Employee Development
News Postings

Corporate University Approach Taking Hold
Going to university may not be what many employees had in mind when they entered the work force, but that's exactly where they might find themselves when it comes to training and development.

The Secrets of Successful Idea People
As important as the continual search for new concepts is to a company, the task of helping those ideas gain traction is just as critical. Everyone who has seen a corporate change initiative wither on the vine knows that there is often a yawning gap between brilliant new ideas and concrete business results.

From Boardrooms to Bowling Lanes
A company's employees spend hours inside cubicles, their eyes focused on computer screens. Now, management would like them to converse with ease. Managers need to distinguish leaders from followers, instill creativity in think tanks or offer some respite from office monotony. The problems are conventional. The solutions, however, are becoming increasingly unconventional.

Training Puts Three Area Companies on Work Force List
Three Washington-area companies are among the nation's best at developing their "human capital," according to Training magazine. Booz Allen Hamilton in McLean, Lockheed Martin in Bethesda and The Ritz-Carlton company, based in Chevy Chase, landed in the top 20 on the magazine's 2003 list of companies that stand out for their work force development.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:29 AM, (Permalink)

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Compensation
News Postings

U.S. Employers Handing Out Smaller Pay Raises
U.S. employers this year and next are handing out the smallest pay raises since at least the mid-1970s -- well below the 4 percent-plus increases routine before the economy lost its footing.

Sun Chief Receives 1.5 Million Options
Network computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. granted stock options to a number of senior executives, including Chairman and Chief Executive Scott McNealy, according to regulatory filings made Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Workers' Comp Board Advises 12 Percent Hike in '04
The workers' comp insurance rates paid by California employers are probably headed for another double-digit increase starting Jan. 1, 2004. The governing committee of the state Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau recommended that insurers adopt an average 12 percent increase for "pure premium rates" next year.

Many CEOs Took Home Less in 2002
For many public-company CEOs, 2002 was the year of the shrinking paycheck. A search of proxy filings of the state's top 50 public Washington state companies shows that 17 chief executives earned less last year, or had pay packages that were virtually unchanged from what they received in 2001.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:24 AM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

Garamendi Urges Immediate Reform of Workers' Comp
California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi said Wednesday that the state must significantly reform its workers' compensation insurance system before the legislature convenes in September or the system will collapse.

Economy Makes Strongest Showing in a Year
The U.S. economy broke out of the doldrums and grew at an annual rate of 2.4 percent in the second quarter of 2003. In another encouraging report, new applications filed last week for unemployment benefits dropped by 3,000 to a five-month low of 388,000. It marked the third week in a row that jobless claims went down and suggested that the pace of layoffs is stabilizing.

Surviving the Accounting Upheaval
A year ago today, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act created an entirely new system for regulating accountants, an attempt to transform them into better watchdogs who could prevent massive financial scandals. Stunned by the public outcry against auditors and the flurry of shareholder lawsuits and regulatory probes, major accounting firms have been struggling since then to reshape themselves.

EEOC Sues Kmart, Alleging Disability Discrimination
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit Tuesday against Kmart Corp., alleging the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to hire a man because of his mental disability.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:20 AM, (Permalink)

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Compensation
News Postings

Study: Severance Packages Down in Last 3 Years
Two-thirds of workers laid off in the last three years received no severance package or other compensation from their employer, according to a new study.

Sun Chief Receives 1.5 Million Options
Network computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. granted stock options to a number of senior executives, including Chairman and Chief Executive Scott McNealy, according to regulatory filings made Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Workers' Comp Board Advises 12 Percent Hike in '04
The workers' comp insurance rates paid by California employers are probably headed for another double-digit increase starting Jan. 1, 2004. The governing committee of the state Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau recommended that insurers adopt an average 12 percent increase for "pure premium rates" next year.

Many CEOs Took Home Less in 2002
For many public-company CEOs, 2002 was the year of the shrinking paycheck. A search of proxy filings of the state's top 50 public Washington state companies shows that 17 chief executives earned less last year, or had pay packages that were virtually unchanged from what they received in 2001.

posted by Sean Rehder at 6:13 AM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

Rising Unemployment Sends Consumer Confidence Plunging
Consumers, nervous about rising unemployment, lost confidence in their economic prospects in July, resulting in a sharp, unexpected drop in sentiment, according to the latest Conference Board survey.

Overtime Plan Draws Angry Letters
The letters and e-mails from nurses and prison guards, from stay-at-home moms and corporate executives, fill dozens of bound white plastic folders on shelves in a Labor Department reading room, part of more than 80,000 comments on the Bush administration's effort to change the rules that govern payment for overtime work.

Laws Promote Accountability
Several corporate attorneys said the companies they counsel are complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, but added that the law places a heavier burden on their firms because it forces them to wrestle with violating the confidentiality of the attorney-client relationship by reporting wrongdoing.

After Long Dry Spell, Start-Ups Get Cash
For the first time in three years, money pouring into business start-ups is on the rise. Not only is that a good sign for the beleaguered technology sector, but it also boosts the overall economy because start-ups create jobs and innovations.

posted by Sean Rehder at 6:05 AM, (Permalink)

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Benefits
News Postings

Companies Squeezed by Tough Times Cut Employee Benefits
America has spun away from the booming '90s, when employers used mouthwatering incentives to lure potential workers. Today, employers are pressured by meager or nonexistent profits, soaring health care costs and pension shortfalls caused primarily by declines in the stock market. Extras getting axed range from health coverage to retirement savings matches, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and stock options.

Playing Catch-Up Can Be Good for You
Don't be surprised if your employer starts encouraging you to contribute more to your 401(k). Congress' 2001 tax cut increased the amount of money that people nearing retirement can contribute to their retirement accounts.

Double-Digit Health Plan Rate Hikes to Continue
Employers can expect double-digit rate hikes for their health insurance plans next year, according to data released this month by Aon Consulting, a global human resources consulting firm based in Chicago.

Airlines Seek Break On Pensions
Amid congressional debate over pension reform, the airline industry and its unions are pressing for a special break from the current funding rules. The measure they are backing would allow underfunded airline pensions to defer for five years large cash payments that would otherwise be required now and to put off repaying funding deficits for as long as 20 years.

posted by Sean Rehder at 7:33 AM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

Study: 1 in 5 Laid Off During Recession
A new study by researchers at Rutgers University and the University of Connecticut found that one in five, or 18 percent, of those interviewed had been laid off during the 2000-2003 period. And of those who lost their jobs, only 49 percent of the ones who had earned $40,000 or more annually said they received unemployment insurance.

New Rules Urged to Avert Looming Pension Crisis
Top government officials have begun a calibrated campaign to bring attention to corporate pension plans, which they say may be on a road to collapse. But underneath their measured words are proposals that could fundamentally change the $1.6 trillion industry, altering the way pension money is set aside and invested.

Plunge in Jobless Claims Reported
The number of Americans lodging new unemployment claims plunged unexpectedly last week to the lowest level since February, bolstering hopes that the economy may have finally shed the cobwebs of the 2001 recession.

Microsoft Sets Radical Bonus Plan
Microsoft's most senior managers are to be paid based on the number of new customers the company acquires over a three-year period. The compensation plan, which ranks as one of the most radical ever adopted by a large company, is part of a wider attempt to transform Microsoft's culture from one based around its inwardly-focused product development teams.

posted by Sean Rehder at 7:28 AM, (Permalink)

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Workplace Safety
News Postings

Health of Chief Executives Suffers Amid the Slowdown
The CEO recipe for unhealthy living includes high-calorie lunches and dinners with customers and advisers, exercise limited to running to catch planes for frequent cross-country and overseas trips, and sleepless nights spent worrying about how to weather the downturn while cleaning up various internal messes. Simmer these ingredients, and the result is a lot of business leaders battling weight gain and stressed, out-of-shape bodies.

Food Company Sued over Worker's Death
The widow of a Round Rock man killed last month by a meat grinder at Michael Angelo's Gourmet Foods Inc. has sued the Round Rock-based maker of frozen foods.

Ergonomics and the Telecommuter
Over 28 million Americans went to work today without ever leaving their homes. As the number of teleworkers increases, the question that arises is how ergonomic is the home environment?

Some Workers Face Increasing Dangers at Work
Broadly speaking, the U.S. workplace has become markedly safer since 1971, when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created. But the emergence of new health risks is making some formerly good jobs bad and some formerly bad jobs awful.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:24 AM, (Permalink)

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Recruiting & Staffing
News Postings

Scouting Talent
Does it really make sense to assume that the perfect person will appear at the precise moment we need him or her? Why not improve the odds by acting as a scout and recruiting 24/7?

Characteristics of a Good Metric
Recruiters use metrics as a basis to make decisions on and focus their actions. To be effective and reliable, the metrics recruiters decide to use need to have five key characteristics.

The Excruciating Job of Being a Recruiter in This Economy
Most recruiters have two things in common in this economy: they are feeling enormous pressure from all sides as they struggle to justify their existence or stay in business, and they are happy to be employed but have serious concerns about the future.

I.B.M. Explores Shift of White-Collar Jobs Overseas
With American corporations under increasing pressure to cut costs and build global supply networks, two senior I.B.M. officials told their corporate colleagues around the world in a recorded conference call that I.B.M. needed to accelerate its efforts to move white-collar, often high-paying, jobs overseas even though that might create a backlash among politicians and its own employees.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:20 AM, (Permalink)

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HRIS
News Postings

XML: The Language of Progress for Business Tech
Extensible Markup Language -- or XML -- is helping make companies' Web sites more appealing and data management more sophisticated.

IT Picture Grows Bleaker in '03
There are signs that the broad economy is picking up. But in information technology, things may actually get worse this year. That is the sad conclusion of a tri-annual survey of 700 North American IT executives by Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research.

U.S. to Remain Dominant in Tech
The United States will continue to dominate global technology for the foreseeable future, but China could eventually threaten its lead, according to a new Rand Corp. report.

Computer Security Is for Managers, Too
Companies need to have smart technicians who stay abreast of emerging digital threats and defenses, of course, but the technicians shouldn't be calling the shots. General managers need to take the lead in building processes that will lessen the likelihood of a successful attack and mitigate damage.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:18 AM, (Permalink)

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Employee Development
News Postings

Are You Supporting Your B Players?
B players are the heart and soul of top organizations, says Harvard Business School professor Thomas J. DeLong. Here's why—and what you can do to manage B players better.

Understaffed and Overworked: What Now?
When resources are scarce, you need a plan for managing your career, your team, and even your boss. Here's what works: balance, focus, and effective communication.

Loosen Up Your Communication Style
If leaders want to connect with all of their staff, they need to combine three styles of effective communication: emotional, factual, and symbolic. Here's how to leverage all three.

Survey Polls Workers on Performance Reviews
Employees nationwide are finding something lacking in their interactions with management--feedback. In a recent study, most employees gave poor marks to their companies' performance management programs. And, according to the study, dissatisfaction with these programs leads to worker apathy and a lack of commitment.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:13 AM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

Dark Clouds in the Fed's Silver Lining
Some Federal Reserve officials and many economists are painting a picture of prosperity. But look closely, and you'll see that job growth won't pick up for quite some time, and that prices will stay dangerously low -- no matter how strong economic growth is in the next several months.

Job Reviews Take on Added Significance in Down Times
Job reviews are causing even more dread in today's weak economy. That's because more employers are using reviews to rank employees — deciding before a layoff who should be let go.

Attention to Detail
As they gear up for what they hope is an inevitable economic recovery, a number of area manufacturers are adopting new business practices, investing in their workers and pushing for public policies. According to industry leaders, it's a stance that's overdue.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:05 AM, (Permalink)

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Compensation
News Postings

Citigroup Doing Away with Stock Options
Citigroup, the world's largest financial services company, said it would move toward granting employees shares of restricted stock rather than stock options.

Why New Stock Plans Might Be a Better Deal
Do employees with stock options make more money than recipients of restricted stock? It all depends on the performance of their employer's share price.

DaimlerChrysler Says It May Follow Microsoft Lead, End Stock Options
DaimlerChrysler AG might follow Microsoft Corp. and stop awarding stock options to employees. Trevor Hale, a spokesman for the German-American automaker in New York, said that the company had been considering scrapping options that give the right to buy stock at a set price well before Microsoft's surprise announcement.

Beyond Options
If options seemed for a time to be a magic bullet that enriched CEOs, employees, and investors alike, what's coming next will likely be less volatile, possibly less remunerative, and more complex. Pay will increasingly consist of a mix of options, restricted shares, and cash bonuses. And whatever form new compensation perks take, they're likely to be more closely tied to achieving specific operating goals.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:25 AM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

U.P.S. Settles Bias Lawsuit Brought by Deaf Workers
Lawyers for more than 1,000 current and former deaf employees at United Parcel Service yesterday announced the settlement of a discrimination lawsuit in which the company agreed to pay $10 million and to take steps to accommodate deaf workers.

HMOs Expect 14 Percent Rate Hike in 2004
Health maintenance organizations will increase the rates they charge employers 14 percent in 2004, marking the fifth consecutive year of double-digit increases, according to a new survey by Seattle actuarial firm Milliman USA.

U.S. Sues 3 Businesses That Refuse to Withhold Taxes
Adopting a new tactic in pursuing businesses that refuse to withhold taxes from their employees' paychecks, the Justice Department filed three lawsuits yesterday asking federal judges to compel the withholding and inform workers about the actions.

I.B.M. Explores Shift of White-Collar Jobs Overseas
With American corporations under increasing pressure to cut costs and build global supply networks, two senior I.B.M. officials told their corporate colleagues around the world in a recorded conference call that I.B.M. needed to accelerate its efforts to move white-collar, often high-paying, jobs overseas even though that might create a backlash among politicians and its own employees.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:21 AM, (Permalink)

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Benefits
News Postings

After Grandstanding, House Passes Pension Legislation
A House committee on Friday approved a $50 billion pension bill that would allow Americans to put more tax-deferred income into personal retirement accounts.

Working 9 to 5 Is No Longer Rule for Single Parents
Gone are the days when the work day was strictly 9 to 5. Most workplaces have evolved into more flexible entities - which is good news for the growing number of single parents juggling career and family pressures.

Counting Invisible Costs
A local company is translating headlines of soaring insurance premiums into hard numbers that let workers see how much their employers spend on benefits.

Health Benefits Target Small Business Owners
Small business owners across the country who want to offer health benefits to their workers are closer to a new kind of insurance policy available through trade associations. Congress has approved the Small Business Health Fairness Act, which would allow association health plans to offer uninsured small business workers less expensive coverage.

posted by Sean Rehder at 6:50 AM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

How HR Pros Can Climb Into the Executive Suite
Whoever says that HR can't be a route to the top hasn't seen the recent -- and encouraging -- data on the subject. In 2001, 30 HR professionals climbed into the ranks of senior-level management, according to a study of the career moves of 537 HR managers by Drake Beam Morin (DBM), an HR and career transition consulting company in New York. Of those 30 HR professionals, 11 secured spots at the very top of organizations, as chief executive officers.

Firms Say Ethics Important
Recent scandals notwithstanding, companies overwhelmingly believe they should operate ethically and be good corporate citizens, according to a survey of corporate citizenship last week.

Dealing With Addiction, and What Comes After
Addiction costs corporate America billions of dollars a year in lost productivity, absenteeism and higher health care expenses. It also derails many once-promising careers. More companies are willing to offer assistance these days, especially as they deal with higher levels of employee stress from heightened workloads and job cuts. Yet many workers are still reluctant to take advantage of this help, for fear of jeopardizing their positions.

Tiny Signs of Life Bloom in Silicon Valley
Year-over-year job losses in Santa Clara County — the heart of the Valley — are easing. Median home prices have climbed since April, easing fears of a housing bubble. Tech job listings online are up 11% this year, and venerable stomping grounds of the tech sect, quiet while patrons licked their wounds, are bustling again.

posted by Sean Rehder at 6:40 AM, (Permalink)

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10 Steps to Improve Your Marketability
By Joe Liberatore


Here are 10 steps you can take to make yourself marketable and increase your chances of landing a good position:

1. Move beyond an industry focus. If there's one lesson to be learned from the Internet boom, it's that specific industry needs can come and go at warp speed. Industry demand moves constantly; the challenge is to identify where the demand is now and where it's going. Having moved from the high-tech, telecom and dot-com sectors, it's now centered on defense, data and network security and the always-strong areas of health care, education, government and utilities. These latter fields aren't glamorous and working in them may be considered a "flight to safety, but they do offer stability.

2. Anticipate the need to transfer your skills.Some skills transfer more readily than others, and this relates to the industry and type of application. It's more difficult, for example, for a systems analyst who develops highly specialized financial-services applications to move to another industry than it is for a UNIX systems administrator whose skills are needed across a number of industries. In a nutshell: while generic technical skills transfer, many applications requiring specific industry knowledge don't.

3. Understand the effect that the business climate has on your skills and your search. Several years ago, demand was high for enterprise-resource-planning gurus and those proficient in applications development for new systems. In today's economy, infrastructure upgrades are smaller, and there's little demand for individuals experienced in full-scale ERP initiatives.

4. Be willing to work as a temp or in a contract job. Until supply and demand in the IT job market reaches equilibrium, employers will try to eke out more productivity from existing staff, hire temporary employees or contract with other companies for employees. This means that candidates who are willing to accept untraditional work arrangements may have an edge.

5. Pay attention to soft skills. Employers want more than just technical skills. Professionals in management or aspiring to managerial positions must hone their communications, supervisory and managerial skills. Ms. Fiumara says she was asked about such skills while meeting with employers. "Interviewers placed a great deal of emphasis on softer skills, asking how I would interact in specific scenarios with end users."

6. Upgrade your skills. An economic down cycle may be a good time to pursue an advanced degree or other professional training, even if it's on your own dime. Choose a program that can help you reach your career goals. Individuals with experience in finance who choose to move to IT, for example, may want a master's degree in information systems or computer science rather than specific technical certification. Research future marketplace needs to help you choose a program that can position you for changing market demands. This combination of initiative and up-to-date training will help you jump to the front of the line when the market opens up.

7. Expand your contacts. Join professional groups and try to meet members who can help steer your career. To build relationships, concentrate less on "what's in it for me" and more on helping others.

8. Remember the value of a good defense. If you're employed, stay employed if it's within your control. You're always most marketable and have the greatest negotiating leverage while you have a job.

9. Study prospective employers. A lot of information is available, but too few candidates bother to research companies before contacting them or meeting interviewers. Start your research with networking contacts. If you've targeted a particular employer and want to speak with current employees, ask colleagues for referrals. If you like what the employees tell you, do more formal research.

Many sources are available on the Internet. If the company is public, review their government filings and analyst reports. Locate information about revenues, revenue history and growth, profitability trends, the composition and stability of management, corporate values, employee benefits and whether you would feel comfortable working there.

10. Be persistent. Remember that employers are always looking for the perfect employee. It's up to you to take personal ownership of your job search and to anticipate and overcome potential objections.

The job market will likely heat up and turn in candidates' favor again. This will cause the 'talent war' to expand to include many industries, skills and levels of employment. How you respond to a hot job market depends on your career stage. If you're winding down your career, try to maximize your earning ability during your final years, particularly if your salary declined recently.

If you're in early or mid-career, consider the long-term picture. Your goal should to position yourself for long-term economic security, not look for jobs that will pay you the most. Seek roles that fit your values and career goals. Individuals who become "job mercenaries" can often sabotage their careers in the long run.

-- Mr. Liberatore is chief talent officer for Kforce Inc., a Tampa, Fla.- based professional staffing firm.



posted by Sean Rehder at 4:25 PM, (Permalink)

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Recruiting and Staffing
News Postings

Could You Automate Recruiting? Some Thoughts on Recruiter Value
A common fear of recruiters is that the Internet and enterprise software tools will mean the elimination of their jobs. Technology does have the potential to take over many of the activities recruiters do, so recruiter skill sets have had to shift with new innovation in the field.

Barrier to Entry
With professional and executive-level hiring showing little meaningful recovery, many displaced workers are trying to make the switch to historically plentiful lower-paying, lower-skilled positions, but those jobs aren't as plentiful as they used to be.

Will Options Shift Scare Off Recruits?
As Microsoft Corp. and other companies retreat from stock options, they may find it harder to attract entrepreneurial staffers vitally needed to spur innovation, recruiters and pay consultants believe.

Crucial Small-Business Hiring Looks Up
Ten percent of small companies plan to add workers in the next three months, a June survey out Tuesday shows. That's up from 1% in March, says the National Federation of Independent Business trade group.

posted by Sean Rehder at 4:07 PM, (Permalink)

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Employee Development
News Postings

Time to Drop the 'Juggling Act'
Many managers today are expected to juggle way too many balls. It's a typical scenario: flattened organization, lean staff. But the projects -- like balls -- don't stop at three.

Workers Need More Skills but Get Less Job Security
The world of blue-collar work has changed. What once took two weeks and a dozen workers now takes two people only a few hours. Jobs once considered a lifetime commitment are now more temporary, forcing workers to stay adaptable.

McDonald's Adds To IT Menu
At McDonald's, improving IT projects is high on the menu of corporate goals. To help do that, McDonald's has created an apprenticeship program for prospective project managers, combining classroom theory, on-the-job learning, and support from mentors in hopes of improving project success rates.

No Rest for the Productive
Greater output per worker is good for business and the economy. Unfortunately, it also means the overworked just have to toil harder.

posted by Sean Rehder at 4:05 PM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

Mid-Career Job Seekers Face Unfamiliar Hurdles
Career counselors say the job market is swimming with baby boomers, many whose middle-management positions were eliminated and who are trying to quickly get up to speed.

Executives More Optimistic but Still Expect Weak Growth
Chief executives of big companies have become more optimistic about the economy, but they expect growth to remain weak enough for job cuts to continue through at least the end of the year, according to a survey released yesterday.

Yahoo! Renewed
In a miracle of good management, good marketing and good products, Yahoo! has not only come back, but these days it is one of the most exciting companies in American industry.

Weekly Jobless Claims Fall; Housing Construction Rises
The number of American workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits last week dropped by a seasonally adjusted 29,000 to 412,000, a three-week low, the Labor Department said, and the number of new housing projects builders broke ground on in June climbed to the highest level in five months, good news for efforts to get the economy back into shape.

posted by Sean Rehder at 4:02 PM, (Permalink)

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Compensation
News Postings

Revision of Department of Labor Overtime Rules Is About More Than Potential Loss of Overtime Rights
A new analysis by the Employment Policy Foundation found that too much emphasis is being place on the potential loss of overtime pay due to the Department of Labor's proposed white collar regulations.

Tyco to Restrict Executive Severance Pay
Tyco International Ltd., whose former leadership is accused of looting the company, on Friday said it adopted limits on severance pay for executives.

Employers Take a United Stand in Insisting on Labor Concessions
Tyson has joined hundreds of companies nationwide demanding concessions from organized labor. As corporations grapple with a weak economy, fierce overseas competition and soaring health costs, they have made concessions a focus of labor negotiations, often demanding wage freezes, lower starting pay, stingier pensions and higher health insurance premiums and co-payments.

Stock Option Plans Get Reevaluated
Microsoft's decision to abandon its storied stock-option plan marks a watershed for corporate America and could usher in an era that sees companies deploy a broad new array of share-based programs to compensate employees.

posted by Sean Rehder at 6:20 AM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

Health Costs Soaring, Automakers Are to Begin Labor Talks
The Big Three automakers, which open contract talks with the United Auto Workers union on Wednesday, are making a bigger issue out of reducing medical costs than they have in years. But the union has staked out health insurance as untouchable.

Crucial Small-Business Hiring Looks Up
Ten percent of small companies plan to add workers in the next three months, a June survey out Tuesday shows. That's up from 1% in March, says the National Federation of Independent Business trade group.

A New Kind of Insurance: Coverage for the Commute
Some employers are buying policies that pay extra if their workers are killed or seriously injured on the way to the office.

Business Confidence Climbing
The confidence of U.S. chief executives increased in the second quarter to the highest level in a year, reflecting a rising outlook for corporate earnings, a new survey showed. A separate survey of corporate chief information officers showed an improvement in expectations for spending on computers, software and related equipment this year.

posted by Sean Rehder at 6:16 AM, (Permalink)

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Workplace Safety
News Postings

Desk Rage Builds to a Boiling Point
On jobs everywhere, people are complaining about increased workloads and longer hours. They're taking problems at work home and problems at home to work. The signs of stress are obvious: irritability, lack of sleep, rudeness, yelling, verbal abuse, even destruction of equipment. Some call it desk rage and it can lead to violence.

OSHA Disregards MSD Reporting
Basing their decision on the assumption that reporting work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) would benefit neither employer nor employee, OSHA has decided not to include a separate column requiring employers to report MSDs in their record keeping.

New Ergonomics Guidelines Pose Challenges
After a lengthy ergonomics debate between industry and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA has been forced to abandon its hope for broad ergonomics regulations in favor of industry-specific guidelines promulgated under the Occupational Safety and Health Act's general duty clause, a catch-all clause that enables OSHA to issue both ergonomics guidelines and citations for ergonomics hazards within a workplace.

Home Depot Workers Hurt in California
Five Home Depot employees have been injured in the company's California stores since February and the injuries have attracted the attention of the state's department of Occupational Safety and Health.

posted by Sean Rehder at 6:08 AM, (Permalink)

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HRIS
News Postings

Bill Would Require Companies To Notify Customers When Accounts Are Hacked
Embarrassed businesses and government agencies would have to notify consumers under a proposed law if hackers break into computers and steal some types of personal information, including Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers and credit card information.

Companies Are Taking Training to the 'Net with E-Learning Courses
It's time for a new paradigm in employee training: e-learning. With today's bandwidth and personal computer capabilities, it just makes sense to use technology to bring the knowledge to the learner, rather than transport the learners to the knowledge.

Do No Harm: HIPAA's Role in Preventing ID Theft
With the deadline for ensuring privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) recently passed, most health care providers and plan companies are preparing to implement the final rule for security. While many of these organizations are focused on the lack of budgetary and staff resources necessary to fulfill another unfunded federal mandate, most have lost sight of why this level of protection is necessary.

Does IT Still Make, Break Competition?
Lately, industry insiders have been debating whether the information technology sector is on the edge of strategic obsolescence.

posted by Sean Rehder at 6:03 AM, (Permalink)

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Benefits
News Postings

More Firms Choosing to Self-Insure
Employers with as few as 50 workers are dabbling in self-insurance, and analysts say that any firm with at least 200 employees makes a viable candidate.

Health Care Costs Force Benefit Changes
Small and midsize employers are scrambling to change health benefits, with rapidly rising costs leading some to return to charging employees a percentage of medical costs and drug bills.

Market Drives Firms to Extend Benefits
While many other benefits that came of age during the dot-com boom - including pet health insurance, concierge services, free lunches and massages - have all but disappeared, domestic-partner health benefits continue to grow in popularity.

California Businesses Expected to Hike Employee Health Contributions
Most California employers believe that increased cost-sharing will make employees more savvy consumers of health care and reduce unnecessary utilization, according to the California HealthCare Foundation. At the same time, many employers are concerned that greater cost sharing will reduce necessary care and negatively impact employees with chronic conditions.

posted by Sean Rehder at 6:00 AM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

The Other Side of Offshoring
Nobody disputes that corporations can save money by "offshoring" -- usually they can save quite a bit of it. The question is this: If offshoring enables companies to develop sophisticated new products with cheap labor overseas, what exactly is left for traditional hubs of innovation?

Silicon Valley Jobless Rate Inches up as State's Remains Stable
California's unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in June, unchanged from a revised 6.7 percent in May, the state Employment Development Department (EDD) reported Friday, but the rate in Santa Clara County, heart of Silicon Valley, edged up to 8.5 percent in June, compared to 8.2 percent in May.

Higher Health Premiums Could Pinch Employers
The employer's share of health insurance costs could triple to nearly $11,000 per employee by 2010 if premiums continue to rise at current rates, according to a study by the Employment Policy Foundation.

House Backs Bush on Overtime Rules
Democrats and union leaders are lambasting President Bush for a proposal they say would cost at least 8 million workers their overtime pay after the House backed his drive to overhaul decades-old rules determining who qualifies for the extra money.

posted by Sean Rehder at 5:52 AM, (Permalink)

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Recruiting and Staffing
News Postings

Shifts in Recruiting Business Offer New Options
During the past two and one-half years, the U.S. economy has lost more than three million private-sector jobs. Unfortunately for anyone hunting for work, that figure includes thousands of recruiters.

How to Deal With Tomorrow: Develop a Talent Strategy
Organizations need development services to help the newly unemployed make the transition to the service or knowledge industries as those industries continue to grow. Organizations that realize how important a partnership between recruiting and development is will benefit by having a more available source of talent.

The Seven Deadly Hiring Sins
Brian Parsley, a human capital strategist, the founder of 123Hire.com, a national employment Web site, and now chief executive of KnowSuccess, a human capital assessment company, shares the seven deadly sins of hiring.

posted by Sean Rehder at 11:22 PM, (Permalink)

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Employee Development
News Postings

Even Top Executives Could Use Mentors to Help Careers
Everyone needs wise, seasoned mentors to help them grow and excel -- even after they reach upper management. Unfortunately, informal advisers are scarce high in the hierarchy.

Programs Aim to Keep Stress under Control
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that 25 percent of all Americans believe their job is the most stressful part of their lives. Companies are offering a wide variety of programs to help employees cope with stress, but the fight definitely seems to be an uphill battle.

Women Still Comparatively Scarce, but Gaining Slowly in Top Jobs
Women are increasingly rising to the top echelons of power in corporate America, but their ascent continues to be slower and their numbers fewer than among their male colleagues.

CEO Leads the Way for a Business to Get an 'A' on the Test of Change
A smooth organizational change doesn't happen without company leaders who fully understand the nature of change and their role in driving it forward.

posted by Sean Rehder at 11:16 PM, (Permalink)

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Compensation
News Postings

Microsoft Abandons Stock Options
Software giant Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that it would no longer give employees stock options, abandoning a compensation system that came to symbolize the go-go economy of the 1990s — and the excesses that critics say helped fuel the dot-com bubble and a rash of corporate financial scandals.

Provident Option Plan Growing
As Baltimore's Provident Bankshares Corp. grows, it needs more shares to meet the needs of its employee stock option plan. Provident filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week to register 1.7 million additional shares of common stock to be issued under its company stock option plan.

Say Goodbye to the $13,000-a-year Manager
A new wage and overtime law scheduled to go into effect July 1 is on hold to allow for public comment. The government says the changes will affect 6.5 million businesses and cost up to $1.57 billion nationally. Private labor lawyers and an economic policy think tank in Washington, D.C., dispute the government's assessment, saying many new workers also will now be exempt from overtime pay.

Miles to Go on the Road to Equal Pay
The day when companies are open about salaries and how they are determined is a long way off. And so is the closing of the pay gap.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:11 AM, (Permalink)

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Benefits
News Postings

White House Seeks Revised Pension Rules
The Bush administration is preparing this week to introduce long-awaited pension legislation that could reduce corporate pension liabilities by billions of dollars over the next two years, but would require companies to handle plans more rigorously after that.

Employers Seek to Shift Costs of Drugs to U.S.
The bills to provide drug benefits through Medicare that were passed by the House and the Senate last week offer some of the country's largest employers a long-sought prize: shifting at least some of their burden of soaring drug costs to the federal government.

Federal Pension Provider Overwhelmed
The growing workload of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., the federal agency charged with ensuring that workers from bankrupt companies get their pensions, concerns retirees who are already disappointed by administrative delays and rules that limit their pensions.

Small Businesses Keep Backing Away from Retirement Plans
The number of small businesses that expect to offer retirement plans continues to drop, despite tax incentives enacted in 2001 to encourage small employers to offer the plans.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:07 AM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

Tech Firms' Options Fight Loses Steam
Legislation aimed at heading off rules requiring companies to count options as an expense against earnings received a crushing blow Tuesday as Microsoft announced it will no longer offer stock options and will count options issued earlier as expenses in its financial statements.

Labor Ready Hit with EEOC Lawsuit in Tennessee
Tacoma-based Labor Ready Inc. has been named in a class-action suit in federal court by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for alleged discrimination against blacks in its promotion policies and retaliation against employees opposed to the practice.

Women vs. Wal-Mart
How can the retailer reconcile its storied culture—built on inspirational leadership, autonomy, and trust—with the anger of some of its female workers?

Jobless Claims Rise by 5,000
The Labor Department reported Thursday that for the work week ending July 5, new claims filed for unemployment insurance rose by a seasonally adjusted 5,000 to 439,000, the highest level since the week ending May 31.

posted by Sean Rehder at 8:02 AM, (Permalink)

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I Picked Up and Moved
If you have been wondering why I haven't blogged for the past week, its because I was on the road moving from Kaukauna, Wi. to Corona, Ca which is just outside Orange County. My Business Analyst contract job ended at U.S. Bank. It started out as 3 month gig, but lasted a year and a half. Since there isn't a whole lot of opportunity in northeast Wisconsin right now, my family and I decided to move back to my wife's hometown. She flew out a week earlier and has had some interviews already for paralegal positions, and now I have to get on with my own job search. My last job search lasted a week, but I doubt I'll be that lucky this time.


posted by Sean Rehder at 7:48 AM, (Permalink)

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Employee Development
News Postings

Now That Summer Is Finally upon Us, So Are the Requests for Time Off
Managers that follow policy, plan accordingly will fare well.

Psychology, Pathology, and the CEO
In difficult times, organizational pathologies can cause a death spiral. Here's how the CEO can win back the hearts and minds of staff.

Hispanic Execs: Times Have Changed
The U.S. Census Bureau this month made it official: Hispanics are the largest minority at 39 million. Is managing a multicultural workforce different? Are there nuances bosses need to know?

Are You Confident Enough to Lose Control?
Silence is not golden and ignorance is not bliss. In fact, too much of either one could be a trap door ready to open. Problems often lie with managers who have avoided conflict or allowed it to brew for some time.

posted by Sean Rehder at 5:56 AM, (Permalink)

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Compensation
News Postings

South Florida Braces for New Overtime Law
More than 1.3 million Americans will become eligible for overtime pay under new U.S. Labor Department rules. In South Florida, the most prominent changes will be at service-based businesses that pay "manager"-level workers less than the new $22,100 annual base salary for professionals.

Hospital Executives' Compensation Is on the Rise
According to a survey of more than 400 hospitals nationwide, executives who run just one hospital earned an average of $242,000 in total compensation in 2001.

Annual Bonus Set to Return
Finally, some good news for American workers. A majority (61 percent) of human resource executives who filled out a survey at an industry conference expect to pay employee bonuses this year.

Top Executives' Lucrative Deals Tie the Hands That Pay Them
The latest proxy statements from American corporations, issued amid a broad push for reform, promise that independent directors will set the pay level for chief executives and link it to performance. But in some cases, the directors have already signed away much of that authority.

posted by Sean Rehder at 5:49 AM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

Hispanic-Owned Companies See Strong Growth Spurt
More Hispanic-owned companies — which have historically been tiny ventures — are becoming corporate behemoths amid growth of the Hispanic consumer market.

New Wal-Mart Policy Protects Gay Workers
Wal-Mart Stores, the nation's largest private employer, has expanded its antidiscrimination policy to protect gay and lesbian employees, company officials said.

Court Ruling Protects Employers from Frivolous Litigation
The federal circuit court serving Virginia and Maryland has just made it nearly impossible for employees to prove speculative charges of employment discrimination. But only employers who keep good records will benefit from this protection.

Fewer Jobs Cut in June
The number of job cuts announced at U.S. employers slipped in June to its lowest in 31 months, suggesting national unemployment may be leveling off.

posted by Sean Rehder at 5:37 AM, (Permalink)

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Recruiting and Staffing
News Postings

How the Internet Changed the Definition of "Candidate"
The growing use of the Internet to solicit job applications can attract hundreds or thousands of responses. An employer also likely has dozens of relevant resumes already in its files or forwarded from employees interested in being considered. So, in the eyes of the government, who's an "applicant" and whose resume must be kept on file to demonstrate compliance with EEOC hiring regulations?

The Reemergence of Recruiting: Four Tips on What to Do Now
Major changes have occurred in a number of areas of recruiting, in the skills needed to be a successful recruiter, in the technology at our disposal, in the approaches we take to attracting candidates, and in the relationships we have with candidates. The following are four lessons we all need to learn to be successful in the next era of recruiting.

A Damp Hiring Outlook for Senior HR Executives
The job outlook for senior HR people remains damp. Although demand is down, multi-faceted generalists with business mindsets and experience at admired companies are most highly sought-after to fill top jobs, such as vice president or executive director.

Companies See Ruling as a Way to Help Keep the Pipeline Open
The Supreme Court's rulings yesterday about diversity in higher education sent a strong signal to the nation's employers that they can continue to use race as a factor in hiring, corporate executives and employment law experts said.

posted by Sean Rehder at 6:05 AM, (Permalink)

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Benefits
News Postings

Health Costs a Concern for Female-Owned Firms
The rising cost of employee health coverage has had a particularly big impact on women-owned businesses, which tend to be small, with 10 or fewer employees. Affordable health insurance is a problem with a group of that size, and more so because women business owners often feel they have an obligation to cover their employees, even if it means sacrificing a chunk of earnings.

The Future of Health Care: Firm's Two-Pronged Plan
For a glimpse into the future of health care, check out Acme-McCrary Corp., an old economy hosiery maker that is taking a decidedly new economy approach to containing medical costs.

Pension Needs Fueling GM's Sales Push
GM's pension is about $19 billion underfunded, and the nation's biggest carmaker has to sell vehicles as fast as possible to keep cash coming in to service the pension.

State Gives Cost-Control Incentive for Mental Care
Even as insurers and employers do away with the most controversial aspects of traditional managed care so they don't upset patients, they are embracing it for one particular type of care: mental health treatment.

posted by Sean Rehder at 6:00 AM, (Permalink)

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General
News Postings

Hot Growth Companies
Credit-card-debt collection, health care, continuing education -- this year's roster of fast-growing small companies has learned to thrive in a grueling economy with a combination of risk-taking, smart strategies, and luck.

Playing Hooky More Than a Day Off
With many companies operating at or near minimal staffing levels, unplanned absences add substantial costs for employers while placing a burden on those left behind.

Restaurant Ordered to Pay Couple $39M
Jurors ordered the corporate owner of an Outback Steakhouse to pay $39 million to a couple severely injured when they were hit by an allegedly drunken driver who had just left the restaurant.

Reports Might Show Business Activity Pace Is Speeding Up
Economists said a pair of reports this week may show that U.S. manufacturing expanded this month for the first time since February and growth at service companies accelerated, which would be signs that the pace of business activity is quickening.

posted by Sean Rehder at 5:42 AM, (Permalink)

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