February 28, 2003
Off Duty, Out of Work
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 12:59 PM -
The February HR Magazine's feature article, Off Duty, Out of Work, discusses the employer's right to terminate employees for off duty behaviors but it also asks the question: Should they exercise that right?
In most cases, termination for off-duty behavior appears legally safe. After all, private employers generally have the right to fire employees for almost any reason. Under the "at-will" doctrine of employment, "you can be fired for any reason or no reason, as long as it's not illegal," says Peter Petesch, an attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of Atlanta-based law firm Ford & Harrison LLP.
...
February 27, 2003
HR humor does exist
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 3:57 PM -
I was envious of the fun my fellow blog contributors were having over on the BostonWorks Job Blog. Other than this month's Dilbert entry, this blog is all business. My coworkers challenged me to find any humor in the HR profession. Little do they know how fun our job can be.
Here are some fairly humorous excerpts from actual employee performance evaluations.
"Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap."
"This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot."
"This young lady has delusions of adequacy."
"I would not allow this employee to breed."
"He would be out of his depth in a parking lot puddle."
Read more excerpts.
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We're smarter than you
Posted by pegasus@jpbutler.com">Jason Butler
at 1:31 PM -
How not to communicate with your employees.
Talking down to employees is how many corporate communication efforts routinely go awry and become discommunications. One recent opportunity to practice WSTY (We're Smarter Than You) Management is the trend of having a "values statement." As practiced in most companies, a "values statement" is the gas that fills the leadership vacuum, a forgotten set of words on a poster that, when they are noticed at all, remind those who see them of the company's shortcomings.
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February 26, 2003
Do you have a diversity recruiting strategy?
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 10:27 AM -
Having a diversity recruiting strategy is so important for today's businesses and it is not just for entry-level or non-exempt hourly positions. What is your companies strategy for tapping into all the different talent pools when the economy turns around? Here is just more information on why it will be so important to have one.
According to a new analysis of 2000 Census data and 2001 monthly CPS surveys by Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies prepared for The Business Roundtable's Education and the Workforce Task Force in Washington, D.C., neither the dimensions of immigrant participation in the labor force nor the role they played in the 90s boom has been fully appreciated. No longer solely relegated to low-level service and manufacturing jobs, new immigrants increasingly made up large portions of those who worked in retail, trade, and business, high-tech, personal and professional services.
Read the entire
report from Northeastern University.
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February 25, 2003
Work-Life is now Life-Work
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 4:05 PM -
Has your company recognized the change in your employees' life-work balance expectations?
People are searching for different ways to manage their lives, to include work as an important, but lesser priority. Those attitudes will alter their relationships with their employers as we move through this decade, though most employers have not yet realized the change in expectations.
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Cushioning the fall
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 2:38 PM -
Unfortunately, layoffs continue to be a fact of life in the current economy, strugging to pull itself out of recession. Laying someone off is always an unpleasant task. But line managers and HR folks involved in the layoff should know that how they handle it makes a big difference to the departing employee:
"I believe that people always remember their last day at the company. We in HR often invest a lot of time and money in planning the orientation program and planning the employee's first day. That's not remembered a year later or 10 years later," said Linda Lerner, principal with Lerner Consulting Services in Boston. "The way you treat the people on their way out is much more important than how you treat them on the way in."
Read
the article from the
Boston Business Journal.
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February 24, 2003
Boosting your employee morale
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 12:37 PM -
From this Sunday's BostonWorks, a designer wrote to our Job Doc discussing their employer's harsh policies. The employee is obviously unhappy with the company's strict compensation and benefits policies. It is most likely that this employee will begin looking for a new job. Corporate cultures that undervalue employees will have a high turnover. Maybe not so much in this economy because job security is so important. However, in a better economy, employees will find work for employers that pay them competitively, evaluate their performance, give positive feedback, value employee voice, have flexible work schedules, paid holidays, vacation, sick time and more. Don't let high employee turnover happen to you. It can slow down your business. Evaluate your management policies now and boost your employee morale. A happy employee is a productive and loyal employee.
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Growing concerns: air travel, job security, top talent
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 10:52 AM -
From this Sunday's Globe:
War concerns and terrorism threats have forced firms to reevaluate the safety of employees who travel by air on company business. At the top of your employees' minds right now? A new survey of nearly 300 HR managers says job security is the No. 1 issue. How do you attract and retain top managers, even in these times? Competitive pay is the key.Read
all the stories from this week's Globe.
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February 21, 2003
Ten ethical standards that every recruiter should abide by
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 11:37 AM -
There are a number of courses that recruiters can attend to increase their prowess in finding candidates, establishing new clients, closing candidates, or managing their time. But unfortunately, there isn't a great deal of training available in the area of ethics.
Before you jump to the assumption that recruiters will do what is best for their clients or that an education in ethics is unnecessary, consider the following questions asked by some recruiters unsure of the proper steps to take to remain ethical.
Read
the entire article.Read
reviews and post your own review of the article.
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February 20, 2003
Background checks: Is your company doing enough or too much?
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 12:59 PM -
A recent Washington Post article, "Employers getting to know all about you", reports on what some companies are doing, post 9/11, to get to know their employees. The article raises interesting questions: How much digging for employee information is too much? Have some companies undermined employee morale and productivity? Is there any workplace privacy left?
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Diversity in tech?
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 9:56 AM -
The San Jose Mercury News - the voice of Silicon Valley - reports on the struggle to achieve diversity in the tech workforce:
A Mercury News analysis of federal employment data shows that the proportion of Latinos and blacks grew from a combined 11 percent to 12 percent at the valley's 10 highest-grossing tech companies during the boom years from 1996 to 2000. In contrast, Latinos and blacks made up nearly a quarter of the overall U.S. workforce in 2000.
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Firms tell new hires: 'Move yourself'
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 9:49 AM -
From this week's Christian Science Monitor:
"Fewer companies are willing to say '[we'll] do whatever it takes to get this person here.' The economic downturn is hitting every area," says John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray, & Christmas, an outplacement organization in Chicago. "We have moved into an era of co-pays, which means that employees are expected to pick up some, if not all, of the moving expenses."
Read the
entire article.
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HR Jeopardy
Posted by pegasus@jpbutler.com">Jason Butler
at 9:14 AM -
A: Lost time due to storms, childcare issues, and many other causes.
Q: What are problems that can be mitigated by implementing an effective telework program?
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February 19, 2003
Women approach top jobs at Procter & Gamble
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 5:14 PM -
Some encouraging news from the gender front: women are making their way up the ladder at Procter & Gamble, one of the country's leading consumer products companies:
Shedding a reputation as a place dominated by men, P&G is a national model for recruiting, training, promoting and retaining women.
-------
Two decades after it started heavily recruiting women from business schools, P&G has filled 19 percent of vice president spots with women. Women fill 46 percent of coveted brand manager spots, twice as many in that position as five years ago.
Read all about it in the Louisville Courier-Journal.
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Increase your value to the company
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 5:02 PM -
Most recruiters face the challenge of proving their worth to their organizations. Many companies view HR as an expense and easily place blame on the staffing function if an unsuccessful hire or no hire is made. Increase your value to your organization by making senior management understand that recruiting is just as much part of their daily responsibilities as it is yours. Help them understand that everything they do- products to customer service to internal processes and policies- is a reflection on the employer brand and the employer brand is the tool that you use when staffing. At your next meeting, ask your senior management some of these thought provoking questions from writer David Lee.
Does your reputation in the marketplace warrant pride?
Does the way your organization warrant pride?
Do you support or thwart excellence?
Do your managers inspire loyalty, excellence and pride?
Do you have what today's workers want?
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February 18, 2003
The graying of online job seekers
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 3:05 PM -
Media Life magazine - "For media planners and buyers" - carries an article by Toni Fitzgerald on who's using online job sites. They aren't getting any younger:
Such sites used to be the domain of the very young – savvy recent college grads searching for dot.com opportunities. No longer. Research from comScore Networks’ Media Metrix shows that people ages 18-24 now make up one of the smallest groups of online job seekers. Layoffs around the country have forced older internet users to get creative with their job searches.
Interesting implications for those recruiting online. In today's market you are just as likely to reach the older, experienced workers as younger, entry-to-mid-level individuals.
Read the article in its entirety.
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Corporate liability for cell-phone use
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 2:24 PM -
This week's BostonWorks story, "Employers see liability in device", introduces us to some area employers and what their policies are on cell phone use while driving. Some companies have no policy, others completely ban the use of cell phones, others require handsfree use only. A friend of mine, in-house counsel for another area employer, offered up his insider point of view and some other insight.
We have a policy in our employee handbook that more or less reminds them to use their best judgement. The problem with having any policy is that it opens up other areas of liability. If we say, "employees must pull to the side of the road when using a cell phone" and someone gets rear ended by another car while doing this then we open ourselves up to possible liability.
The problem (with talking on a phone handsfree or not) is the way our brains process information. When we talk on the telephone our brains process that differently than when speaking to someone in person. Check out this article, "Wrong Turn". It gets into this in great detail about half way into it.
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Liability, disability, livability
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 11:40 AM -
From this week's BostonWorks in the Sunday Globe:
Liability - cellphone users may be costing their employers money, and those employers are now seeking to lower their liability. Disability - advances in technology are reducing barriers for the disabled in the workforce.Livability - many are worried that their retirement benefits will not make the grade. Read
all the stories.
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February 14, 2003
Diversity Recruiting and Retention Summits
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 12:44 PM -
Airs and the New York Times are holding Diversity Recruiting and Retention Summits in 10 major markets including Boston.
Join AIRS and The New York Times for a high value executive briefing packed with original research, case studies, and expert panels focused on diversity recruiting and retention strategies. This is a must-attend event for corporations and search firms who need to find, hire, motivate and advance the very best diversity candidates. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to listen, network and learn from the best diversity recruitment programs across the U.S.
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February 13, 2003
Dilbert and the Evil H.R. Director
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 4:54 PM -
What is a day at work without a little levity? Check out today's "Dilbert". I guarantee it will make you laugh out loud. Well, at the very least, it will make you smile.
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February 12, 2003
The play's the thing
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 5:07 PM -
A couple of weeks ago, Svetlana wrote about the Barbara Ehrenreich book "Nickel and Dimed" in which the author chronicles her experiences as an hourly worker in a number of different jobs. Who woulda thunk it, but amazingly Ehrenreich's book has been dramatized and is now on stage at the Trinity Repertory in Providence through March 9th:
With a mixture of good humor and imaginative stagecraft (hints of dingy apartments and ratty cars emerge from the floor of the stage), Trinity takes us on a tour of how the other half lives. It may seem odd to label such an experience ''pleasant,'' but that's part of the subversive charm of this New England premiere.
Read the
entire review from today's Globe.
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To grant or not to grant
Posted by pegasus@jpbutler.com">Jason Butler
at 1:12 PM -
Strategy + Business has an interesting article today about the "Dos" and "Don'ts" of options grants. (Free Registration Required)
Times have changed in the labor market, and firms should review their options-granting policies, not just their accounting policies. An employer that needs wage flexibility, and that has a market value related to its workers’ market wages, should consider issuing stock options broadly. But remember that these options are not great for motivating recipients; the options are used to manage and smooth compensation costs as labor markets change.
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Help me help you
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 12:53 PM -
Here is a good article on how to help your hiring managers from making a bad hire. In "Tips to avoid costly hiring mistakes", Lloyd writes about the importance of culture AND skill match, the halo effect, how lowering of standards is not good for the short or long term, and more.
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February 11, 2003
Land top talent without going broke
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 5:11 PM -
This article, "How to Land Top Talent without Going Broke", lends ideas to smaller businesses on how to make the right hire.
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Red Tape: Are You Cheating Your Employees?
Posted by pegasus@jpbutler.com">Jason Butler
at 12:44 PM -
Inc. Magazine discusses common ways companies run afoul of the law.
A lot of things have changed in the workplace since 1938. Unfortunately, the FLSA isn't one of them. It's been amended over the years, but it hasn't been significantly revised since the 1970s. And when you combine an antiquated and arcane law with a shaky economic environment, what you get is an expensive recipe for unbridled litigation.
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FMLA, the DET's WorkSharing, a lesson from Columbia, and a unique send-off
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 9:55 AM -
Four articles from this Sunday's BostonWorks in the Globe address various HR-related issues:
> On the 10th anniversary of the Family Leave and Medical Act - and after 35 million US workers have exercised their rights to unpaid leave for family or medical matters - change is in the air.
> The Mass. Division of Employment and Training WorkSharing program is garnering more attention. The program lets firms cut hours rather than jobs and allows workers to regain some of the wages lost when their hours are curtailed by letting them collect unemployment insurance benefits.
> Savvy Manager Mary Helen Gillespie considers the inspirational lesson we as managers can learn from the seven perished astronauts of the space shuttle Columbia, true leaders all.
> And our View from the Cube contributor comes up with a unique idea to ease the pain of her layoff and give herself a boost for the job transition she faces: an "unemployment shower."
Read all the stories and columns.
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February 10, 2003
Lots of space for the taking
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 5:27 PM -
The New York Times reported last week in depth on the Boston office scene and how all the layoffs have created a glut of space:
In the region's 146-million-square-foot office market, the availability of space to lease or sublease was 22.3 percent by the end of the fourth quarter of 2002 versus 5.5 percent at the end of 2000, according to figures from Spaulding & Slye Colliers, a real estate services concern based in Boston and Washington. In the suburbs, office availability is the highest on record, 27 percent, versus 6.4 percent in 2000, and has climbed above 30 percent in some submarkets.
---
"We're in a real estate recession," said William F. McCall, president of McCall & Almy, real estate advisers. "Unlike any other downturn since the 1940's, this wasn't caused by an excess of office supply but by contracting demand among companies that leased space anticipating growth and have had layoffs instead."
So if you can, get in while the going is good.
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Use college and university career centers to find all levels of talent
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 4:23 PM -
More out of work professionals are using their career center at their alma mater as another resource for finding a job (see the Seattle Post-Intelligence's Jan 28th article, "Career Services Besieged by Alumni") . Career centers are expanding their services as well in order to meet the needs of both the alumni and the employers. Your local college career center is not just for finding new talent anymore. Remember when you are doing your on-campus recruiting or college career fair recruiting to be prepared to discuss your mid and senior level openings as well.
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February 7, 2003
Ideas for getting employees that you want
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 10:11 AM -
Even in this economic slowdown some recruiters are still having trouble filling their jobs with the right people. Here is a list of 101 ideas for getting the employees that you want. Take a look at the list. There may be an idea that you haven't tried.
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February 6, 2003
Hiring Outlook for 2003
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 5:54 PM -
Business Week has published a two part story on the Hiring Outlook in 2003. CEO's of national companies give their expert forecasts. The employment trend opinions are based on history and current client activity. Even though some of the insight is obvious, there is interesting information on what other companies are doing to prepare for the turnaround.
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February 5, 2003
The perils of email
Posted by pegasus@jpbutler.com">Jason Butler
at 12:19 PM -
Fortune talks about the myriad perils of email for business.
It was supposed to make life easier. Now e-mail has become a prosecutor's No. 1 weapon and the surest way for companies to get sued.
Especially when dealing with the sensitive topics inherent to recruiting and human resources, professionals need to take care.
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Firms may receive incentive for hiring workers on unemployment
Posted by pegasus@jpbutler.com">Jason Butler
at 11:22 AM -
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on a Georgia Department of Labor proposal which would use state unemployment benefits to subsidize salary for companies that hire off the unemployment rolls.
State Department of Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond wants to allow businesses to use a worker's unemployment benefits to cover part of that person's salary -- an incentive he says could create 5,000 jobs in the near term.
Should Massachusetts consider this?
(Thanks HCM Blogspot)
...
February 3, 2003
Are smart people overrated?
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 3:54 PM -
Some of you may have seen Malcolm Gladwell's piece, "The Talent Myth," that ran in The New Yorker last summer. It is a well-researched and disturbing look at the corporate culture fostered within Enron, a culture which Gladwell clearly points to as the culprit in Enron's demise. The piece details the perils of the "star" system run amok, fueled by management consultant McKinsey and abetted by Enron senior management:
The management of Enron. . .did exactly what the consultants at McKinsey said that companies ought to do in order to succeed in the modern economy. It hired and rewarded the very best and the very brightest—and it is now in bankruptcy. The reasons for its collapse are complex, needless to say. But what if Enron failed not in spite of its talent mind-set but because of it? What if smart people are overrated?
As one would expect from The New Yorker, the piece is more in-depth than the standard fare. But the read is well worth it and is truly thought-provoking stuff for anyone in the hiring game.
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Managers held to account for work-life balance
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart
at 3:19 PM -
In Sunday's Globe, one of the BostonWorks features explored the issue of work-life balance in corporations and how, in order to have a real effect, managers are increasingly being held accountable:
''Many organizations have all the right policies on the books - flexible work arrangements, family leave, part-time work options, etc. But the question is, 'Do employees feel it is acceptable to use these policies without there being negative repercussions?','' said Brad Harrington, executive director of the Boston College Center for Work & Family. ''The answer to this depends on what kind of signals managers send and what behavior is reinforced by management.''
A tough issue in tough times. Read
more.
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Getting fired?
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini
at 1:51 PM -
It is still happening. Some recruiters are finding themselves staring at a pink slip. I thought the worst was over for us, no? No. A recruiter friend of mine called. She is getting the boot on Feb 14th. Nice to get the notice but the 14th? No boyfriend and no job. That is just bad karma.
If you are faced with that situation ( the "no job" situation. not the "no boyfriend" thing), here is some advice on how to handle being pink slipped.
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Employee monitoring
Posted by pegasus@jpbutler.com">Jason Butler
at 12:13 PM -
Should you monitor your employee's Internet usage? Business 2.0 believes monitoring causes more problems than it solves.
Before you implement the latest technology to monitor your workers, ask yourself, "What does this say about how I think about my people?" If you really don't trust your employees, maybe you should get different ones. If you do trust them, or want to, treat them accordingly.
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