Saturday, October 31, 2009

Knowledge supply chain

The "knowledge supply chain" is an HR term that describes the vital connections between people that ultimately deliver qualified workers to the workforce. A knowledge supply chain may include trade schools, colleges, educators, trainers, community groups, government agencies and service providers.
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Friday, October 30, 2009

Human capital

Human capital is the collective knowledge, skills and abilities of an organization’s employees. Human capital is also viewed as the economic value that is derived from the actual application of knowledge, collaboration, and process-engagement taking place within an organization.
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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Myers-Briggs

The Myers-Briggs personality assessment has been identifying introverts, extroverts and other personality types since 1943. Based on the theories of psychologist Carl Jung, the Myers-Briggs questionnaire has been gauging personalities through attitude, style and cultural changes occurring during the past 60 years. Many consider it an essential tool for hiring and career development.
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Work-life balance

Work-life balance describes the when, where and how individuals work, leading them to be able to enjoy an optimal quality of life. Work-life balance is achieved when an individual’s right to a fulfilled life inside and outside paid work is accepted and respected as the norm, to the mutual benefit of the individual, business and society.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Topix.net

Topix.net offers human resources news from thousands of sources around the net. HR news stories are compiled by subject and are searchable by key word or zip code. HR news headlines are also available as a direct feed into your website. Visit Human Resources News at topix.net.
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Monday, October 26, 2009

Resignation signals

An employee giving his or her two-week notice of resignation usually comes with little surprise. According to an article by Entrepreneur magazine, early warning signs include more personal phone calls, closed office doors and increased sick days. Other signs: the often vocal employee suddenly becomes passive, a normally quiet employee gets loud, and an employee who suddenly seems happy.
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Sunday, October 25, 2009

Immigrants

Over half of all new legal immigrants arrived from just ten countries, and 63 percent live in six states, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The ten countries of origin were Mexico, India, the Philippines, China, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Colombia, Guatemala, and Russia. The top six states of residence were California, New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Illinois.
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Saturday, October 24, 2009

Internet job boards

Internet job boards are rapidly gaining market share of all advertised jobs. According to HRAdvice.com, the biggest concerns when recruiting on the Internet include not enough time to review resumes, too many resumes, too many unqualified applicants due to the ease of application process, and potential exposure to discrimination charges due to adverse impact.
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Friday, October 23, 2009

National Whistleblower Center

The National Whistleblower Center was established in 1988 to improve environmental protection, nuclear safety, and government and corporate accountability. Its primary goal is to ensure that disclosures about government or industry actions that violate the law or harm the environment are fully heard, and that the people who risk their careers to expose wrongdoing are defended.
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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Online recruiting

According to online recruiting commentator Peter Weddle, nearly two-thirds of all companies under-utilize their corporate web sites for recruiting. Weddle suggests the following recruiting website improvements: take full advantage of virtually unlimited web space, communicate your company's image as an employer, attract both active and passive job seekers, and provide a high-quality web experience.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Why they get paid what they do

A recent WorldatWork survey of more than 6,000 managers and employees in 26 organizations in North America found that many employees and managers do not understand why they get paid what they do. Forty percent reported as knowing what to do to increase their base pay. Only thirty-eight percent reported knowing how to increase the size of their cash bonus.
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Watson Wyatt

Watson Wyatt Worldwide is a leading provider of human capital and financial management consulting services. The company assists clients with employee retention and motivation, emerging opportunities in human capital management, and insurance and investment financial advice. The company was established in the U.K. in 1878 and has approximately 6,000 associates working in thirty countries.
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Monday, October 19, 2009

HR Quote of the Day

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workforce participation rates of women between the ages 55 to 64 have recently increased as compared to declines in all other age groups for men and women. The primary reasons cited for this include the general increase in demand for older workers and the financial vulnerability of older, pre-retirement women.
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Sunday, October 18, 2009

External reality

Joseph Wayne Brockbank, Director of the Center for Strategic HR Leadership, suggests the idea of "external reality" to boost HR's business impact. External reality is associated with understanding the customer. The theory states if HR is driven by what adds value in the customer's mind, it will be able to contribute more effectively to corporate strategy.
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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Online higher-education

Online higher-education enrollment has increased dramatically as compared to traditional, in-person enrollment. The market research firm Eduventures estimates that by 2008, one in ten college students will be enrolled in an online degree program. A recent repeal of a federal rule requiring colleges to provide at least half of their instruction on campus is expected to further boost online education programs.
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Friday, October 16, 2009

HR Benefits Administrator

The HR Benefits Administrator directs benefits programs for the organization. They research and review benefit programs, as well as furnish information about costs and coverages. In addition, they prepare all required documents to implement benefits programs, maintain all necessary records and files, and serve as the organization's representative to insurance brokers.
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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting and Orienting New Employees

Diane Arthur's book "Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting and Orienting New Employees" is a how-to guide that equips HR professionals with the skills and tools to get the best people on board. The expanded, third edition of this HR classic includes sections on workplace diversity, electronic recruiting, competency-related interviewing and other recruiting techniques.
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Help-wanted index

The Conference Board help-wanted advertising index is a key measure of job offerings in major newspapers across America. The Conference Board, an independent business research organization, compiles the number of lines of help-wanted advertising in fifty-one major newspapers from around the U.S. This index indicates strength or weakness in the labor market.
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

NHRA

The National Human Resources Association (NHRA) is a network of local affiliates focused on advancing the development of human resource professionals. NHRA was established in 1951. NRHA offers programs and services to support human resources professionals throughout their career. They also provide networking forums and professional development for their members.
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Monday, October 12, 2009

Pay confidentiality

The number of companies with policies regarding pay confidentiality has declined in recent years. Organizations are changing their attitudes for several reasons. Reluctance to discuss salary information among co-workers has faded with newer generations. More employers feel that open compensation systems work better. Lastly, employers are recognizing the potential legal issues with pay confidentiality policies.
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Sunday, October 11, 2009

The "Peter Principle"

The "Peter Principle" is the theory suggesting that employees within an organization will advance to their highest level of competence and then be promoted to a level at which they are incompetent. Canadian-born author Laurence Johnston Peter coined and described this concept in his classic "The Peter Principal", a national bestselling book published in 1969.
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Saturday, October 10, 2009

Modern HR

Modern human resources gained a permanent role within organizations during the human relations movement initiated during the late 1920s. This movement acknowledged that social and psychological factors could better explain worker productivity and output. The Hawthorne Studies conducted at the Western Electric Company in the late 1920s initiated the human relations movement.
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Friday, October 9, 2009

Personality tests

Personality tests can be a better predictor of job performance. The tests are controversial, however. The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against the MMPI personality test, stating its use resulted in a medical exam, a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Supreme Court ruled that Duke Power's use of the Wonderlic Personality Test violated parts of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
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Thursday, October 8, 2009

Jimmy Carter

“For this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival, liberty is human rights, the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants.” - Jimmy Carter.
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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Bonus

According to the New York State Comptroller's office, Wall Street's most recent yearly bonuses grew by an estimated 15.5 percent to reach a record level of $21.5 billion. On the heels of exceptional revenue growth and profits, the typical Wall Street bonus grew to an average of $125,500, about $25,000 higher than bonuses paid in 2000 at the peak of the last Wall Street boom.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

HR services outsourcing

The rate of HR services outsourcing will continue to grow by 10% annually, according to a recent Yankee Group study. The most frequently outsourced HR functions include outplacement services, employee assistance programs, COBRA administration, and retirement plans. Companies expect future outsourcing initiatives to include payroll, recruiting, and health and wellness.
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Monday, October 5, 2009

Knowledge management

Knowledge management is the systematic approach to getting an organization to make the best possible use of its intellectual capital in order to implement its mission and sustain competitive advantage. Knowledge management is an enterprise discipline that promotes collaborative processes for the creation, capture, organization, access and use of information assets, including the uncaptured knowledge of people.
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Sunday, October 4, 2009

Structured job interviews

Structured job interview techniques rely on pre-established questions and answers based on job descriptions and requirements. Job candidate responses to questions are rated against the pre-established answers, producing comparable interviews across all candidates. Structured job interviewing also keeps job interviews on track in terms of time and subject matter.
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Saturday, October 3, 2009

The Classification Job Evaluation System

The Classification Job Evaluation System is based on pre-established general definitions of the kind of work that would be found at each level, grade or class in an organization. Each job is reviewed, evaluated and placed into a class or grade. The Classification Job Evaluation System is most commonly found in the public sector and heavily unionized industries.
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Friday, October 2, 2009

FMLA

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) provides employees twelve weeks of unpaid leave during any twelve month period to provide care for a new born or newly adopted child, provide care for a family member with serious health issues, or for extended sick leave. FMLA applies to all state, local and federal employers, local education agencies, and private-sector employers with fifty or more employees.
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Thursday, October 1, 2009

Employee turnover

Employee turnover is calculated by dividing the number of annual terminations by the average number of employees in a given work force. The average employee turnover rate in the U.S. is about 12% to 15% annually. At the high end, fast food retailers experience up to 300% employee turnover. At the low end, advanced, market leading technology companies experience turnover of less than 8%.
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