HR managers have training on the brain, according to survey

Based on a survey by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service with more than 320 locations worldwide, HR departments are most concerned with training their employees right now. More than 500 HR managers at companies with 20 or more employees responded to the question, “Which of the following is your greatest staffing concern as a human resources professional?” The results:

45% - Training and developing employees
27% - Retaining top-performing employees
23% - Recruiting new employees
5% - None/doesn’t apply

OfficeTeam executive director Robert Hosking explains: "As workers take on expanded responsibilities, it becomes more important for companies to offer professional development to help their teams keep up. Training programs boost job satisfaction for employees by enabling them to build new skills and take on more challenging roles."

Especially today, companies are looking for programs that deliver the best training ROI. At the very least, these programs must be designed with a clear purpose and outline measurable objectives for employees to reach.

Any organization can use these top five employee training tips to help design their own training courses or to improve the ROI of any current programs:

1) Set clear goals. Identifying goals should be the first step to developing a new training program or enrolling employees in outside courses. A clear set of goals will ensure that employees complete the required course material and know what is expected of them once the program is finished.

2) Keep it ongoing. Employee training should be viewed as a way to continually learn and improve, rather than just something to check off your to-do list. With continuous training, employees will develop new skills and abilities that will improve their productivity and boost to your bottom line.

3) Keep it simple. Keep training programs focused on one topic at a time. If there are too many topics or too much information, you can easily overwhelm employees and turn training into a burden instead of an opportunity. If necessary, split up a large training program into smaller, more manageable courses.

4) Spend wisely. Do your homework and make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck when investing in employee training. Whether you’re using an outside resource or developing an in-house training program, ensure the materials are the best quality for your budget.

5) Follow up. After the training course or seminar is complete, managers should meet with employees on a regular basis to determine the effectiveness of the training and to monitor employees’ progress. Managers can also help employees who may be struggling with any new information.

A business is only as good as the people who work for it. Help your business succeed by giving employees the tools and training to perform at their best.

HR managers have training on the brain, according to survey

Hiring to come out of its deep freeze as economy warms up

According to CareerBuilder’s 2010 Job Forecast, employers will be revisiting their hiring strategies in the new year, largely due to the dark cloud of the depressed economy beginning to lift.

"There have been many signs over the past few months that point to the healing of the U.S. economy, especially the continued decrease in the number of jobs lost per month, a trend that will hopefully carry over into the new year," said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder.

In its survey of more than 2,700 hiring managers and human resource professionals nationwide, CareerBuilder uncovered some very encouraging hiring predictions for 2010, including:

=> 20% of employers plan to increase their number of full-time, permanent employees
=> 11% of employers plan to add part-time employees
=> Employers in the West plan to increase their headcounts the most of any other region, with nearly 24% saying they will add full-time workers (compared to 21% in the Northeast, 20% in the South and 16% in the Midwest)
=> Hiring is expected to increase the most in these industries: information technology, manufacturing, financial services, professional and business services, and sales
=> The types of jobs that employers plan to hire for most frequently are technology and customer service, followed by sales, research/development, business development, accounting/finance, and marketing

Hiring isn’t the only area being resuscitated in the new year. According to the CareerBuilder survey, companies will be “making up for lost ground caused by the recession” by pursuing 10 additional key trends.

In yet another “top 10 list” in a January blog post (!), these key initiatives include:

1. Replacing lower-performing employees
2. Focusing on social media to strengthen brand
3. Rehiring laid-off workers
4. Providing flexible work arrangements
5. Cutting perks and benefits
6. Rehiring retirees and postponing retirement
7. Turning to freelance or contract hiring
8. Adding green jobs
9. Stepping up bilingual recruitment
10. Reducing business travel

So what about your business? Will hiring come off the back burner and make an appearance again in 2010? And what about the other trends CareerBuilder revealed in its survey? Will you be taking any of the same steps?

Hiring to come out of its deep freeze as economy warms up

Looks like we made it - Saying goodbye to 2009 and hello to 2010

So here we are, ushering in 2010 … a fresh, unspoiled year … a blank slate waiting to be filled with new experiences and opportunities. The year ahead feels like that shining, new employee you just hired, coming to you with impeccable credentials and a winning personality. Will the new year, like that new employee, be everything you hoped for?

In addition to wishing you a "Happy New Year" in this first blog post of 2010, I feel like I should express my congratulations, too. Congratulations on enduring a year that was anything but dull, thanks to a lingering recession, the swearing in of a new, Democratic president and heightened labor law enforcement under the Obama administration. Many of you successfully kept your businesses afloat with fewer employees, fewer resources and budgets that were cut to the bone.

Lest you forget your strength and resilience during such trying times, let us take a quick walk down memory lane to revisit the changes that hit employers the hardest in 2009 (and that were covered in HR Forum):

=> New Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) rules become effective in January, with expanded military coverage and revised guidelines on determining FMLA eligibility and handling leave requests.

=> In his first piece of legislation as President, Barack Obama signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law in late January, an equal-pay bill designed to make it easier for employees to sue for pay discrimination.

=> In response to the nation’s dire economic situation, President Obama signs a $787 billion stimulus package that includes a COBRA subsidy for laid-off workers, hiring incentives via tax credits for certain types of workers and other new HR requirements.

=> Just as most businesses are preparing to update their employment verification practices to incorporate newly updated I-9 Forms, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pushes back the scheduled update by two months (to April 3).

=> In late April, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano urges employers to aggressively prepare for another outbreak of swine flu to prevent it from becoming a full-fledged pandemic.

=> The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launches a bold initiative in early July as part of its stepped-up enforcement, alerting 652 businesses nationwide that ICE agents will be inspecting their hiring records.

=> Beginning September 8, all federal contractors and subcontractors are required to use E-Verify, a free, web-based system, that compares employee information from the Form I-9 against federal databases to verify a worker’s employment eligibility.

=> Also in September, all businesses covered by HIPAA - or that offer products or services that interact with protected health information – must notify individuals when their health information has been breached, along with updating their HIPAA policies and procedures.

=> In October, OSHA announces a national emphasis program (NEP) on recordkeeping to assess the accuracy of injury and illness data recorded by employers, largely due to unusually low incidence rates in traditionally high-rate industries.

=> The provisions of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) go into effect in November, which includes an updated EEOC “Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law” poster – the fifth federal-level posting change in five years.

Awareness and action in 2010

While the new year is starting on a high note – with many experts indicating that the recession is lifting – we can most likely expect a similar level of labor law reform and increased enforcement under the Obama administration in 2010. Check back here often for insights on the latest legal and HR issues affecting your business, including solutions to help you meet every challenge like a seasoned pro.

Looks like we made it - Saying goodbye to 2009 and hello to 2010

Economy shrinking workers’ paychecks

More than one in three U.S. workers (39%) said that they had not received a raise or that their compensation had decreased as a result of the economic downturn, according to a new survey.

As part of their Tell It Now poll, ComPsych asked workers: “Has the economic downturn impacted your work? If so, in which area have you experienced the greatest impact?”

The highest number of workers (39%) said they haven’t received a raise or their compensation had actually decreased this year as a direct result of the economic downturn.

One in five workers (20%) reported increased conflict and stress among coworkers since the economic recession began.

Another 11% of workers said they’ve had to take on more work due to company layoffs. The added work has about 10% more workers reporting that they’re working more hours and unable to take as much vacation time as they usually do.

Just 20% of respondents said the economic downturn had no impact on their work.


We’d also like to know – Has the recession impacted your work? If so, which area has been impacted the most?

Economy shrinking workers’ paychecks

Advice for HR in the new economy

How will you handle HR in the new economy? Outsourcing, secret identities, improved strategies, joining the circus?

Here's some advice from some of the most promising human resource professionals of the future:

Advice for HR in the new economy