My father had a serious stroke this Spring and I was suddenly thrown into the midst of having to make important long-distance decisions with my siblings about my parents, who live in a little fishing village in Sweden. At the time of the stroke I was living in the US, my younger brother in Mexico […]

Just last week I met with about twenty senior HR executives to discuss the state of the economy and how companies are responding to “the great recession.” In this post I have highlighted some of the key themes I gleaned from our discussion as well as examples of initiatives/actions companies are taking in lieu of […]

The debate around using social media in the workplace continues. We basically have three camps: 1) those that are 100% “for” full access to social media sites, 2) those against, and 3) those that want to provide access within boundaries. Here is some of the reasoning I am seeing: FOR 1. Productivity is positively impacted. […]

Did you know that pandemics can increase very drastically and exponentially is as little as a few weeks, they often come in waves, each successive wave being more serious. In fact, our businesses in today’s global, ”just-in-time” economy are more vulnerable than at any time before in human history. Just imagine that 40 percent of […]

In a few days I will be meeting with a group of senior HR executives to discuss talent management strategies in a down economy. One could argue that in an economic downturn talent management becomes increasingly important; nevertheless, it can also quickly become a lower priority in the minds of some businesses that are faced […]

A group of HR executives recently shared a list of tactics they use in their on-boarding initiatives to get new employees integrated more quickly. All new employees: · Are brought into the corporate office to experience the company culture. Big $ commitment. · Are set up to do business their first day of work. When […]

Human resources executives are telling me employees are showing more signs of stress. For example: More loans out of 401K plans More referrals to Employee Assistance Programs More requests to employer-sponsored charity funds More requests to add a spouse to health insurance (spouse has lost job) More employee relations issues and complaints addressed to corporate […]

Every three or four years I have the “seat at the table discussion” with a group of senior HR executives. Just recently it was time again, and I must say I was encouraged by the confidence I sensed. It was a fascinating discussion? While many HR executives still struggle to gain credibility as business partners, […]