March – 2011

Latest Numbers Show That HR Jobs Are Trending Up

by John Zappe on Mar 31, 2011, 3:12 PM | No comments yet

Thinking of changing jobs? It seems almost everyone is.

CareerBuilder says 15 percent of workers are actively looking, but 76 percent of the rest would jump ship if the right opportunity comes along. Given the acceleration in hiring, that right opportunity may come along sooner rather than later.

Manpower said this week that 16 percent of employers expect to add jobs in the second quarter, which begins tomorrow. When seasonally adjusted, Manpower says its Net Employment Outlook is a plus 8 percent.

CEOs are even more optimistic, a good thing since they are the ones to give the thumbs-up to hiring. The Business Roundtable’s CEO survey found 52 percent of them expect to increase hiring over the next six months. Read more…

HR Basics

Do You Have Executive Presence? It May Depend on How Well You Speak

by Patty Azzarello on Mar 31, 2011, 11:27 AM | No comments yet

What you sound like in your head and what other people hear are very different things.

How you sound to others: We get used to ourselves, and if you never check (get a recording of yourself talking), you just don’t have the full picture of how you are coming across.

Whenever I talk about executive presence or personal brand, there is always a lot of interest because people are very motivated learn how to position and present themselves more effectively. Read more…

HR Management, Recruiting and Staffing

Here’s Why Your Business Should Really be Hiring Right Now

by Tim Sackett on Mar 31, 2011, 10:05 AM | 1 comment

Hiring for creative thinking skills should be the goal of every hiring manager and HR professional. (Photo illustration by istockphoto.com).

Business Week asked this question recently and had Dan Finnigan, CEO of Jobvite (one of my favorite CEO’s and a very cool product as well – even if he never sent me the iPad from my HR Tech Conference interview – let’s face it I work cheap, but not free!) and Daniel Kite, President of Sun Street (I don’t know him, so I don’t care) debate over the topic: Should employers stop waiting for the economy to strengthen further and start hiring right now?

Dan went Pro, and Daniel went Con. From the article, here is Dan Finnigan’s take: Read more…

HR Basics, HR Technology

Don’t Expect Onboarding Technology to Fix Your Onboarding Issues

by Lance Haun on Mar 31, 2011, 8:07 AM | 1 comment

Technology in human resources is rarely a solution in and of itself, but it does often help.

For example, HRIS software is often poorly implemented and results in quite a bit of workload after the fact, but managing employees via spreadsheet, payroll system, or paper is a far, far worse alternative. Similarly, even the poorest implemented applicant tracking system can be a better solution than the old e-mail inbox applicant management tricks I used to use.

In spite of itself, HR technology can often help bring together a chaotic process into a slightly less chaotic process. But in the case of onboarding software (both add-on and standalone products), I have a hard time figuring out what technology can bring to the table if you’re having issues with onboarding.

8 Topics Your HR Technology Vendor Needs to Have a Clear Strategy For

by Naomi Bloom on Mar 30, 2011, 11:27 AM | 3 Comments

My first post in this series focused on the importance of understanding the ambitions of HRM software/services vendors and the implications of those ambitions for buyers/investors/employees/the industry.

Next came a post focused on the different strategies of these same vendors, the many moving parts that must be addressed in those strategies, and the implications of the differences in strategy for buyers/investors/employees/the industry. Now for the fun part, at least for me – their software!

I’d love to do an individual post on the good, the bad, and the ugly of each relevant vendor’s software assets, but for that you’d have to pay me (as clients do) serious money. I’d have to do a ton more detailed homework and then be willing to discuss every word I wrote, seven or eight times each, with vendors who took issue with my writing. Read more…

$#*!@ Dr. John Sullivan Says

What Exactly is Talent Management?

by John Hollon on Mar 30, 2011, 10:10 AM | 2 Comments

Editor’s Note: Dr. John Sullivan has been a provocateur and strategist in the field of human resources and talent management for over 30 years. His specialty is HR strategy and designing world class HR systems and tools for Fortune 200 firms, and he’s never been shy about telling it like it is.

That’s why TLNT asked him to share his thinking in a video series titled “$#*!@ Dr. John Sullivan Says!” Look for these videos twice a week here at TLNT.

Today’s topic: What is talent management?

Dr. John defines talent as having “extraordinary skills,” but as he points out, there are many people who don’t have extraordinary talent. “So,” he adds, “you need to prioritize how HR, or talent management, handles top talent, top performers, game changers, innovators.” Read more…

Talent Management

Are You Considering Firing Your Employee Engagement Partner?

by Stacey Harris on Mar 30, 2011, 8:07 AM | 4 Comments

There is no doubt that most organizations faced falling employee engagement measures last year.

We all knew that 2009 had been a challenging economic year and that we may have cut a little too deep or managed our communications poorly as we rolled out pay freezes, forced furloughs, staff reductions, and slashed benefits programs. But last year, the impact of those decisions started to come home to roost – engagement surveys were sent out and numbers were down.

Solution providers in the space were quick to share that numbers were down and highlight the possible storm clouds on the horizon, leading to reduced performance and turn-over in high-potentials and critical talent roles. Some examples: Read more…

HR News & Trends, Legal Issues

The High Court’s Dukes v. Wal-Mart Hearing: Here is What it Might Mean

by Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. on Mar 29, 2011, 4:29 PM | No comments yet

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Dukes, et al. v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

For those who enjoy reading the tea leaves from the intensely combative questioning during the argument, the hearing transcript makes for fascinating reading.

The stakes in the case are enormous and the future ruling is likely to be transformative for class action litigation. In short, the Supreme Court’s decision will re-position the goal posts on the playing fields of how workplace class actions are structured, defended, and litigated. Read more…

HR Management, Leadership

Mentors and Professional Networking: Why You Need Both to be Successful

by Patty Azzarello on Mar 29, 2011, 2:37 PM | No comments yet

This month’s webinar topic on Professional Networking and Mentors is such an important one for people searching for relevance and opportunities. We talked about how to strategically build the network you need to accomplish your professional goals.

Here are some of the things we covered:

Standard networking rules apply

Network when you don’t need anything.
Give more than you take – always.
Successful people get help. Read more…

Legal Issues

New ADA Rules Provide Much Needed Clarification for Employers

by Myra K. Creighton on Mar 29, 2011, 11:25 AM | No comments yet

By Myra K. Creighton

After a lengthy wait, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued final regulations and interpretive guidance for the Americans With Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA), the new disability law which was passed in 2008.

Many employers were prepared for the worst after the agency first proposed dramatic and game-changing regulations in 2009 which would have tilted the playing field even further in favor of employees. Although the final regulations published on March 24, 2011 strongly emphasize that the law’s coverage is to be quite broad, the EEOC pulled back from its original position and published regulations that are fairly consistent with the statute.

The best news for employers is that the final regulations answer most of the questions that arose when the proposed regulations were issued. For example, the EEOC answers whether some impairments will be “automatic disabilities,” how the EEOC will analyze “working” as a major life activity, how condition, manner, and duration may be relevant in determining whether an impairment is a disability, and the length of time a condition must last to be a protected disability.

Here is a summary of the major highlights of the regulations: Read more…