SHRM Blog

#NEXTCHAT: Is HR Technology Really Making Our Jobs Easier?

by Mary Kaylor, SHRM-CPOn August 2, 2012 0 comments

By Steve Boese

There is no doubt that HR Technology plays an increasingly important role inside our organizations today. Whether simple, in-house developed tools for tracking employees in a very small organization, more complex and comprehensive ‘enterprise grade’ systems in use by most large organizations, or any of the myriad of newer HR technology solutions that are deployed via the web, in a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model - the influence and importance of workplace technology continues to grow.

But making sense of this fast-moving and changing market can be tough for the HR pro that has about a...

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#NEXTCHAT RECAP: "Employee Engagement -- Are you Listening to the Right Employees?"

by Mary Kaylor, SHRM-CPOn August 2, 2012 0 comments

On August 1, SHRM We Know Next invited special guest Jason Lauritsen to chat about "Employee Engagement -- Are you Listening to the Right Employees?"

The lively conversation addressed the definition of engagement, the link to talent and entitlement, and whether engagement was the responsibility of the employer or the employee.  Should organizations allow employees to build the surveys, and do employees who question the anonymity of the surveys provide truthful answers?

Here's a better question: Do employee engagement surveys ever result in increased employee engagement?

As Nextchater @JohnSumser tweeted: "Lincoln said, "People are as happy as they make up their minds to be."...

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Warning Employees About the Fiscal Cliff

by Michael Layman On August 2, 2012 0 comments

At the iconic ending of the 1991 film “Thelma & Louise,” Geena Davis’s character Thelma says “Let’s not get caught. Let’s keep going!” And with a smile, Louise (Susan Sarandon) steps on the gas pedal of their convertible and they go careening off the cliff to their doom.

If the Federal government’s spendthrift ways keep going full-throttle like Thelma & Louise’s car, then on Jan. 2, 2013, a sequestration order could take effect that would potentially send the nation off the “fiscal cliff.”

The fiscal cliff refers to the automatic enactment of tax and spending provisions at...

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SHRM: August LINE Report

by SHRM StaffOn August 2, 2012 0 comments
According to the SHRM Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) Report for August 2012, hiring will steadily continue in both the manufacturing and serivce sectors for the month of August. 
 
Compared to August 2011, hiring will increase in both sectors. Recruiting difficulty reported in July 2012 rose slightly in both sectors, compared to that of a year ago; 1.2 points in manufacturing and slightly more in service, 4.3 points. The rate of increase for new-hire compensation rose slightly in July in manufacturing, while falling 6.1 points...
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Why Health Care Reform Matters

by Sharlyn LaubyOn August 1, 2012 0 comments

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Employers are now faced with putting plans in place to implement this sweeping new piece of legislation. Regardless of what individuals personally think about the act, it is important to recognize how important health care insurance can be for our employees. I learned this lesson very early in life.

April 27, 1987 is a day I will always remember.  Mr. Bartender and I had been married for 3 weeks (24 days to be exact).  I was wearing my new white pants.  We...

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Meditate and Then Read: Off Duty Policies and the NLRB

by Jonathan SegalOn August 1, 2012 0 comments

Many employers have rules that prohibit employees from returning to work while they are not on duty.  These rules are designed to keep order but they also have the effect of limiting employee access to engage in union activity while off duty.

The NLRB has long held that a rule barring off-duty employees access to the workplace is valid only if:

  1. It is limited solely to the interior of the facility
  2. It is clearly disseminated to all employees (so it must be in writing)
  3. Is applied to off duty access for all purposes, not
    4. ...
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Why Job Descriptions Must Change

by Lars SchmidtOn July 31, 2012 0 comments

Let's be honest - most job descriptions are terrible. There are exceptions of course, but the vast majority of job descriptions –are cookie cutter templates that provide a laundry list of responsibilities and knowledge/skills/ability requirements that give a job seeker no sense of what it's like to work for the company. We're experiencing so much progress in the talent space with recruiting 3.0, social recruiting, and more startups innovating in the space than we've ever seen – yet most job descriptions are written the same way they were 10 years ago. Why?
 
Whether it’s due to...

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6 Do's and Don'ts for Millennials in the Workplace

by Kyle LagunasOn July 27, 2012 0 comments

Summer is underway, and another group of “Trophy Kids” (Gen Y) is preparing to leave their jobs at your local coffee shops and retail stores to join the ranks of the professional workforce. They have big plans and high hopes, but as many twenty-somethings can attest, a diploma doesn’t guarantee success. A few of us have learned the hard way that there are some things that college simply can't prepare us for.

On behalf of those Millennials who earned their stripes in darker days of the recession, I've put together a list of what Gen Y really needs...

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Health Care Reform: 4 Tools for Compliance

by SHRM StaffOn July 26, 2012 0 comments

The New Health Care Reform Law: What Employers Need to Know (A Q&A Guide)

The Supreme Court’s landmark decision upholding President Barack Obama’s health care reform law removed the uncertainty that was making employers hesitant about implementing reform-related initiatives. Employers that took a “wait-and-see” approach now must play catch-up while they struggle to comply with numerous reform mandates. But some mandates have not been adequately explained in government guidance, leaving employers to wonder about the next steps. The New Health Care Reform Law: What Employers...

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#Nextchat: Employee Engagement -- Are You Listening to the Right Employees?

by Mary Kaylor, SHRM-CPOn July 26, 2012 0 comments

By Jason Lauritsen

Employee engagement surveys are a pretty big deal in a lot companies.  It makes sense that leaders want to understand how engaged their employees are with their business.  After all, who wouldn’t want employees who are switched on and putting in extra effort in their jobs?  It also makes sense that an all employee survey is the most efficient way to gather this kind of information.
 
Enter the employee engagement survey.  We conduct a survey, analyze the data, and look for ways to better engage your employees.  Then, it’s time to make...

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