eBulletin - Week of March 13, 2006

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Dear Valued Members, Take advantage of our winter special for our Employers of Excellence Conference and experience the most exclusive gathering of HR and like-minded professionals of any event in 2006! You'll save $500 if you book by March 31st. New this year is the introduction of a team concept that will allow individuals to join a team that is focused on one particular area of HR. Join an industry leader and a group of your peers as you share best practices and develop a strategy map for success as it relates to the topic that is most important to you. Go to our Events main menu for an updated list of keynote speakers, workshops and networking opportunities. Enjoy! Debbie McGrath CEO, HR.com    NEW ARTICLES  Available to view in the next 7 days for Guest members.  Available to view anytime for Premier members. Benefits Government Announces Mandatory National Pension Plan in Thailand According to the proposal, all employees and employers in Thailand will have to contribute to the fund; from Pacific Bridge. Read Jeff Chad's Latest Blog. Compensation Advice for This Year's Executive Compensation Season: Assume the Reported Numbers are Wrong Fred Whittlesey writes on the latest trends in the Compensation world. Human Resources Management A Whole New Mind James Mittler takes a look at Daniel Pink's book "A Whole New Mind". Read Debbie McGrath's Latest Blog. Labor Relations Getting Unplugged in a Plugged-in World Can you do nothing? That's right, NOTHING. Can you sit in utter calm for 15 straight minutes and do absolutely nothing and contemplate nothing and just let time pass without hearing the clock tick? Tom Terez offers up a challenge. Legal Sometimes Fighting is Part of the Job An employee starts a fight on the job, gets injured, and files for workers' comp benefits. Outrageous, you say! But what if fighting is part of his job and his boss told him to do it? Welcome to the wild world of professional hockey; from M. Lee Smith. Organizational Development Morgan Stanley's Board Makeover If past politics between a board and a new CEO has the potential to poison that relationship, this breach of trust can have a devastating impact going forward writes Beverly A. Behan. Read Sylvia Henderson's Latest Blog. Performance Management Reality HR: Ken Barry, SVP Human Resources, Homestore Inc.d/b/a Move on Getting Rid of Performance Appraisals HR.com's Performance Management analyst, Aileen MacMillan, recently spoke with Ken Barry, the senior vice president of human resources for Homestore Inc.d/b/a Move about the question, Is it possible to get rid of performance appraisals? Ken says, You bet! Read Aileen MacMillan's Latest Blog. Executive Coaching Ask the Coach - Issue 6: How to Conduct & Prepare for High-Level Meetings Executive Coach Merry Marcus provides coaching to help you "show up an equal". Read Merry Marcus' Latest Blog. Leadership Thought Leaders: Graham Alexander on Tales from the Top - Secrets of a Top Executive Coach Graham Alexander, the author of the ground-breaking "Super Coaching," recently spoke with Rich DiGeorgio about his new book; a definitive guide for philosophy, methodology and application of coaching. Read Karen Elmhirst's Latest Blog. HR Measurements and Metrics Measuring the Right Things AthenaOnline.com presents Mark Brown, of Graham Brown Associates illustrating why measuring the wrong thing can be worse than measuring nothing at all. Read Claude Balthazard's Latest Blog. Staffing and Recruitment One Size Does Not Fit All Employee turnover is an expensive problem that many managers and companies struggle with. It can be a very frustrating issue because not only does it cost a lot of money but it also can be a source of constant headaches for the management, writes Markku Kauppinen. Read Michael Moretti's Latest Blog. Workforce Acquisition The Reference Check: More Than a Formality For many organizations, the search committee lets out a collective sigh of relief after getting through the interview process and narrowing the field down to a potential hire. Though it is tempting to think of the reference check as a mere formality, this step is critical; from Bridgestar. Read Mark McAuliffe's Latest Blog. HR Outsourcing Where in the world is ... Keith Strodtman muses about issues in HRO, and EAP. Read Zachary Meyer's Latest Blog. HRIS/ERP PATRIOT Act Renewal Means Potential Business Disruption As cumbersome as its name, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT Act) is on the verge of having key provisions extended well beyond their original expiry dates; from The InfoTech Research Group. Training and Development You want what? Sponsorship at the "C" level! There is clear recognition within HR professionals and Learning professionals alike that for any strategic learning/training initiative to move forward with significant levels of sustainability, sponsorship must exist at the "C" level within the organization, writes Nathan Greeno. Sponsor message brought to you by Balanced Scorecard Join us March 28-30, 2006 to discuss new human capital strategies. Dr. David P. Norton & Dr. David O. Ulrich will be leading the conference along with case studies from leading corporations. For more information, click here. HR.com's Upcoming Events HR.com Employers of Excellence National Conference 2006 Join us October 25-27, 2006 at the magnificent Red Rock Resort Spa & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The program includes a world class lineup of 6 keynote speakers, individualized custom tracks with workshops and roundtable presentations from leading HR Executives. Register Now! Educational Webcasts: ( Free for everyone ) Labor Trends and Future Outlook: Building a Workforce by Design | March 15, 2006 In the past the idea of reactive hiring was acceptable. Waiting for budget approval and getting requisitions signed off on so that you could start to aggressively recruit for a position was the accepted standard. Best Practice Interview and Reference Check Techniques - Tips from the Experts | March 16, 2006 Some recruiters and line managers just seem to have a knack for picking a winner. Their hires are always the top performers, and seemingly always get the most recognition. If you want to get the "right" candidates on your recruitment bus you have to know how and where to drive it. And experts can help ... Fiduciary Responsibilities under ERISA | March 21, 2006 The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) sets minimum standards for retirement and benefit plans. We will walk through all the current fiduciary responsibilities and discuss any proposed changes and/or issues. Linking learning and development and performance - Is an integrated solution the answer? | March 22, 2006 Strengthening the link between learning and development activities and performance management results is a topic attracting a lot of attention. Linking these two processes makes perfect sense; however, there are many questions around how to do it effectively. Investing in Workforce Management: Developing a Data Driven Business Case | March 23, 2006 Sponsored by: AXSIUM Developing a disciplined business case is critical to the success of any Workforce Management project. Properly executed, the business case presents a supportable accounting of both the costs and benefits associated with the initiative, allowing the organization to make informed decisions on the commitment of money and people. Join Tim Lett, Managing Partner at Axsium Group, as he presents an innovative and objective approach to developing a data-driven business case to support investing in an Enterprise Workforce Management solution. ........................................................................................   Next week's Thought Leaders Live Webcast: ( Free for Premier members or pay $150 US each webcast ) Building on the Promise of Diversity | March 20, 2006 Roosevelt Thomas is the founder of The American Institute for Managing Diversity and hailed by the WSJ as one of America's top consultants. Join us to better understand diversity issues at your company. ........................................................................................   Next week's Reality HR Live Webcast : ( Free for Premier members or pay $150 US each webcast ) Improving Performance Management Processes to Increase Top Line Revenue: A Reality HR Interview with Laurel Ditson, VP-Organizational & Associate Development, Baxa Corporation | March 21, 2006 Quality and performance has always been a focus at Baxa Corporation. Baxa is a customer-focused medical device company that provides innovative, solution-based technologies for fluid handling and delivery. Its systems and devices promote the safe and efficient preparation, handling, packaging, and administration of fluid medications. ........................................................................................ Sponsor message brought to you by HR.com Employers of Excellence National Conference 2006 HR.com is proud to announce the addition of these amazing keynote speakers to the 5th Annual Employers of Excellence National Conference in Las Vegas this October. Come listen to Patrick Lencioni, the author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. These other well-known HR experts and thought leaders will educate, motivate and inspire you: David Ulrich, Margaret Wheatley, Tony Schwartz, Ram Charan, Steven Levitt, Beverly Kaye, Marshall Goldsmith and more ... Winter Special on now until March 31st. For further information on these speakers, how you can qualify for a complimentary pass or to register visit: crm.hr.com/events/national.   Polls and Surveys Feature Poll:   Event Input - What makes a successful event? Feature Survey:   X, Y, B (for Boomer)   Forums Contribute to the discussion of various HR topics in our Discussion Forum or comment specifically to this topic: Leadership Qualities What, in your opinion, makes a great leader? The content in this eBulletin is available to you FREE, however only Premier Members of HR.com are entitled to all HR.com's content and archived material. If you are not a member and would like to become one, please click here to join today. Guest Membership is FREE. If, at any time, you have any questions or troubles, please contact us at 1-877-472-6648 or via email at memberships@hr.com.   Copyright  2006, HR.com Limited | All Rights Reserved. 124 Wellington Street East, Aurora, Ontario, Canada, L4G 1J1 | 905-727-1340   HR SOLUTIONS Balanced Scorecard   HR.com 2006 Events   "You can make those promises with just as much passion the second time around. Such is the regenerative power of the human heart." ~ Marion Wink Take a break, have a laugh, check out this week's HR.comic If you know someone who'd like to read this eBulletin, please forward it to them. Sponsor this eBULLETIN. If you're a vendor who'd like to reach HR decision makers, email us at sales@hr.com Testimonial: "I do find the info valuable. In fact, I sent the recent article on Compensation in China to someone with whom I recently interviewed - which may be the reason I received a job offer!  :-)" - Guest member of HR.com who accessed this article for FREE within seven days of publishing.