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The OperationsInc Navigator
March 15, 2011

Greetings!

The Navigator is published every other week and is filled with the latest HR related news, practical tips, answers to our reader's questions and a whole lot more! We welcome your participation in the makeup of this periodical. Send your feedback, ideas and input to:

enewsletter@operationsinc.com

In This Week's Edition...
  • Directing you to HR Solutions
  • Announcing Our New and Enhanced Training & Development Services
  • Employers added 192,000 jobs in February
  • Survey Finds 20% of Workers Participate in March Madness Pools at the Office
  • What's on Your Mind?
  • Searching for Inspiration? A Few Words of Wisdom...
  • Ask Yourself...
  • Legal Disclaimer

  • Announcing Our New and Enhanced Training & Development Services
    Heather

    We invite you to learn more about our full suite of Training and Development Services led by Director, Heather Trotta.

    Click HERE to learn more and to view Courses offered in March & April or contact Heather directly at: 203-322-0538 or Training@OperationsInc.com


    Employers added 192,000 jobs in February
    help wanted

    Employers in February hired at the fastest pace in almost a year and the unemployment rate fell to 8.9%. Businesses added 192,000 jobs last month, with factories, professional and business services, education and health care among those expanding. Retailers, however, trimmed jobs. State and local governments, wrestling with budget shortfalls, slashed 30,000 jobs, the most since November. Federal government hiring was flat. Private employers added 222,000 jobs last month, the most since April. The unemployment rate is now the lowest since April 2009. It has been falling for three months, from 9.8% in November, the sharpest three-month decline since 1983.


    Survey Finds 20% of Workers Participate in March Madness Pools at the Office
    basketball

    According to a recent survey, One-in-five workers (20 percent) said they have participated in March Madness pools at work. Men said they are more likely to participate in March Madness in the office than women. Twenty-eight percent of male workers said they have participated in March Madness pools in the office, compared to 11 percent of females. More workers in the Midwest have played March Madness brackets than any other region. More than one-quarter (27 percent) of workers in the Midwest said they have bet on a March Madness pool at work, compared to 20 percent in the Northeast, 17 percent in the South and 16 percent in the West.


    What's on Your Mind?

    Because we want to best serve our readers, we feature a segment of our Newsletter where you can submit questions directly to our OperationsInc professionals. Do you have a question related to the management of the Human Resources function? Email it along to enewsletter@operationsinc.com. The best ones will make it into a future newsletter, along with the answer... and those that don't get published will still receive a response.

    This week's question:
    -What should I do if I suspect an employee is stealing from me?

    --- Restaurant Manager

    Answer:
    Given most employees are "at-will" it is your right to terminate someone with or without notice. Using this as your backbone it is wise to investigate the situation to the point where if possible you can prove that the employee is in fact a thief. Assuming you can accomplish that goal termination is usually your next step. Careful though about how you arrive at your decision to fire as you can complicate matters if you entrap the employee. Securing outside advice and guidance is key before taking such a critical step.


    Searching for Inspiration? A Few Words of Wisdom...
    compass


    "Business is not financial science, it's about trading.. buying and selling. It's about creating a product or service so good that people will pay for it."

    - Anita Roddick


    Ask Yourself...
    OI

    How Strong Is Your HR Backbone?


    Legal Disclaimer

    Information provided in The OperationsInc Navigator is researched and reviewed by the HR experts at OperationsInc. The information in every issue of The OperationsInc Navigator is in part gathered via information available in the public domain, as well as in part the original, copyrighted work of OperationsInc and is protected under U.S. copyright laws. As such, you may not reprint or publish in any format any article or portion of article The OperationsInc Navigator without the express permission of OperationsInc.

    OperationsInc provides the information in this e- newsletter for general guidance only. The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional human resources, legal, or other competent advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation.

    We encourage you to pass along any issue of The OperationsInc Navigator by forwarding it to friends and colleagues.


    Directing you to HR Solutions
    Direction

    INTERVIEW QUESTION OF THE WEEK

    Each Newsletter we will publish an interview question which hiring managers can utilize to better qualify candidates for hire, along with our analysis of the answers you may receive and their meaning.

    This Week's Question
    - How do you see yourself fitting in at our company?

    GAUGING THEIR RESPONSE ---
    This is always a good gauge rendering question. Did the candidate do any research? Have they formed any opinions? Are their perceptions of style and culture at your firm accurate? While missteps here aren't necessarily a signal to pass on the candidate this is in fact a chance to redirect perceptions, as well as more completely educate the individual on who your firm is and what it would be like for them to work there.

    HR Best Practices Tips

    --Part-time employee benefits and compensation

    The latest economic shift has resulted in many more employers moving towards part-time workers as a way to address needs without committing to a fulltime hire. That being said these folks bring unique needs in terms of compensation and benefits that many are missing or incorrectly handling. Employers should focus on how to start benefits for these folks when they work as little as 18 hours per week, even in the areas of Life Insurance, STD and LTD coverage, as a way to deliver something. Medical should still come in around 30 hours or more worked per week. Compensation warrants careful consideration given professional / exempt level folks that normally get a fixed salary. Bottom line - pay anyone part-time hourly to avoid FLSA issues.

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