Archive for Life at work

Securing Diversity in US Colleges: Reverse Discrimination or Favor to the Underrepresented?

January 28, 2013Diversity, Organizational CultureLeave a comment

By Alexandra Zatarain

In 1978 the US Supreme Court ruled unconstitutial the admission process of the Medical School at the University of California at Davis. UC Davis’ process at that time set aside 16 of the 100 seats for “Blacks,” “Chicanos,” “Asians,” and “American Indians”, establishing a separate admission process for those 16 spaces.

In 2003 (Grutter v. Bollinger), the US Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious admissions processes may favor underrepresented minority groups. Since then, public universities and other public institutions of higher education are allowed to use race as a plus factor in determining whether a student should be admitted.

Over the past decades, numerous cases have been presented to the Supreme Court, with similar allegations against university admissions processes. But until present time, no ruling has been able to put a stop to allegations of reverse discrimination in university admissions processes.

The reality is that in an ideal world, race wouldn’t play a role in whether a college applicant is granted admission or not. Unfortunately we don’t live in an ideal world.

HR Trends For 2013

January 11, 2013Job market news, Life at work, Organizational CultureLeave a comment

A new year means new opportunities for change; for success and failure.

The HR landscape keeps evolving, and this year we predict that the following trends will set the stage for HR executives:

Get Your Talent to Grow With You

October 26, 2012Life at work, Organizational CultureLeave a comment

ByAlexandra Zatarain

Hiring expert Joel Spolsky puts it clear: the one thing employees most care about regarding their job is to grow, to learn.

As tech giants implement programs to engage employees through learning and career advancement opportunities, small business also have a shot at such initiatives if they get creative with it.

Complying with the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

October 22, 2012Job search, Life at workLeave a comment

By Alexandra Zatarain

Employers with 15 or more employees are covered under the 2008 Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), and thus it is important that they comply with the regulations mandated by the law.

Here’s a 101 on complying with GINA, tackling the main aspects of the law:

Why Do Your Employees Show Up To Work Every Day?

October 19, 2012Life at work, Organizational Culture, Organizational DesignLeave a comment

By Alexandra Zatarain

I’ve written several times before about employee motivation and key initiatives that even small businesses can implement to engage their workforce.

But no matter how hard employers try to engage and motivate their workers, in the end it all depends upon what employees feel, what really drives them to be top performers. It’s a game of guessing, feeling, researching, analyzing, and taking a close look at what makes your particular employees happy. What does it take to motivate them? Why do they come to work every day? Do they require some extrinsic motivation or they are intrinsically motivated?

Sick Or Just A Little Lie?

October 18, 2012Life at work, UncategorizedLeave a comment

By Alexandra Zatarain

According to a recent survey by CareerBuilder, 30% of professional adults have called in sick at least once a year, when they weren’t actually ill.

And the most mesmerizing fact here is not the 30%, but rather the outrageous excuses offered to justify a day off. For some of the survey participants, just stating that they were not feeling well didn’t seem good enough, so they offered excuses that seem straight out of Liar Liar.

Building a Company Wellness Program for Small Businesses

October 16, 2012Life at work, Organizational Culture, Organizational DesignLeave a comment

By Alexandra Zatarain

Small companies may believe it’s a huge challenge to put together a wellness program that can encourage healthy living among employees. But the truth is they can do it, by offering compelling perks and implementing the proper initiatives without spending the big bucks.

The payoff can be big, as healthier employees show up to work more often and on time, they are more productive and pay less visits to the doctor. However the bigger picture should point to one objective: it’s about employees and how they feel, not about reducing insurance costs. Having this attitude and vision for the program will make everyone feel involved in a positive way.

HR As a Profit Center

October 1, 2012Life at workLeave a comment

By Alexandra Zatarain

HR departments are commonly perceived as a cost to the company, but rarely as a source for profit.

The issue might not be in the inherent functions of HR, but rather in the incapability of HR functions to demonstrate “a measurable impact on corporate productivity or profitability by design.”

Leadership for a Quality Culture

September 25, 2012Life at work, Organizational CultureLeave a comment

By Alexandra Zatarain

The biggest and most important influence in an organization’s culture comes from its leader. Founders of companies have the biggest saying in the organizational culture, and examples of such influential power abound.

“Caring for the world, one person at a time” – Johnson&Johnson

Approaches to Organizational Design

August 28, 2012Organizational Culture, Organizational DesignLeave a comment

By Alexandra Zatarain

Among the pool of advice available on organizational design, all the methods, options, and strategies can be grouped in three main categories to design approach. According to Robert W. Keidel of the Academy of Management Executive, these approaches are: restructuring (organizational unit solutions), re engineering (organizational process solutions), and rethinking (organizational cognition).

« Prev12 3 4 Next »