http://www.workforceinstitute.org The Workforce Institute Helps Empower Organizations to Address Human Capital Management Issues Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:54:29 +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/workforce-software/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/kronosworks-2009-highlights/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/kronosworks-2009-highlights/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:17:49 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=1424 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/kronosworks-2009-highlights/feed/ 0 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/gaming-the-clock/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/gaming-the-clock/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:13:24 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=1044 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/gaming-the-clock/feed/ 2 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/june-is-innovation-month/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/june-is-innovation-month/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:30:43 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=1127 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/june-is-innovation-month/feed/ 2 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/discussion-with-david-caruso-reducing-costs-and-boosting-productivity-in-a-challenging-economy/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/discussion-with-david-caruso-reducing-costs-and-boosting-productivity-in-a-challenging-economy/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 15:09:51 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=938 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/discussion-with-david-caruso-reducing-costs-and-boosting-productivity-in-a-challenging-economy/feed/ 1 david caruso,gregg gordon,joyce maroney,labor analytics,labor cost,workforce institute,workforce productivity I recently had the opportunity to talk about the importance of labor cost management in manufacturing with David Caruso, the founder and Principal of David Caruso & Associates, Inc.  David's consulting firm specializes in manufacturing, supply chain, I recently had the opportunity to talk about the importance of labor cost management in manufacturing with David Caruso (http://www.davidcarusoassociates.com/about.html), the founder and Principal of David Caruso & Associates, Inc.  David's consulting firm specializes in manufacturing, supply chain, and technology strategy.  We talked about how manufacturing organizations are increasingly focusing on labor cost management in the current challenging economy. In our conversation, David provides a number of examples of how manufacturers have used labor analytics tools to analyze and improve both worker productivity and product quality.  In one firm he assisted, they found that quality eroded over the course of the day due to worker fatigue.  They inserted more breaks into their process and achieved significant improvements in productivity and quality.   Click here (http://www.workforceinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/davidcaruso0327.mp3) to listen to a podcast of our conversation and hear more tips from David Caruso. You can find additional information on this topic in this new Kronos whitepaper (http://www.workforceinstitute.org/tool-kit/six-tips-to-help-reduce-costs-and-boost-productivity-in-a-challenging-economy) as well as in this article from IndustryWeek (http://www.industryweek.com/articles/effectively_manage_your_global_workforce_18972.aspx) by my colleague Gregg Gordon on effective ways to manage a global workforce. The Workforce Institute no http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/climbing-the-hourly-ladder-an-interview-with-paul-facella/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/climbing-the-hourly-ladder-an-interview-with-paul-facella/#comments Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:53:56 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=696 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/climbing-the-hourly-ladder-an-interview-with-paul-facella/feed/ 1 hourly career opportunities,joyce maroney,kronos,Paul Facella,workforce institute I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Facella, a former Regional Vice President of McDonald's Corporation and now CEO of Inside Management.  He is author of Everything I Know about Business I Learned at McDonald's (McGraw-Hill, 2008). I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Facella, a former Regional Vice President of McDonald's Corporation and now CEO of Inside Management (http://www.insidemanagement.com).  He is author of Everything I Know about Business I Learned at McDonald's (http://www.mcdonaldsbook.com) (McGraw-Hill, 2008).   During Paul's 34 year career with McDonald's, he learned a lot about growing his own career as well as how to motivate and develop others to do so.  He was kind enough to share some of those lessons during our discussion and in a guest blog he wrote for us (below). Click here (http://www.workforceinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/facella-wfipodcastdec08.mp3) to listen to a podcast of our discussion and read on to enjoy Paul's blog below. (Paul's blog post is presented here as he submitted it to us) The jobless figures for the U.S. economy in November were the worst in 34 years. With more than 9.5 million Americans now out of work--and rising--many job seekers are wondering if the American Dream is fading. Is it still possible in today's economic climate to work hard, rise up the corporate ladder, and get ahead? No doubt about it. As someone with firsthand experience, I encourage you not to lose heart in this tough job market. There are opportunities hiding in some of the least likely places--namely, in the hourly workforce. Like four out of seven McDonald's CEOs and three out of four senior-level managers, I started my stellar career climb at the bottom rung--as a crew member. That scenario is as likely today as it ever was. But there's a caveat. If you want to grow in a company, you have to find one that has aggressive talent development policies and is committed to promoting from within. McDonald's, for example, has created more millionaires--including more women and minority millionaires--than any other American company. That's because the company culture is based on rewards and recognition. If you work hard there, you will be rewarded. Job seekers who are willing to work for hourly pay initially, want to learn and develop, are ambitious, and have a clear vision of where they'd like to be in three to five years are good candidates for such jobs. But don't waste your time at the bottom unless you are confident that the company hiring you has your best career interests at heart. So how can you find out which companies have the right stuff for career advancement? The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts out a detailed and excellent set of guidelines and resources, at http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco20046.htm (http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco20046.htm), for finding out more about a prospective company before you say yes. Do as much homework as possible before an interview so you can be reasonably sure this will be a goal-and-growth-oriented job--not a dead-end job. In your job interview, ask such questions as: What percentage of your mid- to senior-level managers are promoted from within? What programs and policies are set up for helping high-achieving employees develop new skills? Is mobility at your company limited, or could one apply for jobs for which one qualifies elsewhere in the company? What types of companies have the peachiest low-end jobs that are likely to lead to bigger and better positions? One rule of thumb is size. Large Fortune 500 companies usually have well-developed promote-from-within policies and are dedicated to career advancement for their lower-end employees. Some of the names that consistently come up, in addition to McDonald's, are Walgreens, GE, FedEx, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and LL Bean. Each of these organizations has a track record for fast-tracking low-rung workers, such as store clerks, drivers, and low-end office workers into managerial positions. Also, the US military is well known for recognizing exceptional smarts and talents and promoting promising people quickly. The take-away message is this: If you're discouraged about the job market, The Workforce Institute no http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/put-down-the-technology-and-step-away-from-the-keyboard/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/put-down-the-technology-and-step-away-from-the-keyboard/#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:52:50 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=586 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/put-down-the-technology-and-step-away-from-the-keyboard/feed/ 0 axsium group,change management,joyce maroney,kronos,tim lett,workforce institute,workforce management Our latest whitepaper, Empowering the Hourly Workforce Through Enterprise Workforce Management, comes to us courtesy of our board member Tim Lett of the Axsium Group.   Tim addresses the importance of engaging employees as part of the implementation an... Our latest whitepaper (http://www.kronos.com/press-releases/Using-Workforce-Management-Solutions-to-Attract-Retain-Motivate-Hourly-Employees.htm), Empowering the Hourly Workforce Through Enterprise Workforce Management (../tool-kit/empowering-the-hourly-workforce-through-enterprise-workforce-management), comes to us courtesy of our board member Tim Lett (http://www.axsiumgroup.com/ExecTeam-Tim_Lett.html) of the Axsium Group (http://www.axsiumgroup.com/index.html).   Tim addresses the importance of engaging employees as part of the implementation and ongoing use of workforce management technology. Tim's company helps organizations deploy a wide range of workforce management technology solutions.  While the products they work with may vary, the time tested advice Tim offers is consistent.  Take the time to scope your requirements fully and involve representatives of the relevant stakeholders in your project to ensure project success.  Here are a few tips: * Involve representatives of the end user community in your pre-implementation requirements gathering.  Incorporate returns related to employee empowerment and self service in the business case for the project. * You need to have an executive sponsor with sufficient authority to push a project through the normal obstacles to any change effort.  To make that sponsorship work, you need to arm that executive with communications support to ensure that all stakeholders are informed and persuaded to participate and cooperate throughout an implementation project. * Establish a balanced scorecard of relevant metrics that will be used to measure progress and success over time. * There is no such thing as over communication during a major change effort. Read the whitepaper and listen to a podcast of my discussion with Tim to learn more. > Listen to the Podcast with Tim Lett of the Axsium Group (http://www.workforceinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/tim_lett.mp3) The Workforce Institute no http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/goodbye-hr-tech-hello-kronosworks-2008/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/goodbye-hr-tech-hello-kronosworks-2008/#comments Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:23:39 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/?p=428 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/goodbye-hr-tech-hello-kronosworks-2008/feed/ 2 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 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/the-summertime-crunch/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/the-summertime-crunch/#comments Sat, 31 May 2008 17:43:29 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/the-summertime-crunch.htm http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/the-summertime-crunch/feed/ 1 http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/the-new-industrial-revolution/ http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/the-new-industrial-revolution/#comments Mon, 19 May 2008 23:14:28 +0000 Joyce Maroney http://www.workforceinstitute.org/the-new-industrial-revolution.htm http://www.workforceinstitute.org/blog/the-new-industrial-revolution/feed/ 0