Procurement and Temporary Workers

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In many companies, the common practice has been to have the procurement department handle contingent workers. Procurement, otherwise known as the purchasing department, is the division responsible for ordering supplies for a company. In handling contingent workers, the department has been effective at controlling costs and improving the efficiency of the operation. But some business… Read more »

Sustainability and Human Resources

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When people hear the word sustainability, the first thought that springs to mind is about the environment – doing something in a way that is environmentally friendly, something that allows the environment to stay healthy and thriving, or sustainable. The most widely used definition of sustainability is one developed at a United Nations conference on… Read more »

Credit and Background Checks Disappearing

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A recent report by the Society of Human Resource Management shows that companies are not doing the same number of credit and background checks today as they were two years ago. The Society polled almost 550 human resource professionals selected at random from among the membership. More than half of the companies reported that they… Read more »

Tips for Hosting Interns at Your Company

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Many companies offer internships, a program often administered by a firm’s human resources department. For the company, the intern provides another person to help out, a fresh perspective and youthful energy. The intern gets valuable work experience. But there are good ways to run an internship and not so good ways. HR specialist Susan Heathfield… Read more »

Employee Engagement Falling

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Employee engagement. It’s a phrase that means having workers who like that they do, like where they work – and with whom they work —  and who are committed, high-performing employees. But a recent survey by the consulting firm of BlessingWhite Inc. shows that most companies are not doing well at all in motivating their… Read more »

How Effective are Background Checks Really?

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When going through the hiring process for new employees, companies typically do background checks on the candidates in an effort to find any problems that might make them unfit for the job. But how effective are background checks really at finding out information and enabling employers to spot people whom they should not hire? There… Read more »

Getting the Most from Your Contingent Staff Members

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More and more companies today are using contingent workers – temporary workers and independent contractors – as a way of controlling costs. Companies see contingent workers as a way of controlling staffing so that it mirrors production needs more closely, a way of keeping the company flexible to handle change, especially in a bumpy economy…. Read more »

Focusing in the Face of Information Overload

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Working in human resources, you are constantly bombarded with tasks and even more so with information. Like everyone in business, you are confronted with data all day long. And, as information technology has advanced, it has turned this stream of data into a deluge. When confronted with this ever growing river of information, our natural… Read more »

Compensation and Morale

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As the economy continues to struggle worldwide, it is having an effect on how companies are looking at expenses. As they try to rein in costs, businesses are being stingy with compensation and benefits, especially given the fact that the unemployment rate is high. Pay is not going up, but healthcare premiums are. More companies… Read more »

The Benefits of Recess at Work. That’s Right. Recess.

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You remember recess when you were a kid, don’t you? Well, it seems that recess isn’t just for kids anymore because a growing number of businesses are incorporating recess-type breaks for their workers, according to business writer Meg McSherry Breslin. And it has been showing results. If you work in human resources, it may be… Read more »