First Comment

Home » Posts filed under HR

Tampilkan postingan dengan label HR. Tampilkan semua postingan

Cleaning Out the Links Part 2

Back to our winter cleaning for our HR links here at Astron's World of HR:

From Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, a very interesting article about recruiters changing their online job hunt tactics now that they are beginning to hire again: "Many plan to scale back their use of online job boards, which they say generate mostly unqualified leads, and hunt for candidates with a particular expertise on places like LinkedIn Corp.'s professional networking site before they post an opening. As the market gets more competitive again, they are hiring recruiters with expertise in headhunting and networking, rather than those with experience processing paperwork." This is some good advice that I'll discuss in a future post.

One of the biggest hiring organizations during the past year has been our Federal Government and FINS explained back in July why the Financial Reform Bill would add thousands more jobs (H/T Wendy).

From Woman's Day via Yahoo!, it's 10 things that they don't think the HR department will tell you...so make sure that some of it is very clear and plain to your employees so they do know what they need to know.

Next we have Forbes with the most outlandish resume mistakes ever. Yes, I think listing "God" as a reference was probably a bad idea for that candidate...

Lastly, we have our own Managing Director, Jennifer Loftus, quoted in an article from You at Work saying that offering perks "is a good way to pique employee interest." Good advice from the boss ;)

Real Unemployment and the Future of HR

We start you off on this Monday morning with a link from the Huffington Post which says that the real unemployment number is at a dismal 19% and we're 22.4 million jobs short of having a full unemployment rate of 5%. Ouch.

Speaking of the unemployed, The 405 Club (a great blog name) has a post about what really bothers the author about not having a full-time, steady, paying job.

Lastly, UpstartHR has a look at the future of HR and asks "is it you?" Some keys they give are:

Know what impact you want to have
Ask smart questions
Identify a potential path
Take charge of your professional development
Stay flexible

Some good advice, indeed!

Bill Belichick, Advice and Lists, and a Stress-Free Holiday Season

Let's start out on this Tuesday with The HR Capitalist who talks about the most-talked-about head coach in the NFL so far this week, Bill Belichick (picture on right from same article) who was under fire across the country for a decision to make a non-convential decision in a big spot (and to be fair, some agree with his decision). The blog defends Belichick saying that unconventional decisions like that are what you need to do to win and how Tom Brady, the New England Patriots' quarterback, backed up his head coach.

The truth is that you do have to make big decisions that leave yourself open to second-guessing if you are to be a successful leader, but when the move doesn't work out, you can't always hide behind the loyalty of your "team" as Belichick clearly has done. But then again, Belichick wouldn't have that loyalty unless he had some success.

Other articles:

About.com has some advice for creating a stress-free holiday season in the office

Some great articles from Human Resource Magazine including:

How to become an HR contractor

The top 5 retention tools

And; top 10 equal pay questions for employers

Enjoy!

Happy New Year, Coaching, Inter-connectivity and Passion

L'shana Tova to our Jewish readers. I apologize for being away for a while but between the Jewish New Year and a recent business trip, I was out of commission for a little while.

My recent business trip wasn't much "business". It was an "Early Career Summit" which was basically a 4-day leadership development conference. We learned networking skills and then had the chance to network with functional heads, ran an industry simulation in small groups, got personal coaching, were talked to by senior leaders (the CEO, CIO, and others), and got to present on what we learned to a panel of senior leadership team members (among other activities).

When people try to describe the difference between small and large companies, this is one type of activity that can be excluded from mostly all small companies. Large companies can offer greater resources and this was certainly one time where those resources were tapped. There were three big keys from last week I would like to highlight:

Coaching - We had the opportunity to have a senior leader sit in on our simulation sessions, record what we were doing, and then give us feedback afterward. Although this can't always happen (and I don't think I would want someone sitting in my cubicle with me and listening in on my phone conversations), this was an invaluable tool. The key takeaway for me is that employees (especially those just starting out their careers) should be encouraged to find coaches to help them out along the way. One of the senior leaders said "harsh words from your friends is better than kind words from your enemies." I think it's important for everyone to find a friend within an organization who they can get honest and constructive feedback from and who will tell them the hard things they need to learn. This is something that you don't need a large company to do, either. But I think it is a great way to help people grow.

Inter-connectivity - One of the things most important to running a successful organization is to make sure all the parts run correctly in conjunction with one another. That includes things like working well in teams, good communication, collaboration with other departments, and knowledge of other parts of the business. But all that can't happen if you don't know how the dots all get connected together. I equated it to baking a cake. If you're only job is putting the icing on, you've missed out. You need to know what ingredients went into making the cake, how they got mixed together, how long and what temperature the oven is on for and what it should taste like. The key is knowing when you a pull a lever, what gears move and how that affects the bottom line. I think that if people did a better job of leveraging their skill sets and understanding the inter-connectivity of their position, they would become a lot more efficient and effective in their organization.

Passion - Our kickoff speaker talked about passion in performing every day and I think it was another takeaway I have from the conference. Having the skills and the infrastructure and the group around you is a key in laying the framework, but a passion to succeed is just as important. As HR professionals, that is a key in finding the right employee as well; they can be tremendously skilled and have experience, but if they don't bring the passion to perform, they many not be the right employee for your organization.

Google, Twitter and Employee Surveys

-First up on our Friday is Wallet Pop which has an article about Google fighting brain drain with an algorithm

-Social Media Today continues by talking about Twitter and the cost to a company by judging the opportunity cost of not allowing employees to use it during work hours

-Lastly, HR Resource talks about the value of employee engagement surveys as part of a change management strategy

Have a great weekend!

Sad Baseball Night In New York

A sad baseball night in New York as the Yankees and Mets both lose one-run games against their arch-rivals. So how about some great HR articles instead?

-CNN has a great article up on how significant others should react when their men get laid off -- but they still have a job. Some great advice there.

-24 Hours Vancouver is next with some advice not to lie on your resume because it'll come back to haunt you.

-Next, the Zanesville Times Recorder writes about mandated sick leave. It may not have passed in Ohio, but it is has a chance of becoming a national law.

-You have some questions for HR? Well the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has an "Ask HR"

-Lastly, Business Management Daily says that while HR salaries weaken, comp and benefit pays have grown.

Let's hope tomorrow is a better night for New York baseball...

Getting Healthy And Losing Weight Through HR

We start off on this Monday with an article from the New York Times talks about getting healthy with a little help from the boss:

Once upon a time, corporations offered generous health benefits as a way to woo employees into their ranks. Now, most companies have turned from amorous suitors into stern parents — shifting more costs, and more responsibilities, to their employees.
According to a January survey by the benefits consulting firm Hewitt Associates, nearly two-thirds of large employers planned to transfer more costs to employees. At the same time, one-third planned to put greater emphasis on wellness plans — programs that encourage employees to adopt healthier lifestyles. (So long, Big Macs).
Congress is climbing onto the wellness bandwagon, too. Senator Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who is a leader of the Congressional health reform movement, recently proposed giving tax incentives to companies that offer comprehensive wellness programs to their employees.
The focus on healthier lifestyles makes sense. Unhealthy employees use significantly more medical services than healthy ones and cost employers more money.

My company offers certain things to promote wellness: we have a health check every year and if we are found to be healthy or healthier from the past year, our premiums remain the same as the year before. This is a test that leans HEAVILY against smokers; if you have nicotine in your system, you are automatically not healthy.

We also have a small gym reimbursement and they offer counseling for stress, nutrition and fitness. It's not as much as certain companies, but it is a good effort to keep employees healthy and in the office.

Also:
-EHS Today talks about a successful wellness program with employees dropping 924 pounds

-Human Resources Executive Online talks about ensuring buy-in for HR initiatives...one of which could be company wellness programs

Patriot Day Links

In was Patriot Day up in Boston today and here are some links to celebrate:

-The Laconic Law Blog tells us how making a profane comment about your employer can result in your loss of labor protections

-Don't have time for social media? Collegerecruiter.com say to hire an intern!

-HR World says less structure, more profit and to do this they recommend hiring recent graduates and having them work in a virtual office.

-RoundPegg has some thoughts on brown-nosing, sycophantism and sucking up including urging us all to not give in

-Want to know how a company can blow its trade secret protection? George's Employment Blawg has some details

-Goals vs. Commitments. Fistful of Talent has the battle

-Lastly, Benefits Buzz urges it to be done pro bono to get the most from time off spent to volunteer

Girl Scout Cookies and Other HR Links

-Workforce Management starts us off this week with an article about why Girl Scout Cookie sales are down: the economy and the Employee Free Choice Act

-The HR Capitali$t asks why we're still using job boards when there's other social networking sites out there?

-Also from the HR Capitalist, an article on personal branding

-From the Workforce Management's Compensation Force blog, an article that says that adversity demands a kick-start with small goals and recognition

-Lastly, George's Employment Blawg, has tips to not get your resume blocked by spam filters. HR professionals should also look at this for tips on how to manipulate spam filters so that e-mails with resumes don't get blocked.

Check Astron Out in Inside HR/NY - February 2009 Issue

Some really cool things for Astron Solutions (especially Brendan Williams) inside the February issue:

(Click on photos to see better)

Hiring and Firing

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution starts us off with an article about whether you should dress business casual for an interview: click here

A Human Resource Management Solutions article following up on a HR World article for our next entry on five quick hiring tips: click here

The Houston Business Daily has next for us a Human Resources Guide to employment issues resulting from Hurricane Ike: click here

The Gazette of Colorado Springs says that everyone, especially the employer, benefits by handling layoffs fairly and honestly: click here

Lastly, the Orlando Business Journal cites a study that says that most workers are puzzled about their benefits: click here

The Financial World and the Job Market

It'll be interesting to see the fallout in the job market from the current financial crisis, but some effects are already seen...

The first article is from the New Jersey Law Journal and probably won't work for most of you...but the important part is just to read the title and then find a way to get your hands on the article: Pru Appeals in Suit Charging it Paid Off Plaintiffs' Lawyers: click here

Next, an interesting lesson from Yahoo! News via the AP on what can happen with mergers/takeovers and job layoffs as HP surprises Wall Street in this article: click here

(H/T to Wendy for those)

The Wall Street Journal (with a nice, new look) continues with an article sure to cause a little head scratching to most of America...the Executive job market is still healthy: click here and a video here

Next from the Journal is a very interesting article about trying to get Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's employees to stay as the mortgage giants go through some difficult times: click here

Going quickly to the Boston Globe's, Boston.com Monster.com HiringHub HR Center HR Blog, word that this isn't your father's job fairs--something new is in the air: click here

Lastly, in an article form the Journal, we learn that GMAT scores are being canceled...a lesson to employers that sometimes test scores aren't really all that reliable: click here

We've also added a great new feed from the WSJ on our right: click here

Millenials and Word from the Journal

We start off on this Tuesday (an Astronology Tuesday) with a blog entry from the Boston Globe Monster.com HR Center HR Blog about Millenials: click here

Next, from the Wall Street Journal's Career Journal, advice on how to get better pay after years of a lower salary: click here

Also from the Journal, word that the same old technologies that worked in the past are proving successful today for productivity (see chart on right): click here

Lastly, as a special to the Journal a Q&A that addresses the ways to get out of negative thinking at work: click here

15,000 and counting

Thanks for continuing to make our blog popular! 15,000 visitors and counting...

We start off with the Wall Street Journal's Career Journal with an article about finding a position as a mature job hunter (and conversely, HR professionals should think about how to seek out these candidates): click here

Also from the Journal we have an article on a consultant beefing up his resume (click here ) and a CEO's recipe for fresh ideas: click here

Lastly, GM is offering employees early retirement to cut salaried jobs by 15% as told by the Baltimore Sun: click here

(another post coming up a bit later...)

The HR Executive and the Election

We start off on this Wednesday smack in the middle of the convention cycle and with an article from Human Resource Executive Online saying to brace yourselves for whoever is elected president: click here

Human Resource Executive Online also wants to talk about where HR stands today and who Human Resources Executives want as president and why: click here

Next, the Business Ledger tells HR professionals how sloppy Human Resources adds to employers' benefit costs: click here

Human Resource Management Solutions by People Wise then asks when does a small business need an Employee Handbook: click here

The Courier Post Online follows up by saying that you should take time to think if job is lost: click here

The Hartford Courant ends our post with an article that tells us that sometimes, following your heart works: click here

Astronology At Its Best

So many times in this blog I've harped on the merits of subscribing to Astron's bi-weekly newsletter, Astronology. It's really, really simple to sign up (I'll even give you the link again here), it's a great resource, we won't spam you, and sometimes you get to read about really awesome stuff (plus I penned a few back in the day if you check out the archives here)...

And while the latest issue has some great stuff (click here)...nothing compares to this amazing interview with yours truly:

Mini-Interview
The next Astron Solutions team member to let it all hang loose is our Blogmaster, Andrew Katz. Also, this won’t be the last mini-interview of our series! Stay tuned to our website for big news! Now, without further adieu:

1) What is your position in Astron Solutions, and how long have you had this position?

I guess you could call me the official Blogmaster. I've done this since snagging an internship with Astron back in the Summer of 2006. I wanted to stay active with Astron once I went back to school and this gave me a great opportunity to do so.

2) What convinced you to do HR consulting?

The interview with Jennifer. HR consulting was FAR from anything I had ever thought of doing but one Human Resources lesson to learn is that while the candidate is trying to woo the interviewer, a company can attract good employees through a great interview. Hearing about what Astron did and stood for and seeing how happy the employees were really went a long way into convincing me to join the Astron family.

3) What do you do when you are not consulting?

I work double duties...I also work at Genworth Financial in Stamford, CT. But blogging has become a passion of mine and I love doing it. Having to keep my readers up-to-date on what's going on in the world of HR also keeps me up-to-date and I'm always plugged into the latest news. I'm also an avid sports fan so I'm always watching games and talking sports with my friends.

4) What is your favorite place to travel to and why?

I spent a semester studying abroad in Copenhagen. Although 90% of people I know can't pick it out on a map, it really is an amazing place. When most people think of visiting Europe they think of London and Paris and Italy...but Copenhagen is one of those treasures that I think has to be part of any European travel. The people are amazingly nice, the city is so much fun, and it has been named the "Happiest Place on Earth" the past two years. And bonus: everyone speaks English so you won't need to carry around a dictionary!

5) Where do you see Astron Solutions this day next year?

It's amazing to see Astron continuing to grow. I think that as Astron continues to attract new and diverse customers through word-of-mouth referrals from happy customers, you'll see Astron out there more and more with the big names in the market. Genworth is a "People Driven" company very involved in the local community and I see Astron continuing to follow those same ideals.

iShuffle

As we continue our trek through getting to know the Astron Solutions team better, we find ourselves with the iShuffle yet again. Again, Blogmaster Andrew Katz has helped us out with this! We thank Andrew for both his blogging skills, and his time for this. Enjoy the list, and the questions!

Kanye West - Through the Wire
Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static
Fallout Boy (feat. John Mayer) - Beat It
Madonna and Justin Timberlake (feat. Timbaland) - 4 Minutes
Rick Ross (feat. T-Pain) - The Boss
Lupe Fiasco - Hip-Hop Saved My Life
Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
Counting Crows - Rain King (Live from Soho)
N.E.R.D. - Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing on the Line...)
Dave Matthews (feat. Tim Reynolds) - Lie In Our Graves (Live at Radio City)

Favorite - Everybody Nose. The song gets you pumped, smiling, and is just overall fun. You know a song is good when you get into it in the first 15 seconds you hear the song for the first time.

Least Favorite - 4 Minutes. There's nothing wrong with the song at all. Actually I like it. But it's repetitive and you get sick of it too quickly. When a song comes on and I start reaching for the ipod, it's a BAD sign.

Seen Live - Kanye, Lupe Fiasco, Counting Crows, N.E.R.D., and Dave Matthews I have all seen live this summer (and I saw John Mayer in the past). Dave is my favorite live act. Some people have great songs. Some sing really well. But very few combine both these and put on a great, entertaining SHOW. Dave does this. I went to a Dave Matthews Band concert after my Junior year of high school and I really was not a big fan at the time. He put on such a great show that I'm not only a huge fan, I've been to his concert every summer since (at least once).

Banning Social Networking?

If you're thinking of banning social networking from your company, you may be making a very costly mistake according to employee evolution: click here

If you're thinking of skipping those MBA recruiting sessions, you should read this Wall Street Journal article about more and more people who are doing just that: click here

If you're getting ready to retire, you should read this Journal article about planning your exit strategy: click here

If you're worried about whether you need to have a required lunch break, read this Q&A from the Human Resource blog: click here

If you're wondering the best way to leveraging talent into your company's competitive advantage, read this book review from the HR Practitioner: click here

If you're trying to figure out what the role of Human Resources should be in employer branding, read this PUREcommunications article: click here

And if you're looking for an HR job, who are we to ignore social networking after we talked about it's importance, so here's a LiveJournal entry on a website for HR jobs: click here

When Employers Just Can't Keep Up

You know when an interviewee calls up and asks why they haven't gotten a call back? Well maybe it's tell them that your Human Resource staff just can't keep up...and you wouldn't be alone according to the Kansas City Star: click here

The Ventura County Star talks about a bias bill that is being opposed by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): click here

Red Orbit says that wired staffs are a good thing...despite some other opinions: click here

The Wall Street Journal follows up with this article about companies' efforts to extend researchers' productivity: click here

Lastly, the Start4all Human Resources weblog has six "A-HA's" in building a successful Human Resources career: click here

Facebook, Google, and the People

Greetings from Richmond, VA...

Livemint.com (from the Wall Street Journal) tells us what Facebook has to do with Human Resources: click here

HR Marketer Blog has some information on how Google rocks and the rolling of HR professionals and suppliers into one community: click here

Lastly, this Human Resources blog says that no matter what media is out there, Human Resources is about the people: click here

Senior Job/Junior Pay and the Relocation Blue

We got some great articles today from the Wall Street Journal as we again go from Wall Street to Main Street

First, an article about a new type of downsizing occurring, further obscuring the precarious job hunt--either by the combination of junior and senior positions in a job description and giving it a junior pay or by hiring new senior level employees but also giving them the work that was once done by their subordinates: click here

This is a tricky tightrope for Human Resources to walk...you don't want to be seen as "tricking" someone (as the article seems to suggest).

Next, the Relocation Blues from the Journal's "90 Days" column tells you how to cope with forced relocation (or, as HR, a nice way you can provide suggestions and work along your employees when this occurs for them): click here

Also from the Journal's Career Journal column "Pay Grade", tackling sustainability-related projects: click here

Lastly, from the Johns Hopkins University Gazette, rethinking the future of HR: click here