Page 2 - That's Good HR

Why you Should Never Stop Learning...

Tuesday, November 1, 2011 by Karen Seketa

This blog post is for everyone. It does not matter if you are a job seeker, a stay at home parent, an HR professional, a Headhunter or someone who has a great job and life is good. Nothing is a sure thing these days so no matter what your situation, you should always be seeking ways to improve your knowledge, your skills, yourself. I recently came across this video created by IBM titled "THINK" and in watching it, I was overwhelmed with the sheer scope of what we are capable of and how much more we can do. Take a peek at it when you have a chance.

Once you stop learning, you stop living. Status quo is rigor mortis when it comes to progress. Doing things the same way today because that is the way you have always done them simply means that you are not invested in learning and evolving with the rest of the world. Time to get out of your comfort zone and start learning and living.

Look around you, ask questions, challenge processes, debate the status quo, have provocative discussions about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If you cannot find someone around you to have these interactions in a non-threatening and safe way, find new people to hang out with and talk to. No one says it better than Joseph Heller in his book "Catch 22" with this line. "“[They] agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything.”

It does not matter if the economy is in the dumps or you have too much to do and too little time or if you are just too tired to learn anything new. Stop learning and this will be your reality forever after. Why am I so passionate about this? My strengths lie in teaching and providing. I thrive on engaging with others in way that makes me a better person or helps them to look at the world in a different (hopefully better) way.

Seth Godin does a great job illustrating this and other great points about "What Matters Most" in this slideshow. One of the things that this presentation talks about is the Ripple Effect of learning. On slide 23, one of the contributors, John Wood, says: "Education has a ripple effect. One drop can initiate a cascade of possibility, each concentric circle gaining in size and traveling further." If you have a few minutes I recommend that you read through this slide presentation - you will learn something of value.

In the Staffing industry, the way we do business is constantly changing. Every day, there are new laws, processes, interpretations, technology or products that require those in our business to be constantly learning. If we do not, we are behind almost immediately. As a candidate in the middle of your Indianapolis job search, you too have to keep learning to stay on top of who is hiring, why, how to apply, how to network, what skills to learn or improve and how to interview.

Get out there and find a way to constantly learn from the world around you. Even if it is just one small thing every day. Do this and you will find that while the world keeps moving and changing, you will not be left behind.

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - October 28, 2011

Thursday, October 27, 2011 by Harry Danz

Trick or Treat?

This question can apply to many of the hottest HR and employment issues I came across this week. Social Media, Social Security, Healthcare, Unions, Benefits, Hiring trends and Productivity killers. Tricky? You better believe it. Treats? Only if you mange them correctly. How to do it right? Back to being Tricky. Makes you want to just bury your head in a big bag of Halloween candy, doesn't it. Well, hopefully some of the news of the week will help you chase some of those HR ghosts away this weekend.

Happy Haunting!
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Make sure you Manage your Online Profile: Why do employers conduct background checks? Employers are concerned with negligent hiring practices. They confirm potentially false or inflated information, abide by federal and state laws and acknowledge the age in which we live – the ‘information age.’ (womenofhr.com)

Social Security Rigor Mortis - through the eyes of the Millenials: According to a poll of 642 18- to 29-year-olds conducted by the Strategic Research Institute at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis., 50% don’t believe Social Security will exist by the time they become age-eligible for the program at 67. Another 28% think the program will be around, but will provide a much smaller benefit. Just 5% expect benefits to be the same as they are to current beneficiaries. (benefitnews.com)

Shifting Costs of Perks and Benefits: As the economy sputters and health-care costs rise, businesses large and small are eliminating benefits they consider nonessential and shifting more costs to employees for the benefits that are offered. (wsj.com)

Soon-to-be Retirees get some Good News: Social Security benefits to rise 3.6% next year: Social Security retirement benefits for about 55 million people will go up by 3.6% next year, the first cost-of-living increase since 2009, the U.S. Social Security Administration said last week. (benefitnews.com)

Indiana panel recommends right-to-work legislation: A committee of Indiana lawmakers is recommending their colleagues approve "right-to-work" legislation when they return in January for their 2012 session. (ibj.com)

DOL issues final rules on 401(k) investment advice: Defined contribution plans may offer advice from a third-party as long as that entity receives level fees regardless of their recommendations, or through a certified computer model. (benefitnews.com)

Hiring Activity for October Appears Weak: Continuing a recent pattern of weak job growth in the United States, hiring in October will be limited in the manufacturing sector and will fall in the service sector compared with a year ago, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) survey for October 2011. (shrm.org)

Hire With Purpose: Q&A With Small Business Expert Jay Goltz: “I’m not looking for great storytellers. I want to figure out what makes people tick and how they operate on the job.” (thehiringsite.com)

Skilled Worker Shortage or Training Shortage?: Even with unemployment hovering around 9%, companies are grousing that they can’t find skilled workers, and filling a job can take months of hunting. Employers are quick to lay blame. Schools aren’t giving kids the right kind of training. The government isn’t letting in enough high-skill immigrants. The list goes on and on. But I believe that the real culprits are the employers themselves. (tlnt.com)

Productivity Killers at Work: Americans may be spending more time at work, but they're also becoming much less productive. Workplace productivity dropped 0.3% in the second quarter, following a decline of 0.6% in the first three months of the year, according to the Labor Department. It was the first back-to-back decline in productivity since the second half of 2008. (The Street)

Rising Government Layoffs Overshadow Private-sector job growth: Crippled by plunging tax revenues, state and local governments have shed over a half million jobs since the recession began in December 2007. And, after adding jobs early in the downturn, the federal government is now cutting them as well.

Unemployment Discrimination: Monster.com Has It Right, People (Job Boards are PLATFORMS)...: Repeat after me: Job Boards are PLATFORMS, not arbitrators of quality, fairness or morality. What's a platform? A platform is where the masses can come and use technology in a variety of ways. Think Facebook, think Amazon. (hrcapitalist.com)

Practicing Patience through Pumpkin Carving

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 by Karen Seketa

"Patience is a virtue"...how many times did I hear that phrase growing up? How many times a day does it reverberate in my subconscious as I grit my teeth when things don't move at the lightening speed to which I am accustomed? Every time I hear those words I think exactly the same thing - "What a load of crap. Patience is just another word for wasting time". Can you tell that this is a key development area for me? I have come a long way, but I have a lot of work to do so you can only imagine how big of a development challenge this is for me.

I try very hard to consciously focus when people are talking to me. This is particularly challenging when the conversation is one-sided and the words have no real impact on my life. This works for about 45 seconds (a new world record) and then I just cannot help myself. My eyes glaze over and I begin working through the million other more important things going on in my life in my head (while trying very hard to make it look like I care at all). This is not easy to do and some of you would be lying if you told me this never happens to you. I will admit that now and then I do miss some little kernel of important information, but more often than not, I get more done in my head than I would ever get from the conversation.

Getting things done - this is another area where I have to work very hard not alienate all of my friends and family. When I have things to do, I am on a mission to get them done and I just don't worry about the collateral damage as I focus on the goal that I intend to achieve by the end of the day, the hour or even that very minute. If you are helping me with the task at hand, your lackluster pace could be detrimental to your health (and mine) so just back off and let me do it myself.

So now I get to the point of my title. Pumpkin Carving.

This weekend we headed to our farm with several pumpkins for a quality "fall getaway". I was in charge of cutting tops off, scooping out pumpkin guts, sorting seeds and general project management. Right up my alley...so I thought. However, when the pumpkins are being carved by my young, reckless boys, the whole concept of project management quickly takes on a whole new life. At one point, I turned around to find Nate performing acupuncture on his pumpkin. Drew must have drawn the face on his pumpkin twenty times before he was satisfied. The carving process was excruciating as I was there only to observe and coach and I wanted nothing more than to snatch that knife out of my kid's hand and just do it myself - quickly, neatly and efficiently. My husband was so engrossed in carving the perfect "bat" on his pumpkin that he was completely oblivious to the sheer personal and metal strength that went into maintaining my self control.

I believe I really made some good progress during our carving activity over the weekend. I did not scream or cry or stomp my feet. I did not push my kids out of the way, seize the carving tools and complete the perfect pumpkins by myself. I am feeling pretty good about it all and I decided that this was one of the best personal development exercises I have participated in this year. Besides, there is something cathartic about scooping out big handfuls of pumpkin guts with your bare hands.

So, if you have children (or can borrow some), get your hands on some pumpkins and find a zen getaway spot where you too can exercise your patience and self control. Do it now, before Halloween comes and you've missed your chance because then you might have to let your kid carve the Turkey and we all know how that could turn out.

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - October 21, 2011

Thursday, October 20, 2011 by Harry Danz

How about we mix it up and have a little fun this week? With the gloomy weather and the less than encouraging news on the economic front, it is important to stop and reflect on things that make us smile now and then. Not to worry, I have still included some of the important, serious stuff so you will not feel like you are wasting time and enjoying yourself too much. I have, however, included some whimsical, amusing and interesting features to lighten up your week. Enjoy...and watch out for that penguin.
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Is Shy Bladder Syndrome a Disability?: Does being unable to pee on cue qualify as a disability? That question came up recently in an informal opinion letter from Peggy Mastroianni, a lawyer with the EEOC. And, apparently, the answer could be “yes.” (hrmorning.com)

SHRM's update on the Health Reform's Long-Term Care Program: On Oct. 14, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced in a letter to Congress that the 2010 health care reform law's program to provide long-term care insurance through the workplace was unworkable and would not be implemented. (SHRM.org)

Do Flexible work strategies work for employers with a nonexempt workforce? Hourly and nonexempt workers - already traditionally lower paid - tend to have additional constraints placed upon them without the aid of flexibility to balance their responsibilities. (benefitnews)

Expressions of Compassion for your Downsized friends...: I was in a Hallmark store looking for a sympathy card recently and you'll never guess what I found. For $3.49 you can now send an "I'm sorry you lost your job" card. (fistfuloftalent)

What's in a Title? Not enough to make you a Leader... You earn followership based on your own ability to contribute value to the process, people and performance. (passiononpurposeblog.com)

Death and Taxes - a Visual exercise: Data is not useful until it becomes information, and that's because data is hard for human beings to digest. This has a very cool graphic called “Death and Taxes” that you should take a look at. (Seth Godin)

YouTube Insult Generator Makes it so much easier to be Mean: Some YouTube commenters have turned rudeness into an art form, and a new “search engine for insults” lets you easily harvest the fruits of their ludicrous invective. (wired.com)

Too many workers leaving 401k matching dollars on the table: Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. this week issued an investor alert urging the roughly 30% of American workers who are not contributing enough to their 401(k) plans to receive a full employer match to step up their contributions in order to meet their eventual retirement needs.(benefitnews)

What Makes Great Employees G: Everyone knows great employees are dependable, reliable, proactive, great team players, have strong work ethics… all the standard (yet often uncommon) qualities. (bnet.com)

Bye Bye Baby Boomers? Not so Fast: The long-awaited retirement of the hordes of 76 million baby boomers born between 1945 and 1964 has begun. But some employees aren't ready to say goodbye to their cubicles or labs, and some companies don't want to lose valuable employees. (management.fortune.cnn.com)

Protect Your Nest. Criminal' penguin caught on film: The team, filming for the documentary Frozen Planet, spent four months with the penguin colony on Ross Island, Antarctica. The footage they captured shows a male penguin stealing stones from its neighbour's nest. (bbc.co.uk)

A Short and Sweet Blog about Blogging...

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 by Karen Seketa

This week's blog post is about blogging. Compendium asked me to talk about why we blog here at That's Good HR so I submitted the following response that was published on the Compendium blog today.

"For That's Good HR, we blog to stay connected to our customers and employees in a real and genuine way. Our blogs are written by our internal staff so they provide another level of personal interaction with our audience. Blogging can be a cathartic experience, providing an outlet to talk to others about what you are personally passionate about. It is the perfect platform to share your key knowledge and experience with others and the two way communication that can happen on a blog creates a community of exchange.

Our blog challenges us to remain current and informed about the staffing industry and the HR profession. As the experts in our industry, we feel it is important to share with our customers and candidates what we hear and see in the local job market, while staying on the cutting edge of employment issues locally and nationally. We love to talk to our customers and we love to hear from them. Blogging is another tool that helps connect with and educate our customers and our candidates."

I also come across this article from Forbes on 9 Reasons you Should Blog. Interesting that reason #1 is "It's your new resume". Never considered that one...but it makes you think a lot about your virtual imprint as you engage in social avenues to talk to others.

Enjoy both of these as you think about your own blogging activity (or lack thereof). In the end, I blog because I enjoy it and that is the very best reason. Why do you blog? Why don't you? Would love to hear your point of view!

After 17 years....

Sunday, October 16, 2011 by Customer Experiences

I had been with my current company for 17 years when we found out our office was being closed due to reorganization. Now I find myself looking for a job again. What a scary situation after being with a company for so long. The job application process has changed alot. I look forward to working with That's Good HR. I feel confident together we will find an awesome job for me.

By: Deanna

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - October 14, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011 by Harry Danz

I don't know about you, but I am confused. FOUR separate articles in the news this week about jobs and the economy. One talks about increased unemployment in September, the other is about more jobs than expected in September and a third discussing a slowdown in hires in October. Follow that up with an article telling you why you should stop debating the recession and get on with life. Read them all and come to your own conclusions. In a word, things seem to be looking up, looking down and looking flat all at the same time these days. While the economy decides what it wants to do (see blog post from earlier this week about the recession and the staffing industry), this is a good time to stay on top of the key HR issues that will effect your business either way. Attracting key employees, providing benefits and of course, dealing with difficult people are all in the news this week.
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Give your employees time to consider benefit options: Employees need time to make big benefits decisions. Most benefits managers know this; what might not be known is more communication methods are needed to allow for the best decision making. (Benefit News)

Leveling Pay on a Global Scale: Multinationals are increasingly trying to use global leveling to standardize pay and facilitate talent-management strategies throughout the world. But, experts warn, it's easy for such levels to become overly cumbersome as well as bump up against some cultural issues. (hreonline.com)

U.S. and local governments crack down on employers who pay workers as contractors: If your independent contractors clock in and follow your instructions for completing their tasks, maybe you’re requiring too much of them. Maybe they should be considered employees and not independent contractors, government labor experts say. (washington post)

Increase in Unemployment in September: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has recently reported that total non-farm payroll employment has increased by 103,000 positions in September. While the gains are significantly higher than last month’s dismal numbers, the increase in employment is partially inflated by the return of 45,000 telecommunications workers who were on strike in August. (recruiter.com)

More Jobs Than Expected Added in September: From zero to 103,000 in 30 days… What sounds like the tag line of a lame Nicolas Cage action movie (redundant?) actually describes the change in the number of jobs created since last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which released September’s Employment Situation Report this morning. (thehiringsite.com)

Dealing with Difficult People? Here is the Secret: It's About You: Our core emotional need is to feel valued and valuable. When we don't, it's deeply unsettling, a challenge to our sense of equilibrium, security, and well-being. At the most primal level, it can feel like a threat to our very survival. (hbr.org)

Hiring managers expect a slowdown in new hires: The Society for Human Resource Management's quarterly Jobs Outlook Survey says 34 percent of HR managers surveyed have some confidence in the economy and expect job growth in the fourth quarter, down from 57 percent in the second quarter. (bizjournals)

Critical-skill employees are becoming more difficult to attract: With the U.S. economy still unsteady, many companies are finding it relatively easy to attract or retain workers, with one major exception: critical-skill employees. A new survey from Towers Watson and WorldatWork shows that for the second consecutive year, the number of U.S. companies having difficulty finding and keeping critical-skill workers has increased. (benefitnews)

Are you still debating the Recession? It is time to Stop.: These days, with a 24/7 multimedia mega-wired world and lots of space and airtime waiting to be filled, there's an obsession with two questions just as unanswerable as angels-and-pins: "Are we in a recession?" and, "Are we in a bear market for stocks?“ (fortune.cnn)

The Recession and the Staffing Industry

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 by Karen Seketa

I recently participated in a Webinar presented by the American Staffing Association (ASA) on the topic of "The Economy". I know, who isn't talking about the economy these days? As a matter of fact, who has not been talking about the economy since it began to tank in December of 2007? This presentation was unique, however, because it discussed the economy in terms of the staffing industry being a key economic indicator and provided examples of past recession and recovery cycles to support that theory.

We started with a grim look at the sheer impact of the recent recession in comparison to the previous recessions. Basically, they described it as " the worst recession since World War II; some say worst since Great Depression". Wow. We survived a cumulative decline of 5.1% in GDP. The previous worst decline was -3.7% in 1957. The charts and graphs to illustrate this story really put things into perspective to me. 8.7 million jobs disappeared and 44% of unemployed people have been without work for more than 6 months. I was happy to still have a job, my car, my house....many others did not fare so well.

So, are we out of it? Hard to tell. The American Staffing Association reports that "at the pace of job growth in the first half of 2011, nonfarm employment will return to its 2007 prerecession peak at the end of 2016". They also report that the Wall Street Journal estimates that - at the current pace of job growth and labor force expansion, the unemployment rate would still be near 9% in June 2012, 3 years into recovery and would remain above 5% until December 2024.

So, what is the current view of Staffing and the Economy? According to the ASA, the staffing and recruiting industry is "hyper cyclical" meaning its business cycle tends to be exaggerated during economic expansions and contractions. They also state that "Staffing employment is a conincident economic indicator and a leading employment indicator". What does all of this mean? Based on the extensive research and data collected by the ASA for their reporting, the trends show that changes in temporary help employment precede changes in nonfarm employment by one to two quarters and overall, is a solid indicator 3 to 6 months forward of where the economy is headed.

Now the good news. The Staffing industry is currently demonstrating and projecting steady growth through 2012. Not huge growth, but at least it is not a decline. As a leading indicator, this is much better news than looking at the graph with a line that continues to decline. Does this mean we are out of the grip of the recession? Not yet. There are many realizations that employees and employers need to stay focused on to ensure that as jobs grow, we are ready with the right skills and education required to fill these needs. Currently, job growth is concentrating in high-skill, high-wage jobs and low-skill, low-wage jobs. Those with college degrees are earning 95% more than high school graduates. Middle-skill white and blue collar jobs were hit the hardest. The sectors with the greatest potential for job creation appear to be consulting and business services, constructions, health care, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing and retail.

Staffing companies will play a key role in the future of economic growth by helping businesses identify and secure talent when needed in an efficient and economical way. Good information to have and important information to consider as companies develop their long term strategies on where and how to get the skills they need when they need them. Read more about this topic on the ASA website here.

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - October 7, 2011

Thursday, October 6, 2011 by Harry Danz

Fall is officially upon us. As the days get shorter and the air cooler, we all just want to pick some apples, carve a pumpkin or wrap up in a blanket by a fire and take a big nap. My job is to free up some time to allow you to do just that by boiling down the news of the week to a few pertinent items that will make you sound like a genius. This week I have focused on some interesting HR recruiting, interviewing, on boarding and development tips. Of course, there has to be some social media focused news in there too. So, get out those marshmallow roasting sticks because this will be a great weekend to use them.

Are Prospective Employers Looking at your Facebook page? You bet they are.. Creativity, Well-Roundedness, & 'Chastity‘: We all know that employers Facebook stalk us before hiring us (or before deciding not to hire us). In an oft-cited survey released by Microsoft Research in 2010, 70% of recruiters said they’d rejected applicants based on info they found online. (forbes.com)

The Importance of Social Media from the perspective of Richard Branson: Where most corporate blogs still house formal announcements, the Virgin Group website hosts a blog written with Branson’s first-person flair. Many of them read like diary entries. (mashable.com)

How Companies Utilize Telecommuting as a Retention Tool: Companies that allow or encourage their employees to telecommute rather than come to the office are more interested in maintaining a happy workforce than achieving any direct cost savings, experts and corporate executives say. (cnbc.com)

"Pay For Performance" May not be what Generation Y is Looking for: Many money-motivated Millennials (and they do exist) will bolt to new opportunities as soon as the great recession of 2007-20?? eases up...unless you happen to be an organization that recognizes their potential. (fastcompany.com)

The Best Recruits May Not Be Who You Think: When I hired him, Shaq was barely qualified to use a computer, let alone conduct detailed forensic examinations on hard drives that later had to stand up in court and pass the rigors of cross examination. (wsj.com)

Job Interview putting you to Sleep? Try asking about their Dreams: Sometimes all it takes is one question to spring the lid open and let the personality fly out. As someone who interviews people for a living, I have a few favorites. And this one is my all-time, absolute, works-every time, ace up my sleeve: “What dream came true for you when you said ‘yes’ to your last job offer?” (hrcsuite.com)

Helping new hires adjust to your unique culture: New hires may fail because of unrealistic expectations. But there’s another big reason some don’t make the grade: They just can’t grasp your organization’s culture, so they never learn to operate successfully in it. (rapidlearninginstitute.com)

HR Needs To Be The Department of Errors and Corrections...: To be successful HR needs to move from the department of enforcement to the department of corrections. I’m cereal folks, super cereal. (fistfuloftalent)

US Labor Department launches economic and employment statistics app: The most up-to-date employment data and economic news releases from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics and its Employment and Training Administration now can be viewed using a new mobile application. (dol)

October Employment Outlook from Simply Hired: Today, SimplyHired.com released its October employment outlook highlighting national and local market forecasts, and industry and employer trends. (simplyhired.com)

Problem Employees: Keep them or Kick them to the Curb? We call an unmanageable employee (UE) an employee who exhibits constant, repeated, unproductive behavior. Everyone has a bad day, a bad week, sometimes even a bad month, depending on what’s going on in their life. But we’re talking about someone who’s constantly, repeatedly – on a fairly long-term basis – unproductive. This book is about helping managers uncover what they need to put UEs back on track. (thehiringsite)

Have you noticed the Indianapolis job market changing?

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 by Tiffany Moore

First of all I want to apologize if you haven’t heard from me during these last few months. The reason? The market is changing and we have been extremely busy. I know this may come as a shock to you if you have seen the recent unemployment rates but it is true! We noticed the market changing at the beginning of the summer when the candidates who registered were getting positions quickly after registering and our contract workers started turning in their notice because they found permanent employment.

The industry information that we receive on a monthly basis shows that in April 2011, it became more difficult to find the candidate than the job. What that means is that it could be returning to a “candidate’s market.” There is no question from our perspective that hiring managers cannot continue to do the things they have been doing the past few years. As a hiring manager, you need to move quickly on candidates that you are interested in. You cannot wait as long as you have in the past to make hiring decisions. Also, now that you are up against competition, you will have to pay more competitive salaries because the candidates have more opportunities to choose from and often the highest bidder wins.

Let’s add some fuel to the fire. If you are targeting candidates that have a college degree, the unemployment rate is below 4.5% (see this illustration from the Bureau of Labor Statistics). There is a good article addressing this topic that states:

"To put it another way, more than 95 percent of college graduates in the United States are working – in the aftermath of one of the worst recessions in living memory." ibtimes.com

So even though you have probably heard that unemployment rates are close to 9%, that isn’t an accurate number when you are targeting a degreed Accountant. Inside Indiana Business reported last week that only 33 out of every 100 Indiana public college students graduate with a four year degree within eight years. This helps create the shortage of candidates in Indiana that have a college degree.

I have spoken to several of my HR hiring managers and they have communicated that they are seeing the things mentioned above. I would love to hear your thoughts, please sound in by posting a comment on my blog and let me know your thoughts!

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - September 30, 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011 by Harry Danz

Social networking and technology tips continue to dominate the news this week. As a seasoned Executive Recruiter, I find myself always looking for ways to become more efficient without sacrificing quality service delivery. This is a fine balance and as we all become more active in social media circles, it becomes critical to understand how to behave online. Whether I am talking to candidates about their Indianapolis job search or talking with clients about their Indianapolis job openings, the subject of social networking always comes up. It is important to balance this with what it going on with employees inside your organization. As you are building your strategy for next year, make sure you understand how emerging technology and social platforms will impact the way you do business in the future. Follows are some relevent articles on all these topics and more. As a matter of fact, there were so many interesting news articles that came across my screen this week that it was difficult to keep this post brief. Enjoy!
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Navigating the tricky waters of Facebook policies for employers, workers: In the age of instant tweets and impulsive Facebook posts, some companies are still trying to figure out how they can limit what their employees say about work online without running afoul of the law. (CBSnews.com)

Demographic Trends for HR: Eldercare: The New Childcare?: SHRM’s research shows that members feel two key demographic trends are the growth in the number of workers with eldercare responsibilities, and those with both childcare and eldercare responsibilities. (weknownext.com)

Global Trend that Could Leave Unsuspecting HR Pros in the dust : Does your open position or call for performance feedback have a better shot at being acted upon if it's emailed or texted? (hrcapitalist.com)

Success at work influenced by Positive Attitude: Predicting an employee’s future success at a company has traditionally stumped experts, and relying on metrics such as IQ level, only tells 25% of the story. What makes up the other 75%, according to Shawn Achor, Harvard researcher and positive psychology expert, is the optimism that your behavior matters, a positive social support system, and whether you view a challenge as a stress or an impetus to improve. (benefitnews.com)

Don't Have a strong Growth Strategy? Might be hard to hold onto your Best People: Growth is one of the most critical currencies your company trades with its employees. In some cases, employees see it as even more important than the salary they receive–-particularly younger workers looking to advance. (fastcompany.com)

Protecting Unemployed Against Hiring Bias-What Obama thinks: Mr. Obama’s jobs bill would prohibit employers from discriminating against job applicants because they are unemployed. (nytimes.com)

Get Ahead of Workplace Stress: Although a certain amount of job stress is to be expected, stress in the workplace can be costly because it affects not just individual well-being but also organizational performance. (forbes.com)

How to Behave in an Online Community: If you have spent time above ground in the past few years, you have heard about the business value of participating in online communities. Participating in any online community can be hard to do right. (recruiter.com)

Losing Sleep over the High Cost of Sleeplessness: Insomnia is creating expense and danger for employees and employers alike, and it's up to HR leaders to train their own staffs, as well as all managers, on ways to deal with it. Communicating information on EAPs, providing some quiet areas for power naps and offering suggestions on ways to de-stress and relax at home are some options. (hreonline.com)

Provocative Interview Questions one Professional Swears by: Here are my all-time-best, surefire, weed-out-the-losers-and-pretenders interview questions: (businessnewsdaily.com)

Health insurance costs surge in 2011: The cost of employer-sponsored health insurance surged this year, snapping a trend toward moderate growth, but experts say these increases may slow again in 2012. (washingtontimes.com)

What the C-Suite wants from HR now: Last week while working with a client I was fortunate to attend a business briefing where a panel of 4 CEO’s talked very specifically about what they want from HR. The focus of the conversation was how they define a “strategic HR business partner” and “what they want and need from HR now.” (passiononpurposeblog.com)

Thoughts from Seth Godin on The forever recession (and the coming revolution): There are actually two recessions: The first is the cyclical one, the one that inevitably comes and then inevitably goes. The other recession, though, the one with the loss of "good factory jobs" and systemic unemployment--I fear that this recession is here forever. (sethgodin.com)

Managing your Work on those "whirlwind" Days...

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 by Harry Danz

Once again, we have a That's Good HR treat for you with this blog post from our smiling Front Office Manager, Lori Cherry. Sharing her wisdom on how to manage your time when things get busy, Lori has written this blog just for you. Enjoy her top 5 ways to prepare for those busy days.

Do you ever have those days at work when you have so much going on that you’re shocked when the clock says 5:00? On occasion, I’ll have days like that – and yesterday was one of those days! So, it got me thinking – how can I better prepare for days like that? And here’s what I came up with:

Be consistent – Routine can be boring, I know, but it keeps you on track. If you do your tasks differently every day, it’s really easy to let things slip through the cracks. But, if you’re consistent, you’ll create a pattern of steps you follow each day that you can’t help but remember.

Be organized – Try to create a standard process for things you do daily to get things done in the most efficient way. File and save things to the same place every time so you can always find what you need. Create templates for frequent communications and create spreadsheets with formulas to streamline common transactions.

Have a plan – I’m big on visuals. Whatever I need to get done, I want it on a sticky note on my computer or on my calendar set with reminders so there’s no way I could possibly miss it. Do whatever you have to do to keep things on schedule. As your day progresses, stop and re-prioritize your tasks including new things that might pop up unexpectedly. In the staffing business, not a day goes by without unexpected surprises that challenge your scheduling.

Share your plan – It may be helpful to share your plan with your co-workers. This helps others to understand what is already on your plate prior to additional tasks being piled on with tight deadlines. Highlight your high higher priority items and talk with others about expectations around new items added to your plate. Communicate your plan to them so they understand your time constraints or open times and everyone can use their time efficiently.

Stay focused – In my role at That’s Good HR, I’m constantly interrupted. Whether it’s answering the phones, running background checks, or assisting candidates in the office, there is literally always something to throw me off track. Due to all of the interruptions, it’s easy to forget where you left off or even what you were doing. Find ways to remind yourself what you were doing before the interruption and complete it first thing. I write everything down and cross items off as I complete them. This helps to remind me where I was when the next interruption comes.

Filling a Chair or Positioning Your Company For Long Term Sustainable Growth?

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 by Harry Danz

This blog post is from an article posted on Inside Indiana Business this week. You can access the article here.

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I have long been a proponent and a fan of the Marcus Buckingham school of thought around building a productive team by focusing on the strengths of individuals rather than by simply matching people and experiences with specific roles.

For those of you not familiar with Marcus Buckingham or strengths based hiring the basic premise is that each of us has natural strengths and that more attention should be paid on leveraging one’s strengths versus spending time on or worrying about one’s weaknesses. At That’s Good HR, our whole staff participates in the Clifton Stengthsfinder assessment and our internal roles have been customized to focus as much as possible on the strengths each person has. I have found that when employees come to work each day and spend the majority of their time doing the things they like to do (or even things they don’t particularly like to do in a way they like to do them), the result is a highly productive and positive work environment.

Truth be told, this has not been easy to maintain over the past 24 months. The economy has been brutal to our industry just as it has to most others. When times are tough and companies must get lean, managing a business that allows employees to work within their strengths requires a whole new management strategy. The reality of our recent past is that you have to have a team that is willing to take on the crappy stuff now and then as you navigate the choppy and uncharted waters. Your short term strategy may very well include everyone working at whatever you need done to stay afloat, strengths or not. Now, if you do it right, you will always have tasks that can be distributed based on who does them best or likes doing them the most and the rest will simply require a divide and conquer methodology.

Notice I said this was a short term strategy. This is important because if you ask people to take on work that is in no way interesting or exciting to them for the short term, you will find people willing to take one for the team. If this turns into your long term strategy, you are going to end up with an all out mutiny or a quiet rebellion at a minimum. Once you begin to recover, you need to shift your talent back to focusing in areas where their strengths lie as much as you possibly can. Innovation and productivity will be your pay off as well as a workforce that is generally happy to come to work. Surround yourself with people who have varied strengths to optimize the outcome no matter what the task at hand.

Nearly two decades in the search and placement industry have taught me many things. One of the most important of these being that forcing the square peg into the round hole for short term personal gain is bad business 100% of the time. The pressure to fill critical roles in an organization leads to bad hiring decisions and costly mistakes all too often. You can build a very compelling business case for taking the time necessary to fill important roles with the right person rather than just filling it fast. Finding the right person requires time and energy focused on truly understanding the strengths of the individual and if/how they are compatible with the role you are filling. The success of your business depends on this kind of focus on your most valuable asset…human capital. Be sure to give it the attention it deserves, not only for high level critical positions, but for roles at all levels of your organization. If you teach your hiring managers how to do this correctly, the return will be well worth the investment to both your employees and your company.

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - September 16, 2011

Thursday, September 22, 2011 by Harry Danz

So, I just had to put the article in here about the "Love affair with your office chair", as we are currently going through an office chair upgrade in our offices right now. The work-life balance issues are getting more scrutiny lately so there is some of that in this week's update as well. Technology and specifically social media are continuing to change at lightening speed and this week it seems there was more news around technology issues than usual. Read on to make sure that you are not a social media jerk. We were just talking about the mobile phone topic in a meeting today so I have included an article on tax implications. Fall officially begins on Friday so get those pumpkins out and dust off the s'mores sticks, bonfire season is upon us!
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Is There Really Such a Thing as Work-Life Balance?: More than two decades and countless discussions after the term “work-life balance” entered the workforce lexicon, we don’t seem to be any closer to figuring out how to achieve it. Author Matthew Kelly believes he knows why. (thehiringsite)

Tips and Tricks for Developing an Online Reputation Management Strategy: Online reputation management (ORM) has become a critical component to many corporate branding campaigns in 2011. With all of the online conversations happening today, the ability to replace positive sentiment with the negative is a primary goal of any reputation management strategy. (clickz.com)

Make Sure you are Ready To Hire Generation Z: Just as companies have adjusted to the demands of generation Y, a new generation is set to graduate from college: generation Z. (openforum)

Coaching Tools for Managers...Stop Talking and Start Listening: Coaching for better performance. Most managers think they're great coaches. Most aren't. (hrcapitalist.com)

Hiring for Cultural Fit – Making it Tangible: When it comes to hiring, it’s easy for recruiters, HR and hiring managers to focus on a candidate’s technical qualifications and skip right over the things that are harder to quantify – like cultural fit. (unbridledtalent.com)

IRS publishes guidance on tax treatment of mobile phones: The Internal Revenue Service has released guidance aimed at clarifying the tax treatment of mobile phones provided by employers to their employees. (benefitnews.com)

Several HR-Related Provisions in the Obama Jobs Bill: When the Obama administration rolled out the much-anticipated American Jobs Act (S. 1549) on Sept. 12, 2011, the $447 billion proposal presented the classic good news/bad news scenario to HR professionals and their organizations. (SHRM.org)

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repealed: It's official: Gay soldiers can finally say so. The repeal of the 1993 law that banned gay military personnel from serving openly went into effect Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. after years of fierce debate in both Congress and the armed services. (nydailynews.com)

You Know you are a Social Media Jerk When: For the first time, your online profile can determine, in part, the outcome of your business and the success of your job search. It’s time to make sure you don’t look like a social media jerk. (Recruiter.com)

Love Affair With An Office Chair: The office is a popular place for forming friendships and even finding lovers. But these days, some people’s deepest office attachment is to their chairs.

Sooner or Later, It is up to you...

Tuesday, September 20, 2011 by Karen Seketa

Last week, my 8 year old son came home from school and informed me that he intended to run for the "student action committee" for the 3rd grade. Three children would be "elected" based on a poster they would make and a speech they would deliver to an audience of peers. I congratulated him on his ambition and wished him the best of luck. What I did not do, however, was manage his campaign, create his poster and write his speech.

I did listen to his speech and coached him on delivery. No matter how much I wanted to, I did not change a word of his speech because it would no longer be his and if he was going to win, I wanted it to be on his merits, not mine. This turned out to put him at a great disadvantage and he did not win, but I was very proud of him taking this challenge on all by himself. He was upset because he said that the other speeches had so many big words and ideas in them that he did not even understand them. I understood...perfectly. I felt guilty for about 1 second and then I told him that someday he would thank me for encouraging him to taking responsibility for the outcomes in his life. He did not buy it....yet.

How early is too early to teach a child to take responsibility for what life will throw their way? I have no idea what the answer is, but I know that no matter when you choose to teach this important lesson, it is not easy to let go. We seem to live in a society where kids get ahead based on the efforts and influence of their parents for so long that sometimes I feel I am part of a minority of parents who do not make it my job to make sure my kids get everything they want.

I know that in the staffing industry, our expectation is that the individuals we work with are ultimately responsible for the success of their job search. While we represent them as a conduit between their skills and the needs of our clients, the candidates are the ones who hold all of the cards as to whether or not they will get or keep a job. Putting together a great resume and cover letter may require some help from another resource, friend or parent but at the end of the day there would be no resume if the candidate did not personally accomplish all of the elements that make up a good resume.

No job interview can be successful without the candidate effectively communicating their capabilities all on their own. That means, no "parent" in the room to tell the hiring official how great their kid is. Behavioral interviewing eliminates the usefulness of scripts or coached answers that someone else can write for you. If you did not experience the situation, action and result the interviewer is asking you about, you cannot answer the question properly. If you did not come up with the action or solution yourself, you cannot answer the question properly either. No longer does riding on the coattails of others work in the present interview environment and even if it did, you would not last long in a job that was secured on pretense rather than true capabilities.

Which takes me back to my first question....How early is too early to teach a child that to take responsibility for what life will throw their way? I would love to hear your ideas.

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - September 16, 2011

Friday, September 16, 2011 by Harry Danz

What do we ha

ve on the list of interesting and important updates this week? Recharging burnt out employees, current hot HR Lawsuit topics, rewards systems insights, great interview questions to use and some valuable benefits updates. While it may not be as fun as fantasy football, there is some great information out there in the news these days so make sure you follow our Weekly News Updates so you don't miss a thing! With Football season here, cooler weather is coming our way so it is already time to start planning for the upcoming holidays and winter contingencies. I know that sounds crazy, but it will be here before you know it.
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Interesting HR dilemma brewing with Groupon Lawsuit: Workforce reported earlier this week that Groupon, the hot Chicago-based startup that basically defined the "daily deals" category, has been sued in "class action" style for unpaid overtime. (HR Capitalist)

Taxing Health Insurance part of Obama Plan - Response is Opposition: President Barack Obama is asking lawmakers to tax the health insurance benefits of top earners, stirring opposition from congressional Democrats who fought a similar proposal in the 2010 health-care law. (Business Week)

Ideas for Recharging Burnt Out Employees: Corporate America does lend itself to a workday that includes 90-minute intervals of intense work and then periods of deep recharging. (Benefit News)

Equitable vs. Equal Employee Rewards - Important on Global Scale: It’s important to ensure employees are rewarded equally around the world, right? Wrong. Rather, it’s important to ensure employees are rewarded equitably around the world. (Compensation Cafe)

Survey - Are Employees who Work from Home Really Working?: One in five Americans who work from home spend one hour or less working, according to new CareerBuilder survey. (The Hiring Site)

Some Great Interview Questions you Should Always Ask: Interviewing prospective job candidates can be an onerous task. And, often, valuable time is wasted conducting interviews that leave you no closer to finding out anything useful about the people you've met. BusinessNewsDaily asked five hiring experts to tell us what questions they would ask to find out what they need to know before making the hire. (Business News Daily)

Personnel Problems? Here are some tips: In every company I have consulted or coached, there exists personnel problems. Natural, you may say, and assume nothing can be done about it. (Net-temps.com)

Can Productivity Really Increase by Surfing the Web at Work?: Employees shouldn’t be surfing the Web when they’re in the office, right? It’s just common sense. Some recent studies are turning that bit of management wisdom on its head. (Bnet.com)

Presentation tips - Never say "Does that makes sense?"-One trend I've noted recently is the expression, "Does that make sense?" often used by a speaker during a conversation — or a presenter during a presentation — to check whether the listener or audience has understood or appreciated what the speaker has just said. Unfortunately, the expression has two negative implications: (Harvard Business Review)

BLS: Benefits costs nearly 30% of total wages: The latest federal data shows that benefits costs account for about 30% of employees’ total wages, as private-sector employers spent an average of $28.13 per hour worked for employee compensation in June 2011. (Benefit news)

A Heartfelt THANK YOU!!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by Karen Seketa

I hear our That's Good HR recruiters thanking our candidates on the phone multiple times everyday. Yet as we celebrate National Staffing Employee Week this week, it seems like a more robust Thank You is in order. Of course, my first instinct in writing this post was to do some research and look up suggestions on how to best express appreciation and some clever ways to say Thank You. Then I realized that none of them would be sincere because I would have borrowed them from someone else. So, I have abandoned that idea and instead, from the bottom of our hearts, our entire staff here at That's Good HR would like to simply say...

Without you, our temporary employees and candidates, we would not exist. Plain and simple. We could have all of the jobs in the world and the best sales people money can buy and it would not matter. We could have the best technology and the coolest marketing campaigns and it would not matter. Without you, the employees who come to us for work, take the responsibility to go to work and to do the very best job you can do, we would all be working someplace else....and how sad would that be? To our That's Good HR employees who go above and beyond and represent us so well, we THANK YOU! We salute you this week as the American Staffing Association recognizes National Staffing Employee Week and we are proud to have you on our team. If you have a story to tell during this week of celebration, we ask you to share with us on our blog. It is easy to do by clicking here. We would love to hear from you. Oh, and one more time, in case you did not hear us before....THANK YOU!

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - 9/9/11

Thursday, September 8, 2011 by Harry Danz

I hope everyone enjoyed the Labor Day weekend as we paused to recognize the importance of those who work and worked so hard to make this country what it is today. I came back to so much going on in the news that is was difficult to keep the length of this update reasonable.

There are several employment trend updates that have good information for HR professionals. Wish the news was brighter, but it looks like hiring is still expected to be slow for Q3 2011. Don't let that stifle your innovation, however, because Thomas Friedman tells you in his new book that this could be fatal to your business. The number of independent workers in the US is on the rise as employee confidence declines and people strive to take control of their career options. There is some great information about who HR professionals should be working closely with in your organization and why these relationships are so important. If you are outsourcing your payroll function in any way, be sure to read the article about some red flags to look out for.

Enjoy the update and feel free to post a comment about your point of view on any of these topics, we would love to hear from you!
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New Book by Thomas Friedman Says "Innovate Or Else": The blockbuster author and New York Times columnist talks with Fast Company about his new book, "That Used To Be Us," which contends that prioritizing innovation can turn around America's free-fall from superpower status. (Fastcompany)

More Layoffs, Slow Hiring Expected at Close of Third-Quarter 2011: Job growth for September 2011 will fall behind the rate recorded for September 2010 in the manufacturing and service sectors, according to the results of the latest Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) survey released Sept. 1, 2011, by the Society for Human Resource Management. (SHRM.org)

IRS warns employers about payroll outsourcing fraud: In a tax tips email, the IRS referred to recent prosecutions of individuals and companies that pretended to be payroll service providers and instead stole funds intended for payment of employment taxes. (Benefit News)

16 Million Independent Workers in the US: There are some 16 million independent workers in the U.S. today and 28 million Americans are considering becoming independent within the next two years, according to a report released today by MBO Partners Inc. (Staffing Industry)

The Importance of Working closely with Legal: An attorney offers eight rules for HR leaders for working with outside counsel. In short, the HR/counsel relationship can and should be effective, rewarding and mutually beneficial. (HREonline)

Are you Leaving Job Candidates with a Negative Impression? Over the past few years there seems to be a change in the candidate experience, and it isn’t a positive one. (ERE.net)

On Vacation? Tips for Transitioning Back to Work: Here's what I've done in the past: Stay up late the night I return, trying to go through everything, answer all my emails, and create a long to-do list of everything that accumulated while I was away. But that's a mistake. (hbr.org)

Why Government Incentives Won't Spur Much Hiring: Small business owner Bill Thompson says he doesn't need a government plan to get him to hire more workers—what he needs is for the economy to get back on track. (cnbc.com)

HR and the CEO Should Be Joined at the Hip. Here's Why: Today, with declining loyalty and greater job hopping, it is critical that CEOs partner with HR. Four good reasons. (weknownext)

Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on August employment numbers: The private sector added 17,000 jobs in August, but those gains were offset by the loss of 17,000 government jobs. Total non-farm unemployment, therefore, was unchanged last month. The unemployment rate also remained unchanged at 9.1 percent. (dol.gov)

Employee confidence dropped 6.8 points in August, its third monthly decline, according to survey results from SFN Group Inc. (NYSE: SFN), released today. (staffingindustry)

Why We Love What We Do...

Tuesday, September 6, 2011 by Karen Seketa

Next week is National Staffing Employee week, sponsored by the American Staffing Association. While a day does not go by when we don't recognize the importance of our temporary employees, this time of year provides an opportunity to stop and really reflect on what our employees mean to us. As we gear up for this celebration next week, I would like to share with you one of the things we love about our jobs here at That's Good HR. Our temporary employees are not afraid to share their stories with us. We love to hear from our employees...the good, the bad and the ugly. We really love it when one of our stars is successful in pursuit of their career goals and we can play a part in it. Here is a blog submitted by one of our recent temporary employees who came to us right out of college and he made us proud. I would like to introduce Mr. Camron Humphreys from Greencastle, Indiana. Here is what he had to say:

"I had just graduated from college. Like many recent grads I had no idea what I wanted to do and no real job opportunities. Enter That’s Good HR. I heard about That’s Good HR from a friend of mine who had had previous success finding a job. Not having any options I quickly saw the value in having help finding career opportunities. I applied and was introduced to Jessica who immediately started helping me find a job. It was summer time and I was still living in my college home with a multitude of distractions. I would usually spend a couple of hours a day looking for jobs then get distracted by roommates wanting to play basketball or myriad other diversions. Jessica, however, was constantly looking for a job for me, which was invaluable. I would receive numerous calls throughout the day as opportunities would pop up. It was really nice knowing that someone had my back and that they were genuinely interested in helping me start a career. Eventually Jessica found me a temporary job, and although it wasn’t in my field of study it gave me a solid source of income and some real world experience that proved to be invaluable as my job search continued. Having a temporary job also afforded me the comfort and opportunity to search for jobs that were more aligned with my field of study. I eventually found such a position and was on my way. My experience with That’s Good HR was crucial to finding the job that was perfect for me."

Thank you to Camron for taking the time to tell his story and thank you to all of our outstanding That's Good HR employees as we come off of Labor Day weekend and approach National Staffing Employee Week. Do you have a story to tell? We would love to hear from you! Just visit our Share Your Success page by clicking this link and send us your thoughts.

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - September 2, 2011

Thursday, September 1, 2011 by Harry Danz

It has been a big week for gathering great HR information if you were fortunate enough to attend the Annual Indiana HR Conference held in Downtown Indianapolis. If you were unable to participate in this educational and social event, be sure to get it on your calendar for 2012! I decided to mix it up a bit this week with some business news as well as some articles that might be personally interesting to you. We have to lighten it up a bit here and there and as we are heading into a holiday weekend, here is some reading material to keep you sharp. Happy Labor Day!
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Is Less Really More? It Seems Some Think so: How keeping things simple can bring success. (fastcompany)

Look out for these LinkedIn Mistakes you should not make: I see many people making fundamental mistakes as job seekers that actually work against them in this aspect. If you’re going to spend time putting together a LinkedIn profile, I assume you want to maximize your chances of being contacted by the right people, right? (New Grad Life)

NLRB Sides With Unions In Three Cases: The National Labor Relations Board sided with unions in several cases involving rules for organizing workers, in a set of decisions likely to further rile business groups and Republicans. (Wall Street Journal)

It is Good For you to Work with People you Like: Social support at work leads to a longer life, according to a new study. HR can help facilitate that by adding a little levity to the workplace and allow people to socialize with one another -- within reason, of course. (hreonline)

The Best Opportunities You Aren’t Taking Advantage Of: Job seeker behavior has changed remarkably in the past few years. So why hasn’t your recruitment strategy? (The Hiring Site)

How To Handle the Grumpy Employee: In a volatile world, anxiety and uncertainty make people a little testy. Cranky people can drag everyone else down by spreading negativity and sowing seeds of doubt just when leaders need commitment. (Harvard Business Review)

Employment, training & the economy: At a briefing Monday, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis spoke about the need for more employment opportunities for the 9.1% of Americans out of work and the role government can play in facilitating job creation. (Benefit News)

Social Networking and Retention: Staffing Industry Analyst Blog: Here is what we know; people are using social networking sites, meaning your employees are on those sites regularly. (Staffing Industry Analyst)

What Perks Do Employees Really Want?: Making us all more productive at work can be hard for employers—but perks and benefits often ease the battle. (Forbes)

Organize Your Inbox In 10 Simple Steps: Be honest. Are you ruled by your e-mail inbox? How many minutes a day do you spend a checking your e-mail, sorting your inbox and deleting spam? (Open Forum)

Healthier Workplace = Lower costs: Creating a culture of health in the workplace isn’t easy, but the results that can be obtained — both a personal benefit to the individual and a cost and productivity benefit to the organization — are making value-based health care an appealing initiative for employers across the country. (Benefit News)

The Quiet Worker should not be Ignored: There's an unnoticed population of employees in business today. Strangely enough, they're also the majority. (hbr.org)