It took a great deal of team collaboration to set up our new office white board. In the end, we made it look perfectly straight!
Archive for Uncategorized
New puppy in the office! Welcome Bamba!
In the Know: Diversity in the Workplace
Changing times, company reputation and customer demands have led to business practices in companies that profit and benefit from being seen as diverse. EEO, diversity initiatives and programs, insurance plans for same sex partners, are some examples of the inclusion practices that companies are embracing. As diverse teams are quickly becoming a prominent feature in the workplace, understanding the positives and negatives of diversity is becoming more important. In order to do this, defining diversity is also an issue.
Read our white paper on Diversity in the Workplace, in which we’ve gathered insights from different studies that show the benefits, impact and characteristics of a diverse workplace.
This literature review focuses on multiple topics: definitions of diversity, statistics on demographic groups in labor force, effects of diversity on productivity and cohesion, managing diverse teams, and lastly initiatives and programs that can be taken to promote diversity.
Download it here
Sick Or Just A Little Lie?
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.
Get the Money Concern Out Of The Way
By Alexandra Zatarain
As much as I’ve written before about alternative ways of motivating employees, the basics are still the basics: money is a definitive factor. I have read somewhere before that employers must pay their workers enough so that they don’t have to think about the money. This has never been truer than today. As companies have cut jobs and work compensation hasn’t gone up as much as inflation, the money factor is a worrying factor for employees, lingering in their mind constantly. Employees are stuck with jobs where they are not properly compensated but can’t let go given the tough job market and difficulties to find another opportunity.
What can companies do to make the most out of this gray scenario? Companies must make the most out of what they have. Seek to retain your top employees, and to motivate the rest to become top performers themselves. How? One word: motivation.
An Office Treat! Sprinkles Cupcakes
Exporting your Contingent Workforce Program to Latin America
By Alexandra Zatarain
Latin America is a whole different cookie. And as multinational companies see their revenues from the region grow, it has become increasingly important to implement better human capital management practices in their LATAM locations.
Contingent workforce is not a commonality in staffing in Latin America, but there are still many companies seeking to expand the benefits of their contingent workforce strategies to their locations in the region.
The Opposition to Affirmative Action
By Alexandra Zatarain
For the most part, opposition to affirmative action policies is grounded on reverse discrimination and unwarranted preferences. And while supporters perceive affirmative action as a milestone, “many opponents see it as a millstone.”
Individuals and organizations alike are still suspicious of such policies which are mostly viewed as “a necessary, but imperfect, remedy for an intractable social disease.”
CSS is a Sponsor of Staffing Industry Analysts’ 2012 CWS Summit
On September 20-21st, Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) is holding the 2012 Contingent Workforce Strategies (CWS) Summit in San Diego, CA. We have been involved with SIA for many years and find their conferences to very informative on topics such as contingent workforce strategy, co-employment, and legislative changes that affect the staffing industry. The CWS conference is geared towards corporate buyers of contingent labor and will provide tools and strategies that can really help you manage your contingent workforce.
I would highly recommend attending this conference. They are covering topics such as expanding your contingent workforce program into Asia or Latin America, best practices, contingent pricing strategies, and building a diversity program. One of the general sessions, the 2012 Case Study Competition, asks program managers to submit their stories and will provide a unique opportunity to learn from other successful programs. Whether you are an established MSP program or looking to expand your program, this is a great event to attend because you hear from the best and get to network with others in the industry to share ideas and lessons learned.
I will be attending along with many members of my team and I hope that we’ll see you there!
Ashish Kaushal
President, Creative Solutions Services
Time to Pass It On! Employment Non-Discrimination Act
By Alexandra Zatarain
Talking about diversity challenges can take us so far back in time. The United States has endured hard moments and has lived through crucial changes in society starting from the way we see and treat each other.
Those challenges of the past are only a prelude for the challenges of today. With a workforce as diverse as never before, companies have been pushed to take a closer look at integration and affirmative action policies and, as Professor Steven E. Campbell from Cornell University states, “take a proactive role in ensuring a diverse workforce through their recruiting and hiring practices, promoting from within, and a commitment toward minority employee retention.”