Hoping to allow for greater Small Business Program eligibility, the Small Business Administration (SBA) recently released a new definition of “small business” for several sectors. In the works since 2007, this labeling overhaul – some 37 changes to size definitions were made – is the first in 25 years. The SBA published its final rule on the size definitions of small businesses in Professional, Scientific, Technical and Other Services sectors in The Federal Register on February 10.
Since the June 2009 end of the recession American job openings have increased 39 percent. This data representing one of the more noteworthy pieces of information from one of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) recent employment reports. Below are BLS synopses on Job Openings and Labor Turnover for December 2011, Annual Major Work Stoppages for 2011,America’s Youth at 24 and Fourth Quarter 2011 Mass Layoffs.
Crain’s New York Business recently listed its 50 Best Places to Work inNew York City. A quick summary of some of its top 10 companies finds many a unique, even quirky benefit, such as the company that allows six-month unpaid sabbaticals to workers regardless of length of time with the business and another which touts an in-office game room. Below is a glance at the top 10 of 50 NYC businesses Crain’s chosen to highlight.
The very things one looks for when finding employment can be the very things that cause them to want to leave, later on. Seeking out competitive wages only to be repetitively denied pay increases or overlooked for promotions year-after-year can frustrate an employee to the point of resignation. Finding engaging work doing interesting projects only to realize that creativity is discouraged and teamwork is nonexistent can equally frustrate. A recent Linkedin discussion amongst Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) members posed the question of why people leave their jobs, with commenter after commenter remarking that upset with management or supervisors seemed to be one of the biggest reasons for why someone leaves their job.
As unemployment levels continue to drop and the overall economy seems to be moving out of the doldrums, a different employment issue has begun to surface nationwide: the retention of top talent. With more avenues for job change on the proverbial horizon many companies are finding themselves unable to prevent the best performers in their organization from jumping ship for more attractive occupational shores. There are ways to prevent this burgeoning trend, and employers must acknowledge that the way they have structured their businesses and implemented procedures may have to change in order to keep a full, productive staff of workers.
A business decides how much it will pay its employees, and which benefits and incentives it will offer, based on several factors: the company’s labor budget, salary structure within the organization, and comparable wages offered by competitors, to name a few. Monetary compensation, however, in terms of basic dollars and cents, may be the only thing many potential employees will weigh before deciding where they will work. Compensation says a lot about how a company values its employees; and it also speaks volumes about what it expects from employees in the future. Companies seeking to attract – and retain – top talent may choose from one of the differing, creative direct-pay compensations detailed below.
For the approximately 26 million American telecommuters the benefits of working remotely – from a home office or other non-workplace setting – clearly outweigh the drawbacks, but they do exist. One of the biggest issues facing teleworkers is worker isolation. If one works with a team, but from remote locations, there can be a loss of cohesion amongst members. If one primarily works independently and there is no central office to work from, the reduced social interacting can be a negative drain on one’s psyche. There are many ways to combat this telecommuting-created worker isolation, from involving oneself in outside professional groups or “meet-ups” and volunteering in the community to telework centers and desk-sharing within a physical office to create a more work-like setting.
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