As we supply and support an integrated HR/Payroll application, it was no surprise to read that HR users are being recognized as early adopters of technology. HR and payroll users are under constant pressure to provide strategic information about an organization's labor pool in increasing levels of detail. HR also needs to be able to attract the best people and keep them engaged with the organization. Add to that the pressure from employees to provide a valuable user experience for them when inquiring about or accessing their related HR and payroll information. At StarGarden, we have taken this view to the next level. We believe that HR should have full control of all the systems that an employee can access, including those traditionally controlled by IT such as network access. Who knows better than HR and payroll who is currently employed and in what capacity? When employees exit the organization, HR and payroll are the first to know whereas IT sometimes can lag by days leaving a serious breach in security. Check out our Federation Server (SGFS) information if you are interested in learning more. http://www.stargarden.com/Federation%20Server/Identity%20Management%20and%20Provisioning.aspx   http://www.poly.edu/press-release/2012/05/08/make-way-it-departments-hr-moving-tech-ladder

It is a given that a flexible work environment requires the use of technology to stay in touch and get things done. If employees want to enjoy the flexibility of working from wherever they are whenever they choose, they have to have the ability to connect to their work environment quickly. It is also understood that with a flexibile work environment, an employee's personal life will be interwoven with their work life and the technical tools need to be available to manage both. I read a couple of articles this week that highlight the 'darker' side of this flexibility. The first was featured in HR Reporter and highlighted the diminishing work-life balance. The more successful an employee is, the more they are expected to be connected to work 24/7. Their work follows them whether they are physically in the office or not. And we all have come to expect quick responses on our emails and messages. None of us think we should wait to be responded to in regular work hours. Vacations are taken but employees tend to work at least some of the time, even if it is just answering emails. I do have to weigh in on the vacation complaint. Although I agree we all need a break, sometimes those of us with higher levels of responsibility have trouble relaxing without knowing what is going on back at the office. I know my vacation days are stress free if I can check emails in the morning and make sure there are no emergencies. So in that regard, I think I have a different work-life balance definition and it is one that works for me. http://www.hrreporter.com/articleview/12604-executives-see-worsening-work-life-imbalance The other article I read had to deal with a lawsuit launched against the FDA by employees whose personal email accounts were monitored when accessed from work computers. I think we all agree that our work emails belong to our employers but this takes the debate to the next level as the email accounts were personal but the emails were viewed on work computers. A bit of a grey area. But this goes back to the balance discussion. If employers expect employees to be connected to work when we are not physically there, then isn't it logical to expect employees would need to keep in contact with their personal life and obligations while at work. I don't think you can ask for one and not expect the other. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223948/Lawsuit_raises_questions_about_email_privacy_at_work

I have done a couple of posts about the evolution of work and how the traditional workplace will have to evolve to meet the needs of the next generations. One concept that is gaining popularity is unlimited vacation. Proponents of unlimited vacation argue that it frees people up to take vacation when they need to or want to rather than when they have to because of organizational policy. Employees are more likely to schedule their vacation around their work if they do not have to strictly meet the guidelines of a vacation policy. In addition, employees are increasingly taking their work with them on vacation. Technology and mobile devices have given us all the flexibility to check in with work wherever we are in the world. So some companies are arguing, what does it matter the actual hours employees are at work or where they physically are if they are meeting their objectives? This relates back to the Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) I discussed in one of my previous posts. This will obviously not work in all companies and certainly physical presence in some industries is a must. Many of these concepts work in non-traditional environment such as startup technology companies. Generally these types of companies attract a worker that is driven by the excitement of the startup and the work is their passion. So vacation is not on the top of their list of priorities. And regardless of the industry or company, it all comes back to clearly defined goal setting and performance measurement. If you have that in place, you have more flexibility in how and when employees work. Check out this article on why unlimited vacation increases productivity: http://www.fastcompany.com/1823415/why-unlimited-vacation-policies-ensure-productivity

Interesting article from Richard Crespin on Forbes.com. http://www.forbes.com/sites/csr/2012/02/20/the-path-to-prosperity-lies-through-h-r-thats-right-h-r/ Richard states: "Yet, if you want to see the global economy humming again, worker productivity on the rise, and people with good jobs, good pay, good benefits, and a good relationship with their employer, that path lies through H.R. No one gets a job, gets paid, gets benefits, or finds a job they love without going through H.R" Richard feels that all big government and organizational initiatives hinge on HR skills. For example, although HR doesn't create jobs, it certainly is key in filling those jobs and onboarding employees to be effective in them. This article caught my eye because here at StarGarden, we have geared our product development around just that concept. We feel that HR and Payroll are the resources in the organization that know exactly who employees are, what they do, and what they get paid. They are the first to know about hires and the first to know about terminations. We feel that all employee information, including information currently held by technical resources, should be managed by HR. We have all heard about employees who can still access the company network after they have been terminated. If the termination process launched by HR also controlled the authority in an organization, this type of security breach would be diminished. HR and the systems they use, need to be the central respository of all employee information (in our opinion :)).    

We all know that companies and recruiters are using social media more and more to find candidates for their open positions. I found an interesting study that looks at the usage of the big three networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter) by recruiters. http://www.slideshare.net/BullhornReach/2012-social-recruiting-activity-report As expected, recruiters are utilizing the social media sites more frequently. LinkedIn was found to drive the most job views and recruiters get 9 times more applications from LinkedIn for a job than Facebook or Twitter. Twitter followers however, were more likely to apply for a job posting on Twitter and recruiters receive 3 times more applications per contact via Twitter than LinkedIn. LinkedIn has a more 'professional' reputation than Facebook or Twitter, which accounts for its popularity in job searches, but the study does feel that Facebook and Twitter are under utilized for recruitment and that will likely change in the next year or two. This study reminded me of a story I heard last week from a colleague who made an offer to a candidate to fill a high profile position and then rescinded the offer after seeing their 'unprofessional' posts and pictures on Facebook. But that is a whole other topic for discussion...