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Measures of Central Tendency (a.k.a. Mean, Mode, & Median)

By Sharon McKnight, CCP, SPHR Finding the middle ground is important for a lot of things, and for a lot of reasons, including salary data. For example, when researching salary data, it’s important to know whether you’re looking at the mean, the mode, or the median. All three are measures of central tendency but they’re […]

Don’t mistake activity for achievement

Early in my career, I worked for a boss who, every time he returned from vacation, measured the productivity of his staff by the number of reports and memos he had waiting from each person. It didn’t take long for his staff to realize if you wanted to impress upon him that you had worked hard […]

training

Behavioral Intervention in the Workplace and its Benefits

Stress in the workplace is now a widespread epidemic. According to extensive research conducted by The American Institute of Stress, 40% of workers reported their job was “very” or “extremely” stressful, and 80% of workers feel stress on the job. And it costs U.S. businesses $190 billion in annual healthcare costs alone—$300 billion in total. […]

A Merit Increase Grid That’s More Sophisticated Than Most

In yesterday’s Advisor we featured advice on variable performance pay from consultant Teri Morning, MBA, MS, SPHR, SPHR-CA. Today, her salary increase grid that is a little more complex than most, plus we offer the free downloadable white paper (FREE! thanks to sponsor PayScale)—the 2014 Compensation Best Practices Report. Morning says her grid takes into […]

benefits

Study: Employers’ Cost to Provide Employee Benefits Has Risen 24% Since 2001

U.S. employers’ cost to provide employee benefits, measured as a percentage of pay, increased 24% between 2001 and 2015, fueled largely by a doubling in healthcare benefit costs, according to a new analysis by Willis Towers Watson (WTW). The analysis, according to WTW, “reveals a major shift in how employers allocate benefit dollars and prompts […]

5 Principles to Establish a Pay-for-Performance System

In a BLR webinar titled “Pay-for-Performance: Pros, Cons, and Assessing Whether It’s a Good Fit for Your Organization,” Brooke Green offered five key principles to follow when establishing such a system. 5 Principles to Establish a Pay-for-Performance System How do you establish a system of rewards that truly differentiates in a meaningful way? Green outlined […]

10 Sins of Termination (#1 Time to Prevent Lawsuits)

Terminations are no picnic for anyone, but since they are the genesis of many lawsuits, it’s worth learning how to do them right. Handling them carefully can save cash, calm frayed nerves, and maintain morale and productivity. (As long as you don’t commit one of these 10 sins.)

What Should HR Look for in Meetings with Upper Management?

In part one of this article series, I was discussing getting through to leadership as an HR professional with expert guest Ed Muzio. Today, I continue that discussion specifically about to what extent HR professionals should know business metrics and what they should listen for in meetings with upper management. To listen to the entire […]

Q&A on How HR Can Handle FMLA Leave and Suspected Abuse

Must an employer grant FMLA leave to an employee to care for a child’s serious health condition after the child is an adult and no longer lives with the employee? Can an employee take intermittent FMLA leave for baby bonding? What should an employer do who suspects FMLA leave abuse? These questions and more were […]

15 Rules for Writing Tight Job Descriptions

In yesterday’s Advisor, we covered the first 4 common job description mistakes; today we’ll cover number 5, and introduce an elegant solution to your job description challenges Mistake #5: Forgetting Format, Organization, and Grammar (Click here for Mistakes 1 to 4) To achieve the two primary goals of job description writing—accuracy and brevity—you must check […]