HRS Fast News, Summer/Fall 2008

Quarterly Fast News for Business Leaders & HR/Organizational Development Professionals:

(With our compliments, please enjoy the following reader in 4 Minutes or Less.  We compile this because you’re busy!)    Quarter 3, 2008
           

HRS Celebrates 25 Years with 25 New Offices!

A new partnership grants us 25 new "Class A" U.S. offices plus satellites in all 50 states and many countries.  The increased demands for our assessment center and leadership workshops make this possible.  Our loyal clients have incurred travel expenses flying global and nationwide candidates to our limited locations, and they shall no longer need to do so!  Our commitment to controlled growth remains steadfast, and clients will receive consistency in project management.  View new locations.
    

Paid Sick Leave a Presidential Election Point?

Remember Barack Obama mentioning paid sick leave in his acceptance speech?  According to SHRM speculators, if not outright on the agenda, this be may be a hidden agenda point to consider before the election.  With FMLA already admittedly abused, federally mandated paid sick leave needs deep consideration. Research in SHRM or Los Angeles Times recent articles.  HRS advocates employer paid "personal" days, but we question the appropriateness and parameters of legislative intervention.
    

Both Unemployment and Employee Wages Rise Again

The unemployment rate rose from 5.7 to 6.1 percent in August as 84,000 jobs were eliminated.  Employers still, however, can't lower or hold wages steady. Average hourly earnings increased by 7 cents, or 0.4 percent, over the month, in reaction to climbing Consumer Price Index and artificially inflated fuel prices.  dol.gov  U.S. minimum wage for non-exempt covered workers rose to $6.55/hour on July 24, 2008.
    

Personal Internet Use at Work:  Wildly Unpopular Survey Speaks Volumes!

Past surveys surpassing 2800 responses, the current survey on personal Internet use at work earns only a fraction of that response.  Why?  We expect employees know it's wrong and aren't interested in fighting for it.  At this time less than 25% admit to ever using personal Internet while "on the clock."  75% believe personal use is harmful to the company network and 67% believe it's harmful to profitability, yet only 33% of respondents' employers have constructed a handbook policy to restrict use.  Take Survey! 
   

Employee Motivation is Volatile and Employers MUST Sustain It!

De-motivation kills productivity and retention!  As arguments heat up regarding "employee motivation," we answer with our success stories.  Catch highlights of how to determine a probable ROI for the attempt in our new blog article. 
 

Best Companies to Work For Keep Their "Eyes on the Ball"

Congratulations to Fortune Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" especially those experiencing substantial job growth.  No one speaks louder about the ROI of appropriate employee-centric practices to build, improve and sustain organizational success.  We caution employers against shifting the focus away from customer demand to employee demand.  Put the right people in charge, give them the resources and let them lead.   A great job is worth keeping by protecting the company.
       

Employers Think "Worldly" to Compete!

The world continues to shrink and employers respond.  Offshoring work to other countries can present threat or advantage, depending how we work with it.  New technologies and travel wear away at the barriers as we embrace and encourage diversity in the workplace.  HRS continues to work with employees in more than 100 countries, and employees travel to the U.S. for assessment and training, helping U.S. and global economy.   For our next multi-cultural investment, Jess & Matt are representing the Scottsdale Chamber's Public Policy Advisory Council on an expedition to China next month. 
     

AskHRS.com Re-launches with New Format!

Boasting six #1 Google rankings (that we know of) including keywords morale, motivators, HRMS and employee newsletters, AskHRS.com relaunches to celebrate our 25th anniversary.  New additions include the Blog and the Break Room, along with streamlined navigation, more content and an improved online brochure.   HRSteam.com will stay intact as our "sister" domain, retaining search engine rankings, while "Ask" emerges as our more user friendly site, where all updates will occur.