Human Resources – Page 3 – Risk Management 365

Preventing Negligent Hiring Claims

Negligent hiring claims are preventable if employers do their job which is to ensure that employees and customers have a well-organized, safe work environment. In this work environment, people have a right to a reasonable expectation that they will not be injured or harmed. Customers have the right to the same expectation.

If a hiring decision made by an employer results in an employee who injures or harms a customer, coworker or any individual who comes into contact with the employee through work, the employer can be charged with negligent hiring.

A negligent hiring claim is made when the filer believes that the employer should have known about the employee’s background. In these claims, the filer attempts to prove that the injurious behavior was to be expected based on past behavior that demonstrated that the employee was dangerous, untrustworthy, a sexual predator, or a thief, to name a few possible claims.

Employers are most vulnerable to negligent hiring claims if they fail to:

do a criminal background check on potential employees,
check employment and personal references,
check employment history and attempt to speak with former supervisors,
validate college degrees,
perform drug screening in particular industries,
require physicals in some occupations,
perform credit checks for some jobs,
check driving records and history for some occupations, and
confirm that other claims made by the applicant, such as why he left a prior employer, why he had a two year employment gap, why he worked at four companies in two years, and so forth, are true.

via Negligent Hiring Claims.

5 Dysfunctions of a Team

Built a stronger, more effective team—and give your organization the ultimate competitive advantage

In theory, teamwork is simple. Most of us already know what it requires. But in practice, teamwork is difficult. Building a team is a process, one that requires remarkable levels of discipline, courage, and persistence.

For a team to be truly effective, it must overcome the five dysfunctions as outlined by Patrick Lencioni in his best-selling The Five Dysfunctions of a Team:

Absence of Trust. Members of great teams trust one another on a fundamental, emotional level, and they are comfortable being vulnerable with each other about their weaknesses, mistakes, fears, and behaviors.
Fear of Conflict. Teams that trust one another are not afraid to engage in passionate dialogue around issues and decisions that are key to the organization’s success.
Lack of Commitment. Teams that engage in unfiltered conflict are able to achieve genuine buy-in around important decisions, even when various members of the team initially disagree.
Avoidance of Accountability. Teams that commit to decisions and standards of performance do not hesitate to hold one another accountable for adhering to those decisions and standards.
Inattention to Results. Teams that trust one another, engage in conflict, commit to decisions, and hold one another accountable are very likely to set aside their individual needs and agendas and focus almost exclusively on what is best for the team.

via Wiley Workplace Learning :: 5 Dysfunctions of a Team – Overview.

The Difference Between Strategic & Traditional HR

Traditional and strategic human resources models differ significantly from each other. Many businesses have moved toward the strategic HR model because of its utility in building a business. Strategic human resources management is geared toward developing strategic plans that fit within the larger structure of the company’s plans, whereas traditional HR management is almost purely administrative in nature. Understanding the difference between traditional and strategic human resources can be important for the development of your business.

Step 1 – Examine the role of human resources managers as they have been traditionally understood. Human resources managers are often perceived as individuals responsible for hiring and recruiting workers for open jobs within a company or corporation. Aside from the hiring and recruiting aspect of the their job, human resources managers and professionals spend a considerable amount of time performing administrative tasks such as completing paperwork for new employees or training them for their new positions.

Step 2 – Note the primary difference in strategic HR, which is the fact that strategic human resources professionals are recognized as being strategic partners within the company. They work alongside top executives and other management professionals to determine how to best fit human resources initiatives within the overall strategic trajectory of the organization. Company strategy plays a more important role in the development of human resource policies than do basic administrative matters.

Step 3 – Recognize how the roles of the human resources manager traditionally have been defined. Traditional HR managers are primarily concerned with the acquisition and exit of workers from an organization. They also have played a role in training and development that is integral to the functioning of the company for which they work. Aside from these duties, human resources managers also administer pay plans and benefits received by employees.

Step 4 – Compare the differences between the two models. Traditional HR management lacks focus on the overall strategic initiatives of the company, whereas these are primary in strategic human resources management. Human resources policies and procedures revolve around these strategic plans and are developed in response to these plans. The traditional human resources department may develop policies in response to such plans, but it does not necessarily play an integral role in the planning process.

via The Difference Between Strategic & Traditional HR | Chron.com.

The 4 Hiring Practices of Highly Successful Organizations

A new survey by human resource consulting firm Development Dimensions International and web-based recruiting resource Electronic Recruiting Exchange (ERE) reveals what keeps successful organizations on top. They don’t just glance at a resume and then hire whoever looks good in a suit, but instead use four modern hiring practices to find top talent.

Keys to success

“The survey strongly suggests that specific hiring practices and tools are linked to an organization’s success,” says Scott Burton, vice president of staffing and assessment consulting for DDI. The study shows that in the past year the organizations with the more effective hiring systems ranked higher in financial performance, productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and retention. “This is further proof of what HR professionals have long said: Success is based on finding the right people for the right jobs.”

“The survey offered still more evidence for the power of web technologies within the recruiting industry,” says ERE president David Manaster. “In fact, the results show that the Internet has superseded the hallmark of recruiting success, employee referrals, as the most widely used and effective recruitment tool for many professionals.”

Four hiring practices of highly successful organizations. The study revealed that the organizations with the most effective hiring policies were more likely to use the following four practices:

Job interviews in which candidates are asked to describe specific examples of their skills
Automated resume screening and search
Assessments that predict whether candidates are motivated by the factors associated with a particular job or a company’s values and ways of doing things
Simulations that gauge specific job-related abilities and skills

“Organizations should be using the four key hiring practices more, because they make it much easier to find the best candidates,” Burton says. “The current news of layoffs may be creating the illusion that it will be easier to hire good people, but that’s a mistake. It may be easier to get a mound of resumes, but it will continue to be difficult to find the right people for the right job.”

via The 4 Hiring Practices of Highly Successful Organizations, Recruiting Article | Inc.com.

Motivate People by Creating a Fun Workplace

There are 3 ways to motivate people to work harder, faster and smarter:

1. Threaten them.

2. Pay them lots of money.

3. Make their work fun.

In today’s workplace, threatening people has not been effective. Paying them lots of money (even if you can afford it) has only shown short-term success. Only number three, making their workplace enjoyable, has a track record of effecting real change. It is time managers learned how to create an atmosphere that is challenging, creative and fun for employees as well as for themselves.

via AgCareers Newsletter Article.

Triple Bottom Line – People Planet Profit

Triple bottom line (abbreviated as TBL or 3BL) incorporates the notion of sustainability into business decisions. The TBL is an accounting framework with three dimensions: social, environmental (or ecological) and financial. The TBL dimensions are also commonly called the three Ps: people, planet and profits and are referred to as the “three pillars of sustainability.” Interest in triple bottom line accounting has been growing in both for-profit, nonprofit and government sectors. Many organizations have adopted the TBL framework to evaluate their performance in a broader context.

In traditional business accounting and common usage, the “bottom line” refers to either the “profit” or “loss”, which is usually recorded at the very “bottom line” on a statement of revenue and expenses. Over the last 50 years, environmentalists and social justice advocates have struggled to bring a broader definition of “bottom line” into public consciousness, by introducing full cost accounting. For example, if a corporation shows a monetary profit, but their asbestos mine causes thousands of deaths from asbestosis, and their copper mine pollutes a river, and the government ends up spending taxpayer money on health care and river clean-up, how do we perform a full societal cost benefit analysis? The triple bottom line adds two more “bottom lines”: social and environmental (ecological) concerns.

via Triple bottom line – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Safer and Healthier at Any Age: Strategies for an Aging Workforce

Many effective workplace solutions for aging workers are simple, don’t have to cost very much, and can have large benefits if implemented properly with worker input and support throughout all levels of management. Below are strategies for preparing your workplace for an older and healthier, safer workforce. Consider putting these in place today.

Prioritize workplace flexibility. Workers prefer jobs that offer more flexibility over those that offer more vacation days. To the extent possible, give workers a say in their schedule, work conditions, work organization, work location and work tasks.
Match tasks to abilities. Use self-paced work, self-directed rest breaks and less repetitive tasks
Avoid prolonged, sedentary work – it’s bad for workers at every age. Consider sit/stand workstations and walking workstations for workers who traditionally sit all day. Provide onsite physical activity opportunities or connections to low-cost community options.
Manage noise hazards (including excess background noise), slip/trip hazards, and physical hazards, conditions that can challenge an aging workforce more.
Provide ergo-friendly work environments — workstations, tools, floor surfaces, adjustable seating, better illumination where needed, and screens and surfaces with less glare.
Utilize teams and teamwork strategies for aging-associated problem solving. Workers closest to the problem are often best equipped to find the fix.
Provide health promotion and lifestyle interventions including physical activity, healthy meal options, tobacco cessation assistance, risk factor reduction and screenings, coaching, and onsite medical care. Accommodate medical self-care in the workplace and time away for health visits.
Invest in training and building worker skills and competencies at all age levels. Help older employees adapt to new technologies, often a concern for employers and older workers.
Proactively manage reasonable accommodations and the return-to-work process after illness or injury absences.
Require aging workforce management skills training for supervisors. Include a focus on the most effective ways to manage a multi-generational workplace.

via CDC – NIOSH Science Blog – Safer and Healthier at Any Age: Strategies for an Aging Workforce.

What is a Drug Free Workplace?

A drug free workplace is an employment setting where all employees adhere to a program of policies and activities designed to provide a safe workplace, discourage alcohol and drug abuse and encourage treatment, recovery and the return to work of those employees with such abuse problems. The intent of the program is to educate adults on the problems relating to substance abuse. The one place where there can be mandated adult education is the workplace. This empowers the individual and the family, resulting in stronger communities.

via The Council on Alcohol and Drugs: Drug Free Workplace FAQ.

What Not To Do On Facebook When You’re Job Searching

Privacy is an issue on Facebook, in general, but its even more of an issue when youre job searching. If youre not careful, everything you post on Facebook can be seen by your current employer or a prospective employer. Inopportune comments and/or inappropriate photos have cost job seekers offers and have caused employees to be fired.

via What Not To Do On Facebook When Youre Job Searching.

Managing People | What Is Your Losada Ratio?

Managers get higher performing employees by raising their Losada ratio. The Losada ratio is also known as the positivity ratio, Gottman ratio, and Losada line. The Losada ratio is the sum of the positivity in a system divided by the sum of its negativity. A ratio of 3.0 to 6.0 has been found to be highly correlated with high performance. The theory came from the field research of psychologist of Marcial Losada and relationship analysis of John Gottman. The Losada Line of positive to negative interactions which are necessary to make a team successful is set at a minimum of 2.9013. I say the word minimum because teams will function higher the more positive experiences they have. Good environments have always operated highest around a 6 to 1 positive to negative difference.

via The Losada Line | Todays Manager.