http://www.workforceconsultant.com (Extra)ordinary Workforce Management Consulting Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:31:19 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As organizations continue to look at ways to reduce costs during the current economic downturn, a lot of focus is turning to labor, which for many companies represents their largest variable expense. One of the biggest 'offenders' when it comes to artificially increasing labor costs is "Buddy Punching". Buddy Punching is ... http://www.workforceconsultant.com/2008/11/25/the-cost-of-buddy-punching/ A lot of my clients have pay rules and policies that were inherited from earlier systems and assumed to be correct.  Not a lot have taken the time to actually validate that they are currently accurate, and reflective of recent legislative changes. Unfortunately, nobody thinks about these things ... http://www.workforceconsultant.com/2008/11/24/how-do-you-know-your-system-is-configured-correctly/ In any economic downturn, there's bound to be companies that adjust their employee count to their current business realities. We see this in almost every industry... granted, some are more suited for such employment swings than others. But in the world of retail, we see too many reactions that appear to be ... http://www.workforceconsultant.com/2008/11/04/are-you-serving-your-customers/ The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) turns 15 this year and yet, there remain a number of organizations that are not prepared or properly set up to manage FMLA leave requests, or worse any potential audits. It is important to note that the burden of proof (i.e. appropriate documentation) lays ... http://www.workforceconsultant.com/2008/10/01/are-you-properly-managing-fmla/ The folks at AMR Research have just published an HCM Service Provider Landscape, called "People Helping People: Strategic HCM Service Provider Landscape " which is a must read for any organization that is currently implementing any sort of HCM solution, or planning to take the plunge. The report which is authored ... http://www.workforceconsultant.com/2008/07/24/people-helping-people/ A lot of my customers know firsthand what happens when their sotware vendor gets acquired... for some its welcome news, for others, not so much. In all my time working for the vendor, every client has always been interested in knowing the real scoop on any announced acquisitions.  Usually, we have ad-hoc ... http://www.workforceconsultant.com/2008/07/02/what-happens-when-your-vendor-is-acquired/ Kronos has just announced their latest offering targeted directly to the restaurant category within the greater hospitality space. It is of course, aptly named, Kronos for Dining. Okay, so the name is not the most creative, but it sure gets the point across, which I like. In reading more of the ... http://www.workforceconsultant.com/2008/05/27/kronos-looks-for-a-seat-at-the-table/ The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released proposed changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA). I assume most people already know what the FMLA is, but for those that are new to this, the FMLA is a federal law that governs how employers must act in ... http://www.workforceconsultant.com/2008/04/24/proposed-changes-to-fmla/ For companies that have plans on opening up operations in Puerto Rico... make sure you understand your risks.  Did you know that you can't schedule PT employees to work more than 22 hours per week if they work on a Sunday? Or that if an employee works part of their ... http://www.workforceconsultant.com/2008/04/18/opening-in-puerto-rico/ Accurate and actionable data is the new business standard.  We've been talking about this for many years now, but lately we're seeing a great realization in the possibilities. HR KPI would then refer to those indicators which look at the employees’ performance. These indicators would encompass the employees’ productivity, job ... http://www.workforceconsultant.com/2008/04/17/key-performance-indicators/