HR professionals discuss importance of hiring the right employees
A September 29 article on TechJournal discussed how human resources officers can maximize the productivity and success of their workforce by recruiting more talented individuals. According to the news outlet, in order to do this, HR professionals must concentrate on improving their hiring strategies and selecting only the best candidates for positions in their companies.
"Companies can’t afford hiring mistakes, which are costly and can erode staff morale," said Max Messmer, the author of Human Resources Kit For Dummies, as quoted by the news source. "Finding the right match requires time and attention, and it’s something even busy managers need to make time for."
To help businesses improve the way they make hiring decisions, the media outlet provided a few major tips for human resources officers in respect to strategy. Much of the advice is based on the attitudes and creativity of the HR reps conducting the hiring process.
Human resources professionals are cautioned not to recycle job descriptions over and over again. While this may be a convenient way to list new openings, the news source states that it is very important for HR reps to take the time to clearly lay out exactly what type of candidate they are looking for in their job postings. By creating unique and detailed descriptions, human resources officers are more luckily to receive applications from individuals who appropriately fit the job being offered.
HR representatives should also look beyond an applicant's resume when making hiring decisions. Oftentimes, there is much more to an individual than what can be put on paper. As such, the media outlet suggests that HR officers spend less time analyzing job history and more time determining an applicant's potentially positive intangible qualities, such as leadership, collaboration and communication skills.
While the TechJournal article focuses on improving the attitudes and opening the mindsets of human resources professionals, there are other strategies that these individuals can use to improve their success at hiring talented employees. For instance, asking the correct questions during an interview can go a long way in determining which applicants are best suited for a job, reported Insperity on August 26.
According to this media outlet, human resources officers should focus on developing interview questions that give them insight into the behavior and working style of individuals applying for jobs in their company. In this way, HR professionals can determine a candidate's trustworthiness and ability to overcome obstacles, which are two qualities that are paramount in successful employees.
Human resources officers can now access a new resource
HR Future reported on September 2 that, in the current economic climate, human resources representatives should be focused on finding and acquiring talented workers. According to the news source, hiring and retaining quality employees can go a long way in boosting a company's industry reputation and increasing its profits. In order to effectively attract skill and motivate one's workforce, the media outlet suggests that HR professionals get creative and think outside the box when developing hiring strategies.
HR representatives who are interested in learning some of the different ways they can increase the value of their work force may be interested in a new product on the market. On September 28, TotalPicture Radio announced the release of a new digital resource designed to assist human resources officers in the process of finding and recruiting talented employees. In conjunction with Riviera Advisors, a corporate HR consulting firm based in Long Beach, California, the company will offer a series of informational podcasts on its website, as well as sell the products through iTunes.
Titled Insights: Amplified, the podcasts discuss some of the most effective hiring strategies that human resources officers can utilize to draw successful and high-producing employees to their companies. In addition, the recordings provide information that may prove helpful to HR professionals, such as tips on worker retention, ways to improve leadership capabilities and insights into the current trends in the human resources and hiring industries.
"These new podcasts will help those seeking HR and talent acquisition expertise tap into Riviera Advisors' vast industry expertise in improving, enhancing and optimizing corporate recruiting and staffing capabilities and practices," said Peter Clayton, the producer and host of TotalPicture Radio. "Through this podcast series, Riviera Advisors is taking the lead in sharing leading practices and delivering real, actionable content that can elevate the ability and competencies of the entire HR and talent management industry and profession."
The series also includes interviews with several of the top HR professionals in the U.S. and provides advice for HR representatives tasked with talent management and acquisition. Among the individuals who participated in the TotalPicture Radio podcasts are Melissa McMahon, the senior director of talent acquisition for CDW; Frank McKay, the manager of recruiting and university relations at Schlumberger Limited; and Paul Kind, the corporate director of talent for Caesars Entertainment. According to Riveria Advisors, these professionals have stood out in their fields as effective recruiters and mangers of talent.
Employee retention strategies for HR reps
According to a September 20 article published by Forbes magazine, human resources officers need to make motivating their employees a main priority. As it costs businesses a great deal of money to recruit and train new workers, maintaining a satisfied and productive workforce can go a long way in making one's company a success.
The media outlet reports that motivated employees are often happier and more engaged in their jobs. This has to do with the fact that they believe their contribution is important to the total work effort and they are valued by their managers and corporation for their work. In order to ensure that one's company fosters a positive corporate culture that encourages productive and motivated employees, human resources representatives can implement a variety of different strategies.
HR professionals may want to keep a finger on the pulse of the workforce to make sure that their efforts to encourage and motivate employees are working. According to the news source, individuals are willing to contribute their resources and time to causes that match up with their own beliefs. As such, it is important that an employee's career goals are on par with their company's mission, something human resources officers can ensure by keeping channels of communication open with their workers and being receptive to their comments and ideas.
The news outlet also recommends that HR representatives continue to challenge employees, raise expectations as they improve and reward workers for both their aptitude and their attitude. Human resources officers may find that when employees are pushed to produce their best work and are acknowledged for being a team player, their level of job satisfaction and loyalty to the company increases.
Another way to ensure employee retention and increase motivation is to show workers their future. Through the discussion of potential promotions and career opportunities, HR professionals can help their employees feel like they are an important part of the corporate culture and a valued team member. In addition, individuals who believe they have a future at a company are much more willing to work hard and stay loyal, reports the media outlet.
On June 28, human resources blog HR Crest published a how-to guide on employee motivation for managers. According to this source, individuals can foster a more productive workforce by offering additional training and leadership opportunities to stand-out workers, implementing employee recognition programs and creating innovative assignments that break up the monotony of an office job.
Human resources representatives can keep employees engaged
According to a May 11 article on Small Business Trends, only 31 percent of employees currently working in the U.S. describe themselves as engaged in their jobs. Conversely, 17 percent reported being completely disengaged while the remaining 52 percent stated that they were unsure or neutral about the issue. As one of the goals human resources representatives may be working towards involves establishing a productive and satisfied workforce, these professionals may wish to improve the employee engagement strategies that are currently in place at their offices.
The Globe and Mail reported on September 19 that there are many factors that influence employee engagement in an office setting. While some individuals may believe that complicated initiatives and policies are necessary in order to keep their workers engaged and productive, the news source states that making a few simple adjustments to the attitudes of managers and human resources representatives can have a largely positive effect on engagement in the workplace.
When considering the effect that their attitudes and mindsets have on their work force, human resources officers should attempt to discern the message that they are subconsciously sending to their employees. According to the media outlet, many managers unintentionally discourage worker participation in discussions because they are afraid of losing control or being usurped. As such, HR professionals may want to ensure that they keep a modest attitude and actively solicit comments, questions and concerns from their workers. In addition, it is important that human resources officers listen to their employees and show that they are interested in what they have to say. Showing respect and interest in what a worker thinks can help them feel valued in a company and encourage them to continue to be involved in the corporate culture.
Another tip that the news source gives for human resources professionals has to do with the way that individuals conduct meetings. While cultural mores within a company may discourage employees from disagreeing with their co-workers or superiors, allowing discussion and debate within a meeting or conference can actually increase productivity and improve techniques and strategies employed by the company. In order to encourage such conversations, the media outlet suggests that HR officers hold meetings around circular tables, which allows all individuals present to be seen and heard fairly.
Telecommuters can be a company's best asset
HR Morning reported on August 10 that many companies and the executives that run them are uncomfortable with the idea of hiring telecommuters. When asked why, many individuals in upper level management stated that the did not believe that workers could be productive and successful without being supervised at all times. However, human resources officers may wish to reevaluate their company's current policy, as recent studies show that virtual workers are actually better employees in some senses than those who spend each day at the office.
According to an August 26 article on BNET, the CBS Interactive Business Network, telecommuters can be extremely valuable assets to their companies. As they cannot be micro-managed by their supervisors, the only criteria that they are judged upon is actual performance. Typically, this results in virtual workers placing a high priority on producing quality work, so as not to lose the privilege of telecommuting. The news source also reports that employees who work from home are willing to put 100 percent into their assignments because the fact that their employers trust them enough to leave them to their own devices makes them feel respected and valued by their companies, qualities that most workers in the U.S. rank as very important.
BNET states that a results only work environment, which is defined as a management strategy that judges workers upon their performance, not their presence, is the key to a company's success. Adopting this sort of company policy, which is essentially the way that telecommuting is governed, creates a more positive corporate culture where individuals focus on working smarter instead of simply clocking in unnecessary extended hours simply for the sake of being in the office.
However, increased productivity and worker satisfaction are not the only reasons why human resources professionals should consider allowing their employees to work from home. On August 15, Market Watch, a news and business-based site, reported on the results of a survey conducted by the Ethisphere Institute and Jones Lang LaSalle. According to the data compiled by the study, it appears that telecommuters are much better behaved and more ethical than their in-officer counterparts.
The report, which polled more than 200 firms in the U.S., found that a much higher percentage of employees who work in an office setting commit ethical violations than those who telecommute. For instance, between 2009 and 2011, just 11 percent of the corporations surveyed stated that their home workers had committed such an offense. In comparison, 36 percent of businesses revealed that their in-office employees had committed visible ethics violations, such as sexual harassment, discrimination or the use of offensive language. Additionally, 43 percent reported that their traditional workers had engaged in non-visible violations, including expense account fraud, intellectual property theft, bribery or blackmail.
There are many potential reasons why telecommuters are less likely to engage in ethical behavior posited by human resources officers and executives. One is that they are not in the office to harass or bribe others, and another is that these workers do not wish to have their telecommuting privileges taken away.
"Working from home is still viewed as a positive privilege because it’s still pretty new," said Alex Brigham, the executive director at the Ethisphere Institute, as quoted by the news source. "In terms of the privilege of working from home, they didn’t want to put it at risk because they didn’t want to get called back into the office."
Employers can help workers strike a work-life balance
Citing a 2008 study conducted by the Corporate Executive Board, Federal Computer Week reported on August 19 that employees all over the globe rank a positive work-life balance very high on their list of workplace priorities. The survey, which polled more than 50,000 professionals, revealed that nearly one-third of workers have stayed at their current jobs for an extended period because they appreciate the balance their employers allowed them between work and life.
While many individuals state that a healthy work-life balance is one of the top things they are looking for from a job, not every worker is necessarily able to maintain such equilibrium. According to a study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management in December 2010, 44 percent of men between the ages of 34 and 54 say that they do not currently have the work-life balance that they desire. In addition, of the 1,043 U.S. professionals who were surveyed, nearly 89 percent believe that a healthy work-life balance is something that more companies need to focus on improving.
According to an August 15 article on Guide2Money, the importance of reducing conflict between work and personal or family obligations is even more important to men than women. While 72 percent of male workers list work-life balance as their number one priority, nearly 90 percent of their female counterparts give it this high ranking. However, regardless of gender, studies, such as a recent survey conducted by Robert Half, a global finance and accounting firm, have shown that a healthy balance between work and life makes all individuals happier and more productive.
As so many individuals wish to strike an equal balance between their work and personal lives, it may be a good idea for human resources officers to work with employees to afford them greater benefits and flexibility in their schedules. According to the Robert Half survey, women are 9 percent more likely than men to leave their current position in order to take a job that allows them to work from home, while men are more willing to accept an unequal work-life balance as long as it comes with an increased salary.
"Being armed with this information and factoring it into your HR planning is an invaluable advantage when working on retention and hiring," said Megan Alexander, the general manager of Robert Half. "It is insightful to know what it takes to keep top workers happy or get a great candidate across the line."
Human resources officers can also attempt to placate their employees and strive for a better work-life balance by following the example of Duke University. According to an August 23 article in Duke Today, this North Carolina-based institution was recently named one of the country's top family-friendly workplaces by Parent Magazine. In order to provide their employees with conditions that allow them to work productively and successfully, Duke offers child care services, time-off benefits, education assistance, elder care and flexible work arrangements.
"Duke has been recognized by Parent Magazine for its family benefits and support for more than a decade," said Kyle Cavanaugh, the vice president of administration at the university, as quoted by the news source. "That's a sign of an enduring commitment to our faculty, staff and their family members. Our goal is to provide the type of environment where our faculty and staff can reach their full potential to meet their personal and professional goals."
More employees interested in telecommuting options than ever
Computer Weekly reported on August 23 that more individuals are demanding flexible work options from their employers than ever before. Between the advantages that technology provides and the crunch that the ongoing economic crisis has placed on transportation costs, for many workers, the option to telecommute is becoming a higher priority than almost anything else.
The news outlet cited recent data compiled by iPass, an organization that reports on networking and portable technology, to back up its conclusions. According to the study conducted by the company, titled The Mobile Workforce Report, 40 percent of the 3,100 employees who participated stated that they wish that their companies allowed them more flexible working conditions and options. In addition, close to 33 percent, or one-third, of workers revealed that they would consider leaving their jobs if they were not allowed to telecommute.
The report also studied how often individuals utilize mobile technology, such as laptops, tablets or smartphones, for work on a daily basis. The data showed that the number of individuals to whom these devices prove invaluable has increased 7 percent in the past year, from a recorded 34 percent in 2010 to 41 percent in 2011.
According to Barbara Nelson, the chief technology officer at iPass, allowing workers to telecommute can be beneficial not only for company morale, but for its bottom line as well. As upper management and human resources departments often spend a great deal of money recruiting and training new employees in-house, affording a workforce more flexible options could decrease the costs associated with high employee turnover and hiring practices.
"Enterprises should note, if they don't provide the flexibility today's mobile employees feel entitled to, their employees will seek out those companies who do allow them the freedom to work when and where they choose," said Nelson, as quoted by the news source. "Employee turnover is a significant expense for any company. The cost to rehire a third of your workforce would clearly cause most companies to fail. This is an important finding that enterprises should consider when making their strategic mobility decisions."
As the demand for more flexible working options is increasing among the U.S. workforce, it would be prudent of human resources officers to consider allowing their employees to work from home some or all of the time. However, while this may solve issues with worker satisfaction and decrease hiring and recruiting costs, HR reps need to understand that telecommuting is not as straightforward as simply loaning out computers to employees and expecting results. According to an article on Human Capital League that was published on August 8, virtual workers require special considerations and support that human resources professionals need to keep in mind when hiring them.
The media outlet reports that HR reps needs to asses whether specific employees are cut out for virtual work before giving them the go ahead. Telecommuters require a certain set of skills that are separate from what is necessary to succeed in a traditional office environment, and, as such, not all employees will be able to appropriately fill this role. For instance, individuals who wish to work from home need to be self-reliant and self-motivated. In addition, while they should be independent enough to complete their assignments virtually and without constant feedback, it is important that telecommuters are team players who will be able to quickly connect with their in-office counterparts when the job requires it.
Hey HR reps, here's why you should consider hiring a new grad
Many human resources reps tend to shy away from hiring young individuals fresh out of business school, a liberal arts college or other university, due to the misconception that these new grads are immature, lazy and inexperienced. However, this may be a bad move, as, contrary to popular belief, young professionals do have something to add to the world of business, despite their limited employment experience. What's more, studies show that if you don't hire these new grads and at least give them a shot, someone else will. As a result, you could miss out on potentially important talent that could help take your business to the next level.
According to Tech Republic, human resources professionals often overlook the value of talent and passion in young applicants and instead focus on their lack of experience. While professional success and an established track record of improving businesses are very impressive and important in older workers, it is unfair to hold newly graduated individuals to this same standard, reports the business blog.
Joe Santana, a guest contributor to Tech Republic, recently shared his reasons for taking a gamble on a young and passionate, though inexperienced, individual. As an human resources representative with a long career in the industry, Santana states that his experience has shown him that talent and ambition can be more important in the long run than almost any other qualities. As a result of his hiring an operations assistant straight out of business school, the success and productivity of the company in which he worked increased. Despite the young woman's lack of experience, her motivation and drive led her to become a quick-learner who was rapidly promoted in the company.
Santana attributes the success of this young woman to the fact that while job applicants fresh out of college do not possess an extensive resume, they are more likely to be enthusiastic, hard-working and willing to work their way to the top than professionals who have been working for many years.
A study conducted by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) on July 14, 2011 reveals that many other employers across several industries are taking the same gamble as Santana did when he hired his once inexperienced but now highly successful new graduate. According to the results of the survey, which polled dozens of companies on their hiring methods and trends over the past year, 41 percent of corporations have hired young talent in 2011. This is a significant increase over 2010, in which just 30 percent of businesses reported hiring new grads. This indicates that more companies are jumping on the young talent bandwagon and looking to take advantage of this previously untapped labor pool.
The SHRM study also polled business owners, human resources professionals and CEOs on why they decided to go with a younger applicant over a more experienced one. According to the data, more than one-third, or 34 percent, of participants stated that the younger generations are more tech-savvy, which is an increasingly important talent in a business world dominated by cloud-based programs, social media and telecommuting.
Based on the results of this recent survey, human resources representatives may want to consider seeking out young talent or at least giving them a fair chance to be hired when they apply for jobs. After all, with so many companies choosing to take on newly graduated individuals, it may be time to jump on the young professional bandwagon before all the good talent is gone.
Human resources reps need to provide flextime for males too
While many individuals are under the impression that flexible scheduling, parental leave and a positive work-life balance are things that are only important to women, studies have shown that this is false. It turns out that men are just as interested in having a life outside of their career as their female counterparts, something that HR reps should take into consideration when offering scheduling options such as flextime.
On May 24, 2011, HR Morning reported on a study conducted by WorldAtWork. According to the media outlet, the results of the organization's research revealed that most men consider flexible work options to be as important a factor in their jobs as their salaries. Men also stated that they have encountered "outdated attitudes" on the part of their managers, and have been negatively affected by taking time off to spend with their families. The data also shows that women do not face the same hurdles when taking parental leave.
In order to satisfy male employees, HR reps should consider offering them paternity leave and the same flextime options as they do their female workers. According to the Telegraph, only one in 10 fathers opt to take this leave due to financial burdens that could be relieved by flexible scheduling.
Hey HR reps - don't fear young employees!
Many people in the business world are hesitant to employ young professionals. Individuals under the age of 30 are often thought of as immature, lazy kids with an attitude problem that should stay as far away from a productive workplace as possible. But guess what HR professionals - it's just not true.
A recent article by HR Morning reveals that the misconceptions that many hold about young workers are far from the truth. The media outlet reports that while older professionals may consider their young co-workers children and bemoan them as a challenge and a handful, these newly-graduated individuals have much to offer the modern workplace.
Data collected by Kenexa High Performance Institute agrees with the news source's view on young professionals. According to a recent study, millenials - or the group of individuals born between 1983 and 2003 - are productive workers who excel at their jobs. Nearly 65 percent of workers under in this cohort report having been promoted at their jobs recently, as compared to just 49 percent of baby boomers and 51 percent of individuals from Generation X.
