SHRM's HR Week - 1/17/12

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January 17, 2012

HR NEWS

Pension Deficits Increased Again in 2011 Despite Large Contributions
The aggregate deficit in U.S. defined benefit pension plans sponsored by S&P 1500 companies reached $484 billion as of Dec. 31, an increase of $169 billion from year-end 2010.

Who Owns Twitter Handles and LinkedIn Connections?
Lawsuits over social media are on the rise as employers and former employees wrangle over who owns Twitter handles and followers as well as LinkedIn connections. Companies need to ensure their policies make clear who owns what in social media.

Supreme Court Backs Ministerial Exception in Bias Suit
The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that workplace bias lawsuits may not be brought by church employees who act as ministers to their denominations. For the first time, the high court explicitly recognized a "ministerial exception" to federal, state and local laws against virtually all forms of discrimination on the job.

Relief for FMLA's Self-Care Provision Argued Before Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments that states retain sovereign immunity from claims for money damages under the Family and Medical Leave Act's (FMLA) "self-care" provision. The Supreme Court already has held that states' sovereign immunity from money damages for the caregiving provisions of the FMLA was validly abrogated because that part of the law was enacted to redress states' gender discrimination.

Pepsi Settles Dispute over Criminal Background Checks
Pepsi will revise an overly broad criminal background check policy, provide training and pay $3.13 million to settle an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claim that the policy violated Title VII.

NEWS ABOUT SHRM
SHRM Launches Internet News Program
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has debuted "Focus on HR," a biweekly, 10-minute online news program showcasing the latest news and information in business, HR and SHRM. Veteran CNN correspondent Kathleen Koch hosts the program.

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
5th Circuit: Terminations Must Be Based on Sound, Demonstrable Facts
A termination based on questionable conclusions by a supervisor can place the ultimate question of an employer's liability in the hands of a jury, according to a ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Read this article
More Court Report articles

HR SOLUTIONS
Bringing Personal Problems to the Office
Q. What should we do when an employee's personal problems affect job performance, mood and behavior at work?
A. When approaching an employee with personal problems, give specific examples of unacceptable behavior and make clear the employer's expectations for improvement. Bringing these matters to the employee's attention in a concerned manner will likely allow him or her to realize how the personal issues are negatively impacting working relationships.
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

Future Work
The way we work is overdue for change. But many organizations are slow to realize this, clinging to a rigid model of fixed working time and presence better suited to the industrial age than the digital age. Future Work sets out the compelling business case for a change in organizational cultures and working practices, drawing on a unique international survey and dozens of examples of innovative companies making the transition.
More about this book
SHRMStore home page

VIRGINIA LEGAL UPDATE
Virginia Court: No Benefits for Disease Stemming from Workplace Allergens
An employee with asthma faces a steep challenge if she wants to collect workers' compensation benefits for her condition, especially when her symptoms are caused by conditions both inside and outside the workplace, according to the Virginia Court of Appeals.
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
Bank On Savings
Bank-at-work programs provide that "something new" to your benefits offerings without increasing costs. These programs give employees free and discounted banking services. There's a benefit for employers, too: When employees have their paychecks electronically deposited in their accounts, employers' payroll administration costs shrink.
Read this article
Subscribe to HR Magazine (for nonmembers; members receive HR Magazine as part of their SHRM membership)
HR Magazine home page

HR Magazine's 2012 Trendbook
Read summaries of the trends having an impact on HR offices and employees. HR Magazine's 2012 Trendbook explores workplace trends and discusses developments in compensation and incentives; benefits; technology; staffing management; and education, training and development.
Read the Trendbook

HR DISCIPLINES: BENEFITS
Are Health Premium Tiers a Good Idea?
Now that employers in the U.S. must open their health benefit programs to employees' adult children up to age 26, some of those employers are looking for ways to share the increased costs of this requirement. One way to do that is charging health insurance premiums on a per-participant basis, but there are pros and cons to this approach.
Read this article
Benefits discipline area

HR DISCIPLINES: COMPENSATION
'Golden Parachute' Payments Rise Sharply
Despite sluggish economic growth, the average "golden parachute" provided to CEOs at large U.S. companies increased 32 percent over a two-year period, rising to $30.2 million in 2011 from $22.9 million in 2009.
Read this article
Compensation discipline area

HR DISCIPLINES: DIVERSITY
TV Programs Spur Diversity Controversies
Regardless of whether a TV program deals with diversity issues in a reality-based format or as a sitcom or a drama, controversy follows. That's definitely the case with "Work It."
Read this article
Diversity discipline area

HR DISCIPLINES: STAFFING MANAGEMENT
Organizations Struggle to Find Best Hiring Assessments
Hiring assessments can do a great deal to help identify job candidates who have the right competencies, knowledge and skills to be successful in a position and who are a good cultural fit, but many organizations fall short when it comes to identifying the best assessments to use to tighten up their hiring process.
Read this article
Staffing Management 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

Business-Focused Hiring: A Practical Approach to Assessments
Jan. 31, 2 p.m. ET
Speaker: Scott Mondore, Ph.D.
Webcast sponsor: pan
Hiring the right people is critical to creating an effective organization. To maximize employee performance, organizations need to ensure employees have the knowledge, skills and attributes required to succeed. During this webcast, Dr. Scott Mondore will introduce practical and proven approaches to interviewing and assessments, which will create a valid hiring process to maximize outcomes such as performance and retention in your organization.
Register for this webcast

The Well-Connected Employee: Networking Competencies that Foster Business Results
Feb. 8, 2 p.m. ET
Speaker: Lynne Waymon
Providing structured and intentional guidance to employees at all levels of your organization on how to build effective internal and external networks can help them do their jobs more effectively. In this webcast, author and networking expert Lynne Waymon will showcase the role HR can play in teaching employees how to develop social acumen and impacting the social capital of your organization. She'll talk about how networking can help them uncork bureaucratic bottlenecks, work cross-functionally, and collaborate more effectively with internal and external partners.
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 RESEARCH
Survey: How Is Social Media Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations?
The final installment in a series of four surveys on social media in the workplace, this SHRM survey looks at who is responsible for leading workplace social media activities. The report also discusses how companies monitor employee social media activities on company-owned machines and how organizations calculate the return on social media investments.
Read this report

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

WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY
Applications Being Accepted for 2012 Sloan Work Flex Awards
Employers across the United States are invited to submit applications for the 2012 Sloan Awards for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility.
Read this article
Workplace Flexibility resource page

SHRM LEGAL REPORT
Background Checks in India
Companies in India are in recruitment overdrive. Domestic companies are competing with foreign giants for the best Indian talent. For HR managers in India, this presents an opportunity as well as a challenge in finding the right candidates for open positions. While job-specific proficiencies are examined regularly, the process for background checks is still in a nascent stage in India.
Read this article
SHRM Legal Report home page

SHRM VIDEO
Employee Brand Ambassadors
Matt Kaiser, VP at NAS Recruitment Communications, offers insight on why companies should include their employees in recruitment efforts.
View this video
More SHRM videos

HR TOOLKITS
Employing Part-Time Workers
Although the vast majority of part-time jobs are low paying and generally don't require experience or skills, a growing number of highly educated workers choose to work part time. And, a growing number of companies find that hiring part-time workers is an appropriate way to meet various staffing needs. HR professionals may be key to identifying the relative strategic advantages and disadvantages of hiring part-time employees and advising a top-level executives accordingly.
Read this article
HR Toolkits home page

MANAGING SMART
Hiring Assets
Managers need to hire based on an asset mentality, not a checklist mentality that reviews only education level and years of experience. A manager with an asset mentality focuses on the strengths and skills of the applicant that may enhance a specific department.
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

ADVOCACY
Two Workplace Regulations Teed Up for Action Early in 2012
During the last month of 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued two proposed rules that, if finalized, could affect significant segments of HR professionals.
Read this article
Latest issue of HR Issues Update

SHRM CONFERENCES
SHR M Employment Law and Legislative Conference
March 4-7, Washington, D.C.
Just announced: Kirsten Powers, Fox News political analyst and columnist for The Daily Beast and USA Today, will share how her background in business, politics and the media has made her an expert at getting a point across while staying composed and being gracious. Powers joins a powerhouse lineup of speakers at SHRM's Employment Law and Legislative Conference, which will provide in-depth analysis of the latest developments in courts, Congress and state legislatures, as well as what to expect in a contentious election year.
SHR M Employment Law and Legislative Conference home page

SHRM SEMINARS
HR Education for the Now. Career Enhancement for the Next.
June 24-27, 2012, Atlanta
More than ever before, it's time to enhance your existing skills and to expand your HR knowledge. SHRM is committed to keeping you informed and more competitive. Whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned HR professional, make sure your professional development in 2012 includes one of our exceptional seminars.
SHRM Seminars home page

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

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 U.S. 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

EXPRESS REQUESTS
Time Off to Vote
With election primary season under way, it's a good time to refresh your memory of state laws on time off to vote and mandatory postings. A SHRM Express Request provides state law resources, the presidential primary election schedule and information on California's and New York's mandatory time off to vote postings. To receive resources on this topic, visit SHRM's Express Request service and select key term TIME OFF TO VOTE in the Benefits section.

Wellness Programs and Nondiscrimination
An employer-provided wellness program raises potential discrimination issues under a myriad of laws, most notably the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act nondiscrimination rules, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. To receive resources on this topic, visit our SHRM's Express Request service and select key term WELLNESS PROGRAMS & NONDISCRIMINATION in the Benefits section.

FINAL THOUGHT
Calendar's Quirk Can Pose a Payroll Challenge
Just by adding an extra day in February, leap years can create some interesting challenges for employers. The extra day typically adds another workday onto the schedule and increases the odds that a business could have an additional payday for the year.
Read this article
Express Request: SHRM members can receive additional resources on this topic. Visit SHRM's Express Request web site and select key term LEAP YEAR (2012) AND PAYROLL in the Compensation section.

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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.