Editor’s Note

Hurray! Just a few more days to go before we welcome the New Year. All of us are busy wrapping up goals for 2015 and setting growth initiatives for 2016. As author Mark Sinatra rightly points out, finishing the end of one year and looking forward to another can be both stressful and exciting. Maintaining success and finding new opportunities for expansion are at the top of everyone’s list, but those mainline prerogatives can start to play second fiddle if a company’s human resources health isn’t performing at its peak.

HR Strategy and Planning December 2015 Advertisers

HR Technology Trends For 2016: 5 trends to look for in the New Year

We saw many reports this past year note that the organizational environment has changed. Demographic changes in the workplace are having a strong impact on how businesses are run. In order to stay competitive and profitable, we must learn to navigate through today’s fast-paced, unpredictable work environment.

Key HR Trends For 2016 - Part 1: Moving from admin to strategic partner

In the early days of HR, paperwork was the name of the game, and the onslaught of administrative tasks often prevented HR professionals from ever thinking strategically. Now, however, companies expect more from HR professionals, and they’re starting to recognize HR as one of their most valuable programs. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for HR professionals is higher than the national job growth average for all other professions.

Enhance Your HR In The New Year: Four ways to do it

As the New Year approaches, most businesses are focused on wrapping up goals for 2015 and setting growth initiatives for 2016. Maintaining success and finding new opportunities for expansion are at the top of everyone’s list, but those mainline prerogatives can start to play second fiddle if a company’s human resources health isn’t performing at its peak.

HR Imperative For 2016: Hire original thinkers

If you were placing an employment ad for a manager with the requirement that the candidate be an “original thinker,” whom would you choose to interview for the position? Your leading candidate might be someone with an outlook like Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo’s Chairman and CEO, who boldly took her company’s products beyond what many people now view as unhealthy drinks and junk food snacks.

The Best HR Generalists Don't Recruit: There are inherent conflicts between HR and recruitment

I've spent the bulk of my career in 'HR Generalist' roles with a range of responsibilities, including employee relations, learning & development, remuneration & benefits, workforce planning, and a large chunk of recruiting. I loved the variety, but in recent years, I've come to realize that the most impactful HR functions have a clear distinction between recruitment and generalist roles. Here's why I think that might be the case.

Increase Your Star Power: Building a mega-watt brand

If your organization is like most, as the year comes to an end, you and your co-workers are likely celebrating accomplishments, and thinking about your goals for 2016. As corporate planning and personal goal-setting activities ramp up, a huge volume of priorities and tasks for the New Year are being defined.

The New Face Of Talent Acquisition: Talent hunt is driving M&A, putting HR in the spotlight

With unemployment at its lowest level in five years, finding talent has become an even greater differentiator for corporations, especially in the middle market. One growing trend is for companies to acquire competitive or complementary companies in order to gain the best and brightest talent or to secure individuals with specific expertise not currently available in-house.

Leaving The Present In The Past: Stop mapping the current state HR processes and focus on the future

I recently attended a session at an industry conference to learn about creating an HR technology strategy. Much of the advice resonated with my own experiences in helping clients through the difficult process of building a business case and then defining a better future state. However, there was one bit of advice that I strongly disagreed with. It was the assertion that a team should spend at least a month mapping out current-state HR processes in detail.