HR Industry Brief

According to a recent study, 83% of U.S. employers rely on some for of technology. For HR purposes, 56% use chatbots to look up information such as companies benefits, while 41% use these tech tools to engage with employees during recruitment. Elsewhere, 44% of companies use data such as social media profiles to identify the best candidates, and 40% employ artificial intelligence (AI) to screen and assess candidates during recruitment. Companies planning to invest in AI say they will focus on chatbots for employee self-service, the ability to identify employees at risk of leaving, help in performance management, and customizing or improving compensation benchmarking. While more than half of employers expect AI and automation to replace up to 20% of their current jobs, experts suggest that these same technologies will create 58 million new jobs by 2022. [Read more...] about (3/25) Employers Embrace Artificial Intelligence for HR

A new survey suggests that one-third of HR leaders stay awake at night worrying about employee engagement, compared to 29% a year earlier. Nearly three-quarters (72%) expressed concern about losing talent over the next 12 months, compared to 67% last year. Respondents identified top strategies to keep workers engaged: employee communication (59%), providing workers with additional training and development (55%), increasing and improving leader and manager training (52%), assisting employees in their career development (52%), increasing recognition and feedback (42%), and changing compensation (32%). HR leaders said they are spending their time on recruiting (45%), employee relations (32%), and benefits, talent management, and leadership development (all tied at 27%).  Read the full article.   … [Read more...] about (3/22) What’s Keeping HR Up at Night in 2019?

If you need some solid evidence to build a case for greater investment in employee retention, a new tool may help. The Cost of Turnover tool is a calculator that helps estimate the cost of employee turnover in two areas: direct and indirect costs. This is important, as direct costs are easier to determine; while indirect costs—such as low morale and reduced productivity—generally are harder to put into numbers. To make best use of this tool, determine in advance what position or occupation you want to calculate costs for, who you need to collect information from, where you can get reliable information about hiring and onboarding procedures and costs, and what manager(s) can provide information about the impact of vacancies and the onboarding procedures for new workers. Read the full article.   … [Read more...] about (3/21) Why You Should Care about the Cost of Turnover

Health benefit costs are rising for U.S. employers, a new survey show. According to data, costs rose 3.6% in 2018, and projections suggest they could go up 4.4% this year. This is likely to hit smaller employers harder. Employers identified “monitoring and managing high cost claims” as their leading strategy to manage health benefits moving forward, followed by “creating a culture of health.” Wellness is a key focus for most employers, and they mentioned telehealth and point solutions as some of their benefit offerings to address this. Elsewhere, employers have identified several cost-containment strategies, such as raising PPO deductibles, providing financial incentives for health assessments/screenings, and offering account-base, consumer-directed health plans. Read the full article. … [Read more...] about (3/20) Managing High-Cost Claims Tops Employer Benefit Plan Concerns

There are 61 million Generation Z workers entering the workforce, and they could be the answer to some of your worker woes. But what how should you reach out to them? Marketing pro Terrie Hermann suggests a few tips. For instance, these individuals are 100% digitally natives, so the best way to connect with them is through instant, digital, and seamless high-tech processes and social media. Mobile friendly recruiting, including mobile interviewing, is key to attracting Gen Zers. Elsewhere, many of these people grew up in a recession and saw parents and others lose jobs, so stress security and grow/advancement opportunities to engage them. Read the full article. … [Read more...] about (3/19) Q&A: How to Best Recruit Gen Z Candidates

Gamification is making its way into the workplace, where it is often found to increase engagement and develop knowledge in more efficient ways. From onboarding and retention to learning and development, games are a fresh, fun way to impart information, maximize knowledge, and apply adult learning concepts shown to maximize buy-in and retention. For instance, you can turn training into a simulator game via virtual reality and related technology. Gamification also can be used to improve employee relationships by setting up a game that motivates employees to reward each other for performance. Many gamification practices are easy to integrate into work processes and promote teamwork. To help ensure the effectiveness of games in the workplace, set clear goals for their use, connect game elements to actual work processes, and understand what motivates your employees. [Read more...] about (3/18) Boost Engagement and Productivity by Playing Games

More companies are taking a zero-based approach, originally used for budgeting, to redesigning outdated processes by starting from “zero” to analyze and evaluate them. There are five zero-based components companies can use to redesign their workforce looking forward. These are: right work (what drives the greatest business value), right size (how and when work is done), right structure (focusing on core and new competencies), right people (align skills to roles), and right measure (align organization objectives to business functions; create clear metrics of success). Read the full article. … [Read more...] about (3/15) Zero-Base Your Way to Tomorrow’s Workforce

Increasingly, texting is for much more than chatting with friends or sharing messages with colleagues or family members. Employers are using platforms such as TextRecruit to communicate with job candidates. Studies have shown that people are more likely to respond to a text than an email; and it enables 24/7 communication, which can be helpful in healthcare settings where people don’t necessarily keep traditional 9-5 hours. Texting, video chatting, special job websites, online classifieds and mobile apps, and other familiar technology is helping companies search and find the best candidates for job openings. It only makes sense to employ the technology that people are already using. For instance, 81% of employers use their own mobile devices for work, and 70% of job seekers use them when looking for a position. [Read more...] about (3/14) How to Use Technology to Bolster Recruiting

Instead of multitasking, monotasking may be a better way to keep all of your balls in the air successfully. Consider triaging and planning the tasks you want/need to accomplish. Prioritize the activities that require the most brain power and/or concentration or those that have a tight, hard deadline for early in the day. Save easier, brainless tasks, such as answering emails, for the end of your shift. Try breaking up your day into 30-minute increments with short breaks in between to enable you to reset and focus on a new task. These breaks also will help prevent exhaustion and burnout. Of course, some interruptions or quick, unexpected pivots to new projects or tasks are inevitable; but monotasking can help you be more efficient, disciplined, and productive overall. Read the full article.   … [Read more...] about (3/13) Try Monotasking to Be More Productive