May 30, 2003

Paying your managers to have a life
Posted by at 9:52 AM

For those of you who work downtown, you know that Cosi makes great sandwiches. But did you know that their store managers work 70 and 80 work weeks. Ouch. The company recognized that this was something that they couldn't continue asking for without giving them some sort of balance.

Two years ago, the restaurant chain, which operates 97 "all-day café" shops in 11 states in the Northeast and Midwest, implemented a quality-of-life initiative that includes an annual $500 "Experience Life" bonus available to its store managers, who can spend the money taking a class, joining a gym or anything else that contributes to their personal development...

Read the entire article from Human Resources Executive Magazine.
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May 29, 2003

Diversity - Are you in the "know"?
Posted by at 10:32 AM

Diversity in the workplace has always been an important topic among HR and management. Recruiting diverse professionals in this market is a challenge as well. Does your company have a diversity initiative? Are you trained to create, execute and measure the success of such a program? Do you know where to find qualified diverse professionals?

It seems now, more than ever, the tools you need in order to answer any question on diversity in the workplace is out there. For example. NEHRA has a Diversity Committee that works to bring education to the HR community through events including the Diversity Conference and the Diversity Awards Dinner. SHRM's Annual Conference in June offers a seminar on what it takes to be a leader of diversity in your organization.

Here are more tools and resources to get you in the "know" when it comes to diversity:
AIRs has a slew of diversity recruiting tools including an e-learning series starting in June.
BostonWorks has special diversity recruitment advertising sections coming up in June and September to help you reach and recruit qualified diverse professionals in Boston.
Along with the NEHRA Diversity Committee, the organization publishes articles and other information on diversity in the workplace.
SHRM has very comprehensive coverage including their publication, Mosaics.
For those organizations in the advertising industry, The AdClub offers guidance on creating diversity initiatives.

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Court sides with Congress over states on family leave
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:16 AM

From yesterday's Boston Globe:

A divided Supreme Court yesterday interrupted its string of rulings favoring states' rights and upheld the power of Congress to order states to give their employees family medical leave, a major victory for about 5 million people who work for state governments.

Read the entire story.

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May 28, 2003

Former Military make excellent candidates
Posted by at 11:49 AM

Unfortunately, many employers pass over these qualified candidates because they lack industry experience. Candidates with former military backgrounds receive great training and experience while serving. Some former Marines include top guns at FedEx, PepsiCo, and General Motors. Take a closer look at your former military candidates. You might find your next senior exec among them.

Why so few? One reason is that many career officers don't want to start over in their 50s, preferring instead to retire or work part-time as a defense consultant. Moreover, only a limited number of top slots are open at large corporations. But the biggest reason, say management consultants, may be that corporate chieftains generally shy away from hiring vets for the CEO's job.

Read the entire Business Week article.
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May 27, 2003

The War for Talent
Posted by at 12:18 PM

"The War for Talent", Fast Company's hiring guide, is a timeless piece. In any economy, knowing how to attract and retain talent is an essential skill that HR should understand. This guide introduces seven key factors to attracting talent.

Three years ago, Fast Company reported on a breakthrough study by McKinsey & Co. that described the "war for talent" in business and the high stakes associated with how senior executives fought that war. Last summer, McKinsey released a new report on the same theme, called "War for Talent 2000." The report, which takes another in-depth look at this critical issue, is a survey of 6,900 corporate officers, top executives, and midlevel gen-X managers in 56 companies. Here is an excerpt from the report on the seven "talent imperatives" that are essential for winning the war for talent.

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DBM survey, YWCA honorees, more
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:36 AM

From this week's "Out in the Field", BostonWorks' round-up of employment stats and trends in the Boston Sunday Globe:

Older workers are less likely to find a comparable or better job with the same or more pay after a job loss or separation, says a recent survey by DBM, formerly Drake Beam Morin.

A dozen female achievers in Boston will be honored June 6 by the YWCA at the 9th Annual Academy of Women Achievers Awards luncheon.

Last week moderate House Republicans agreed to back a bill that would extend existing temporary federal jobless benefits seven months, but the bill would not include those millions who have already exhausted benefits.

Read all this week's BostonWorks stories from the Globe.
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Catbert strikes again
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:21 AM

What are you gonna do on a gray Tuesday morning after the long rainy, cold, Memorial Day weekend? Give yourself a smile with Catbert, Evil HR Director. And be sure to give yourself a lift every morning with Dilbert on the BostonWorks.com home page - check out the little guy on the lower right of the page.
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May 23, 2003

A lesson learned...
Posted by at 12:34 PM

A Business Week reporter suffered an injury temporary disabling her. She wrote this commentary on her struggles as disabled worker and lessons learned by her company.

But these are hassles that will, of course, pass once the finger heals. Meanwhile, I've discovered that the workplace need not be hostile to those with disabilities. After all, in a knowledge economy, what really matters is brain power. Technology that allows workers to transcend physical limitations is not only empowering to individuals. It's good for business.

Read the entire article.
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May 21, 2003

Holding Back Bankruptcy
Posted by at 9:23 AM

From SHRM's HR Magazine:

The very survival of a troubled company approaching - or in - bankruptcy can depend on how well HR gathers information, trims costs, retaims key people and communicates with stakeholders.

Read the entire HR Magazine article.
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May 20, 2003

Globe 100
Posted by at 12:58 PM

Did your company make the list? For those of you who didn't, check out the criteria and see what you can do to make it next year.

Top Ten List

1. Analogic Corp
2. State Street Corp
3. BJ's Wholesale Club
4. Charles River Labs
5. Yankee Candle
6. Staples
7. Gillette
8. TJX Cos.
9. Kronos
10. Investors Fin. Svcs.

Read the entire section.
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May 16, 2003

Hiring in times of anger and fear
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:32 AM

Things are a little unusual right now from either side of the hiring desk:

I'm looking for a mid-level manager, and . . . anxiety and anger is evident in the people I'm interviewing. What seems strangest is that candidates for the job seem to have adapted to these strange times by moving to polar extremes. They're either totally obsequious doormats who are essentially offering to work for food ("but that's negotiable," they explain) or are completely arrogant and believe they deserve a circa-1999 dot-com salary, work environment and perks. There isn't much in between. Where are the people who are reasonably self-confident?

The writer, a C-level executive, offers advice to (understandably) uptight job seekers in this strained employment environment. The insights are worthy of consideration by hiring managers, as well. Read the piece from Career Journal.
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SHRM's WorkPlace Visions
Posted by at 8:46 AM

SHRM puts out "Workplace Visions", a report on trends in the workplace. It is quite comprehensive. Topics include, social trends, demographic trends, and political trends. There is some key information in this report that HR professionals will find useful when looking to improve their workplace.

Though workplace health and safety has vastly improved over the last decades, new challenges are constantly arising. Changes in the work environment, social trends and demographic shifts will all continue to have an impact on health and safety in the workplace. As a result, HR practitioners will need to continue to review current health and safety practices to make sure that their organizations are meeting these challenges head on.

Read the entire report.
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May 14, 2003

The "drop out" phenomenon
Posted by at 11:52 AM

From Human Resource Executive Magazine:

'Many women are examining the costs and benefits of executive leadership roles, and are choosing not to play," says Bernadette Kenny, executive vice president of Lee Hecht Harrison, an outplacement firm based in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, which just completed a study on the issue. "They're looking ahead to working in the corporate world for the next 20 to 30 years, and deciding that those choices are not worth it.'

Read the entire article.
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May 12, 2003

Work-life (im)balance, women in the workforce, more
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 4:35 PM

From BostonWorks in the Boston Sunday Globe this week:

At the work-family conference in Boston last weekend, cosponsored by the Brandeis University Community, Families & Work Program, and by Boston University's journalism school, Barry Bluestone, director of the Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University, reported that the time squeeze falls hard on two-earner couples juggling work schedules, day-care pickups, and children's sick days.

Out In the Field reports: women's workforce presence is stronger, but pay still lags; more employers base perks on performance; many execs expect the economy to improve in the 2d half of the year.

See Who's What Where to catch up on the latest moves of the local movers and shakers.

Read all this week's BostonWorks stories in the Globe.
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Improve your recruiting process
Posted by at 9:24 AM

From ERE,

One way to improve the process is to gather information from those that have just gone through it using a new-hire recruiting questionnaire.

One of the most important things that you can do after you hire a new employee is to gather information about what worked and what didn't during the recruiting process. Not only can the information help you improve the recruiting process, but your new hires can also provide you with important referrals for future hires.

Read the entire article.

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May 9, 2003

Interviewing visionary software candidates
Posted by Jason Butler at 1:46 PM

Johanna Rothman, in her excellent "Hiring Technical People" weblog, has some tips for interviewing software architects and designers.

How do you differentiate true designers and architects from other software developers? This may be the hardest question to answer, and the most necessary. A real designer or architect, someone who doesn't just hack a bunch of software together, is worth more to your company than you can pay him/her. A real designer or architect can translate the vision of what the product has to be into the here-and-now, no matter what development practices you use.

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Terms of Elimination
Posted by at 9:47 AM

Workidex.com is accepting nominations of "tired terms". If you have a business term that you feel is overused, nominate it for elimination. Terms nominated for elimination include, "Human Capital", "Business Partner", and "HI-POT".

Check out the list
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May 8, 2003

Boston's workplaces are now smoke free.
Posted by at 9:25 AM

Most of us work for companies that have had a smoke free environment for sometime now. When you stop and actually think about it, those who work in restaurants, bars, and clubs don't have the same quality of life at work that most of us enjoy. They have been exposed to secondhand smoke and do not have the same options as patrons - to come and go as they please. Now, as of Monday 5/5, all of Boston's workplaces are smoke free and our restaurant and hospitality employees can breathe easier.

The Boston Public Health Commission recognizes the right of those who wish to breathe smoke free air and establishes this regulation to protect and improve public health and welfare by prohibiting smoking in the workplace.

Read about this BPH initiative.

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May 7, 2003

Tax incentives could lead to increased hiring of disabled
Posted by at 10:29 AM

From SHRM:

'It’s unfortunate so few employers have taken advantage of the incentives available to them to hire persons with disabilities,' said Deb Cohen, PhD, SPHR, vice president of knowledge development at SHRM. 'With one in ten people estimated to have a severe disability, a large portion of the population is potentially being overlooked during the recruiting and hiring process. Often, employers are unaware of the incentives available to alleviate costs associated with providing accommodations to disabled employees. In addition, employers are often unaware that many accommodations made for people with disabilities are made with no cost to the employer.'

Read the entire press release.
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May 6, 2003

Contract hires, jobless execs
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:19 AM

From this week's BostonWorks in the Boston Sunday Globe:

With a glut of candidates and a squeeze on expenses, many firms are taking a harder look at their temporary and contract hires.

With so many senior, qualified execs out of work, a recent survey suggests that the bias toward the jobless is beginning to fade.

Read all this week's stories.

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May 5, 2003

The sales commission dilemma
Posted by Jason Butler at 12:34 PM

Inc. Magazine discusses ways to structure sales compensation so that salespeople focus on doing what's best for the company, not what's best for themselves.

Unless you're very careful about how you use [sales commissions], they almost always have the effect of undermining any sense of unity and common purpose in a business. How? By putting the salespeople in a separate category, by making them stand apart.

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Can employers force workers to waive their rights?
Posted by at 9:35 AM

Employers are asking their employees to sign away their rights to bring employment related lawsuits against them and forcing them to accept arbitration instead. Those employees who refuse to sign away these rights are having their job offers revoked. Is this legal? That is what federal courts are in the middle of working out.

About 8 percent of American workers are bound by arbitration agreements, and the number is climbing because employers view arbitration as less expensive and cumbersome than going to court. But lawyers who represent employees say many aspects of arbitration are not as fair as court trials. For instance, employees in arbitrations must sometimes pay tens of thousands of dollars in legal costs and often face far greater restrictions in obtaining evidence than they would in a court case.

Read the entire New York Times article.
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May 1, 2003

Guiding Principles of Measuring ROI on Human Capital
Posted by at 1:23 PM

I attended a seminar this morning on measuring the ROI on human capital. We discussed how HR's accountability has evolved from employee attitude surveys to HC measurement and HR as a profit center. More and more HR professionals are finding that they have to make a business case for their programs to their senior management. This means being able to measure the ROI on all HC programs. There are guiding principles to help get you started. There are also a plethera of consulting firms and resource books that will help get you up to speed on measuring ROI from an HR perspective.

Additonal Resources:
Books on ROI as an approach to measuring HR.
NEHRA's list of management consultants.
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Rewarding employees
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:15 AM

Your business is only as good as the people who work for you. No matter how good your product, how necessary your service, how innovative your technology, it's the people in your company who ultimately determine your success.

That's why it's important to nurture and reward. Many things can make your employees feel appreciated - and keep them motivated - that don't cost a lot.

The article from AZCentral.com has several useful ideas for recognizing your employees' contributions.

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