Managing (Tackling?) Email

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If you work in human resources, you are dealing with email, often a lot of it. Like everyone else in business, you are probably trying to figure out how to get control over it. In fact, email has become such a big issue at some places that they have threatened to ban it entirely. But… Read more »

Helping Employees Save Enough for Retirement

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As just about everyone in today’s workforce knows, pension plans are going the way of the dinosaur, being replaced by employee contribution plans such as 401(k)s and Individual Retirement Accounts. But with the recent severe downturn in the economy, it has become evident that these retirement accounts leave a lot to be desired. Moreover, an… Read more »

Was it a Compliment or a Jab? How New Technologies Can Muddle Messages

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In business, the situation with technology sometimes resembles a person stranded on a deserted island, surrounded by water, but none to drink. We have more ways to communicate than ever before, according to Stephen Paskoff, a human resources specialist, but despite that, all the advances in communication technology have done little to help us understand… Read more »

Signs of Sagging Corporate Culture

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The concept of corporate culture can be a somewhat nebulous thing. It is not something where you can look at facts and figures. It has to do with the attitude and morale of workers, their engagement with their work and their productivity. But, although culture is not easy to quantify, human resources specialist Andy Porter… Read more »

Are You HIPAA Compliant? Are You SURE?

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When the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) went into effect in 2003, most employers that had self-insured health plans took steps to make sure they were in compliance. But with the passage of time, compliance standards at a number of organizations have fallen off some, and human resource departments need to take another… Read more »

Improve Coaching for a Better Bottom Line

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Recent signs are showing that companies that develop a culture where coaching is encouraged and practiced well by everyone have better bottom lines. This may be something for human resources departments to think about and to get involved in creating such an atmosphere. A recent study by the California-based advisory firm Bersin and Associates showed… Read more »

Obesity and Lost Productivity

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A recent Gallup poll has revealed that workers who are overweight or obese miss 450 million more work hours each year than workers who are normal weight. This absentee rate has lead to about $153 billion in lost productivity each year. Less than 15 percent of the workforce is not overweight and does not have… Read more »

Looking at Personality and Character When Hiring

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When looking at job a candidate, there are many factors to consider in making a decision as to whether someone will be successful or not in the job. Naturally, education and training play a key role in making a hiring decision. But there are other factors as well. Personality and character traits – the so-called… Read more »

Human Resources and Improving a Business

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Human resource departments are not doing enough to get out in front and help their organizations change and improve the way they work, according to business consultant Brad Power. Some business leaders see their human resources department more as a bureaucracy where innovative thinking is not encouraged. Others say human resources is not used enough…. Read more »

Watching for False Statements on Resumes

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With the job market as tight as it is, it may come as little surprise that there has been an appreciable increase in false statements made on resumes, according to hiring managers. It has become more of a widespread problem. Job candidates tell outright falsehoods, or they will leave out important facts about their background… Read more »