Author: Site Staff

Workforce Management is frequently turned to by other media organizations as a source of expert advice on workplace trends and Workforce management.

Workforce Management editors are regularly consulted by the New York Times and others, and have been quoted in publications by the Center for Creative Leadership, the Bureau of National Affairs, intraware.com, Circulation Management magazine, and dozens of others.

Also, Workforce Management has received a variety of awards and accolades; here’s a small sampling:

• Magazine Editorial Awards
• Public Service Awards
• Web Site Awards

Magazine Editorial Awards:

Best Single Issue of a Magazine, Workforce Management, American Business Media’s Neal Award, November 2004.

Best Single Issue of a Magazine, Workforce Management, American Business Media’s Neal Award, October 2003.

Best Overall Magazine/Trade. Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 2001, 1992, 1989, 1987.

Best Managerial and Professional Magazine. Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 2002, 2001, 1992, 1989, 1987.

Special section, Gold award for “A Day in the Life of HR.” (June 2001); Signed editorial, Gold award, “Think Twice.” (June 2001, September 2001); Regular department, Silver award for “The Buzz.” (September, October, November 2001); Feature article, Silver award, “Overtime Lawsuits: Are You at Risk?” (October 2001); Regular contributed column, Bronze award, “What Works.” (May and June 2001) from the American Society of Business Publication Editors, 2002.

Best Editorials. “Think Twice,” by Todd Raphael. American Business Media’s Neal Award, 2002

Best Department.“Legal Insight,” American Society of Business Publication Editors Western region, 2000.

Best Regular Column or Department/Trade. “On the Contrary,” by Shari Caudron, 2001. Western Publications Association Maggie Award.

First Place, Best News Article: “Don’t Make Texaco’s $175 Million Mistake,” American Society of Business Press Editors: 1998

First Place, Regular Department. “Legal Insight,” American Society of Business Press Editors: 1998

Best Regular Department. “Legal Insight,” Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1998

First Place, Case History: “Continental Airlines: A Flight Plan for Success,” American Society of Business Press Editors: 1998

Second Place, Feature Series. “Baby Boomers Are Redefining Retirement,” American Society of Business Press Editors: 1998

Third Place, Feature Article: “Genetic Testing,” American Society of Business Press Editors: 1998

McAllister Editorial Fellowship presented to Allan Halcrow, publisher and editor-in-chief: 1997

First Place, Best Issue, June 1996. Jesse H. Neal Editorial Achievement Award: 1997

Best Article/Trade: “Privacy: Entitlement or Illusion?” Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1997

Second Place, Feature Series. “Save Jobs: Strategies to Stop the Layoffs,” American Society of Business Press Editors’ Regional Award: 1997

First Place. “To The Readers: Domestic Violence is an HR Issue,” editorial by Allan Halcrow. American Society of Business Press Editors’ National Award: 1996

Honorable Mention Best Feature. “Talking Frankly About Domestic Violence,” American Society of Business Press Editors’ National Award: 1996

Second Place Single News Item. “Affirmative Action: What You Need to Know.” American Society of Business Press Editors’ National Award: 1996

Editorial Achievement. American Society of Business Editors, Jesse H. Neal Award for the article “Warning: Your Best Ideas May Work Against You”: 1996

Media Award, Community Action Network. Three awards for the articles “Intel Educates a School District About Business,” “The Fire This Time,” and “Disadvantaged Teens Work Towards a Better Future”: 1995

Best Series of Articles/Trade. “10 Ways HR Can Help Rebuild America,” Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1994

First Place, Feature Article. “How HR Drives TQM,” American Society of Business Press Editors: 1994

Third Place, Case History. “Training Prepares Workers for Drug Testing,” American Society of Business Press Editors: 1994

Best Business and Finance Magazine. Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1992, 1993, 1994

Best News Story/Trade. Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1993

Certificate of Merit, Analysis. New York Business Press Editors: 1993

Second Place, Magazine. “Tracing Workplace Problems to Hidden Disorders,” National Mental Health Association: 1993

First Place, Case History. Ben & Jerry’s, American Society of Business Press Editors, Chicago Chapter: 1993

Best Regularly Featured Department, Section or Column/Trade. Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1990, 1993

Editorial Excellence, Regular Column or Department, First Place. American Society of Business Press Editors, National Awards: 1990

Editorial Excellence, First Place. American Society of Business Press Editors, Chicago Chapter: 1989, 1992

Editorial Excellence, Nontechnical Feature Second Place. American Society of Business Press Editors, Chicago Chapter: 1989

Best Managerial and Professional Magazine. Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1986, 1987, 1989, 2003

Best Series of Articles/Trade. “65th Anniversary Issue,” Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1988. The article in that series, “Should Business Alone Pay for Social Progress?” written by Editor Allen Halcrow was reprinted in The Best of Business magazine.

Best How-to Article/Trade. “Hiring the Handicapped,” Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1988

Best Series of Articles/Trade. “AIDS: The Workplace Issues,” Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1987

Editorial Excellence, Technical Feature Article, Second Place. “Employees Under the Influence – Outside the Law?” American Society of Business Press Editors, National Awards: 1987

Best Legal Reporting. “The Supreme Court’s New Era – What’s Ahead for Labor Law?” Orange County (CA) Press Club Award: 1987

Editorial Excellence, Honorable Mention. “Recruitment Ads at Work” American Society of Business Press Editors, Chicago Chapter: 1986

Best Feature Article/Trade. “The Successful and Supportive Subordinate,” Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1985

Best Staff-written column, gold medal, from the national awards contest of the American Society of Business Editors, 2003, for Todd Raphael’s monthly column.

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Public Service Awards:
Exceptional Merit. “Gangs: How They’re Working Your Turf Undetected,” Community Action Network Media Awards: 1996

Exceptional Merit. “Employing Society’s Outcasts,” Community Action Network Media Awards: 1996

Exceptional Merit. “Save Jobs: Strategies to Stop the Layoffs,” Community Action Network Media Awards: 1996

Best Public Service Series or Article. “10 Ways HR Can Help Rebuild America,” Western Publications Association, Maggie Award: 1994

Best Public Service Series or Article. “Personnel Journal Clearinghouse on AIDS in the Workplace Issues,” Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1988

Public Service Award. “Personnel Journal Clearinghouse on AIDS in the Workplace Issues,” Public Relations Society of America, Los Angeles Chapter: 1988

Best Public Service Series or Article. “AIDS: The Workplace Issues,” Western Publications Association Maggie Award: 1987

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Web Site Awards:

2004

  Best newsletter, Workforce Recruiting, and best integration of print and online editorial.

  Best of the Web Award, from Min, a leading magazine covering the publishing industry.


2003

  Best of the Web Award, from Min, a leading magazine covering the publishing industry, for integrating print and online editorial. Said Min: “This magazine brand for HR pros has been quietly deploying some of the most innovative B2B editorial and ad programs online for a number of years now. More than extend the magazine brand, its online interactive databases, calculators and tools truly amplify the brand online.”

  Best community, silver medal, from the national awards contest of the American Society of Business Publication Editors, 2003.

  Best online database (www.workforce.com/archive), bronze medal, from the national awards contest of the American Society of Business Publication Editors, 2003.

2002

  Best Community Center, gold medal, from the national awards contest  of the American Society of Business Publication Editors, 2002.

  Best Web site, bronze medal, from the national awards contest of the American Society of Business Publication Editors, 2002.

2001

Best Online Database, silver medal, from the national awards contest of the American Society of Business Publication Editors, 2000.

Best Online Writing — First Place from the San Diego, California, press club, for a column on the “Work Views section of the site.

Best Original Web Feature, bronze medal, from the national awards contest of the American Society of Business Publication Editors, for “Employers in Every Industry Watch Hospitals’ Staffing Solutions” by Todd Raphael, 2000.

Min Magazine lists the top 50 “people, places, and things online,” and Workforce is 35th, ahead of Maxim, Forbes, Rolling Stone, and others. Min says Workforce‘s “brilliant Decision Guide series is a next-generation example of serving a magazine’s readers….”

1999-2000

Gottrouble honors Workforce for providing people with crises “both useful & quality information on the Internet.”

New Media magazine awards Workforce a silver medal for online publications, in the biggest award to date for the site.

The Web Marketing Association gives Workforce its Standard of Excellence award at its 1999 WebAward Web Site Competition.

Workforce is a finalist for the Global Information Infrastructure awards. The GII says Workforce is the “premier site for human resource professionals, providing HR-related content and community.”

PC Magazine says “Workforce is an excellent source for HR professionals. This one stop repository offers articles on human resources issues as well as an extensive index of links to product and service providers.”

BestEzines.com features Workforce.com in its August 2 issue and says “this is an extremely comprehensive site covering the Human Resources industry. If you are in the HR business or manage people in any capacity, this is an excellent addition to your ezine library.”

The Bureau of Business Practice awards Workforce the “Mark of Best Practice.” BBP says Workforce offers “quality information in an easily accessible format, with a high degree of usefulness to administrators, management professionals and employees.

Netscape’s editors review the site and say it is an “award-winning and leading Human Resources information site. Information, forums, tips, polls and case studies on several hundred HR topics–legal, benefits, employment law, compensation, HRIS, training and recruiting. Run by experts on the Internet and experts in HR.”

The American Society of Business Publication Editors names Workforce a “killer site” and says “this site is rather special because of the interactivity that was developed for it, the depth and breadth of its content, and its advertising It includes tips on virtually every subject relating to human resources, including legal matters, training, compensation, and benefits, as well as a number of buyers’ guides.”

Harvard Business School features Workforce on its list the top three Web sites for managers. “You’ll find tips, case histories, advice from corporate executives and human resources practitioners, and more.”

1998

Lycos names Workforce one of the Web’s “top 5%” and says it is “jam-packed with news and advice for people in the human resources game Career tips for HR professionals and forums exploring the gamut of HR issues round out this useful resource.”

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One of the easiest and most effective ways for employers to reduce electronicrisk is simply to require that employees use appropriate, businesslike languagein all electronic communications, says Nancy Flynn, author of The ePolicyHandbook (AMACOM, 2001).

Here are some of the guidelines she recommends in composing a businesse-mail:

• Use a conversational tone. Flynn says to imagine you are attending adinner party with colleagues, supervisors, and customers. Use the same languageand tone in an e-mail that you would use at that kind of event.

• Don’t be overly rigid with grammar use. In business the rules havechanged. Feel free to use contractions, to end sentences with prepositions, andto use pronouns like I, we, and you. If grammar is too stiff, readers won’tknow what the message is about.

• No sexist language. This isn’t just harassing or discriminatory jokesand comments, but also the overuse of masculine pronouns. Given the increasingnumber of women in the workforce, it’s important for electronic writers toavoid language that could rankle clients or colleagues.

• Don’t incorporate jokes into electronic business writing. Becausee-mail is impersonal and lacks inflection or body language, your joke is likelyto fall flat or to be misconstrued.

• Limit the use of abbreviations and use only legitimate and recognizableones, not your own personal shorthand. An excess of abbreviations can beannoying and confusing for the reader.

• Don’t try to warm up business writing with “smileys” — also knownas emoticons — using keyboard characters to represent smiles and similar facialexpressions. Smileys are the equivalent of e-mail slang and have no place inbusiness communications.

• If you have trouble getting employees to adhere to a business writingstandard, you can always apply a technological solution to the problem, Flynnsays, by installing software programmed to detect and report the use of “trigger”words in e-mails sent by employees. That software can usually be programmed totrack competitors’ names as well, alerting management tocommunication that is taking place between employees and the company’scompetition.

Workforce, February 2002, p. 40 — Subscribe Now!

Businesses throughout the country are clamoring for electronic-monitoringsoftware, but the biggest mistake they make in implementing the technology isnot having a policy to back it up.

“The cleanest approach is to notify employees upfront, put the policy in the handbook, and keep records of how often you remindemployees they are being monitored,” says attorney Wayne Hersh, a partnerspecializing in labor and employment law at Berger Kahn in Irvine, California.”Employees have a much harder time suing successfully for violated privacyrights if they’ve been notified.”

Nancy Flynn, author of The ePolicy Handbook (AMACOM,2001) and founder of the ePolicy Institute in Columbus, Ohio, agrees, and addsthat employers must have a training program in place to educate employees aboutelectronic liabilities and the importance of compliance. “The only way toreduce workplace risk is through training. You can’t expect all of youremployees to understand and comply with policies without an ongoing trainingprogram,” Flynn says.

Here are some guidelines to follow in establishingelectronic-monitoring policies:

• Ban e-mail language that could negatively affect your organization’sbusiness relationships, damage your corporate reputation, or trigger a lawsuit.Ban sexist or racist language; ban jokes. Employees should try to keep e-maillanguage gender-neutral.

  
  

• Include corporate guidelines such as how you want employees to refer tothe company, how to sign off, and what kinds of salutations to use. Banishemoticons. That kind of visual shorthand has no place in business writing.

  
  

• Ban inappropriate Web sites — usually those that are sexually explicitor violent, or contain otherwise objectionable images or language.

  
  

• To conserve bandwidth, outlaw Net surfing for personal information,game-playing online, chat rooms, gambling, shopping, and any other electronicactivity not directly related to professional duties. (Many employers do allowsome personal use of the Web during lunchtime.)

  
  

• Prohibit employees from posting or transmitting material that is obscene,hateful, harmful, malicious, threatening, hostile, abusive, vulgar, defamatory,profane, or racially, sexually, or ethnically objectionable.

  
  

Workforce, February 2002, p. 42 — Subscribe Now!

Workforce has been talking to HR professionals and HR vendors to find out howthe relationships between HR and the suppliers of HR products and services arechanging, if at all.

What’s happening in your company that contradicts or confirms these trends?Read the quick synopsis below. Then to give your opinion, click on the VendorRelationships Survey.

Workforce will tabulate these results and include them – and selectedcomments – in the next version of this article.

1. Vendors need to prove their ongoing stability.
   Successful companies do not want to be at the mercy of an unstable orfinancially troubled vendor.

   
   

   Therefore, ongoing financial viability moves to the top of the checklist ofcriteria in vendor selection – and is key to maintaining existing vendorrelationships.

2. There is less margin for error in the delivery of a vendor’s products andservices.
   

   As organizations continue to look for increased productivity, efficienciesand cost savings, they are putting increased demands on their suppliers todeliver the right product (or service) on time, on budget and within exactspecifications.

   
   

   Because the HR departments cannot afford mistakes, they will not toleratethem from vendors. Every vendor will need to increase or maintain its qualityand get it right the first time.

3. Customers are looking for new capabilities from their vendors.

   
   

   As companies look at everything from improved process efficiency to improvedmarketing results, they will be open to new ways of doing business.

   
   

   Customers will turn to their vendors for new capabilities, new relationshipsand new partnerships to fulfill their needs. Today’s HR department cannot beheld back by the lack of options from a current vendor.

   
   

   Long-term vendor relationships will be threatened if the vendor cannot keepup.

4. Customers are starting to react to the impact of delayed expenditures.

   
   

   Many companies put off major and even minor expenditures in 2001 inanticipation of an economic recovery in 2002. In order to stay competitive, manyof these expenditures can no longer be delayed.

Source: MargaretMagnus, Publisher, and The Workforce Editors, January 2002.

The editors of Workforce have looked into their 2002 crystal ball and identified what they think are the major issues affecting HR management today. Then they examined the impact of these issues on individual HR functions.

What’s happening in your company that contradicts or confirms these trends?

Read the quick synopsis below. Then to give your opinion, click on the Employee Relocation Survey.

Workforce will tabulate these results and include them – and selected comments – in the next version of this article.

Major Trends Affecting Human Resources Management in 2002

Trend #1: Significant HR issues are intertwined with the current economic climate.

The economic climate has significant HR implications, and conversely, some HR issues are affecting the economic climate.

For instance, there is an ongoing labor shortage, obscured, in part by the current – but temporary – economic cycle. This labor shortage will have long-term effects on businesses’ ability to compete in the world marketplace. Therefore, HR must manage to that labor shortage, despite contrary evidence.

Trend #2: Tough times require continued cost-cutting beyond layoffs.

It looks as if the 9/11 events may have helped to delay the country’s economic recovery. Thus, many companies will continue to look for ways to cut costs.

In 2001, layoffs targeted less-skilled and marginal performers. In many organizations, only key employees are left. Additional staff cuts could hurt current business and hinder future economic recovery.

Companies cannot over estimate the importance of key employees to an organization and the continuing need to retain the best and the brightest.

As a result, HR will need to look at both trimming expenses and fulfilling HR’s demand to keep and attract the best employees.

Trend #3: “Re-engineering” – or its next iteration – will become an important way to cut costs.

Since downsizing won’t achieve the necessary cost-cuts, companies and HR departments will have to re-engineer their processes and do what they now do faster, cheaper, and smarter.

HR will have two roles:

• First, it will have to look at its own department and make HR more efficient, more cost effective, and a greater contributor to bottom-line stability.

• Secondly, HR will work with executive and line management to support their re-engineering efforts.

Trend #4: The pending economic recovery will lag unless there are qualified employees in place to make it happen.

Sustained economic recovery is in the hands of the intellectual capital of an organization – its remaining employees.

Because those employees are vital to long-term corporate success, HR is responsible for maintaining their commitment, well being, skill sets and continued employment.

Therefore, HR will use all of its traditional tools to develop and maintain a competitive workforce.

How These Trends Affect Employee Relocation

1. Housing Is Still Expensive in Many Major Metropolitan Areas
   It hasn’t been in the headlines, but the cost of housing is still an issuein many job markets. Despite low interest rates and the fact that the housingmarket has eased up in some areas, such as the Silicon Valley, housing costs arestill significantly higher in many communities.

   
   

   And costs will continue to rise. According to a recent Home Price Forecastdone by the Cambridge, MA research firm, Case Shiller Weiss for The Wall StreetJournal, home prices nationally will increase by an average of 2.8% this year.In cities such as San Diego, housing prices will go up by 0.8% while in others,like Washington, D.C., prices are could jump more than 7%.

   
   

   This fact may make it hard to recruit new employees or relocate existingemployees to communities where housing is costly.

2. Reluctance to Travel and the Need to Balance Work/Family Life
   What will happen to the long-distance commuting employee in the wake of 9/11?While the terrorist attacks emphasized the importance of friends, family, andcommunity, it also has made many people nervous about airline travel.

   
   

   Does that mean that commuting executives will look for jobs closer to home?Will they move their families closer to the jobs? HR will need to help suchemployees make informed decisions.

3. Pressure to Relocate
   When unemployment was at 3%, companies were eager to accommodate manyindividual employment requests, including the virtual office and long-distancetelecommuting.

   
   

   However, with the push for increased productivity and with more people in thejob market, telecommuting and virtual office options might be withdrawn fromsome employees.

   
   

   The face-to-face relationship has distinct advantages to some employer. Thus,there may be some additional pressure on employees to relocate.

   
   

   On 9/11, many companies lost key staff and “sudden succession” became anissue. HR realized, if it hadn’t before, that succession planning was not aluxury, but a necessity.

   
   

   And so HR has new emphasis on looking at key jobs and identifying thosepeople who could fill the open positions. To make that a reality, many employeesneed additional experience — sometimes at a different location. In suchsituations, relocation becomes a definite training tool.

4. Increased “Long-Term” Assignments
   Competitive pressures will dictate that a vendor be “on site” for aclient. One way to get and keep the business will be to temporarily relocate keyservice personnel to the client’s site.

   
   

   If employees need experience in other locations and job assignments, butcannot relocate, then a long-term assignment short of a relocation becomes anoption.

5. Global Security Issues Impact Global Relocation
   When Americans are targets and the country is at war, global relocation willdecline. Some executives in dangerous locations will be brought home, evenbefore their tour of duty is over.

   
   

   On the other hand, the globalization of business will not stop, and Americanmanagers will continue to be posted abroad. What will change is stepped upsecurity, even in such seemingly benign environments as major European cities.

6. Fewer Corporate Dollars Allocated to Relocation
   Corporate relocation is expensive. Many organizations are looking closely atthe relocation packages they offer and the people who receive them.

   
   

   New hires will continue to receive less complete relocation packages thantransferees, and those will be closely evaluated based on the return oninvestment.

How These Trends Affect the Demand for Employee Relocation Services

• Cost-of-living Issues and Mortgage Assistance: Because of housingcosts, HR will have to closely examine cost-of-living calculations.

  
  

  In addition, HR may consider working with mortgage companies to provide loanassistance and achieve volume discounts.

• General Relocation Assistance: There are competing pressures on anindividual employee’s relocation decisions.

  
  

  HR will call on relocation specialists to develop relocation packages andprovide education and assistance.

• Temporary Housing: More long-term assignments will require increasedtemporary housing options.

• Spousal employment assistance: The costs of raising a family, being ahomeowner, and having an expected standard of living generally require twoincomes. Many employees will be ask about spousal employment assistance beforethey accept relocation offers.

• Global Relocation Assistance: For those companies either bringing homeexecutives or still sending them overseas, HR will need assistance in relocatingthese key professionals.

• International Security: Given the volatile nature of the world and thethreat of terrorism aimed at Americans, HR will increase its use of firms thathave experience in international security.

Source: Margaret Magnus, Publisher, and The Workforce Editors, January 2002.

Eight in ten companies responding to the Workforce 2002 HR Trends Survey either have or plan to add an HR portal. Workforce found that HR professionals currently are using HR portals or intranets for:

• Company communication (49 percent)
• Employee handbooks and policies (42 percent)
• Work/life information and links (29 percent)
• Benefits enrollment (24 percent)
• Training (24 percent)
• Employee message board (22 percent)
• HR record-keeping (18 percent)
• Other uses, including recruitment and employment information (4 percent)

HR Spending on Technology and Software Increases or Stays the Same for 2002
More than half of the respondents said they will increase the amount they spend on technology and software this year. Twenty percent said spending is staying at 2001 levels.

The 2002 spending follows healthy technology and systems spending in 2001, according to the survey. In 2001, 68 percent of those surveyed by Workforce kept or increased their level of spending. Of those:

• 25 percent increased their spending based on need
• 22 percent spent their software/technology budgets as planned
• 21 percent put expenditures temporarily on hold and eventually spent them

Software and Technology Contribute to Cost-Cutting
Software and technology still hold the key to increased productivity and efficiency–it can save employee’s time, help them work smarter, and reduce manpower. When asked why software changes are planned, efficiency (59 percent) and cost savings (22 percent) were among the reasons most cited by Workforce survey respondents.

The editors of Workforce have looked into their 2002 crystal ball and identified what they think are the major issues affecting HR management today. Then they examined the impact of these issues on individual HR functions.

What’s happening in your company that contradicts or confirms these trends?

Major Trends Affecting Human Resources Management in 2002

Trend #1: Significant HR issues are intertwined with the current economic climate.

The economic climate has significant HR implications, and conversely, some HR issues are affecting the economic climate.

For instance, there is an ongoing labor shortage, obscured, in part by the current – but temporary – economic cycle. This labor shortage will have long-term effects on businesses’ ability to compete in the world marketplace. Therefore, HR must manage to that labor shortage, despite contrary evidence.

Trend #2: Tough times require continued cost-cutting beyond layoffs.

It looks as if the 9/11 events may have helped to delay the country’s economic recovery. Thus, many companies will continue to look for ways to cut costs.

In 2001, layoffs targeted less-skilled and marginal performers. In many organizations, only key employees are left. Additional staff cuts could hurt current business and hinder future economic recovery.

Companies cannot over estimate the importance of key employees to an organization and the continuing need to retain the best and the brightest.

As a result, HR will need to look at both trimming expenses and fulfilling HR’s demand to keep and attract the best employees.

Trend #3: “Re-engineering” – or its next iteration – will become an important way to cut costs.

Since downsizing won’t achieve the necessary cost-cuts, companies and HR departments will have to re-engineer their processes and do what they now do faster, cheaper, and smarter.

HR will have two roles:

• First, it will have to look at its own department and make HR more efficient, more cost effective, and a greater contributor to bottom-line stability.

  
  

• Secondly, HR will work with executive and line management to support their re-engineering efforts.

  
  

Trend #4: The pending economic recovery will lag unless there are qualified employees in place to make it happen.

Sustained economic recovery is in the hands of the intellectual capital of an organization – its remaining employees.

Because those employees are vital to long-term corporate success, HR is responsible for maintaining their commitment, well being, skill sets and continued employment.

Therefore, HR will use all of its traditional tools to develop and maintain a competitive workforce.

How These Trends Affect Recruitment & Staffing

1. Ongoing Labor Shortage
   Between the 9/11 events and the recession, the threat of a sustained, critical and business-threatening labor shortage now seems to be a remote possibility.

   
   

   But the U.S. actually faces a number of factors that could soon create a shortage of qualified workers, including the retirement of substantial numbers of Baby Boomers, increased immigration restrictions, and a declining birthrate.

   
   

2. Clamp Down on Immigration
   The tightening of immigration practices and work visas in the wake of 9/11 affects the availability of qualified job seekers at both ends of the salary spectrum.

   
   

   There could be a significant shortage of both skilled, technical workers and thousands of non-skilled, manual laborers who support service industries, agriculture, and manufacturing.

   
   

3. Companies Are Still Hiring Talented People
   Competitive companies are still hiring, but in fewer numbers. They are looking for those key employees who could mean the difference between a company’s success or its failure.

   
   

   Finding the right people isn’t easy. Recruiting budgets are tight and widespread layoffs mean there are more candidates to screen. It’s critical for companies to hire right — the first time.

   
   

4. More Candidates Means Better Screening
   Given the business survival issues at stake, there is less margin for error in hiring. A bad hire is too costly, in terms of money, time, and lost business. Better screening makes for better hires.

   
   

5. Pressure for Cost-Effective Recruitment Practices
   Despite all these pressures, there are fewer corporate recruiters and less money to spend. HR professionals will need to use cost-effective recruitment and staffing vendors to manage recruitment costs.

   
   

6. Pressure for the Right Staff
   Sustained economic recovery is in the hands of the intellectual capital of an organization — its employees. It’s HR’s responsibility to make sure that the right people are in place at the right time.

   HR will need to make quality hires, make the right hire the first time, control expenses, and do it with limited HR staff.

   
   

7. Global Security Issues Impact Global Relocation
   When Americans are targets and the country is at war, global relocation will likely decrease. Some executives in dangerous locations will be brought home, even before their tour of duty is over.

   
   

   U.S. companies will hire more local nationals, but will be concerned about their backgrounds, and will call for extensive screening and checking.

   
   

How These Trends Affect the Demand for Recruitment & Staffing Services

• Background Screening: New security issues will lead to increased background checking and screening for all new hires.

  
  

  It will require processes and systems to screen the existing workforce, particularly in sensitive industries ranging from transportation to food industries to nuclear power plants.

  
  

  In addition, global organizations will extend their background/security checks to their new hires outside the US.

  
  

• Skills Testing & Assessment Services: Because there are more candidates, short-staffed recruiters will need third-party screening services and assessment tools to sift out the dregs and find the most qualified applicants.

  
  

• Media & Advertising Agencies: Corporate recruiters have gone from just getting any résumé to getting the right résumé.

  
  

  They want recruitment sources — from media to staffing agencies — to provide the right people, not just warm bodies.

  
  

  And to make the most of media expenditures, recruiters can use the help of recruitment ad agencies to provide sharp, clear recruitment messages.

  
  

• Applicant Tracking Systems: The pressure to keep costs under control will require corporate recruiters and HR pros to do detailed cost analyses by source, time to hire, retention, and any factor that can help identify the return on investment.

  
  

  Although there are fewer candidates to track, there is more detail. It will be necessary to track and capture screening and assessment results.

  
  

  And to accomplish cost-effective recruiting, HR will need the data and analysis capabilities of applicant tracking systems.

  
  

• Contingent Staffing: As the recovery starts, many companies will be hesitant to make the employment commitments, so they will look to contingent staffing agencies for talented workers.

  
  

  Also, they will be more interested in the “temp-to-hire” process, because it gives them a test drive, and reduces the risk of a bad hire. What will be different are better contingent management tools for HR, relying both on new agency contracts and third-party management software.

  
  

• Online Recruitment: Now that the online recruitment market has consolidated, there are fewer choices for employers.

  
  

  In response, the remaining online suppliers will provide more choices themselves, particularly for target, niche recruitment markets.

  
  

Source: Margaret Magnus, Publisher, and The Workforce Editors, January 2002.

The editors of Workforce have looked into their 2002 crystal ball and identified what they think are the major issues affecting HR management today. Then they examined the impact of these issues on individual HR functions.

What’s happening in your company that contradicts or confirms these trends?

Major Trends Affecting Human Resources Management in 2002

Trend #1: Significant HR issues are intertwined with the current economic climate.

The economic climate has significant HR implications, and conversely, some HR issues are affecting the economic climate.

For instance, there is an ongoing labor shortage, obscured, in part by the current – but temporary – economic cycle. This labor shortage will have long-term effects on businesses’ ability to compete in the world marketplace. Therefore, HR must manage to that labor shortage, despite contrary evidence.

Trend #2: Tough times require continued cost-cutting beyond layoffs.

It looks as if the 9/11 events may have helped to delay the country’s economic recovery. Thus, many companies will continue to look for ways to cut costs.

In 2001, layoffs targeted less-skilled and marginal performers. In many organizations, only key employees are left. Additional staff cuts could hurt current business and hinder future economic recovery.

Companies cannot over estimate the importance of key employees to an organization and the continuing need to retain the best and the brightest.

As a result, HR will need to look at both trimming expenses and fulfilling HR’s demand to keep and attract the best employees.

Trend #3: “Re-engineering” – or its next iteration – will become an important way to cut costs.

Since downsizing won’t achieve the necessary cost-cuts, companies and HR departments will have to re-engineer their processes and do what they now do faster, cheaper, and smarter.

HR will have two roles:

• First, it will have to look at its own department and make HR more efficient, more cost effective, and a greater contributor to bottom-line stability.

  
  

• Secondly, HR will work with executive and line management to support their re-engineering efforts.

  
  

Trend #4: The pending economic recovery will lag unless there are qualified employees in place to make it happen.

Sustained economic recovery is in the hands of the intellectual capital of an organization – its remaining employees.

Because those employees are vital to long-term corporate success, HR is responsible for maintaining their commitment, well being, skill sets and continued employment.

Therefore, HR will use all of its traditional tools to develop and maintain a competitive workforce.

How These Trends Affect Training & Development

1. Continued Need for Skilled, Technically Trained Employees
   The dot-com focus of 1999/2000 highlighted the need for highly technical personnel. The seeming decline of technology has obscured the ongoing demand for a very skilled workforce.

   
   

   However, it’s inherent in every industry. There are fewer and fewer unskilled jobs – everything requires using a “computer’’ from manufacturing, to diagnostics, to placing an order in a restaurant.

   
   

   The lines are blurring between manual labor, technical skills, and professional requirements. Thus, if the workforce is not up to speed technologically, then HR must fill in the gaps with training.

   
   

2. A Shrinking Workforce Brings Succession Planning – and Training – to the Forefront
   When large numbers of the Baby Boom generation retire, HR needs to be prepared to fill these open positions. That means succession planning – not just for a few key executives, but for all key positions.

   
   

   Successful succession planning relies on skills assessment followed by skills training to ensure that the company is preparing and training its employees adequately.

   
   

3. Training Investments Pay Off
   The training investment in good employees pays off.

   
   

   If companies are pared down to their best and brightest, there’s greater pay off in training high-performing employees, versus marginal employees who just need basic skills. Companies need to (and can) get more out of their high potential people. Training helps take these employees to a higher level of contribution.

   
   

   A flat job market also means a company can get its money’s worth in training. Employees are not as likely to use their newly acquired skills to job hop.

   
   

4. Cross Training Is a Necessity for a Downsized Workforce
   If organizations downsized too quickly, some skills and knowledge walked out the door. Smart HR professionals are learning that lesson and are cross-training employees now and for the future.

   
   

   In addition, with smaller workforces, there is less backup. So, regardless of why workers leave, companies need to make sure there are skilled employees to take their place.

   
   

5. Need to Measure the ROI of Training
   It’s true that focused, well-placed training provides a return on investment (ROI). In order to justify training expenditures, HR needs to demonstrate that ROI.

   
   

   HR could use some help in measuring that ROI and will turn to training consultants and suppliers to document the results of training activities.

   
   

6. Training Expenditures Cannot Be Delayed Indefinitely
   In the 2001 cutbacks, companies put training on hold and planned instead to spend those dollars in 2002.

   
   

   Regardless of the economic issues, training cannot be put on hold throughout 2002. Many of those dollars must be spent to keep up with technology, to generate new ideas, and to keep the workforce fresh and inspired. Delay training too long, and the viability of the workforce is affected.

   
   

7. Message Dictates the Medium
   Online learning has sometimes been portrayed as the one solution for all training needs. In reality, training via the Internet works best when it’s just one of several approaches.

   
   

   In training, content or the message dictates the medium. Team training might be best in face-to-face situations. On the other hand, math-skills training could be best with individual, online, self-paced programs.

   
   

8. Training Departments Downsized, HR Has a Greater Role
   As part of cost cutting, training departments have been downsized. HR generalists, who have a greater role in training decision-making, now manage many training activities.

   
   

   In turn, short-staffed HR departments will outsource more training design and implementation to third-party vendors.

   
   

How These Trends Affect the Demand for Training & Development Programs

• Diversity Training: As the news continue to focus on possible terrorist activities, the general population will increase its profiling of individuals in the community – including the work community.

  
  

  Therefore, it will become even more important for HR to implement ongoing diversity training and awareness.

  
  

• Conflict Resolution Training: In a down economy, there are increased personal tensions – tempers are shorter, nerves are frayed, and employees are suspicious. Employers need to be aware of this situation – and head off issues before they become significant problems.

  
  

  HR will look to professionals to provide training in conflict resolution – along with general awareness of how to maintain a peaceable workplace.

  
  

• Safety Training: There is increased potential for violence in the workplace. Any number of situations can create volatility at work, but certainly the economic stressors created by the recession and exacerbated by the events of 9/11 deserve special attention.

  
  

  HR will need to train management in identifying potentially hot situations – and provide managers with general safety guidelines.

  
  

• Skills Training: Because many companies lost key staff, particularly at the World Trade Center, “sudden succession” became an issue after 9/11. HR realized – if it hadn’t before – that succession planning was not a luxury, but a necessity.

  
  

  Thus, HR has new emphasis on looking at key jobs and identifying those people who could fill the open positions. To make that a reality, many employees need additional training and experience. HR will look to outside training providers to help fill these gaps.

  
  

• Team & Problem-Solving Training: As companies begin to re-engineer, many ideas and solutions might come from the workforce itself.

  
  

  But not every company knows how to foster a climate in which such ideas and solutions can emerge. Smart companies will invest in training on problem solving and team building, giving employees the tools they need to help in re-engineering their organizations.

  
  

• Quality Training: Quality was a media buzzword in the early to mid-1990s, but seems to have faded from view. However, there is less customer tolerance than ever for shoddy work or poor service.

  
  

  The “survival of the fittest” economic environment demands delivering the right product, on time, with no defects. Aggressive HR professionals will look at quality programs and training as a sound business investment.

  
  

• Custom-Designed Training: As companies re-engineer, training will become an integral component in the success of installing and succeeding with those new processes.

  
  

  A greatly trimmed down HR staff has probably lost trainers, so it will be required to seek outside firms to help design and deliver training. The same is true in developing and delivering cross-training programs.

  
  

• Learning Management Systems: With the downsizing of training departments, there are fewer people to manage training and development initiatives and to track employee training.

  
  

  A cost-effective approach is to put in place new training or learning management systems.

  
  

Source: Margaret Magnus, Publisher, and The Workforce Editors, January 2002.

QDear Workforce:

How can our law firm motivate a solicitor who is unlikely to meet his yearlybudget halfway through the year? We don’t want to wipe the slate clean and notrecover those fees. However, if we push too hard we may lose a good lawyer whohas reached budget consistently in the past. The lawyer is very busy but thebilling is not evident from the work, and he isn’t taking well to extra help inreaching budget.

– Watching dollars trickle away, HR, legal, Perth, Australia.

A Dear Dollars:

Productivity problems, in any business, are a constant concern. Usually, aproductivity drop in a previously high-performing employee is due to a complexinteraction of factors that even the employee may not really understand.Although law firms are usually very dollar-oriented and will simply want toquickly fix the problem and move on, if you are a concerned employer with a highinvestment in this employee, take the time to identify why the attorney isstruggling.

Issues other than time and file management may be the problem if the employeehas performed well in the past. For example, if other attorneys in the firm areunhappy with this attorney’s work, they may not refer assignments to him. Thisdries up the attorney’s workload and he may spend more time (not all of whichcan be billed) on each assignment out of a fear of not appearing productive.

Or, the attorney may be learning a different area of the law. A businessattorney learning employment law might not bill all of the time spentresearching or reading for context. Similarly, a high-performing attorney may beassigned work from partners in the firm who practice in an area of lawunfamiliar to this attorney. These assignments may require extensive backgroundreading before work can begin. If you balance this time against pressures tokeep clients and referring attorneys happy, the attorney could bill only afraction of the time worked. In these situations billable hours are down, butfor a good reason. Another possible reason for reduced billable hours isinefficiency caused by job dissatisfaction. Attorneys report extremely highrates of job dissatisfaction resulting in depression and other problems, whichmay manifest themselves at work.

Someone at the firm, usually a supervising attorney or an assigned mentor,needs to have a candid conversation with the attorney to identify any problemsand to develop a plan to address them. For the conversation to be productive,the mentor must allow the attorney to discuss all the possible reasons for thereduction in billable hours and not simply focus on the quickest solution. It’svery likely that the conversation will be difficult and that the attorney willbe resistant to discussion. Persevere. It is important for the success of theemployment relationship that the problems are identified and the solutions arejointly developed and not simply imposed.

If other attorneys are concerned with the employee’s work product, coachingor clarifying expectations may be all that is required. If the attorney islearning a new area of law, perhaps the billable-hour requirement should bereduced in the short-term in recognition of the increased future earningcapacity of this attorney. If the attorney is being asked by others in the firmto do work in an unfamiliar area, perhaps the attorney could be given credit forthe learning time that cannot be billed. If you identify that job- satisfactionissues are contributing to the reduced productivity and you don’t want to losethis attorney, outside intervention may be appropriate. The American BarAssociation and the local bar association may have access to confidentialcounseling. Remind the attorney of these resources and provide the time to workthrough any dissatisfaction issues.

Get creative in identifying the problems and the solutions. If the attorneyrealizes that the firm is truly interested in his success, making minor changesto how hours are counted or giving the attorney time to adjust to life changesmay be all the motivation that is necessary for the attorney’s — and the firm’s– long-term success.

SOURCE: Robin Bruins, senior HR manager, Personnel Management Systems,Inc.,Kirkland, Washington, August 10, 2001.

LEARN MORE: See “Team Health Check” toevaluate your team for symptoms of dysfunction.

The information contained in thisarticle is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, butshould not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember thatstate laws may differ from the federal law.

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Dear Workforce Newsletter

In the go-go years, HR had its hands full when it came to recruitment and staffing. Fast-growing organizations were hiring in the dozens, hundreds, and thousands, and HR had to race to keep up with the requisitions.

And now? The requisitions might be down to a trickle, but HR’s job hasn’t gotten any easier. Now the volume comes from applicants, and the trick is to pick the right candidates for the right jobs in a way that’s thorough, fast, and cost-effective.

That’s where the products on the following pages come in. During up and down times, the right recruitment and staffing products make HR’s job easier. Here you’ll find better background checking, blended print and online recruiting, product features that help HR find star candidates, and end-to-end recruiting solutions. These companies know what you’re up against, and they have the answers you’re seeking:

Deploy Solutions, Inc.
Career Builder, Inc.
PeopleWise
Recruitmax

Deploy Solutions, Inc. Deploy Solutions 100 Lowder Brook Dr Westwood, MA 02090 781/461-9024 salesinfo@deploy.com Deploy Solutions, Inc. Be sure it’s the right fit. Deploy Solutions provides strategic workforce management software solutions to Global 2000 companies seeking to leverage hiring, deployment, and retention processes for competitive advantage. By reducing the total cost of hiring while leveraging existing technology investments, Deploy’s solutions are demonstrating significant ROI today at some of the world’s largest companies, such as Bristol Myers Squibb, Synopsys, and Zimmer, to name a few. Leveraging our innovative technology and deep HR and technology expertise, customers are reporting reductions in time-to-hire by over 50 percent and cost per hire by over 30 percent. Deploy’s products, Employ!® and Hirequest™, provide an end-to-end workforce management solution that streamlines the entire recruiting and hiring process. Our solutions allow companies to manage online résumés from résumé submission, to candidate matching and interview scheduling, through the actual job offer. Optimizing and Streamlining the Hiring Process Hiring is important, but hiring smart is the key to achieving a competitive advantage. Deploy software fully automates, integrates, and speeds decision-making at every step in the hiring process to ensure the best quality fit. It approaches workforce management collaboratively, enabling everyone involved in the process, from HR executives and recruiters to hiring managers and the interview team, to access the most recent and relevant candidate information. Its powerful workflow can scale to tens of thousands of users anytime, anywhere, taking weeks off the hiring process. Always Make Quality Matches Choosing the right people who fit an organization’s strategy and vision begins with the right search. Employ!’s unparalleled matching and ranking technology ensures organizations will always end up with the highest quality candidates. Using the requisition as the search query, Employ!’s advanced technology finds and ranks internal Employee Profiles and external résumés that best meet open job requirements. When Employ! finds a “star” candidate, based on your definition, organizations can make it their benchmark and use the “more like this” feature to find additional candidates just like the “star.” Transform How Your Company Attracts, Recruits, and Screens Talent Fully Leverage Your Own Company Website for Recruiting and Screening Job Seekers. Hirequest™, Deploy’s corporate careers website hosting solution, transforms a company’s existing corporate website from simply a “careers” page to a highly interactive tool for recruiting and identifying quality candidates. Hirequest seamlessly integrates with the Employ! product suite allowing companies to obtain Deploy’s complete workforce management solution and achieve true end-to-end workforce management processes.

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CareerBuilder, Inc. CareerBuilder’s innovative approach to online recruiting is transforming the way organizations find the right people. We know a company’s success depends upon finding the best and brightest. That’s why CareerBuilder offers the industry’s only blend of print and online recruitment solutions, allowing employers the ability to reach the best talent, quickly and efficiently. With only one posting, you gain access to the most qualified and diverse candidates. So no matter how specific your criteria may be, CareerBuilder can help you connect with the right talent. CareerBuilder offers a complete suite of products to meet your recruiting needs including Job Postings, access to our Résumé Database, Banner Advertising, and Company Profiles. CareerBuilder’s Résumé Database allows you to search by a variety of criteria to quickly pinpoint candidates that meet your exact needs. Plus, you can save your searches and receive e-mail updates when new résumés are added matching your criteria. Our banner advertising provides added value by driving qualified job seekers to your job postings and build awareness for your brand. Banner ads can even be targeted to reach candidates searching for jobs in a specific industry. Adding a company profile will also help your company standout among today’s top candidates. By providing an in-depth company profile, job seekers will have the information they need to choose your company over a competitor’s. Information may include a company overview, benefits, working environment, and hiring locations. CareerBuilder’s superior technology and recruiting solutions continue to lead the industry standard. So whether you need to fill one or 1,000 jobs, CareerBuilder is the source to reach the most qualified candidates. Together we can move your company forward. With CareerBuilder, the right candidate is closer than you think. Return to Top PeopleWise PeopleWise, a member of the LexisNexis Group, is a leading provider of legally compliant, automated pre-employment screening services to corporations and government agencies. PeopleWise combines the speed of the Internet with the power of LexisNexis services to help you: Accelerate hiring decisions by reducing turnaround times. Interpret results based on established job code criteria. Ensure compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. PeopleWise’s flagship product, PeopleWise.net, features a familiar interface that looks just like your e-mail program. Because there are no initial set-up fees or monthly minimum investments, it’s easy to sign up and begin using PeopleWise.net in less than 20 minutes. PeopleWise has teamed with the nation’s largest labor and employment law firm, Littler Mendelson, to ensure that all background checks are compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This relationship ensures that all your release forms, reports, and procedures are in full compliance with federal law. PeopleWise offers the following suite of background checking solutions: Instacheck™: The PeopleWise InstaCheck™ report verifies a Social Security number and matches it with key identity information such as name, aliases, current address, telephone number and previous addresses in less than 30 seconds. Criminal Histories: PeopleWise offers Criminal Record Searches at the county and federal levels in every jurisdiction in the United States. Motor Vehicle Check: PeopleWise provides full access to Driving Records on a statewide basis. Credit Histories: PeopleWise provides employment Credit Reports obtained from the National Credit Bureaus to help employers make informed hiring decisions by providing an objective credit picture. Education Verification: PeopleWise can confirm the highest level of education earned directly with the college or university. Previous Employment Verification: PeopleWise offers fast and effective verification of an applicant’s employment history as reported on the application. Professional License Verification: PeopleWise can confirm licensing information directly with the issuing agency. If you would like to experience PeopleWise.net firsthand, call us toll-free at 1-877-44-PWISE and ask about our trial program, including 3 free background searches. Or visit our website at Return to Top Recruitmax Recruitmax 213 6th Ave N Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250 877/394-5644 sales@recruitmax.com Recruitmax Applicant Tracking Software offers Corporate Human Resource Professionals, Staffing Agencies and Executive Search firms the power to manage the entire hiring and recruiting process from start to finish and Recruitmax allows you to customize our program the way you want to, the way the makes sense to your company processes. Recruitmax serves over 450 clients in the management of hiring and recruiting processes and continues to develop the latest technology in applicant tracking software. Our open source code allows us to customize our powerful “Out of the Box” solution to meet your specific hiring processes. We can even interface directly with any HRIS application. This enables us to provide you with a complete End-to-End solution that can meet your needs today and well into the future. Recruitmax has many great features that can greatly impact your bottom line — reduced time to fill and cost per hire. Here are just a few of our Features and Benefits: 100% Web-Based (Web Browser Interface) 100% Customizable Robust Résumé Management Advanced Candidate and Résumé Search technology Job Requisition Management Automated Employee Referral Program Job Listing integration on your website Vendor Management Tools Communication and Correspondence Tools Reporting Tools Return to Top