Two Ways of Looking at the Flexible Workforce
In "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird", Connecticut modernist par excellence Wallace Stevens takes one simple creature — the titular blackbird — and explores it from thirteen different perspectives. Perhaps because I live in Hartford, where Stevens served as an insurance executive for most of his adult life, I decided to take a cue from him in considering the flexible workforce —...
Read MoreiCIMS, Digi-Me Partner to bring Professional Embedded Videos into Job Descriptions
The iCIMS Talent Platform, which enables HR professionals to manage their organization's entire talent acquisition lifecycle is now to be used in conjunction with Digi-Me, developer of customized recruitment videos. Through iCIMS's partnership with Digi-Me, iCIMS clients can now benefit from having dynamic, studio-quality videos embedded into job descriptions within the iCIMS Talent Platform,...
Read More5 Irresistible Employer Brand Messages For 2014
The world is becoming a much more unpredictable place as a result of: financial crashes and instability, increasing geopolitical instability, social and technological changes/revolutions, increasing economic and national protectionism, ageing population and multi-generational workplace...and the list goes on. This volatility is now impacting workers, and as a result subtle and sometimes major...
Read MoreNew ClickSoftware App Simplifies Capacity Planning Via Real-life Simulation
Automated mobile workforce management and optimization solutions provider ClickSoftware Technologies has announced the launch of a Capacity Planning App, enabling businesses to plan available resources and anticipate demand to deliver on Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and meet compliance standards. Capacity planning balances forecasting and demand in managing overtime, contractor use, and...
Read MoreTowers Watson Releases Talent|REWARD, HR Portal, and Online Total Rewards 8.0
Towers Watson has announced the release of three software-as-a-service HR technology solutions: Talent|REWARD, HR Portal and Online Total Rewards 8.0. These updates include significant enhancements for employees, managers and HR administrators. The solutions support organizations' efforts to increase employee engagement, improve HR service delivery effectiveness and clearly articulate their...
Read MoreWhy Interviewing Is So Awkward
As someone who has sat through multiple interviews, I'm often left wondering, "Why does interviewing feel so awkward?" What is it that makes this process, at times, confusing and often awkward for both the candidate and hiring manager? Hiring is designed to bring in talent that can meet the desired job expectations and goals laid out by management. Of course, this is not always the case...
Read MoreIt's Just Like Renting a Room: Building a High-Level Flexible Workforce with Bridget Loudon
When I found out that Expert360 CEO/co-founder Bridget Loudon was 26, it bummed me out. I'm just about the same age and, if I compare my own resumé to hers, I come out looking like a total slacker. "I've been starting businesses since I was 10 years old," the Australian-born Loudon says. "I sold paper baskets outside of my parents' house , which was fantastic because I didn't...
Read MoreAbsenceSoft Launches AbsenceTracker for FMLA and LOA Management
AbsenceSoft has released its latest leave of absence-management software, AbsenceTracker for administrators. AbsenceTracker provides companies of all sizes with the tools they need to efficiently, compliantly and cost-effectively manage leaves of absence. AbsenceTracker is a cloud based, secure, mobile friendly leave management system that provides compliance support for FMLA and all state leave...
Read MoreShould Speed-Hiring Become The Norm?
There are certainly a lot of statistics out there indicating that there is a highly volatile labor market, suggesting that talent, if available, will not be around for very long. Research from CareerBuilder shows that around 1 in 5 companies are missing out on new hires due to a failure to produce an offer fast enough, which is a problem but also a massive opportunity for employers to get ahead...
Read More4 Warning Signs You're Dealing With an Unreliable Candidate
There are plenty of figures about the cost of a bad hire. Some research has pinpointed the cost at $50,000 or more if a candidate turns from superstar hire to dud employee. But what about the candidate who seems like a great bet throughout the interview process, only to flake out once an offer is on the table? It's hard to pin a number on these candidates, who eat up precious time and...
Read MoreRandstad US Employee Confidence Index Reaches 7-year High
A major finding from the data collected for the Randstad U.S. Employee Confidence Index is that workers are bullish about the economy and their prospects for the future. The June level of those who said they felt confident about "the job market, economy and their personal employment situations" was up 2.6 percent from May, to 58.1 percent, the highest mark since 2007. A separate...
Read MoreBambooHR Study Reveals Top 5 Workplace Deal Breakers [Infographic]
People have "deal breakers" in every relationship—and the employer-employee business relationship is no different. To help educate employers on "deal-breaker" territory when it comes to their business, BambooHR recently released the results from a nationwide survey and an accompanying infographic, "Workplace Deal Breakers: Where's the Breaking Point for Employees?" The study of...
Read MorePaychex Releases iPhone App for On-the-go Accounting for Small Businesses
Paychex, a leading provider of payroll, human resource, insurance, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses, has announced the launch of its Paychex Accounting Online mobile application for iPhone. The Universal iOS app allows users to access their Paychex Accounting Online account from their iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. "With the Paychex Accounting Online...
Read MoreDo Your Employees Want Career Development? Maybe You Should Send Them Out of the Country
Why do people quit? There are a lot of answers to this question, and it may be surprising to learn that, of the millions of Americans leaving their jobs every month, many are not doing so because they want bigger paychecks; instead, they do so because they are unhappy with their jobs. Forbes contributor Alan Hall (linked above) notes that the reasons for this unhappiness are rarely tied to...
Read MoreWhen You Have to Work in Blazing Heat: Do You Really 'Get Used to It'?
"You go to Hell and you die!", the twisted trademark invective of South Park Elementary's quirky 2nd-grade teacher, "Mr. Garrison", suddenly made logical sense, but as a conditional prediction, the moment I arrived in Taipei, Taiwan. That was four days before writing this, when I felt my first blast of the dreaded and notorious Taiwan summer heat, which has hovered around 95 degrees Fahrenheit...
Read MoreTweetMyJobs Leverages Social/Mobile Recruiting with Ceridian Dayforce Recruiting
TweetMyJobs, a leader in social and mobile recruiting, has announced a partnership with Ceridian, a leader in human capital management, to provide mobile and social recruiting solutions through Dayforce Recruiting. Dayforce Recruiting is the latest addition to Dayforce HCM. Dayforce HCM is a single, real-time SaaS based application that includes payroll, workforce management, benefits and HR. The...
Read MoreWhat Does Your Favorite Summer Movie Say About Your Job Search Style?
Is there anything better than spending a hot summer afternoon inside a movie theater? Unfortunately, as prices for tickets, popcorn, and soda continue to rise, it can be tough on your wallet—especially if you're looking for a job opportunity. What does your movie genre preference say about your job search style? Read on for some insight! Action Those who love action movies may be...
Read MoreUS Employment Climbs to Highest Level since November 2012
Employment at companies climbed in June by the most since November 2012, a sign the job market is strengthening along with demand, the U.S. Department of Labor has reported. The 281,000 surge exceeded the most optimistic forecasts in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The median estimate of economists called for a 205,000 advance. Businesses are taking on more workers and limiting dismissals,...
Read MoreGetFriday Virtual Outsourcing Releases Service to Help SMBs/Entrepreneurs Scale Up
GetFriday, a leading virtual assistant service, has announced the launch of GetFridayAce, a small business support services for entrepreneurs and startups around the globe. Apart from business support across industries and verticals, GetFridayAce also provides specialized skills like web services, SEO, bookkeeping, research and analytics, data-entry, keyword-research, website-citation building,...
Read MoreStaples: 48 Percent of Small Business Owners Skip Vacation, Fear "Unplugging"
According to a new survey by Staples, Inc., almost half of small business owners (48%) miss summer vacations due to a fear of unplugging. The June 2014 online survey also revealed even when small business owners do take a vacation, more than 2 in 5 (44%) find it hard to relax because they constantly think about how their business is doing. Survey highlights include: -53 percent of small...
Read MoreWhich HR Jobs Will Be Extinct in 10 Years' Time?
One discussion that is becoming less the stuff of science fiction and more the topic of our immediate lives is the trend toward computerization of work and the gradual replacement of workers by robots or disembodied software routines, if you prefer. It really can't be dismissed as futuristic paranoid nonsense as real, grounded studies, such as this one from The Oxford Martin School, show that 47...
Read MoreBig Data Could Be Big Change Your Career Needs
Looking for a career change but don't feel prepared to transition to something new? Big data might be a way to use your existing skills in a burgeoning field called business intelligence. "Whether you have the ability to compile and analyze data or the communication skills to translate it to decision makers, embracing Big Data can fast-track your career," advises Select Group on its blog....
Read MoreWas Your Employer Brand Damaged During The Recession?
It would seem that not only is the typical modern employee disengaged, but he or she has been left psychologically scarred by the recent financial crisis and recession. This crisis, as you all know, led to layoffs, lack of job security, and pay freezes/pay cuts, (two thirds of employees experienced some kind of cut). It also exposed a distinct lack of strong leadership, accountability, and...
Read More24 Seven: Hiring is Up as Talent is On the Move and Execs Come Under Pressure
Hiring rates, job fill rates, and salaries are on the rise according to the annual Salary Job Market Report conducted by 24 Seven, an international search firm specializing in fashion, retail, marketing, digital, design and beauty. While job market indicators are positive, raises were smaller than last year, and the survey finds talent dissatisfied with salaries, jobs, is disengaged and...
Read MoreCentral Desktop Launches Collaboration Intelligence Engine
Central Desktop, a leading cloud-based collaboration platform company, has launched the Collaboration Index (C-Index), an automated scoring system calculated by the Central Desktop platform that ranks users in relation to other system collaborators across four dimensions: audience, listening, social and facilitation. The resulting intelligence provides managers with a roadmap to discovering users...
Read MoreSHRM: Workplace Being Transformed by Automation and Changing Demographics
The main finding of new research released by SHRM at its annual conference in Orlando is that the workplace will experience many changes and challenges including demographics, increased automation, and growing competition. "Our mission is to educate and present best practices," Mark Schmit, executive director of the SHRM Foundation, said during a press briefing. The report found...
Read MoreRecruiting Guide–3 Steps from the Job profile to the Personnel Selection Procedure
To make personnel selection innovative, effective, and efficient is challenging for many recruiters. Which selection procedure is the best for your particular vacancy? When should you use pre-recorded video interviews, live interviews or assessment centers? How do you combine various smart selection procedures? This is not an easy thing to determine. Let's go back to the basics: In...
Read MoreWhat Should You Study in College?
The economic picture isn't exactly rosy for anyone right now: Fortune reports that the Brookings Institution believes we're still 8.3 million jobs away from fully recovering from the Great Recession. In fact, we may not see total recovery until July of 2020. There isn't a lot that the average job seeker can do to fix this, but there is one thing many experts agree on: if you want to find...
Read MoreHow Smart Workplace Design can Make Your Firm a Talent Magnet
Can the design and effectiveness of the workplace really have an impact on your ability to attract and retain staff? I mean, of course we all like somewhere nice to work, but would we really make decisions to join or leave a company because the office environment was either a bit lousy or bit charming? It seems we do, according to this study by Gensler, which found that when workplace...
Read MoreUnemployment Benefits Claims Down Again as Job Market Strengthens
Jobless claims declined by 11,000 to 304,000 in the week ending July 5, the fewest in more than a month, a Labor Department report has shown. The drop in firings signals a rebound in second- half economic growth. As demand improves, employers will probably take on more workers, helping to lift consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of the economy. The previous week's figure...
Read MoreRight Management Finds Leadership Development Top Priority for HR in 2014
According to a recent survey by Right Management, the career and talent management experts within ManpowerGroup, leadership development is the no. 1 priority for HR leaders globally. The Talent Management: Accelerating Business Performance survey of more than 2,200 senior HR leaders globally found that 46 percent identified leadership development as the top priority for 2014. Yet, a mere 13...
Read MoreBusiness Growth Threatened by Recessionary Habits in HR, says CEB Assessment
New research from member-based advisory company CEB, reveals that approximately 6 percent of companies are equipped to shift from survival to growth mode. The findings indicate that weak talent infrastructures are threatening corporate growth and impeding strategic HR support. Rapid intervention is needed to strengthen the rigor of current talent practices if HR is to help build the foundations...
Read MoreCollege Degrees Still Pay Off, says Federal Reserve Bank
A college degree is still worth the investment, the Federal Reserve Bank said. The benefits of both bachelor's and associate's degrees still tend to outweigh the costs for the average person, according to a study of the economic returns since the 1970s. "The return to a college degree has held steady for more than a decade at around 15 percent, easily surpassing the threshold for a sound...
Read MoreBlinking on the Job Not Allowed—The (De)Merits and Bounds of Extreme Job Discipline
The eyes of the stock-still Taiwanese honor guard in the photo I took at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial site in Taipei are expected to be just as unblinking if filmed—for the entire hour of his shift. Blinking is simply out of the question, forbidden on pain of penalties. For the several minutes I carefully observed him, he never blinked or otherwise indicated he was not a statue. That he is...
Read MoreIs it Time to Re-think America's Position on Work-life Balance?
In my usual browsing through Yahoo!'s homepage, I came across an article about shorter work weeks. In high school I remember proposing the idea of a shorter school week to my mother: I should only have to go to school Monday through Thursday. Because I had to go to school Friday it cut into my weekend time, truly giving me only two days off as opposed to the three schools led students to...
Read MoreShould You Ditch Self-Report Questionnaires? Rethinking Employee Profiles with John Power
"Which do you think is the right answer?" my girlfriend asked me. "Pick the one that makes it seem like the customer is definitely right," I answered. I was 17 and working at a Staples. My girlfriend, the same age, was also trying to land a job at Staples. She had called me to help her out with the online personality test, a massive beast of a questionnaire that would try any...
Read MoreMore Employers Having Difficulty Finding Qualified Workers
Express Employment Professionals has released findings that reveal it is still difficult for employers to fill open positions, despite an improving job market. In total, 83 percent of Express franchises said it was "somewhat difficult" or "very difficult," compared to 78 percent in 2013. Twenty-five percent of franchises said it is "very difficult" to fill positions, while 58 percent...
Read MoreShould You Salary-Match-Guarantee Top Talent – to Stop Them From Leaving?
Most of us will be familiar with the concept of a price-match-guarantee, which you often see in supermarkets or big electrical retailers. You know how it goes: If you can find the same product for the same price elsewhere, we'll match that price. It's a great way to encourage customer loyalty and obviously works well as it's a very prevalent customer retention tactic. But, I am going to dare...
Read MoreSubstance Use and Workplace Privacy: What Are Your Rights
As an employer, you are responsible for the safety of your employees as well as ensuring workplace productivity. Substance use of employees is a concern that can affect both safety and productivity. The rights of an employee or prospective employee during the interview process and after hiring are well outlined under several legal provisions. You need to have a thorough understanding of these...
Read MorePI Worldwide Reveals Five Best Practices for Revitalizing the Performance Review Process
PI Worldwide, a leader in science-driven insights that help optimize the performance and potential of individuals, teams and organizations has compiled the following five best practices for managers to keep in mind to revitalize the performance review process, making it much more productive for them and the reviewees: 1. Take the Fear Out One of the reasons people don't like performance...
Read MoreJames Garner's Words of Wisdom for Your Career
What gal doesn't love The Notebook, the movie inspired by Nicholas Sparks' romantic novel? I just happened to be watching it this past weekend when I saw the news that "Duke"—actor James Garner—passed away at age 86. Garner, as writer for The New York Times, Bruce Webber, pens, "was a genuine star but as an actor something of a paradox: a lantern-jawed, brawny athlete whose...
Read MoreIOR Partners with Eversheds to Launch Safe Umbrella Audit Scheme
The Institute of Recruiters (IOR) recently partnered with international law firm, Eversheds, to launch a brand new audit scheme Safe Umbrella. Safe Umbrella's objective it to help recruiters choose a "safe umbrella" partner—or a company that acts as employer to agency contractors working on a fixed-term contract assignment. According to the IOR, if a recruitment company works with an...
Read MoreMutual Force Unveils Employee Engagement Technology Platform
Mutual Force has announced the launch of Pulse, a technology platform that helps organizations continually improve employee engagement. Pulse improves engagement while developing managers in leadership skills. Pulse takes a balanced approach to improve engagement and focuses on all engagement factors to improve engagement. To improve engagement, an organization needs better managers. When...
Read MoreMotor Mnemonics in Employee Performance Management
The Japanese motorman in the accompanying photo is doing something I had never seen anyone, anywhere perform on the job, save for baseball coaches and Popes, before I rode one of the single-coach local trains in Japan. In a very ritualized, highly structured short sequence of finger pointings, he rhythmically segued from one to another: As I recall, first to the left, then to a chart, then to...
Read MoreAccenture Partners With KIPP to Offer 300+ Students Summer Internships
Management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, Accenture, recently announced that the business is collaborating with the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) network of public charter schools. The new partnership with KIPP will sponsor more than 300 internships this summer for KIPP high school students and alumni at nearly 175 companies and nonprofit organizations across the...
Read MoreInspirus i365 Launches Mobile-based Platform for Recognizing Employees
Inspirus, a provider of workforce recognition solutions, has launched a mobile points based platform, i365 mobile. The platform makes it easy for companies to recognize, engage and inspire employees anytime, anywhere. "More and more, companies are beginning to understand how important employee engagement programs are to the success and well-being of their corporate culture and bottom...
Read More4 Steps to Social Recruiting Millennials & Gen Z
With an entirely new breed of professionals entering the workforce, typical job boards and commonly used professional networking sites like LinkedIn have to evolve. That means campus recruiters have to evolve with them. With more than 300 million unique profiles, LinkedIn is the most commonly used channel for social media recruiting. However, it is one of the only social networking sites in...
Read MoreCareerBuilder: Social Media Posts More Frequently Affect Hiring Decisions
A new survey from CareerBuilder found that 51 percent of employers who research job candidates on social media said they've found content that caused them to not hire the candidate, up from 43 percent last year and 34 percent in 2012. Another 43 percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates, up from 39 percent last year and 36 percent in 2012. Additionally, 12...
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