Saturday, December 24, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Thursday, December 22, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Monday, December 19, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Saturday, December 17, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Friday, December 16, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Thursday, December 15, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Monday, December 12, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Sunday, December 11, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Saturday, December 10, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Friday, December 9, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Thursday, December 8, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Monday, December 5, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Sunday, December 4, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Saturday, December 3, 2011

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.
More Human Resources

Friday, December 2, 2011

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.
More Human Resources