Article: Handling Difficult Situations: Tips and Guidance for New Managers
    Article: Understanding, Evaluating and Selecting Exit Interview Services
    Article: Features and Associated Costs of Fee-for-Service Medical Plans
    White Paper: In the "War for Talent," Employers Are Their Own Worst Enemy
    HR Humor: Velociraptors on the Job
    HR 180: The Man of the House
    Quick Tips: Certain Foods Can Help Improve Memory

Article: Handling Difficult Situations: Tips and Guidance for New Managers
Source: Impact Achievement Group

Not all situations that come before the new manager will be easy to deal with. A main responsibility and obligation in a managerial capacity is to address and, many times, confront difficult and uncomfortable issues. This article offers insights into the important skills necessary for handling workplace complaints, employee conflicts, and personal requests.

Addressing Workplace Complaints

As a new manager, addressing employee complaints can be tricky. Often, during the first few months on the job, the new manager will not have enough information to determine the validity of complaints and/or provide effective solutions to valid complaints. An effective early approach is to: 1) let the employee know they have been heard, 2) get their "reasoning" for the complaint, and 3) let them know it will be looked into.

This gives the new manager time to assess and separate the invalid gripes from the valid complaints, and to gather enough information to have an effective conversation about the issue.

Separating petty gripes from legitimate issues that hamper productivity is an important responsibility for managers. A good way to begin dealing with the complaint is to consider the following questions:

• Is the complaint valid? How will business results be affected if the complaint is considered?
• Can an adjustment be made to accommodate the worker without being unfair to and/or have negative effects on other employees?
• Is the complaint a legitimate complaint about the work area, or is the problem a result of personal issues or conditions relating only to the one who is complaining?
• Have recent changes been made that are causing the complaint? If so, was that change made with valid business reasons in mind? What are the other consequences - positive and negative - as a result of the recent change?

Article: Understanding, Evaluating and Selecting Exit Interview Services
Source: HR Directory

When an employee leaves an organization, it can be helpful to do a final exit interview. An exit interview is typically a meeting between at least one representative from a company's human resources (HR) department and a departing employee. The departing employee usually has voluntarily resigned vs. being laid off or terminated. The HR rep might ask the employee questions while taking notes, ask the employee to complete a questionnaire, or both.

The following sections are covered:

• Why do exit interviews?
• Why use a third-party service provider?
• What types of organizations do exit interviews?
• Is it right for your company? Things to consider.
• How to evaluate vendors
• How to find vendors

Article: Features and Associated Costs of Fee-for-Service Medical Plans
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

In 2008, medical care benefits were available to 71 percent of private industry workers through their employers. Fee- for-service medical plans make up the majority (78 percent) of employer provided medical plans in private industry. Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) (both traditional and open access) make up the remaining 22 percent.

This article takes a closer look at the components of private industry fee-for-service plans and what the typical provisions and costs are for each component.

White Paper: In the "War for Talent," Employers Are Their Own Worst Enemy
Source: Patrick Hauenstein, Ph.D., president, Omni Leadership

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there will be 10 million more open positions than available workers in 2010, and the former Employment Policy Foundation (EPF) projects that this gap will grow to 35 million by 2030. The EPF also projected occupations requiring post secondary training or a college degree will increase to 65 percent by 2030. Currently, only 38 percent of the American labor force has a two year degree or higher. With recent college educational attainment rates at about 28 percent (US Census Bureau, 2003), the gap between knowledge worker demand and supply will widen. This fact, coupled with the projected loss of educated senior leaders due to baby boomer retirement (US Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast is that the five hundred largest employers will lose 50% of their senior leaders in the next five years), makes it highly likely that US companies will be facing a "War for Talent."

There is mounting evidence that companies are already feeling the talent crunch today. A recent survey of staffing directors conducted by Monster and Development Dimensions International reported that these professionals overwhelmingly reported that competition for talent was strong and the war for talent is getting increasingly hotter.

As the "War for Talent" heats up, some employers are employing effective battle tactics while too many others are engaging in hiring practices that are dooming them to a fate of mediocrity or even worse, extinction. While there are numerous habits that could be identified as dysfunctional, four of the most common hiring habits leading to battlefield casualties include:

• Overly restrictive hiring criteria
• Subjective selection procedures
• Slow speed in acting on candidates
• Poor candidate interviewing experience

This paper will explore each of these habits and suggest alternative strategies for success.

HR Humor: Velociraptors on the Job
Source: Kim LaCapria for The INQUISITR

What we'd really like to know is what happened 12 days ago.

HR180: The Man of the House
Source: Andrew Adam Newman for ADWEEK.COM

More men than ever are cooking, cleaning and caring for kids -- so why aren't household brands targeting them?

While women still do the majority of work in the home, studies indicate that men are more involved than in past decades. When Tom McNulty got divorced, household chores turned out to be an unexpected challenge.

When talking with a friend, also recently divorced, he realized his experience was hardly unique.

"He said he had put regular dish soap in the dishwasher and got suds all over the kitchen, and I did that once too," recalls McNulty, a copywriter who lives in Minneapolis. "And I said, 'Maybe there's a cleaning guidebook for guys.'"

Turns out there wasn't. So McNulty researched and wrote one himself: Clean Like a Man: Housekeeping for Men (and the Women Who Love Them). It considers no task too basic, even offering this tidbit about changing sheets: "Don't wait until you can actually see that your bedding needs washing."

Quick Tips: Certain Foods Can Help Improve Memory
Source: Ivanhoe Broadcast News and Journal of Nutrition

Wine, chocolate and tea are three foods that could be the key to a sharp mind. Indulging in all three on a regular basis may help keep minds sharper over the long haul.

According to a Journal of Nutrition study, indulgers had better cognitive performance on tests compared to those who barely touched the treats. Wine delivers the most powerful memory-preserving punch. The vino aficionados were 41 percent less likely to suffer memory loss than those who never indulged.

Volunteers with the sharpest wits downed as little as one-third ounce of chocolate, two ounces of wine and seven ounces of tea daily.

About "News For HR"

"News for HR" is a monthly newsletter profiling new products and services in the human resource marketplace and timely articles on various HR topics. The newsletter's content is selected by our editorial committee and is not the result of paid advertising.

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