Human Capital Management Blog

With low unemployment and the competition for top talent at its peak, employers are seeking better ways to develop an engaging work environment that attracts and retains top performers. A recent Harvard Business Review article cited an internal study by Facebook on why employees chose to stay at the company. Researchers found that employees who stayed found work enjoyable 31% more often, used their strengths 33% more often, and expressed 37% more confidence that they were gaining the skills and experiences they need to develop their careers. In other words, employees want: to be in a place where their skills are both valued and developed, and feel like they are making a contribution to the success of the organization. An employer’s recipe for engaged and loyal employees, therefore, entails talent development, performance feedback, and opportunities for continued advancement in the organization. Here are 3 areas where Human Capital Management technology can help.

Putting the right people in the most pivotal roles as quickly as possible—that’s the new competitive advantage. Most of us remember firsthand or recall from film the Miracle on Ice—the story of the USA hockey team that upset the world-champion Soviets in the 1980 Winter Olympics. When questioned about his strategy and player selection coach Herb Brooks in the Disney telling of the event responds, “I’m not looking for the best players, I’m looking for the right ones.” Want another sports movie analogy—try Moneyball. It captures the true story of Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane and how he used human capital data to build a leading team on the league’s smallest budget that won a record-breaking 20 games in a row.

As of today the proposed NY Employee Scheduling Regulations are still pending, but Governor Cuomo’s prospective bill certainly has employers’ attention. The new regulation would require employers to extend call-in pay to employees when failing to give appropriate lead time before a shift or canceling shifts last minute. More specifically, the NY DOL proposed regulations state employees would be eligible for call in pay for the following situations:

The flu has been miserable this year, lasting upwards of 2 weeks in some cases. Worst of all, once it enters your office or classroom it’s only a matter of time before it runs the table across your workforce.

In war, the victor’s write the history textbook. In marketing, those with the bigger marketing budgets define the industry terms. Human Capital Management (HCM) is indeed something new that businesses need, and HR Tech companies are expanding their technologies to help businesses put HCM strategies into practice. But the average mid-market business owner doesn’t know what HCM is, and technology companies don’t have time to educate them. Therefore, in marketing the term HCM often comes with a parenthetical message (Hey, we’re still talking about payroll, and time-tracking, and all the daily HR stuff you are familiar with). Because of this, HCM technology gets put in a box of “HR Streamlining technology” or "a full workforce management suite." But those are severely deficient definitions. More than just a suite that simplifies daily HR and personnel management, true HCM technology helps organizations begin the journey of applying the science of HCM in their organizations.

Human Capital Management (HCM) is one of those nebulous terms in the talent management conversation. Is it competency management? Is it recruiting and succession planning? Is it streamlining the daily HR tasks essential to organizational survival?

On December 22, 2017, the IRS issued notice 2018-06 to:

Selecting the best health plan is no longer about picking the lowest copays and deductible. Sure that is the hope, but those added benefits come with a cost. Depending on your utilization, buying up to a richer plan may give some added peace of mind and cash-flow stability, but ultimately cost more than a plan with a higher deductible, lower premium, and more out-of-pocket expense. When it comes to selecting the best health plan for you and your family, meaning the plan that provides the greatest personal value at the lowest cost and risk, it helps to first quantify your liabilities. Here are six steps to help you assess you and your family's health expense liability and make an informed decision when selecting health coverage.