Archive

January 2017

 
  

 

“What do you do?” A seemingly innocuous question we ask and are all asked so many times in our adult lives.  At a party, on an airplane, when meeting someone for the first time- it’s the “icebreaker” that helps understand, or perhaps even define each other.  But what’s struck me through the years- particularly since I’ve retired from the military- is what I reveal to and about myself in the answering. 

January 31, 2017

Business leaders need to embrace sustainability—and embed it into their organization's core mission—in order to ensure lasting success, according to the authors of The Sustainability Edge: How to Drive Top-Line Growth with Triple-Bottom-Line Thinking (Rotman-UTP Publishing, 2017). 

January 31, 2017

Every industry has its own buzzwords and catchphrases, and the human resources profession is no different. It has hundreds. 

Whether to inspire and build morale or to create a common language among peers, these HR expressions have had a long history and have served a purpose. While some of these phrases are ready for retirement, others need to be tweaked to reflect HR’s evolving role in the new world of work.

January 30, 2017

For the last 50 years, the SHRM Foundation has funded two major initiatives: academic research on effective and efficient HR practices, and scholarships for HR professionals and students. Over that 50 year span the SHRM Foundation has impacted the lives of thousands of HR professionals and students by providing research-based HR solutions and scholarships—but it was time for a change.

January 30, 2017
Trust.
 
It’s a topic that’s getting a ton of attention these days. It’s in our discussions, our social media and in societies around the globe. People are trying to determine if people are/aren’t trustworthy and there’s never a clear answer because everyone’s opinions and definitions are different.
 
January 30, 2017
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At the end of 2016, the SHRM Foundation forged a new partnership with ACDI-VOCA, a Washington, DC-based international development organization experienced in managing impactful, skills-based international volunteering programs. They offer professionals international volunteer opportunities at no cost to the professional or their organization.

January 27, 2017

 

In today’s workplace, it is not enough to have an employee handbook in name only, but it must be one that employees have read, digested and received training on.  Now is the perfect time to take your employee handbook off the shelf, drag it into the kitchen and add a little spice to it.

Here are some ways:

January 26, 2017

Much of the employment-related commentary and guidance around what to expect from the Trump Administration can be summed up as follows: wait and see. I’ve been guilty of it myself with HR Intel, harping on the uncertainty that this transition presents to employers in the absence of specifics.

January 25, 2017
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On January 25, @shrmnextchat chatted with SHRM Senior Vice President of Knowledge Development Alex Alonso (@SHRMKnwldgeSVP) and SHRM Vice President of Research Shonna Waters (@Shonna_Waters) about What's Next for Paid Leave.

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

 

January 25, 2017

Okay, it doesn’t necessarily need to be your travel policy; but I think it’s particularly useful for this exercise.

Allow me to explain.

January 25, 2017
 
The Society for Human Resource Management created their competency model with the intention of solving today's most pressing people issues. This year, our blog squad is tasked with exploring the SHRM Competency Wheel. You'll get a variety of viewpoints that translate how these competencies serve workforce development.
 
                       
 
January 25, 2017

In all team environments, good communication is fundamental and great communication is critical to excellence.  I have found through observation that there are basically four actions necessary for optimal communication.  At the risk of sounding contrived, disingenuous, and plain ol’ corny, I put the main points in an alliteration. They are simply:
Listen
Lip
Love
Learn

January 24, 2017

Some people seem to have a magnetic quality that attracts others. These charismatic individuals command attention and guide with grace and ease.

January 23, 2017
 
 
Inauguration Day is right around the corner and SHRM and our affiliate, the Council for Global Immigration will be there!  SHRM has participated in the last three election cycles, and we’ll be covering the Presidential Inauguration this week. 
 
January 19, 2017

A secure, comfortable retirement is every worker's dream.  Nowadays workers are living longer, healthier lives. Your employees can expect to spend more time in retirement than their parents and grandparents. It is important that their earnings are posted correctly on their Social Security record, as it will affect their benefits when they retire.

January 19, 2017
 
 
Limited dollars for talent development? High expectations for measurable impact? More requests and expressed needs than resources available? These are just some of the challenges facing HR today. The solution: make strategic talent investments that directly link to the business strategy.
 
January 19, 2017
 
 
The blogosphere is wrought full of great content on interview prep, but there is a heavy bias (understandably I suppose) to preparing the interviewee. What about the interviewer?
 
January 19, 2017
 
 
The days of 9 to 5 cubicle jobs are over. 
 
The new generation of workers places a high value on flexibility in a job. But, that doesn’t mean they don’t work hard, or expect not to have to show up at the office. 
 
It means most younger workers expect to have meaningful lives both in and outside of work, and want to harness the flexibility that technology provides.
 
January 18, 2017

On January 18, @shrmnextchat chatted with Maddie Grant (@maddiegrant) about Creating Powerful Cultures.

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

 

January 18, 2017

 

It's a common assumption that most organizations don’t do succession planning. Often the reasons include the high level of administration involved with succession planning and the difficulty in identifying and developing talent. It’s hard enough to figure out what the business world will look like in three years, much less what the organization’s talent needs will be.

January 18, 2017

Today's global economy evolves at breakneck speed, with technology, consumer trends and generational shifts constantly reshaping the business landscape. The labor force is changing, too, and has now reached a tipping point in terms of what employees expect from work, according to HR experts Jeanne C. Meister, founding partner of the consulting firm Future Workplace LLC in New York City, and Kevin L.

January 17, 2017
 
 
I love this question. I love philosophizing about these things. Playing out the “on the one hand” scenario. I’m one of those weirdos who enjoys playing out possible scenarios in an effort to figure out which might work out the best. Because with this question as with many others the answer is a frustrating one.
 
It depends.
 
January 17, 2017
 
by Maddie Grant
 
Company culture is not about being cool or even being a “best place to work.” It’s about being more successful. Period.
 
January 16, 2017

Many states and localities are increasing their minimum wage, effective this year. January is the popular month for changes.

So, the minimum wage went up in your state or city, like it did in dozens of others.  You budgeted to increase the pay of the minimum wage earners. Now the more senior employees are upset.

January 13, 2017
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The number of HR manager positions will increase this year by 1,100 in California—the highest volume in the nation—and by 8.6 percent in Nevada, the largest percentage increase among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to a set of forecasts at Projections Central, a website with employment data compiled by state agencies.

January 13, 2017

After a tumultuous 2016 and on the cusp of some major changes in regulations and protections for employees, your workers are undoubtedly looking for some stability from their employer. One of the best ways to demonstrate that is to ensure effective outreach and interaction with employees by being exceptionally responsive, thorough and clear.

January 12, 2017
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On January 11, @shrmnextchat chatted with members of the SHRM HR Competencies and SHRM Educational Products teams (@HRCompetencies, @josephajonesphd, @Miller843, @shrmChristine, @keefe_mk, and @SHRMLindsay) about

January 11, 2017

 

 

Making a manager: The people behind the success stories

As a new manager, I often wondered about my own managers’ mentors and inspiration.

January 10, 2017

 

                             

 

by Mariam Ganiyu, Joe Jones and Ashley Miller and Lindsay Northon

January 9, 2017

 

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As a job-seeker, making it to the interview stage for a potential career opportunity is serious business.  This is your opportunity to feel out the company, the hiring manager, and the role in a more intimate fashion. 

January 9, 2017

 

Stressed out at work? 

According to the SHRM Online article, Work Related Stress on Employees' Health, 40 percent of workers report their jobs as very or extremely stressful. 

January 6, 2017
 
In 2017, HR is expected to adapt to keep up with the changing business environment and evolving employee expectations.
 
1. A VERY COMPETITIVE TALENT MARKETPLACE
 
January 5, 2017

On January 4, @shrmnextchat chatted with Joyce Maroney (@wf_institute) and Evren Esen (@shrm_research) about The $687 Billion Question.

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

 

January 4, 2017
 
 
 
As we start the New Year, many of us have made resolutions for personal growth in the professional space. After a few days off and the excitement of the promise of a new beginning, many of us set bodacious goals for ourselves.  When we do so, we set ourselves up for failure.
 
January 4, 2017

 

Try this to become a better employee and a better person.

Here are some plans for four popular resolutions. You will find that they overlap; so if you're daring, resolve to do all four.

  1. To improve overall health, start with being more active.

    Take the stairs instead of the elevator… ALWAYS!

    Park far from the entrance… ALWAYS!

January 3, 2017

                                                             

 

“There is a point of complexity beyond which a business is no longer manageable.”

— Peter Drucker

 

January 3, 2017