SHRM's HR Week

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Jan. 9, 2012

HR NEWS

Obama Makes Recess Appointments to NLRB
Attempting to bypass Congress, President Obama makes three controversial recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The move allows the board to vote on critical matters.
Upcoming SHRM Webcast: What Recent NLRB Moves Mean for All Employers

SHRM LINE: Hiring Rate Will Fall Again in January 2012
For the third consecutive month, hiring activity will decrease and job cuts will rise in the manufacturing and service sectors compared with a year earlier, according to the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) survey for January 2012.
SHRM LINE home page

Tax Break for Transit Benefits Expires
As of Jan. 1, 2012, U.S. commuters are seeing their monthly income and FICA tax exclusion for transit passes shrink from $230 to $125 because Congress failed to extend the temporary higher tax exclusion limit, which expired at the end of 2011.

DHS Proposes 'Family Unity Waiver' Changes
Spouses and children of U.S. citizens no longer would be separated for years while applying for a green card under a proposed procedural change by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

HR May Need to Get Involved with Disagreements over Performance Reviews
If an employee raises legal issues when disagreeing with his or her performance review, HR should investigate the disagreement. If the disagreement does not raise legal issues, HR does not have a legal obligation to investigate.

NEWS ABOUT SHRM
SHRM Delegation Visits Cuba
SHRM President and CEO Henry G. "Hank" Jackson recently led a delegation on a six-day trip to Havana, Cuba, under a professional exchange. The purpose of the trip was to gain an understanding of the economic changes underway in the country, explore the implications of these reforms for human resource management and identify opportunities to promote the use of effective human resource management in Cuban organizations consistent with U.S. law.

MORE HR NEWS RESOURCES
HR News home page
HR News article archive
Test your knowledge with the HR News Weekly Quiz
News about SHRM

COURT REPORT
NLRB: Employees' Participation in Illegal Strike Did Not Justify Discharge
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) affirmed an administrative law judge's decision finding an auto parts manufacturer illegally fired 148 employees because of their protected union activity, even though the employees participated in an illegal strike.
Read this article
More Court Report articles

HR SOLUTIONS
Off Duty, On the Road
Q. What is an employer's right to control and discipline employees for off-duty conduct during business travel?
A. Off-duty conduct may be protected by state anti-discrimination laws. Some states restrict employers' ability to control off-duty conduct and apply discipline, including prohibiting legal off-duty activities such as consuming alcohol or smoking. Other states may limit the employer's ability to control off-duty conduct even when it impacts the company's reputation or has potential to harm the organization in some way. Employers should check state laws before implementing a policy on off-duty conduct.
Read the full answer

Get Your Questions Answered
SHRM's HR Knowledge Center is staffed with experienced, certified HR professionals who can respond to your HR-related questions. The HR Knowledge Center is available Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
Contact the HR Knowledge Center

HR JOBS
Five Hundred New HR Jobs
Every week new jobs get added to HR Jobs. On average, there are over 500 active job postings at any time. Jobs in executive HR, compensation, staffing, benefits, training and more. Jobs all over the US and some in other countries. HR Jobs attracts the top employers who post jobs for every level of HR. Plus, job seekers can publish their resumes to the searchable resume database.
HR Jobs home page

VIRGINIA LEGAL UPDATE
Court Clarifies Rules on ERISA Trustees' Duties to Investigate and Diversify Investments
A breach of an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) trustee's fiduciary duty to investigate investment alternatives or breach of the duty to diversify the portfolio in which the plan funds are invested does not necessarily mean the actual investments were imprudent. Therefore, such a finding, in and of itself, is insufficient to impose liability on the trustee, the federal appellate court with jurisdiction over Virginia ruled.
Read this article

Express Request: Virginia State Law Resources
SHRM's Information Center has compiled a variety of online employment law resources applicable to your state. In this member-only, FREE benefit you'll receive employment law resources from SHRM Online as well as other online sources; a spotlight on a recent workplace issue impacting your state; directories for locating employment lawyers and more. To receive these resources in one e-mail, select your state's name (or any other state for which you'd like to receive information), complete and submit this form.
Also available from SHRM Online: Virginia workplace law resources Workplace law resources for all states

HR MAGAZINE
Let's Make a 'Deal'
Every organization has an employee value proposition -- the exchange, spoken or unspoken, between employers and employees that defines the relationship. In its simplest form, the exchange represents the currency paid for performing a job. In its highest, most strategic incarnation, it's the promise employers make to provide pay, benefits, career opportunities and a supportive work environment in exchange for an employee's discretionary effort to bring the company's mission, vision and values to life.
Read this article
Subscribe to HR Magazine (for nonmembers; members receive HR Magazine as part of their SHRM membership)
HR Magazine home page

Your Voice: The Challenge of High Turnover
Are you an HR professional in an organization with fewer than 500 employees in a high-turnover industry, like the restaurant, entertainment or retail industry? What strategies do you use to find, recruit and retain new workers? To share details of your practices for an upcoming article in HR Magazine, drop a note with your contact information to associate editor John Scorza at john.scorza@shrm.org.

HR DISCIPLINES: BENEFITS
Behavioral Economics Improve Workforce Health Decisions
Research about behavioral economics -- the study of how people make choices, drawing on insights from psychology and economics -- can be extremely useful in designing and communicating employee health plans.
Read this article
Benefits discipline area

HR DISCIPLINES: OED
HR Competency Model Updated
No longer should HR professionals aspire to be mere "talent managers." Instead, a new report suggests, they need to be "change champions," "strategic positioners" and "technology proponents."
Read this article
Organizational and Employee discipline area

HR DISCIPLINES: EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
Employers Revisit Recognition and Engagement in 2012
As the economic picture began to improve over the last six months of 2011, employers throughout the U.S. took the opportunity to reconsider and, in some cases, reintroduce recognition programs. Experts say the latest trend has employers seeking ways to use these programs to improve and enhance employee engagement.
Read this article
Employee Relations discipline area

HR DISCIPLINES: SAFETY & HEALTH
Companies Continue to Underreport Injuries, Illnesses
Academic and government studies have suggested that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) misses a certain percentage of injuries or illness sustained by the U.S. workforce because organizations do not report them. But certain industries might be failing to report illnesses and injuries at even higher rates than previously believed.
Read this article
Safety & Health discipline area

SHRM PUBLIC POLICY WEBCAST
What Recent NLRB Moves Mean for All Employers
Jan. 20, 2 p.m. ET (90 minutes)
Speakers: G. Roger King, Esq., Jones Day; Brent Yessin, Yessin & Associates; and Michael Layman, SHRM
In the waning days of 2011, the National Labor Relations Board passed sweeping revisions to the rules governing union election procedures. The enactment of these regulations, as well as President Obama's recess appointment of three commissioners to serve on the NLRB, underscore the administration's intention to push forward with its labor agenda in 2012. This will have a significant impact on all employers, whether or not they have previously been targets of organizing efforts. In this webcast, leading employee relations attorneys G. Roger King and Brent Yessin will describe in detail the "quickie" or "ambush" union election rule, and detail your rights and obligations when a union representation vote takes place. The program will also discuss new rules governing micro-bargaining units and the pending poster mandate for employers.
More about this webcast

SHRM WEBCASTS
Taming the HR Policy-Process-Knowledge Documentation Beast
Jan. 24, 2 p.m. ET
Speaker: Gary Dickelman, EPSScentral
HR policies, processes and knowledge support are critical to compliance, organizational performance and worker competency. Yet these assets are scattered across networks, buried in document repositories and often out-of-date. In this program, Gary Dickelman will discuss how organizations can navigate this morass, closing compliance and performance gaps. Real-world examples will be included, along with a clear exposition of methodology and available enabling technologies.
Register for this webcast

Hire with Precision: The Science of Identifying the Right Match
Now available
Presenter: Leanne Buehler, Ph.D., Corvirtus
Webcast sponsor: Taleo
While hiring assessments can be effective for identifying job candidates who have the right skills for the job, many companies still fall short when it comes to identifying the characteristics employees need to fit and thrive in the company's culture -- a flaw that can lead to high employee turnover, poor customer satisfaction and lost revenues. In this webcast, Leanne Buehler will show that with a more scientific, disciplined approach to employee evaluation, tied closely to the company's mission and values, organizations can predict with a high degree of accuracy whether or not a candidate is the right fit. Included will be strategies for aligning the hiring process with organizational culture and examples of real companies using scientific assessments to their strategic advantage.
View this webcast

Key Considerations for a Successful Global Assignment
Now available
Presenter: Mark Frederick, IOR Global Services
Webcast sponsor: Zurich
Whether they last two weeks or two years, global assignments are a significant investment for employers. As such, they carry significant risk -- stationing a worker outside of the country is costly, and the risk of failure or poor performance is high. It takes a certain type of employee to succeed in an overseas assignment. In this program, Mark Frederick of IOR Global Services will discuss steps HR can take in the areas of talent management and training to ensure a successful global assignment and capture the full developmental value of these opportunities. Note: This program will qualify for GPHR-specific recertification credit.
View this webcast

SHRM E-LEARNING
Anti-Harassment Training Key to Limiting Legal Exposure
While there's no magic bullet to avoid liability, there is an affordable, common sense approach to workplace harassment: proper employee training. Given the dramatic rise in U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforcement actions, and the record dollar amounts recovered from employers in recent years, it's an ideal time to make the modest investment in harassment prevention training. And SHRM e-Learning provides an ideal solution: Learn more about online workplace harassment prevention training and how you can bring it to your workforce.
SHRM e-Learning Workplace Harassment Prevention Training home page

SHRM RESEARCH
Survey: Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement
A new research report provides comprehensive information about factors important to overall employee job satisfaction and engagement. More than 20 aspects of employee job satisfaction, including career development, relationship with management, compensation and benefits, and work environment are examined.
Read this report

Poll: Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees
AIn a new SHRM study, a majority of HR professionals (71 percent) say personality tests can be useful in predicting job-related behavior or organizational fit. Yet, most organizations (82 percent) do not use a personality test in the hiring or employee promotion process.
Read this report

LEGAL REPORT
Forfeiting Benefit Plan Payments to 'Bad Boys'
Employers and benefit plan administrators often grapple with questions regarding when benefit plan payments to so-called "bad boys" may be forfeitable or subject to creditor claims. The answers depend in part on what type of benefit arrangement is being considered, who suffered an injury as a result of the bad boy's actions and what the controlling documents say.
Read this article
SHRM Legal Report home page

WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY
Tools and Training Prepare Managers for Workplace Flexibility
Most managers are ill-prepared to operate in a flexible culture. So it's essential to enhance their knowledge, provide them with tools and develop their skills through specific workplace flexibility training.
Read this article
Workplace Flexibility resource page

SHRMSTORE
Business Literacy Survival Guide for HR Professionals
When HR professionals can speak the language of business, their peers and superiors within the organization will include them in the organizational decision-making process. Business Literacy Survival Guide for HR Professionals explains business literacy terms and concepts using examples that are applicable to the HR role. The book exposes HR professionals to the multiple financial ramifications of what they do within the organization. HR departmental decisions and day-to-day operations are related to the financial statements and other financial decisions made by management.
More about this book
SHRMStore home page

MANAGING SMART
Four Management Fundamentals
To get results from employees, you have to focus on results. Keep management simple by concentrating on four fundamentals that drive business results. Great results make employees happy -- and motivated.
Read and download this article

Republish Managing Smart Articles
Members of SHRM are authorized to distribute copies, excerpts or e-mails of Managing Smart articles for educational purposes internally within their organizations. Each article includes an MS Word version that can be downloaded.
Managing Smart home page

HR TOOLKIT
Designing and Managing Educational Assistance Programs
Educational assistance for employees makes strategic sense. Such plans can be used as a tool to recruit employees, develop their talents and forge valuable long-term employees. An organization may also establish an educational assistance program (such as scholarship grants) for strategic reasons that extend beyond benefiting current employees, prospective employees or their family members.
Read this article

Developing an Accessible Workplace
Since HR is responsible for ensuring that the talents and skills of all employees are leveraged, HR professionals can and should hold leaders accountable for employing people with disabilities. HR should determine how their organizations' leaders and managers view people with disabilities. If barriers in the workplace prevent any employee from succeeding, HR has a responsibility to address those issues.
Read this article
HR Toolkits home page

ADVOCACY
SHRM A-Team: 18 Months Old and Growing
Since its inception and formal announcement to the SHRM membership at the 2010 SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition, the SHRM Advocacy Team (A-Team) has made significant strides. In its first full year in operation, the A-Team's ever-increasing exposure produced some measurable results in 2011
Read this article
Read the latest HR Issues Update

SHRM ASSURANCE OF LEARNING
Attention Students: Registration Now Open
Registration is now open for the SHRM Assurance of Learning Assessment March-April window. This assessment covers a wide spectrum of information within the field of human resource management, based on the topics employers say they look for in candidates for HR positions. Differentiate yourself in the HR job market place.
Register for the exam today

SHRM ESSENTIALS OF HR MANAGEMENT
Get the Knowledge You Need to Address HR Challenges
The SHRM Essentials provides invaluable knowledge to help reduce costly lawsuits and effectively handle daily HR challenges. This program covers HR issues and current principles of: HR management, employment law, recruitment and selection, compensation, performance management and more.
Learn more and try the free demo today

SHRM MEMBER CENTER
Upcoming Holiday Closing
In observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, SHRM's offices, including the Member Care Center and HR Knowledge Center, will be closed on Jan. 16. We will open for business again on Jan. 17. HR Week will be emailed on Tuesday evening, rather than Monday.

EXPRESS REQUESTS
2012 Ready! Set! Go!
The new year is here, and with it come new trends in HR management, new goals for federal agencies, new limits on compensation and benefits, and more. We've compiled several resources to help you start 2012 on the right foot. To receive these resources, visit SHRM's Express Request service and select key term 2012 READY! SET! GO! in the Multiple Disciplines Covered section.

Healthy Food at Work
While it's impossible to know each employee's new year's resolutions, a popular one is to eat healthier. This is one resolution that employers can positively impact. We provide resources to assist employers in bringing healthier foods and beverages to their workplaces' meetings, vending machines, lunch room and cafeteria. To receive these resources, visit SHRM's Express Request service and select key term WELLNESS: HEALTHY FOOD AT WORK in the Benefits section.

FINAL THOUGHT
Embracing Errors
Mistakes are not welcome in most organizations. Quite the opposite: They are forbidden, penalized and feared. Yet some employers find that encouraging and even celebrating "low-stakes" mistakes can unleash creativity and prevent high-cost mistakes down the road.
Read this article

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The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world's largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 250,000 members in over 140 countries, the Society serves the needs of HR professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession. Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China and India. Visit SHRM Online at www.shrm.org.

SHRM's HR Week - 1/9/12