The HR Digest Magazine Q4 2015 by The Fastest Media

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Ed tor’s Note The word ‘culture’ saw a big spike in 2014, all for the good reasons. Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster in Springfield, Mass., points out that it has helped us to identify an idea, issue, or a group with seriousness. There’s plenty of phrases tied to the world culture that buoyed it, including: Pop culture, corporate culture, startup culture, hookup culture, culture wars, and media culture. Workplace Culture has become one of the most important words in corporate board room in last few years, and for a good reason. Our Cover Story, ‘The Work Culture Evolution,’ explores major trends evolving corporate settings from an ownership model to a membership model, driving cross-cultural collaboration, and reshaping corporate culture in 2015 and beyond (p54). Further, in this issue, we have explored ‘Holacracy’ an entirely new way of running an organization that removes sovereignty from a hierarchal management system. Plunge in – Success Story (p98). Legal Hub

(p78) highlights the significance of fixing the ‘independent contractor misclassification’ problem. Untold millions on taxes, health care costs, fringes, pensions, unemployment insurance obligations and workers’ compensation are saved by companies that classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees. The HR Digest looks in to the $228 million settlement suffered by FedEx Ground from the decade long Calif. Independent contractor case. Among other things, we have, Employee Benefits (p52), exploring benefits for expatriates, HR Help Desk (p42), Wearables at Workplace (p82) in HR Tools & Technology, and the need for ‘Hiring Disruptive’ talent (p90) in Recruitment Point.

Happy Reading! Like always, we welcome your comments. You may reach us at editor@thehrdigest.com or Editor The HR Digest, The Fastest Media, 3651Lindell Road, Suite 320D, Las Vegas, NV 89103.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

The Team Editorial Anna Domanska, Editor-in-Chief

Christy Gren, Sub-Editor

Priyansha Mistry, Sub-Editor

Aubrey Chang, Associate Editor

Riana Petanjek, Sub-Editor

Design Kevin Paul Sr. Graphic Designer

Project Management Tony Raval Project Director

Marketing Jason Miller Sr. Project Director

Jay Raol Project Director

Advertising Richard Dean, Advertising Manager

Technology John Hancock Head-Web Department

Le Manh Coung, Sr Sofrware Coordinator

Finance Control R R Baratiya

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Julia Hunt, Magazine Production

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Content Features

32 LEADERSHIP

12 HR Drift

42 Performance Management Is Not Bullying. Or, Is It?

What are the Ten Toughest Jobs to fill in 2016?

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR HELP DESK

A reader writes: I work in a very small office, doing a series of technical projects. I am regularly asked to complete projects in impossible and ridiculous timeframes. All I think about is wrapping up the task before deadline. What do you suggest me to do?

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

COVER STORY

Benefit Coverage for Expatriates

62 The HR Digest looks TRAINING into six trends that & drive cross-culture DEVELOPMENT collaboration, In the corporate realms, people still the weakest link in the security chain. What measures can companies take to educate employees and help protect their business from security threats?

reshaping corporate culture in 2015 and beyond.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

82 HR TOOLS & TECHNOLOGY

78 LEGAL HUB

Trial-A-Trend. How well will wearables translate to the workplace?

Lessons for Companies Using Independent Contractors from the FexEd IC Misclassification

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

90 RECRUITMENT POINT

The New Normal: Disruptive Talent. But, is hiring disruptive talent worth the price?

116

SUCCESS STORY

HOLACRACY. The End to an Ultra- Modern Age “Bureaucratic Era” of Managers

EVENTS & CONFERENCES

106 WORKPLACE CULTURE

UPCOMING HUMAN RESOURCES EVENTS & CONFERENCES |

Workplace design for Better Productivity.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

The hr digest Magazine [october 2015]

HR Drift

The hr digest Magazine [October [october 2015]

A roundup of the latest news and insights on the State and Federal employment laws and human resources to keep you informed on issues at the forefront of the industry

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Drift

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

New Executive Order Mandates Paid Sick Leave for Employees of Government Contractors, and Department of Labor Issues Final Rule on Contractor Pay Transparency

s of late, two new developments have been added to the list of the Obama Administration’s compensation initiatives. On Labor Day, September 7, 2015, President Obama issued an Executive Order that will require elected temporary workers and subcontractors to give their employees working on covered government contracts with up to seven days of paid sick leave every year, effective for elected contracts went into on or after January 1, 2017. On September 11, 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued its Final Rule on Executive Order 13665, which revised Executive Order 11246 to bar “pay

secrecy policies and actions “ for government temporary workers and subcontractors. The Final Rule forbids government contractual workers and subcontractors from discriminating their employees or applicants for inquiring about, examining, or disclosing pay information, cuts out a positive defense to affirmed infringement with respect to certain classes of employees, and requires secured temporary workers to include a compulsory notice in their current employee handbooks and to educate workers and applicants of the nondiscrimination prohibition. The Final Rule will become effective from January 11, 2016.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Drift

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

BMW Sued Over Background Checks

MW recently entered a consent decree with the EEOC under which it will pay $1.6 million and offer to hire more than a dozen applicants previously rejected for having criminal histories. BMW had a mandatory criminal background check requirement under which applicants with certain felony convictions were rejected. Eight years ago, when BMW changed contractors giving logistics services at its South Carolina office, it obliged the new contractual worker to apply the criminal history standard. The new contractual worker did as such and, as indicated by the EEOC, wound up barring around 100 applicants, 80% of which are African American. EEOC classifies this as disparate impact. A majority of these applicants were already working somewhere else for the old contractors, and hence they were not only hired, but also lost their jobs. The events occurred before the EEOC issues its April

2012 Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII. Under which, managers can use criminal histories in making hiring decisions, however, if the criminal history policy poses a risk against a protected category, the employer must prove that the policy is jobrelated and consistent with business necessity. The Guidance urges employersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; policies to add an individualized assessment, including consideration of the nature of the crime, the time slipped by since the crime, as well as the nature of the job. It should be noted that a disparate impact theory comes into light only when a neutral hiring practice leads to an adverse impact on the basis of race or another protected category. Employers should follow the Guidance, doing so may not change whom you hire, but it will help you defend the decision.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Drift

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Considering Wearables at Work? Read this first.

earable tech companies claim that their products can improve workplace in many ways, including Productivity, Wellness & Safety. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no secret that employers want to increase productivity, safety and cut down on benefit costs. Today, a number of wearable technologies can help groups or departments in a company work closely, without hampering productivity, profitability or communication. While wearable technology promises a positive impact at how we do business, its employment law risks are real. In addition to morale issues, its risks include: AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT & GENETIC INFORMATION NONDISCRIMINATION ACT. Employers are taking a great amount of risk when they access or require employees to reveal medical information such as heart and respiratory rate, sweat, blood oxygen level, steps, blood sugar, etc. While, such information may

be necessary in regards to business needs and the job duties of the employee, it should never be taken without a clear understanding of state laws and the position of EEOC on the its use and collection. PRIVACY. If employees wear devices that track their location, who they talk to, and when and for how long they use the washroom, they may start feeling that their employer is invading their privacy. Imagine a flood of lawsuits from employees who feel that wearables are taking employee tracking to a whole new, creepy level. DATA SECURITY. Wearables are equivalent to an ocean of data. This means, that the data accumulated by the employer needs to remain confidential (business or health), given the sensitive nature of the data. Without proper security measures, employees are exposed to risks such as data breached, hacks, while employers are exposed to consequent lawsuits.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Drift

Thehrdigest The hr digestMagazine Magazine[APRIL [October 2015]2015]

OSHA Offers Safety Tips to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers

hen temperature in summers top 80 degrees Fahrenheit, an air-conditioned, shaded store is the only refuge for people in retail. However, it’s quite easy to overlook many other retail employees, especially truck drivers, loaders, warehouse crews, maintenance personnel, who may be feeling the heat, given their work environment.

the promise of enforcement when employers do not plan for and prevent employees’ exposure to excessive heat. California law and Cal-OSHA regulations have mandated to include cool-down recovery periods during rest and meals breaks.

Cal-OSHA and government OSHA have identified steps they expect that businesses While the Occupational Safety will follow with a specific end and Health Administration goal to address heat conditions, (OSHA) has set no specific especially when the temperature illness standard, its enforcement ascends above 80 degrees of the Occupation Safety and Fahrenheit. Managers must Health Act’s “general duty make an arrangement, train clause,” requiring employers to workers, screen the climate, and provide a “place of employment actualize defensive measures. free from recognized hazards Provide enough water that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical Develop a heat illness harm to his employees” include prevention plan providing protection from heat. Acclimatization For quite a long while, OSHA’s Provide ample of shading across the nation Heat Illness Prevention Campaign has Encourage cool-down rest offered training, resources and periods

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Drift

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

What are the Ten Toughest Jobs to fill in 2016?

iring the best candidates has always been a challenge, no matter the size or location of the company. Unfortunately, for most recruiters and hiring managers, next year is going to be an even tougher one as corporate pressure mounts to attract candidates who match the skill sets that are most in demand. Below are the 10 toughest jobs that CareerCast expects will be particularly difficult to fill in 2016 due to a number of reasons, including retirements due to an aging workforce, BLS-protected talent shortages and aboveaverage growth demand. Data Scientist Approximately 6,000 organizations are expected to hire an estimated 4.4 million IT employments with direct ties to data analysis in 2016, reported CareerCast. Because the field is nascent, the BLS doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet track hiring needs. Moreover, the skill sets and responsibilities are still being defined at companies, and is most likely to increase the impending recruiting challenge.

Electrical Engineer While interest for electrical designers is required to be strongest in Chicago, Houston and San Diego, the best supply of candidates will probably be in Los Angeles and New York, therefore making a lopsidedness, reported Randstad US, which likewise assesses that there are right now 17 openings for each electrical building applicant. General and Operations Manager To meet the normal 12.4 percent growth in demand the BLS predicts by 2022, recruiters will need to get busy soon. That development rate indicates 613,000 open positions to fill for general and operations managers throughout the following seven years. Home Health Aide Hiring is expected to rise by 48 percent over the coming seven years, owing to aging population. Almost 600,000 positions should be filled to take care of the demand, while the low average pay of $20,820

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Drift

The hr digest Magazine [october 2015]

limits the scope of having an expansive applicant pool.

Physical Therapist

The American Physical Data Security Analyst Therapy Association estimates that in 2016, interest for fullThe expansion of cloud-based time physical therapists will technology is one of the major surpass 229,000, with a drivers in the need for this pool of applicants of around job. Microsoft reported that by 196,000—creating a huge January 2016, North American gap of 33,000 unfilled jobs. companies should use no less Like other health care fields, than 2.7 million cloud computing interest is up because of more workers, including data security prominent accessibility to analysts, and work experts say medical coverage and the aging the supply can’t take care of populace. that demand. Registered Nurse Marketing Manager The BLS projects a 19 percent Marketing managers are in growth rate by 2022, however very short supply owing to it additionally estimates that an explosive growth in digital 525,000 currently working marketing and an average high registered nurses will need salary of $127,130. Moreover, to be replaced immediately new school graduates won’t because of retirements, which help fill the gap, as marketing is puts the aggregate number of one of the skill sets most sought new contracts foreseen at 1.05 after by college recruiters, as million in the coming seven per the National Association of years. Colleges and Employers. Software Engineer Medical Services Manager The Conference Board The requirements for this estimates there will be three position cover the country’s jobs available for each new highest labor shortage college graduate from a industries, as estimated by BLS: software engineering program social assistance, professional in 2016. Not shocking, as the business services and health BLS estimates 222,600 software care. The BLS projects 73,300 engineering jobs will need to be new contracts will be required in filled by 2022. the field by 2022, and predicts a 23 percent overall increase in job.

The hr digest Magazine [october 2015]

HR Drift

Thehrdigest The hr digestMagazine Magazine[APRIL [October 2015]2015]

Porsche names new Head of Human Resources

ermany’s Porsche AG announced in September, 2015 that Andreas Haffner will become its head of human resources to its management from Oct. 1.

posts. Previously, Haffner worked for 17 years in different managerial positions in Human Resources and Social Affairs at Porsche AG, Porsche SE and Volkswagen AG.

Mr. Haffner will succeed Thomas Edig, Porsche’s current HR chief and deputy chief executive, who will join the management leading body of Volkswagen AG’s Commercial Vehicles unit as head of HR around the same time.

Exciting tasks await Haffner at Porsche AG. For instance, the sports car producer is pushing forward individualized working time and is advocating the recruitment of more and more female executives at all corporate levels. Also future issues inside of the car business Mr. Haffner joins from will require new employees Volkswagen, where he heads with modified profile. “In future, the organization’s human we need more young people resources top management from the digital world,” said department. He has been Head Matthias Müller, “to mastermind of Group Human Resources Top future developments in electric Management for four and a half mobility and networked vehicle years and was in charge of the technologies.” recruitment of all managerial

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Drift

The hr digest Magazine [October [october 2015]

Millennial Workers Look to Bosses for Motivation and want to become Leaders themselves

illennials are often associated with skyhigh career ambition, thanks to their role models, many of whom are successful entrepreneurs and startup leaders. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come off as a surprise that 70 percent of millennials expect to be in managerial positions in the coming five years, according to a recent Staples Advantage Workplace Index survey conducted by Redshift Research. Although, 20% of millennials say higher salaries are the biggest contributors to corporate loyalty. Millennials look to their leaders for motivation more than the Gen Xers and Boomers. More than 20 percent millennials believe their immediate managers motivate them to do their best work than Gen Xers (19 percent) and Boomers (18 percent). More millennials (21 percent) think a decent corporate culture incorporates motivating forces and perks than Gen Xers (15 percent) and Boomers (8 percent). Millennials are more willing to take work home too. The study found that 26 percent of millennials dependably or more often than not work at home after their workdays, while 24

percent of Gen Xers and 19 percent of Boomers do the same. Further, more millennials feel regretful about taking breaks during the workday (34 percent) than Gen Xers (21 percent) and Boomers (11 percent). In terms of technology, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no surprise that millennials think using technology is one of their strengths; 28 percent of millennials say online networking builds their efficiency, and 22 percent of Gen Xers and 11 percent of Boomers agree. Almost half (42 percent) of the millennial respondents think productivity apps help them at work, compared with 36 percent of Gen Xers and 23 percent of Boomers. Moreover, a majority of millennials (56 percent) think poor technology is a deterrent, and more Gen Xers (68 percent) and Boomers (79 percent) experience serious difficulties using it. Millennials need better business tool, however; almost half (49 percent) say restricted IT support adversely affects profitability, while Gen Xers (59 percent) and Boomers (68 percent) feel considerably the same about the issue.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Drift

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Contract Lawyers May Now Be Entitled to Overtime

contract lawyer who performed document review for the law office of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom may seek after a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective action for extra time pay in light of the fact that he claimed that he wasn’t included in the act of law and accordingly wasn’t FLSA-exempt, the second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. The FLSA requires employees to be paid time-and-a-half for time worked over 40 hours in a workweek. There are a few exceptions to this guideline, including an exclusion for authorized lawyers and specialists who are “really occupied with the practice” of law or pharmaceutical, individually. The case was brought by a licensed attorney who argued that this exemption should not have been applied since he wasn’t actually engaged in the practice of law. The trial court in New York found that Lola had been specializing in legal matters. In doing as such, it looked to

a 2008 North Carolina State Bar Ethics Committee opinion on outsourcing of specific services, including report audit, which it classified as “legal support services” as opposed to “administrative support services.” The second Circuit couldn’t help contradicting the district judge. The ethics committee opinion had made it clear that it wasn’t the record audit itself that was purely legal work, however rather that the genuine routine of law was appeared by the activity of “autonomous lawful judgment.” The second Circuit noted that setting independent lawful judgment as the key components of what constituted the act of law was reliable with choices of different courts both inside and outside of North Carolina. If Lola’s work was as firmly controlled as he depicted, he was not specializing in legal matters and did not fit the bill for the FLSA’s legal advisor exception, and he and others like him would then be qualified for extra time pay (for up to three years), liquidated damages equal to the overtime award as well as attorneys’ fees.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Leadership

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Managers and supervisors are often unclear about their responsibilities, especially when it comes to pushing the performance of their staff.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IS NOT BULLYING. OR, IS IT? The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Employers should examine the performance management system objectively.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

The thin line between performance management and bullying is easily crossed by managers who fail to recognize their responsibilities. Employers expect managers to be proactive in pushing for high performance at work, to set and monitor challenging goals and to provide employees with feedback on their performance. It can be very easy for managers to cross the line into behavior which may be considered as bullying or harassment. What might seem judicious and constructive to the managers, may appear to be persistent mistreatment and criticism to the employee. According to a 2014 survey conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), 72% are aware that workplace bullying happens, 21% have witnessed it, and 27% of Americans have been bullied at work by a manager or supervisor. Managers and supervisors are often unclear about their responsibilities, especially

when it comes to pushing the performance of their staff. Under Federal and State antidiscrimination laws, an employer may be legally responsible for supervisors’ inappropriate behavior unless it can be proven that reasonable measures have been taken to abate this problem. For organizations, it’s a matter of ensuring that supervisors have proper performance management tools handy and do not cross the line by employing inappropriate means of pushing their staffs’ performance. It’s important that organizations enforce a clear anti-bullying policy. Workplace bullying isn’t exactly covered under a specific legislation that addresses it, or a precise legal definition. Although, experts generally deem workplace bullying as repetitive, unreasonable behavior that humiliates, demoralizes, or threatens an employee and causes risk to their health or safety.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Since the Fair Work Commission began hearing matters related to workplace bullying, there has been a steady stream of bullying complaints having been made. The exact number of complaints made to the commission will only be known with the release of its annual report. It should, however, be noted that a fair share of claims amongst the complaints is by employees who were being constantly bullied in the name of performance reviews and performance management. Often, bullying behavior is misunderstood as an abrasive performance management style by managers. In June 2014, an employee collapsed at work and was taken to the hospital, after a change in the way his performance rating was recorded as a part of his annual performance review and which resulted in his annual bonus payment being cut off. The Fair Work Commission ruled that, unless a discretionary bonus has been applied in a retributive manner as a part of a course of conduct which falls within the meaning of workplace bullying, the Commission should be cautious about considering a discretionary bonus as workplace bullying because it is a matter which should be left to the employer’s discretion. When a manager is pointing out an employee’s failings, it often puts a strain on the healthy manageremployee relationship. Consequently, it builds up to a formal procedure, during which the employee may become defensive. Often, such

interactions become difficult for managers wherein they are left with no other choice but to withdraw and use corporate “scripts” or make limited use of examples to highlight the issue. Some managers lack the patience to wait for a change, or are under pressure themselves that they don’t have the time to support their employees in an appropriate manner. Employees under such leadership start taking such challenges personally, which usually builds up to a point where they feel they are being bullied. It is often under such circumstances that bullying complaints are made. There’s a way, of course, to deal with it, but that doesn’t mean that one cannot ignore the issue. The case highlighted a difference between an abrasive, dictorial management style, and a conduct that can be merely regarded as humiliating and demoralizing, where employees are treated unfavorably. An effective performance management system helps make certain that managers don’t behave inappropriately. Employers should examine the performance management system objectively. They need to ensure the issues are clearly identified, and that the employees recognize them, understand where they are getting wrong. Often, bullying accusations are made when the real reason behind the performance concern aren’t spelt out appropriately. Employers need to make sure genuine support and training is being offered to the employee. They need to keep track of

The hr digest Magazine [october 2015]

An effective performance management process is one which can help achieve agreed upon outcomes.

The hr digest Magazine [october 2015]

However, for managers, creating and implementing an effective performance management process requires a lot more than empathy and people skills.

gaps between the performance review meetings, since it is directly related to the nature of work that is being measured and the time period since the employee has been allowed to underperform. An effective performance management process is one which can help achieve agreed upon outcomes. It helps create an effective means of setting and reviewing targets on a continuing basis. It’s based on an effective approach for reviewing set targets on an ongoing basis. It’s important that the targets set are as realistic for the employees as they can be. When mangers or supervisors lack the skills to provide motivation, employees easily fall back on negative feedback. An effective performance management process is the one which comprises of constructive means and gives out positive recognition of achievement. It constitutes of many mechanisms, one of which is financial rewards. Employees in such cases appreciate feedback from managers and respond positively to it. However, for managers, creating and implementing an effective performance management process requires a lot more than empathy and people skills. It’s important the employers invest in developing managers’ interpersonal skills, so they are able to effectively communicate with employees, understand the causes of performance issues and respond as properly. Employers also need to look at the manager-employee relationship and the work setting. For example, is it a new manager who has been dealing with a long-standing underperformance issue? Under such circumstances, the new managers is often left to deal with long standing underperformance issues, along with additional

The hr digest Magazine [october 2015]

An effective performance management system helps make certain that managers don’t behave inappropriately.

tension. From an employee’s perspective, it’s the new manager who has been creating havoc in their life, since everything was fine until the new line manager arrived. Bullying allegations can easily arise in such context. Next, they need to ensure that there is no personal animosity involved. If the relationship can be recovered, then performance management can become an even difficult process, since it can rarely yield a good outcome. Lastly, employers need to give line managers the right kind of support if he/she is under pressure or inexperienced. It is often misunderstood by managers that bullying behavior can help achieve necessary results in today’s competitive environment. Not only is it unacceptable, but it’s also detrimental to everyone involved. Under circumstances, where the employee has officially made complaint about workplace bullying, here are some things to think about: Can the employer introduce a few changes, and request the employee to drop the complaint in return? Often, HR managers and employers are hesitant about trying this, because it may come off as pre-judging the outcome of the formal complaint. They can ask the employee if they’d like someone else to manage the performance review process. The need to have a different approach between the many stages of performance management. In a situation where the employee has agreed to withdraw the complaint, they need to clearly record it somewhere. In a workplace setting where to serious risk factors are involved, and there’s a potential discrimination issue, employers can deal with the complaint before actually carrying on, that way they can assess the situation and understand how real the risk is.

The hr digest Magazine [october 2015]

Hdesk

r help

A reader writes: I have a very hardworking woman in my office. She stays late to finish her work, never complains, always volunteers for help, but recently I have noticed she is being careless towards returning necessary emails during the required time period or following things, which I ask her to. We are understaffed so I can understand that she is busy, and has time management issue as she loves doing creative projects, but she takes longer time than required over them, and I want the work to finish before deadline. Do I let it go, or do I address it?

Answer: The qualities you have mentioned about her are great ones. But they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t crack core performance. It is possible to have a good attitude and work hard, but still not be doing a great job. Make sure you keep acknowledging her, and that you are a good manager who gives positive feedback regularly. Having said that you should also be clear about your expectations and places where she is falling short. If I was at your place, I would have a conversation with her in which I would recognize her contributions, her achievements, explain that you have been noticing her struggling with prioritization and time management issue. Explain that in an understaffed busy situation, it can be hard to figure out necessary things. So you need to clear expectations for that as well.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Hdesk

r help

A reader writes: I have a colleague, we have been friends since a long time in office and both of us have shared quite a good talks with each other. Suddenly few days back I came to notice that she has been writing mean things about me on her social networking website. Considering that her profile is public, it is not too hard for the public to access through it, and knows about my company profile and me. It’s very humiliating and disheartening. How can I tackle this diplomatically? Am I being unreasonable about the stuff she is writing in her own profile that was probably never meant for me to checkout?

Answer: I don’t consider that you are being unreasonable here. Your coworker, with whom you shared a warm relationship with, is mocking you in front of strangers. This is horrible. You must convey your feelings about the post to her. You must talk to her and clarify things that the way she has conducted herself, her attitude wasn’t appreciated by you. If she is good, she might feel mortified by her doing and apologize. Very gracefully cut all the bonds with such coworker because not just for you, but these type of people can be harmful to any other as well. If the matter doesn’t gets sorted out even then, I might appreciate it if you talk about it with your boss, because the article is not just offensive to you only but also it represents the bad name of the organization you are working on.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Hdesk

r help

A reader writes: I have a colleague. She is a nice person, although I haven’t known her for a longer period of time but that’s what I would say for a first impression. My problem is, she has this habit of poking herself into any other’s business regardless of the opposite person would appreciate it or not. It sometimes feels like she tries to invade privacy not just only with us employees but also with the boss, by looming over all the time at any given chance. Because of civility we keep avoiding this, but this is highly unprofessional and against work culture. Is it just my own view or is it really unprofessional? How can we convey our message to her without offending her?

Answer: If you want my view, than I would say it is unprofessional. It is good that you prefer to mind your own business by conducting yourself professional, but remember the person who is any how being the part of negativity is equally a culprit. So you must take her in some deserted corner and very gracefully keep your point in her front of her and try to make here understand how it is not appreciable and unprofessional. Let her know that although you like to share a warm professional bond with her as a professional person, but intruding questions on personal life are not appreciated by you. You should try and explain about the thin line between being friendly and being intrusive in a corporate industry where you are working in. If she is wise and have been doing this unintentionally, than she will immediately understand, and incase it doesn’t happen, contact your HR to convey her necessary guidelines.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Hdesk

r help

A reader writes: I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t love my job. I was pressurized to take it because of my family pushing me to find a job rather than lying idle all day long and well the job pays me a great amount but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like working there. Now, 10 years later I am struck as it feels it too late to change what I am currently doing with my life. I am not very ambitious at my job but the management is fine with me. My coworkers are good and job is fine. I feel guilty to be okay with just a fine term. I should be ambitious and wanting more whereas, all I care of is taking a retirement. This irritates me with every living gut present in my body. Is this normal?

Answer: This is very normal dear reader. In fact you come under the majority. There are too many people out like you who arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t super ambitious about their jobs. Most people work to fulfill their basic needs. There are people who are passionate about their own work, but these come under exceptions not the regular ones so relax and stop feeling guilty about this. You can focus on life outside the work life so that can help you in overcoming such thoughts.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Hdesk

r help

A reader writes: I work in a very small office, doing a series of technical projects. I am regularly asked to complete projects in impossible and ridiculous timeframes. For an instance a project that requires at least 30 days to complete will be asked to complete within 4- 12 days. I am tired and sick at my job. Although, I love it but, such short time frames makes it very frustrating and tiresome for me to work during the office hours. I cannot do a productive task. All I think about is wrapping up the task before deadline. What do you suggest me to do?

Answer: Dear reader, this is hard. Without hearing the perspective of your manager, it is quite hard to figure out whether the firm is having ludicrous expectations and deadlines or whether the firm is trying to strive it towards being exceptional. I know a few people who joined as a beginner and thought that the firm operates at a ridiculously warp pace. But that certainly wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the same they felt after being in the firm for 6-7 months. Because you are new, you do not know how the system works and you take relatively a fair long term of time to start getting accumulated to it. It is possible that the project which you feel requires 30 days to complete could in reality just take mere 5- 6 days to complete. So you must see both the sides of coin. I am not saying that you are wrong here. If the feeling that you have, you feel itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s correct than I would rather suggest going to the manager and talking directly about such deadlines and the troubles you are having coping up with them. I am sure with better communication you will draw a better conclusion.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Employee benefits Expatriate Benefits

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

At the end of the 20th century, global markets established a different variety of expatriate, in which short term and commuter assignments are used often by companies as a supplement conventional expatriation and they are becoming common. These genre of working class people usually enjoy and qualify for an access to a wider spectrum of fiscal advantages that ranges from a variety of economic product, tax benefits in the residing country or origin country, and investing offshore.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Employee benefits UNDERSTANDING THE NEED OF HEALTH PLANS The need to enhance global leadership and the evolution of new business ventures overseas has stimulated a huge hike in worldwide mobility. The earnings of globally recruited personnel often involves conventional earning and monetary benefits such as Quality-of-Living, living, and hardship allowances that is helped by nonmonetary benefit incentives like education expenses, housing, and healthcare. Few companies cover the entire expense of children education of an expatriate, even if it is an expensive international school organizations, while other, smaller companies, encourage the expatriate families to find a local education option. There are three different approaches that are used by companies to decide benefits to be made available to their expats. These approaches are namely balance sheet approach, international headquarter approach, and destination based approach. Given that one of the basic reasons for an early restoration is ascribed to a better half or any other family memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incompetence to accommodate, international enterprises often have a coaching system and policy that involves spouses in the primary stage of decision making procedures. Not many organizations provide any other assistance or benefits. The criterion for help varies, ranging from providing various job searching courses for mates at the new place to fully equipped support structures for partners, being run by volunteering mates helped by the company. The HR Divisions often use relocated company services, who aid in moving overseas as well as handling expat related issues such as financial management and assignment management.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Employee benefits FEASIBLE COVERAGE Health insurances are the chief elements when you are an evident traveler, either it is for business purpose or just for leisure. When you are in a new country, regulations and management are different altogether. You do not have any idea about the new circumstances or conditions either. In your own home country if something happens to you, you might end up visiting a doctor and a known hospital, but when you travel overseas, things do not remain the same. That is where the health coverage enters in and plays a vital role in the traveler or the overseas residentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life- who isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a locale. International health insurance plans are globally portal, majority of them. This type of global plan allows the overseas residing foreign nationals to move fluidly from one nation to another without periods of cover. This is an important difference from the health insurance plans that are locally available and enhances these policies as an eye- catching feature to many individuals. This however, has a setback as the international health insurance policy will be practical only if the individual carrying this policy plans to remain overseas for an extended period of time, once they have returned back in their home country coverage, the terms will no longer work. Often for a limited period of time duration, policies cover treatments for an individual in their home country as well. Those journeying overseas for a curtailed amount of time must buy a travel medical policy that can helpful during emergency medical conditions abroad.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Employee benefits HEALTHCARE AND THE LIMITED COVERAGE Another overlooked often and important factor of international health insurance policies are the criteriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of underwriting, which an insurance provider might use. There are two ways of underwriting the policies, which includes full medical underwriting, and moratorium. Full medical underwriting demands for the collection of entire medical history, and often excludes pre- existing situationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coverage. Whereas, in moratorium underwriting, applicants do not need to disclose any medical history or declarations either, few pre- existing situations might be covered. There are few restrictions for the pre-existing conditionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coverage. It is also regarded as necessary to survey the policy benefits for what is to be covered, and what is already covered; and exclusions to the policy, everything that is uncovered prior to policy purchase. You must procure a coverage certificate, which will cater extensive details regarding the policy prior to your purchase. Either by coverage amount for specific treatments or for a time period, few benefits are limited. In case of travelling to certain countries, benefits might be limited or totally excluded. These policies are economically feasible as they are specific to time unlike annual policies; this type of policy permits the policyholder to precisely tailor the policy scheme and plan regarding the exact length of the trip. There are many international travel policies that allows the holder to be moved to the nearest medical excellence centre in case if any serious injury or illness takes place, Repatriation coverage can also be obtained. It is very crucial to understand the way how medical policy you have opted for is going to help you in the hours of medical needs in the host country. There are many countries that have inadequate facilities, so they might require instant payment for their health services, which they will provide. So, it is advisable for you to understand the assistance that your policy will supply you with in order to locate medical facilities suitable to your needs. 58

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Employee benefits

If you aren’t covered under any group medical insurance coverage program than you should purchase an international medical policy for yourself. These health policies include involve global medical protection and it can also include services for evacuation. Many of these policies have direct payment arrangements with international networks globally and hospitals. It also covers international emergency aid to assist you find the best conveniences to treat your stipulations. An expatriate insurance cost relies on a myriad of components; it includes your medical history, national resources, sometimes country’s industrialization level, age, and country of coverage. Global insurance and healthcare may be more economical in other countries than the United States’ domestic healthcare and insurance. A global Health coverage policy will generally compute premiums based on age, area of coverage, and current medical history rather than claims history of policy holder. These policies customarily provide one of two region coverage of insurance: Global or Global excluding the United States of America, sometimes other countries might be excluded as well. The cause for this clause is that the United States’ medical coverage care is the most expensive out of all the other countries in the world. But, international insurance organizations like Now Health International, BUPA, Cigna, and few others will list down the countries in accordance to their rank preference through their medical costs and adjust the premium accordingly.

The hr digest Magazine [october 2015]

Training & Development

Educating Employee

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

es on Cyber Security

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Training & Development

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

While technology has become an essential part of work life, it can’t work in a vacuum. In the corporate realms, people are still the weakest link in the security chain. According to a study conducted by data security research organization Ponemon Institute, paid for by IMB, the total average cost of a data breach is now $3.8 million, up from $3.5 million in 2013. Nowadays, companies spend a lot of money running employee training programs, and this includes cyber security programs. If cyber-security is seen as a threat in your organization, what will you do differently to prevent it? Using these tips alongside great security technology you can help protect your business from security threats. Employee cyber security training is essential. Employees are more likely to take accountability of obligations and responsibilities for protecting their organization’s technology assets if they are actively involved in the process. Employers need to educate them of the impending risks and vulnerabilities and tech situational awareness. However, it should be noted that often, people make mistakes, so employers shouldn’t blame when such incidents take place. Companies shouldn’t absolve executives from their responsibilities towards cyber security. Without a doubt, the CEO and the senior VPs are busy with running the organization, however, that is no excuse to give them a go on security awareness training. Truth be told, these people are the prime targets for spear phishing attacks since they have high level access to people as well as sensitive information.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Training & Development

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Make cyber security the core of your corporate culture. When something becomes an inherent part of corporate culture, people become instinctive about it and they truly think about it. Provide regular sessions where you can discuss real world examples of security incidents, and make it relevant to what people do. Incorporate cyber security strategy when you are onboarding new employees. Reward people when they do something positive using their awareness training. Train employees on the perils of social engineers. Humans are social creatures. We want people around us to like us, and we want to be helpful to them. We respond to things on LinkedIn and Facebook connection requests giving very little thought of the new connections real intentions. This kind of innocence can make way for people who have excessive amount of information that can be used to gain your confidence. Moreover, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just email messages and social networks, but people too. Employees should be aware that they cannot just let a technician fix something. Who knows, he could be installing a wireless access point that will intercept wireless communications in the office? Tell individuals what they need to do if they suspect a security threat. Acting rapidly can help limit with damage. Give individuals unequivocal guidelines about what

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Training & Development

to do if they experience or witness something suspicious. A special team should document steps to take in different situations. For instance, if you’ve recently opened a connection and have an uneasy feeling about it containing malware, detach the PC from the system to keep malware from spreading. Call technicians to take a look at it, and see if there’s something wrong. Periodically test individuals. You have to affirm that people really hone the cyber security you give. Call it “pentesting for individuals.” There are basic tools that let you send mimicked phishing messages to workers. Do not just test the cyber part of your security program but also the social engineering angle. Send an “expert” into a work area and check whether anybody doubts his qualifications and approves that he is really expected to be there. Call specialists and check whether they give out a lot of data to the guest. The test outcomes can demonstrate to you where to bulk up your mindfulness preparing. Be honest and straightforward with employees if a cyber-security incident occurs. Security threats and incidents are going to happen. Some can stay under the radar, however others may see the light of day—particularly if there are lawful prerequisites to reveal a security rupture. Tell individuals what is going on and what they ought to do/not and say/not say. As a rule, the organization needs to confine who converses with people in general, and every single other representative needs to be encouraged to concede inquiries to company spokespeople.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Listen to employees’ input. Watch and listen to how individuals in the work setting react to the need for cyber security. If policies make it difficult employees to carry out their day to day operations, they’ll create workarounds that may be more dangerous. For instance, if you need people to change their passwords at regular intervals, they’ll simply get in the habit of writing down the present password word. A sticky note with a secret word posted close to the PC is a welcome to credential misuse. It is going to be a problem, request access to SharePoint, people will utilize unapproved distributed instead. Let your employees help you outlining cyber security approaches and procedures that will be respected.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Cover Story Work Culture

Evolution Workplace culture evolves, but it rarely shifts quickly. As workplace shifts from an ownership model to a membership model, The HR Digest looks into six similar trends that drive cross-culture collaboration, reshaping corporate culture in 2015 and beyond.

In 2014, Merriam Webster’s dictionary’s word of the year was “culture”. It was chosen for its large amount of online lookups and a noteworthy increase in lookups from 2013. Merriam-Webster defines culture as, “beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time.” The word was rallied by unbridled media coverage about “company culture,” “celebrity culture” et al dwarfing media and public conversations. Workplace culture has become one of the most important words in corporate board room, and for good reason. In a recent research, Deloitte noted that culture, employee retention, and engagement are now the top talent challenges facing leaders. More than half business leaders rate this issue “urgent,” up by 20% from last year. As the economy is recovery, employees have more bargaining power than before. With sites such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor, a company’s employment brand has become more transparent than ever before, transferring power into the hands of job-seeker. It has become faster than ever to find out if the company one is applying at is a great place to work. It all makes sense. New Gallup research shows that a meagre 31% of employees are engaged at work, whereas 51% are disengaged and 17.5% are actively disengaged. Glassdoor’s latest research shows that the average employee gives their company a C+ rating (3.1 out of 5) when asked whether they would recommend their company to a friend. We have arrived in a corporate era where DO’s and DON’Ts are dominating the “attraction and retention of talent” scene. 70

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As the economy is recovery, employees have more bargaining power than before. The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Cover Story Below are some examples of major trends driving the evolution TALL TO A FLATTENED STRUCTURE Instead of continuing with the traditional, tall hierarchical model, organizations are adopting a horizontal structure with looser boundaries where anyone can speak with and interact with anyone else. This means that, there is a lot more transparency around how decisions are being made, people who were earlier in the lower down of the structure can understand the business model and think with a strategic mindset. There is no longer the need for justification for keeping people from interacting with each other, making it even easier for people to engage on collaborative platforms today. FLEXIBLE WORK SCHEDULE Now that employees can connect to people and information anytime, anywhere, and on any device, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no longer the need to enforce a 9-5 work schedule anymore. Employers providing flexibility â&#x20AC;&#x201C; especially when it comes to work schedule are becoming more appealing to new hires. Greater work flexibility is linked to increased productivity and greater job satisfaction, helping employees with work-life balance.

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Progressive companies understand that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imperative for employees to share their thoughts and ideas.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Cover Story SHARED INFORMATION Progressive companies understand that it’s imperative for employees to share their thoughts and ideas. Sharing information is what is now called a major driver of business. It also gives employees a unique opportunity to become leaders by sharing what they already know and what they care about. Innovative tools are making it much easier for employees to share the right information with the right people. ENGAGING & INSPIRING LEADERSHIP Leaders understand that the future management model, “following from the front” where their roles shift from delegating and managing people to empowering them to solve problems and make things happen is the way of leading. Abrasive management where employees are scared is now considered a failed approach. MOVING TO CLOUD Cloud technology is ubiquitous. It has made the whole computing world to follow you wherever you go. It’s making it much easier and cheaper to employ collaborative tools to connect and collaborate with people for certain project. It dominates global network, helping companies are not being slaughtered by competition, but thrive. WORK ANYWEHRE Thanks to cloud technology and a myriad of innovative tools, employees now simply need to connect to work. They can work from a home office, on their way to work in a cab, or in a coffee shop. With more and more companies today having satellite offices with employees working from a home office or a co-working space, work has become flexible than ever.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Abrasive management where employees are scared is now considered a failed approach.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Cover Story EMAIL IS NO MORE A PRIMARY FORM OF COMMUNICATION Email is no longer the most effective means of communication in an organization. Thanks to ubiquitous chat messaging programs, and similar other collaborative technology, it is now easier to collaborate, find, share, communicate, and engage with people. HR managers are deploying practices that will drive and support workplace culture, where ultimately, everything is driven by leadership. If you want to improve your company culture, below are a few questions to ask yourself: Do you value employee wellness? Are people in your organization empowered to take charge? Do you follow forced ranking? No matter if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a CEO, HR manager, or team leader â&#x20AC;&#x201C; company culture is what really matters. It could be one of the most powerful tools for organization success.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Thanks to cloud technology and a myriad of innovative tools, employees now simply need to connect to work.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Legal Hub Lessons for Companies Using Independent Contractors from the FexEd IC Misclassification

In June 2015, FedEx settled its long-running dispute with FedEx Ground California Drivers. The class settlement will now create a $228 million fund to resolve claims made by over 2,000 FedEx Ground and Fedex Home Delivery pickup and delivery drivers. Some of these claims go back to 2000 while some extend through 2007. The settlement will need to be approved by the Ninth Circuit. The settlement comes in the wake of a 2014 Ninth Circuit ruling that FedEx misclassified drivers as independent contractors. FedEx has since quite a while ago kept up that it didn’t misclassify anybody. Yet independent contractor status was a key segment of how FedEx works together. On account of the 2,300 FedEx Ground drivers, for a considerable length of time, FedEx called them and paid them as independent contractors. Employees trigger a reiteration of government and state assessment withholding, fringe benefit, healthcare, worker’s compensation, antidiscrimination, and unemployment insurance obligations. Organizations can evade these entrapments by hiring independent contractors, yet such titles alone aren’t sufficient. A few state and government agencies including the IRS can inspect the worker status issue and reach their own determination. So can the courts in private claims. The Ninth Circuit said that FedEx controlled the drivers and that they were independent contractors in

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

name only. It came as a blow to FedEx, which has argued over its purported independent contractor model of operation for a long time. The monetary benefits of the agreement was huge. For quite a long time, FedEx has been able to move to its drivers the expenses of FedEx marked trucks, FedEx marked outfits, FedEx scanners, fuel, upkeep, protection, and that’s just the beginning. Drivers were not given pay for missed meals, rest periods, extra time pay, and so on. How much will FedEx need to fork out to get out of this mess? The Ninth Circuit left open the subject of how much the 2,300 California

drivers will receive. This settlement evades a retrial, however the expense to FedEx is enormous. Lawyer Beth Ross of Leonard Carder LLP speaks to the class, and said, “The $228 million settlement, one of the largest employment law settlements in recent memory, sends a powerful message to employers in California and elsewhere that the cost of Independent Contractor misclassification can be financially punishing, if not catastrophic, to a business.” FedEx has faced quite a lot of lawsuits, and this case is a case of how private claims can accomplish more than government enforcement The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Legal Hub efforts. The measure of this settlement is said to be equivalent to what the United States Department of Labor has gathered in back wages every year across the nation implementation of pay and hour law amid the most recent seven years, i.e. 2014: $250 million; 2013: $240 million; 2012: $275 million; 2011: $225 million; 2010 and 2009: $175 million. The Ninth Circuit’s decision and the settlement will only impact drivers in California, since they are secured by California’s workplace protection statutes. The conclusion which could impact the result of many other FedEx worker status cases across the nation is not yet clear. FedEx Ground drivers in different markets have additionally sued to challenge the legitimateness of their putative independent contractor classification. Obviously, it isn’t just FedEx Ground that has depended upon an independent contractor classification model and the monetary advantages that accompany it. Numerous other companies–including various trucking organizations and conveyance operations–employ a model that is like that utilized by FedEx Ground. Aside from the various motivations to abstain from having representatives, there is even restored force to maintain a strategic distance from Obamacare with independent contractors. 80

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Key Lessons for Other Companies Using Independent Contractors Companies today face a situation similar to FedEx, a company that wanted to comply with laws, but failed to do so. What lessons can be learned from the $228 million settlement suffered by FedEx? A failure to properly structure, document, and implement independent contractor relationships can and should be avoided at all costs. Retaining contractors who operate in the form of business entities, such

as LLCs, do not protect companies from IC misclassification exposure. There are â&#x20AC;&#x153;hidden costsâ&#x20AC;? of class action settlements as well as other misclassification exposures that can arise after settlement. Companies that can economically survive class action Independent Contractor misclassification settlements or judgments in court or before an administrative agency need not necessarily reclassify the workers as employees.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Tools And Technology

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Trial-A-Trend How well will wearables translate to the workplace? In the 80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when personal computers appeared on the first page of the technology playbook at workplace, using a computer was regarded as an ultimate fantasy for employees. Albeit, the innovation was giving a hard time to both employers and employees; for employers the tough task was to train the employees, and for the employees it was all about learning and using an all new piece of technology. Time evolved and desktop computers took the front seat in the late 90â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and onwards when the workplace started getting them well equipped with the desktop computer usage. Trained employees were hired as the use of computers started becoming essential in day-to-day life. From excel sheets, to word files, to the slide presentation through PowerPoint, everything was in a computer. Pager and mini mobile

handsets came into use, but because of less scope of internet the work aspect used to remain bound to the office premises. Introduction of laptops and business phones like Blackberry, iPhone and Nokia changed the rift of waves in the business industry in a different way. The time where work used to be limited up to office premises had gone. People started working and mailing the tasks sitting at any corner in the world. The last decade has changed the technology revolution in the business industry in an incredibly great way. Now we have the Smartphones connected with the fastest connectivity speed as possible and the tasks are delivered on the hand in a single go. This revolution has impacted the Business industry very nicely. Now a

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Tools And Technology

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

While rational debates can be offered on either side of the coin of whether or not the new trend is eventually positive, the conclusion is that technology without leaving any doubts permeates every aspect of life.

person sitting In Japan schedules an online presentation or a meeting with the person sitting the United States at any time of the day. Last few years have brought a drastic change in the industry, the introduction of virtual reality system, smart gears and many other have indeed taken organizations to a whole new level. The wearable technology devices in business such as barcode readers, high definition cameras, and glasses are still in their early stages, whereas, consumer wearable devices such as Google Glasses, Apple Watches, and Fitness Watches are all heartily accepted by general public. As the matter of fact, employers get to watch a good amount of employees sporting wearables for non-work related reasons while at work, something that might impact safe productivity and performance at their jobs. The potential for enhancing the productivity and profitability will

ensure the broadening of wearable technology in business use. Currently, the wearable technology has been showcased in business use that it can provide management and workers with data and information in real time, assuring the fact that jobs are executed at superlative levels with very few errors and in acquiescence with company law and policies. Credit Suisse conducted a brief research last year and termed wearable technology as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;the next big thingâ&#x20AC;? and it also predicted that the wearable industry is all set to grow from today $3- $5 billion to $50 billion within the coming five years with the integration of more and more workplaces and consumers associating themselves with wearable devices. We have all heard of popular wearable devices like Samsung Smart Gear, Apple Watch, Nike Fuel Band, and Fitbit, these products are indeed leading the great charge with customers. The coming few years

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Tools And Technology

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Office Complex is an example of one such wearable integrated company. Their chip permits the employees to directly swipe inside the office, register points at retailers nearby, access gym, and set the alarm system.

guarantee that the sale of these devices will be in millions. This theory naturally inclines towards the fact that businesses and organizations too will find a way out to integrate with the use of this smart technology within their workforce. The future of the wearables is as bright as ever. Now and then, all the major tech companies are experimenting on various kind of wearable device. While the tech companies are tirelessly competing against each other to develop proprietary line up from their own Flagship, businesses are still twiddling their thumbs to figure out how these gadgets can be incorporated into their system of work and ways to online market them. We can estimate the potential facet of the wearable tech industry by the boost it is growing at the top. If we widen our survey and scope over the past three to four decades, we might even be able to get a clearer picture of the complex technology sector and

how it has grown so far. While rational debates can be offered on either side of the coin of whether or not the new trend is eventually positive, the conclusion is that technology without leaving any doubts permeates every aspect of life. These wearables are just the latest out coming. WEARABLES AT PLAY I. TRAVEL & TOURISM: Virgin Atlantic; Used Google Glass to welcome customers and precede them for their flight. II. RETAIL: Sherwin-Williams; sold paint via ColorSnap a Glass App. the app analyzes the photo taken by the user and the primary colors in it. Later it shows the matching colors from their flagship lineup. III. REAL ESTATE: Trulia; plans to release its own Google Glass App. IV. MEDIA & JOURNALISM: NBC, V. SPORTS: Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings VI. EDUCATION & TRAINING:

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HR Tools And Technology

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Wristbands, badges, smart glasses, or smart watches, all are being planned and implanted to monitor the movements of the employee and further enhance their productivity.

Uberliss, L’Oreal Matrix VII. ENTERTAINMENT: Riz Nwosu, Kansas City Symphony VIII. MARKETING & TECH: Resco, Salesforce, Accenture IX. HEALTH & MEDICIENE: Rhode Island Hospital, Wound Care Advantage X. BANKING AND FINANCE: Fidelity, Westpac, Discover Card XI. AUTOMOBILE: Ford, Mercedes- Benz XII. MISCELLANIOUS: Las Vegas air condition, Canadian Web Hosting Office Complex is an example of one such wearable integrated company. Their chip permits the employees to directly swipe inside the office, register points at retailers nearby, access gym, and set the alarm system. The chip eliminates the need of electronic entry card or keys. The chip is inserted into employee’s skin just like taking vaccinations. Epicenter is a company working in

Stockholm, which has opted into this office program. They hired specialists to implant the NFC microchip under their employee’s skin. An employee of the company Hannes Sjoblad was reported describing it as, “It felt like taking a vaccination round, pain in the hand faded over quickly.” Many companies like Security, real estate, military organizations, and office operators are looking forward to add this piece of technology into theirs. This entire thing is the huge part of industries and workplace cultures getting integrated with technology using wearable devices. Either it is wristbands, badges, smart glasses, or smart watches, all are being planned and implanted to monitor the movements of the employee and further enhance their productivity. Data driven efficiency can be promising and alluring in the conference room. Wearable technology helps workforce come out as visible in huge big gathering or

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

Recruitment Point

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

The New Normal But, is hiring disruptive talent worth the price? It is indeed true that harnessing a strong willed individual, the one who challenges traditional thinking and finds innovative ways of performing can prove beneficial and rewarding to a company. It can equally prove much detrimental, considering the work culture that exists and the team which surrounds them. The roaring new wave of innovation that is penetrating deep through the niche of business industry,is as a result shaking the market economy of various well established industries, “THE DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION”. Headhunters, recruiters, and HR professionals are facing a hard time working in markets that are undergoing transition at a breakneck speed. There are too many breakthrough innovations in diverse industries that overnight disrupted entire existing markets and loaded themselves, their company, and their investors with multibillion dollars of unexpected fortune, in return destroying the competitors in a worst way possible. Ipods replaced walkman; Facebook replaced Myspace, Orkut, etc; Radios and telephones are replaced by Smartphones; taxis and other rental transport system is entirely shattered by Uber revolution; Airbnb has completely disrupted the hotel and rental stay business by providing rental space at an economical and convienient prices anywhere across the world, Ipad is the bigger one that has emerged in last few years and it showed a thumb to the market of laptops, Smartphones, and other normal tablets, Sir Richard Branson once admitted that he is a difficult person to tackle with. His famous saying goes like this, “Look after me, respect me, and accept that I’m a square peg in a round hole”. Obviously it is easy for a multibillionaire business tycoon to convey this, but for the majority of companies, is it a realistic advice? The founder of Uber, Travis Kalanick, is yet another business magnate whose ambition and ruthless drive embodies this whirl of disruptive talent. He is considered to be Silicon Valley’s fiercest, and the boldest entrepreneurs. His fearless and bold approach has helped in striving success, but this attitude could be equally responsible for the reason two of his previous ventures failed. Yes, this is true. Like a coin has two sides, everything in nature comes surrounded

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

by pros and cons. Disruptive talent in an individual is truly a rare gem and once it is chiseled and polished according to the company’s needs and efficiencies, it will outshine incredibly well, breaking the traditional boundry and going through a twisted and different effort for achieving success. But, having said that let us not forget the bad side of this talent, which is the bold and fearless approach might sometimes place a talented individual in a risk challenging its norms and end up as the reason for its failure. THE DISRUPTIVE TALENT ARMY ERA & ITS MAN-AT-ARMS These are the innovators who figure out new approaches of performing various tasks; they challenge the market quo and are capable of identifying the fiscal opportunities that no one else can figure out. There was a time in past years, when such talents might have been overlooked because of their extraordinary approach, but now their ability to revolutionize the companies that recognize their talent, and appreciate their efforts and work. Disruptive talent is indeed very important now-a-days for an organization, but hiring and working with such individuals can turn out to be a challenging task. Those with sharp minds that are constantly churning out game-changing innovations often act and behave alternatively with their peers, dragging to the perception that either they are stubborn or many a times volatile. Therefore, firms seeking to recruit such talents must be careful that they have harnessed disruptive ‘talent’, not the ones who are plain disruptive. These companies must have a programme pre-planned so that such people can integrate effectively into the office environment, ciphering on their potentials and preparing a team around who can adjust for their fallouts and shortcomings. To a wide range of industrial sectors, companies are welcoming the decision of introducing a Disruptive Talent method in order to cope up and stay afloat with the variations that have already taken their areas in the market. Whereas, other companies have preferred to take a pre-emptive method, considering the fact that if they do not figure out innovative approaches for operating in the market, others surely will. At the end, there are those categories of people who set themselves aspiring goals for increasing profits or market shares and have realized by the passing time that Disruptive Talent is the way to make their wish come true just like Aladdin’s Genie with the magic lamp. Every industrial sector can benefit from such talent, so the exact time to indulge into such programme depends on internal appetite for success, radical thinking, and innovation. As there are chances that the traditional approach can misfire, it is very important to employ a tailored appraisal strategy while recruiting Disruptive Talent internally or externally.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

IDENTIFYING, ACCESSING, and RECRUITING “OUT-OF-THE BOX THINKERS”, THE DISRUPTIVE TALENT IDENTIFYING & RECRUITING: An organization might require accommodating and tolerating individuals having ‘sharp elbows’ if the individual behaves in a certain manner for the pursuit of distinction, but not otherwise. Past record and performance track might reveal whereabouts, but in depth personality analysis will decrease the risk of bad recruitment and uncover more about what encourages each applicant and predict the accurate future. Customary psychometricidentifies foreseen behavior, allaying the risks involved with employment in determining as best as possible for the performance of a candidate. However, those inhibited with disruptive talent might often act in a manner, which would be considered as unsuitablefor the firm if the same is carried out by the average employee. Such individuals are often regarded as the outliers on several measures of performance and behavior. ASSESSING: Along with the brief psychological interview of such candidates aiming to verify the profiles of candidates, numbers of attempts are made to uncover further talent evidence. Intentionally ambiguity is built into the interview sessions to test the ability of candidates to deal with tough challenges placed in front of them capriciously as well as emotionally. Such programs provide them space to make use of their imagination without anyone demanding them to do. Influencing skills are also tested. The main part of the challenge is to motivate the applicants to be disruptive, by watching the way they perform, create and think under pressure and we as a recruiter confirm the display of negative behaviors was as far done for the right reasons. PERKS OF HIRING “DISRUPTIVE TALENT” a. It ensures continuous progress, advances, changes, and improvement in the stable economy of the market. b. It provides a competitive edge to smaller companies over the larger ones, because it can be aimed at niche markets, as such markets have already been developed by rival allowing this revolutionary trend to be leveraged from it. c. The organization, which introduces this form of technology in its workforce, has numerous advantages over its competitors. d. As economists call it, “Disruptive technologies have caused many of history’s best companies to plunge into crisis and fail.” e. It often generatesaffordable services and products, have greater performance and higher functionality, which in turn generates better value for consumers.

The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

TROUBLES? It can be a nightmare for an established company, shattering its market in turn making the life of its employees miserable. Because, employee index depends on company’s position and its success. If a company undergoes loss or in a situation of bankruptcy, the problem will land on employees by cutting their jobs and salaries. It can prove inefficient in providing value added services to the customer’s current need because of focusing on future perspects. Allocation of resources is problematic, higher officials must choose between the alternatives with various estimated profitability while maintaining the rate of success of the company. Managers often find chasing the evasive disruptive technology as extraneous. Companies may not be capable of in-house resources and assets to take full benefit of such innovation, this might be due to higher or initially lower volumes of finance and risk factors involved. For making investment decisions in such trend, often organizations shy away and are risk averse from potentially expensive failures. There is a huge on-going debate between the candidates for upcoming presidential election in the United States on the effect this kind of disruptive technology is leaving on the market economy and the issues that are likely to be generated in future because of the current scenario of the “GIG ECONOMY” that is backed by the “DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY”. Albeit, is it worth hiring a talented worker if that person is most likely to upset the group harmony of the organization? It depends. The answer is yes, if you are able to surround such individuals with right genre of people. The one who can tolerate idiosyncrasies, nature, the one who can take care of them, and show them respect, eventually harnessing the best talent out of them.

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The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

HOLACRACY THE END TO AN ULTRAMODERN AGE “BUREAUCRATIC ERA” OF MANAGERS

olacracy is an extensive practice for framing, running, and managing an organization. It is an entirely new way of running an organization that removes sovereignty from a hierarchal management system. It helps allocate clear positions and roles that can be then accomplished independently, without the help of a micromanaging executive or boss lingering all the time over an employee’s head. It efficiently substitutes current top- down and control & predict prototype with a new course of attaining control by

allocating power. This is the new form of operating system, which inculcates rigorous evolution in the pith processes of an established organization. The entire working system in Holacracy is more organized and structured rather than what happens in a traditional company, very effectively and efficiently. With Holacracy, there are a clear frame of processes and sets of rule for how a group distributes and divides its work pattern, and specifies its tasks with crystal clear expectations and sets of responsibilities.

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Is Holacracy The End Of Organizational Potentates?

hile the phrase may implore pictures of a new-age fad, Holacracy is a substitute organizational framework that has been espoused by organizations globally, which includes imminent names like the publishing platform by Twitter cofounder Ev Williams, Medium, and David Allen Company, the productivity consultants. It gets rid of conventional hierarchies for the self-managing groups, which operates through tactical schedules jammed with meetings. The largest

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company so far to have embraced this system is none other Zappos, also synonym to worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happiest store for shoe, though the transition stage hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been entirely smooth but still its effective in its own way. The company eliminated job titles, censured its own hierarchy, abolished managers, and vested the power on all authority in a ten thousand word constitution that dictates the new radical selfgovernance system.

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Dump Leadership And Court Holacracy

mplementation of Holacracy indeed develops better managers. Promoting better managers through preaching values and ideals based self- reflection and leadership, by educating managers for holding on through tough conversations and lead by illustrations. There is a world of issue revolving around experience and expertise that must be leveraged and respected throughout the organizations. There lies sovereignty in individuals pursuing ownership for their skills and experiences during work. There lies a greater value in helping all individuals to establish skills for selfmanagement purposes and this will actually decrease the overhead in organizations. This is indeed hard, because assigning a manager to everyone in exchange for little bits of fame, pay bump and

letting them turn into scapegoat for company is far easier rather than turning every individual into one itself. If you are prepared to end the madness through bureaucratic and hierarchical system, and in return embrace the cult of selfmanagement. It will create individual potentials for leadership, frame a structure that helps growth of every individual and develop them into becoming their own leaders. Organizations like MorningStar, Valve, and Spotify have incorporated doctrines of self-management into their management for producing strong and efficient results. It comes in no surprise that more self-organized and agile firms are more fruitful, and eventually more profitable.

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Where Do We Get The “Flat Structure” System Wrong?

mbrace Holacracy inan Organization without Practicing It You do not ‘Make Holacracy’, or ‘Do Holacracy’. You always phrase it as you “Practice Holacracy”. It is a particular system for operating an organization; it is not a category or a tag. The guidelines are detailed in the Holacracy Constitution. There might be a few set of organizations performing stuffs that are aligned principally with Holacracy, but unless one is following the practices and rules as per the guidelines mentioned in constitution, they are not considered to be practicing Holacracy. It Eliminates Entire Hierarchy Lineage Management hierarchy is absent in Holacracy, making it a flat structure. Here, power is not held by people but roles, and through a governance process the roles obtain power, not from some executive assigning it. Roles are classified into circles and these circles are further classified into bigger circles. So eventually it is a kind of hierarchy but not management hierarchy. Prescribes Endeavors for Hiring, Firing & Compensation Holacracy doesn’t tyrannizes the working of a company, but rather the way it organizes itself and

configuring how certain procedures work. Holacracy outlines how to work and how not to. There are doctrines a company can align itself with while framing compensation systems that will work well with Holacracy. Chaotic & Frameless On the contrary to such myths, Holacracy is very ordered and structured. That is exactly how people configure what to do. It is all about clarity and transparency. In Holacracy system, the company is split into different roles in order to complete a task, and individuals occupy these roles. Each and every role has an agenda, authorities, areas to control, and accountabilities. It is renewed in real time in specific meetings to keep them arrayed with authenticity and assure that roles can successfully interconnect. Simple Silver Bullets It is not a silver bullet. Holacracy is an approach that defines the way and organization can frame itself and build its own spinal cord. It can be transformative, but it is not at all magical like people think it is. It increases efficiency, authority, transparency and vast power distribution. Just like other things, Holacracy required practice and requires code of conduct with intense discipline. The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

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What Do We Conclude For Holacracy?

ommunication between employees and officials is very important There are no cookie cutter answers to your questions for all business and trades. But, for the overall rules, channel your skills and talents so that you are in a proactive source rather than active one. Establish a great relationship and rapport with candidates so that when some situation occurs, you are already in talks with them. The recruitment process works best as mutual networking, in which both the company and clients get to know each other. Communicate and return with exact solutions so that after eliminating the hierarchy system and indulging into equality, your company does not have to go through public shaming. Figure out the antibodies required when a selected number of employees take benefit from the freedom gained from such system without manager. Systems based on peer-pressure work efficiently. There must be frequent demonstrations where every team demonstrates their project and the value, which project will add to the company. Transparency is a must in a corporate world The organization is being open and free about their new direction. If you crave for a team that will stay with you over a long haul, you must provide all the candidates with a thorough accounting and an honest review of the role they have applied for. As a recruiter, honesty and transparency is a must from your side. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only method to form a team that will continue to endure in a longer run. Collaboration and transparency is a key to successful growth.

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Workp ace Cu ture Workplace design for Better Productivity There lies a huge correlation between performance and work place environment at a point. Similar to all the stuff surroundings turn old with the time and in order to maintain its fresh, well-being, and periodic updates is very important. I, personally believe that employees are invigorated by a well maintained and designed workplace.Working in an environment and culture that allows employees to perform their task optimally under snug conditions is one of the fundamental requirements for a human. This definitely raises a question, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;what is the impact of comfort level on the productivity of employees working in work environments?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The purpose of this article is to evaluate this relationship as a support to making decisions regarding the environment at work on strategic level within the boundaries of facilities process management, with a particular concern of the thermal conditions.

Work Place Environment & Employee Performance Go Hand in Hand Workplace design is the most hyped word when it comes to trailing and improving employee performance and productivity. I would suggest, if your finance allows you to renovate your business office, you must consider yourself for a brand new layout structure options. Although most probably 70% of all offices in America have open floor and structure plans. A noteworthy research body shows that spaces having bullpen-style spaces affect the employee negativity quite negatively. To get the most of your employees and your business, evaluating the modern workplace designs is very important. A study reveals that people choose to spend almost 90 percent of their time indoors. Additionally, at workplace employed people spend about 33 The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

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Workp ace Cu ture percent of their waking hours. So, there is no wonder that a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mental or physical health can be very much affected by the social, mental, and physical ambiences of the office environment. If working condition of a person is negative, it can result in increased rates of error, absences, lower work performances, and injuries. In a similar manner, it affects just the opposite when the workplace is well- designed. Many a times the physical workplace design concentrates on the physical effects on the employees.

Impact of design on productivity The formula for productivity is relatively unembellished, which is, sustain a high level for employee satisfaction, improvement in efficiency, and recruit quality workers. Researchers support this balanced equation and point out the crucial role that the workplace design plays in magnifying the variants. Workers, time and again summon factors that are design related while explaining their pretexts for selecting a job working with a certain company, and the managers identify that satisfaction of employee and productivity boost in workplaces that are appealing aesthetically. For the superintendents, the office space redesigning task in order to reflect evolution demands look daunting enough, but the experts in interiors can make the transition phase graceful and smooth. Many organizations are indeed amazed to learn that employee satisfaction is actually defined by productivity, and efficiency level is influenced by the interior designs in number of substantial ways. Researchers, interiors, consultants, and executives experts believe that levels of productivity is greatly affected by key design factors such as privacy, flexibility, access, and comfort. Paying a strategic effort, the layout in which experts in interiors integrate business objectives and design goals, can expedite work process, flatten hierarchies, lead to a balanced and healthy cultural variation, and encourage teamwork within a company. Firms can eliminate or minimizeimpediments to productivity by elaborating interior design according to companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revolving objectives. To promote such advancements in proficiency, organizations should customarily reanalyze the design of office in associations to business practices. According to a research conducted by the American Psychological Association, a good workplace must include these five components. 1. Employee Development & Growth 2. Employee Involvement 3. Work- Life Balance 4. Employee Recognition 5. Health and Safety The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

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Workp ace Cu ture Ways in which Design Affects Productivity Distraction from Noise: It wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be wrong to consider that most of the millennials are used to higher sensory environmental conditions. They have mastered the art of multitasking in any situation and in a same manner they bring their multi tasking skills at the workplace, but we shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be mistaking it with them being impervious to such distractions. Instead, multitasking individuals are more prone to interruptions, a cognitive control study suggested. It is very important to establish quiet working spaces into workplace design, as distraction free environment will allow the workers to concentrate and kick in with great efforts when it is the crunch time. Privacy Increases Productivity in Employees: Though employees seem to be more productive when they are under public eye but sometimes they might end up feeling uneasy under the constant surveillance from their peers. Lack of architectural design privacy can limit their exchange of ideas. It can also help hinder the germs spread. A study showed that employees working in an open space offices used 62% more sick leaves than the one working in individual spaces in office. Employees Should be Provided Controls & Options: It is one of the most important factors in workplace design. Employees must be provided with a chance to control their own environment in the way they feel more comfortable to. Adjustable Desks, Temperature and Lightening Control Options, and variety of room structures like conference rooms, enclosed offices, etc helps in building great team cohesion and it also gives a boost in employee job satisfaction. Of course, such provisions are not possible for companies on a medium or small scale. But, permitting the free space mobility to your employee and authority to choose their own working environment can boost their productivity.

Defining Well-Being in a Corporate Culture Wellness and Well- being are two terms in an alternation. These both regard to being in a state of healthy, happy, and prosperous; and the quality of being in a great health. In other words, we could define it as two goals that look forward to state of well-being and achieving a respective goal eventually. Wellness does not end regarding only the physical realm; emotional and mental well-being is just as important. The organization has to take all these elements into their considerations in order to harvest a good yield from the employees through their work productivity and build a successful and stronger organization in future. The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

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Workp ace Cu ture There are five universally most allied elements for a well- being. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Community Physical/Mental Career Social Financial

Employers Perpetually Depend Upon Employeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Well- Being There are so many risks to an employee and the entire organization if the employer is unwell. The cost and damage can be quite huge to the employers. For an example, disengaged employees are approximated to cost $450 billion to $550 billion in the US annually. Few risks are mentioned below, Reduction in Productivity Reduction in Employee Engagement Increased Employee Turnover Decreased Innovation, Quality,Customer Service Increased Off-the-job Injuries Increased Insurance Claims Increased Benefits Utilization Increased Workplace Injuries Increased Health Risks

Workplace Design: Significance in Social Relations of an Employee Social relations in a corporate environment can be summed up as personal space. Providing an employee with his/her personal space is very important, the type and amount of free personal space within a working environment can relatively discourage or encourage the amount of social interaction between employees. It depends upon a workerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire to communicate with others and the degree of extent to which he/she wants to know others. The furnishings and The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

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Workp ace Cu ture physical layouts have a very strong and significant impact on the employeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal space. How to tackle this problem: Plan work assignments keeping in mind the needs and abilities of the individuals, especially the ones with some or the other mental health troubles, and counterbalance it with the needs of group interaction. For example, you cannot place an employee tackling with serious depression problems in an enclosed cabin at the end of a deserted corner; neither would you place him/ her near hallway having high traffic that would offer only little bit of privacy.

Examples of Cutting- Edge Work Place Design Facebook It offers a range of options like art studios, banks, restaurants, etc to its employees in order to manage their personal lives. Facebook Employees can accommodate the height, configuration, and layout of their desks based on their personal preference. This helps the employee work freely according to their will, which further boosts into giving high ideas of productivity. Working in technology-based company is a very tedious and a back-breaking job. That doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean other companies arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Arrangements like this give a good comfort level so an employee can make its own adjustments regarding their own needs and work happily. Foursquare Foursquare in New York has different rooms with different themes that match a particular badge. It has Herbivore room that is entirely covered with plants. It has Socialite Room with beautiful chandelier and wallpapers hanging all across the room. The company even has the Play zone that consists of mini amphitheatre, ping pong table, cafeteria, weekly keg, foursquare court, and gymnastics ring. wThis gives employees a well break for spending their time into refreshing and indulging themselves into entertainment during work hours when sometime hectic schedules can be very exhaustive and tiresome.

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Workp ace Cu ture Google The company has been reportedly spending $1 Billion for developing London office spaces. The one million square feet campus comes with various amenities. These amenities include climbing wall roof garden, indoor football field, in house showers, and open air swimming pool. The Google garage is well equipped with all of its furniture on wheels across the entire workspace area. Wheeled whiteboards, easily movable chairs from individual space to communal spaces, and separable desks that can be connected according to work activity. Availability of power networks where Ethernet and Power cables drop from ceiling making easily accessible electronic connections virtually from anywhere in office. They call the Googleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s workplace design as a place to work and play, as it provides the employees with necessary amount of privacy, entertainment, and comfort zone so that they can entirely concentrate on their work schedule with a presence of full state of a happy and healthy mind. Mozilla The Mozilla office in San Francisco is incorporated basically on four key design model elements. This model includes collaborative, social, focus, and learn private. More than third part of their office is reserved for social work engagements methods and layouts. This helps in maintaining the office culture creative, intact, and strong. It has the extraordinary welcoming space for volunteers and visiting work consultants. This type of workplace design lets the volunteers and consultants know about the social engagements of the company. Anyone would love to work with a company that is socially engaged in various activities and it will establish a better brand name in the corporate world. AOL The AOL venture in New York has an arcade that measures the level of stress for employees. It consists of hallways accompanied with large murals, game rooms, bean bag chairs, pool tables, and healthy vending machines. The hr digest Magazine [october 2015]

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Workp ace Cu ture Similar to the all benefits above mentioned this too helps the employee to relax and take few minutes off from the exhausting and continuous working schedules and just relax themselves so that when they return from work, they are at complete peace of mind and deliver their best to the companies. Small and medium space companies too can look out for some of these employee refreshment strategies from these companies, well obviously not on this higher level, but till the level your budget allows you to. Always remember a happy employee leads to a happy and progressive organization always. Satisfaction, Happiness, and Employee well- being is the key to a successful organization.

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Human resources Events & Conferences October 13-15, 2015, LinkedIn Talent Connect 2015 Talent Connect is ideal for talent acquisition leaders and teams to learn and network with thought leaders in the industry.

Venue: Anaheim, VA | USA October 18-21, 2015

HR Technology Conference and Exposition (HR Tech) During this four-day conference, learn about the latest business technology and how to maximize benefits from this technology, specifically those relating to HR.

Venue: Las Vegas, NV | USA

October 26 - October 28, 2015 Diversity & Inclusion Conference & Exposition Designed specifically for diversity practitioners and HR professionals, the 2014 SHRM Diversity & Inclusion Conference & Exposition gives you the tools, resources and solutions you need to build positive change in your workplace. Boost your personal and professional development skills, network and innovate forward-thinking strategies

Venue: Boston Marriott Copley Place, Boston, Mass. | USA October 27 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; October 28, 2015 HR Tech World

HR Tech World opens in Paris this year. The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foremost congress & expo for global HR leaders and the largest gathering of its kind on the Future of Work and Technology. Playing host to buyers from over 80 countries worldwide enjoying parallel events over two days; its growing community has influenced over 40 million employees globally. No other community is having such a powerful impact on shaping the future of work.

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November 3 – November 4, 2015 Future Of Work 2015 The Future of Work event in Boston is designed to help Business and HR executives learn from respected authors, practitioners and business leaders skilled in the strategies, techniques and programs that are helping companies transform the world of work to be more creative while building better, faster, nimbler and more resilient organizational cultures.

Venue: Boston | United States

November 4 – November 5, 2015 2015 Talent Acquisition Innovation Conference Keeping on top of the latest technologies and trends continues to challenge all key talent acquisition teams. As talent attraction become more competitive, you need to know the latest innovations in mobile, social recruiting and other technologies and techniques to keep you ahead of the curve. To prepare you for 2015, the event will provide the audience with the latest cases of talent acquisition innovation so you can jump ahead of your competition to find the right people, right now. It has gathered great case-studies around candidate experience, social sourcing and the “right” technology to help you find the right people now.

Venue: Los Angeles, California | United States November 4 – November 5, 2015 Cipd Annual Conference And Exhibition

The annual conference brings industry leaders and organizations across all sectors together, offering attendees the chance to get the ideas and solutions they need to transform their HR strategies. Meet with like-minded HR professionals for two days of outstanding learning and networking opportunities. Learn new, practical approaches to common HR problems and return to work with a clear focus on the future.

Venue: Manchester Central Convention Complex, Manchester | United Kingdom The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

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Human resources Events & Conferences November 11 – November 12, 2015 HR Winners Africa Conference This conference will be a great opportunity to network, exchange ideas and take a closer look at current HR challenges. So act now and join us at this unique event to equip yourself with the new way of thinking.

Venue: Nairobi | Kenya

November 16 – November 18, 2015 HR Summit And Expo The HR Summit and Expo is the region’s largest gathering of HR professionals. More than a decade of innovation and thought leadership has made the summit the ideal platform for the best learning, networking and inspiration. In 2015, the HR Summit hosts a number of best-in-class global thinkers, authors and inspirational speakers. It also brings to you some of the global HR movers and shakers to inspire you into action with new trend-setting keynotes addressing key HR strategy issues. With a new programme designed to give you unparalleled coverage of your most pressing HR challenges with more than xx exclusive sessions to Summit delegates.

Venue: Dubai Mall | United Arab Emirates November 20 – November 22, 2015

International Conference On Human Resource And Enterprise Management (Hrem 2015) International Conference on Human Resource and Enterprise Management (HREM 2015) will be held from November 20 to 22, 2015 in Guilin, China. This Conference will cover issues on Human Resource and Enterprise Management. It dedicates to creating a stage for exchanging the latest research results and sharing the advanced research methods.

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December 14 – December 15, 2015 5th Annual International Conference On Human Resource Management And Professional Development In The Digital Age (Hrm&Pd 2015) Human resource management is the management of an organization’s workforce, or human resources and is responsible for the attraction, selection, training, assessment, and rewarding of employees, while also overseeing organizational leadership and culture and ensuring compliance with employment and labor laws. Professional development refers to the acquisition of skills and knowledge both for personal development and for career advancement. This conference brings Policy Makers, Managers, Principals, Researchers, Educationists, HR Practitioners, Administrators and Planners to demonstrate HR practices.

Venue: Hotel Fort Canning | Singapore Date: 1 December 2015 Ahri Awards Night

Each year in December, AHRI celebrates the finalists and winners of the AHRI National Awards at a spectacular black-tie gala dinner. This event is a night of inspiration where high achievers rub shoulders and share and celebrate their innovations with the HR industry. In 2014 this event will be held at The Star Sydney on 2 December.

Venue: Dockside Pavilion | Sydney December 8 – December 9, 2015

Workforce And Productivity Summit The imperative to boost productivity growth is one of the most urgent and important policy issues facing Australia – and also one of the most complex, challenging and divisive. With Australia’s living standards at stake, there is a clear need to prepare for the future world of work at the government, industry and business levels. But when it comes to participation and productivity, what are our priorities? What is policy-amenable, and what must be left to the ingenuity The hr digest Magazine [October 2015]

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Human resources Events & Conferences of individual enterprises? And where will intervention have the most decisive impact and the greatest return on investment? The AFR Workforce & Productivity Summit will investigate these critical questions through a series of keynotes, interviews and group discussions with some of the nation’s most insightful and influential figures. It expects an audience of 200+ business leaders, policy-makers, academics and stakeholder groups at what will be the year’s highest-level independent forum on productivity and workforce participation.

Venue: Sofitel, Melbourne | Australia December 12, 2015

Strategic Thinking Conquering The Traditional Hr Paradigm: Hr Business Leader Series The Strategic Thinking Conquering the Traditional HR Paradigm: HR Business Leader Series, organized by the Northern California HR Association will take place on 15th December 2015 at the Atmel Corporation in San Jose, USA. The conference will cover areas like Human Resources is undergoing a seismic transformation that is bifurcating the field into 2 different, albeit complimentary, sub-functions — resulting in an HR paradigm: transactional vs. Strategic. Where do you fall on this delicate fault line? Are you where you want to be? Get a framework for understanding this latest paradigm and discover the skills required to be successful in this new environment.

Venue: Atmel Corporation, San Jose | USA January 18 - 19, 2016

ICHRM 2016: 18th International Conference On Human Resource Management The conference aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results about all aspects of Human Resource Management. It also provides the premier interdisciplinary forum for researchers, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns, practical challenges encountered and the solutions adopted in the field of Human Resource Management.

Venue: Holiday Inn London, Middlesex, London | United Kingdom 124

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