This question came in an email yesterday from Mozilla's Asa Dotzler, who is renowned for his skill as an open-source marketer, especially in spreading the Firefox browser. The engine that propels any open source community is having a wide range...

OK, so the word "beauty" is not often paired with the words "your employees" unless you are having a difficult harassment-related conversation with your HR manager.... but that is not the type of beauty I am talking about. And before...

All too often when HR professionals are looking to conduct background checks on applicants, they first delve into the issue of price and then, maybe but not likely, delve into the issue of competence, integrity and accuracy. An interesting post...

Applicant Tracking System Software for Recruiting, Applicant Tracking, Onboarding, and more! FREE DEMO! Internet Marketing Bachelor's Degree Learn Effective Internet Marketing Strategies While Earning a Bachelor's Online! Notre Dame Certificates ONLINE

Survey: Less than half of UK employees have faith in managers i-to-i Chalkboard (blog) Conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute, the survey showed that fewer than 50 per cent of British employees believe their superiors are running a good ... Businesses must 'maintain communication' with talented workers MotivAction all 2 news articles »

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has posted extensive new data on job patterns in the private sector, as part of the Obama Administration’s Open Government Initiative. via eeoc.gov Another great development for research. For more info...

A reader writes:

After filling out an online application, I received an email from the (large and well-known) employer asking that I return to their career website to provide my date of birth, social security number, and driver's license number. They added that they will only use the information to begin a background check if I were to receive and accept a job offer from them.

Is it weird for a company to ask me for this information and consent (permission to do background check) before even a phone interview or any preliminary step like that? Maybe I am paranoid or maybe it's just that I've never had any organization ask for this immediately upon applying before, but it kinda seems like doing things out of order to me -- like if they wanted to do a credit check on me when I'm one of five final candidates, fine -- but just for ...

Employment growth is strongly predicted by smaller average establishment size, both across cities and across industries within cities, but there is little consensus on why this relationship exists. Traditional economic explanations emphasize factors that reduce entry costs or raise entrepreneurial returns, thereby increasing net returns and attracting entrepreneurs. A second class of theories hypothesizes that some places are endowed with a greater supply of entrepreneurship. Evidence on sales per worker does not support the higher returns for entrepreneurship rationale. Our evidence suggests that entrepreneurship is higher when fixed costs are lower and when there are more entrepreneurial people.

Author(s): Edward L. Glaeser, William R. Kerr, Giacomo A.M. Ponzetto
Source(s): HBS Working Paper

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Our friends at Employee Benefit News Legal Alert published one of those "must read" articles. Attorney Cynthia Marcotte Stamer writes Tough Times Are No Excuse for ERISA Shortcuts.

Ms. Stamer correctly points out that irrespective of the business hardships that plan sponsors are facing, the Department of Labor (DOL) will aggressively pursue enforcement if they perceive that a plan sponsor has failed take the necessary steps to protect plan participants.

Here are three key points she makes:

1. Many employers don't understand their fiduciary

...

Implementing an effective succession plan can produce big results in an organization. The Bersin & Associates Case Study, Hardwiring Performance Measurement: North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System Focuses on Talent Management to Increase Patient Care Quality, describes how the health care leader transformed their culture using small successful changes:

By looking at the entire employee lifecycle, from hiring to career development to succession, the health system was able to systematically and rapidly make overall improvements in talent management, company culture and business results.

In particular, North Shore-LIJ identified key positions, developed high-potential employees, and created talent pools for succession management.

...

There's a misconception about influence that gets people into trouble. It's the idea that influence is a matter of "positional negotiation": one side lays out a case while the other counters with a stronger argument on a different position. This...

Guru welcomes the news that the bosses of companies that annoy members of the public will have to face them to explain their failings. A Private Member's Bill has gained government support and will outline rules to force transport firms and utility providers to attend public hangings, err, sorry... meetings.

For example, gas companies who dig up the road causing long delays and then badly repair it afterwards, or bus providers who alter routes or timetables, will now be called to account.

Guru has long been a fan of the similar 'Meet the Manager' sessions held by various train franchises, as it gave him a chance to vent his spleen at some poor suit about the frequent days and cancellation on his daily commute.

Perhaps the firms could use this new legislation as some kind of twisted employee ...

Private-sector job losses of the last two years have sped up the shift to government payment. Last year, the number of people who received their insurance through the private market declined by 1.2 percent, despite generous federal subsidies in the stimulus bill to help laid off workers continue their employer-based coverage.

I don\'t talk much about my day job, but for the last five years I\'ve been working in HR Analytics. The work that pays the bills is ensuring that things like the annual employee engagement survey happen without a hitch and that leaders ...

 

I was at a recruiting tweet-up (RTU) ie Twitter

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Stop thinking of progressive discipline as punishment. Here's a nonpunitive approach that gets better results than traditional progressive discipline methods...

Josh Bersin Joins Softscape to Showcase Winning Talent Strategies for 2010 Benzinga The webinar will discuss how the whole market for “ talent management ” software is shifting toward complete “people management.” This webinar will provide ...

SuccessFactors, Inc. , the global leader in business execution software, and Inform Business Impact, the global leader in analytics and workforce planning, today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which ...

HPA have just published a list of their top 10 UK based bloggers. As I have said before I'd really like to see this list grow in the UK but this is a pretty good start. ...

I have argued in the past that there are a lot of evidence-based disadvantages to working in an open office, as there are many more interruptions, distractions, and other stressors --- and of course less privacy. And there are quite...

Fistful of Talent gives its list of the top 25 talent management /HR blogs.

Who do you trust? Probably those who you determine are reliable. So, those who don't keep their promises quickly lose the trust of their friends and colleagues. Before you commit to a new project or obligation, be sure you can...

The co-founder and CEO of the $1 billion company offers advice on how to shape and articulate your vision for your own brand.

Author(s): Carmine Gallo
Source(s): BusinessWeek