Human Resources – Page 8 – Risk Management 365

The Importance of Job Descriptions

While there is no federal or Michigan statute that requires them, a good job description is an important tool in the effective and legal management of any organization. A well-written job description provides many essential benefits to human resource administration. On the other hand, a poorly written or out-dated job description can be a barrier to effective personnel management.

What Do Job Descriptions Do?

Set clear job expectations.
Give managers guidelines to hire, promote and supervise employees.
Help support hiring, disciplinary, promotion, compensation and termination decisions.
Help an employer comply with numerous legal requirements.

via The Importance of Job Descriptions | The National Law Review.

Drugs and The Workplace, Not Good Friends

Being under the influence of anything while at work can affect reaction time and reflexes, which can be disastrous. People who work under the influence cause accidents are often the ones who are injured. In fact, industries with the highest rates of drug use are the same as those that are the highest risk for injury in the first place. This includes construction, mining, manufacturing and wholesale.

According to OSHA, there are five separate elements that ensure a drug free workplace. These five elements are: 1) A policy that does not tolerate it. 2) Supervisor training. 3) Employee education. 4) Employee assistance. 5) Drug testing. OSHA concludes with the fact that there must be consideration for employee rights to privacy and that many workers with substance abuse problems can be returned safely to the workplace provided they have access to appropriate treatment. With the right addiction treatment program anyone can fully recover, with that drugs and the workplace can be taken care of and have no more problems.

via Drugs and the Workplace | Addiction Treatment Programs | Arizona Rehab.

The Generation Gap – How To Motivate Generation Y

Generation Y

Roughly born between the 1980’s and 2000’s
General Attitude: Let’s make the world a better place
Characteristics: Tolerant, Caring, Honest, Balanced, Independent, Optimistic and Clean Cut
Likes: Shopping, Labels, Friends, Family, The environment, Technology
Dislikes: Dishonesty, Unbalanced lifestyles.

Famous people from generation Y include Prince William, Venus and Serena Williams and David Beckham.

These kids are just entering the working environment. They are growing up in a time when the world is more baby and children focused than ever before. The “Baby on Board” stickers arrived in the early 1990’s. Fashion models were pregnant on the front cover of magazines…something that was unheard of in the 1960’s. You see winning sport stars after a tournament with trophy in the one hand and baby in the other.

This generation is the most protected generation ever. However, at the same time they are also the most exposed.

They grow up with technology, so it comes natural to them. Every time I get a new mobile phone, I give it to my 14 year old son. He usually have it sorted out within 10 minutes…and he is not the exception.

Because of all the attention and protection, they mirror the GI generation to some extend. At the same time, the generation gap between them and the Xers is not big.

Just like the GI’s, they grew up in a community that was very children focused.

And, like the GI’s, they don’t mind doing community work. Unlike the Xers who have a general attitude of “minding my own business”, these kids want to get involved.

Tips for Motivating Generation Y

Lead. This generation has grown up structured and supervised by parents who believed in boundaries and are active role models. They respond to leadership with integrity.
Provide mentors. They enjoy interacting with older generations, and learning in a hands on manner. It will also help you to close the generation gap.
They like to be challenged. Assign them to projects where they can truly learn.
They like to try new things. Boredom is your, and their, greatest enemy.
Let them work with their friends, as they are sociable and sharing.

via The Generation Gap. How To Motivate Different Generations.

Managing Human Capital Risk

Human resource risk is the chance that bad outcomes will occur in some aspect of HR. Those risks get attention when the bad outcomes threaten the overall organization and its goals. Then it becomes a business risk.

Employee turnover, an example of one type of HR risk, becomes a business risk when it could threaten the viability of the business. Business risk matters because it has the attention of everyone at the top of the organization.

Among important human resource risks that affect business outcomes are class-action litigation and other compliance and regulatory issues, the loss of key employees and critical knowledge, talent-management gaps that make it difficult to get employees with needed skills, and individual employee behaviors that create liability issues (e.g., imprudent investment decisions or ethical scandals that damage brand value).

Interestingly, the most important risk associated with human capital in a survey of HR and risk managers that was conducted as part of the study was a “shortage of critical skills within your company’s workforce.”

via Human Resource Executive Online | Managing Human Capital Risk.

The Generation Gap – How To Motivate The Baby Boomers

The Baby Boomers

General Attitude: “If you have it, flash it”
Characteristics: Talkative, Bossy, Inquisitive, Stylish, and Competitive.
Likes: Shopping, Winning, Leading, Vision.
Dislikes: Paying of debts, Aging

Some famous Boomers include Bill Clinton. Tony Blair, George W Bush, Princess Diana, Vladimir Putin, Richard Branson and J.K. Rowling.

The baby boomers got their name from the big growth in population just after World War II. They were the largest generation (in terms of numbers) that the planet ever saw.

They arrived with a bang and have been noisy and attention demanding ever since. Every single stage of their lives has been era defining and trend setting.

When they decide to do something, they do it big. Nobody can afford not to notice them. Both literally and figuratively.

You are very likely to find many Baby Boomers still in your workforce. The first ones just entered retirement a few years ago.

This generation entered the working environment in a time that coincided with a steady economic boom, which took the whole world by storm.

When they finished university or college, there was no shortage of jobs.

Big changes started to happen in their time, which made their working environment very different from their parents.

Multinational companies were starting to become more common and rapid growth was considered the norm. This was fueled by three drivers. Quality, customer service and globalization.

Tips for Motivating The Boomers

Make rewards and recognition public
They will rely on you to generate energy and dynamism.
They want to be involved in all decisions. They are passionate about transparency and democracy in decision making. Include them at all stages.

via The Generation Gap. How To Motivate Different Generations.

Driving Organizational Success Through Human Capital

In today’s globally integrated, tightly regulated, and increasingly competitive business environment, one critical success factor stands out: people. Your people represent one of your company’s most significant investments, and they provide you with a big opportunity to gain competitive advantage.

via Human Capital – Ernst & Young – United States.

Roles of HR Professionals in Risk Management

The “people” risk in business is significant and role of HR Professionals to manage this risk varies by organization. The challenge is that risk area’s and responsibilities are often very siloed. The key is risk management should be an integrated effort, with executive level support, that enhances the strategic goals and growth of the organization. HR professionals role is to participate in risk management by assessing risk and creating HR policies to prevent or mitigate loss and ensure business continuity.

What Triggers Behavior Change?

BJ Fogg founder of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University designed a behavior model to serve as a guide to identify what stops people from performing desirable behaviors. The Fogg Behavior Model shows that three elements must converge at the same moment for a behavior to occur:

Motivation
Ability
Trigger

When a behavior does not occur, at least one of those three elements is missing.

When designing health and safety processes it’s important to include all three elements to drive desired behavior change. To be successful you need participation, education and encouragement built into the process.

via BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model.

Workplace Health Programs Increase Productivity

Workplace health programs can increase productivity

In general, healthier employees are more productive.

Healthier employees are less likely to call in sick or use vacation time due to illness
Companies that support workplace health have a greater percentage of employees at work every day
Because employee health frequently carries over into better health behavior that impact both the employee and their family (such as nutritious meals cooked at home or increased physical activity with the family), employees may miss less work caring for ill family members as well
Similarly, workplace health programs can reduce presenteeism — the measurable extent to which health symptoms, conditions, and diseases adversely affect the work productivity of individuals who choose to remain at work

The cost savings of providing a workplace health program can be measured against absenteeism among employees, reduced overtime to cover absent employees, and costs to train replacement employees.

via CDC – Workplace Health – Business Case – Benefits of Health Program – Increase Productivity.

What’s Next After Lean?

Definition of Lean:

Doing more with less by employing “lean thinking.” Lean manufacturing involves never ending efforts to eliminate or reduce ‘muda” (Japanese for waste or any activity that consumes resources without adding value) in design, manufacturing, distribution, and customer service processes.

So what’s “beyond lean” or the “next lean”. I have found that applying “lean” thinking to employee health and productivity eliminates waste in the cost of health care, work comp, absenteeism and presenteeism (at work but not productive). To be successful you need a process or road map. The process is the five steps of risk management. They are:

Identify Risk
Analyze Data
Control Risk
Finance Risk
Measure Results

Don’t make the mistake of thinking insurance is risk management. Insurance is not risk management; in fact it is the 4th step of the process. Skipping (or poor execution of) the first 3 steps leads the waste (higher cost) and poor results in step 5.

Payroll, Benefits and Work Comp are typically the highest cost a business has yet in many cases this area is often overlooked for waste.