Now Is Not a Good Time to Skimp on Worker Training

Posted by & filed under Communication, Compensation & Benefits, Decision Making, Human Resource Management, Individual Behavior, Industrial Relations, Leadership, Management, Operations Management, Organizational Change, Organizational Structure & Design, Planning, Teams.

Description: With unemployment near a record low, many businesses have no choice but to spend to upgrade employee skills. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Oct 26, 2018 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-26/now-is-not-a-good-time-to-skimp-on-worker-training?srnd=businessweek-v2 Questions for discussion: What does the article say about training in different countries around the world? How should managers interpret the suggestions in this article?

Small businesses are struggling to find workers — and the problem isn’t going away any time soon

Posted by & filed under Compensation & Benefits, Human Resource Management, Management, Planning, Social Responsibility.

Description: Business owners need to think differently when it comes to recruiting as the number of new people entering the workforce keeps shrinking Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Oct.16, 2018 Link: https://business.financialpost.com/news/economy/small-businesses-are-struggling-to-find-workers-and-the-problem-isnt-going-away-any-time-soon Questions for discussion: According to the report, why is it more difficult for smaller businesses to attract and hire employees? What hiring advice is directed… Read more »

How the Top 25 startups in Canada draw great talent: LinkedIn study

Posted by & filed under Communication, Compensation & Benefits, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Individual Behavior, Management, Motivation, Teams, Technology.

Description: Professionals want to feel invested in a company that has some kind of purpose. The ping pong is ‘just window dressing’ Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Oct.03, 2018 Link: https://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/1003-biz-dd-linkedin-fpe?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Financial%20Post%20-%20Entrepreneur%202018-10-03&utm_term=FP_Entrepreneur Questions for discussion: What does the report say about how Canadian professionals evaluate a firm and decide about applying for work there? Why is a firm’s… Read more »

The real reason why Amazon is raising the minimum wage

Posted by & filed under Change, Communication, Compensation & Benefits, Decision Making, Ethics, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, Leadership, Management, Operations Management, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Technology.

Description: Amazon, the second largest private employer in the U.S., is raising the minimum wage for its full-time and temporary workers to $15 per hour. Source: Finance.Yahoo.com – video report Date: Sep 26, 2018 Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/real-reason-amazon-raising-minimum-wage-170807455.html Questions for discussion: What are the possible reasons for Amazon’s pay raise, according to the report? What do you… Read more »

It’s time to celebrate, not slight, the spouses behind Canadian small businesses: CFIB

Posted by & filed under Compensation & Benefits, Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, Individual Behavior, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Social Responsibility, Strategy.

Description: The new rules for sharing dividends or salaries with family members will have more than just the modest impact government vowed Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Sep 20, 2018 Link: https://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/its-time-to-celebrate-not-slight-the-spouses-behind-canadian-small-businesses-cfib Questions for discussion: Do you think the new rules will impact small business formation and motivation? Do you think the changes are fair to small… Read more »

Workers Overdose on the Job, and Employers Struggle to Respond

Posted by & filed under Communication, Compensation & Benefits, Ethics, Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, Management, Social Responsibility, Teams.

Description: As the opioid epidemic continues to rage across the country, with a record 72,000 drug overdose deaths estimated in 2017, the fallout is increasingly manifesting itself at construction sites, factories, warehouses, offices and other workplaces. A stunning 70 percent of employers reported that their businesses had been affected by prescription drug abuse, including absenteeism, positive drug… Read more »

The dark history of our obsession with productivity

Posted by & filed under Compensation & Benefits, Control, Decision Making, Human Resource Management, Management, Operations Management, Planning, Technology.

Description: Americans have been on a quest to get the most out of every working minute since the nation’s founding, often at the detriment of the people doing the work. Source: FastCompany.com Date: Sep 12, 2018 Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/90230330/how-our-obsession-with-productivity-evolved?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=2&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=09122018 Questions for discussion: What does the article say about our perception and understanding of productivity? Why do… Read more »

What Motivates You to Work?

Posted by & filed under Compensation & Benefits, Human Resource Management, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Teams, Technology.

Description: That paycheck will never be big enough if it’s the only reason you’re going to work. Source: Entrepreneur.com Date: Sep 13, 2018 Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/319970?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email Questions for discussion: Do you agree with this list and the ranking? Is there anything else missing, in your opinion? Which item resonates most with you? How does starting a… Read more »

A Fast-Food Problem: Where Have All the Teenagers Gone?

Posted by & filed under Compensation & Benefits, Decision Making, Human Resource Management, Motivation, Operations Management, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Teams, Technology.

Description: A quarter-century ago, there were 56 teenagers in the labor force for every “limited service” restaurant — that is, the kind where you order at the counter. Today, there are fewer than half as many, which is a reflection both of teenagers’ decreasing work force participation and of the explosive growth in restaurants. Source:… Read more »

The huge job opportunity in Canadian tech (that no one is talking about)

Posted by & filed under Compensation & Benefits, Human Resource Management, Individual Behavior, Industrial Relations, Management, Organizational Structure & Design, Planning, Teams.

Description: The current innovation boom hasn’t just created outsized demand for IT pros, it’s created an equivalent demand for salespeople Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Apr 19, 2018 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/the-huge-job-opportunity-in-canadian-tech-that-no-one-is-talking-about Questions for discussion: Summarize the sales training and hiring issues facing Canadian tech companies, according to Ryan Holmes. Do you agree with his solutions and recommendsations? What… Read more »