December 30, 2004

Another take on hiring for attitude
Posted by jr@jrothman.com">Johanna Rothman at 1:31 PM - 0 comments

In Keeping Spirits Aloft at JetBlue, there is a great Q&A with Vincent Stabile, VP People (what a cool title) at JetBlue. Here are the points I found most telling:

• Interviewing with peers: "If you’re being considered as a pilot, one of your interviews is with a pilot."
  
• The idea that if you treat your employees well, they will treat the customers well: "We treat our people the way we want them to treat the customers."
  
• Looking for personal qualities, preferences, and skills that they want employees to have: "We don’t train them [employees] to smile. We hire people who smile."
  
• Originally, they'd taken the best people in the function and made them managers. Now they have a management training program.
  

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December 29, 2004

Volunteering and promotions
Posted by pegasus@jpbutler.com">Jason Butler at 6:41 AM - 0 comments

Does your company encourage employee volunteerism? Wonderful. Does your company track employee volunteer hours, and use their existence as a prerequisite for promotion? Less wonderful, as the Boston Globe reports.

[Tracking volunteer hours] may mean problems for employers, especially if workers feel pressured to volunteer in their free time. If not implemented carefully, the program could spur employees to claim that their volunteerism actually should be viewed as work and that they should be paid for it, said Andrea K. Johnstone, an attorney at the New Hampshire law firm Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell.

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December 27, 2004

Blogging and business
Posted by pegasus@jpbutler.com">Jason Butler at 1:47 PM - 0 comments

Fortune Magazine writes about blogging and business. If you're interested in the phenomenon of blogging -- and how it's changing American hiring practices and MarCom -- this is a good read.

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December 20, 2004

17 Dumbest things in recruiting
Posted by jr@jrothman.com">Johanna Rothman at 7:53 PM - 0 comments

Take a look at The 17 Dumbest Things in Recruiting by John Sullivan. Ask yourself if you're doing any of these. The ones I particularly liked:

1. Lame corporate web sites
2. Hiring administrators as recruiters
9. Absence of a recruiting strategy

It's worth your time to read the whole article.

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Ladies, sometimes it needs to be all about you for a change
Posted by diane@downtownwomensclub.com">Diane Danielson at 10:59 AM - 0 comments

At least that's what the experts say after a recent study revealed that women are great at thinking about the company, but at the expense of their own career development. The Seattle Times reports on a study that shows that "Women Flunk the Self-Promotion Test."

Many executive-level women place a premium on the "communal" aspects of the workplace. They value working relationships, customer quality and communication above all else.

Many men in those positions, by contrast, are driven more by what's at stake for them personally. They tend to rate career development, compensation and a balanced workload as the things that will keep them committed to an organization.

"For women, it's all about what's good for the company," said Kim Morris, project director with ISR. "For men, it's more about strategies for advancement."

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A new face in the Hiring Hub
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 10:53 AM - 0 comments

Be sure to check out our latest arrival in the Hiring Hub, columnist Elaine Varelas, aka "The Hire Authority." Here's an excerpt from Elaine's initial column, "You're (not) hired!":

Like most people, HR managers struggle with rejecting people. Let's face it: it's not a fun part of the job. Nobody likes to be the bearer of bad news. It can also be tricky deciphering who needs to be contacted and how. Does everybody who applies for a position need a call back? Is sending an e-mail or a letter okay? What about no response at all?
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I'm hoping most HR managers have found a middle ground. It is not necessary to respond to every person who applies for a job. It is important, however, to set up a method of communication with those candidates who make it to the next step: those who you want to screen and those invited in for an interview.

A new column from Elaine will be appearing monthly, right here - and only here - on the Hiring Hub. Welcome, Elaine!

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December 17, 2004

Jobless claims plunge by 43,000
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 10:11 AM - 0 comments

Yesterday the Boston Globe reported encouraging news on the unemployment front:

New claims for unemployment insurance last week plummeted by 43,000 to a five-month low of 317,000, the Labor Department said in an encouraging report for the labor market recovery. It was the sharpest decline in three years. The four-week moving average, which is less volatile, dipped to nearly 338,000 claims.

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December 15, 2004

Let your people speak
Posted by pegasus@jpbutler.com">Jason Butler at 4:28 PM - 0 comments

Does your company forbid your people to speak in public, believing it a waste of time? Business Week writes about the power of public speaking.

A sale today is a sale today. But capturing the attention and imagination of someone influential can mean contacts, ideas, and support to the nth degree. The impact of influencing the influential, whose networks and thought leadership far surpass those of most of us -- including the manager-slaves whose leaders are so concerned about time away from the office -- is incalculable.

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When details are vague, when do you tell them?
Posted by skenney@keystonepartners.com">Sean Kenney at 1:42 PM - 0 comments

You look up to find the concerned face of a key employee darkening your door. He's heard rumors that the division might be in trouble, that corporate support is wavering, and that potential buyers are lining up. He wants to know what you know.

Though the rumors are not altogether accurate, they do contain more than a few grains of truth. In spite of some recent unit successes, the company's board of directors recently gave the department mixed reviews: some directors are dubious about the unit's long-term prospects and are open to acquisition offers; others, however, continue to believe in the unit's promise and want to give it a couple more years to produce bigger things. The issue won't be settled for months. How do you deal with it?

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Tips for women on how to close the gender wage gap
Posted by diane@downtownwomensclub.com">Diane Danielson at 9:43 AM - 0 comments

Fast Company provides six tips for closing the gender gap.

"The wage gap is not about corporate discrimination but about the division of labor that happens when men and women have children," says Warren Farrell, author of Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap -- and What Women Can Do About It (AMACOM, January 2005). "The biggest misconception is that there's a wage gap for the same work."

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December 14, 2004

UMass-Harvard study says many area workers misclassified
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 10:56 AM - 0 comments

Diane Lewis reports in yesterday's Globe on a new joint UMass-Harvard study that shows that many area workers are misclassified by employers:

Thousands of Massachusetts workers are wrongly classified as self-employed or independent contractors by employers seeking to lower costs, according to a report released jointly today by the University of Massachusetts' and Harvard University's schools of Law and Public Health. Misclassifications enable employers to avoid payroll taxes and such mandated employee benefits as unemployment and workers' compensation insurance.
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The study revealed misclassification is prevalent in a variety of business sectors. For example, 17 percent of all audited employers in transportation and utilities misclassified workers. In addition, 16.1 percent of the firms in education and health services, 14.3 percent of those in information services, 13.5 percent of the employers in professional and business services, and 11.4 percent of those in construction misclassified workers.

Is your company aware of how to proceed in this area? For a discussion of the issues, tips, and a list of helpful links, see attorney Denise Page's article "To employ or to contract, that is the question" from "NEHRA - The Voice of HR" here in the Hiring Hub.

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December 13, 2004

The ROI on holiday gift giving
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini at 2:25 PM - 0 comments

I know that the holidays are all about gift giving but when it comes to giving gifts, both externally and internally, what is the proper etiquette?

The topic of gift giving to fellow co-workers is a relatively easy one. Yankee swaps are perfect and everyone is usually amenable. Also, a great alternative is to give to a charity in the company's name.

What is trickier is the giving of gifts to external clients and business colleagues. Let me start first with holiday cards. The list for sending out cards is much broader with fewer guidelines. First, you can and should include anyone and everyone. Of course, you should also include anyone who has sent you a holiday card. For those contacts that you haven't communicated with since last year's holiday, be sure that they are still with the company before sending.

What about the art and etiquette of gift giving? In these lean times, gifts should be reserved for those important business colleagues. How do you decide who gets a gift and who doesn't? Will giving them a gift yield you a closer relationship, whether it's ongoing or budding? If you've answered "yes", then the person/organization belongs on your gift giving list. I don't mean to sound cold but giving gifts in a business setting is very much a business decision. So, the ROI should be apparent.

Also keep in mind that the gifts should be thoughtful and tailored, as much as possible without being too personal, to the person/organization in which you are giving to. Books, baskets, and desk accessories are approriate business gift ideas that can also be personalized. For instance, you could have the accessories engraved, or if you know for sure that your contact likes sports, you can get them commemorative books.

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December 10, 2004

New IBM workers to get 401(k)
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 10:30 AM - 0 comments

The Globe reports today on a change in pension plans at IBM:

Starting next year, International Business Machines Corp. will exclude new workers from its contested cash-balance pension plan and offer them only a 401(k) savings plan.

The decision comes 10 months after a federal judge ruled the company's cash-balance pension plan discriminated against older workers because it cut their expected pensions significantly. The company has said it will appeal, but in the meantime agreed to a settlement with some of the workers who sued.
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"IBM's new approach, which many companies have adopted, will allow IBM to continue to provide a competitive retirement benefit to new hires in an uncertain pension regulatory climate," said Kendra R. Collins, a company spokeswoman.

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December 8, 2004

Unmarried gay couples lose health benefits
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 11:30 AM - 0 comments

From the front page of today's Boston Globe, an evolving benefits story:

Many of the state's largest employers are dropping health benefits for unmarried gay couples, seven months after Massachusetts became the only state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Massachusetts companies, some of which pioneered so-called domestic-partner benefits for unmarried, same-sex partners, said they are now withdrawing them for reasons of fairness: If gays and lesbians can now marry, they should no longer receive special treatment in the form of health benefits that were not made available to unmarried, opposite-sex couples.

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December 6, 2004

Manage unproductivity this holiday season
Posted by tzannos@bostonworks.com">Svetlana Husseini at 10:37 AM - 0 comments

It's time to rejoice and reflect. To celebrate and cheer. It's the holiday season. Many of us have increased social and personal responsibilities that we need to meet in November and on through January. This tends to take our focus away from our work for most of those months. Here are some thoughts from CareerJournal.com on how to keep you and yours focused on work as the holidays approach and the year winds down.

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December 3, 2004

Decision by NLRB on work rules hit
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 5:09 PM - 0 comments

The Globe reported Wednesday on a controversial National Labor Relations Board ruling:

The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that employers may post regulations in the workplace that critics contend will discourage workers from organizing bargaining units or engaging in other union activities.

In a 3 to 2 vote issued the day after Thanksgiving, chairman Robert J. Battista, Peter C. Schaumber, and Ronald E. Meisburg, all appointed by President Bush, said workplace rules that broadly prohibit profane language or harassment are lawful because they are intended to maintain order, and do not interfere with protected union activity.
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In interviews...union supporters disagreed with the board's stance. AFL-CIO president John Sweeney called it a "veiled attack on workers." Harley Shaiken, a labor professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said the finding could "chill union activity in the workplace because broad language in a ruling can be used in a way that inhibits speech, intimidating employees from exercising their rights."

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Where the boys aren't
Posted by diane@downtownwomensclub.com">Diane Danielson at 4:42 PM - 0 comments

According to an article in The Seattle Times, one place the boys aren't is in college. The Times reports on a college admissions secret: more lenient standards for men.

Today, many colleges, particularly selective residential schools, face a dilemma unthinkable a generation ago. To place well in influential college rankings, those schools must enroll as many top high-school students as they can — and most of those students are female.

Administrators are watching closely for the "tipping point" at which schools become unappealing to both men and women. They fear that lopsided male-female ratios will hurt the social life and diverse classrooms they use as selling points.

Despite employing the same tactics used for years to lure ethnic minority students, few colleges say they give admissions preferences to boys. But high-school counselors and admissions experts say they believe it is happening.

"At some schools, it's definitely a strategic advantage" to be male, said Chuck Hughes, a former Harvard admissions officer who is now a private admissions counselor and author of "What it Really Takes to Get into the Ivy League and Other Highly Selective Colleges."

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Sick at work
Posted by skenney@keystonepartners.com">Sean Kenney at 10:10 AM - 0 comments

Employers worry a lot about absenteeism, but new research suggests a bigger threat to productivity is “presenteeism”: sick workers who show up at work but are not fully functioning. U.S. companies may lose $150 billion (yes, that’s billion) annually because of presenteeism, according to some estimates.

This Harvard Business Review excerpt details what employers can do about the problem.

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December 2, 2004

SHRM reports retention concerns in 2005
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 9:44 AM - 0 comments

In a report just released (November, 2004) by SHRM on "U.S. Job Recovery and Retention", HR professionals surveyed foresee more voluntary turnover in the coming year:

In a new poll by SHRM and CareerJournal.com, most HR professionals report either no change or a slight increase in voluntary turnover at their organization since the beginning of 2004. However, the report says, that's expected to change next year.

Read the full report, downloadable in PDF form.

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