Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom 2020 Best Practices in Workforce Management

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom 2020 Best Practices in Workforce Management The global workforce today is anything but static. Both HR professionals and individual managers must continuously adjust employment configurations in response to evolving business conditions and increase their applied technology skills â€" meaning they understand how to leverage available software to manage their workforces more efficiently. At the same time, 21st century business developments have mandated a focus on a more sophisticated employee experience that provides meaningful interaction for all types of hires at all stages of the employment lifecycle. Visiting the KronosWorks annual customer conference to promote The Workforce Institute’s new book, “Being Present: A Practical Guide for Transforming the Employee Experience of Your Frontline Workforce,” I dug more deeply into the specific mechanics of the 2020 hourly workforce and devised these considerations for frontline managers. Administrative Automation Timekeeping and scheduling are perhaps the most obvious uses of hourly workforce automation. A target software solution should facilitate tracking, managing, and optimizing employee time (including hours worked, absences, employee preferences such as desired location, job type, and hours, and skills/certifications needed to do the job). Similarly, a scheduling component can improve your ability to forecast accurately, distribute your labor more effectively and minimize mistakes due to human error. Administrative automation can streamline your payroll process to ensure timely and accurate payments, file the appropriate taxes, and minimize compliance risk. It can also simplify your compensation management for greater visibility and governance and help you keep up with Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance with enhanced benefits administration, reporting, and auditing. Advanced Analytics and Machine Learning When analytics capability is organically present in your workforce management solution (as opposed to layering a different solution on top of it), it’s easier and faster to collect consistent and reliable data, create insightful visualizations, and measure progress on goals that matter to the business. And, workforce management software is getting smarter all the time, examining your data through a variety of lenses and making original and proactive recommendations based on what’s happening right now as well as your employees’ preferences. Systems Integration While there are certainly enough HR technology vendors to cobble together any sort of configuration you want, I feel it’s essential that a workforce management software integrate closely with all the data sources that feed into and influence it. Therefore, it makes sense that the best solution is housed in the cloud, able to plug into your existing technology infrastructure and use open APIs to extend platform functionality. Employee Experience Management Speaking of integrated functionality, your employees will have a more intuitive, less confusing experience if your solution facilitates a consistent process of engagement through recruitment, onboarding, workforce management, learning, payroll, and performance. The talent acquisition piece, including application and candidate relationship management, interview scheduling, offer delivery and negotiation, and pre-start communication is particularly critical since it’s potential hires first glimpse into the tech-savviness of your organization and can absolutely mean the difference between securing the best talent and losing it to a competitor. Managing a frontline workforce in the 2020s may be a challenge unlike any you’ve faced before, but the good news is, the right tools can reduce the complexity, reduce time to productivity, and help retain the strongest workers longer.

How to Create a Career Center Resume

How to Create a Career Center ResumeA career center resume will help you in your decision as to what career you should enter. It's very important to develop a strong resume because not all employers will be able to read your resume in its entirety. With a resume, you can let your personality and skills shine through so that your resume can easily draw attention to yourself.The first thing you need to do when trying to create a career center resume is to ensure you have all of the necessary qualifications listed. There are certain criteria that the career center will ask you to meet, so if you aren't sure if you really qualify, then have all of your credentials, education, and other necessary requirements outlined in writing. After all, it can be hard to remember if you don't know exactly what a career center resume is supposed to look like.On your career center resume, make sure to include the names of your schools as well as any other accredited or professional training that you've received. It is very important to provide all of the necessary information so that the career center is confident that you have what it takes to handle an educational situation. Make sure that you use all of the categories on your resume; specific career fields like management, manufacturing, and technical in addition to non-professionals are very important.Make sure that you include at least three months of paid experience on your career center resume. You will find that some employers will only hire someone who has a minimum amount of experience. If you think you will be able to gain a great deal of employment within a short period of time, then you will be surprised at how fast you can gain employment. This is important because it means that you already have a job and can get another one shortly after you apply for it.When creating your career center, resume, take the time to consider what kind of work you would like to do. You should consider what kind of salary youare looking f or because it is very important that you get into the position as soon as possible. Remember that your resume is not just a way for you to get your foot in the door; it is a chance for you to provide valuable information to an employer.A career center resume should be easy to read and should be concise. The employer will want to see just enough to know that you are worthy of consideration. You will find that it is far easier to quickly get an employer interested in you if you present yourself in a manner that makes them want to contact you.While your resume is the first and most important tool in your job search, don't forget that your CV is also important. The CV should also be used for most of the same reasons as your resume; your CV will provide important information to the employer as well as a reference if they need it. However, your CV is more relevant because it is designed to highlight your accomplishments and bring attention to them.When choosing a career counselor, always choose someone that specializes in work history. The career center will send the employer an HR representative that is specifically trained in working with this group. When these people are working with a new applicant, they will ask him/her questions pertaining to his/her past work history.

Bad Bosses When Feedback Crosses The Line

Bad Bosses When Feedback Crosses The Line Along the path of your career,  youre going  to have some pretty great bosses.  Thats the good news.  But the bad news is that youre also likely to run across a few varieties of bosses that will make you dread going to work.  Among the worst I would count those who are rude, crude, or just plain socially unacceptable.  Heres what it looks like, and what to do about it. Pardon Me?! If youve had those moments when a comment from the boss left you stunned, speechless, or angry, its likely your boss crossed the line.  And the comment doesnt have to be verbal. Theres all kinds of passive-aggressive communication, and some of it is noticeably more aggressive.  Taken too far or tossed out frequently, those can be just as much harassment as anything verbal. In the area of verbal comments, remember and recognize the difference between whats acceptable and whats not.  Here are some examples of actual comments that resulted in lawsuits: · Youre a woman of many attributes. You should wear that dress more often. · The black jelly beans always fall to the bottom of the bag. · I want to have Jim accompany me to the sales meeting. Hes a great asset on my arm. How to Respond Keep in mind that the objective is to curtail or eliminate the unwanted and unwarranted communication.  So you start by simply communicating that it wasnt acceptable.  I know you may not have meant it, but that kind of comment really bothers me.   Youve put them on notice that its NOT okay. While some people will get the message, there are some who wont.  Youll have to escalate your response each time until it stops.  So, the second offense might be met with “That’s totally inappropriate, and I’m going to pretend you didn’t say it.   Its a stronger statement, and you wont be delivering it with a smile. Third offenders are a more difficult decision. Do you take an even tougher stand, or do you simply take it up with HR or a higher level manager?  It all depends on the type of comment and how much its affecting your work.  Anything of a sexual or racist nature should be met with zero tolerance.  For comments that fall within the realm of common stupidity, you might try Ive asked you before to refrain from comments like that, please know that I wont tolerate it again. Remember, communications in a work setting should be about clearly work-related matters.  While criticism is part of life, it should be given in constructive and positive ways that aim to build up, not tear down.  More than anything else, you deserve to have a work environment that is free of unwelcome and unnecessary stress.  You get enough of that just doing your job! Editors note:  The images in this article  are from  Most Outrageous Managers Greetings Cards, all from true-stories of bosses who make you cringe, hard.

Have You Experienced Sexual Harassment Take These Steps

Have You Experienced Sexual Harassment Take These Steps Many people suffer sexual harassment in silent either in shock of the outcome or fear. Don’t live in fear, come in the open and let your matter be handled by experts. You don’t have to live in fear, let your sexual harassment claims  be taken by lawyers who when mentioned, make culprits shiver in fear. How To Identify Sexual Harassment Situations For a large percentage, forms of sexual harassment happen at the workplace. Unfortunately, only a few of them are reported. And a majority of hurt individuals continue to suffer silently in the hope the situation improves. What is sexual harassment: It is the unwelcome behavior that consists of: Comments of sexual nature while referring to your genitalia or physical appearance Remarks that depict your physical appearance sexually in an unappealing manner Unwelcome physical touch When asked by your (mostly manager/supervisor) for sexual advances or going on a date Sending pictures of a sexual nature Sending of a provocative literature Stalking Flirting Off-color jokes When you experience such behaviors in your workplace, it is time to expose them early before the situation gets out of hand. The moment you realize certain instances have been repeatedly advanced towards you, contact your lawyer and let the matter be dealt in the court of law. How To Report There are situations where employees suffer simply because they cannot identify whether some are part of sexual harassment, yet they interfere with their working conditions. Secondly, they are not sure of what is to be reported and how. Lastly, failure to know what kind of information is necessary to present to a lawyer in order to have their cases considered worth pursuing. If you realize to have been a target of sexual harassment, try to gather all the necessary information possible to be presented in the court of law against the one harassing you. Important things to consider are: Taking pictures of the one harassing you Taking all the details of either material sent/pictures/messages that are sexual in nature Threatening messages sent against you for failure to comply providing sexual favors If possible record audio to be presented as evidence to tighten the case If possible have a witness back you up (probably your colleague) and have their contact information Ensure you collect every detail you can remember to support the case against the culprit. Why Hiring A Lawyer Is Helpful Dealing with a sexual harassment cases is one of the complex situations you can ever find yourself in. Here, you have to feed the court with enough tangible evidence able to incriminate the offender. Your  lawyer will help you recover the compensation you need for any damage whether emotional or physical. You need a lawyer with a rich experience dealing with sexual related cases. They will help you shortcut the process, save money, and finally get the justice you deserve. Don’t wait, contact a lawyer now.

Save Money With Resume Writing Services

Save Money With Resume Writing ServicesIf you are looking for some cheap resume writing prices, this article will help you to find the best kind of services. Most of the freelance writers ask for fees on a per-project basis. It is because they are not businessmen and their target audience are just individuals. If you have a highly complex idea and want to implement it in a formal manner, you may want to look for a business that provides these services.However, most of the companies who offer high-end services often charge very high rates for their services. Some of them also charge for referrals from previous clients. The freelance writers who charge for their services usually charge less than those who charge per project. These rates may be a little higher than those in the industry but the quality you get is worth the extra cost.Another thing that makes resume writing affordable is the fact that many of the firms now provide the service for free. Before, the firm was charging a cer tain fee for the initial consultation. Now, there are some of them who provide the service at no cost, so you do not have to worry about that part. The business owners can save money by providing this service for free.Resume writing services have also increased as most of the companies provide the assistance for free. This includes writing out the resume in a smooth manner, preparing the CV, the cover letter and even searching for jobs. All of these services are provided free of charge to attract more people to avail of the services. One way of increasing your chances of finding work is to focus on the industry that you specialize in.Resume writing costs are also cheaper if you go for writing services that specialize in the industry you are working in. The number of resumes needed for a specific job can vary depending on the size of the company. In order to save more time, try to do your own resume, unless you are already good at it. Do not forget to make an outline of the project s o that you know what job you should focus on.The main aim of outsourcing resume writing is to provide customers with a decent experience. The best thing about this is that you can do it from your home or office. You can even do your job online and can even get paid for it. Another great thing about the use of online services is that you do not have to worry about deadlines, which makes it easier to complete your work.Resume writing services take care of all the repetitive tasks that makes your resume one of the easiest and convenient to handle. The computer is a necessity now and if you think that there are some tasks you can perform at home, it is not that farfetched to be considered as one of the experts. Since they are very talented at handling tasks like these, you need not worry about them overworking you or trying to overcharge you for their services.If you are looking for affordable resume writing prices, it is time to start looking for the right company that offers quality s ervices. You have to be careful when choosing a service provider because you might end up getting a bad deal. There are a lot of organizations out there that offer a resume writing service that can be costly and the overall cost of the whole project is way too much.

6 Ways to Make Your Job Ads More Effective CareerMetis.com

6 Ways to Make Your Job Ads More Effective â€" CareerMetis.com Photo Credit â€" bubble-jobs.co.ukWhen we post a job ad online, we hope to attract the best talent available for that position. Unfortunately, poor wording or not providing accurate details about the position can mean we receive resumes of individuals who don’t exactly fit the ideal candidate you had in mind.While you may jump to the conclusion that there just isn’t the right candidate out there, there actually may be a problem with the job ad you’re posting.Here are six things to consider if you want your job ads to be more effective.1. Create a clear and accurate job titleevalevalIs your job title ambiguous or potentially misleading?Are you calling someone a “manager” or “coordinator” that actually does not have any managing or coordinating duties?Did you try to get creative on what you’re calling your employees?While this may grab attention for being different from the crowd, you’re also less likely to get applications from candidates who actually fit the duties of the job. This is because the job title doesn’t make it clear who exactly you’re looking for.When creating a job title, keep it simple and to the point. If you want to use a more creative name, include it in the introduction of the job â€" not in the title that will appear on a job listing site. This can help weed out potential individuals who apply that do not fit what you’re looking for.2. Show your company’s cultureIn today’s age, company culture is a huge selling point for why candidates select jobs. Many individuals are willing to take a pay cut for an office environment that they feel comfortable in and somewhere that they will be happy in. But in order to get those candidates to apply for your position, you need to show your culture and personality.Use your job advertisement to show the benefits of working in your office. Talk about things like dress code, benefits such as gym memberships or free lunches, or other perks that the company can bring them.evalBy openi ng the doors of your office to those thinking about applying for the job, they’re able to place themselves in your environment. If you’re the kind of company that wears suits and begins working at 7 am, you’ll attract candidates who want that work lifestyle.If you have a keg in the kitchen and wear jeans, you’ll get applications from individuals who believe that is what they’re looking for.3. Stay supportive.It is easy to appear demanding in a job ad. After all, you’re looking to hire someone to work for you. But when your ad appears aggressive and bossy, you’re probably pushing away some top talent.Instead, focus your ad on welcoming them to be a member of a team. Tell them who they will be working with if hired, what they will be doing, and how that job will contribute to the overall goals of the organization.evalWhen you create a sense of support and community, you’re more likely to get individuals who want that job, not just any job. If you seem controlling in yo ur job ad, you’re likely only to get individuals who don’t have option of applying to a more welcoming position.4. Separate Required and Desired SkillsWhen you’re thinking about who your ideal candidate is and what they are able to do, you should have two separate categories of skills. First, you will need to establish these required skills. These capabilities are skills that you are not willing to budge on or train a candidate in. If they are applying for the job, they need to meet these requirements.Then, other skills that you would like them to have but would not be a deal breaker are considered desired skills. If a candidate has these skills, they may have a better chance of getting the position but you’re willing to train them if they fit otherwise.By showing which skills are absolutely required and which are not, you can get a better pool of candidates. By including all in one, you may get candidates who are not qualified for the position while also scaring away candid ates who may meet your required skills but not your desired skills.5. Share the salary.evalMany companies don’t want to include salary in the job ad because they believe it is better to discuss when a job is offered. Unfortunately, this means candidates and businesses may waste weeks interviewing for a position only to find that the pay is not enough.You can save time by including the salary in your job ad. This can ensure individuals who apply to the position know what the anticipated salary is and whether or not it fits their needs.6. Make it easy to read.Just like articles and blog posts, individuals aren’t going to read a job ad that is just a block of text. Not only is this a waste of time and difficult to focus on, it comes across as unprofessional.You will want to include headers, sections, and short paragraphs throughout the job ad. This can allow potential applicants to see if it is a position worth applying to. Using bolded keywords and statistics are also great ways t o draw attention to the most important areas.If you’re struggling to bring in the right individuals from your job ads, consider if you’re doing all you can to attract their attention. While you may be a great company that individuals love to work for, you can’t expect to translate that message to individuals on job boards unless you go above and beyond what is expected of you.evalWith these six steps, you can start creating job ads that attract the top talent. With better job ads, you will have better applicants and can hire better individuals for your team and your company.Remember, your job ad is the first introduction to your business. Be sure that it is a clear representation.

Interview Question What Do You Do in Your Spare Time

Interview Question What Do You Do in Your Spare Time I just  read an interesting article in Harvard Business called  The Interview Question You Should Always Ask.According to author, Peter Bregman of  Bregman Partners,  asking candidates what they do in their spare time can provide valuable insight into their candidacy. Bregman believes that people who are really great at what they do exhibit behaviors outside of work that are aligned with their habits at work. For example, a sales person who enjoys competitive sports might be perceived as a more driven sales professional or an events manager who also directs community theater may be seen as a more creative events planner. While Im not convinced that having a particular hobby actually makes you better at what you do, I do believe that job seekers can leverage their hobbies to create a better-rounded, more three-dimensional perspective on their candidacy. The key is relevance. If you are going to include a hobbies section on your resume, make sure that the activities you list build your candidacy rather than distract from it. Even if you dont include this section on your resume you should still think about what activity you could showcase if you were asked What do you do in your spare time? during an interview. Think about sports, creative projects, and volunteer work and determine how some of these activities might mesh with your personal brand and the message of value you are trying to communicate to others.

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome - Punched Clocks

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome - Punched Clocks If you find it difficult to accept praise for a job well done or feel as though youre not as successful or intelligent as others see you, you may be suffering from imposter syndrome. This syndrome is very common and often seen in people who share similar personality traits, such as a desire to overachieve while holding yourself to unrealistically high expectations. No matter what type of feelings of inadequacy  you’re suffering from, there are some tips to use to overcome imposter syndrome  and accept your successes. Identify Your Feelings The first step in overcoming anything is to admit there is a problem. You must acknowledge you are having feelings of failure or inadequacy, even though your colleagues and friends say otherwise. Once you admit to suffering from imposter syndrome, you start to change the way you think and act. Taking this action opens yourself up to a variety of ways to handle it. Share Your Concerns Other friends and even coworkers may suffer a similar problem. So talk to someone you trust to share your feelings with and let them out. Finding that you are not alone makes the fear more bearable. Find others who share these feelings, but have managed to overcome it. Working with someone who’s been through it can help you identify your problem areas and bring about change. Reconsider What Failure Means to You It’s OK to fail. Failure happens to everyone, even some of the most successful people. Especially the most successful people. It doesn’t mean you don’t deserve the success you have now. Remind yourself you learn as you grow and progress. Mistakes and setbacks are part of the process, and not a reflection on you as a person. Two things to keep in mind: What’s the worst that could happen if you make a mistake? Trying, even if youre unsure, makes you an admirable person and not a fake. Think of failures or setbacks as opportunities to learn. Accept Your Success Accept compliments. If a coworker or boss praises you for a job well done, it’s sincere. There is no reason for someone to give you praise you don’t deserve. Downplaying your success is not helping you at all. Go back and look at any positive feedback to remind yourself what a great job you’ve accomplished. Read over it more than once if necessary. Own your success. Don’t Compare Yourself to Others Stop comparing yourself to others in a similar field â€" it’s dangerous. Everyone has a different path in life, and just because someone is doing better than you at the moment, it doesn’t mean you won’t get there. Don’t use setbacks as an excuse to berate yourself and give up. While it may seem that other people reach goals effortlessly, its not true. Everyone faces struggles and challenges along the way. The difference is, successful people dont give up. Learn to value your own strengths and how you can use them to achieve your goals. Remember, other successful people have been where you are. Keep Striving to Reach Goals Continue pursuing your goals. Doing so helps you take action, even if you feel like an imposter. Courage helps you take risks, and if you’ve got the guts to continue despite your feelings and setbacks, you deserve to have the success you’ve worked for. Consider Therapy Experts often recommend cognitive behavior therapy for people suffering from anxiety and other disorders, but it can also help you overcome imposter syndrome. This type of therapy works by overwriting the negative thoughts and behaviors in your brain with positive and true messages. Therapy is not an overnight fix for imposter syndrome. But if you’re struggling on your own, consider it as a step on your path to success. Reaching out for help is one step on your journey, so don’t be afraid to take it. Keep working on your goals, but also take the time to work on getting rid of these feelings hindering your success. Want more help advancing your career? Or need some motivation to keep you on track of your goals? Feel free to comment, share and subscribe to Punched Clocks. Get everything you need to build a career you love by signing up for the newsletter.