http://www.workforceinstitute.org The Workforce Institute Helps Empower Organizations to Address Human Capital Management Issues Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:50:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 The Workforce Institute Helps Empower Organizations to Address Human Capital Management Issues The Workforce Institute no The Workforce Institute Helps Empower Organizations to Address Human Capital Management Issues http://www.workforceinstitute.org/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://www.workforceinstitute.org/category/work-life-balance/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/how-do-you-balance-work-and-life/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/how-do-you-balance-work-and-life/#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:33:10 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=1539 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/how-do-you-balance-work-and-life/feed/ 2 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/announcing-kronos-retail-labor-index/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/announcing-kronos-retail-labor-index/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:44:16 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=1247 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/announcing-kronos-retail-labor-index/feed/ 1 joyce maroney,kronos,retail labor index,workforce institute The following guest blog post from Robert Yerex, chief economist at Kronos, introduces the Kronos Retail Labor Index being announced today: - The most interesting part of my job as chief economist at Kronos is working with the huge data sets made avail... The following guest blog post from Robert Yerex, chief economist at Kronos, introduces the Kronos Retail Labor Index being announced today (http://www.kronos.com/pr/Kronos-Retail-Labor-Index-Indicates-Signs-of-Recovery-in-US-Retail-Hiring.aspx): The most interesting part of my job as chief economist at Kronos is working with the huge data sets made available through our hiring system. Based on application and hiring records from 69 of our retail clients, we have created a metric called the Kronos Retail Labor Index. Over the last three years, this Index has been a leading indicator of not only the retail economy but the U.S. economy overall. The Index is a measure of the relationship between the demand for, and supply of labor front-line labor in the retail sector. The jobs being filled are the front-end of the consumer-retail supply chain. Retailers can make changes at this end of the chain more easily and more quickly than anywhere else. As such these employees are figuratively the “canary in the coalmine” for the rest of the retail industry. Economists are always on the lookout for new leading indicators and this one has great potential. The Index is being made publically available for the first time today and can be accessed at: www.kronos.com/retail-labor-index (http://www.kronos.com/retail-labor-index). Going forward the Index will be updated on a monthly basis. I have had the chance to preview the Index with analysts and press, and the reception has been excellent. Click here to listen to a podcast (http://www.workforceinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/episode-retail-labor-index.mov) of my interview with Dr. Yerex and Steve Earl, director of product marketing at Kronos. (http://www.workforceinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/kronos-retail-labor-index-sept09.jpg) The Workforce Institute no http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/a-cutco-above-training-for-life/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/a-cutco-above-training-for-life/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:15:33 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=1153 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/a-cutco-above-training-for-life/feed/ 6 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/pandemics-and-presenteeism/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/pandemics-and-presenteeism/#comments Fri, 01 May 2009 20:17:56 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=1000 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/pandemics-and-presenteeism/feed/ 1 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/workplace-tug-of-war-workers-want-more-work/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/workplace-tug-of-war-workers-want-more-work/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:57:46 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=968 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/workplace-tug-of-war-workers-want-more-work/feed/ 1 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/are-newspapers-a-thing-of-the-past/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/are-newspapers-a-thing-of-the-past/#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:11:42 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=910 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/are-newspapers-a-thing-of-the-past/feed/ 1 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/what-love-teaches-us-about-work/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/what-love-teaches-us-about-work/#comments Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:01:34 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=792 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/what-love-teaches-us-about-work/feed/ 0 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/working-the-holidays-whos-working/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/working-the-holidays-whos-working/#comments Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:55:58 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=622 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/working-the-holidays-whos-working/feed/ 1 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/tips-for-making-telecommuting-successful/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/tips-for-making-telecommuting-successful/#comments Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:40:03 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=550 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/tips-for-making-telecommuting-successful/feed/ 3 joyce maroney,kronos,telecommuting,workforce institute I recently interviewed Patty Butler, senior manager of order management and service logistics at Kronos.  Patty's team of non-exempt employees supports the field sales organization by ensuring that their customers' orders are processed accurately and i... I recently interviewed Patty Butler, senior manager of order management and service logistics at Kronos.  Patty's team of non-exempt employees supports the field sales organization by ensuring that their customers' orders are processed accurately and in a timely fashion.  Patty has recently implemented part time telecommuting in her group with great success.  For those of you who'd like to do the same, Patty's experience can help you jumpstart your progress. Patty's key tips for success: * Clearly define how you'll measure success.  Patty focused on feedback from the internal customers, as well as monitoring changes in unplanned absences among her team. * Start with a pilot and make it clear to participants that the continuation of the program will be directly linked to measurable outcomes. * Establish rules for participation; i.e. employees have to qualify, telecommuting is not an automatic entitlement. As an example, Patty's team members have to have been employees for at least 6 months prior to beginning to telecommute. * Implement supporting technologies to make work-at-home work.  In Patty's case, the team relies heavily on instant messaging as well as a Sharepoint site to minimize the amount of paper processing required. * Create clear rules around behaviors expected.  Patty's team has established guidelines for how quickly phone calls, email and instant messages need to be addressed. * Incorporate some time in the office with the team.  Patty's folks telecommute part time and come into the office several days a week in order to maintain the team dynamics. Patty's pilot was deemed successful, and as a result telecommuting is now part of their standard practice.  The flexibility offered by the work from home option is allowing the team to provide better service to sales reps in other time zones.  She's found her folks to be even more productive at home, due to the lower level of distractions they experience there.  In addition, they are happier and more engaged - and working hard to prove that telecommuting is an ongoing flexible work option for them. Listen to my podcast with Patty Butler (http://www.workforceinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/pbutler3_gabcast.mp3): What's your view on telecommuting?  Do you take advantage of this option yourself? The Workforce Institute no http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/why-we-need-skype-now-more-than-ever/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/why-we-need-skype-now-more-than-ever/#comments Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:09:48 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=400 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/why-we-need-skype-now-more-than-ever/feed/ 1