One Medical Survey says Employees Think Workplace Wellness Falls Short
Nearly three-quarters of respondents to a One Medical survey on benefits packages said they carefully compared benefits packages when weighing offers from prospective employers. And the health care components of the benefits package is the one they examine most closely. Two-thirds of respondents said they would take a benefits package heavy on health care components over one loaded with...
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4 Vocal Traits That Keep You from Getting Hired
My wife is a brilliant woman, in spite of having married me. She has two master's degrees (exactly two more than I have), but was having trouble getting hired and then promoted. Why? She's a non-native speaker, and her accent was holding her back. She took a public speaking course tailored to non-native speakers. It worked on her accent and, just as important, her inflection. It's too...
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How to Count Your Job Search Blessings
The holidays are tough when you're looking for work. The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas is filled with gift giving, parties, and feasts. If you're unhappy and under- or unemployed, the festivities can feel less like spreading holiday cheer and more like expensive obligations. It's easy to feel discouraged, but here are four things to be thankful for during your job...
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Building a Recruiting Budget in 4 Steps
Recruiting has evolved in the last decade from cost center to revenue channel. As the executive suite sits up and starts to take notice, recruiting teams have to create not only project plans, but also budgets to get the executive buy-in they need in order to get their plans moving forward. A special thank you goes out to this month's Leadership Sponsor, Zoho Recruit. Please visit their...
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Talent Plus Announce Talent+Hire for Small- and Medium-Sized Companies
Talent Plus, a leading industry partner in talent assessment, has announced a new product offering for small to medium-sized businesses called Talent+Hire. Talent+Hire is a solution for companies who have not selected an applicant tracking systems (ATS) but desire help in selecting top talent. Talent+Hire offers the ability to put solutions together to gain optimal sourcing, selection, and...
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'Be Genuine': the Uniquely Humane Recruiting Advice of Ed Nathanson
Taken out of context, some of what Ed Nathanson says to me during our phone conversation could come from a self-help book or the mouth of a parent counselling their anxious teenage about the first day of high school: "You have to embrace who you are. The key is to be genuine about who you are, understanding that not everyone is going to like it." But Nathanson, a 20-year veteran of the talent...
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How Displaced Employees Can Survive in a Brave, New Freelance World
There is evidence to suggest that the working world is changing dramatically, and modern workers need to adjust or face being left behind. Due to globalization, the technological revolution, economic instability, and the recent Great Recession, the markets have become increasingly volatile -- even hostile -- to those who can't adapt. As a result, companies are looking to be more adaptable....
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Falcon Social Launches Employee Advocacy Mobile App
Falcon Social, an enterprise social media management platform, has announced the launch of Inspire, an employee advocacy mobile app designed to funnel branded published marketing content to selected social media channels. This latest product release enables companies to extend content reach and promote awareness of marketing news or campaigns to all employees across an organization. Employee...
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Stress Is Inevitable: Jenny Evans Teaches Us How to Better Handle It
Speaker and CEO/founder of PowerHouse Performance Jenny Evans says that the conversation about reducing stress is a silly and ultimately pointless one to have. "Do you think your job is going to ask any less of you next year?" she asks me over the phone. "I would probably say, no." "Yeah!" she responds. "How about family, friends, loved ones?" "Yeah, probably no on that one, too," I...
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Kiran Analytics Adds Scheduler to Workforce Optimization Suite for Retail Banks
Kiran Analytics, a leading firm for intelligent branch transformation, has announced the launch of new Scheduler software that is integrated with its Forecaster software to provide a comprehensive workforce optimization solution for large retail banks. Kiran's Scheduler enables branch managers to optimize allocation of all branch staff according to the forecasted customer traffic pattern and...
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Kronos Adds New Features to Workforce Central and Workforce Ready Suites
Kronos Incorporated has announced enhancements to the HR and operations functionality of its Workforce Central and Workforce Ready suites to help streamline processes, improve productivity, maintain compliance, and improve employee engagement for enterprises and SMBs. Workforce Central 7, designed to simplify workforce management, has added several features for HR professionals,...
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Will All Jobs Eventually Be Freelance Jobs?
This is probably quite a scary thought for the workers who subscribe to the job-for-life paradigm -- you know, that honest and committed, monogamous relationship style of employment. It's no surprise that many feel this way: municipal systems, the credit system, and our value system are all designed to deal with people who are employed and not freelancers. If you become a freelancer, many...
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I Don't Want to Trigger a Recession and Job Losses, But ... (How to Cut Your Spending by Half)
I have a tip, in the form of a proposed economizing strategy, for anyone between jobs, struggling to make ends meet, feeling anxious or guilty about out-of-control shopaholic spending, receptive to a budgeting challenge, or frugal and proud of it. But I also have one serious concern: that if too many people take my advice, I could trigger a major recession—and not just nationally, perhaps...
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CBIZ Small Business Index Shows Strongest October in Three Years
The CBIZ Small Business Employment Index (SBEI) decreased by .17 percent during the month of October. This follows a decline of 1.82 percent during the month of September. The private sector added 230,000 jobs during the month of October with large enterprises being the weakest contributor. "The October reading of the CBIZ Small Business Employment Index demonstrates no change in hiring...
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Can You Look Past a Candidate's Poor Grammar?
Does it really matter if a candidate has a typo or a grammar mistake on their resume? Truth is ... it does. Job seekers are looking for employment, and in order to get any job, they have to impress the recruiter and/or hiring manager first. Now, if they met with these people in person first, maybe it wouldn't be a problem. However, most job seekers don't meet their potential employers...
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4 Warning Signs an Eager Candidate May Make a Disengaged Employee
With just 13 percent of the workforce considered to be truly engaged, according to Gallup, global worker disengagement levels are at an all-time low. This makes recruiting especially challenging: no matter how keen and positive the candidate before you may seem, there is a 63 percent chance they are/were disengaged in their last job and a 24 percent chance they are/were actively disengaged in...
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A Quick Guide to Seasonal Hiring, for Employers and Employees
Last week's Black Friday inaugurated the annual holiday shopping season, and as per usual, we're seeing a major push for seasonal employees in Q4. According to CareerBuilder, 43 percent of retailers have hired or plan to hire seasonal employees for the Christmas crush. "The increase in retail and shipping is pretty obvious, right? You have a lot of consumers trying to get their gifts out really...
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Drone Pilots Could Be the Next Hot Career
Spend a lot of time at a gaming console? Want to earn big bucks for those skills? You might want to consider a change in career: become a drone pilot. That's right: those small aircraft that have become a boom business for real estate companies, utilities, and other organizations that need eyes in the sky need pilots to fly them -- pilots that are well trained and, apparently, well...
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Indeed Study Finds That "Empty Desk Syndrome" Costs Economy Billions
A study from online job resource Indeed has found that Empty Desk Syndrome, the business phenomenon where an employee departs with no plans for filling the position, is costing the U.S. economy billions of dollars per year. "The economic costs of unfilled jobs a staggering loss of nearly $160 billion annually," Indeed reports. "Of this amount, over half represent unearned wages (around...
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ADP Regional Employment Report Shows Increase in All Major Regions
Private sector employment increased in all four major regions and all nine U.S. Census Bureau Divisions during the month of October 2014, according to the monthly ADP Regional Employment Report. "Among the largest states, California, Florida and Texas continue to add jobs at a pace well above the other large states," said Ahu Yildirmaz, VP and head of the ADP Research Institute. "This...
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Email: the Essential Communication Tool You're Using WRONG
Communication has a significant impact on the productivity, engagement, and overall happiness of your workforce. Your emails can set the tone for how your team interacts internally and externally. Whether you're sending emails to a team of five or 50 people, interfacing with a new client, or communicating with your boss, the way you communicate through email matters. Ninety-two percent of...
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What 'Bar Rescue' Can Teach Us about Onboarding
Watching one of my favorite television programs opened my eyes to how little effort some companies put into their onboarding processes. "Bar Rescue" is a Spike TV show in which Jon Taffer, a successful bar consultant, helps bar owners find the reasons their businesses are failing. One of the issues Taffer finds often is a lack of onboarding. Sometimes, the manager is to blame for lack of training...
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CoachMarket Launches Platform to Connect Business Coaches with Corporate Trainers
CoachMarket has launched to connect individuals and organizations with a network of business coaches and corporate training consultants. CoachMarket is designed to aggregate, curate, and simplify the process of searching for on-demand talent. CoachMarket streamlines the process of searching and securing a trusted executive coach or corporate trainer through the platform on which businesses can...
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Around the World on PTO
Traveling is especially fun when it's covered by three magical letters: P-T-O. With all the projected shifts in workplace perks, will we finally see the U.S. catch up to the rest of the world in terms of paid time off? The benefits to employees and the economy are clear, but whether or not Americans will take the time off -- or even want to -- is fuzzy. Hitting the Reset Button: Good for...
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GuideSpark Launches Customized Onboarding Solution to Engage New Hires
GuideSpark, a leader in employee communications and engagement, has unveiled its video-based onboarding solution designed to boost engagement, accelerate time-to-productivity, and increase new hire satisfaction. GuideSpark's new onboarding packages offer a collection of customized videos to educate new hires on topics varying from understanding company values, benefits, payroll, health care...
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'Mobile Interrogator' App Standardizes Interview Questions, Records Answers, More
Cluso Investigation has announced the launch of the "Mobile Interrogator," a versatile smart phone application to help everyone ask more questions. The "Mobile Interrogator" by Cluso Investigation provides a mobile solution to script interview questions, record answers, and order background checks without collecting personal identification information (PII). The application has features...
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Broadvoice Launches Advanced Call Center Features for Business
Broadvoice, a leading hosted-voice and communications company, has announced the launch of a suite of new features for its Cloud PBX-hosted phone service for businesses. The new enhancements include Monitor, Whisper, and Barge features for call center deployments. These features are commonly used by businesses that want to help their representatives give better customer service by listening in on...
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Cobots: Designing the Key to Preventing the Termination of Your Job and Our Species by Robots
You probably know that America's nuclear-tipped ICBMs cannot be launched without the simultaneous turning of two keys by two physically separated silo launch-control officers. That dramatically reduces the possibility—or opportunity—for an unauthorized launch. That's a very smart idea—requiring collaboration to prevent catastrophe. It also requires the employment of two officers...
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Think You're a Team Player in the Workplace? Prove It with This Test
In most workplace environments, you will be required to work as part of a team at some point in your career. Whether you are working towards a joint goal for commission purposes or you are working on a project with your coworkers, it is important that you have the skills required to be a great team player and useful contributor to group projects. Collaboration is a key to a harmonious and...
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Delivering RPO in a Global Economy
As is the case with every other aspect of business in the contemporary world, recruiting has gone global: employers now wage the war for talent on a worldwide scale, scouring countries and continents for the best of the best. Say what you will about this state of affairs, but one thing is for certain: the global reach of modern business complicates recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) in new...
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How to Rehire Your Stars in January 2015 — Before the Competition Does
You may have noticed that it's eerily quiet in the recruiting and hiring sphere right now. Sure, there are still resumes flying around and job ads going up, but resumes are spending a little more time than usual in recruiters' inboxes or on hiring managers' desks as thoughts turn toward planning, headcount budgeting, and the approaching holiday season. The end of seasonal hiring pushes will soon...
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Candidates, Coffee, and the Perfect Catch
Not everyone likes the taste of coffee; some prefer tea. Still, most people at least appreciate the aromas of a good roast. Picking the right candidate can be like finding your favorite coffee: the roast, the bean, and the storage all have an effect on the quality of a cup of coffee. If the coffee beans weren't roasted properly or were stored in the burlap sack for too long, the brew may not...
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Randstad Shows Confidence Levels Steady for Office and Admin Workers
The Randstad Office Administrative Confidence Index remains relatively unchanged in the third quarter of 2014, rising slightly to 54.4 from 54.0 last quarter. The survey found little movement in the overall strength of the economy, job market, and administrative and office workers' own personal employment situation. According to the survey, nearly three-in-10 (28 percent) office and...
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New Research Uncovers Biggest Productivity Downfalls in the Workplace
A new Cornerstone OnDemand survey has revealed that 68 percent of U.S. full-time employees are suffering from work overload, a 14 percent jump from 2013. More than half (52 percent) of employees say their work overload has worsened over the past 12 months. While some workers are also overwhelmed by information (40 percent) and technology (27 percent), 61 percent of workers believe that work...
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Paycor Offers Automated, Unified Payroll and Timekeeping Solution
Paycor, a provider of cloud-based onboarding, HR, payroll and timekeeping software, has announced the release of Perform Time to help employers improve efficiency by integrating the timekeeping and payroll functions into a single-source solution. Key features of Paycor's Perform Time solution include: Smarter timekeeping processes. For example, holiday hours and daylight saving rules are...
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Fitting the Necessity of Work into the Cosmic Scheme
Is the necessity of work something we should blame or credit the universe or ourselves for? Are the toil and creativity of work manifestations of a flawed, confused or, instead, perfect, cosmic "design" or are they the consequence of the workings of a blind, pointless, randomly generated cosmic mechanism? Historically and philosophically, our attitudes toward work and interpretations of its...
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How Much Do You Really Earn a Year?
Most of you know your net pay, as you can read that clearly from your pay stub, so there is no great mystery here. However, there may be several other hidden and quite variable financial deductions which can make a significant negative impact on your actual rate of pay for a certain job versus what's written in your contract. This not only means that you may have a lower rate of pay in...
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LinkedIn Survey Finds Simple Recognition from Bosses Makes Employees Happier
In most surveys about workers' priorities, participants consistently rate compensation rates, obtaining promotions, and vacation time at the top. Also important is the flexibility to attend to family needs such a sick child or parent. But a new study from professional networking site LinkedIn shows that a significant number of employees care a lot about being recognized for their contributions...
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Expedia Reveals What Employees Would Give for an Extra Vacation Day
Expedia's 2014 Vacation Deprivation study surveyed nearly 8,000 employees worldwide and asked about vacation habits and policies and what workers would give up for a week to get one additional vacation day. "Somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of people worldwide say that vacations make them feel happier, better rested, closer to their family, less stressed and more relaxed," said John...
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Survey Reveals Critical Areas for Improvement in Customer Service/Sales Reps
According to new research from SkillSurvey, Inc., seasonal retail employees are lacking in key customer service skills which are hurting customer relationships and affecting revenue. The SkillSurvey study reveals that: Nearly one-third (31 percent) of customer service and sales job candidates could improve their ability to encourage customers to upgrade or buy new products or services by...
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The Zero Opportunity-Cost Illusion: How to Avoid and Use It
Being in (increasingly) close, physical, monopolized proximity to anything or anyone very attractive and "of interest" creates a susceptibility to a powerful and seductive psychological illusion. It is the illusion that, given the opportunity, choosing or being chosen will entail no comparable or greater opportunity cost or any opportunity cost whatsoever. That is to say, when our...
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'Tis the Season for Employee Appreciation
It's that time of the year! The leaves have turned, the air is brisk, and sweaters are no longer optional. With November comes the spirit of giving thanks and showing undeniable appreciation for all the good life has to offer. All that said, there's one thing that is for sure: a calendar should never be the reason you show your employees appreciation. No, not scheduled raises or goal...
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'More Than Rainbow Faces': Talent Wants to See That You Value Diversity
Recently, most of the diversity talk in the business media has focused on what the New York Times calls "Silicon Valley's Diversity Problem". For those who have missed the coverage: tech giants like Google, Twitter, and Apple are reporting dramatically homogenous workforces, largely composed of white and Asian men. However, if you let the problems in Silicon Valley distract you from your...
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The Real Value of an Employer-Provided Lunch
The benefits and perks of Silicon Valley are both highly publicized and drooled over. Game rooms, massage therapy, and yoga classes fill up the days of the tech-giant employees, but what tops the charts for many employees is, surprisingly, free lunch. Named a top perk of 2014, free lunch offers many advantages -- from employee happiness to company productivity -- and can serve as a key...
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Career Reflection: Staying Prepared for your Next Step
How often do you reflect on your career? While some may fail to see the value in regularly evaluating their career path, I'd suggest you consider the benefits of doing it twice per year. There are two special times of year to perform a career reflection: the Fourth of July and New Year's Day. These two easily remembered dates are approximately six months apart, and most employees have time off...
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Aon Hewitt Announces List of Top Companies for Leaders
Aon Hewitt, a leading talent, retirement, and health solutions business, has announced the 2014 Global Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders. GE, IBM, Hindustan Unilever Limited, General Mills, Inc. and ICICI Bank Ltd. round out the top five organizations named to the list. The Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders study evaluates and recognizes what it takes to execute best-in-class leadership and...
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Kronos Releases Leaderboards for Gamification of Workforce Management
Kronos Incorporated has announced a new leaderboard feature within its Workforce Central suite designed to reward and recognize employees, managers, and teams for positive job performance and adhering to an organization's time and attendance policies and procedures. Kronos leaderboards can be enabled in the Workforce Central suite so organizations can reward employees, managers, and teams...
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ComPsych Reports High Stress Continues to Weigh Workers Down
A new ComPsych report on the impact of stress in the workplace has found that more than two-thirds of employees are stressed out while only 5 percent are reported as relaxed most of the time. The survey showed: Twice as many employees (64 percent) reported crippling levels of stress as those who said they suffered from stress but could handle it (31 percent). The other 5 percent reported no...
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