not to do. The do’s and don’ts of social media are not always intuitive. Here are ten of the more common mistakes that supervisors make in the absence of adequate training:
Striking the right balance between accountability and engagement in the workplace can be a challenging task for leaders. One is directly manageable and the other is not. Accountability is something leaders can control, while engagement is something they can hopefully influence.
Some of the folks that I get the most resistance from when talking about bias are recruiters and hiring managers. They love to say things like “bigotry is stupid and bad business,” and “I just want to hire the best person for the job,” and “I don’t care about race.”
A number of bills enacted in 2013 took effect on July 1, 2014. These include bills that:
- Increased California’s minimum wage to $9.
- Expanded California’s paid family leave benefit program.
- Enacted new limits on public employers concerning criminal background checks.
- Amended the procedures for work-sharing plans used to avoid lay-offs.
First Part of Two-Step Minimum Wage Increase (AB 10)
What's in a hash tag? Listen to Sharlyn Lauby share the value of following Twitter hashtags.
Working in the Talent Acquisition world I have the chance to talk with a great number of people. Contrary to popular belief, most of the conversations I will have are NOT with candidates. Most of my conversations are more networking than finding out if someone is a good fit for a client our firm is working with.
Think of all the articles, books, seminars and speeches you’ve read, attended or heard on the subject of change. Think of all the experience you’ve had in your own life, or in your organization, with change.
Assuming most of us have had a respectable amount of experience with change, wouldn’t you think we’d all be better at by now?
Instead, we continually struggle—even though relentless competition, advancing technology and increasing demands to remain relevant have made the ability to change a matter of survival for virtually every industry and profession.
On July 16, @weknownext chatted with John Hudson (@johnphudson), about "Is It Time To Split HR?"
So you listened to my internship-search advice, had a great resume, nailed the interview and got offered your dream internship position. Congratulations! With all the excitement you are feeling, I’m sure you are also nervous. I definitely was. It’s overwhelming to begin any new job, and it’s even more intimidating beginning your first internship. At first it seems like you need a survival guide to figure out how to do your best at your internship.
HR pros can participate in Twitter Chats to share information and network. Hear Sharlyn Lauby explain the importance of tuning into Twitter Chats.
More than half of all U.S. employers (56 percent) expressed concern with stepped-up rulemaking and enhanced federal agency enforcement, according to the 2014 Executive Employer Survey report from law firm Littler.
Just this month I came across another article announcing an employer’s decision to hire only non-smokers. I remember a call I received several years ago asking if the company’s CEO could implement the same type of policy or practice. The CEO hated the smell of cigarette smoke and did not want to be around people who emanated the scent. As employers, “Can we do that?
California earns an A-; 17 states get an F
It’s pretty sweet to be a working parent in California, which a decade ago adopted the nation’s first paid family leave law. It might not be so great to have kids and a job in Oklahoma, which hasn’t a single benefit or program to support families before and after the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child.
Linkedin can be a great resource for HR professionals. Hear Sharlyn Lauby talk about the benefits of LinkedIn Groups.
PHILADELPHIA—Agility and innovation are critical to leadership success, but leaders also need to be able to admit mistakes, said National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) CEO and Chairman Brian France, speaking June 18, 2014, at the Wharton Leadership Conference at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
When contemplating a course of action or implementing a new procedure/policy HR practitioners stand at a metaphorical crossroads.
In general the process begins with the question “can we do X?” which is a perfectly acceptable, and appropriate, place to start. After all, as much as we may take umbrage at the relentless HR stereotype that we’re rule-enforcing bureaucrats who take great delight in policing every action there’s no denying that ensuring compliance and mitigating potential risk is an important part of what we do.
I was lucky enough to attend SHRM 2014. I always look forward to the SHRM national conference because it is a great way to connect with other HR pros, while learning from some of the best and brightest HR thinkers in the world today. As I have grown in my career, my focus at these conferences has shifted away from learning the day to day HR functions to how HR can influence and assist the company’s executive team in reaching company goals.
Authors: Denise M. Visconti, Jane Ann Himsel, Darren E. Nadel, and William E. Trachman
Is it time to shake up and break up the HR profession? The global changes that are affecting organizations have major talent implications for strategy and operations. Today’s turbulent economic environment requires HR professionals who understand business issues and who have the ability to create high-impact solutions.
Is Twitter right for you? Listen to Sharlyn Lauby's advice on how HR professionals can get started on Twitter.
Its long been mantra that great employees want to work with other great employees. The organization can only be better when great employees see others putting out quality effort. In "First, Break All The Rules," Marcus Buckingham wrote that one of the critical 12 questions that measures the strength of an organization is "Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?"
Studies show spending more time with your boss and building a positive relationship with him or her are good ways to advance your career.
According to the Optimal Hours with the Boss study from Leadership IQ, most employees spend only half the time they should with their leaders. Workers who interact with their supervisors at least six hours per week are 30 percent more engaged, 16 percent more innovative and 15 percent more motivated than employees who spend just one hour a week with their boss.
A clause delegating to an arbitrator the authority to decide questions of an arbitration agreement’s enforceability was not unconscionable under California law, the California Court of Appeal ruled.
I know I have posted a few times previously on the how the population in general is getting older on average, and how of course as an after-effect of this general trend we will begin (if we have not already), to see our workforce getting older as well.
PHILADELPHIA—In uncertain times, leaders should take a hard look in the mirror and strive “to create certainty, stability and confidence,” advises Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, the 20th chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force.
On July 9, @weknownext chatted with Ben Eubanks (@beneubanks), about "What HR Students Need to Know."
The debate has raged on....
Is cultivating Employee Engagement the duty of Executives or Middle Managers?
What if the answer is: neither!
If we are being honest with ourselves, we can genuinely determine our own level of engagement.
ORLANDO, FLA—“Culture is established in our brains at a very young age, but cultural understanding is not really intuitive,” said Mercedes Naficy D’Angelo, director of business solutions for the consultancy Cultural Awareness International Inc., during her June 24 session, “Global Competency: Success in Emerging Markets,” at the 2014 Society for Human Resource Management Annual Conference & Exposition.
This edition is dedicated to the Society for Human Resources Management’s annual conference. It is “the” event for human resources professionals. Last week, I spent a few days in Orlando listening to speakers, learning about the latest products and services in the expo hall and networking with colleagues.
I hope you like the image – it’s a collage of the photos I took during the conference.
How many times has an employee provided you with an incomplete Family and Medical Leave Act certification? Oh, I don't know, maybe a missing return date...
For years, the conventional wisdom has been that job seekers should wait to ask about compensation until later in the recruiting process, but that attitude is changing, according to a recent survey released by Robert Half, a staffing services consulting group.
This year was my first opportunity to attend SHRM's Annual Conference and Exposition and I have to say I was overall very pleased with the experience. There was no shortage of excellent speakers and sessions and the hardest part was choosing between them. My favorite sessions were probably:
Entry level HR is a topic that is near and dear to my heart.
This past March, I sat down at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and spoke with students about what they need to know as they prepare to leave school and enter the real world.
When CEOs, senior managers, and HR professionals were asked by the authors of this new book, “What are the top three general business/organizational problems, issues, or concerns that keep you or your executives up at night?” their answers were strikingly similar and can be grouped into the following categories:
ORLANDO, FLA.—“Now is the most exciting time to be in HR. So many challenges!” observed Jennifer Barton, SPHR, as she addressed issues relating to “Designing the Right Total Rewards Strategy” during her June 23 concurrent session at the 2014 Society for Human Resource Management Annual Conference & Exposition.
The California Supreme Court on June 23, 2014, departed from a prior decision, which had been nullified by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, by finding an arbitration agreement that waived the right to bring a class-action suit was enforceable under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA).
Who’s the most successful HR professional you know—boss, mentor or other colleague? What qualities do they possess? What makes them stand out?
2014 SHRM Conference Recap
I spent 4 days in Orlando last week attending the 2014 SHRM Conference.
Here's what I came away with broken down by day, more or less.
Day 1-Voluenteer Leadership Meeting
I'm a member of the Labor Relations special expertise panel. For the past couple of years, the volunteer leadership meetings have been the highlight of my conference experience. We get a chance to get up close and personal with SHRM staff and leadership and actually talk to the people who lead our professional association.
In July, hiring rates will reach four-year highs for the month in the manufacturing and service sectors, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) survey for July 2014.
When it comes to workplace morale, there is no shortage of articles suggesting the ways and means to build and/or enhance cultures that motivate employees to deliver the goods. Beyond their intent to boost morale, the commentaries have one thing in common – the counsel is generic. In other words, the pundits inherently assume that their morale-lifting tactics and strategies apply to any organization, no matter the product or service in which they are engaged. They are correct in this regard. But, there is a catch. One cannot assume a constant success rate because there is more at play.
ORLANDO, FLA.—When it comes to strategic planning, HR professionals have to move from being the reactive problem solvers within their organizations to being adaptive and proactive, Michael Wilkinson, managing director and founder of Leadership Strategies Inc., told attendees at the 2014 Society for Human Resource Management Annual Conference & Exposition session “Strategy! What Every HR Leader Should Know.”
Wilkinson told attendees his goal was to help them be able to:
In 1976 we had a big bicentennial celebration at my elementary school complete with costume contest. The idea was to dress up as an historical character from revolutionary America. My mother, being the frugal, creative soul that she is, crafted a Ben Franklin costume form a blue bathrobe, and a few other items she found around the house, combined with a .50 cent plastic, half bald with glasses mask - with one of those elastic death strings strapping across the back.
On July 2, @weknownext chatted with SHRM's Manager of Compensation and Benefits, Bruce Elliot (@bhelliott04), about "Encouraging Financial Literacy
Intuition, awareness, or whatever you want to call it–it’s a critical skill if you want to be a successful HR pro. I’m a fan of examples to prove my point, so let’s dive in!
Seeing the needs of new employees
Recently I was helping to onboard a new group of employees. We had won a new contract and needed to pull the new folks into the fold ASAP with no downtime or issues.
Social media policies vary around the world, but they tend to have a few things in common: Most permit some form of monitoring what employees do on social media sites and balance business interests against an employee’s right to privacy. Some also include data protection considerations.
This is according to a new study, Social Media in the Workplace Around the World 3.0, by international labor and employment law firm Proskauer.
I had the pleasure of attending a Mega Session called “Show Me The Money” in Orlando during the National SHRM 2014 conference. The presenter was LaFern Batie of The Batie Group.
Ms. Batie challenged the participants with what many have been encouraging HR professionals to do for years…understand the finances of the business!
As many can attest, the talent acquisition vendor landscape changes on a daily basis. Keeping up with all of the newcomers and established solution providers is a challenge.
Financial literacy is the ability to understand money and make informed decisions about how to use it, and more employers are beginning to recognize the benefits of offering financial literacy education programs to employees.
The share of workers aged 55 and older in the U.S. labor force will jump to 25.6 percent in 2022, up from just 11.8 percent in 1992, according to federal data. Some people stay on the job because they are living longer, healthier lives than their predecessors, but many are also unprepared financially to retire and need to keep working. What is the greatest benefit to this trend, and are there any drawbacks?
A Workforce Vacation Policy Can Be a Competitive Advantage
As small businesses grow, benefits packages become a large part of their competitive offering when attracting talent. For companies who may not be able to compete in the area of compensation, an enticing benefit package could sway an individual to join a company despite lower salary.
SHRM, in collaboration with Elevate, conducted a survey on employee financial stress found that 61 percent of HR professionals would describe their employees’ financial health as no better than fair. The purpose of the survey is to explore how these financial struggles can affect the workplace and what organizations are doing to help employees manage their financial difficulties.
ORLANDO, FLA.—Implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can be the crisis that allows you to, at long last, to transform your benefits strategy, said Karl James Ahlrichs, SPHR, a senior consultant with Indianapolis-based Gregory and Appel. He was the speaker at the June 24 session, “Using the ACA as a Catalyst to Move Organizational Culture Forward,” at the 2014 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference & Exposition.