SHRM Blog

Jobs Blog: A Silver Lining Behind the Dark Clouds?

by Joe CoombsOn January 12, 2012 0 comments
2011 will not be remembered as a hallmark of post-recession job creation, but there’s some hope hidden beneath the gloomy headlines kicking off 2012.
It’s easy to forget that job growth is a lagging economic indicator. This is what lends to the frustration so many of us have when we keep hearing that consumers are spending more, that corporations are raking in record-level profits and that there’s little fear that the economy will slide back into a recession.
 
We want a good jobs report, and...
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HR Professionals Target for Workplace Bullying

by Beth MirzaOn January 11, 2012 0 comments

A side effect of HR professionals taking on more leading, visible roles in business could be becoming the target of workplace bullies.

More than 30 percent of HR professionals responding to a survey in the summer of 2011 said they had been bullied at work—about the same rate as other employees responding to recent surveys. But over half of the bullied HR professionals said they felt that the abuse was related to their role as an HR practitioner. (See Study Probes Bullying of HR Professionals, SHRM Online.)

“Because the role of HR has increasingly become less...

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How Mentoring Can Save Even the Most Downtrodden Managers

by Ann TardyOn January 10, 2012 0 comments

Mentoring Saved Best Buy’s Future President

Brian Dunn started with Best Buy in 1985 selling VCRs, but his first day was so bad that he wanted to quit. He confessed to his store manager that it had been a “lousy experience.” At that the manager invited Brian to come in on Saturday morning and he would personally teach Brian how he operated on the sales floor when he was in Brian’s position. The manager mentored Brian. In doing so, he cleared the way for Brian to not only be good at his job, but to love it....

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SHRM: January LINE Report

by SHRM StaffOn January 9, 2012 0 comments

The Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) Report found that January 2012 will mark the third consecutive month that hiring activity will decrease, while job cuts increase on an annual basis.

Comparing January 2012 to January 2011, service sector hiring will drop by a net of 15.4 points while manufacturing sector hiring will fall by a net of 4.4 points. Taking a closer look at the service sector, 6.1 percent of employers plan to add jobs in January 2011, compared with 21.5...

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The Practice of Retirement May Become Extinct

by Kevin KennemerOn January 9, 2012 0 comments
Is it possible the practice of retirement for hard-working employees could be disappearing from America’s social landscape? The concept of retirement has been the ability to relax and enter a phase of life where you pick and choose your activities, vacation with your spouse, volunteer at a local non-profit agency, go fishing, play golf and talk about old times without much worry of your financial future. 
 
Poof! Your future retirement may have left the building.
 
Attention Workers, Your Retirement Has Been Cancelled
 
The freedom to choose your post-career activities is...
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A Manifesto's Unbridled Power

by John BellOn January 5, 2012 0 comments
Manifestos ignite people into action. The best manifestos are so emotionally charged that their catalytic influence can endure for centuries. The Ten Commandments and the Declaration of Independence are good examples. As recently as fifty years ago, an emotional speech delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial established a clear and compelling purpose for American Civil Rights. Today, MLK's I Have a Dream is arguably the most inspiring manifesto of the 20th Century. 
 
Though manifestos are best known for political movements, the ideals and intent of such potent texts can also move people to excel...
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Bold Predictions for 2012

by Laurie RuettimannOn December 27, 2011 0 comments

HR is in a boring field. We are in business of mitigating risk and keeping our executives out of trouble. There are very few bold predictions for 2012.

Here is my attempt to gaze into a crystal ball and tell you about the upcoming year.

  • This is the year where your CEO says, “This is the year of mobile.” Feel free to roll your eyes. You know that the sale of mobile devices is on the rise. And you know that your employees use their personal mobile devices at work, too. Suddenly your CEO will
    • ...
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The Boomer Mindset: Work is Part of Retirement

by Susan AvelloOn December 22, 2011 0 comments

For many demographers and social scientists, the long-awaited year has come and gone, almost. It was estimated that between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2011, more than 7,000 people would turn 65 years old every single day. Those numbers are astounding.

In AARP's 2010 survey of boomers turning 65 in 2011 finds this first wave of the boomer generation were generally satisfied with their lives and optimistic about the next third of life.  Financial security and improving their health were a few top concerns which affected their outlook about the future, and their retirement plans.

In a...

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Reference Checking: The Most Important Step in the Hiring Process

by Franny OxfordOn December 21, 2011 0 comments

If you own a small business, where every hire counts, or if you are hiring someone for a key role, don’t get complacent after you’ve interviewed your ideal candidate. Too often, leaders set their minds on a candidate and delegate the rest of the hiring process as a pro forma exercise. Doing so is a mistake no company, these days, can afford.


Face it. The greatest indicator of what someone WILL do, is what they HAVE done. How do you get there? From real, authentic, engaged references. HR folks, this is why C-suite people often appear...

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Is Tim Tebow a Great Leader?

by Steve BatesOn December 20, 2011 0 comments

Much has been said about Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, whose come-from-behind victories during the 2011 NFL season have been chronicled far beyond the sports pages. The second-year player out of the University of Florida makes exceedingly public displays of his Christian faith. That bothers some people. But aside from that divisive issue, one important question about the Tebow saga carries significance for the business world:

Is Tim Tebow a great leader?

We all know that we can’t manage what we can’t measure. There are several ways to look at Tebow’s numbers: Quarterback rating is one way;...

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