HRGuru

We've been asked a lot lately about the future of HR metrics. In order to answer that question, it's essential to first see how far HR analytics and metrics have come. And, although the past isn't necessarily a good predictor of the future, it's a good place to start. Over the past 25 years, much has been written by practitioners, consultants, ...

About 49 percent of the nations' cities, counties and townships expect less revenue in 2010, and 21 percent expect fewer employees, according to a new survey. About 26 expect increased consolidation of local services. With shrinking budgets and fewer staff, local officials are taking several approaches to contain long-term costs associated with employee and retiree health care. The Health and OPEB ...

Employee empowerment is about creating the right environment for employees to choose their attitude and energy. Read more to learn how...

It's largely agreed that 401(k) plans are incredibly valuable in attracting and retaining top talent, improving a company's corporate image and contributing to a company's overall long-term financial health. But when the economy crashed, all bets were off. Thankfully, employees will be pleased to know that most employers have no intention of eliminating 401(k) plans from their benefit offerings. In April ...

The context for leadership is dramatically different from what it was even five years ago. Customers are harder to get and to keep, profit margins tend to be slimmer, and lots of employees live in a state of anxiety, stressed by overwork and worries about their jobs. What's a leader's role in these trying times, and what competencies do leaders need ...

Every once in a while I’ll get a question from a reader, co-worker, or student about how to break into the leadership development field. The reality is, it’s not really an entry level profession, and there’s no one right way to get there. The leadership development profession includes trainers, coaches, HR generalists, managers, authors, speakers, preachers, and every combination of ...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Jobless West Virginians have claimed 91 percent more weeks of unemployment benefits so far this year than for the same period last year, a state labor official says. West Virginians had filed claims for more than 1.05 million total weeks of benefits through Sept. 12, as compared to 550,649 weeks claimed by the same point last year, said ...

CRANSTON -- Nearly 3,000 Rhode Islanders who have exhausted their unemployment benefits and cannot find work could be eligible to start collecting again -- for up to 13 weeks -- under federal legislation that is on track to become law soon. In addition, about 1,800 people who will exhaust their benefits by the end of the year also could be eligible ...

I’ve been watching an ABC News television series called “What Would You Do?" It’s a fascinating study of human behavior. Everyday people are secretly filmed in situations where they are faced with a choice, usually involving an actor or actors staging a scenario. It reminds me of “Scruples," the classic party game where players draw cards with a variety or moral ...

If you could use some hopeful business news these days, then we've got just what the doctor ordered: an injection of higher confidence in future labor productivity. Why is this such good news? Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman has stated, "Productivity isn't everything, but in the long run it is almost everything." Confidence in productivity is, to a large degree, confidence ...

An effective employee incentive program is a very useful and important aspect of employee motivation. Here is how to implement just that...

Layoffs, downsizing, restructuring, terminations - no matter what it's called, nobody is happy when people lose their jobs. It is a traumatic event for all involved - whether it's the affected employees, the managers who have to deliver the news or the workers who remain to pick up the pieces. It's the latter who are often ignored after downsizing, to the ...

These days, leaders are looking for way to keep their employees focused and motivated during challenging economic and business conditions. With layoffs, pay freezes, furloughs, and 401K cuts, there’s plenty of bad news going on that a leader can’t control that can drag a team down. What does a “motivating environment” look like? When it’s 5:00pm, and most of the department ...

This is the recount of a troubling situation relayed to me by a friend earlier this week. I’m using pseudonyms for the sake of all involved. For his first job fair appearance, I gave my friend Bill some advice that I felt would help him to have meaningful conversations with the recruiters. While he wondered about a tiny resume tweak, the ...

In Letterman-like fashion, I am presenting the most horrifying, offensive and incessant co-worker behaviors that infect the office and kill your productivity. 10. Gum chewing. Whether it occurs just at inappropriate times or constantly throughout the day, gum chewing can be a major distraction. The constant “smack, smack, smack” of your boss’ mouth is not only irritating but unprofessional. 9. Smelly ...

The advantages of offering flexibility in work arrangements are attracting more corporate attention. i4cp's recent study found that a full 84% of companies overall believe that flexible work arrangements in their organization boosts employee morale. That figure is up from 76% in a similar 2008 study conducted by i4cp. Correspondingly, the 2009 study showed that 78% of polled companies say flexwork ...

If you’re like me, you’ve always wondered why so many people in HR are uninterested in talking politics. Trying to get one of you guys to talk about health care reform out in the open is like pulling teeth without health insurance. Get it? Because I said… nah, forget it. I always chalked it up to politics being an uncomfortable situation ...

A reader writes: "I am a disgruntled attorney and have been practicing a little over 5 years. I recently attended a CLE that was attended by a healthy mix of lawyers and HR managers and was kind of fascinated by HR. Granted, this was a very delicious HR topic - Workplace Investigations - but I talked to a few HR folks ...

Continuing concern over the state of the economy is reflected in the fluctuating fortunes of freelances. Suzanne Hinchliffe crunches the figures in our latest survey of this sector, while industry insiders give their lowdown on what's happening out there. There has been a dramatic change in freelance rates of pay, with the market being more depressed this year than last. Some ...

(Lifted directly from my blog on ERE.net) I just received a rejection letter today. This will be the second rejection letter I've received in the past two weeks, and I am absolutely ecstatic! That's right, I am head over heels excited and want to shout it from the mountain top! I know, you think I'm crazy. I may well be, but ...