Few of us look forward to a feedback appointment. Regardless of how solid we consider our work performance and efforts to be, the bottom-line is that we all have professional blind spots and absolutely no one is exempt from negative feedback. We’ve all been there, but ouch! Usually, it comes with a sting, tempting us to lash out in ways that aren’t professional or more … [Read more...]
Developing High Performing Talent
The most valuable asset of any successful business is the human talent that executes day to day operations. Remove the individual team members, and you invalidate the role of leader or manager. Leadership becomes a title with no purpose or usefulness. The effort and labor of the employee – their output – correlates with increases in revenue. Highly qualified and trained … [Read more...]
Managing the Employees on the Move
Of all the challenges facing the human resources professional in recent years, the rise of the mobile employee stands among those that require a steep learning curve. People hired to do a job for a specific company in a specific place are suddenly packing their bags and accepting that company's invitation to go work in India, China, the Middle East, or other foreign … [Read more...]
4 Hard Truths about Small Business HR
Picture an HR professional walking into a trendy office with a group of very casually dressed millennials. AWKWARD! Welcome to today’s small business! Sure the environment is fun, casual, and comfortable. But what about HR? Can HR really fit in? Of course HR can fit in -- as long as the HR representative can adjust to the new environment. Oh, and get rid of that age old … [Read more...]
Is Your New Recruit a Good Fit for the Position?
The two most difficult decisions human resources professionals must make with regard to a recruit are the decision to hire them and the decision to keep them or let them go at the end of their probationary period. Determining the candidate's skill and experience is usually a relatively straightforward process. What is complicated is determining after the hire whether or not … [Read more...]
Human Resources for the 21st Century: Hiring and Training
The human resources department is an important part of any organization. From hiring new staff members to training them in an online training software, and then potentially transitioning them to a different organization, HR takes care of employees start to finish. In a knowledge economy, people, more than machines, are the major source of innovation and growth for any … [Read more...]
7 Steps to Make Workplace Bullying Clock Out
The word “bullying” is often overused and misused, but that doesn’t discount the damage of the real thing. StopBullying.gov defines it as "unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance." But bullies aren’t just wreaking havoc on the playground. Bad behavior left unchecked during adolescence tends to continue into … [Read more...]
Why HR Professionals Must Know How Employees Commute
With the news that New York City and Washington D.C. have joined the trend of municipalities requiring employers of more than 20 workers to provide qualified pretax transportation benefits, a host of human resources professionals will be greeting 2016 with proposals on how this can be done. This is a trend that's not going away, so even if it hasn't hit your city yet, it's … [Read more...]
Standing Desks Less Popular in Wake of New Study
After a flurry of studies suggesting workers who sit behind desks all day were endangering their health, many human resources departments were flooded with requests for standing desks and standing meetings as well as walking consultations. Now, a new study out of the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom suggests that prolonged sitting does not actually increase … [Read more...]
Job Applicant Background Check Basics for Employers
The hiring process can be daunting. Resumes and interviews reveal only so much, and many employers want to dig deeper. A background check can be a useful tool that reveals information the applicant might want to keep secret. Before you jump to get a background check on that recent applicant, here are a few things you need to know to protect your business: 1. Get Written … [Read more...]