June 27, 2006

Top 10 toughest HR questions - and the answers
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 3:58 PM

About.com HR guide Susan Heathfield has spent time compiling the top ten questions she gets from site visitors. Over time she has researched and written an article-length answer to each.

What more could you ask for? Here's a sample:

9) Bad to the Bone: Dealing With a Bad Boss or Bad Managers
You're weary. You're frustrated. You're unhappy. You're demotivated. Your interaction with your boss leaves you cold. He's a bully, intrusive, controlling, picky and petty. He takes credit for your work, never provides positive feedback and misses each meeting he schedules with you. He's a bad boss, bad to the bone. Dealing with less than effective managers, or just plain bad managers and bad bosses, is a challenge too many employees face. These ideas will help you deal with your bad boss.

Get ready to spend some time with these. Here's access to all ten.

Doctor's orders: read, digest, act upon where necessary, and live happily ever after.

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June 23, 2006

U.S. business clueless when it comes to Internet disasters: study
Posted by at 12:24 PM

A new study by the Business Roundtable to be released today reports that American businesses are poorly prepared to deal with a major disaster of the Internet. The study points out that a massive Web disruption could potentially paralyze banks, transportation systems, health-care providers and voice calling over the Internet:

The chief problem: There are so many public and private institutions that handle security-related tasks that their responsibilities often overlap, creating inefficiencies that can bog down an emergency response, according to the study.

Hmm, am I the only one having FEMA flashbacks? Read more on the Wall Street Journal Online. This is one of the subscription-only Journal's trio of free stories today so be sure to take advantage of this delightful dollop from Dow Jones.

Submitted by Mary Helen Gillespie, Bostonworks' Savvy Manager columnist.

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June 22, 2006

Family-friendly legislation on the floor
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 2:37 PM

All eyes are upon Beacon Hill this week as the state legislature considers a bill providing paid family-time leave for all employees in the state:

The Massachusetts legislature plans to vote this week on a bill that would give all employees in the state 12 weeks of paid medical leave annually--100% of their pay up to $750 a week and a guarantee to hold their jobs--to care for newborns or sick relatives. If passed, the bill would mandate the most generous paid-leave policy in the U.S.; it is the first of 24 similar proposals pending this year.

While some in the business community fear an increase in costs and the strain of maintaining business during the absence of key employees, others are in favor:

Randy Albelda, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, says companies in the state now spend $370 million annually to support employee leaves by allowing workers to use vacation time or sick days to cover maternity or medical leave. The new paid-leave bill would eliminate much of that expense and could actually reduce other costs. "This will increase retention, and training and turnover are often the highest costs a company has," Albelda says.

The issue has gained national attention, as this piece from this week's TIME Magazine attests.

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U.S. Supreme Court issues ruling on workplace sex bias
Posted by at 1:46 PM

The U.S. Supreme Court, issued a ruling today that not only makes it easier for employees in most parts of the country to sue employers for retaliating against them when they complain about sexual harassment but also said sexually harassed workers may collect even if the punishment did not involve getting fired or losing wages:

The court's ruling sets a single national rule in an area of law that generates thousands of cases per year, but over which the lower courts had split. The court adopted the relatively permissive rule of the federal appeals courts based in Chicago and Washington, rejecting the more restrictive standard that had prevailed in five other regions of the country, including the court with jurisdiction over Maryland and Virginia."

Charges of unlawful retaliation due to sex harassment claims nearly doubled between 1992 and 2005, from 10,499 to 19,429. They account for a quarter of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's caseload. See today's Washington Post online for more.

Submitted by Bostonworks Savvy Manager Mary Helen Gillespie. E-mail her at
maryhelen@bostonworks.com.

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A cautionary tale
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:38 AM

How much do your managers know about the legal aspects of hiring and firing? Are they aware that certain questions and actions are inappropriate and might expose the organization to charges of discrimination?

Now comes this cautionary tale of the EEOC's lawsuit against motion picture studio Universal Pictures, with a telephone conversation used as admissable evidence:

The EEOC is seeking $8 million in back pay and damages plus court-enforced monitoring and oversight of the studio’s hiring and firing practices. The telephone interview included a blatantly impermissible question about race that a federal court found was "sufficient to give rise to an inference that the termination decision was motivated by illegal discrimination."

Hiring managers are seen as "the weak link in the compliance chain". The answer?:

Hiring managers should be carefully trained to restrict their questions to explicitly job-related topics. Applicants should be treated alike and asked the same questions. When possible, applicants should be interviewed by more than one manager, and the same panel should interview all candidates.

Read the entire piece from Workforce Management magazine.

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June 20, 2006

The morning meeting
Posted by Jason Butler at 7:37 AM

I've sat in way too many management meetings where issues are hidden and brushed over. Funny how the issues never seem to go away. HBS Working Knowledge writes about the morning meeting, a daily ritual for senior managment which aims to address that shortcoming.

Here's how TMM in its purest form works: Every day, at the same time, the top team—numbering between six and fifteen people, both staff and line—assembles around a conference table, either in person or virtually. Also at the table are one or two others who either are responsible for an important current initiative or are valued for their area of expertise. There's no preset agenda. While the CEO sits at the head of the table, if there is such a spot, he does not run the meeting, and everyone sits in the same place each day.

Around the conference table on folding chairs, in a sort of gallery, are a handful of deputies and executive assistants to the principals at the table. Sometimes the CEO will have an issue or two to begin the meeting. More often, the CEO defers to the person seated to his left, the No. 2 person—the chief of staff, deputy CEO, or COO—who starts things off and runs the meeting. When No. 2's issues are fully discussed, the person seated to the left raises any issues of concern, and so on, clockwise around the table, full circle to the CEO. Once everyone at the table has had an opportunity to speak, everyone in the gallery leaves and the top team gets a chance to go around the table again. In this second phase of the meeting, executives discuss highly sensitive issues, such as legal and personnel matters, that demand a higher level of confidentiality. Depending on the size of the group and the complexity and number of issues, the entire meeting can take as little as 15 minutes or as long as two hours.

I like the regularity of this meeting, and the ground rules stating the people can't hide. Changing your mind is ok; not having an opinion is not ok.

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June 19, 2006

Vacation time
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 12:10 PM

The warm weather is at long last upon us, prompting thoughts of summer and being outdoors and. . .vacation.

But how many of us take the time to get away, kick back, and truly unwind? This week's "View from the Cube" contributor, Sue Dahling Sullivan, ponders our attitude toward vacation time:

I was shocked when I read an article in the Sunday Globe earlier this month about a series of surveys conducted for the online travel agency Expedia that showed around 30 percent of Americans give up some of their vacation time each year. I vowed long ago, with my left hand atop the employee handbook and my right hand raised over the time sheet, that for better or worse, I would always use the entirety of my accrued days. And I'm proud to say that I have lived through many a performance evaluation while remaining passionately committed to that creed.

With a house full of in-law Brits over the last couple of weeks, I am sensitized to the issue. The European attitude toward vacation is v-e-r-y different. Four weeks is a given, almost a birthright. Some take much more time, and when they get away, they really get away, for weeks at a time.

Sullivan picks up on the old saying that we work to live, not live to work. But Americans are often accused of the latter, while the Europeans embody the former. There is a cultural fear factor in there somewhere - geez, if I can be out of the office for four weeks at a time, maybe they'll realize they don't really need me after all!

But US employers also need to ask themselves what kind of employees they want around - tired, cranky, pasty, overworked? Or - at least once a year, anyway - relaxed, recharged, refreshed, maybe a little tanned, and ready to get back at it again, reinvigorated and with a fresh perspective from having been away?

I think you can see where my vote is.

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June 14, 2006

Recognizing the dads in your workplace
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:23 AM

We hear and read a lot about the balancing act that many women do, mothers who juggle, on a daily basis, the competing demands of career and family.

But what about dads? Do they have a balancing act, too? Where do they fit into the equation?

Well, without tackling all the issues surrounding that, this Sunday is Father's Day. And here's a feel-good event to let your fathers on-staff know about, a celebration of all that they are in their families and children's lives, including their role in the workplace:

The eighth annual "Dads Make a Difference: A Celebration of Fathering and Families" is a fun, free Father's Day celebration held on the Boston Common on Sunday, June 18, 2006 from 1 to 4 p.m. (rain or shine).

Find out more about the event. And well done, all you dads.

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June 13, 2006

Hiring practices targeted in immigration debate
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 3:56 PM

With immigration the hot topic these days, legislative change is in the air. And, as the latest issue of Workforce Management magazine points out, when there is a change in immigration law, it usually spells a change for employers:

It’s anybody’s guess what the ultimate configuration of immigration reform will be once the political dust settles. But it is safe to assume that the days of minimal liability for hiring undocumented workers will start to fade away, says Louis DeSipio, assistant professor of political studies and Latino studies at the University of California, Irvine.

"There will be a greater onus on the shoulders of companies to be more careful in their employment practices," DeSipio says.

This increased liability will, in all likelihood, bolster workforce management-related expenses. Just how dramatic the rise will be remains to be seen, but DeSipio contends that the main costs will probably be embedded in the additional bureaucracy of hiring employees, closer monitoring of subcontractors and potential increases in payroll.

Read the entire piece.

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June 8, 2006

Layoffs and their consequences
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:01 AM

Layoffs. They are now seemingly a fact of life in corporate America.

But how casually can we take them? And what are the short- and long-term consequences for laid-off workers, so many of whom are highly educated, skilled, knowledgable in their industries, and have spent decades in the workforce? And what are the consequences for society?

Long-time New York Times business reporter Louis Uchitelle's new book, The Disposable American: Layoffs and Their Consequences, takes a deeper look at these issues. Workforce Management magazine caught up with the author and posed him five questions. Here's the first:

Workforce Management: Why did you write this book?

Louis Uchitelle: People who are laid off are moving back into the workforce, but almost always at lesser jobs than they had before. I’m not arguing that we can stop the layoffs, but I am arguing that we are blaming the victims so much that they blame themselves. Rather than take responsibility for the layoffs, it’s easier for employers and the government to send the message to workers that it’s their fault and that if they keep trying, they will find the right job. Employers should be asking whether all the layoffs they are making are necessary.

Read the full interview.

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June 6, 2006

Top Employers for Millennials
Posted by at 11:37 AM

Business Week published a story on Sunday about undergrads' top choices for employers. Although most of our companies do not appear on the lists compiled by Universum Communication, there are some compelling takeaways about millennial psychology. Most of the companies listed have programs in place that appeal to millennials, and can be replicated by smaller companies.

• Millennials' love of working in groups was maximized by PriceWaterHouseCoopers in their "10 day boot camp".

• Flexibility, a millennial staple, was cited by entry-level employees in a number of the top companies, including Google and Disney.

• Corporate social values, social justice and social responsibility were mentioned frequently by the generation that grew up doing community service.

Employers: millennials are here and they are using their culture and values to 'vote' for employers by accepting employment. The opportunity to adjust corporate branding and culture is now. Companies who fail to understand how to attract and retain millennials will see a dramatic negative impact as the boomers retire and this new generation enters the workplace---and decides to work for some other company.

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June 5, 2006

Nine recruiting tips for successful hiring
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 4:29 PM

From our sister site About.com's Human Resources channel come nine tips to ensure hiring success. Here's the intro and a sample tip:

These nine tips will help you in recruiting and hiring a candidate who will become a successful, contributing superior employee.

Hire for Today’s Need and Tomorrow’s Vision
Remember that you’re hiring for the future. While a new employee has to make economic sense for today’s tasks, the best hires are people who position you to profit as your business moves into the future. New people should provide the skills you need in the future, not just match the job demands you see today. Be clear about your strategic direction for the future, and then hire the talent to help you achieve it.

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