June 26, 2008
By Nick Burkholder
One of the greatest challenges facing organizations is workforce design: who does what work when? Employees can be hired to complete any work and provide any service. And any work can also be outsourced. Any work that is not completed by an employee is outsourced. Organizations have been approaching this dilemma for sometime by asking: what should we outsource?
June 19, 2008
By Nick Burkholder
We all respond to the seasons. We savor the summer; it is an easy time, good for vacations and slowing down even though we soon start complaining that it could be better. We reluctantly accept and then cling to fall; knowing that it’s not so bad in light of what we know is sure to come. Then there comes the point when we can’t put off preparing for winter and are forced to find the time to get ready.
June 5, 2008
By Nick Burkholder
It is difficult to find any human resources publication these days that does not at least touch on the challenge of retention of good employees. The subject of retention is so pervasive that one is left with the impression that top employees are in constant motion, never settling long enough with an employer to have any impact, jumping at the latest offer for more money and better benefits. Employers have implemented a plethora of "retention strategies" to keep designated top employees in the fold. These strategies include the usual suspects of signing bonuses and higher salaries along with the unconventional methods of coffee bars, nap rooms, and acceptance of pets in the workplace.
May 20, 2008
By Alaina Love
Pick up any business magazine from the last few years and you’ll read that America is facing an unprecedented labor shortage, the impact of which will be felt nationwide within the next 4 years. The Baby Boomers are leaving the workforce, so we’ll have fewer workers to fill the 3 million more jobs that the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts will be available by 2012.
May 6, 2008
By Tony Roig, SPHR
I must admit, I was somewhat surprised recently after finding out that upwards of 60 percent of employers use some form of pre-employment testing as part of their candidate-assessment process. That’s quite a change from some years ago, when the interview was the only game in town and only the large employers with dedicated testing staff utilized assessments to help identify and select their top candidates.