Articles

In recent months, the US has gone through somewhat of an economic recovery, with jobless numbers dropping considerably and the dollar performing better than it has for a long time. Much of the economic uncertainty has been washed away by sectors such as manufacturing, with companies being able to provide work by bringing their operations back to the US. Due to economic recovery, firms in the US are far more likely to start hiring again. But with the employment of newcomers and dealing with talent, as well as succession planning, come new challenges that firms will need to address. Read more

“Purple squirrels” are well known as tough challenges for IT recruiters, even in a down market because purple squirrels are techies with very specific, very hard-to-find skills in technologies that are in very short supply—in other words, candidates who are perfect fits for what the job requires. Often software developers in the newest technologies such as Python, Ruby or Scala and even “older” Net are as scarce as the other species of purple squirrel. Read more

Cultural diversity is becoming increasingly important with local businesses striving to penetrate and establish strong presence in the ever-changing international market. With businesses crossing borders day by day, there is an enormous demand to understand and respect different cultures. There tends to be a fear among employees who are new in cross border assignments. There is a definite lack of knowledge, experience and blatant insensitivity towards cultural diversity, which all lead to a major collapse of businesses. Read more

For career professionals seeking to be highly productive, interruptions represent a “breaking apart” of their ability to stay focused and strive for completion of the task at hand. In many work environments today — the traditional office as well as in mobile settings — each of us are prone to too many interruptions to even approach our potential level of productivity. Why? We are subjected to more potential interruptions than any previous workforce. Read more

HRIQ speaks with HR Director for Hilton Kuwait. "If you are not already there, then focus on getting yourself a seat at that table where strategies and business goals are formulated and worked upon. This involves a self evolution and changing the perception of internal customer from viewing HR as a traditionally administrative function to a commercially driven strategic business partner. Some helpful things to consider that will get you and help you stay there..." Read more

The rise of smartphones and mobile platforms in the last few years, particularly the operating system's from Google and Apple, Android and iOS respectively, have led to a new generation of training systems, whereby people can learn things via e-books and apps in their own time without having to sit in a room with a training manager to be told about a new system or an innovative way of working. However, with mLearning, it is possible for people to complete new training in any situation where they have access to the internet via tablets, smartphones, and other devices which are running iOS or Android operating systems, even in remote locations such as trains and hotels whether they are commuting or on business trips. Read more

Spring is in the air - and so is pension relief, once again. A provision has been attached to a Senate-passed transportation bill, to set a floor and a ceiling on the interest rates used to calculate the funding target and annual contributions. Unfortunately, the prospects for passage of this measure are hostage to fundamental arguments about the highway bill to which it is attached and its immediate prospects seem to have dimmed. Read more

Over the last ten years, increasingly you have found yourself being interrupted in the course of a work day with greater frequency. How do I know this to be true? We’ve all experienced it. Interruptions are now the chief impediment for HR professionals when it comes to getting things done. Worse still, interruptions are on the rise! Read more

Over the past decade, many companies have begun to implement HR Shared Services to act as Centers of Excellence (COE). However, once the immediate impact of reduced head-count is realized, the question is what to do next. For many companies, the evolution process has transitioned the organization from less efficient (“HR-heavy” with multiple processes) into a streamlined, centralized, cost effective service center. Now is the time to look at efficiencies while still maintaining, or improving, the economic value in your decision. Here are several tips to help you within your HR Shared Service Model. Read more

Many people have heard the expression “the business of life” and wondered exactly what it meant. For me, that phrase has a great deal of meaning. It's how I forged a successful career in the corporate world based on the lessons I’d learned overcoming a variety of personal challenges. Perhaps not surprisingly, these lessons and insights have not only helped me with personal struggles but they can also be directly applied to the workplace, as I discovered during my career in the business world. Now, I’m enjoying sharing those lessons with others, to spare them some of the pain that I’ve experienced over the years – and also to provide a few “short-cuts” to the success they envision. Read more

Rebecca Mieliwocki, this year’s Teacher of the Year, who was recently honored by President Obama in a ceremony at the White House, didn’t start out pursuing a career in education. Now, after 14 years of teaching, Mieliwocki still says about her career: “It was everything I wanted it to be.” What would it take to follow your career dreams? Read more