SHRM Blog

Six Ways To Recession Proof Your Career

by Kim HendersonOn October 4, 2022 0 comments

As companies try to decipher the economy’s mixed signals, the hiring picture has remained surprisingly buoyant. However, we are starting to see cracks in the armor with recent reports of a slowdown in August hiring. If we know anything, it's that change happens quickly. So how do you thrive in your role if unexpected surprises happen, and the labor market heads into a downturn? We can recession proof our career by taking daily actions that make us more valuable to our employer.

Commit to Life Long Learning
As we become entrenched in...

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Ask an Advisor: Pointers on Having Difficult Conversations

by Jim Emanuel, SHRM-SCPOn October 4, 2022 0 comments

As an HR Knowledge Advisor, I often receive questions on how to go about having a difficult conversation with an employee. The reason why this topic is so popular is because many HR professionals feel uncomfortable when faced with having to speak to employees about matters ranging from performance issues to internal investigations.

I would like to share some methods that have helped me in planning for and conducting these types of conversations.

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Don't Schedule Another Team Dinner Until You Read This

by Amy SemenovOn October 4, 2022 0 comments

Early in my career, I accepted a position heading HR for a growing medical office. The owner and CEO was a doctor and, while he envisioned himself as a business-minded entrepreneur, he did not understand what it took to keep employees engaged or create a company culture by design. Which is why he needed me.

During my interview, he explicitly told me one of the main reasons he wanted to hire in-house HR was to “turn the culture around.” Once in the position, it didn’t take long to see why the turnover...

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16 Ways to Honor National Hispanic Heritage Month in the Workplace

by Brett FarmiloeOn October 4, 2022 0 comments

What is one way your business is honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15 - 10/15) in the workplace? What is one strategy that other businesses should implement to best honor this observation?

To help you best honor National Hispanic Heritage Month in the workplace, we asked HR managers, CEOs, and business leaders this question for their best plans. From developing a themed virtual trivia event to recognizing Hispanic employee achievements, there...

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Reducing IT’s Shocking Gender Gap

by Rocío BelfioreOn October 4, 2022 0 comments

Remote-first model, focus on wellness key to gender diversity

Technology has always been a driver of progress, but rarely have we seen anything like the current era’s breakneck disruption, with whole sectors eliminated, lifestyles upended and the very psychology of humans at times seeming to be scrambled. So how smart is it that this revolution has overwhelmingly been carried out by only men?

The numbers are shocking. According to Statista, women account for under a fifth of U.S. software developers, computer programmers, systems administrators and support specialists, and just over a mere...

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Parting Gifts: Eight Strategies to Make Exit Interviews Pay

by Jay TitusOn October 3, 2022 0 comments

Employees leave. It’s a fact of working life.

It’s up to you to decide how to handle those goodbyes. You can be angry and hurt and take it as a personal rejection. Or, you can turn every departure into an opportunity to learn about, and maybe improve, your workplace.

If your goal is the latter, there is a simple tool you need to...

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Q&A with Sophia A. Nelson by Emily M. Dickens

by Emily M. Dickens, JD.On September 30, 2022 0 comments

September is Self-Care Awareness Month. To learn more about self-care and what it means for the workplace and public policy, I sat down for a Q&A with award-winning author and journalist Sophia A. Nelson. Her new book is titled Be the One You Need: 21 Life Lessons I Learned While Taking Care of Everyone but Me.

SHRM is working to see that employers are able to address employee mental health. This issue is urgent. Of the nearly 53 million U.S. adults with a mental illness, only 46 percent...

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Understanding the Difference Between Orientation and Onboarding

by Remone RobinsonOn September 27, 2022 0 comments

Does your organization have a thorough understanding of orientation and onboarding? Not just the HR Department but all other partnering departments. Both onboarding and orientation are essential but knowing the difference between both activities is fundamental. Some managers tend to use onboarding and orientation interchangeably, which should never be the case. They are different activities; however, orientation is a small component of the onboarding process. "Thank you, HR, for onboarding the new employees last week!" Yikes! Onboarding takes more than a week. That manager meant to thank HR for orientating the new...

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A Note of Thanks to the HR Profession

by Julie Develin, SHRM-SCPOn September 23, 2022 0 comments

You’re busy, I know. But I hope you’ll take a second to read this. It’s addressed to you (yes, you).

In case no one has said it to you recently, let me do so: thank you, HR.

You don’t hear it enough (or maybe at all). I know—I’ve been there.

Yet, you trod along every day at work, putting out fires, and preventing them from starting in the first place.

You show up. For yourself, for your business, for employees. Maybe for unique reasons known only to you.

That’s a big deal.

As you read this, think about all the roles you have played in your workplace since March 2020, and beyond. Times have not been easy, but we...

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Ask An Advisor: Can Employees Accrue Paid Leave During FMLA Leave?

by Jennifer Chang, SHRM-CPOn September 20, 2022 0 comments

This week I received an interesting question regarding the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Does an employee continue to accrue paid leave while out on FMLA leave?

The answer is: It depends! If an employer’s policy allows for continued leave accrual while an employee is out on an unpaid status, like FMLA, then the answer is yes. However, if an employer’s policy does not allow for continued leave accrual, then the answer is generally no.

According to the...

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