Millennials, or Generation Y as this group of young people is known, are just now entering the workforce. They are joining the world of work at a time when unemployment is high because of lingering economic problems. Yet, it appears that even with the precarious employment situation, Millennials are not content with what employers are… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Human Resources
The Strategic Use of Contingent Labor
In the past, contingent workers were looked at as last-minute, stop-gap measures, something to plug a hole to keep things running. But that is not the case any longer. Companies are using contingent workers in increasing numbers for all kinds of jobs, integrating them into their business operations like never before. As this process has… Read more »
Finding the Best HR Practices for YOUR Firm
Sometimes when the HR department at your company tries to apply a best practice in use somewhere else, it doesn’t seem to work out quite the way the department had planned. That was the experience at one HR shop, where they were having trouble with succession planning and talent management. Human resources managers had spent… Read more »
Knowing When to Pull the Plug
In business and elsewhere, we sometimes get into a situation where we find that the methods or strategy we are using aren’t working. When this happens, it is often difficult to admit failure and try something different. This has been evident with the military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, where inappropriate strategy led to cries… Read more »
Creating a Corporate Culture and Making it Work
Corporate culture. It’s the kind of thing that companies too often only talk about but do little in the way of action. Establishing a culture and keeping it running are too often not taken very seriously. One of the reasons culture may get short shrift is because of its nebulous kind of nature. Trying to… Read more »
The Importance of Setting Small Goals When Working Toward Large Goals
When you are facing a really big, complex challenge, it may look impossible to achieve. But before becoming too discouraged, the best course to take may be to break the project down into a series of small tasks, to make it more manageable. Each task then has a specific, achievable goal. By doing this, you… Read more »
Praise or Criticism: Which is Better for Changing Employee Performance?
When managers give performance reviews, they sometimes praise, but they usually offer criticism, looking more often at the things that employees did wrong, or where they fell short. That is only natural – it’s something we all do. And many believe that criticism leads to better performance than praise. After a critical review, an employee’s… Read more »
Helping Your Employees Reach Their Potential
How can you as a leader help your employees realize their capabilities? Here are a few ideas from one business analyst. 1) Perhaps one of the most important things to do is listen. Listen to your employees’ ideas, and to their career goals and aspirations. You may not have the same opinion that they do… Read more »
Wisdom and Leadership
In the uncertain and fast-changing world in which we live, business executives are especially challenged. They need to keep up with new technology, demographic changes, and rapidly changing economic conditions. Another area presenting a big challenge to leaders is in that of values and ethics. With short-term thinking dominating the business climate, looking at the… Read more »
Why HR Professionals Should Participate in Social Media
If you haven’t started participating on one or more of the social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) you’re missing out on a terrific way to communicate with potential candidates and the public at large. In fact, the days of choosing not to be on Facebook or Twitter may fast be ending because a recent… Read more »