SharedHR Blog

As companies struggle to find and retain top talent, getting creative and offering benefits that will put you one step ahead of the competition has become paramount.  Here are 5 benefits you might want to think about offering that can benefit employees but can also benefit you as the employer as well.

Last week the Bureau of Labor Statistics produced a positive jobs report, with the unemployment rate at 7.5%.  On this trend the online career research company Glassdoor.com’s recent survey of approximately 2,250 people reported that 33% of workers say they will look for a new job in 2013 if the economy continues to gradually improve.  With signs that the U.S. economy is gradually moving toward better times, employers may want to make efforts now to ensure consistent employee retention.  Although some amount of employee turnover can be healthy for organizations, no company wants their best and brightest moving on to “greener pastures”.

In my last blog I discussed Dale and Chip Heath’s perspective on change and the importance of creating an emotional need for change as illustrated in their recent book, Switch.  But I also touched on John Kotter’s work on this subject.  Kotter is a former professor of the Harvard Business School and author of “Leading Change”.  In this best-selling book, Kotter outlines an 8-step process for implementing successful transformations.

At a conference hosted by the Northern California Human Resources Association I had the pleasure of hearing Chip and Dan Heath talk about their New York Times bestseller, Switch.  One of the things they said that made the greatest impression on me was the notion that although everyone says change is hard, we all engage in some form of change throughout our lives.

On April 9, 2013 the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013 H.R. 1406 was introduced to Congress.  For those not familiar with this bill, it would allow non-exempt private sector employees to opt for paid time off in lieu of payment for overtime hours worked. Employees would earn compensatory time off (“comp time”) at a rate of at least one-and-half hours per hour of overtime worked, up to 160 hours per year, and would be able to cash out at any time. An employer would cash out any unused, accrued comp time at the end of each year or at termination.  Any comp time program must be supported by a written agreement.

According to a recent article in The Economist, software firms are using big data analytic tools to identify patterns in recruiting.  For some organizations, these data patterns are actually influencing new hire decisions. 

If you are new to the world of Human Resources, the sheer mass of knowledge you must master can seem quite overwhelming.  Being relatively new to HR myself, I found the following tips useful in gaining some traction and becoming more confident in administering HR.

Last month I posted an article on employee loyalty and engagement.  I discussed why loyalty is down and why employee engagement is critical.  Our clients know we approach HR with the acumen of a business owner.  That is why I thought it important to share this recent post I came by from Australian HR consultant, Michael Specht wherein he describes recent studies on the cost of disengaged employees.

If any of you have an HR strategy similar to my own, then you have a strong focus on processes, more processes and documentation of those processes. I pride myself on implementing routines that work from year to year and can withstand the tests of time. No matter who is put in charge, I like to ensure that each aspect is clearly developed and documented so that just about anyone can do it. The problem with this philosophy is that I have a hard time letting go. In order for me to rate the level of success, I need to review the execution of the process multiple times to see where there is room for improvement. The problem with this is that while some of us are reviewing our internal processes, we are being passed up by organizations that are doing it better. A new report put out by SHL stresses the importance of focusing on the data that’s available worldwide rather than the information restricted to your organization, as well as making advances towards innovation.

A new Form I-9 with a revision date of 03/08/13 should be used immediately by employers, replacing the previous version.  Forms that were completed with already-hired employees do not need to be replaced, but any new hires or recertification processes require the updated form. The government has built in a short grace period for employers to adopt the new I-9 in their new hire paperwork, and the drop-dead date after which no prior versions will be acceptable is 5/7/13.