The Happiness Factor

Watch this video to feel better.  Watch the video to see how contagious feeling good can be.  Watch this video to get inspired to make your day the very best it can be.  Just watch this video and then tell us what makes you laugh.  What makes you feel good? 

Remember it just takes one person to change the world, a community, an organization, a street.  If all of us took a moment and changed the mood in our corner of the world what could be the result?

P.S.  Give it a minute or two.  It starts out slow and then builds.  Trust me it is worth it!

Don’t Let Compliance Confusion Create Dissatisfaction

Guest Contributor: Barbara Richman with Brad Federman

We see it over and over again.  Changes occur in the law and employers struggle to comply.  Unfortunately, employers get hit with fines, bad press, lawsuits, and then employee dissatisfaction.  One area of HR is now going through such a change.  Are you ready?  How about your organization?

Employers are faced with daunting compliance challenges as they attempt to administer the complexities of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the changes in the regulations that became effective January 16, 2009, and subsequent changes resulting from the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (NDAA) that was signed into law on October 28, 2009.

The Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) FMLA Toolkit explains that “the FMLA became effective on August 5, 1993 for most employers and entitles eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for specified family and medical reasons. Amendments to the FMLA by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2008 (NDAA), Public Law 110-181, expanded the FMLA to allow eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave in the applicable 12-month period for any “qualifying exigency” arising out of the fact that a covered military member is on active duty, or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty, in support of a contingency operation. The NDAA also amended the FMLA to allow eligible employees to take up to 26 weeks of job-protected leave in a “single 12-month period” to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness.”

In an article on 10/12/09, “FMLA Amended to Expand Military Family Leave,” SHRM also announced that “President Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (H.R. 2647) into law on Oct. 28, expanding the military family leave provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The amendments mandate exigency leave for family members of all covered active duty members and expand the military caregiver provision to family members of certain former service members.”

An additional SHRM article, “FMLA Retaliation Claims on the Rise,” stated that “Retaliation claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) are the “wave of the future,” said Megan Norris, an attorney with Miller Canfield in Detroit, on Dec. 4, 2009, at the National Employment Law Institute Employment Law Conference in Washington, D.C. An employee doesn’t have to be right about an underlying FMLA allegation to proceed on an FMLA retaliation claim, Norris reminded, noting that many courts let retaliation claims proceed even after they have rejected underlying FMLA claims.”

Barbara Richman, SPHR, is a Senior Consultant with HR Mpact, a human resource consulting firm located in Memphis, Tennessee. As a consultant, Barbara has worked on varied projects and provided training for a broad range of organizations in both the public and private sectors. She has been a speaker at meetings and conferences of business and professional organizations and has been a contributor to a number of local and national publications, including the Memphis Business Journal, Employment and Labor Update, Contractors Business Management Report, and The Human Resource Magazine.  Barbara is also the author of the ADMINISTERING THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT (FMLA) MANUAL.  For more information on the FMLA or the FMLA manual leave a comment below or contact Barbara at info@hr-mpact.com.

After the recession…

According to SHRM: 

HR professionals will be among the first to see signs of life return to the job market and any accompanying increase in turnover. 

With many disengaged employees staying put rather than risking an uncertain job market, HR professionals in 2010 will be focusing on how to reengage employees and retain the most valuable talent.

How is your company focusing on these issues?  Are they?

King holiday a good time to reflect on leadership

In the aftermath of the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., an Associated Press reporter caught up with former President Harry S. Truman during a morning walk in New York City and asked him his opinion.

“There are plenty of Negro leaders, and they’re good ones. Martin Luther King is a rabble-rouser. He’s not a leader. He has hurt his cause, because he hasn’t any sense.”

Remember, this is the same president who boldly desegregated the Army in 1948, so he was hardly a backward thinker. But even after King’s leadership and courage led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a Nobel Peace Prize, Truman held a low opinion of the man.

A lot of people did.

While complete racial harmony will never be achieved, it’s a sign of progress that King’s actions and words are almost universally praised today. It was easy for white leaders back then to call for incremental change or a “go-slow” approach. They weren’t the victims of inequality. Similarly, the pitched battles over whether King was worthy of a holiday have subsided. There are no serious efforts to turn back.  Read the rest of the article at:  http://bit.ly/5p05HP

Redefining diversity beyond race and gender

Just about every medium or large U.S. company talks about its dedication to diversity, whether in a prominent section of its Web site or in its corporate mission statement.

But the definition of what, exactly, these firms mean by diversity is often vague.

Only 30 percent of human resources professionals say that their company even has an official definition of diversity, according to a 2007 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management.

Beyond Simple Demographics

While diversity has traditionally referred to categories like race and gender, companies and diversity experts are increasingly considering a wide range of factors from age and sexual preference to disabilities and even weight. 

Read the rest of the article at:  http://ow.ly/Wdz2

Obsess about the customer!

Companies should obsess about customer needs, not product features.  What makes Barnes & Noble a better brand than Charter Communications–and many others? Customer experience.

Forrester Research recently released its third annual Customer Experience Index. The study ranked 133 US companies across 14 industries using feedback from more than 4,600 consumers. Barnes & Noble came in at the top for the second year in a row, slightly ahead of Marriott Hotels and Hampton Inn. Other winners: Amazon.com and Costco. At the other end of the spectrum, Charter Communications took the bottom spot for the third consecutive year. Also at the bottom: major health care providers such as CIGNA, Aetna, Anthem, Medicaid and United Healthcare.  Read the rest of the article at:  http://ow.ly/Wdv7

Growth in 2009. Would you believe except

Growth in 2009. Would you believe exceptional customer service? http://ow.ly/VNLj

Start the new year by asking yourself these questions

Start the new year by asking yourself these simple yet profoundly important questions about yourself as a manager By Gayle Lantz

If you’re like most business leaders, you spent much of 2009 feeling down and just about out—an often-inescapable result of the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Odds are, you grappled with numerous challenges, uncertainties, and “don’t want to, but have to” decisions. As one weary bank CEO confided, “We’re barely hanging on, just trying to survive.” He wasn’t alone, either. Many executives and leadership teams shared similar sentiments with me. It was a difficult year, period. Read the entire article at: http://ow.ly/VNSe

Corporate Hiring Trend: The eco-manager

Corporate Hiring Trend: The eco-manager http://ow.ly/VNG6

Leadership Development: A Perspective

Leadership Development: A Perspective http://ow.ly/VGrt