A new study from financial education and counseling company Financial Finesse highlights the practical implications of the greater retirement savings shortfalls female employees face for numerous reasons, which result in a gender-based financial “confidence gap.” However, the study also shows that women are more likely than men to utilize retirement-planning services offered by employers. For those seeking to address the gender gap in financial wellness within their own workforces, Davidson provides these three tips. Benefits Compensation CEO Financial Finesse Liz Davidson wellness

Would you prefer a boss who is always unfair, or is unfair only some of the time? A new Michigan State University study concludes that employees would prefer the boss who is.consistently unfair? Hey, at least we know what we're getting! MSU researchers divided 160 college students into three groups to perform a stock-pricing task. The first group was always treated fairly. The second group was always treated unfairly. The third group, meanwhile, experienced erratic, unpredictable treatment that could be fair one minute and unfair the next. What can explain such a finding? Consistency is key.

Our business is being acquired and our employees will become eligible for the acquiring company’s benefit plans. What are we required to do in order to terminate our benefit plans including our cafeteria plan? Do we need to file anything or provide official communication to employees? Thank you for your inquiry regarding transition of employee benefits as a result of pending merger. Mergers and acquisitions are very unique and detailed transactions, so the best practices for managing benefits transition for one corporate acquisition may not be the best options available for another.

As an interviewer your job is to get to know a candidate, understand their experience, and assess whether they are a good fit for your team and business in, oh, about an hour or less. That’s no small feat, in your spare time you probably leap tall buildings in a single bound. And hiring a false positive, someone not actually qualified or who will be a poor cultural or team fit, is a very expensive mistake to correct. Wrong hires cost the company tons of money and can waste precious time for already short-staffed teams. Click here to learn more!   . news Sponsored Content

Whoever thought onboarding was fun? The first day of work is usually fraught with paperwork and discussions around health benefits – que the collective yawn. Enter Ashley White, the director of HR at APQC, who is trying to turn it all around. In this APQC podcast, she shares with us her insights into the "first day, first week, and first month" concept, and how any organization can easily and inexpensively insert fun activities into the onboarding process. read more. Develop and Manage Human Capital 6.2 Recruit, source, and select employees 6.2.2 Recruit/Source candidates 6.2.5

On Sunday night in LA, Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar. He was first nominated for an Academy Award at the age of 20 for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. He was always keen on taking challenging roles rather than going for the stereotypical good looking male lead in a Romcom in order to further his career, but he was catapulted into stardom by the hit Titanic and perfected his craft with Gangs of New York and Catch Me If You Can. And yet each time he was nominated (5 times before this year) the Oscar eluded him. He did none of that. All of this combined to create success.

Whoever thought onboarding was fun? The first day of work is usually fraught with paperwork and discussions around health benefits—que the collective yawn. Enter Ashley White, the director of HR at APQC, who is trying to turn it all around. In this APQC podcast, she shares with us her insights into the “first day, first week, and first month” concept, and how any organization can easily and inexpensively insert fun activities into the onboarding process. read more. Employee Training & Development Human Capital Management Corporate Universities Onboarding/new hire orientation Presentations 6.0

A reader writes: Due to the set-up of my company’s new building, we don’t have an area for breastfeeding moms to pump. So management decided that the studio I use regularly for work-related recording sessions will double as a nursing mothers’ room.  I am totally on board with this – nursing moms definitely need somewhere comfortable and private to pump. want to respect their right to have that, and I don’t want to embarrass anyone or make them uncomfortable. However, it is starting to cause a weird situation that I don’t know how to address. workplace practices

We spend a lot of time at HRsoft thinking about ways to improve retention. Compensation, and the perception of being compensated fairly, is one of the most important drivers of employee retention and engagement. Most organizations have limited budgets for merit, bonus and equity awards.   That makes it all the more important that managers use those budgets in a manner that employees sense is fair. That’s hard to do when all the manager has to work with is a budget and a spreadsheet. HRsoft’s unique COMPview software provides full decision support to managers as they apportion their budgets.

A reader writes: My sister was recently chosen for a permanent position at a large organization where she had previously worked as a temp. They performed over three weeks of scrupulous recruitment procedures, and she passed a background check with flying colors. She was asked for a list of her references, which of course included the person she previously worked for at this organization, who she trusted implicitly. Well, she just found out that she is being rejected due to an unfavorable reference from him. Needless to say, my sister is gobsmacked. references

Ultimate Software’s annual customer conference, Connections , is just around the corner. On Tuesday, March 8, more than 2,000 HR, payroll, talent, and business professionals from across North America will gather in Las Vegas at The Bellagio—to learn, grow, and, of course, connect. Inspire employee engagement in your organization at Connections 2016. Join the conversation at #UltiConnect. Our #1 priority at Ultimate is putting people first in every way. Inspiring Keynote Speakers. Mike Rowe knows a thing or two about work. But he, perhaps as well as anyone, knows it’s not always easy.