Content about Employment

The practice of applying cookie-cutter, commodity pricing to people comes at a huge cost. As the temporary staffing industry matured, the typically large disparity in pay between full-time regular employees and temps gave rise to a wide gap in the quality and dedication levels between the two types of workers.

Wall Street may not be fashionable in some circles, but here’s one statement that’s tough to dispute: Wall Street professionals know how to negotiate a good deal. Last year, even in relatively lean times, 56 percent of Wall Street financial pros reported earning a higher bonus than they earned the year before.

Almost three years after the onset of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, employees still harbor a deep distrust of company management. A new Maritz Poll conducted by Maritz Research found that despite a slight improvement in business conditions, the American workforce remains less engaged with their employers than they did one year ago.

The construct of conventional employment is becoming passé as many companies are choosing—or are being forced to choose, in many cases—to take on independent contractors instead of benefit-laden employees, say Ginny Clarke and Echo Garrett, authors of “Career Mapping: Charting Your Course in the New World of Work.” This cataclysmic shift in the new world of work has huge implications for how people manage their careers.

Finding someone to just fill a seat at your company isn’t hard. But finding great people—the ones who fit with your culture, who share your vision, who can make immediate and lasting contributions—can be very difficult. This is true for small and large companies, as the right people can transform any organization.

State Street’s Flex Work Program has evolved from a disparate collection of employee-initiated arrangements into a proactive, manager-initiated program supported by an array of tools, technologies, and resources.

There’s a lot of buzz about the factors that lead to an engaging work environment and an equal number of prescriptions for what should be done to improve it. But what factors are most important, and who is actually responsible for creating a motivating work environment in today’s organizations? Is it an immediate manager’s responsibility? Is it senior leadership’s responsibility? What role do individual employees have in the process? These are just some of the questions asked in a recent survey conducted by Trainingmagazine and The Ken Blanchard Companies.

As soon as employees start a new job, the clock begins ticking. An effective onboarding program is essential to quickly bring new hires up to speed on an organization’s mission, policies, objectives, systems, and daily practices, as well as ensure they can be productive as soon as possible. Surprisingly, only 60 percent of employees believe their company’s orientation program for new employees is adequate, and only 63 percent believe their organization currently provides effective on-the-job training.

As HR departments begin building their referral machine, it’s critical to ensure the final approach is targeted and relevant to the employee base. Rather than implementing new technology in hopes that it will create a community and encourage employee interaction and recommendations, HR should identify the solutions that will help track success and the level of activity to ensure effectiveness.

Most organizations have been running very lean, and as the economy recovers, the disruption and lost capability of increased turnover will be even more difficult to manage. What can organizations can do to increase their ability to retain their best employees? Here are six prescriptions organizations can act on right now.

When hiring starts again after a recession, workers often need a new skill mix. If so, it’s the trainer’s job to make sure employees—both current and those being hired—have those skills.