With Thanksgiving coming up later this week, the holiday season is in full swing. In offices around the country, this time of year comes with a mixed bag of personal and professional obligations, including holiday parties and end-of-year deadlines. With so much going on, it can be tough to stay aware of HR news. But not to worry: we’ve got you covered! Read on to see what’s happening in the world of work this month.
Many modern employers are focused on improving employee engagement metrics, and for good reason: high engagement is associated with greater productivity and higher morale. But when it comes to employee engagement, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. There’s a fine line between highly-engaged employees and those who are at risk of burning out.
Elementary school teachers and parents of young children have long been known to use sticker charts to incentivize positive behavior. They’re onto something that managers and employers should take note of: to increase morale and productivity, a little recognition goes a long way.
As competition for the best talent heats up in most industries, it’s important for recruiters and hiring managers to consider how they come across to job seekers. Starting with a great job posting all the way through to a job offer, smart recruiters and hiring managers try to put the best foot forward and create a positive experience for job candidates.
When an employee chooses to leave your company for another opportunity, it’s understandable that you may have mixed feelings. That said, letting them serve out their last two weeks and leave without acknowledgement or a fond farewell is unpleasant, and it can be a costly mistake. In such a competitive recruiting environment, it’s never a good idea to burn bridges— even with departing employees.
When your best employees leave, they don’t just take their skills and training with them; they also take the knowledge and contacts they’ve gained on the job. This can pose a threat to your business goals, especially if their new role involves competing or negotiating with your company.
For employers of highly-skilled talent, the urge to keep trade secrets from walking out the door— and into competitors’ offices— is understandable. That’s why some companies choose to institute non-compete clauses (NCCs) as a condition of employment.
Autumn doesn’t just bring change to the leaves outside; there’s plenty of change happening in workplaces this month as well. Chief among them: a major effort in California to classify rideshare drivers as employees. In this HR roundup, we’ll look at that important bill, a New York City lawsuit over its fair workweek law, and more. Read on to learn what you should know about HR news this month:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which falls under the larger umbrella of the Department of Labor, guarantees workers the right to a safe and sanitary working environment and lays out guidelines to help employers achieve this goal. These requirements include safety training, reporting, and anti-retaliation protections for employees who report unsafe working conditions, among others.
In larger companies, there may be one or several people whose job is to maintain workplace safety and comply with OSHA regulations. But in smaller organizations, some of the work of training, record-keeping, and reporting may fall to HR managers.
