Filed under: Books in General, Human Resources, health care | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, health care, Human Resources, Leadership
If you look closely at many of my posts, you’ll notice that I rarely give out any personal details. Truth be told, I’m quite a private person, despite the fact that I communicate with all of you a few times each week. I sometimes feel as though the continued dominance of social media in our lives has led people to willingly give up their privacy with nary a second thought.
Strangely, some of the same folks who don’t mind posting photos from a company happy hour on their Facebook pages are likely to bristle at corporate requests for info for a health and wellness survey. They may not have a choice in the near future. This article from CNNMoney.com discusses the increase in Human Resource departments asking employees to fill out a health and wellness questionnaire prior to enrolling in the company’s health insurance program.
I found this article to be loaded with the type of issues that define life in today’s corporate world. The survey can ask an employee about the number of alcoholic drinks he or she consumes each week. However, it can’t ask the same employee whether or not there is a history of cancer in his or her family. This is due to a fear of lawsuits due to genetic discrimination. To help ensure employee cooperation, some companies are offering incentives such as lower insurance premiums for workers willing to participate in smoking cessation programs. Yet, companies are at risk if they bar employees coverage for not agreeing to fill out the survey.
However, I think my favorite quote from the article is this one: “Maybe you think you’ll fudge the truth? Don’t. That’s fraud, and could be grounds for dismissal.” I can almost guarantee that some people reading that statement would reply, “How will they ever know?” I suspect that these are the same folks that would thrill us with a Twitter tweet about low cigarette prices at a local gas station.
Human Resource professionals are in a bind that I, for one, do not envy. As they continue to walk a tightrope between lowering their health care expenses and breaching privacy issues, one has to wonder whether it will be employee or employer who has to make the biggest changes.
For a great read on the difficulties facing HR departments (and how to solve them), check out our summary of The HR Scorecard by Brian Becker, Mark Huselid and Dave Ulrich.
Filed under: Books in General, From the Editor, Human Resources, Internet | Tags: Book Review, books, Business, business book, business books, Generation Y, Human Resources, Internet, Review
I was tempted to write a clever introduction concerning whether or not members of Generation Y (those born between 1980 and 1999) are in your midst. Then I realized something vital: this is a blog … on the Internet. There is no other generation who has lived the double-life of virtual and physical existence more than this group. Something tells me that of the numerous readers I have, a good portion of you probably count your birthday somewhere between the years listed above. So, let me start over …
This article came up from the folks at the Guardian in the United Kingdom. While I think the first sentence in the article does more than its share of negative stereotyping, it’s interesting to see that the subject of Gen Y in the workplace continues to get press. We’ve covered it ourselves, both in summaries and in reviews. We’re at a critical juncture in the history of the American work force, and it seems to me that everyone is a touch anxious over where we will go. Suffice to say, Gen Y is currently experiencing one of the roughest job markets in which to enter a work force.
One also has to appreciate the fact that Baby Boomers, the generation that in its youth shifted the focus of everyone from advertisers to political campaigners to the young, are now scratching their greying heads trying to figure out what’s going on with ”these kids.” My years may be showing here, but I seem to recall coming of age in an era of economic uncertainty where foreign war made headlines and the environment, social issues and the generation gap were on the minds of many. Throw in a reference to Facebook and an e-mail address, and we’d be looking at Gen Y, wouldn’t we?
The more things change …
P.S.: I mentioned that we reviewed a book on Gen Y. To read it, and dozens of others for FREE, simply sign up at Summary.com.
Filed under: Books in General, From the Editor, General Business, Hands-On Management, Human Resources, Leadership, Other, Personal Development, Small Business | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, Harper Collins, Harry Paul, Instant Turnaround, Leadership, management, patrick lencioni, Publishing, Ross Reck, Small Business
While engaged in one of my favorite activities (trolling various publishers’ Web sites to check out upcoming business book releases), I came across a title that’s set to debut next week. A title like Instant Turnaround grabs one’s attention pretty quickly. The premise is even more interesting. Authors Harry Paul and Ross Reck explore a subject that might prove sensitive for both executive and employee: Do people intentionally “gear-down” their efforts as a way to retaliate for perceived mistreatment?
According to the authors, this is a “business reality,” and it can hit any level of an organization. Fortunately, they provide solutions to help executives tap the wellspring of employee enthusiasm that may be held in reserve. I found it interesting that even in difficult economic times, people still hesitate to give their all. However, this can often be the result of an incorrect assumption that a company is nearing a round of layoffs or considering cutting perks and pay. Instant Turnaround should serve as a reminder to executives everywhere that communication is essential to keep employees motivated and on the same page as the company.
This book also appears to capitalize on a growing trend of writing a parable to illustrate the book’s main concepts. With any luck, Paul and Reck will be able to create a parable that can stack up to the master of a similar technique, Patrick Lencioni. His use of leadership fables has served him well through more than a half-dozen releases.
It’s obvious that none of the above authors lack any motivation when it comes to producing valuable work. Speaking of which, it’s about time I got back to my editorial duties.
When bringing on a new employee, you want to be sure that you have selected the best person for the position, no questions asked. In Geoff Smart and Randy Street’s new book, they have an answer to your No. 1 problem: hiring mistakes.
In the multi-list bestseller, Who: The A Method for Hiring, the authors have taken it upon themselves to set you straight about hiring solid people, especially since, according to them, “you are who you hire.” Smart and Street—chairman/CEO and president, respectively of ghSMART, a management assessment firm for CEOs and investors—offer a four-step process for hiring the right people for your company, with a 90 percent success rate, as well as show readers how to avoid a $1.5 million single hiring mistake (youch!). The goal, they claim, is to find A players to join your team to increase their success, as well as your own.
Endorsements hail from many, including President and CEO Robert Gillette of Honeywell Aerospace: “Seventy percent of the game is finding the right people, putting them in the right position, listening to them, and alleviating what gets in their way. Who is a practical guide to making sure you get the right people to start with! Excellent advice and guide.”
If interested, add their blog to your RSS feed so you can stay up to date with Smart and Street.
Filed under: Human Resources, Leadership | Tags: Business, business books
President-elect Barack Obama will have his plate full for the next year (at least) with important tasks: setting the tone for his first term in office, selecting a family dog, and nominating nearly 500 people to cabinet and subcabinet posts.
This number has grown in leaps and bounds since the days of George Washington, with his Cabinet of four (Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of War and Attorney General). According to the article “Our tottering confirmation process” published back in 2002—though still relevant—the nominating or “hiring” process for Cabinet members takes up a large chunk of a President’s first year in office. Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush took approximately 8.5 months to select their Cabinet appointees and get them approved and sworn in by the Supreme Court.
Perhaps Obama would benefit from a book recently published in November by Portfolio: There’s No Elevator to the Top: A Leading Headhunter Shares the Advancement Strategies of the World’s Most Successful Executives. Written by Umesh Ramakrishan, vice chairman of CTPartners—a global executive search firm—the book gives its readers a look at what it’s like to reach the top of a major company. Now sure, you could say Obama is already at the top, but this book could help him quickly pick out key qualities that he should look for when selecting his Cabinet appointees. From a write-up by Publisher’s Weekly: “The advice Ramakrishman elicits from the executives delves into such areas as the importance of choosing only ‘A’ players when seeking to assemble a strong team and striving for a flatter organizational structure to promote communication and information flow.” It sounds like Obama could learn a lot from this book. For the rest of us, There’s No Elevator to the Top can over guidance and challenge us to bring our A-game.
