Archive

September 2015

Benefit Trends to Watch in 2016 and Beyond

News Updates
September 30, 2015
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In Focus: What's Really Holding Women Back at Work?

News Updates
September 30, 2015

On September 30, @shrmnextchat chatted with Leighanne Levensaler (@LeighLevensaler) of Workday about "A Plan for Employee Development."  

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

September 30, 2015

Every day, it seems I come across a new article on how the tech world is struggling to bring diversity to its homogeneous community. It’s an issue that has led companies like Google, Apple and Intel to committing a combined $400M towards creating more opportunities for women and minorities. From the outside looking in, this sounds great.

September 30, 2015

Do you remember your first job? The skills and lessons you learned? The excitement of that first paycheck you earned? Those early work experiences helped develop your work ethic, grow you professionally and take the first steps along a career path. But today, millions of young people are missing out on this critical opportunity.

September 30, 2015

To-Do List in Response to Proposed Overtime Rule

News Updates
September 29, 2015
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The Rush Toward Paid Parental Leave: Why Now?

News Updates
September 29, 2015

Colorado Ends 'Use It or Lose It' Vacation Pay Policies

News Updates
September 29, 2015

Arkansas Localities Prevent LGBT Discrimination

News Updates
September 29, 2015

State Employment Laws Every Virginia Employer Should Know

News Updates
September 29, 2015

I am always fascinated by the way we communicate with one another. We have an abundance of words available to us that we could weave into beautiful sentences. Yet we choose to be lazy with our words or not use them at all. Even more fascinating than the words we use might be the way in which we choose to communicate.

September 29, 2015

Girls Who Code

News Updates
September 28, 2015
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Halliburton Revealed Overtime Errors to DOL, Socked with Huge Settlement

News Updates
September 28, 2015
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Drive Successful HR Technology Transformation

News Updates
September 28, 2015

How to Prevent Data Breaches

News Updates
September 28, 2015

Court Rules Pre-employment Drug Tests Not Medical Exams Under the ADA

News Updates
September 28, 2015

          

Those of you who know me are enjoying this irony.  I have a better appreciation the qualitative world over the quantitative environment.  I am respectful of Math as it has taught me some valuable lessons.  I would like to propose an addition of a Rule #4 to the standard order of operations.   

Consider the consequences of adding and subtracting, and allow yourself permission to work from right to left.

September 28, 2015
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Is a Four-Day Workweek the Answer?

News Updates
September 25, 2015

In Focus: Student Loan Assistance

News Updates
September 25, 2015
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Supreme Court Will Hear Wide Range of Workplace Disputes

News Updates
September 25, 2015

Potential Shutdown: Federal Contractors' Contingency Planning

News Updates
September 25, 2015

Surging Popularity of E-Cigarettes Poses Issues for Employers

News Updates
September 24, 2015
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Appeals Courts Split on Contraceptive Mandate 'Opt-Out'

News Updates
September 24, 2015
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How Employers Can Negotiate the 'Money Talk' and Win

News Updates
September 24, 2015
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No Credit, No Problem: NYC's New Guidance Further Limits Employer Credit Checks

News Updates
September 24, 2015

On September 23, @shrmnextchat chatted with Brynne Herbert (@brynnespeaks) of MoveGuides about Ensuring the Successful Global Relocation of Talent.  

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

 

September 23, 2015

Attitude on Rehiring Boomerang Workers Changing

News Updates
September 23, 2015
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Benefit Contribution Limits Unlikely to Change Much for 2016

News Updates
September 23, 2015
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Is Motivation or Qualifications Most Important In a Candidate?

News Updates
September 23, 2015

Retailers Should Prepare Now for Next Hot Season

News Updates
September 23, 2015
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The 10 Toughest Jobs to Fill in 2016

News Updates
September 22, 2015

Smaller Hikes in Health Premium Rates Forecast for 2016

News Updates
September 22, 2015

Are LinkedIn Recommendations and Endorsements Reliable?

News Updates
September 22, 2015

Family Care-Giving Is Workplace Issue

News Updates
September 22, 2015

SBA Criticizes Proposed Overtime Rule

News Updates
September 22, 2015
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Could you write a job description using 30 words? How about 30 hashtags?

In this post, I’ll make the case for incorporating Instagram into your recruiting efforts.

(Photo cred: @deschutesbeer)

To consider using Instagram for recruiting, recruiters have to clear one mental hurdle:

Job postings don’t have to be words anymore.

September 22, 2015

Are the Kim Davises of the World Protected by Law?

News Updates
September 21, 2015

Mass.: First Workplace Medical Marijuana Lawsuit Filed

News Updates
September 21, 2015

5 Keys to Balancing Technology in the Workplace

News Updates
September 21, 2015

How an Employer May Be Liable to Its Nonemployees

News Updates
September 21, 2015

NLRB's New Joint Employer Test May Impact OSHA

News Updates
September 21, 2015
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Millennials Delay Cutting Apron Strings after Recession

News Updates
September 18, 2015

'Shark Tank' Presentation Opens IHRIM's 35th Annual Conference

News Updates
September 18, 2015

Marijuana in the Workplace: A Hazy Issue for Employers

News Updates
September 18, 2015

In Focus: UAW Moves Away from Two-Tier Wage System

News Updates
September 18, 2015

SHRM Foundation Report a Primer for Change Management

News Updates
September 18, 2015

Pope Francis: Don't Glorify Your Boss, Rest More, Pay Women Equitably

News Updates
September 17, 2015

All Employers Need a Workplace Violence Plan

News Updates
September 17, 2015

In Focus: Pregnancy Discrimination Alive and Well in Japan, U.S.

News Updates
September 17, 2015

Guidance for Employers on UK Gender Pay Gap Reporting Requirements

News Updates
September 17, 2015
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Whistle-Blowing Policies Needed in Response to Ruling

News Updates
September 17, 2015

What an amazing experience HR Tampa (#HRTampa) participants had during the recent SHRM "Day in the Beltway" in Washington, DC on September 9, 2015...an experience we will never forget!

Upon our arrival in DC, we were fortunate to walk through U.S. history by seeing the White House, the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building, visit the solemn War Memorials and experience the Martin Luther King Memorial, and many more.

September 17, 2015
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Smart employers know that offering flexible work options—everything from telecommuting to job sharing to part time to compressed schedules to shift trading, etc.—can set you apart from other employers. If your organization is embracing new ways to reinvent work for employee AND business success, then step up and receive local and national recognition as a top employer.

September 16, 2015

On September 16, @shrmnextchat chatted with Steve Browne (@sbrownehr) and John Jorgensen (@jkjhr) about "Why We Love to Hate HR...

In case you missed this informative chat, you can read all the tweets here:

 

September 16, 2015

Tackling a 'Macho' Mentality at Work

News Updates
September 16, 2015

Reimagining Open Enrollment: A Six-Step Plan

News Updates
September 16, 2015

Boudreau: HR Must Pick Up 'Glacial' Pace, Innovate

News Updates
September 16, 2015

School Year Rings in Stress for Working Parents

News Updates
September 16, 2015

California Lawmakers Wrap Up Session; Governor Has Bills to Sign

News Updates
September 16, 2015
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Bullying is an important topic and there’s a lot of attention being focused on the subject of bullying in the workplace. All I can say is it’s about time and hopefully together we will be able to do something to stop this destructive behavior.

In order to start a dialogue about bullying, we need to define it. Wikipedia defines bullying as “aggressive behavior manifested by the use of force or coercion to affect others.” They add that it can include verbal or physical harassment. It can also be directed at a person based upon race, religion, gender, sexuality or ability.

September 16, 2015

Rupert Morrison is the CEO of Concentra one of the fastest-growing analytics firms in the UK and the creators of acclaimed business transformation tool OrgVue.  I asked Rupert about the evolution of organizational design and how data and analytics are changing the way companies are creating environments for performance to sustain a competitive edge. 

                                        

September 16, 2015

 

Have you ever gone into a training seminar thinking “This is going to be a life changing!”? Well on that Wednesday morning in June at the Las Vegas SHRM Conference, I did not. The only thing on my mind at 7 a.m. was wishing I could afford the Starbucks on my per diem. Caffeinated or not, the MEGA session I attended would alter everything I would be doing for the next two months. 

September 15, 2015

 

In 2005, Fast Company wrote a scathing review of the HR profession in an article titled, “Why We Hate HR.”

Fast-forward ten years to 2015 and, according to the Harvard Business Review article “Why We Love to Hate HR…and What HR Can Do About It” by Peter Cappelli, everyone still hates HR.  

September 15, 2015

    

Continued job growth in the health care, manufacturing and biosciences industries has helped to keep the unemployment rate low in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region. State and local officials, however, have rolled out several grant programs to get even more people back to work.

September 15, 2015
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Inner City and Native American Teens and Technology

September 15, 2015

California Legislature Completes its Work for 2015

News Updates
September 15, 2015

In Focus: HSAs Prove Popular, But More So for High Earners

News Updates
September 15, 2015

Back to School, Back to Stress

News Updates
September 15, 2015
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Major Shift in HR's Role Predicted

News Updates
September 15, 2015
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Unions May Use Electronic Signatures on Election Petitions

News Updates
September 15, 2015
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Employers Adopting Worksite Clinics Despite ACA Uncertainties

News Updates
September 14, 2015
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In Focus: Republicans Take Aim at NLRB's 'Joint Employer' Ruling

News Updates
September 14, 2015
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Using Technology for Real-Time Employee Performance Reviews

News Updates
September 14, 2015

New Research Spotlights HR Management Policies, Practices in U.S.

News Updates
September 14, 2015

Pay Transparency Rule Does Not Apply to HR in All Situations

News Updates
September 14, 2015
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Cloud, mobile, and flexible all equal a collaborative way to work.

September 11, 2015

In Focus: Remembering Sept. 11, 2001

News Updates
September 11, 2015
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HR Departments of One Face Unique Legal Obstacles

News Updates
September 11, 2015
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Mass.: Employer's Timekeeping Failures Result in Trial of Overtime Claims

News Updates
September 11, 2015
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Building a Wellness Champion Network

News Updates
September 11, 2015
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If I asked 10 people to finish the sentence below, I bet many of them would answer in the manner shown in parenthesis:

“When the going gets tough, (the tough get going)”

September 10, 2015
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Business Reacts to Order to Federal Contractors to Give Paid Sick Leave

News Updates
September 10, 2015

From CEOs to Gen Y Dads, Finding Work-Life Balance is Critical

News Updates
September 10, 2015

On September 9 @shrmnextchat chatted with SHRM Young Professional Council Member Brooke Liu (@BrookeACLui) about #Nextchat: Not Quite Ready for the Workforce. 

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

 

September 9, 2015

Chicago Police Officers' Overtime Lawsuit Has Wide Repercussions

News Updates
September 9, 2015

Employers Should Prepare Now for ACA Subsidy Appeals

News Updates
September 9, 2015

Noncash Rewards Most Effective When Tied to Values

News Updates
September 9, 2015

Transition Relief Ending for Minimum-Value-Lite Plans

News Updates
September 9, 2015

Why Litigate When You Can Mediate?

News Updates
September 8, 2015

This City Has America's Highest Minimum Wage

News Updates
September 8, 2015
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Drones: More than Just a Buzzword for Business

News Updates
September 8, 2015

Proposed Overtime Rule's Salary Threshold Is Too High

News Updates
September 8, 2015
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Obama Orders Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractor Employees

News Updates
September 8, 2015

Over the past decade, researchers have had powerful insights into how we can work more effectively. But much of that research isn’t being applied in the workplace, says Ron Friedman, Ph.D., who spent years studying human motivation and teaching psychology at the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Friedman, @RonFriedman on Twitter, is the founder of ignite80, a consulting firm that helps leaders build thriving organizations.

September 8, 2015

 

The Kentucky Clerk who has refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples is going to jail.  She has tried to justify her refusal to perform her job on the ground that to do so would violate her religious beliefs as protected by the Constitution.

Good thing employers do not have to deal with this kind of issue.  Or do we?

September 8, 2015

 

Recruiting Difficulty Continues at Record Levels for HR Professionals

In September, hiring rates will be mixed as HR professionals continue to struggle with recruiting candidates for key positions, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) survey for September 2015.  

News Updates
September 5, 2015

SHRM: Proposals for 'Blacklisting' Executive Order Are Costly

News Updates
September 4, 2015
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You Don't Know Crystal, but She Knows You

News Updates
September 4, 2015

Avoiding a Worker May Constitute Retaliation

News Updates
September 4, 2015

Why Company Retreats Should Mix Fun and Work

News Updates
September 4, 2015

'Big Data' Is Shaping Employers' Benefits Strategies

News Updates
September 4, 2015

                                                
 

Most of you have heard the term “Internet of Things” or IoT. Wikipedia defines it as:

September 4, 2015

 

The very popular children’s book “Only One You” teaches the lesson of diversity and accepting others as unique individuals. So what does a children’s book have to do with immigration reform?

Well….at an early age children are taught that they are unique individuals, taken for who they are at face value.  However, in today’s modern age of technology having to verify one’s identity is becoming a common practice.

September 3, 2015

Court Rules Employers Liable for Poor Cybersecurity

News Updates
September 3, 2015

California Minimum Wage Bill Stalls in Legislature

News Updates
September 3, 2015
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What the Uber Lawsuit Could Mean for All HR Departments

News Updates
September 3, 2015

Telecommuting Not a Reasonable Accommodation, Court Rules

News Updates
September 3, 2015

Coping with Cognitive Declines at Work

News Updates
September 3, 2015
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Congratulations to all human resources professionals who recently passed the new SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP exam.  

Many of the newly certified were so excited, they jumped onto Twitter to share their awesome accomplishment.

We caught up with Cecilia Parra, Brandon Ambrose and Jon Thurmond to learn more about what it means to have the SHRM Certification.

 

September 3, 2015

 

However, middle-wage jobs remain below pre-recession levels

The labor market’s ongoing recovery—often described as steady, if unspectacular—still has its share of skeptics who contend that too many of the new jobs fall into the low-paying, low-skill category. But several recent reports provide some evidence that the job market is getting much healthier overall.

September 3, 2015

 

Creating a winning team spirit

A company’s traditions are an investment that pays in human dividends. Banking on people more than products or technology to ultimately make a difference in the world is something that separates the mediocre from the extraordinary. A bold statement, to be sure, but what does it REALLY mean?

September 3, 2015

UAE Nets Highest Professional Migration Growth

News Updates
September 2, 2015
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Compensation Budgets Favor Variable Over Fixed Pay

News Updates
September 2, 2015
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UK: Employee Fairly Dismissed for Old Facebook Comments

News Updates
September 2, 2015

From HR Magazine: No Salary Negotiations Allowed

News Updates
September 2, 2015
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Liar, Liar, Resume on Fire

News Updates
September 2, 2015
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Take a look at any of today’s headlines, and you will find HR issues that affect our employees, our organizations and the entire profession. The minimum wage debate continues to rage at the state, local and federal levels. The clash between new and traditional employment models is becoming sharper and more politicized (think: Uber vs. the taxi industry). And landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions on health care and marriage also have implications for us and the way we do our jobs.

September 2, 2015

          
 

Despite SHRM’s plea for more time to respond to the Department of Labor’s overtime proposal, the comment period on the proposed changes to the FLSA overtime rules is imminent….11:59pm EDT, September 4, to be exact!

September 2, 2015

Connectifier Web-Crawling Software Reduces Time to Hire

News Updates
September 1, 2015

Proposed Overtime Rule Will Result in Fewer Managers

News Updates
September 1, 2015
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Employee Referrals Best Source for Hires, Still Vastly Underused

News Updates
September 1, 2015

SHRM Survey: Social Media Remains a Popular Recruitment Tool

News Updates
September 1, 2015
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Supporting Transgender Employees

News Updates
September 1, 2015

This is a Catch-22 situation if I’ve ever seen one:

I was helping a friend with his job search. He is trying to obtain an entry level HR position. A position he found indicated the minimum education required was a high school diploma but 5 – 8 years of experience was necessary. Neither of us understood the logic. We do not know how a high school student can get that level of experience by the time they graduate. Could you please explain why this is common on most entry level HR positions?

September 1, 2015