Author: Site Staff

Posted on

Heed These HR Strategies

In the book “Tomorrow’s HR Management:48 Thought Leaders Call For Change,” editors Dave Ulrich, Michael R. Losey and Gerry Lake identify six themes that form prescriptive actions for the HR professional of the future.


  1. Manage Human Resources Like a Business. HR departments must become more business-focused. This means that HR departments need to have clear outcomes they deliver to the business with clear theory and foci guiding action within the department.

  2. Play New Roles. HR professionals will have many new roles to play in the organization and competitive environment of the future.

  3. Respect History, Create a Future. HR functions need to and have changed … or have they? Rather than merely live for an uncertain future, HR work needs to be grounded in its past. The discipline of human resources has a history that has both good news and bad news. The good news is that much of the history would be maintained in moving toward the future. The bad news is that some of that history needs to be changed to meet the future with competence.

  4. Build an Infrastructure. The HR infrastructure focuses on how the HR function itself is governed. It deals with issues such as measurement of HR practices, competencies of HR and the changing role of HR leaders.

  5. Remember the “Human” in Human Resource. Sometimes, in the quest to be business partners, HR professionals have focused more on the business and less on the people side of the business. Under the label of intellectual or human capital, HR professionals need to keep focusing their attention on the human side of the enterprise.

  6. Go Global. Technological advances in information, travel, media and other parts of our lives have made a large world smaller. Changes in one country are quickly understood and/or adapted throughout the world.

SOURCE: Reprinted with permission from John Wiley & Sons Inc.


Workforce, January 1998, Vol. 77, No. 1, p. 88.


Posted on

Welfare by the Numbers

Here are some important statistics and numbers related to welfare recipients and employing people on welfare.


  • 94 percent of welfare recipients don’t have automobiles.
  • 80 percent of welfare recipients traditionally quit or are fired within 16 months of starting a new job.
  • 70 percent to 80 percent of welfare recipients who complete training programs before starting a job stay in their new jobs.
  • 66.3 percent of women on welfare have recent work experience. Most have more than four years’ work experience.
  • 62.8 percent of companies don’t hire welfare applicants or don’t have a well-defined program because of the lack of information about welfare recipients.
  • 58 percent of all welfare recipients have completed high school or a higher level of education.
  • 37 percent of welfare recipients are African-American.
  • 36 percent of welfare recipients are white.
  • 31 years is the age of the average adult receiving welfare.
  • 21 percent of welfare recipients are Hispanic.
  • 11 million people, or 4 percent of the population, will remain on welfare this year, the lowest number since 1970.
  • 4 million U.S. families currently receive welfare.
  • 2 is the average number of children in families who receive welfare.

SOURCE: The Welfare to Work Partnership, Washington, D.C.; and “Hire Resources,” September 1997, published by The David Institute, Cleveland.


Workforce, January 1998, Vol. 77, No. 1, p. 36.


Posted on

10 Ways To Evaluate Your Financial Education Programs

Investment education is one of benefits managers’ top priorities. In addition to helping employees take responsibility for their personal financial security, these programs also should increase participation in company-sponsored benefits offerings — adding value to the benefits package without adding benefits costs. Here are some questions to help you evaluate your current program:


  1. Is the financial education curriculum broad-based or topical in focus?

  2. Does the curriculum address generic financial concepts or vendor-specific products?

  3. Does it provide an overview of retirement options or can it be customized to your company’s specific retirement plans?

  4. What is the instructor’s background, training and experience?

  5. Is the program varied in its delivery with applicability for adult learners?

  6. Is it convenient for employees to attend at the workplace?

  7. Are spouses/personal guests encouraged to attend?

  8. Does the program provide an opportunity for participants to meet with the financial educator/ adviser to translate knowledge into action?

  9. How is the financial educator/adviser compensated?

  10. How does the program provide ongoing education to all employees?

SOURCE: Rick Storms, assistant vice president; ReliaStar Life Insurance Co., Minneapolis


Workforce, December 1997, Vol. 76, No. 12, p. 52.

Posted on

Corporate Thank You’s Food For Thought

You don’t have to spend a lot to show your corporate gratitude to employees. Here are suggestions on how to thank with simplicity.


Simple Gestures Count Most
Recognition doesn’t have to be fancy; in fact, the simpler and more direct, the better. The more I work with recognition and rewards, the more I’m intrigued with the simple, sincere ways employees use to appreciate each other with a minimum of cost, paperwork and administration.


At Wilsonville, Oregon-based Tektronix Inc., the company instituted a simple way for managers and employees alike to focus on recognizing others for doing something right. Dubbed the You Done Good Award, this simple certificate was printed in pads and could be given to anybody in the company from anybody else in the company. On it, individuals stated what was done, who did it and when, and then gave the certificate to the person. The idea is now a part of life at Tektronix. Says one employee: “Even though people say nice things to you, it means more when people take the time to write your name on a piece of paper and deliver it.”


Another simple yet effective approach is to put notes on business cards. John Plunkett, director of employment and training for Cobb Electronic Membership Corp. in Marietta, Georgia, says “People love to collect others’ business cards. Simply carry a supply of thank you cards with you and as you ‘catch people doing something right,’ immediately write ‘Thanks,’ ‘Good job,’ ‘Keep it up,’ and what they specifically did in two to three words. Put the person’s name on the card and sign it.”


SOURCE: Excerpted with permission from an essay titled,”Rub Somebody the Right Way,” by Bob Nelson, which is included in the book: “Heart At Work,” by Jack Canfield and Jacqueline Miller (McGraw-Hill 1996).


Workforce, November 1997, Vol. 76, No. 11, p. 78.


Posted on

Support Begins With Acknowledgment

The question most often asked by co-workers and managers of terminally ill employees to counselors and consultants is, “What do I say to the person?” The short answer is, “something.” Says Max DePree, chairman of the board of Zeeland, Michigan-based Herman Miller Inc.: “We need to prevent isolation in our organizations and we can leave no one on the fringe.” Perhaps no other life event has the power that terminal illness has to isolate a person and relegate him or her to the fringes.


Of course acknowledging a person’s terminal status isn’t easy. Confirms Linda Goldman, a certified grief therapist in the Washington, D.C., area and director of the Center for Loss and Grief Therapy, “It’s normal to feel helpless around a dying person, but people who provide support feel better themselves.” Nancy Breuer, a Los Angeles-based consultant and AIDS educator, offers the following advice on what to, and what not to, say as an HR person providing support.


What not to say:
Let me know if I can do something.
Instead say:
I’m wondering if it would help if I carried that.


What not to say:
I know how you feel.
Instead say:
I’m here for you if you need to talk about it.


What not to say:
I’m sure this is all part of God’s plan for you.
Instead say:
Help me to understand what this is like for you. If you will, teach me.


What not to say:
Maybe they’re wrong and you’re not dying after all.
Instead say:
I’ll be here for you whatever happens.
(SOURCE: Greg Yoder, Bereavement Coordinator and Counselor; Hospice Family Care; Mesa, Ariz.)


What not to say:
Nothing.
Instead say:
I hate what’s happening to you. I wish you could be with us forever. I’m going to miss you a lot. What can I do to help make it easier?
(SOURCE: James A. Autry; Iowa State University, Des Moines)


SOURCE: Nancy Breuer, AIDS educator; Los Angeles


Workforce, September 1997, Vol. 76, No. 9, p. 62.

Posted on

Learn To Recognize These 7 Qualities of Highly Effective Shiftworkers

Most 24-hour companies put remarkably little effort into trying to hire employees who can successfully adapt to shiftwork. As a result, individuals often accept a job offer and complete a training period—and then quit or request a transfer to the day shift several weeks later. HR professionals, however, don’t have to accept high turnover. They can develop an eye for recognizing the qualities of highly effective shiftworkers.


Effective shiftworkers make a commitment to the shiftwork lifestyle. Instead of considering shiftwork an inconvenient aspect of their jobs, people who have made a commitment to the shiftwork lifestyle accept it as a necessary part of their lives and develop successful coping strategies.


Effective shiftworkers tend to exercise. The benefits of exercise are tailor-made for shiftworkers: reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, increased stamina and improved sleep.


Effective shiftworkers are often “night owl types.” Individuals with evening profiles love to sleep into the late morning and have no trouble staying awake and alert past 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. Their periods of high alertness and sleepiness are about two hours later than those with standard circadian profiles.


Effective shiftworkers can fall asleep easily at different times of the day. During interviews, ask candidates with shiftwork experience whether they’ve had trouble sleeping in the daytime. For people with no shiftwork experience, ask about their ability to nap in the daytime and to sleep when their schedules suddenly changed.


Effective shiftworkers don’t have inflexible obligations outside work. Hobbies that aren’t tied to precise times of the day are ideal for shiftworkers. For example, athletic shiftworkers can arrange to jog or play tennis with friends at varying times, but would be frustrated if they signed up for a softball league and had to miss every other game.


Effective shiftworkers have a support network. Shiftworkers whose families—children included—respect their need for daytime sleep and recognize that they can’t always attend important events fare well in the long run.


Effective shiftworkers tend to have a somewhat relaxed attitude. Because shiftworkers’ schedules are constantly changing, extremely rigid people are likely to have trouble adapting. Other related traits for successful adaptation include an attitude of internal control and a willingness to seek out resources for coping.


SOURCE: ShiftWork Alert, a publication of Circadian Technologies Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts


Workforce, July 1997, Vol. 76, No. 7, p. 32.

Posted on

Who Are HR’s Customers

Human resources has a market to serve. And very often managers are effective only if you’re able to “sell” HR services to your customers. In today’s business world, your CEO should become your No. 1 customer. But you still have others to serve as well. Mike Deblieux, president of Mike Deblieux Human Resources in Tustin, California, offers these categories to help you tailor your services appropriately.


Managers
Managers look to human resources for sound business advice on how to review, analyze and address people issues. They expect [the department’s] services to be timely and accurate.


Supervisors
Supervisors expect human resources to be available on an as-needed basis to help solve people issues. They expect, and frequently demand, help interpreting company policies, expediting personnel matters and preparing or completing paperwork. Most importantly, supervisors expect to learn from their interactions with human resources in order for them to return to their work unit and handle personnel matters.


Associates
Associates look to human resources to provide, explain or confirm information about company policies and procedures. They expect human resources to be an empathetic ear to their concerns and to help them solve work-related problems. They expect human resources to anticipate problems and to provide sound recommendations to management.


Applicants
To the applicant, human resources is the company. Applicants expect accurate information about employment opportunities, fair consideration of their qualifications and courteous treatment.


State and federal agencies
Employers must follow a variety of human resources-related laws and regulations. If human resources provides accurate, timely information, your company benefits directly by reducing the amount of time and energy that must be invested in dealing with bureaucratic requirements.


SOURCE: Mike Deblieux, president of Mike Debilieux Human Resources in Tustin, CA


Workforce, June 1997, Vol. 76, No. 6, p. 65.

Posted on

Domestic Partner Benefits San Francisco States Its Case

Below is an outline of the mandate provided by the City of San Francisco explaining what the law is intended—and not intended—to do.


What it does:


  • Prohibits the City from entering into contracts with companies that discriminate in the provision of benefits provided to employees with spouses and employees with legally registered domestic partners. This is what the City does and what the voters have approved for City workers.
  • Covers benefits such as bereavement leave, medical leave and health insurance.

What it doesn’t do:


  • Does not require companies to provide benefits that they do not already provide spouses. If the company does not pay for spousal benefits, they do not have to pay for domestic-partner benefits.
  • Does not require companies to pay extra costs for domestic-partner benefits. If the costs are more than they are for providing them for spouses, the employee pays the difference.
  • Does not prevent the city from entering into contracts with companies unable to provide the benefits despite reasonable attempts to do so. Instead, it allows those companies to pay the employee the amount of money, if any, the company pays the insurance carrier for spousal coverage.
  • Does not apply to subcontractors.
  • Will not be implemented until six months after passage.

Support
The legislation was brought to the Board by the Harvey Milk Lesbian/ Gay/Bisexual Democratic Club. The authors are Supervisors Ammiano and Katz. The co-sponsors are Supervisors Alioto, Bierman, Brown, Kaufman, Leal, Teng and Yaki. The Mayor has said he supports the legislation.


Process
The legislation was introduced in May and received significant media coverage. It was heard at the Government Efficiency and Labor Committee of the Board prior to being presented to the full Board for passage.


Workforce, June 1997, Vol. 76, No. 6, p. 40.


Posted on

Multi-part Special The Trainer’s Role

The typical trainer’s job used to be fairly straightforward. His or her main responsibility was to impart standard work-related material to each new crop of employees. Sessions were held in classes for fixed periods of time and used many of the same teaching methods commonly used in high school or college classrooms. At the end of each session, the new recruits were tested and then sent on to their jobs. Some were called back for follow-up training. The trainer’s job, in other words, was fairly routine.


But not anymore. Trainers can no longer count on teaching the same subjects or using the same methods year in, year out. Change is now the rule. The following series of articles in this special report will address six of the key issues facing today’s trainers:


Competencies:
Trainers today need to know more than ever before. Even when they assign some work to vendors, they still need to know how to make sure those vendors are performing as expected.


Corporate universities:
Many companies are bringing training programs in house and offering them through corporate universities. What are the benefits to structuring training this way?


Technology: Technology offers trainers new tools for company training programs. But it’s important that trainers know how to effectively integrate yesterday’s training methodologies with today’s technological marvels.


Outsourcing:
Outsourcing can be a cost-effective way to address training requirements as needed. But will outsourcing be used more or less than before? And will it be used in a different way?


More accountability for performance:
Trainers are being held to higher standards. This means they need to find the most accurate methods for measuring their results.


Budgets:
Budgets are tighter than ever before. And, of course, trainers are expected to do more with fewer resources. Is it actually possible to improve training results on a smaller budget?


Workforce interviewed more than a dozen training professionals in an effort to answer these questions and more.


Workforce, June 1997, Vol. 76, No. 7, p. 94.


Posted on

Dear Workforce What Is Standard Policy For Issuing Computer Equipment?

Q

Dear Workforce:

    Where can I find information on HR or IS policies for determining standardissue hardware or software for new employees, depending on type of job function?

– IT Manager, supplier of gas purifying products, Mayfield Heights, OH

A Dear IT Manager:

Sample policies regarding the issuing of hardware and software are difficultto find, probably because these needs are specific to each organization and arehard to generalize. In most cases, these needs are met through a new-employeeorientation checklist similar to the one you probably already use.

However, the most common downfall of new- employee checklists is that theyare not planned or prioritized — they merely list all of the things a newemployee needs to know or to get, and provide little or no accountability forwho needs to complete the tasks or in what timeframe.

From a general orientation standpoint, one suggestion would be to sit downand identify all the issues relative to orienting the new employee to thecompany, from where he or she will sit, to benefits enrollments, to learninginformation about how the company handles client gifts. These are three distinctareas that have different levels of importance. Somewhere in there will bedetermining hardware and software needs. If it’s critical that a new employeeneeds these on the first day, then put it atop the list and start working on itas soon as you learn of the hiring.

As far as equipment procurement, consider taking a pyramid approach.Determine the basic equipment needs for every employee and commit to having itready to go on day one, if necessary. This may be a telephone and PC. Thendetermine secondary needs, such as specific software or special network access.After that, you can then determine specialized needs based on the employee’sposition, such as a laptop or PDA, or dial-in access from home. Trying to set uptoo much for the employee’s first day, especially if you hire today to starttomorrow, will drive you crazy.

For ideas on new employee checklists, search Google.comfor “new employee orientation checklist.” Many organizations, especiallyuniversities, have theirs online.

SOURCE: Bill Dickmeyer, CEBS, Madison Human Resources Consulting, LLC,Madison, Wis., Feb. 8.

LEARN MORE: Find sample policies and proceduresin the Workforce Research Center.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide usefulinformation on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice ora legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.