ASHHRA eNews Pulse
ASHHRA
July 18, 2011It’s summertime and I hope each and every one of you have some great vacation plans ahead. This is the perfect opportunity for you to take a break, recharge the energy batteries, and re-focus on the future of your organization and health care human resources. It is a very challenging time with our economic issues, severe Medicare and Medicaid cutbacks, doing much more with much less and of course, budgets. I know you have heard it all before, but there is no better time to effect positive change than in periods of chaos and uncertainty. We need to be the leaders and example for our organizations in looking at process and cost savings. We are too often criticized for being overstaffed, under-utilized, and not strategic. Time to shine!
I am watching, with great interest, the latest developments in the ongoing news on the OFCCP front. There was some welcomed news this week as the markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2012 excludes TRICARE institutional, professional, and pharmacy network providers from being considered subcontractors for the purposes of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) or any other law, in order to maintain adequate TRICARE provider networks. The U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services unanimously approved the markup on June 16 and the bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration. Many thanks to Lawrence Hughes, Assistant General Counsel from our AHA Washington D.C. office, for keeping us well informed on all of these developments.
I don’t know if you noticed the recent email blasts from ASHHRA, but our upcoming national conference in Phoenix offers a tremendous opportunity to gain 18.5 Recertification Credit Hours, which includes 17.0 Strategic Business Credit Hours and 1.5 California Specific Credit Hours. What a great opportunity for PHR, SPHR, and GPHR certification holders to meet their recertification needs through the Human Resources Certification Institute! I hope to see you all there!
In closing, be sure to get involved and support your chapters and regions. We know that professional development budgets are very tight now, but the price is right for membership, educational seminars, and conferences at the chapter and regional level. So, please get involved and lend your support to their initiatives! They are truly the "pulse" of ASHHRA. Have a great month.
Robert Walters, SPHR
Corporate Director, HR Operations
Health First, Inc.
3550 North Harbor City Blvd.
Melbourne, FL 32932-0069
(321) 434-1957
bob.walters@health-first.org
Visit http://solutions.healthcaresource.com/your-hr-initiatives.html to view the full article online.
Visit http://www.iriconsultants.com/forms/ASHHRA2011/ to view the full article online.
Visit http://www.ashhra.org/about/Regions/Region_1.shtml#scholarship to view the full article online.
Verizon’s recent massive settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission carries a crucial message for employers. In what’s being billed as the "the largest disability discrimination settlement in a single lawsuit in EEOC history," the telecommunications giant agreed to fork over $20 million for violating the Americans With Disabilities Act by refusing to make exceptions to its "no fault" attendance plans to accommodate employees with disabilities. SOURCE: HR MORNING
Visit http://www.hrmorning.com/can-your-attendance-policy-stand-up-to-new-ada-regs/ to view the full article online.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act, which took effect on January 1, 2009, a person will be considered disabled if he has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. A major activity is as broad as it sounds and could be anything from performing manual tasks, to speaking, or even breathing, just to name a few examples. SOURCE: TLNT
Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/07/08/3-ways-to-avoid-ada-discrimination-issues-during-the-hiring-process/ to view the full article online.
No longer just the shiny new object in the toolbox, social media recruiting has become an integral part of hiring. A new Jobvite survey, titled Social Recruiting Survey 2011, found that 89 percent of the respondents to its poll (most of them not Jobvite customers) said they are either already using some form of social media in their recruiting or will in the next year. They are also having success; 64 percent said they’ve actually hired people through a social network. SOURCE: TLNT
Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/07/12/new-survey-finds-that-89-are-using-or-will-use-social-media-in-recruiting/ to view the full article online.
Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Staffing-Training/Employee-Turnover/Retaining-Employees-Are-Yours-Getting-Burned-Out/ to view the full article online.
For the first time in U.S. history, four generations of workers are sharing the professional workplace. HR executives are challenged to recruit and retain members of multiple age groups, each with unique world views, values, and associated behaviors. Literature and conventional wisdom tell us different generations respond differently to workplace dynamics, implying leaders should tailor the work environment to match the expectations of each generational cohort to improve employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention.
Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/ahh-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=149171&issueID=22506 to view the full article online.
Get ready: Employees who put off their vacations may be ready to start taking them in the summer months ahead. More than a third (36 percent) of workers say they're more comfortable taking a vacation this summer than they were last year, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey of 5,600 workers. SOURCE: HR MORNING
Visit http://www.hrmorning.com/more-workers-comfortable-with-taking-a-vacation-this-year/ to view the full article online.
How do you judge the effectiveness of your compensation practices? I’ve always held to the belief that, as far as pay programs go, pretty is as pretty does. We can admire an incentive plan for its elegance of design and its adherence to the hottest new theories of motivation, but at the end of the day if it doesn’t channel reward dollars in a way that makes the organization (and the people who work in it) more successful, then it hasn’t lived up to its promise. SOURCE: HRM TODAY
Visit http://www.hrmtoday.com/human-capital/compensation/getting-strategic-with-compensation/ to view the full article online.
A surprisingly large number of employees would accept a promotion without a pay hike, but experts say, companies would be wise to tread carefully when considering such an action. What might be acceptable during an economic downturn could come back to bite the employee when the economy turns around. SOURCE: HUMAN RESOURCE EXECUTIVE ONLINE
Visit http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=533339712&topic=Main to view the full article online.
I’ll take good news whenever and where ever I find it. That’s how I view CareerBuilder’s 2011 Mid-Year Job Forecast — as reasonably good news that seems to indicate that hiring (and the economy) may get a little bit better as we head through the last half of 2011. According to the survey, "employers remain positive in their hiring expectations for the remainder of 2011 despite ongoing concerns over threats to economic growth," and nearly half of employers (47 percent) plan to hire new employees from July through December, up from 41 percent in 2010. SOURCE: TLNT
Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/07/07/mid-year-hiring-forecast-shows-positive-job-growth-the-rest-of-2011/ to view the full article online.
Generation iY (I call them this because of the intense impact iTunes, iPhones, iPods, iMacs, and the Internet has had on this group) is a highly contradictory bunch, but they seem to be aware of it and able to function within those parameters. What they are not aware of is how much our economy needs them to grow up and lead the way. Over the next 15 years, nearly half the U.S. workforce will retire. Those Millennials from Generation iY will be forced into management and leadership positions, ready or not. Let’s get them ready. SOURCE: TLNT
Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/06/29/gen-iy-they-want-meaning-money-influence-and-to-work-with-friends/ to view the full article online.
Employers are revisiting a mid-'80s concept that integrated health and disability management. While such programs may not result in reduced long-term-disability claims, companies may find their workers more often opting to engage in wellness programs as well as reporting improved experiences and turnaround on claim decisions. SOURCE: HUMAN RESOURCE EXECUTIVE ONLINE
Visit http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=533339606 to view the full article online.
I’m working with an employer who’ll offer only high-deductible health plans in 2013. They’ve been offering this type of plan with a health reimbursement account for the past few years, so they know that educating employees about the plan design is important. Without it, employees are often surprised when they get their first medical bill. Worse yet, they sometimes postpone getting care. That’s why my client’s amping up the education, starting with this year’s fall annual enrollment. SOURCE: TLNT
Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/07/08/how-a-game-can-educate-employees-about-high-deductible-health-plans/ to view the full article online.
It’s common thinking: Employee development programs can improve retention and productivity. But that’s not necessarily the case, according to a new study. Some talent development programs could actually increase turnover rates, according to a recent study conducted at a Fortune 500 company by researchers at the University of Iowa. SOURCE: HR MORNING
Visit http://www.hrmorning.com/the-dangers-of-adding-training-to-your-repertoire/#more-20920 to view the full article online.
Physicians across the nation are increasingly selling their practices or seeking employment directly with health care systems. According to a report released by the policy research firm Center for Studying Health System’s Change, physician employment in hospitals has grown since 2007 as part of a greater strategy for hospital-physician alignment and increased service-line profits. A recent analysis by Accenture revealed that the percentage of physicians who are in private practice and truly independent have been declining at 2 percent annually, and is projected to decline by 5 percent annually by 2013. SOURCE: PHYSICIANS NEWS DIGEST ONLINE
Visit http://www.physiciansnews.com/2011/07/07/will-hospital-employment-protect-the-interests-of-physicians/ to view the full article online.
People are important to the success of any business. There must be a relationship between people and leaders based on mutual respect and benefit. Everyone on the organizational chart must be engaged, expectations must be clear, goals aligned from the mailroom to the boardroom. We must all look in the mirror to see what we have become and whether we can live with what we see. What are we doing within our organizations to help out all of this talent that is just looking for another opportunity? We can no longer do business as usual. SOURCE: TLNT
Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2011/07/11/the-mark-of-a-true-leader-helping-our-talent-find-another-opportunity/ to view the full article online.
Enchantment defines a relationship with employees that is deep, delightful, and long-lasting. If you can enchant your employees, they will work harder, longer, and smarter for you — and, ideally, you for them too. Here are the 10 best ways to enchant your employees.
SOURCE: HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW BLOGS
Visit http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/07/enchant_your_employees.html to view the full article online.
The rush is in the reaching. Ask any athlete whose career is on the rise. Every day is about putting it all out there for the team, the fans, and the games they love. Winning is the driver, the measure of their contribution and achievement. There’s nothing quite like attaining superstar status, especially in our careers. It’s exciting, often representing the reward for years of struggle and hard work. The moment we’re tapped as "best" is when our career life changes.
SOURCE: BUSINESS FITNESS BLOG
Visit http://dawnlennon.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/superstar-or-has-been-career-tips-to-stay-on-top/ to view the full article online.
