Dec 31, 2011
Stuck in the Middle with You: Why Middle Managers Matter
I’m a coffee snob. I have a Gaggia, which I polish regularly. I’m a coffee machine snob. I’ve had a problem. The machine was spitting out coffee grinds from the sides of the espresso holder. I was getting cups full of grit, and as a consequence, I was grumpy in the mornings. So I tried a number of solutions. I tried washing out the espresso holder regularly. I tried different grinds of coffee, but only ended up with weaker cups. I tried different types of coffee, from Monsoon Malabar to Ecuadorian, but I always ended up with a poor end...
read moreMyth Busting in HR: Math Matters
“I went into HR because I don’t like math.” Sound familiar? I just heard that sentiment in our social network group recently. It is a thought uttered by individuals joining the HR profession. Worse, there is a sentiment in the C-Suite that HR doesn’t “do math.” Here is a reality check: Labor costs account for the biggest item on the profit and loss statement. Often HR is asked (or should be expected) to calculate the impact of various pay practices, employment practices or programs. In my experience the demand on HR delivery...
read moreHR Metrics: Is it Back to the Basics?
In a times of economic uncertainty, increasing regulatory requirements and competition it should be no surprise that HR and C-Suite leaders are under a great deal of pressure. According to The Hackett Group’s newly released report entitled, “2013 Key Issues Study” high pressure is a reality. As a result, HR leaders are focused on cost reductions, process improvement, improving the effectiveness of talent management, and obtaining value from data for better decision making among other issues. The pressure is derived from the need to...
read moreHow To Choose The Best Staff For Your Small Business
Have you heard of Airbnb? Hoteliers may well have a dartboard with their logo on it, since this relatively young Internet startup has cut into their business by acting as a sort of agent for privately owned apartments across the world. The service allows the apartment owners to rent their empty apartments to holiday makers at a rate much cheaper than most hotels, but still allows the apartment owners and Airbnb to turn a tidy profit. Being a young and trendy company, Airbnb has hiring practices to match. Some positions require you to prepare a...
read moreRetention: Be the Best Stepping Stone You Can Be
In the years that I’ve worked in HR and leadership roles, I’ve witnessed the constant flux between acquisition and retention. Even within economic cycles, we’ve shifted attention between the two, and back again. The thing that jars most is that in truth, you will always lose your employees. You are nothing but a stepping stone in their career path. Whether they stand on that stepping stone for a year or for ten years, at some point, they’ll move on to the next one. The contract of employment is, more often than not, broken by the...
read moreMaking Social Media a Policy
Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Pinterest. Tumblr. The time has come for companies to embrace them instead of push them away. I’m not talking about using them for business purposes, I’m talking about implementing an HR policy that these must be used. Right about now most of you are saying, “Those have been proven to be time wasters in the workplace, terrible idea!” Well, you’re absolutely right. They do tend to waste a little bit of time, but they also spark collaboration and creativity. At the end of the day, that’s a tradeoff that...
read moreIn Moments of Crisis
Our hearts go out to those who are experiencing shock and tragedy with what occurred in Boston and Texas. We lift our many readers up who are from or have friends or family in these areas or those affected by the unthinkable events. It was Maxwell Maltz who said, “Close scrutiny will show that most ‘crisis situations’ are opportunities to advance, or stay where you are.” As we watched the events unfold on television we witnessed the great opportunity to advance by coming together. We felt the pain, the frustration of unanswered...
read moreMultitasking: Friend or foe?
“I’m good at multitasking” is a phrase we hear often, but what does it really mean? Multitasking is not only the ability to juggle different things at once, but it’s also the aptitude to stay organized and on track. Some say that maintaining a balancing act throughout the work day is a productive way to get the job done, while others think that a more streamlined focus yields better results. Human resources professionals are faced with a variety of tasks in any given day. They must connect with internal hiring managers, read through...
read morePooling Your Recruiting Resources: Can You Get More with Less?
Today’s workforce is online, but where? There are literally hundreds of job boards online that offer employers and potential employees an ideal meeting ground to find the perfect candidate for a job. Unfortunately, this large pool of options makes it more difficult for employers to find the right candidate. Why Multiple Postings Alone Don’t Work Most employers feel that if they post their jobs on multiple job boards, they’ll receive a hearty response. While this is true to an extent, it doesn’t work as well as employers might think....
read moreIs Your Company At Risk?
Is your company at risk? Judy didn’t mean to jeopardize her company’s future when she asked her employer if she could take home two old computers from the store room for her teens and later sold both at a garage sale for $25 each. The happy buyer, however, found intriguing company information that she gave her husband, who worked for Judy’s company’s largest competitor. Last year, a local business that relied on one IT manager to handle all their technological needs found out how much trouble an IT geek can make. When the general...
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