SHRM Blog

4 Steps to a More Successful Tuition Assistance Program

Tuition assistance programs (or TAPs) can close employees’ skill gaps in the near term, and strengthen your internal pipeline of leadership candidates in the long term. The challenge is to manage investments in employee education in a way that maximizes returns–both for the employer and the employee.

To that end, Bellevue University’s Human Capital Lab and EdLink hosted a webinar based on the findings of two recent studies: Employer Value from Investing in Workforce Education and The Value of Tuition Assistance. The webinar–presented by Joe Hare, Associate Director of Human Capital Lab, and John...

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#Nextchat: Gen X - The Invisible Generation

I was born in July 1963, several months before a defining moment for the Baby Boomer generation occurred—the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  I was a “latch key kid” – I walked home from elementary school to an empty house because both of my parents worked.  In fact, I started walking to school by myself in first grade after everyone else had left the house. I wasn’t supposed to use the record player but nearly every morning I used those few minutes before school to play a 45 of Tommy Roe’s hit song “Dizzy” over and over again. [If...

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Why Recruiters Shouldn't Judge Candidates by Social Media Profiles

You do not have to clean up your social media profile to get a job. 

Look, I understand taking off the “I hate my boss” posts, the mug shot of your wild weekend in Vegas or the rants about your disdain for baby seals.

But the weekend pictures where you are having a beer or a glass of wine and a great time? Those funny cat memes? Where is the harm? 

Social networking sites have an intended purpose but most are created for people to share their experiences and to show a personal side. LinkedIn has...

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Cliff Jumping

Election 2012 is over. It could be weeks until you hear anyone “approve this message” again. That’s the good news.

The ominous news is that the fiscal cliff is dead ahead. Both the short- and long-term fates of the economy may be altered by what Congress does in the coming months.

“Fiscal cliff” was first coined by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. It refers to the combination of automatic tax increases and spending reductions that will occur on or around Jan. 2, 2013, if Congress does nothing.

Congress must address the Bush tax cuts, sequestration and...

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#NEXTCHAT RECAP: The Inescapable World of Office Politics

On November 7, SHRM We Know Next chatted with Steve Browne (@sbrownehr) about The Inescapable World of Office Politics.

They’re a reality in the workplace and a necessary skill. Whether you know it or not, you engage in office politics, every day, and they're impossible to avoid.  Many wonder why they are necessary; what does it take to be successful and what are the biggest mistakes?  Nextchatters agreed that when it comes to politics, as long as employees respect each other and maintain honest communication, a healthy culture...

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Structuring Coaching to Make Experiential Learning Successful in Global Leadership Development

In last month’s blog, we discussed the importance of providing skilled coaching during experiential learning activities to produce desired developmental results.  It is essentially an insurance policy for making experiential learning successful.  Since these activities typically involve a high degree of personal and organizational investment of time and resources, their design is critical for return on investment.  So let’s examine how to structure coaching throughout these experiences.

Coaching should begin prior to the developmental experience to help leaders understand the developmental objectives of the experience.  Especially in global leadership development, where experiential learning can introduce people to new...

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#NEXTCHAT: The Inescapable World of Office Politics

#NEXTCHAT: The Inescapable World of Office Politics

Office politics.  They’re a reality in the workplace and a necessary skill.  Whether you know it or not, you engage in office politics, every day, and they are impossible to avoid.  Even if you choose not to interact with others, you are still engaging in politics and it’s probably not helping your career.

It’s not about being dishonest, calculated or two-faced.  It’s not about jockeying for an advantage, or sucking up to those who can help you.  It’s about communication.  It's about building relationships, creating allies and understanding the positive...

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SHRM: November LINE Report

In November, more HR professionals in the manufacturing and service sectors say their organizations will be hiring compared with a year ago, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) survey for November 2012.  
 
Hiring rates will increase in November. More than one out of three manufacturers (33.6 percent) and service-sector companies (33.7 percent) will add jobs in November. The layoff rate will fall in both sectors in November 
compared with a year ago.
 
Recruiting difficulty was mixed in October. Difficulty in
...
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SAFE SEX: A WORKPLACE OXYMORON?

A supervisor has a romantic interest in a subordinate colleague.  What can go wrong?  Let me count the ways!

  • Scenario 1.  Supervisor asks the subordinate for a date.  Subordinate says, "No."  Supervisor asks again.  Problem:  "No" means no.
  • Scenario 2.  Supervisor asks the subordinate for a date.  Subordinate says, “I’m busy.”  Supervisor hears, “ask me another time,” so the supervisor asks again.  Problem: Subordinate meant “I’d rather die a public and  painful death."
  • Scenario 3.  Supervisor asks the subordinate for a date.  Subordinate says, "No."  Supervisor does not ask again.  However, supervisor subsequently takes adverse
  • ...
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#NEXTCHAT RECAP: What Does Work Ethic Look Like?

On October 31, SHRM We Know Next chatted with Sharlyn Lauby and Eric Chester about "What Does Work Ethic Look Like?"

Is it 90% perspiration and 10% Red Bull?  Does it depend on how your parents raised you and does it look different according to your generation?  What if you have a solid work ethic, but you're in a toxic workplace environment?  Regardless of how Nextchatters defined work ethic, they agreed that a positive attitude and a solid work ethic are connected, and that great employees possess both.

In case you missed it, here are all the great tweets from the...

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