SHRM Blog

Does a Mentor have to Breathe?

by John BellOn February 7, 2012 0 comments

To most of us, mentors are people of experience and knowledge who help the less experienced advance their careers and/or their education. There are plenty of well-known examples throughout the course of history; Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great, Laurence Olivier mentored Anthony Hopkins and Freddy Laker mentored Richard Branson. 
 
In the early days of my 40 year business career, I was lucky to work under two gentlemen who instilled several critical success factors that guided me from Brand Manager to CEO. One of my mentors was brilliantly creative, the other skillfully strategic. But when...
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Next Generation Leadership - Have You Talked to a Customer Today?

by Ryan EstisOn February 6, 2012 0 comments
Did you talk to a customer today?
 
Simple yes or no answer.  
 
According to Frank Pacetta (a hero of mine) and his Blueprint for Success a “no” gets the leader or manager (CEO especially) an immediate failing grade.
 
 
Today’s leader is charged with navigating through chaotic and disruptive times.  Employees are anxious, overwhelmed, exhausted, uncertain and have far less trust in senior leadership.  Customers have an evolving set of
...
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Social Media for HR and Recruiting

by Matt CharneyOn February 6, 2012 0 comments
French novelist Alphonse Karr once wrote, “the more things change, the more things stay the same,” which might explain why this same phrase shows up in Zeppelin lyrics a century after Karr’s death.  
 
And nowhere is that more true than HR, which as a function seems often to be the business equivalent of the Amish – a quaintly anachronistic sect who shuns modern technology (with the possible exception of cute cat videos on YouTube, which, as we all know, really never gets old).
 
This is probably why we’re still talking about building...
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Top 10 Workplace Flexibility Blogs Worth Reading

by SHRM StaffOn February 3, 2012 0 comments

As the workforce grows more complex, businesses and organizations are tapping into new trends and people strategies to recruit and retain the best and brightest talent. With today’s four-generation workforce and the increasing globalization of business, workplace flexibility is an imperative for today’s 21st century workplace. 

In recent research from SHRM, C-suite executives said that the biggest threat to their organizations’ success was attracting and retaining top talent, and found that the best way to combat this was to provide flexible work arrangements – even above compensation.

Additionally, flexible working arrangements have been proven to help keep...

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The 2011 Execution Round-Up: Six Organizations That Couldn't "Get It Done" This Year

by Rick LepsingerOn February 3, 2012 0 comments
It’s that time of year when business owners and senior executives take stock of the past twelve months. What did 2011 look like for you and your company?  The questions you could ask during your year-end assessment are endless. But there’s only one that really matters: Did your company effectively execute its plans and initiatives?
 
If an organization can’t get things done, nothing else matters—not the smartest strategy, not the most innovative business model, not even game-changing technology.  And for many companies, there is a clear gap between strategy and execution—we’ve seen plenty of
...
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SHRM: February LINE Report

by SHRM StaffOn February 2, 2012 0 comments

According to the SHRM Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) Report for February 2012, although the pace of job creation at this time last year was higher, the hiring outlook for this February shows that far more companies are expected to hire than lay off. 

 
Specific to the manufacturing and service sectors, the LINE Report shows that compared to February 2011, the service-sector hiring in February 2012 will drop by a net of 12.3 points and the manufacturing-sector hiring in February 2012 will drop by a net of 2.5 points. Taking a closer look at...
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Social Networkers: A Special Breed

by Steve BatesOn February 2, 2012 0 comments
Many business leaders have long suspected that active social networkers are a breed apart from other employees. A new report looking at the state of business ethics in the U.S. supports that belief.
 
The nonprofit Ethics Resource Center (ERC) says that corporate ethical behavior will likely get worse in the foreseeable future. In analyzing its data, the ERC was surprised to find how different social media people are from other employees. Workers who are active on social networks report more ethical lapses, feel more pressure to...
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Celebrating a Milestone for #Workflex!

by SHRM StaffOn February 1, 2012 0 comments
Paper — symbolizing strength from the connection of individual threads — is a traditional gift for a first anniversary.
 
Making a strong connection is a fitting description as SHRM marks the first anniversary of the groundbreaking partnership on workplace flexibility with the Families and Work Institute (FWI).
 
Announced Feb. 1, 2011, by SHRM President and CEO Hank Jackson and FWI President Ellen Galinsky at the National Press Club, the partnership works to help organizations transform how they view and adopt flexible workplace practices...
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Tools and Training Prepare Managers for Workplace Flexibility

by Kathy KacherOn February 1, 2012 0 comments
During the past decade, much of work/life research has been dedicated to identifying and measuring the bottom-line benefits of workplace flexibility to an organization and its employees. Unfortunately, far less attention has been paid to the challenges that managers face when integrating flexibility into their work groups.
 
A 2010 survey report, Alternative Workplace Strategies in the Current Economy: Results from New Ways of Working’s Benchmarking Study, cited executive buy-in and manager resistance as two of the top three barriers to wider implementation of workplace flexibility. Similarly, the 2011 WorldatWork Survey on Workplace Flexibility illustrates...
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Keeping Everyone Safe in the Workplace

by Robin SchoolingOn January 31, 2012 0 comments
“If you come to work with ten fingers and ten toes, then that’s how we intend to send you home each day.”  
 
That was the oft-uttered phrase of an Operations Manager with whom I worked.  It was the foundation of his message to new hires during New Employee Orientation and he repeated it at all staff meetings. Safety mattered.
 
Most employers are subject to the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act and therefore have what’s termed a “general duty” to provide a workplace that’s free from recognized and serious hazards.  The Act...
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