Vacation

There is no federal law that requires employers to provide vacation time, paid or unpaid, to its employers. Most employees consider it to be one of their most important benefits. Workplace experts agree that it is important to productivity and morale for employees to take time off in order to rest and rejuvenate. The typical U.S. worker receives ten vacation days per year.
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Best-performing companies

Best-selling author and business speaker Jason Jennings suggests five characteristics that the best-performing companies share: they have an "authentic" reason for existence; are willing to let go and embrace change; focus on the right customers; get everyone to think and act like owners; have leaders that put service over self-interest.
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Worthington Industries

Some unique perks put Worthington Industries in Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Places to Work list. Worthington offers its factory workers monthly profit sharing that augments monthly salaries by 40% to 100%. Worthington employees who join the company wellness program get their entire health insurance premiums covered. Also, employees are offered onsite haircuts for just $4.
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Graveyard-shift

There are nearly 22 million "graveyard-shift" workers in the U.S., according to online medical information provider Healthology. Up to 20% of shift workers report falling asleep on the job. These workers are more likely to experience stomach problems, colds, flu, weight gain, heart problems and higher blood pressure caused as a result of the stresses that shift work can put on a person's body.
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Benefitnews.com

Benefitnews.com is a complete online resource for benefits. The critically acclaimed web site delivers the information benefits decision makers need to keep current, including daily news updates, industry analysis and features, product and services information, research reports, discussions, jobs and careers.
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HR.com

HR.com is a comprehensive online resource serving human resources professionals. The website provides information on HR subjects, such as benefits, compensation, staffing and recruiting, outsourcing, training and development, leadership, executive coaching, organizational development and more. Additionally, the site lists HR events and directories for and offers products through its online store.
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Why We Hate HR

Keith H. Hammonds, author of the scathing FastCompany article "Why We Hate HR", suggests five ways to make HR work better: say the right thing, measure the right thing, get rid of the "social workers", serve the business, and make value not activity.
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Patience among Americans

A recent Associated Press study attempted to gauge the level of patience among Americans. The study found that the average time people will wait in line before leaving is 17 minutes and the average time they will wait on the phone before hanging up is 9 minutes. On average, women were found to be more patient than men, while suburban residents tended to be more patient than urban residents.
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USERRA

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) was enacted in 1994. The law prohibits discrimination or denial of employment against persons because of their military service. USERRA also protects the right of veterans and reservists to reclaim their civilian employment after being absent due to military service or training.
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Dangerous jobs

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the most dangerous jobs in America are: timber cutters, fishers, pilots and navigators, structural metal workers, drivers-sales workers, roofers, electrical power installers, farm occupations, construction laborers, and truck drivers.
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HR Training and Development Manager

The HR Training and Development Manager is responsible for the organization's staff training requirements, programs, and career development needs. They supervise training staff, plan and administer training seminars, and manage conflict resolution, team building, and employee skill evaluations.
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HR Employee Relations Manager

The HR Employee Relations Manager directs the organization's employee relations function. They develop employee relations policies and ensure consistent application of company policies and procedures. In addition, they are responsible for employee dispute resolution procedures, performing internal audits, and taking appropriate action to correct any employee relations issues.
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Exit interviews

The average response rate for exit interviews is approximately 35%. Improve exit interview participation rates: provide simplified questionnaires; let the employee know their feedback is valuable; let the employee know their honest feedback will not result in repercussions; and audit the events that occur from the time an employee gives notice to when the employee submits the exit interview.
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PHR and SPHR certification

The Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) are certifications offered by the Human Resource Certification Institute. They recognize those demonstrating mastery of strategic management; workforce planning and employment; human resource development; compensation and benefits; employee and labor relations; and occupational health, safety and security.
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Employee pay raises

Employee pay raises have averaged a little less than four percent for the past several years according to data compiled by WorldatWork. The two main reasons cited for the relatively low pay raises are: lower rates of inflation and cost-of-living increments, and the increasing use of bonus and variable pay to reward high performing employees.
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Human resources specialties

Two emerging human resources specialties include international human resources managers, who handle human resources issues related to a company’s foreign operations; and human resources information system specialists, who develop and apply computer programs to process human resources information, match job seekers with job openings, and handle other human resources matters.
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Dunbar number

British anthropologist Robin Dunbar studied how groups of varying numbers work together. Based on various subsections, including hunter-gatherer societies and the military, the "Dunbar number" suggests that 150 is the maximum number of people who can share a social relationship with each other. Therefore, organizations work best if they remain within this limit.
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Satisfied workers work more

A recent Money Magazine and Salary.com survey of 26,000 workers found that workers who considered themselves extremely satisfied with their jobs were putting in a lot more time at work than others. The most satisfied group in the survey reported eleven more weekly work hours than the least satisfied group. Generally, as satisfaction rose, workers reported longer hours worked.
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Consumer Price Index

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a monthly index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI is compiled by price data collected throughout the country for a fixed set of goods, such as food, clothing, shelter, fuels, prescriptions, transportation fares, and medical fees. The CPI is important as a predictor of wage increases and of employees' need for greater income.
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Retirees and seniors

Faced with the expected wave of retiring baby boom employees, organizations are looking to entice retirees and seniors back into their organizations as employees or as consultants. Several new websites have emerged to address these organizational needs. The websites are: yourencore.com, seniors4hire.org, enrge.us and seniorjobbank.com.
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Caring for both generations

More workers are caring for elderly relatives as well as children. According to a survey by employee-assistance provider ComPsych, about 8% of respondents reported spending an average of 36 hours a week caring for both generations. These workers reported getting six hours of sleep per night, and needing to take off 18.9 vacation and sick days per year to deal with personal and care-taking issues.
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TopJobSites.com

According to TopJobSites.com, the top three general job websites by traffic ranking are Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and HotJobs.com. TopJobSites.com reviews and ranks job and career websites based on a three month window of traffic volume. In addition to general job sites, the site compiles rankings for college sites, executive sites, niche sites, diversity sites, and international sites.
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Chorei

"Chorei" is a common morning meeting ritual in Japanese organizations. Each work day begins with a meeting where employees stand in a circle and share their day's work agenda or project status. Chorei is a cultural export in the expanding global economy. Practitioners of chorei believe this type of meeting technique can help improve communication resulting in better productivity.
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Satisfied workers

A job satisfaction study compiled by CareerJournal.com asked satisfied workers to describe their jobs. The study found that highly satisfied employees consistently listed four factors: intellectual stimulation, job security, high levels of control and autonomy, and direct contact with clients and customers.
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Return after a vacation

Monster.com offers several tips to make a smooth return to work after a vacation. Leave a to-do list for teammates and colleagues; draft a to-do list for your first day back; set up appropriate phone and email messages; plan and send requests to be fulfilled while you are away; schedule an extra day off to use to prepare; keep expectations low for the first days back to work.
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Flow

American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defines the concept of "flow" as a heightened condition of focus, productivity and happiness that most humans strive for. He finds that people who emerge from flow experiences are more self-confident, capable, and sensitive. Many organizations recognize flow concepts in their management philosophy in order to increase creativity and productivity.
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Job shadowing

Job shadowing is designed to give students the opportunity to "shadow" a workplace mentor and provide them a unique and up-close look at the world of work. The event is organized by the Job Shadow Coalition and traditionally begins on Groundhog Day. Each year, more than one million students experience job shadowing activities through the participation of over 100,000 employers across the U.S.
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Paid time off

Employers are doing several things to address personal time off. Organizations are streamlining their vacation time, sick time, personal days, holidays, and volunteer time into a single "paid time off" category. Managers are being empowered to reward paid time off for performance. Employers are also revising paid time off policies in the event of a natural disaster and other disruptions.
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