Repetitive Strain Injury

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates the costs associated with repetitive strain injury (RSI) to businesses to be between $15 billion and $20 billion per year in the U.S. RSI in the workplace may be reduced by providing ergonomic workstation configuration and by providing appropriate pointing devices, monitors and keyboards to computer users.
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Who Moved My Cheese

The book "Who Moved My Cheese, An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life", by Spencer Johnson, has been on the New York Times business bestseller list since 1998. This story about adjusting attitudes to accept change is told as a tale of two mice and two humans who live in a maze where someone moves their cheese. Johnson's mantra: do what you would do if you were not afraid.
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Better performance reviews

Three tips for ensuring better performance reviews: show a commitment to employees and their work by sticking to the performance review date and time without rescheduling or deferring, meet in a quiet setting guaranteeing full attention to the review without interruption, and make sure both manager and employee are prepared ahead of the review session.
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Benefits survey

A recent national poll of ten thousand US workers conducted by the Hudson Highland Group found nearly 75% of respondents were generally satisfied with their compensation. Forty-four percent said they would change their mix of cash and benefits if they could, 33% would like a more flexible work schedule, and 22% would opt for additional family benefits such as parental leaves and personal days.
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Pregnancy

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act is a 1978 amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act made discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions unlawful. Women affected by pregnancy must be treated in the same manner as other applicants or employees. Pregnancy discrimination is the fastest growing type of discrimination in the U.S.
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Labor Relations Manager

The HR Labor Relations Manager directs the organization's labor relations agreement in accordance with executive level instruction and endorsement. They supervise labor relations support staff and serve as the management representative in labor negotiation, bargaining, or interpretive meetings.
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HR Compensation Manager

The HR Compensation Manager directs the organization's compensation program. Their responsibilities include developing job descriptions, analyzing jobs, conducting salary surveys and job evaluations, and establishing a salary structure. They suggest revisions to the compensation plan and procedures, administer bonus and incentive programs, and manage the performance appraisal system.
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Human Resource Champions

David Ulrich's international best seller "Human Resource Champions" challenges HR professionals to define their value or face the inevitable outsourcing of their function. Ulrich identifies the distinct roles of HR as strategic player, administrative expert, employee champion and change agent. He also shows HR managers how they can change, learn, move, and act faster than the competition.
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Stay-at-home moms

Stay-at-home moms are on-duty 24/7, wear several hats and work many jobs in the home. Compensation software and services provider Salary.com recently set out to estimate the worth of stay-at-home moms in the marketplace. Based on a schedule of up to 100 hours a week, they have estimated that a fair wage for the typical stay-at-home mom would be $131,471 for executing all of her daily tasks.
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HR employment

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, overall employment of human resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2014. In addition to openings due to growth, many job openings will arise from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force.
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Generations working

There are four distinct generations working side-by-side in the workplace: traditionalist (1922-1945), baby boomer (1946-1964), generation x (1965-1980), and generation y (1981-2000). Research shows that people communicate based on their generational backgrounds. Understanding each generation may help reduce confrontations and misunderstandings, resulting in happier, more productive workers.
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The 360 method

The 360 evaluation feedback method was first used in the 1940s. Analogous to the multiple points on a compass, the 360 method provides each employee the opportunity to receive performance feedback from his or her supervisor, peers, staff members, co-workers and customers. The 360 method has produced a fair amount of debate regarding its success, effectiveness, and validity.
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Experienced human capital

A recent AARP national survey of 1,500 workers age 45 to 74 showed that nearly 70% plan to work in some capacity during their retirement years. Companies can leverage this tremendous source of experienced human capital. Mature, older workers can be positioned as mentors or assigned to cross-generational teams so that workers of all ages can learn from and appreciate each other.
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Seeds of your creation

"The way to activate the seeds of your creation is by making choices about the results you want to create. When you make a choice, you activate vast human energies and resources, which otherwise go untapped." - Robert Fritz.
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Workplace notices

The federal government requires the following notices be posted in every workplace: Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Employee Polygraph Protection Act, Family Medical Leave Act, Migrant and Seasonal Agriculture Worker Protection Act, OSHA job safety and health protection, Equal Employment Opportunity Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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Human Resources Certification Institute

The Human Resources Certification Institute, the independent certifying body for HR professionals, offers three professional certifications: Professional in Human Resources, Senior Professional in Human Resources, and Global Professional in Human Resources. Certifications require professionals to demonstrate their expertise and application in the core principles of HR practice.
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Roth IRA

The Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is an investment account that provides retirement savings for employees. In contrast to traditional IRA's, contributions to a Roth account are not tax deductible, however account withdrawals up to the total of contributions are tax free, and withdrawals of account investment earnings are often tax free.
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Panel job interview

A panel job interview is considered the most stressful for job candidates as they face multiple interviewers who take turns asking questions. Panel interviews are more time efficient and allow decision makers to obtain the same information for making a hiring decision. Panel interviews require proper planning in order to avoid duplicate questions and to establish a rapport during the interview.
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Occupational Safety and Health Act

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) became a federal law in December 1970. OSHA was created to protect worker and workplace safety. Its main goal is to ensure that employers provide their workers with a safe and healthy work environment, free from dangers such as exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress, or unsanitary conditions.
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COBRA

The Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act (COBRA) enacted in 1986 provides terminated employees or those who lose coverage because of reduced work hours the ability to purchase group health coverage for themselves and their families for limited periods of time, ranging from 18 to 36 months. COBRA has been modified numerous times by Congress since its original enactment.
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CEOExpress

CEOExpress.com, the executive’s interface to the Internet, employs expert human editors and "mind ergonomics" to deliver the most critical and useful web information in a clear, easy-to-use format. CEOExpress filters and organizes the content executives need on the Internet while adding features to the site to make their lives even more streamlined and efficient.
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Career choice

A businessperson is the top career choice among teens, according to the latest Junior Achievement national Interprise Poll focusing on kids and careers. Businessperson was followed by teacher, doctor, computers, entertainer, pro athlete, engineer, lawyer, nurse, and law enforcement. Junior Achievement has been conducting the Kids and Careers I-Poll annually since 2000.
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Search within a site

Use Google's "search within a site" syntax to search within a specified website. Use the following syntax at the Google Search text box: site: siteyoursearching.com search text. For example site:cnn.com Florida elections will search the CNN website for the text "Florida elections". See google.com/advanced_search for more Google advanced search methods.
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National Center for Employee Ownership

The National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) is a private, nonprofit membership and research organization that serves as the leading source of accurate, unbiased information on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), equity compensation plans such as stock options, and ownership culture. The NCEO was established in 1981.
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Successful business meeting

Tips for running a successful business meeting: schedule meetings in the morning when people are usually more alert, plan the timing and setup of any presentations, create and distribute a set meeting agenda, avoid discussions of unannounced topics, encourage meeting participant dialogue and discussion, and summarize and distribute meeting results to participants.
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Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is the government's principal fact-finding agency for labor economics and statistics. The BLS is an independent national statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data to the American public, Congress, other federal agencies, state and local governments, business, and labor.
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Whistleblowers

Whistleblowers were honored as Time Magazine's Persons of the Year in 2002. Colleen Rowley wrote a letter criticizing the FBI for ignoring evidence before September 11, 2001 attacks. Cynthia Cooper alerted WorldCom's board to $3.8 billion in accounting irregularities. Sherron Watkins sent memos warning Enron chairman Kenneth Lay that improper accounting could cause the company to collapse.
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Productivity barriers

People work an average of 45 hours a week but consider about 17 of those hours to be unproductive, according to an office productivity survey of more than 38,000 people in 200 countries conducted by Microsoft. The most common productivity barriers reported were unclear objectives, lack of team communication and ineffective meetings, followed by unclear priorities and procrastination.
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Certified Turnaround Professionals

The Association of Certified Turnaround Professionals (ACTP) was formed in 1993 to develop, monitor and maintain a program for professionals engaged in the turnaround and restructuring of troubled businesses. The Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP) designation is based on education, experience and professional conduct, as well as passing a three-part examination.
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Employee turnover

There are three cost categories associated with employee turnover. Separation costs account for exit interviews, termination administration, severance pay, and unemployment compensation. Replacement costs account for attracting applicants, interviews, testing, and moving expenses. Vacancy costs account for increased overtime or temporary employee costs incurred while the position is unfilled.
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Social security

The long-term viability of the social security system is facing serious issues. People are living longer, baby boomers are nearing retirement, and the birth rate is low. The result is the worker-to-beneficiary ratio has fallen from 17 to 1 in 1950 to 3 to 1, and within 40 years 2-to-1. At this rate there will not be enough workers to pay scheduled social security benefits at current tax rates.
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HRIS

Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) provide software functions, procedures and processes to manage employees. 2020Software.com ranks the following HR products as best: Sage ABRA HRMS, PerfectHR, PeopleSoft, Oracle E-Business Suite HRM, and UltiPro HR. These products are developed by fiscally stable corporations that provide excellent support and long-term development strategies.
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Two of every three sick days

Two of every three sick days used by U.S. workers were used for something other than illness, according to a survey by human resources information company CCH. The survey of more than 1.3 million workers found that family issues, personal needs, and stress were the rationale for taking more than half of all sick days. About 32% of sick days were actually used for personal illness.
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HR Benefits Clerk

The HR Benefits Clerk coordinates benefits enrollment and maintains group insurance records for medical, life, and other coverage for employees and eligible dependents. They provide day-to-day benefits guidance to employees, process enrollment forms, and assist the Benefits Administrator.
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Up Is Not the Only Way

Beverly Kaye's "Up Is Not the Only Way" is a classic guide to designing and implementing an organizational career development program. The newly revised second edition book provides practical ideas and processes for helping employees and employers to adapt their career dynamics to the realities of contemporary work life.
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The American Staffing Association

The American Staffing Association (ASA) is a professional association representing the U.S. staffing industry, including temporary and contract staffing, recruiting and permanent placement, outsourcing, training, and human resources consulting. Established in 1966, ASA serves its members through legislative advocacy, public relations, education, and establishment of professional standards.
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WorldatWork

Founded in 1955, WorldatWork is a not-for-profit professional association that focuses on human resources disciplines associated with attracting, motivating and retaining employees. The WorldatWork family of organizations provides education, certification, publications, knowledge resources, surveys, conferences, research and networking. Learn more at worldatwork.org.
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Microsoft and the IRS

A 1990 IRS audit of Microsoft found the company liable for back withholding taxes due to its failure to distinguish independent contractors from its employees. According to the IRS, an independent contractor has the right to control the manner and delivery of their services. Microsoft was forced to pay the misclassified contractors earned employee benefits stemming from the IRS ruling.
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The "Hawthorne effect"

The "Hawthorne effect" refers to improvements in worker productivity or quality that results from the mere fact that workers are being studied or observed. This observation came from studies carried out at Western Electric's Hawthorne plant during the late 1920s. The experiments validated the idea that people are motivated by additional factors rather than by purely economic factors.
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MBA degrees

George W. Bush is the first U.S. President to hold an MBA degree. Dartmouth College established the first graduate business school in 1900 offering an advanced degree in commercial sciences, the fore bearer of the modern MBA. Today, more than 100,000 MBA degrees are awarded each year in the U.S. The estimated average cost of an MBA at an accredited institution is about $80,000.
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Wellness management

Many organizations are using "wellness management" as a proactive approach to employee health benefits. The emphasis is to identify preventable, long-term health problems that represent significant medical expenses, with the goal of prevention versus treatment. Employees with potential health problems work with health educators and coaches to plan and track their health progress.
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HR services outsourcing

According to a Yankee Group study, the rate of HR services outsourcing will continue to grow by ten percent annually. The most commonly cited reasons for outsourcing HR activities include: to gain access to outside expertise; to improve service quality; a desire to focus on core business; and the opportunity to recognize cost savings.
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Chief Learning Officer

The Chief Learning Officer is a relatively new executive level position. The CLO is in charge of employee training, education, and learning structures across the enterprise, as well as providing the expertise to ensure everyone has access to the intellectual tools, information and data they need. The primary success factor of the CLO is to translate learning into a strategic business asset.
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Situational job interviews

Situational job interviews use situation-specific questions based on the job requirements to look at hypothetical performance of a job candidate. Job candidates are assessed on how they would react in theoretical situations. Situational interviews tend to reduce the chance of discrimination as they offer all candidates the same scenarios and evaluate them against the same criteria.
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The Employment Standards Administration

The Employment Standards Administration (ESA) is the largest agency within the U.S. Department of Labor. The ESA enforces and administers a wide array of employment and labor laws, such as wages and working conditions, child labor, overtime and family and medical leave, equal employment opportunity, workers' compensation, labor unions, and employment standards and practices.
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The Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. The law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. In the workplace, employers must provide reasonable accommodation for the physical or mental limitations of a qualified individual to enable him or her to perform the essential functions of a job.
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Health, safety, and security

Human resources professionals are assuming health, safety, and security responsibilities within organizations. Such responsibilities include the identification of hazardous conditions and practices, exposure control and mitigation strategies, legal compliance, development of a safety culture, and measurement of health, safety and security program effectiveness.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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Immigrants

Over half of all new legal immigrants arrived from just ten countries, and 63% 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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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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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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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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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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Workforce participation rates of women

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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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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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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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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Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting

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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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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National Human Resources Association

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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Pay confidentiality

The number of companies with pay confidentiality policies 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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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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Human relations movement

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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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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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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Bonuses

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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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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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 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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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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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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Family and Medical Leave Act

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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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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Cost leadership

Cost leadership is a competitive strategy that emphasizes offering the product or service at the cheapest price. This can be done by creating the most efficient manufacturing price, by economies of scale, or by control of suppliers and channels.
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The Great Place to Work Institute

The Great Place to Work Institute is a research and management consultancy based in the U.S. with international affiliate offices throughout the world. The Institute works each year with Fortune Magazine and other publications throughout the world to compile the "Best Companies to Work For" lists, which appear in 25 different countries. Visit the institute at GreatPlacetoWork.com.
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The 80/20 Rule

Pareto's Principle, or the 80/20 Rule, describes the principle that twenty percent of a resource is responsible for eighty percent of the results. The 80/20 Rule may be applied to almost anything, from the science of management to the physical world.
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Student loan debt

Nearly two-thirds of undergraduate students graduate college with some debt. As of 2007, the average federal student loan debt among graduating seniors was $19,202, according to the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. Graduate and professional students borrow even more, with the additional debt for a graduate degree ranging from $27,000 to $114,000.
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Corporate Meetings and Incentives

"Corporate Meetings and Incentives" magazine is the senior executive's guide to decision-making. CMI explores trends in management, motivation, and incentives as they relate to how organizations successfully communicate with employees.
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The Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment practices that discriminate on the basis of sex. The law covers employers with fifteen or more employees, and prohibits sex-based discrimination in hiring, advancement, or any other terms or conditions of employment. The law also includes discrimination based on maternity, pregnancy and sexual orientation.
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Prescription drugs

According to HRAdvice.com, about 15% of employer health care costs are attributable to prescription drug plans. Prescription drug costs are the fastest rising component of medical expenditures, accounting for the largest percentage of increase in health care spending over the past several years. Most of the increase in drug costs reflect increased consumption.
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Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it unlawful for an employer of 15 or more employees to refuse to hire, discharge, or take action affecting an employee’s compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of the employee’s religion.
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U.S. worker productivity

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average U.S. worker in today's workplace needs to work only eleven hours per week to produce as much as one working forty hours per week in 1950.
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Mercer Human Resource Consulting

Mercer Human Resource Consulting, a subsidiary of Marsh and McLennan, is a global leader in HR and financial services. Mercer Human Resource Consulting provides expertise in human resource areas, ranging from compensation and benefits to operational effectiveness and employee performance and engagement. Mercer has over 15,000 employees serving clients in 41 countries.
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Hewitt Associates

Hewitt Associates is the world's largest multi-service provider of human resources outsourcing and consulting. The company provides services to more than 2,600 clients, has nearly 22,000 employees, and operates offices in 35 countries. Hewitt Associates was founded in 1940 and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in June 2002.
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Lie detector tests

Most employers are prohibited by federal law from requiring employees to submit to lie detector tests. Notable exceptions to these laws are for public employees, government contractors, certain security personnel and drug company employees, as well as theft and industrial espionage investigations.
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HR metrics

HR metrics measure the effectiveness of HR programs and allow for fact-based decisions. HR metrics include turnover, workforce productivity, diversity, position vacancies, retention, cost of hiring new employees, compensation programs, and manager satisfaction. HR professionals use metrics to justify new programs and initiatives, and for effective communication with management.
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HRIS

The HRIS Specialist examines and verifies employee information processed by automated HR systems. They compile statistical information and prepare reports relating to payroll, recruiting, position classification, compensation, training, equal opportunity employment, or affirmative action. They also provide assistance with HRIS maintenance, troubleshoot user technical problems, and provide training.
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HMOs

An HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) is a form of health insurance combining a range of medical coverages offered by a network of doctors and medical professionals, usually for a flat monthly rate with no deductibles. Only visits to professionals within the HMO network are covered. The HMO must clear all prescriptions, referrals and other care in order to be covered.
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The Human Resources Scorecard

The book "The Human Resources Scorecard: Measuring the Return on Investment" provides a comprehensive, step-by-step process for measuring return on investment. Based on the classic balanced scorecard process developed by co-author Jack J. Phillips, the book aids HR managers in determining and improving the bottom-line impact that human resource programs have on an organization.
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Recruiter Confidence Index

The Recruiter Confidence Index (RCI) was introduced in May 2003 by ExecuNet, an executive job search and recruiting organization. The RCI is designed to measure and gauge executive recruiter confidence for the next six months. The index is based on a monthly survey conducted by ExecuNet of roughly one hundred executive recruiters from across the U.S.
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International Society for Performance Improvement

The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) is an association dedicated to improving productivity and performance in the workplace. Founded in 1962, ISPI represents more than 10,000 members throughout the U.S., Canada, and 40 other countries. ISPI's mission is to develop and recognize the proficiency of its members and advocate the use of Human Performance Technology.
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Severance packages

There is no legal requirement in the U.S. to provide severance pay to terminated employees. Many employers routinely give severance packages to employees in order to bridge the gap between one job and the next and to hedge themselves against lawsuits. On average, severance-paying organizations provide terminated employees between one and two weeks pay for each year of service.
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Non-competes

A non-compete agreement is a document signed by an employee agreeing that, should the employee choose to leave the company, he or she will not work for a competitor for a specified period of time. Non-competes are used when employees have access to critical information. The legality of non-competes depend on state laws, the scope of the restrictions, and precedents set in court decisions.
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Disability insurance

Workers' compensation replaces income that is lost because of a job-related injury or illness. Disability insurance covers income lost due to injuries and illnesses that are not job related. Five states -- California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island -- require that employees be covered by disability insurance through state-run programs or by private or self-insurance coverage.
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Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines likes people with a sense of humor. The company's recruiting practices are built on the idea that humor can help people remain creative under pressure, work more effectively, and stay healthier in the process. By following this mantra, Southwest is able to foster a spirited workforce with employees that go the "extra-mile" when necessary while staying with the company longer.
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Marquis de Vauvenargues

“The greatest achievement of the human spirit is to live up to one's opportunities and make the most of one's resources.” - Marquis de Vauvenargues.
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Employee background checks

ADP Screening and Selection Services conducted nearly five million employee background checks last year. Forty-nine percent of the education, employment, and credential verifications had inconsistencies between what the applicants provided and what the source reported. Six percent of the information differences were received with negative remarks from the source in regard to the applicant.
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Retirement planning

More companies are shifting responsibility for retirement planning and funding to their workers. Traditional defined benefit pension plans and generous matching arrangements are giving way to employee funded 401(k) plans and cash balance plans. Reasons for the change include company cost cutting, competitive pressures, and a general decline in the length of tenure of employees.
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Labor Day

Labor union leader Peter J. McGuire initiated the first Labor Day celebration on September 5, 1882 in New York City. The first governmental recognition of Labor Day came through municipal ordinances passed in 1885. By 1894, twenty-eight states had recognized Labor Day as a holiday. President Grover Cleveland signed a bill making Labor Day an official national holiday in 1894.
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Behavioral job interviewing

Behavioral job interviewing was developed in the 1970s. Behavioral interviewing emphasizes past performance and behavior in predicting a candidate's future success with an organization. Candidates are asked to give specific examples of how they demonstrated particular behaviors and skills in the past. Nearly 30% of all organizations use behavioral interviewing to some degree.
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Slotting job

A commonly used job evaluation method is the slotting job evaluation system. A slotting job evaluation system uses the existing ranking of jobs within a company. New or revised jobs are evaluated by assessing them in relationship to other jobs within the existing job hierarchy.
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ERISA

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act was enacted to ensure the solvency of private pension plans. The law established the rights of pension plan participants, standards for the investment of pension plan assets, and requirements for the disclosure of plan provisions. The act also provided those not covered by a private pension the option of a tax-deductible Individual Retirement Account.
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Employee oriented organizations

Many studies show that companies with low turnover rates are very employee oriented. Employee oriented organizations solicit input and involvement from all employees and maintain a true "open-door" policy. Employees are given opportunities for advancement and are not micro-managed. Employees believe they have a voice and are recognized for their contribution.
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Employment branding

Employment branding is a strategic and marketing effort designed to make an organization appealing as a place to work. The targeted marketing effort attempts to shape the perceptions of potential employees, current employees and the public. Successful employment branding should reduce hiring costs and ease the hiring process.
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Benchmarking

Benchmarking is a technique that uses quantitative or qualitative data to make comparisons between different organizations or different sections of organizations. Benchmarking is usually treated as a continuous process in which organizations periodically measure, challenge, and improve their practices.
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ZoomInfo.com

ZoomInfo.com is a summarization search engine that delivers comprehensive information on over thirty million business professionals and two million companies across many industries. ZoomInfo finds and extracts information from Web sites, press releases, electronic news services and SEC filings, and summarizes the information into a comprehensive, searchable format.
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Fantasy football

During the NFL season, nearly 37 million people will spend about fifty minutes a week at work managing their fantasy football teams, according to a survey by outplacement consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. The survey estimates that companies will lose as much as $1.1 billion a week in lost productivity.
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Higher education costs

Over the past forty years, higher education costs have increased about 7.2 percent per year, versus the overall inflation rate of 4.4 percent. College costs are expected to increase on average about 7 to 8 percent per year over the next decade. Tuition increases at public colleges and universities will outpace tuition increases at private colleges and universities.
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Employee Benefit News

Employee Benefit News has been a top selling publication serving the benefits industry since 1987. Employee Benefit News is dedicated to helping benefit providers, broker/consultants, plan sponsors and employees. The magazine provides useful and comprehensive coverage of the ever-changing business of employee benefits.
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Severance pay

Severance pay amounts may have peaked in 1999 when employers were giving laid off workers an average of twenty-four weeks of pay, according to a study by finance publisher Kiplinger. The study observed that the decline was a result of employees changing jobs more frequently than in previous years, since severance pay is based on the length of employment.
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How to deliver bad news

Medical Doctor Robert Buckman consults businesspeople, including executives at IBM, Andersen Consulting, and Upjohn, on how to deliver bad news. As stated in an article by FastCompany, Buckman suggests communicating bad news by engaging and listening, maintaining emotions, and ending with summary: review the message, identify a plan, and agree on a "contract" for the next contact.
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Lunch breaks

There is no federal law or mandate that requires an employer to give workers lunch breaks or rest periods, although most companies allow and encourage them. Studies have found up to 58% of American workers skip their lunch break. Health and workplace experts suggest that this practice ultimately leads to worker burnout and diminished productivity.
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The most popular college major

According to data collected and compiled by the Princeton Review, the most popular college major in the U.S. is business administration and management. The rest of the ten most popular majors in the U.S. are psychology, elementary education, biology, nursing, education, English, communications, computer science, and political science.
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Performance reviews

A recent survey of more than 2,000 full-time employees by Adecco Staffing of North America found that less than half of workers say managers take performance reviews seriously, and even fewer say they receive constructive feedback.
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401(k) auto enrollment

Some organizations enroll all employees into their company sponsored 401(k) plans. According to a recent Hewitt Associates survey of retirement and savings habits, 401(k) plan participation is fourteen percentage points higher in companies where auto enrollment features are in place. The largest increases in participation were found among the plans younger workers.
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J.F. Smucker

J.F. Smucker, maker of jams and food products for over one-hundred years, routinely makes Fortune magazine's annual list of best companies to work for by adhering to its basic beliefs of quality, people, ethics, growth, and independence. An exceptional perk offered by Smucker includes 100% education tuition reimbursement with no limit.
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Commuting

According to the U.S. Census, Americans spend more than one-hundred hours commuting to work each year, with an average daily commute taking about 24.3 minutes. New York, Chicago, and Newark, New Jersey recorded the nation's highest average commute times. The lowest average commute times occurred in Corpus Christi, Texas, Wichita, Kansas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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The HR Manager

The HR Manager is a mid-level position responsible for overseeing human resources activities and policies according to executive level direction. They supervise human resources staff as well as control compensation and benefits, employee relations, staffing, training, safety, labor relations, and employment records.
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HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was enacted by U.S. Congress in 1996. HIPAA specifies national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information. HIPAA also regulates the security of health information, national standards for electronic healthcare transactions, and national identifiers for providers, health plans and employers.
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How to Measure Human Resource Management

Barbara Davison's book "How to Measure Human Resource Management" provides a proven method for accurately measuring the productivity of HR functions. This classic HR book offers a practical how-to guide for measuring intellectual capital, the effectiveness of the HR Web site, employee handbook, retirement and benefits information, and the impacts of HR call centers and service centers.
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Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a rigorous and disciplined methodology that utilizes data and statistical analysis to measure and improve a company's operational performance, practices and systems. Six Sigma was pioneered by Motorola in the mid-1980s and has spread to many other organizations. The term literally translates into 3.4 defects per million or 99.9997%.
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IPMA-HR

The International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR) represents over 7,500 HR professionals at the Federal, state and local levels of government. Founded in 1906, IPMA-HR provides information and assistance to help HR professionals increase their job performance and overall agency function by providing cost effective products, services and educational opportunities.
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Executive email

Executives are relying less on the telephone and face-to-face meetings and more on e-mail for communicating at work. According to an OfficeTeam survey of 150 senior executives at the nation's 1,000 largest companies, 71 percent listed e-mail as their most common form of dialogue at work, compared with 27 percent five years ago.
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Illegal job interview questions

The following are examples of the most commonly asked illegal job interview questions. Are you married? Do you have children? How old are you? Did you graduate from high school or college? Have you ever been arrested? How much do you weigh? What country are you from? Are you a U.S. citizen? What is your native language? Are you handicapped?
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Credit unions

Credit union affiliation is available to most organizations and can provide an easy, no-cost benefit for employees. Credit unions provide traditional banking products -- checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and consumer loans -- usually with better rates and less service fees. Employers with at least 3,000 employees may form their own credit union.
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NFL draft picks

All NFL draft picks take the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT) as part of the annual pre-draft combine. The Dallas Cowboys were the first NFL team to use the WPT in the early 1970s. Originally developed in 1937, the WPT test is popular because it provides quick, easy and accurate information about a job candidate's intelligence.
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John F. Kennedy

“Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.” - John F. Kennedy.
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Resume fibs

Experts estimate that 10 to 30 percent of job seekers have lied or embellished their resumes to improve their hiring chances. According to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the most common resume fibs used by job seekers include enhancements in education, degree and job title, over-stated compensation, false reasons for leaving a previous job, and inflated accomplishments.
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Union membership

According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 12% of U.S. workers are union members, down from a high of nearly 20% in 1983. The states with the highest rates of union membership were New York, Hawaii, Alaska, Michigan and New Jersey. The lowest rates of union membership were recorded in South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia and Utah.
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Design a training program

The four basic steps to effectively design a training program include the following. Define the training needs and requirements. Define the target audience to receive training. Develop the content to be used for training. Establish the goals to be achieved from training.
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KSAO

KSAO stands for Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other characteristics. This acronym is commonly used by human resources and recruiting professionals to describe the characteristics of a person as it relates to job performance and requirements.
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Paired comparison evaluation

A commonly used job evaluation method is the paired comparison evaluation system. The paired comparison system compares each job within a company with every other job within the company. A job's resulting score is determined from the comparisons. The jobs are then ranked by score.
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Three basic benefits

Every legal worker in the U.S. is entitled by federal law to three basic benefits. Workers' compensation provides insurance for work-related injuries or death. Social security provides retirement income and disability coverage for workers and their dependents. Unemployment insurance provides payments for a period of time presumably long enough to allow workers to find new jobs.
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Employee turnover

Employee turnover is caused by external and internal factors. External influences include local economic conditions and labor market conditions. Internal causes include such things as non-competitive compensation, high stress, poor working conditions, monotony, sub-par supervision, dysfunctional job fit, inadequate training, poor communications, and loose organization practices.
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Blogs

Blog is short for "Web log." A blog is a way for Internet users to exchange thoughts by posting messages online. The content and tone of blogs range widely from the personal daily observations to complete online business documentation.
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Critical behaviors

A behaviorally anchored rating scale is an employee appraisal system where raters distinguish between successful and unsuccessful job performance by collecting and listing critical job factors. These critical behaviors are categorized and appointed a numerical value which is used as the basis for rating performance.
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The War for Talent

Ed Michaels, Helen Handfield-Jones, and Beth Axelrod, authors of the book "The War for Talent," suggest that the very best companies have leaders who are obsessed with talent: they recruit ceaselessly, finding and hiring as many top performers as possible. They reward top talent disproportionately and push them into ever more senior positions.
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Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence describes the mental ability an individual possesses enabling him or her to be sensitive and understanding to the emotions of others as well as being able to manage their own emotions and impulses.
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Employee strengths

Author and productivity expert Marcus Buckingham suggests companies that focus on cultivating employees' strengths rather than simply improving their weaknesses stand to dramatically increase efficiency while allowing for maximum personal growth and success. Buckingham's research found that only 17 percent of employees feel they get to play to their strengths the majority of the day.
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Contingent Workforce Strategies

Contingent Workforce Strategies magazine is published for executives and managers who use temporary or contract workers as part of their staffing strategy. The magazine features interviews with key thinkers and senior executives as well as case studies and reports of best practices, strategies, tools, metrics, and new research exploring the effective use of a contingent workforce.
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New hire severance packages

Potential new-hires are increasingly negotiating severance packages and outplacement assistance as a condition for accepting job offers, according to a USA Today article. Executives are likely to negotiate these employment terms but the practice is spreading down through the ranks. Career experts agree that this form of negotiation was once considered bad form but is now generally accepted.
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HR personality

According to CareerMag.com, the typical personality type in the HR field is described as: cautious, gentle, and thoughtful; hesitant until they know people well then affectionate and caring; very literal and aware of the physical world; uncompromising about personal standards and easily offended; diligent and conscientious, organized and decisive.
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Employee-friendliness

Delaware, New Hampshire, and Minnesota were tops for "employee-friendliness" among all U.S. states, according to a study by the Political Economy Research Institute. The study compiled rankings for employee-friendliness based on average pay, employment opportunities, employee benefits, percentage of low-income workers, fair treatment between genders, and ability for employees to unionize.
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The Center for Human Resources

The Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1921. The Center's mission is to foster research on the strategic role of HR management in such areas as employment, labor relations, public policy, diversity, and training and education. The Center supports its mission through research, regular meetings, information bulletins, and conferences and public forums.
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Untenable employee workloads

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, more companies are making efforts to reduce untenable employee workloads. Some of the techniques to reduce workloads include: eliminate or shorten meetings, reduce internal reports, measure and monitor hours spent at work, urge employees to speak up about unnecessary or illogical tasks, and removal of redundant tasks.
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Management coaching

More organizations are making executive and management coaching a core part of executive development. A recent survey by Right Management Consultants found 86 percent of respondent companies said they used coaching to sharpen the skills of current executives or individuals who have been identified as future organizational leaders.
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WARN

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) became effective on February 4, 1989. WARN offers protection to workers, their families and communities by requiring employers to provide notice sixty-days in advance of plant closings or mass layoffs. This notice must be provided to either affected workers or their representatives, and to the appropriate unit of local government.
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Home-based customer service

More organizations are employing home-based workers to handle customer service. According to research firm Gartner, more customer-contact centers will use outsourced home-based workers. Gartner cited lower infrastructure costs and lower turnover rates of outsourced home-based agents as the main reasons for the increase.
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HR Generalist

The HR Generalist directs implementation of human resources policies, programs, and procedures. They advise management and employees on issues or problems relating to human resources. The HR Generalist is usually a senior position and works in all areas of human resources.
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Team building

A California jury awarded $1.7 million to a woman who was spanked in front of her colleagues. According to court documents, the incident occurred during "team building" exercises where employees were encouraged to compete, losers were forced to eat baby food, wear diapers and get spanked with a rival's yard signs. The defendant company has abandoned the team building practice.
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Unethical corporate behavior

A workplace ethics survey of 1,121 managers and HR professionals, conducted by the Human Resources Institute, found that managers and HR professionals believe the leading factors that cause unethical corporate behavior are: pressure to meet unrealistic business objectives and deadlines, desire to further one's career, and the need to protect one's livelihood.
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PIP

The Potential for Improving Performance, or PIP, measures the performance of the average worker versus the best person performing a particular task. Large differences suggest that performance can be improved by bringing average performance up closer to the best performance. Small differences suggest little potential for improvement.
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Occupational Safety and Health Act

On an average U.S. workday, 152 workers will lose their lives as a result of workplace injuries and illnesses, and nearly 12,000 more will be injured. The workplace fatality rate has been cut by nearly 78 percent since the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in 1970.
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Surfing the Internet

Twenty-five percent of employees say they are addicted or compulsive in surfing the Internet at work, according to a Harris Interactive survey of 305 employees and 250 HR managers. The survey found that workers spend about eight hours a week surfing non-work-related sites. The most popular sites accessed from work are news pages, shopping and auction sites.
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Acqisitions and mergers

Acquiring another company creates two simultaneous impacts. First, HR must fully integrate all newly acquired employees into the organization. Second, a majority of employees acquired in an acquisition leave within the first year or at the termination of their incentive compensation agreement. HR must replace these employees, resulting in a very time intensive process.
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Employee assistance programs

Employee assistance programs (EAP) are designed to resolve problems concerning health, marriage, family, finances, alcohol, drugs, law, stress or other things that may affect an employee’s work performance. The most common EAP requests are for legal services, estate planning, family law, divorce and bankruptcy. EAP programs are usually provided at no cost to employees and their dependents.
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Pre-employment

Pre-employment screening tests have been around since 1919. There are over 50 different types of pre-employment tests and over 1,000 screening test products available on the market. Popular tests include: skills testing, behavioral and personality assessment, aptitude testing, achievement assessment, polygraph tests, drug and alcohol tests, intelligence tests, and handwriting analysis.
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Oliver Wendell Holmes

“The greatest tragedy in America is not the destruction of our natural resources, though that tragedy is great. The truly great tragedy is the destruction of our human resources by our failure to fully utilize our abilities, which means that most men and women go to their graves with their music still in them.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes.
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HR audits

A periodic HR audit can qualify its effectiveness within an organization. HR audits may accomplish a variety of objectives, such as ensuring legal compliance; helping maintain or improve a competitive advantage; establishing efficient documentation and technology practices; and identifying strengths and weaknesses in training, communications and other employment practices.
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Negative into positive

Persistent negative attitudes among employees can cause serious impacts on the success of an organization. Turn negative into positive with the following initiatives: empower employees to make decisions, solicit employee opinions, provide consistent and fair treatment, eliminate exclusionary habits, provide leadership, and provide appropriate rewards and recognition.
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Recurrent training

Recurrent training is training that is scheduled at periodic intervals in order to keep employee skill abilities at a maximum level. Recurrent training often occurs in certain industries, like health care and aviation where human safety is involved. Recurrent training can be outsourced, provided by a visiting instructor, or performed by instructors from a corporate training department.
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Employee referral programs

According to a Society for Human Resource Management survey of human resources professionals, employee referral programs (ERPs) were found to be one of the most cost-effective recruiting methods available. Eight of ten survey respondents said that ERPs are more cost-effective than job search firms. Seven of ten said they are more cost-effective than other recruiting practices.
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Point-factor job evaluation system

The point-factor job evaluation system is a quantitative means of evaluating a specific job by compiling and weighting compensable factors or criteria that constitute its performance. Compensable factors are such things as problem solving ability, willingness to assume responsibility, and ability to plan. The Hay system is used worldwide and is the most popular of the point-factor schemes.
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Defined benefit retirement plan

A defined benefit retirement plan is a company retirement plan that promises the participant a specific monthly benefit at retirement based on salary history and years of service. The employer bears the investment risk and usually makes the contributions. An example of a defined benefit plan is a company sponsored pension plan.
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Employee turnover

Employee turnover costs can significantly affect the financial performance of an organization. On average, it costs a company about one-third of a new hire's annual salary to replace an employee. The cost to replace a minimum wage employee is about $3,700.
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Condescending tones

The use of condescending tones is one of the biggest pet peeves at work, according to recent survey of 2,318 employees by workforce solutions company Randstad USA. Other workplace pet peeves include: public reprimands, micromanaging, loud talkers, cell phones ringing, speakerphones, personal conversations, and the use of PDAs during meetings.
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Margaret J. Wheatley

"The things we fear most in organizations -- fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances -- are the primary sources of creativity." - Margaret J. Wheatley.
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The Balanced Scorecard

The Balanced Scorecard concept is a management and measurement system which enables organizations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action. The goal of the balanced scorecard is to tie business performance to organizational strategy by measuring results in four areas: financial performance, customer knowledge, internal business processes, and learning and growth.
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Non-literate in English

Five percent of U.S. adults, or about 11 million people, lack literacy in English, according to the Department of Education. People classified as Non-literate in English were not able to communicate with interviewers or were unable to answer a minimum number of questions during a literacy assessment.
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Employee Benefit Advisor

Employee Benefit Advisor magazine provides in-depth articles for benefit advisers, brokers, consultants, worksite marketers and enrollment specialists. The publication provides need-to-know benefits information, market influences such as legal and regulatory changes, new benefit products, and better ways of delivering, marketing and selling benefits.
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Formal severance

Employers with formal severance policies spend less on severance packages than those that do not, according to a study by Right Management Consultants Inc. Companies with informal policies tend to incur higher administrative and severance costs associated with the packages due to policy decisions that are made on a case-by-case basis, often resulting in more generous packages.
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Title inflation

Title inflation is the practice of offering an employee an inflated or trumped-up job title in lieu of a salary increase. The employee's actual duties at the company may not be on par with the salary level generally associated with their inflated title. Title inflation generally occurs during tight labor market conditions.
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Newspaper job listings

Nearly 75% of job-seekers still use newspapers to look for employment, according to a report released by the Conference Board. The survey of five-thousand households found nearly sixty percent of job-seekers use the Internet to look for employment. The Western U.S. is the only area of the country where the Internet topped newspapers among those seeking jobs.
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HR-XML

The HR-XML Consortium is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of a standard suite of XML specifications to enable the efficient exchange of HR data. The mission of the HR-XML Consortium is to spare employers and vendors the risk and expense of having to negotiate and agree upon data interchange mechanisms on an ad-hoc basis.
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Overqualified

Workers holding a bachelor's degree who make less than $19,800 a year are considered "overqualified." Nearly eight percent of U.S. residents are considered overqualified, according to a recent Migration Policy Institute study of Census Bureau data. This compares to nearly 24 percent of foreign-born, non-citizen residents that are considered overqualified.
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Part-time work

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, nearly five million people who desire full-time jobs have settled for part-time work, up nearly 30% from five years earlier. Only 17% of part-time workers get health insurance benefits from employers, and only 21% of part-timers are included in employers' pension plans, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
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FLSA

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers are not required to pay nonexempt employees while on leave for jury service. FSLA requires employers to pay full salaries to exempt employees who are absent from work for less than one week to perform jury service. The same requirements apply to employees who must appear as a witness or a defendant in a court case.
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National holidays

There are no mandated national holidays in the U.S. The President and Congress can legally designate holidays only for federal government employees. There are currently ten federal holidays. Each of the fifty U.S. states has jurisdiction over its holidays. In practice, most states observe the federal holidays, in addition to their own public holidays which are observed at the state or local level.
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HR Director

The HR Director is a top-level manager responsible for the administration of all human resource activities and policies. The director oversees compensation, benefits, staffing, affirmative action, employee relations, health and safety, and training/development functions. They also supervise professional human resources staff.
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Employee discrimination

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) collected a record $45,156,462 from federal contractors and subcontractors in violation of employee discrimination laws in 2007. Employers who do business with the federal government are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or covered veteran status.
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Workplace lie

A recent CareerBuilder.com survey found 15% of employees had been caught in a lie at the office. The most common reasons for telling a workplace lie was to appease a customer, to cover up a failed project, or to explain an unexcused absence or late arrival. A vast majority of hiring managers said they were less likely to promote an employee who had lied to them or other members of the organization.
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ISO 9000

ISO 9000 is an international set of five related quality standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization. Businesses that are certified to these standards have documented, repeatable processes for ensuring that they deliver quality products. The ISO 9000 requirements were established in 1987.
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HRPS

The Human Resource Planning Society (HRPS) is a global association of over 3,000 members comprised of senior human resource executives, consultants, faculty and researchers. HRPS serves as a global forum for presenting the latest key business issues and strategic HR practices. HRPS provides professional development programs as well as events for exchange of HR ideas, information, and experiences.
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GPHR certification

The Global Professional in Human Resources certification was established by the Human Resource Certification Institute as a way to recognize professionals involved in the global practice of human resources. GPHR certification demonstrates mastery of strategic management; organizational effectiveness; employee development; global staffing, compensation and benefits; and international employee relations.
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HR staffing

The historical rule of thumb for HR staffing requirements is one full-time professional HR person should be hired for every 100 employees. The actual ratio for a business can vary depending upon factors such as the degree of HR centralization, the geographic distribution of the employees served, the sophistication level of the employees, and the relative complexity of the organization.
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Presenteeism

Presenteeism is the loss of productivity that occurs when workers are present but not performing. Causes of presenteeism include medical issues, personal and family-related issues, and negative workplace perceptions. Presenteeism can be reduced through employee satisfaction assessments, occupational and disability management, employee assistance programs, and work/life programs.
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Best Workplaces for Commuters

The EPA's Best Workplaces for Commuters ranks companies by their efforts to reduce fuel consumption, vehicle emissions, and traffic congestion. Companies make the list by offering their employees commuter benefits, such as subsidies, incentives, flexible work schedules, telecommuting, facilities for bikers, and on-site daycare.
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The Adamson Act

The Adamson Act was signed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. The law established for railroad workers an eight-hour workday with additional pay for overtime work. This was the first federal law that regulated the hours of workers in private companies in the U.S. The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act made the eight-hour work day a "legal work day" work throughout the nation.
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Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship is a formalized method of training curriculum program that combines classroom education with on-the-job work under close supervision. The training curriculum is planned in advance and conducted in careful steps from day to day. Most trade apprenticeship programs have a duration of three to four years before an apprentice is considered completely accomplished in that trade or profession.
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Telecommuting

An estimated 15 to 20 million U.S. workers telecommute from home at least part of their work time. The advantages of telecommuting include better recruitment incentive for hiring, higher worker productivity resulting from less commute time, and better office space use efficiency. A disadvantage of telecommuting is the decrease in synergy achieved when workers are physically near one another.
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