HR.BLR.com

HR.BLR.com provides a comprehensive array of information and data for HR professionals. The online resource offers the following: the human resources library, state-specific regulatory analysis, HR daily news, HR industry tools, a weekly HR ezine, and the online HR community forum.
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Passionate employees

Most hiring managers believe passionate employees are high achievers. Assessing a potential candidate's passion is more of an art than a science. Some feel those that pursue a job opening with vigor are passionate. Some think speed-talkers or speed-thinkers are passionate. Others gauge passion by looking at high school or college activities such as sports, band, and debate team participation.
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Vacation days

Italy, France, and Germany top the list of average number of vacation days per year, according to the World Tourism Organization. Italians receive an average of forty-two vacation days per year. Korea, Japan, and the U.S. are at the bottom of the list. Americans receive an average of thirteen vacation days per year.
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Succession planning

Succession planning establishes a process to recruit employees, develop their skills, and prepare them for advancement, all while retaining them to ensure a return on the organization's training investment. Succession planning involves understanding the organization's long-term goals and objectives, identifying employee development needs, and determining trends.
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Paul H. Dunn

"It is almost as difficult to keep a first class person in a fourth class job, as it is to keep a fourth class person in a first class job."

-- Paul H. Dunn

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Millennials

Demographers have labeled the generation born from 1982 to 2000 as "Millennials". Millennials were raised in a climate of high self-esteem, rapid changes in technology, and more focus on lifestyle. They are taking longer to finish school, launch careers, get married and form families. In the workplace, millennials may challenge traditional corporate boundaries more than previous generations.
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Workaholism

According to a CareerJournal.com article on workaholism, a recent study found that highly effective managers worked an average of 52 hours a week, while less productive managers averaged 70 hours of work per week. Managers who logged more hours also reported twice the level of stress-related health problems, such as stomach ailments, headaches, lower-back pain and common colds.
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Workers with money woes

One in four American workers is seriously distressed about their personal financial situation, according to the report "Financial Distress Among American Workers". The study found nearly 80% of financially stressed workers spend time at their jobs dealing with money issues. Research shows that workers with money woes are less healthy and have higher rates of absenteeism.
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HR directors

HR directors in the U.S. earn the highest salaries in the world, according to a recent study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Mercer studied HR executive compensation levels in fourteen countries. HR executives in the U.S. had the highest base pay followed by Germany and the U.K. India registered the lowest base pay.
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Undocumented workers

There are eight to twelve million undocumented workers in the United States, according to data compiled by the Urban Institute Immigration Studies Program. Nearly 65 percent of undocumented workers live in the states of California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey. Mexicans make up over half of undocumented workers.
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Cashing out

According to a study by Hewitt Associates, nearly half of all retirement plan participants who change jobs fail to roll over their accounts upon starting a new job. Instead, they are cashing out retirement accounts, incurring tax liabilities and penalties. Another 25% of retirement plan participants have taken withdrawals against their retirement plan accounts in their current jobs.
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Reluctant to relocate

According to data compiled by the Worldwide Employee Relocation Council, the top two reasons that employees give when reluctant to relocate in the United States are family resistance to the move and high housing costs.
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The Occupational Outlook Handbook

The U.S. Department of Labor publishes The Occupational Outlook Handbook every two years. The handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information for hundreds of various jobs. Information subjects include required job training and education, earnings, expected job prospects, what workers do on the job, and working conditions.
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VP Human Resources

The Vice President of Human Resources plans and directs programs for all human resources areas including employment, employee relations, compensation, training and development, benefits administration and equal employment opportunity. They develop policies and programs to meet organizational needs and provide guidance and technical assistance to other areas.
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HR Assistant

The HR Assistant provides an array of support activities for the organization's HR functions. They assist in the areas of employment, affirmative action, salary and benefits administration, employee events, and employee communications. Additionally, they record data, maintain documents, furnish reports, and respond to questions about human resources issues.
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Federal Summer Work/Travel program

The Federal Summer Work/Travel program, administered by the State Department, allows foreign college-age students with special visas to come to the U.S. to work during their college breaks. This program has been a big help for seasonal industries that have found it difficult to recruit and hire local job candidates.
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Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) was created in response to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1992, and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993. These laws gave employees more rights, resulting in increasing numbers of work-related lawsuits based on harassment, discrimination and wrongful termination.
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.jobs Internet domain

The .jobs Internet domain, formally introduced in June 2005 by the Society for Human Resource Management, is intended to provide a consistent method to promote a company’s job openings and career information (e.g., companyname.jobs). The domain is expected to make recruiting and job searching more uniform and simpler for both employers and job seekers.
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911 tragedy

Already reeling from job cuts in the telecom, dot com and software industries, the U.S. economy posted a staggering 248,332 layoffs in the weeks following the 911 tragedy. There were nearly two million job layoffs in the U.S. in 2001, the highest ever recorded for one year. The U.S. economy has been recording annual layoffs of over one million since 2000.
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Job failures

Eighty-five percent of all job failures are due to lack of appropriate work habits or behavioral issues rather than lack of technical skills. Most HR experts believe that "behavior-based" job interview techniques provide indicators of a future success. Asking a job candidate how they did something, in addition to what they did, can reveal key aspects of their personalities.
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DiversityInc

DiversityInc Magazine publishes annually the Top 50 Companies for Diversity. Companies making the list demonstrate diversity strengths such as employee retention across racial, ethnic, and gender categories; diversity training; multicultural marketing; women- and minority-owned supplier partnerships, and a high level of CEO involvement in diversity initiatives.
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Baby Boomers

The decade ahead will see vast numbers of retiring Baby Boomers. To cope with the expected management shortage, organizations are experimenting with "fast tracking". This entails shortening the typical twelve to fifteen year leadership development cycle so promising individuals can move into the next level in about half the time.
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Pearl S. Buck

”To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.” - Pearl S. Buck.
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Child care programs

The need for child care programs serving infant/toddler and young children will continue to grow. Sixty-five percent of mothers with children under the age of six are currently in the workforce. The need for daycare providers and child-care workers is projected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through the next several years.
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IRCA

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) bars employers from hiring individuals who are not legally entitled to work in the U.S. Employers must verify work eligibility by completing Form I-9 along with required supporting documents. IRCA also prohibits employers from discriminating in hiring, firing, recruiting, or referring on the basis of national origin or citizenship status.
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H-1B workers

H-1B workers may be employed temporarily in a specialty occupation or as a fashion model of distinguished ability. A specialty occupation requires theoretical and practical application of a body of specialized knowledge along with at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. An H-1B alien may work for any petitioning U.S. employer for a maximum period of six years.
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Nepotism

Nepotism is the practice of giving promotions, basic employment, higher earnings, and other benefits to relatives of current employees over other candidates. Nepotism is not illegal but may have adverse affects on an organization since hiring is based on personal connections rather than ability or merit.
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Union representation

A union representation election is authorized when a petition is filed and is supported by at least 30% of the affected employees. This support is shown through signature on authorization cards or the signing of a petition. In order for a union to win a representation election, the majority of the eligible employees must vote for representation.
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"Red-circling"

"Red-circling" refers to freezing a highly tenured or highly skilled employee's base pay in the event that the pay rate is above the established range maximum assigned to the job grade or classification. A red-circled employee is usually not eligible for further base pay increases until the top pay rate for their job grade/classification is increased.
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National Walk to Work Day

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson declared the first National Walk to Work Day as April 2, 2004. National Walk to Work Day was initiated to draw attention to the need to get out and exercise, and to get in shape. Officials hope this will encourage people to add a thirty-minute walk to their daily lives.
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British vs. American corporate exec's

British and American corporate executives are not created equally. British company shareholders usually vote on executive compensation packages. They also vote to reduce compensation that is deemed excessive. The British disclose more on executive pay packages as well as divide the roles of chairman and CEO in their companies.
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