Piece it Together
There’s always something to talk about, so pull up a chair and let’s Piece It Together. Through articles written by our consultants, we share with you our take on the latest news, trends, and changes in HR, leadership and the workplace.
Read our latest posts or peruse our past articles. Please let us know if you have any comments or want more information on how we can help your organization.
Inspiring Your Next Generation of Leaders
I recently read an article by George Bradt about the Academy Award winning movie Whiplash, where, JK Simmons plays a music instructor who crushes his students’ confidence by demanding impossible musical perfection while opposing one student against the other. Brandt directs the reader to correlate Simmons’ teaching with pushing an employee beyond the bounds of reason to develop their leadership skills. The “best” performers respond to the challenge, while the others “go away.” I found his analysis interesting, but at the same time a bit unsettling.
Brandt goes on to identify a flaw in this argument and clarifies that, rather than be motivated by others to achieve their potential […]
The Millennials are Taking Over
Two things bubbled up to my attention this week that got me really thinking about the dynamics of the changing workforce and its impact on HR.
First, Google officially announced that for the first time, more searches come from smartphones and tablets, than from laptops and desktops. In addition, according to the Pew Research Center, Millennials are now the single largest generation in the American workforce.
These two factors, one a technology issue and one a human capital issue, represent a stark need for organization’s alignment in ways that they recruit and retain employees.
It’s been fairly well documented that organizations are actively using social media to recruit employees. But now […]
Caring About a Family-Oriented Workplace
Last month the Northern Virginia Family Services (NVFS) held their annual CARE Awards Launch (Companies as Responsive Employers). HR Advisors Group has had the privilege of being involved in this worthwhile event for the past three years. I wanted to take the opportunity to share some of the background and details of this awards program that recognizes best practices and programs relating to family-friendly employers.
Since 1992, when the first CARE Awards were awarded, there has been national focus on meeting the needs of employees regarding family related issues. Some of this focus has been through public laws such as the Family and Medical Leave Act of […]
Growth and Advancement Opportunities for All
With Spring finally here, many of us are poking our heads outside and breathing a collective sigh of relief. It’s been a real burden of a winter for many of us across the country and the promise of sunshine and new growth is certainly welcome.
In the spirit of the season, augmented by a series of high profile events, I’ve been giving a lot of thought around the need for organizations to take a moment to think about growth and advancement in the workplace.
Some of you might have been following Ellen Pao’s wrongful termination and sexual discrimination lawsuit against her former employer, powerhouse venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins. Late […]
Sobering Advice for HR
Recently, Deloitte released their annual Human Capital Trends Report, their annual study of HR, leadership, and talent challenges compiled using data from surveys and interviews taken by 3,300+ HR and business leaders in 106 countries around the world. The report, as always, is chocked full of really terrific information and insights. If you have a few minutes, the executive summary and accompanying infographic are great reads.
One of the biggest things that struck me from this year’s report was some shot across the bow for the HR profession. Reskilling HR came in as the fourth most important talent issue for the year, with business leaders rating HR’s performance […]
That Kid’s Got Upper Middle Management Written All Over Him…Management Development in Today’s Workforce
Great humor can be found in bad management. Hollywood and pop culture has certainly capitalized on workplace rituals and the absurdity of particular management styles. The Office seems like it will always be relevant and let’s not forget about my personal favorite, the 1999 classic, Office Space. The comic strip Dilbert, which has been spawned several books, a television show, a video game and countless merchandise items, highlights the “joys” of micromanagement and workplace misery.
While we can all have a good laugh watching Michael Scott’s latest antics, when you are an employee working for a bad manager, there is nothing funny about it. Aside from adversely affecting employee […]
House of Glass – A Boardroom Original
Many folks spent the weekend of February 28th binge-watching Netflix’s House of Cards. This season saw Frank Underwood on the campaign trail facing off for the nomination against two female candidates. If you haven’t seen the show, it’s a riveting narrative about political powerhouses. With Hillary Clinton widely expected to be the Democratic nominee in the upcoming 2016 election, I started reflecting a bit about diversity in the workplace and corporate boardrooms specifically.
While it may not surprise you, women still make up less than one-fifth, or 19.2%, of board members at companies in the S&P 500. It is worth noting that strides […]
The Economy Is Improving! That’s a Good Thing…Right?
It seems the economy is finally on the rebound and it’s not just pundit hawking opinions on cable TV. While new workplace statistics are providing a positive economic outlook, there are also some indications in a big shift within the job market.
CareerBuilder reports that more than one-third of employers expect to add full-time employees in 2015, the best outlook since 2006 and that salary increases are on the rise with projections at an average three percent increase for 2015. In addition, Jobvite reports that 70 percent of the workforce is either actively looking for another job or is open to hearing about a new opportunity. For […]