SHRM Blog

SHRM is proud to congratulate our very own Dr. Shirley Davis for being named one of Profiles in Diversity Journal’s “100 Women Worth Watching” for 2012.  As SHRM’s head of Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, Shirley has been instrumental in advancing the D&I field – and has become a leading voice on the challenges and complexities associated with managing diversity in a global workplace and marketplace.  While she’s helping organizations and business navigate this advancing field, on a more personal level, she’s been an inspiration to many, including her 325 colleagues...

There I was, at a steak house on the Vegas strip, with 4 Brits and a German who couldn't pronounce Mojave.  They had, as I had, driven into Las Vegas from Los Angeles, through the mountains and desert, a couple of days prior for HR Tech 2011. 

That dinner was one of many highlights for me during a few days spent speaking at HRevolution and covering the HR Tech 2011 Conference.

I was very impressed with the unconference conversations and sessions at HRevolution.  The...

Few would argue the pace of change is increasing, especially in business and technology, along with their impact on the workplace. Wise company leaders sense these changes, and adjust, adapt, plan and execute. Each day brings an evolving convergence of many external influences that shape upcoming days, weeks and years. The workplace is greatly impacted by this convergence of external influences.

In the past, employees resisted organizational change initiated by leadership. Now that technology is causing seismic changes in how, when and where we perform work, it is leaders who are resisting the evolving, 24/7, distributed workforce.

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There has been an astronomic increase in employment litigation. The result is that there is almost an apoplectic fear of litigation. Indeed, because the cost of litigation can be so high, sometimes we try to avoid risk at all cost.

But we cannot avoid risk. It is not a question of risk avoidance, but rather risk selection.

In my experience, here are the top three mistakes that are sometimes made in managing risk and can result in buying one risk to avoid another.

1. Failure to distinguish between what is illegal and what has legal implications. 
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