Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

What’s Happening to Total Rewards? New Landscape

The current global economic environment means executives are thinking about reward program management in new ways, says consultant Tom McMullen. The good news is that Hay Group studies show human capital concerns rank number one. What’s the Deal with the ‘Regular Rate’? FThe bad news is that many organizations still find it hard to maintain […]

Do Your Managers Know the 6 Essential Dimensions of Great Leaders?

Increased demands, overstretched budgets, stressed-out workers, flat business performance, and poor leadership role models—combined with a leadership model that tends to reward short-term results—have created a “growing gap between the leaders we have and the leaders we need,” says author Bob Rosen. Rosen (bobrosen.com), who is CEO of Healthy Companies International (healthycompanies.com) and author of […]

Why the Trend Toward Variable Performance Pay?

Increasingly, employers are less averse to withholding merit increases for poor performers so they can afford to grant meaningful increases to better performers, says Morning, who is president of Teri Morning Enterprises in Carmel, Indiana. Morning made her suggestions during a recent webinar sponsored by BLR®. What is Variable Performance Pay? Variable performance pay aligns […]

Mental Health Parity Rules Remove ‘Clinically Appropriate’ Exemption

Final mental health parity rules issued Nov. 8 make several changes to the prior, interim version. The exemption for “clinically appropriate standards of care” was eliminated because regulators decided it was confusing and subject to abuse, and the rules’ application to “intermediate” coverage levels was clarified in response to uncertainty about how the interim rules’ […]

Holidays Survey Results in; How Do You Measure Up?

In our October Holiday Survey, we asked you about your plans for 2013 and 2014…and you responded! More than 3,000 of you told us how you will handle Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays this year and next. Read on for information about holiday pay, holiday gifts, holiday parties, and more.

Holidays Survey Results in; How Do You Measure Up?

    Thanks to all 3,804 participants! Here are the detailed survey results. How does your organization measure up? 2013 Holiday Season Thanksgiving When asked which days will be paid holidays for their employees at Thanksgiving in 2013, 95.5% of survey participants indicated that Thanksgiving Day will be a paid holiday. Additionally, 65.1% will provide […]

Audience Response Systems Enhance Learning

Audience response systems engage learners in training and provide trainers with instant feedback that they can use to enhance the learning experience, says Ron Smrek, vice president of Sales/Corporate Government with Turning Technologies (www.TurningTechnologies.com). When using an audience response system, trainers can poll learners, for example, about demographic information, their knowledge of a particular topic, […]

Does BYOD make your data less secure?

BYOD, which stands for "bring your own device," is becoming an increasingly more popular plan in the workplace. It can provide employers an added connection to their workforce, allowing employees to efficiently address important matters quicker than in the past. Allowing access to the employer's network via the employee's own personal devices may result in greater overall efficiency and productivity, fewer electronic devices for the employee to keep track of, and the ability to use the most up-to-date devices and features if they choose.

Train Employees on Basic Nutrition

November is the perfect time for basic nutrition wellness training because it’s also American Diabetes Month. According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 25 million Americans have diabetes, and more than 75 million have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is highly preventable, however, with a nutritious […]