<www.rubberball.com> …So this morning I came across an interesting piece from HR pro  Laurie Ruettimann that expounds on how life is too short to be busy: She goes on to say: I relaunched my consulting business in 2013 built on a belief that life is too short to be busy. decided that I would never answer an email from someone I hate, never have a conversation with someone I didn’t respect, and never be too busy to write 500 words a day. In the time it took us to exchange emails about her schedule, we could have been done already. Best, Rory.

<www.warren-walker.com> …So this morning I read a great piece from CIPD here that examines the changing role of the HR Business Partner, and why some organizations have been more effective at cultivating the talent pool required to be successful in these roles than others. From the piece: In many cases, however, there has been a failure to understand the business partner role and how it differs from the old HR model and then match this to existing HR capability. The simple fact is that the ‘ask’ has risen faster than the capability of many people in HR to deliver it.

<www.warren-walker.com> …So this morning I read a great piece from CIPD here that examines the changing role of the HR Business Partner, and why some organizations have been more effective at cultivating the talent pool required to be successful in these roles than others. From the piece: In many cases, however, there has been a failure to understand the business partner role and how it differs from the old HR model and then match this to existing HR capability. The simple fact is that the ‘ask’ has risen faster than the capability of many people in HR to deliver it.

<Forbes.com> …So this evening I came across a white paper from Aon Hewitt here that shows only 1/5th of the workforce is putting away enough earnings to retire when their parents did. The article goes on to highlight that employers are putting in place increasingly generous 401(k) matches *and* auto-enrolling employees into their plans to rectify the issue… but most workers are still a long ways away from where they need to be in order to obtain financial security. how it impacts an employer’s pay competitiveness in the marketplace relative to peers, and 2. Best, Rory.

…There is no try.” – George Lucas. <en.wikipedia.org> For this week’s quote we can thank George Lucas , an American film director, screenwriter, and producer perhaps best known for the creation of the Star Wars film franchise. It’s timely for me as a reminder that – even when we don’t completely have our footing – most of the time the best way to accomplish our goals is to simply roll our sleeves up, ask questions, think critically, and keep pushing to address a challenge until we get it done. …Or maybe I have this wrong.

<www.scu.edu> Alison Avalos, CCP, Senior Manager, Research and Certification, WorldatWork, and Kerry Chou, CCP, Senior Practice Leader, WorldatWork, discuss the relatively flat budgets and what they mean to employers and employees: Best, Rory. Compensation hr human resources

<www.accu-chek.com.my> Sunday reading for 11.16.2014. 1.  Tony Bergmann-Porter , Principal and Owner of Compensation Consulting firm Yale Associates LLC, has a great post up on Compensation Cafe wherein he postulates about the future of total rewards in the U.S. He has some bold ideas, including a hypothesis that pay in the private sector will flatten over time, resembling the federal government’s GS schedule. The implications for what this would mean as it concerns identifying new ways to recognize and reward top performers are intriguing, to say the least. Best, Rory.

Check out this great infographic from Adecco highlighting some of the biggest salary trends from 2015. Looking at popular jobs in STEM, marketing, and industrial fields, I found it extremely informative. Whether Whether you’re struggling with hiring top talent or just curious, check out today’s infographic below. And as always, if you like it then follow its author on Twitter here. Happy Thursday, Rory. Infographic Thursday compensation hr human resources

<www.pinterest.com> Happy Friday, all. As we wrap up the week, here are a few great articles that you might want to give a read: The HR Policy Association recently expressed concern with the Department of Labor’s new  proposed overtime rules , encouraging them to rethink their approach. Namely, the HRPA seems opposed to indexing the salary level tests. And while there’s a good argument to be made that directly tying wages directly to an index goes a step too far, there’s little doubt that the current process doesn’t work. Linda A. Best, Rory.

This has been a really hectic week for me, and I’ve put several other things on the backburner (including this blog) to juggle all of the balls in the air! This makes today’s infographic particularly timely. It’s always a good idea to make time to workout throughout the week. To To this point, according to the folks at Paychex doing so will improve both your productivity in the workplace and long term health outcomes. …So with that said, check out today’s infographic and then (doing as I say and not as I do) get to the gym and/or take a walk! Happy Thursday, Rory.

…Okay, so this evening I read a great piece from Josh Bersin on LinkedIn entitled Employee Feedback is the Killer App: A New Market Emerges. It’s probably the best piece I have read about employee engagement and feedback in, well, ever. highly recommend checking it out here. Starting with a visual, though, check out the below graphic – per research from Workboard – which shows the correlation between feedback and engagement: ^So for many people this is intuitive. But of course this is easier said than done. Best, Rory.

<www.vivicorecruitment.co.uk> …So a few days ago I read a Netflix announcement  wherein the Company announced it was providing up to 12 months of paid maternity and paternity leave to employees working in its streaming business. The decision by Netflix here has launched a great deal of discussion about 1. There are dozens of articles about this topic out there, but I have linked to some of the best ones throughout this post. The Company is being criticized for what is in essence a two tiered benefits system, but the Company is not alone in this approach. The higher you climb in 1.

<www.zanebenefits.com> With Walgreens’ move to a private health insurance exchange in 2014, many internal benefits team transitions also occurred. Thomas Sondergeld, Vice President Global Health & Mobility, Walgreens, discusses the HR transitions that took place and how the organization embraced the change and moved the team to a strategic solution center. Best, Rory. Benefits benefits health exchange hr human resources

<parksandrecbusiness.com> …So this evening I was reading a Sci-Fi/Political Thriller called  Here Comes Earth by William Lee Gordon. Without spoiling too much of the (highly recommended) read here, I wanted to share an question asked by one of the main characters during one of the book’s many expositions. To elucidate his ideas, he poses the question: “What is the difference between leadership and manipulation?” Going further; manipulation is in fact defined as “the skillful handling, controlling or using of something or someone.” Happy Friday, Rory.

<abstracta.us> …So I don’t quite have the energy to finish up part II of my article on great 1. The past two days have been all-time exhausting. managers today   1 , so instead I wanted to share this great WorldatWork video focusing on the benefits and drawbacks of using deferred compensation to pay for performance. It stars, Bertha Masuda, Partner at Vivient. As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Best, Rory. Compensation hr human resources

Sue Holloway, Senior Practice Leader at WorldatWork discusses the differences between benefits for executives and other employees, deferred compensation plans, supplemental executive retirement plans, plan design, and uses of nonmonetary compensation. …A big learning for me from this video is that a lot of supplemental executive retirement benefits and perks are not guaranteed in the way traditional pension plans are (i.e. they don’t have ERISA protections) if a company becomes insolvent. Many Benefits Compensation hr human resources

<www.replicon.com> …So I’ve been posting  a lot about this topic lately, and for good reason. Changes to the exemption threshold could soon great increase human capital costs for employers across the U.S., and employers need to be ready. Check Check out this fantastic video from WorkatWork providing an update on possible changes to the FLSA and some steps organizations can take to prepare for them. Features Melissa Sharp, Sr. Manager of External Affairs, WorldatWork, and Kerry Chou, CCP, Sr. Practice Leader, WorldatWork. Best, Rory. Compensation hr human resources

<www.industryconnect.co.nz> …So this morning I read a great piece here from Kris Dunn wherein he talked about the merits of having high potentials job shadow senior leaders to gain the critical experiences needed to fill your organization’s talent pipelines for critical positions. Dunn Dunn does a great job of laying out what a program like this might look like, so check it out if you get a chance. Then, eventually when there wasn’t a rotational program talent ready to move into the roles – they were turned them into permanent positions. Everybody wins.

…So I have been thinking a lot about retention lately – specifically about how two people with similar careers and backgrounds can be in the exact same 1. wondered about the etymology of the phrase “Happy as a Lark” as I wrote this. For the curious, it is originally “ Derived from comparison to the seemingly cheerful birdsong of a lark.  I’d never considered Lark’s to have especially cheerful sounds, but also can’t place the sound right now. For example(s): Did an employee agree to join your organization at 20% below what he/she made previously?

…So lately I have been thinking a lot about “potential” versus “readiness” On the one hand, as a talent manager the topic has been coming up a lot at work, 1. I’m 28, and I have a lot of my career career left in front of me… but I’m not a spring chicken anymore, either. but on a personal level it has been top of mind as well. 1. Conversely , there are also occasions where high potential talent that seems poised to eventually be ready for the next level never quite gets there. Talent pros: When do you know that someone is ready to make the leap?

…as it is about going on and on and on. It is about muddling through the middle.” ” – Anna Quindlen. <www.post-gazette.com> For this week’s quote we can thank American author, journalist, and opinion columnist  Anna Quindlen. I’m sharing it because this week will be a week of endings for me; it will be a week of tying off loose ends, goodbyes, and final appeals. Much of this will be quite welcome, while some will in turn be bittersweet. But much of life is lived in the middle of both extremes. Happy Monday, Rory. Quote of the Week hr human resources

<crosslandteam.com-> …So over the past few days I’ve read two great articles on feedback. The first one (from Tim Sackett here ) talks about how watered down feedback is an epidemic problem in corporate America. From the piece: Here are the types of “critical” feedback people can handle: “You’re doing a good job, would love it if you could get that big project off the ground. That would really help us out!”. Here’s what you really want to say, critically, but can’t: “You do good at things I tell you to do, and all basic day to day duties of the job. Or at least I think so.

…is always the bottom of another.” ” – Marianne Williamson. <www.huffingtonpost.com> Today’s quote belongs to American teacher, bestselling author and lecturer  Marianne Williamson. It serves as a reminder to me that success is not a singular destination to be reached, and that it is important to stay mindful that there are always opportunities to get better. And in moments when we feel confident and assured in our knowledge, rather than rest on our laurels we should instead step back and assess how we can get even better.

Check out this great infographic from BLR HR examining the leave policies of employers throughout the U.S. And if you like this infographic, be sure to follow BLR HR on Twitter here. As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Best, Rory. Infographic Thursday hr human resources

Check out this great infographic from Jobvite showing what attracts today’s talent to roles, what their demographic make up is, and what level of position they’re seeking. As always, if you like today’s inforgraphic follow Jobvite here. And as always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below: Infographic Thursday hr human resources

<www.financialsamurai.com> …So in my (seemingly never-ending) quest to learn everything I can about employer sponsored non-annuity based savings vehicles, I have spent a lot of time reading about nonqualified deferred compensation plans. This is important because qualified plans don’t allow high earners to put away a large enough percentage of their income to prepare for retirement. Because NQDCPs haven’t passed the tests required by the internal revenue code (e.g. The plans are generally restricted to a small number of employees (exceptionally high earners).

Check out the below great infographic from Towers Watson sharing some causal factors behind workforce stress (employees and employers differ on the top causes), and the adverse impacts it can have on employee health and wellness. As always, if you like this infographic follow the author on Twitter here :  . Best, Rory. Benefits Infographic Thursday hr human resources stress wellness

…leaves of a tree, each node representing a point of deliberation and decision.” ” – Niklaus Wirth. <Wikipedia.org> For this week’s quote we can thank Niklaus Emil Wirth , a Swiss computer scientist best known for designing several programming languages (perhaps most notably Pascal). This does not mean I should not have a sense of urgency… but it does mean I need spend significant amounts of time in both the focused and diffuse modes of thought. Let’s work hard, but also have a sense of patience. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

<textimages.us> I can hardly believe it’s Friday again! Without further delay, here are some of the week’s best articles: Nicole Torres has a great article up on HBR wherein she looks at research examining the causal factors behind generosity (and its prevalence). The study showed that doing something that benefits yourself over others (which people are five times as likely to do when dealing with a total stranger) activates the reward center of the brain, while doing something more selfless activates the empathy section of the brain. Happy Friday, Rory.

…So this evening I came across a really interesting article on HBR about how younger people managers (under age 30) are perceived. It outlined common blind spots and challenges that said managers face. I am a people manager and under age 30, so naturally this was interesting to me. You can read the full article here , but some highlights are below: ~ Because of their shorter tenure, they lack in-depth knowledge that others in the organization possess. My curve on solving problems is often lengthened as I take sub-optimal approaches to addressing them. Welcoming change. Best, Rory.

Check out today’s great infographic from the team at Madison. The social recognition firm outlines the business case for engagement by highlighting the difference a brand ambassador can have on the bottom line. As always, if you like today’s infographic you can follows its author on Twitter here. Happy Thursday, Rory. Infographic Thursday employee engagement hr human resources

<doit.tamu.edu> Philip Louridas, Vice President – Total Rewards, Williams-Sonoma Inc., and Mark Stelzner, Managing Principal, IA HR, discuss the unique approach the organization took in selecting a benefits outsourcing vendor, and the success of the initiative. Best, Rory. Benefits hr human resources outsourcing worldatwork

Check out this great infographic (below) from G&A Partners outlining a visual overview of the DOL’s proposed overtime rule changes. This is the best summary of the changes I’ve seen so far, so I wanted to share. As always, if you like this weeks’ infographic then follow its author in Twitter here. Happy Thursday, Rory. Infographic Thursday Labor and Employment Law DOL FLSA hr human resources OT

…Not the Solution.” ” –  John Boudreau and Steven Rice. <www.hrstrategyforum.org> This morning I read a powerful quote in a Harvard Business Review piece here from John Boudreau and Steven Rice. In the piece, the authors note that easier than ever access to best practices, new research, tools and ideas makes it tempting to reach for the latest off-the-shelf solution to whatever challenge one’s team or organization is facing (as opposed to really ruminating on the problem itself and coming up with a customized solution). Copyright TAE. Happy Monday, Rory.

Check out today’s infographic – courtesy of  Challenger, Gray and Christmas – outlining resume best practices as outlined in a recent recruiter survey they conducted. Among Among other insights, it suggests that the long standing best practice of the one-pager resume may no longer apply thanks to modern ATS’s changing the way hiring managers and recruiters process and review the document. As always, if you like this infographic you can find its author on Twitter here. Happy Thursday, Rory. Infographic Thursday hr human resources

…for what you want now.” ” – Zig Ziglar. For this week’s quote we can thank American author, salesman, and motivational speaker  Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar. It is timely for me as a reminder that not all battles are worth waging, and not all hills worth dying on. To the above point, I recently came against considerable push-back whilst in the pursuit of a long desired personal objective. In this case I could find neither, however; and while anger has historically been a near alien experience for me, in this case I found myself irate with the outcome.

Don’t judge me. -_- …So the other day I was chatting with another HR Pro about state laws 1 , and at one point she commented that “opening a business in California is like opening a business in another country” , going on to say that having a California designated SPHR certification is a table stakes requirement for any HR Leader hoping to make informed policy recommendations around how to manage the workforce. For each violation of this rule, an employer must pay $200 per employee, plus 2. See section’s § 201. and § 210. of the California labor code here.

<www.howtostartablogforfree.com> David Marshall, CEO, PerformanceCentre International, provides advice on maximizing the return on your sales compensation plan including: Looking at a sales plan from a purely financial view, the importance of mindset, setting measures that can be controlled, a methodology for driving pay for performance. As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Best, Rory. Video Saturday hr human resources

<www.rochester.edu> Faced with medical claim inflation that was twice that of other companies, The Brink’s company implemented telemedicine as part of a multi-pronged approach to lower health care costs and provide better access to health care for employees. Check out the below video from WorldatWork where there Total Rewards team explains how they did so: Best, Rory. Benefits hr human resources

…if you learn to relax and wait for the answer. – William S. Burroughs. For this week’s quote we can thank American novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer William S. Burroughs. This quote is a timely reminder for me that when trying to solve a problem, the right framing is nearly everything. …I *hate* leaving things undone. If I can do something now I never want to leave it for later. Lately, however, I am discovering that my need to complete things ASAP  is not necessarily the same thing as being optimally productive. Burroughs

Steve Seykora, Partner, Mercer, discusses how purchasing technology has changed, unexpected implementation challenges, causes for delays and benefits of new systems. Happy Friday, Rory. HRIS hr human resources

<www.blogging4jobs.com> …So this morning I read a great article from  Talent Analytics CEO  Greta Roberts wherein she notes that a large number of companies are hiring Data Scientists for their HR teams – only to use them to generate pretty reports as opposed to using their analytics backgrounds to solve real HR problems around topics such as turnover, hiring, and workforce planning ( such as how changes in workforce costs and productivity affect the bottom line ). This is a solid read… if you have a few minutes check it out  here. Maybe so? Best, Rory.

…it’s frustrating. This is when it’s time to revisit some basics.” ” – Keegan Bradley. < [link] ; …So a funny thing has happened over the last month or so. I’ve stopped growing. ^I can’t point to when exactly it happened. But this weekend I took stock of the recent past and realized that I hadn’t learned anything new. This isn’t because I don’t love learning – quite the opposite. …Elaborating, I think that getting better everyday is (theoretically) really simple. One most simply follow three simple steps: 1.

<www.franklincoks.org> This evening I had the pleasure of reading a great Harvard Business Review piece by Claudio Fernández-Aráoz highlighting the importance of great talent assessment skills. It’s a really fantastic read, and I recommend checking it out  here. With that said, there is one particular aspect of the article I want to talk about. Over the past few months, I’ve had many small-group meetings with the nominating committee chairs of some of the largest companies in the world. At each one, I asked how many attendees had studied the basic concepts of assessment.

<t2bc.com> 1. Thanks to Kris Dunn for the share. …So this afternoon I came across a video on Youtube 1 wherein Netflix’s Founder Reed Hastings discusses what it means to be a good leader. You can watch the full video at the end of this message, but I’m sharing it today because of the following quote at about the halfway point of the video: …I realized leadership is pretty nuanced because there’s the personally endearing part about character and followship , and there’s also the strategic part about not leading a company into a box canyon.

<assignmenteditor.com> …So a couple of days ago I read a scathing letter from US Senator Elizabeth Warren  to SEC Chair Mary Jo White. Hopefully the policy itself doesn’t also reflect the political pressure being applied by Warren, but who knows… Thoughts? Compensation hr human resources

…There is no why.” ” – Kurt Vonnegut. <www.nndb.coms> …So I think I may have grown more professionally in the past ten months than I did in the proceding few years. Within this time I’ve (i) found my voice , (ii) learned how to hold people accountable, (iii) learned how to lead a team, and (iv) learned how to flex my communication style to have tough conversations with leaders regardless of job level. have at times felt very confused, and very alone. But honestly? He says that there is no why – some things just are. …I disagree.

Thanks to  AkkenCloud for this great infographic outlining some of the impacts of the ACA on the staffing industry. It has some great stats (I didn’t know that 95% of employers have less than 50 people), so as always check it out and be sure to follow the author on Twitter here if you like what you see. Best, Rory. Infographic Thursday hr human resources

…ever-present panic, anxiety, or fear. It means a state in which complacency is virtually absent. – John P. Kotter. Image Credit: <intranet.tlsb.co.uk> We can thank Harvard Business School Professor, New York Times best-selling author, and Management Consultant  John Kotter for this week’s quote. The The quote is timely for me because it speaks to my recent realization that urgency and patience can exist in harmony. …As we get started this week I want to tell you that success – no matter what that is for you – is not a destination. Never slow down.

<www.wsj.com> Sue Holloway, CCP, CECP, Executive Compensation Practice Leader, WorldatWork, discusses who the ratio applies to, how it is figured and what companies should be thinking about now in preparation for the effective date of the first full fiscal year after Jan. 1, 2017. Best, Rory. Compensation Video executive compensation hr human resources world at work

<rxmdmarketingsolutions.com> This video was timely for me because I’m currently in the midst of a new benefits plan roll-out. Ergo, check out this great video from WorldatWork featuring Paul Barton, author of Maximizing Internal Communication  as he discusses the importance of connecting with employees when communicating benefits. Best, Rory. Benefits benefits hr human resources

…then success takes care of itself. – Henry Ford. <en.wikipedia.org> For this week’s quote we can thank  American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company  Henry Ford. It’s timely for me because this week will be a challenging one; accomplishing everything that needs to be done will require a strong commitment to team work and focus. Both personally and professionally, no one accomplishes anything of substance alone. Even our individual successes are a product of the family, friends, and teachers that invested in and believed in us. Happy Monday, Rory.

<english12aphamlet.weebly.com> Encouraging employees to participate in total rewards programs or take necessary actions can be challenging for organizations. Stephen Wendel, Principal Scientist, HelloWallet, discusses the use of incentives and provides tips to overcome inaction including communications best practices. Happy Friday, Rory. Compensation hr human resources

<www.benefitspro.com> What does the future hold for employer-sponsored health-care plans? Find out via today’s video from WorldatWork featuring  James M. Zajac , CBP, CCP, GRP, Director – Comp and Benefits. Happy Friday! Benefits Compensation hr human resources

<stock-clip.com> Recommended Sunday reading for 11.9.2014 : 1. Check the full piece out here. 2. Burt Helm over at Inc recently wrote a detailed profile piece spotlighting a man named Gabriel Bristol that went from being homeless to becoming the CEO of a call center with over 300 employee that will generate over $11 million dollars in revenues in 2014. The lesson? To learn more about this lesson (and get a healthy dose of inspiration), read the full piece here. 3. Sunday Reading hr human resources

Steven R. Brink, CCP, President and CEO of AIRINC, discusses implications of the new global labor market on benchmarking data, and how analytics and a focus on critical talent can impact the future direction of benchmarking surveys. As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Best, Rory

…So I have made a career out of existing in the top-right quadrant of the Thomas-Killman conflict resolution spectrum (see image below). Given two (or more) competing objectives – no matter how far apart – I figure out a way to bring everyone together and leave (mostly) happy about the end resolution… whatever it may be. have been nothing else if not patient, persistent, and perhaps even relentless in the pursuit of this goal. One of my personal mottos has been that anyone that believes you can’t please everyone simply isn’t trying hard enough.

If anyone knows of where I can find them on Twitter, please share in the comments below so I can update the main post with a link. Check out this great infographic from the folks at Visual Loop Labs. 1  It looks at some of the causal factors behind workplace stress, the signs that you have it, and closes with some steps you can take to treat it. Give it a view, and as always please share your thoughts in the comments section below. . Happy Thursday, Rory. Infographic Thursday hr human resources workplace stress

<www.conovercompany.com> …From Dunn (in an April 2016 post titled “MAMBA OUT: When Leaving Your Company, You Should Go Out Doing What Made You Special”  – bold emphasis mine): When the end comes at your company – whether you’re voluntarily leaving or you’ve impacted by a reorganization that allows you to stay in your role for a month or two – WE SHOULD GO DOWN SHOOTING AND SWINGING. That doesn’t have to be negative. Good at pressuring people to do things they don’t want to do? Do more of that. More please. Don’t stop.