July 29, 2005

Outsourcing can be beneficial but first know why you are doing it
Posted by Kim Provencher at 4:46 PM

Human resources is the fastest growing segment for business outsourcing and it could be a life saver for your department and organization. Before you jump in though it's important to know why you are doing it. This article from Workforce.com, Measuring the True Benefit of Human Resources Outsourcing suggests that cutting costs shouldn't be your only motivation.

Several analysts say that after the intial excitement about potential savings, savvy companies focus on business metrics like productivity, profitability, and employee satisfaction.

I advise people to think about not what you want on Day One but what do you want in Year Four, Year Five, Year Six—and think about how you’re structuring the deal that will allow that to evolve or develop over time," Merritt says. "If you focus solely on cost, you’re going to find vendors out there who can run your basic services quite well and quite comfortably. But if you want some of these other things of value-added planning and improvements, you have to structure the deal a little differently to not have expectation gaps in Year Two or Year Three.

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Workplace of the future
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:59 AM

For many of my (Baby Boomer) generation, during the course of our careers we've watched as information technology has increasingly penetrated the workplace and fundamentally changed the nature of work and how we do it.

The generation coming along behind us, however, which some call Gen Y, and which includes my 19-year old daughter, was born into a computer-based world. And they will bring their wired and wireless habits with them into the workplace.

For a glimpse of what that future workplace might look like, consider the findings on youth and technology as reported by the Pew Internet & American Life Project:

Three-quarters of wired teens use instant message, compared with 42 percent of online adults who do so. Teens most often reserve instant messaging for friends and e-mail for adults, including parents and teachers.

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Older teen girls who were surveyed, ages 15 to 17, are among the most intense users of the Internet and cellphones, including text messaging.

Whether this is good or bad news remains to be seen. But I can tell you based on my own survey of one that these findings ring true.

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Raytheon reaches out to transgender workers
Posted by Jason Tuohey at 10:55 AM

Marking a new step in diversity among defense contractors, Raytheon announced recently that it will extend its equal opportunity employment policy to transgender and transsexual workers, making it the first of the "big six" defense firms to do so.

A quote from Raytheon's head of diversity, Hayward L. Bell, on the move:

"This will allow people to be who they are, and not have to hide it...It's also our way of saying that we recognize that these differences exist, and we are looking for your talent and what you can contribute."

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July 26, 2005

A growing breed: lone rangers
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:23 AM

An excellent report from MassInc's Commonwealth magazine explores the growing trend toward contract employment and the upside and downside for today's workers:

Over the past generation, the employer-employee bond has weakened even for those in standard employment settings, where downsizing has become commonplace and no job, from the shop floor to the management suite, comes with a lifetime guarantee. For others. . .it’s a new game entirely, with millions of Americans turned loose and now fending for themselves. Those in this category go by different names - consultants and contractors, temps and contingent workers - that conjure up very different images: They are either masters of their own universe or interchangeable inputs in a brutal new economic order. What they have in common is that, to a far greater degree than for those in the standard world of work, they are on their own.

(Note: to access this article and the MassInc site, one-time free registration is required.)

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July 21, 2005

What should I be reading?
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:56 AM

A lot of people are writing in the HR and recruiting space, and it's hard to keep track of everyone. Here's my "recruiting" newsreader list (in handy OPML format). What am I missing? Who should I be reading? Drop me a line and let me know; I'll update the file.

My hour-long train commute is spent reading all these feeds. If you don't have a full-text RSS feed, you don't get a lot of attention. (Hint, hint, to a couple of you...).

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July 20, 2005

New England tops in new online job offerings
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:13 AM

Good news! WorkIndex.com reports that The Conference Board, a leading research group that tracks major business indicators such as the Consumer Confidence Index, has announced the creation of a new report, the Help Wanted Online Data Series.

And guess what? Right out of the blocks, the leading region in the US is New England:

The New England region topped the United States in new online job offerings in June, according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series(TM).
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All told, New England had 152,000 new online job postings in June, 157,000 in May and 139,000 in April. Boston led the way with 54,000 new online job offerings in June. Hartford posted about 12,000 and Providence about 11,000.

BostonWorks, as the region's leading job site in both number of listings and monthly page views (over 15 million in June) was a major contributor to that total. It is also great news for the region as it continues to rebound from its deep slump.

For more information on the new series, see the Conference Board site.

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July 14, 2005

In corporate America, it's still "father knows best"
Posted by Diane Danielson at 11:46 AM

From the Fast Company blog -

A recent study by two sociologists at Cornell University has uncovered an interesting aspect of hiring decisions. Women with children -- mothers -- don't compete for jobs as well as men with children -- fathers -- or childless men and women.

That's no great surprise. The choices women make at work are often more nuanced than those faced by men. But what is intriguing is how the rest of the folks shook out.

Mothers scored lower than everyone else. Mothers were ranked as less competent and committed and least likely to be promoted. And they were offered lower starting salaries.

Interestingly, the students ranked women without children as the most qualified on several measures, giving them the highest scores for commitment, competence and likelihood of promotion. Even so, childless women weren't offered the highest starting salaries. Those went to fathers, who also were rated as most likely to be promoted. Childless men didn't fare as well. They beat mothers on most measures but fell behind childless women on every measure but one.

That leaves us with:

Fathers
Childless women
Childless men
Mothers

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July 13, 2005

Should baby boomer retirement be a concern for your company?
Posted by Kim Provencher at 9:20 PM

There has been much buzz about the aging workforce and baby boomers retiring. I came across an article, Preparing for Baby Boomer Retirement from Chief Learning Officer magazine that does a nice job of explaining why it should be a concern for all organizations. A massive portion of the labor force will be retiring in less than six years. For the first time in decades the labor force will grow at the same rate or slower than the population. There won't be enough people to fill jobs unless older workers are encouraged to work longer. Those companies that find ways to attract and retain their older workers will be able to survive the storm. Now is the time to develop a comprehensive long-term strategy to achieve success.

While the stakes are high and the issues complex, those companies that think through the data, come up with the right questions and craft a long-term comprehensive strategy now not only will survive this historic wave, but also will have the potential ride its crest. Useful demographic information, insights into associated data and a set of comprehensive questions will help you lay the foundation of a strategic plan to position your company for opportunity and growth as the retirement wave approaches.

Mounting a comprehensive strategic plan for the entire organization must involve your peers and the CEO. While you may be the one to reveal the dimensions and significance of this demographic shift, the CFO and the senior vice presidents of sales, marketing, R&D and HR are key players in crafting a comprehensive and long-term strategy. It is the very comprehensiveness of this strategy and its buy-in at all levels that will ensure that your company will ride the crest of the baby boomer wave and not be swallowed by it. Both alternatives are a matter of choice—one informed, the other not. Make that choice now.

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The growing trend toward phased retirement
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:37 AM

Here is an audio blog from NPR radio's "Marketplace" on how a growing number of today's retirement-age workers are dealing with longer lifespans, ongoing income needs, and the like:

A growing number of Americans are postponing retirement. From the Work and Family Desk, Marketplace's Hillary Wicai reports that phased retirement is a trend many employers are happy to see.

To hear the segment, visit this page on the Marketplace site and click on either of the links that allow you to "Listen to this story".

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July 11, 2005

Nose to the grindstone?
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:01 AM

A new survey by (BostonWorks' partner) Salary.com reveals that the average US office worker blows over two hours/day in wasted time:

U.S. workers say they squander over two hours a day at the workplace, with surfing the Web, socializing with co-workers and simply "spacing out" among the top time-wasting activities, according to a survey released on Monday.

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July 8, 2005

Can you be nice and still be a successful leader?
Posted by Kim Provencher at 12:16 PM

According to an interesting article in this month's Workforce.com called Leading Indicators you can be. The main common thread amongst successful business leaders is the ability to encourage open and frank discussions. True leaders are down-to-earth and approachable. They proactively promote opinions, really care about their people and are very focused on culture. Most companies tend to make big mistakes in how they define leadership.

The fact is, smartness alone does not drive dynamic, effective leadership. It's really understanding the business, getting your constituents on board and listening to their needs and concerns.

Companies need to realize that the old model of the leaders sitting on top of the pyramid and the managers executing orders does not work in today's environment. The person at the top cannot be the only leader. There have to be various people within the company acting in this role. There are many companies stuck in a rut where the managers are waiting to be told what to do. That doesn't work.

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Happy To Be On Board
Posted by at 12:15 PM

Hello,

My name is Jason Davis and this is my first post for the HR Blog. I am excited to be a part of this community because I love recruiting and I love the way blogs fit into the business of recruiting.

I have actively been blogging for a while now on Recruiting.com which I started a while back. I also run a recruiting firm that works in the Semiconductor Industry called Davis Search Group as well as a Web Site called Semiconductorjobs.com

Enough about me. What I would like to get across today is the need for companies to act fast when it comes to making decision about hiring.

I know that big decisions need to be well thought out but the truth is, the employment market today is quite different than it was a while back. Candidates are getting multiple offers and companies are agressively hiring.

My advice is to make sure prior to a candidate interviewing you have a plan in place should the candidate be the right one. Make sure everyone who is involved in the hiring process including those will need to sign the offer letter is on board with the "act fast" plan.

giving feedback days after the interview just does not work anymore.

Jason Davis
Recruiting.com

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Assessing assessment providers
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:37 AM

ERE contributor Charles Handler is upbeat about the increasing integration by recruiters of technology-based tools, such as applicant tracking systems, into their recruiting process. But when it comes to assessments, many firms are still balking:

. . .While continued interest and advances in both technology and consumer mindset are encouraging, there is still a great deal of hesitancy among potential consumers of assessment tools. While many folks have been sticking their big toe in the water, a large number are still unwilling to dive in. This is understandable, as there are many reasons why thinking about the use of assessment tools can be a bit scary.

Read Handler's helpful article on steps you can take to move toward integrating assessments into your hiring process. While perhaps initially daunting, the long-term benefits to your organization, argue Handler and others, are worth the effort up front.

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July 5, 2005

Fostering loyalty at Trader Joe’s
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:18 AM

Just up the road from me, 10 minutes from my house, is a Trader Joe's. The store is part of the off-beat, California-based grocery chain that serves up a range of organic and other foods, often under their own brand, at eminently reasonable prices in a friendly, laid-back, even fun shopping environment.

Every time I visit, I wonder about the business brains behind this outfit. For instance, how do they make a profit on "Two-buck Chuck", the impressive Charles Shaw vineyard wines that go for $2 a bottle out west and just $3/bottle here in Massachusetts?

Now a new book, excerpted in Workforce Management magazine, pokes its nose under Joe's tent to find out how they do it:

A look at the corporate culture, compensation practices and management style at the specialty grocery chain. According to this excerpt from a new book about Trader Joe’s, “you’ve got all the ingredients of world-class labor practices that don’t go unappreciated by employees or unnoticed by customers.”

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