SHRM Blog

14 Ways to Build Authentic Relationships Across Differences in the Workplace

Whether working in the office, remotely or on a hybrid schedule, building authentic relationships with employees is key in helping employees develop a sense of belonging in the workplace. As leaders, it can be challenging to establish relationships without seeming like you are inauthentic or prying into your employees' private lives. So, what can leaders do to develop and nurture authentic relationships across race, gender, and other differences?...

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Crossing the Finish Line: How to Follow-Up After Job Interviews

Companies are eager to hire— according to the U.S. Department of Labor there are more than 10 million job openings across the country. But there may still be a lengthy wait time between a first interview and a job offer. Studies show that on average, most companies don’t make that final job offer until 24 days after the initial interview.

Instead of just stressing about whether they got the job, candidates  can use any of a variety of positive ways to keep their names on the minds of hiring managers and other decision makers. Here are five ways to follow...

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How Can Companies Use DEI Initiatives to Push Back Against

A poll by NBC News and Generation Lab revealed that around half of college students wouldn’t room with someone with differing political beliefs than theirs. In addition, even more students said they wouldn’t date someone who voted for a different candidate than they did. Alongside these statistics were others that revealed, perhaps unsurprisingly, record lows of trust in public institutions.

 

While the poll was of college students, it’s certainly reflective of the current political climate in the U.S. in general: widespread polarization equating to a line drawn in the sand between neighbors, family members,...

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The Business Case for Leaders Promoting the New Boosters

With a triple pandemic of COVID, flu, and RSV hitting the US hard this winter with an explosion of cases, business executives need to take the lead on promoting the newly-updated boosters. Doing so will help reduce the number of sick days taken by their workers, minimize COVID outbreaks and superspreader events in their companies, reduce employee fears about returning to the office, and position executives as trustworthy participants in stakeholder capitalism.

Research shows that the new boosters from Pfizer and Moderna, which are bivalent - meaning they target both Omicron and the original COVID strain - are very safe,...

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Closing Out 2022: 13 To-Do Items These HR Leaders Are Focused On

From establishing the Process and Procedure Documentation Process to prioritizing your EOY opportunities, here are the 13 answers to the question, "As we get ready to close out 2022, what is one thing on your HR to-do list that you want to complete before the year ends and why?"

  • Establish
  • ...
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Why You Need to Fail if You’re Going to Lead – And Other Lessons from a Top Gun Pilot

A relationship with failure is something most of us spend our lives striving to avoid. We’re prone to highlighting our best moments, whether on social media or in a job interview. You know: “my greatest weakness is that I try too hard.” When it comes to work, whether you’re in a competitive industry or a workplace demanding growth, admitting to failure is seen as problematic if not disastrous. Why take the risk? 

 

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How To Compete in a Tight Labor Market Knowing that Compensation is King

 

Traditionally, pay and benefits have been top selling points when attracting job candidates. However, the last few years have altered the recruitment and retention landscape dramatically. Is pay still a major factor for workers?

Employees buckled down for months during the height of the pandemic. As soon as the world opened up, the pent-up demand for workplace change launched the Great Resignation. Today, with recession threats looming, pay and well-being-related issues (such as work-life balance...

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Benefits that Employees Will Value the Most in 2023

Open enrollment—HR’s most wonderful time of the year! OK, maybe not for everyone. 

I will never forget planning my first open enrollment. Although it was 18 years ago, I can still recall the same challenges I hear from our members today, such as, “Which benefits are going to be the most affordable options to meet our employees’ needs?” 

It was never easy to strike the correct balance between a benefits package that encourages employee attraction and retention and one that doesn’t break the bank for companies....

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How to Cause the Effect in HR

HR is well-positioned to create effective change within organizations. Instituting initiatives so that employees aren’t reaching a level of “need” before their employer realizes it can help avoid running the risk of too little, too late. So can doing what is right, not because it’s an obligation but because it is the right thing to do. This is my interpretation of what “causing the effect” looks like. Your interpretation may be entirely different. If you are reconditioning your thought process to take into consideration what is ahead and not...

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Permanent Residency Status is Not Necessarily Permanent: Travelers Beware

The saying “nothing is permanent” not only applies to life in general, but also to things many people think are truly permanent – like lawful permanent residency status, commonly called “green card” status. Unfortunately, it often surprises some (and usually under less-than-ideal circumstances) that the permanent resident status that they thought they could never lose and worked so hard to obtain can, in fact, be lost either through their actions, or in many cases, inactions. It will likely come as a further surprise to many that a permanent resident has no unconditional right to reenter or remain in the United...

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