Month: December 2008

Can Metrics Really Measure HR?

It may take bit of a leap to embrace metrics, but once you do, the benefits are almost immediate, says HRMetrics.org. And if you don’t provide management with metrics, watch out for your job. HRMetrics.org, an organization that helps organizations measure HR, offers two very pragmatic reasons that metrics make sense: 1. Measuring—just the act […]

Canadian Employer Can’t Fire Worker On Marijuana

by Sara Parchello While U.S. employers know that their human resources policies may need to be tweaked to comply with Canadian laws, many are surprised at how different Canada’s drug testing laws are. In the United States, drug use and impairment in the workplace are seen the same as any other criminal activity. In Canada, […]

Making Referral Programs Pay–Tips and Sample Policy

Yesterday’s Advisor covered VistaPrint’s very successful employee referral program. Today we’ll look at program tips from The HR Red Book® and a sample policy. In planning your referral program, says The HR Red Book® (formally known as What to Do About Personnel Problems in [Your State]), keep these tips in mind: Incentives can include gift […]

Hot List: New York Times Hardcover Bestseller List

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times on December 15. 1. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. hy some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent — from the author of Blink: The Power […]

Every Employee and Applicant Is a Talent Scout

Even with a 24-person recruiting team, VistaPrint is always looking for other sources to recruit top talent, so the company views each of its 900 employees—and each job applicant—as a talent scout. “The recruitment team is not the only team that is responsible for gathering talent here. Every person in this organization is asked to […]

Affinity groups: good for employees, good for business

When Tanuj Gupta joined AstraZeneca in 2006, he didn’t know many of his coworkers. “When I found out there were Employee Network Groups, I thought it was a great way to meet more people within the company,” says the executive director of external medical relations. And it was: “I met a fantastic group of people […]

Six Keys for Making Employee Network Groups Work

Margaret Rivera, AstraZeneca’s senior manager of diversity, helps oversee 16 successful employee network groups. Here are her tips for making such affinity groups work: 1. Don’t force it. “Companies . . . should understand that the most successful employee groups often start out as grassroots organizations — they are volunteer organizations,” she counsels. 2. Make […]

December Dilemna: Do’s and Don’ts

The December Dilemma: practicing inclusion during the winter holidays. The top religious accommodation companies have made in the past 12 months? Considering different religious beliefs of employees when planning holiday-related events, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) “Religion and Corporate Culture Accommodating Religious Diversity Survey.” Taking differing beliefs into account is never […]

Four Employees Win $19 Million in Race Case

A federal jury in Portland recently awarded $19 million to four African-American former employees of Asbury Automotive Group, LLC ? the former corporate owner of Thomason Toyota in Gladstone. The workers alleged they were forced to endure a hostile, racially charged work environment. Four salesmen, Carlos Barfield, Marcus Arnold, Jahaeel Hardy, and Kent Paul, sued […]

Which Religious Holidays Are Recognized the Most?

Christmas Day — 99% Christmas Eve —  44% Good Friday —  29% Easter — 19% Yom Kippur —  2% Ash Wednesday —  1% Passover —  1% Hanukkah — 1% Rosh Hashanah —  1% Other —  4% Source: Religion and Corporate Culture Survey Report (SHRM, 2008)