Human resources | The Benefits Lounge

It would be difficult to understate the importance of Human Resources in the modern business. Gallup polls conducted in 2012 showed that some 70% of the working population demonstrated a general disengagement from the company. This alarming trend is quite literally costing businesses a total of many billions of dollars every year across the world.

Human Resources is a way for companies to fight disengagement in the workplace and build bridges to employees who otherwise might feel disenfranchised, or like their opinions aren’t taken seriously.

To that end, social networking is changing the way we think about work. Employers everywhere are becoming more social, and better able to reach out to prospective and current employees alike. In fact, some companies are doing away with resumes altogether, and recruiting only using Twitter and other social networks.

With that in mind, anybody who has an interest in the ways that social networking are influencing the hiring process and human resources management would do well to follow some of the world’s leaders on the subject. Below are ten influencers in the human resources world who are as experienced as they are open about their process.

1. Meghan M. Biro – @MeghanMBiro

Ms. Biro is currently the top ranked HR expert on Twitter and has a wealth of experience that she’s only too eager to share. Founder of TalentCulure and a serial entrepreneur, Meghan also is a regular columnist on Forbes and Glassdoor.

2. Naomi Bloom – @InFullBloomUS
A managing partner at Bloom & Wallace, Naomi is a renowned consultant, analyst, thought leader and independent voice throughout the HRM delivery system (HRMDS) industry.

3. Laurie Ruettimann – @lruettimann

A writer and public speaker on human resources, employment, and technology. Laurie has expertise as a HR leader in Fortune 500 organizations, such as Pfizer, Alberto-Culver, and Kemper Insurance

4. Jessica Merrell @blogging4jobs

Recognized by Forbes as one of the top 50 experts in recruiting and leadership. She is the president and CEO of Xceptional HR and a leader in the HR community with more than 12 years of industry experience.

5. William Tincup – @williamtincup

One of the more outspoken and controversial speakers in this list, William is a speaker, consultant, and an expert in many fields including user adoption and HR software.

6. Stacy Donovan Zapar – @StacyZapar

CEO and Founder of Tenfold Social and the most connected woman on LinkedIn, Stacy started her career recruiting for Fortune 500 clients in the USA.

7. Guatam Ghosh – @GautamGhosh

Guatam now works at HR Philips after a career as a freelance Social Business and HR Consultant. He is an expert in talent management, learning, and online communities.
8. Jason Averbook – @jasonaverbook

Jason has over 20 years in the industry and is currently the chief business innovation officer at Appirio in Minneapolis. Jason was recently named one of the ’10 World’s Most Powerful HR Technology Experts’.

9. Morgan Missen – @mm

Morgan is the former Head of Talent at Foursquare, and has a solid reputation from being a ‘super-recruiter’ for Facebook, Twitter and Google.

10. Steve Browne – @sbrownehr

Mr. Browne is a strategic HR professional, as well as what he calls an “HR radical.” Follow him for a fresh perspective on human resources.

The individuals on this list have made names for themselves at some of the best known companies in the world. Following even one or two of them would give the average employee (or employer) a great deal of insight into the HR world. That said, it’s hardly a complete list. Take a look at popular hashtags to discover even more inspiring HR figures.

A zero-hours contract is an employment contract where there is no requirement of the employer to provide the employee any specific number of working hours. Also, the employee is not guaranteed a set number of working hours. The employee is not obligated to take any hours that he or she is offered. Therefore, the employee is only paid for the hours that they are needed for. These hours may be changed on a daily or weekly basis. Because there is no commitment for a specific number of hours to be worked, the employer is not on the hook to pay for employee benefits. The employer can still offer employee rewards if they choose, but it is at their discretion.

Since a person on a zero-hours contract has no set schedule, they have no idea when they will work next. This fact makes employee engagement very low, since it is hard to have a positive emotional attachment to a job that you are not working at for days or even a week at a time.

Zero-hours contracts have some similarities to small-hours contracts, where an employee is promised a small amount of hours, with the hope of getting more if they are offered. However, they differ in the sense that the latter guarantee a minimum amount of hours that the employee will receive.

While there is no hard data that can connect the rise in zero-hours contracts with the rise in unemployment rates, the two may be linked. There are also those who would argue that zero-hours contracts have benefited employees during the downturn in the economy. This is because it has enabled many otherwise unemployed people to remain employed, thus avoiding being out of work for an extended period of time.

Employee relations and rights

Zero-hours contracts have also had their impact felt in workplaces throughout the country. One of the biggest concerns is in the area of employee relations and rights. In certain companies, a management tool that is commonly referred to as ‘zeroing-down’ is used as a way to intimidate employees. This is when employees become afraid to complain about various problems in the workplace, such as unsafe working conditions or unfair treatment, because that are worried that their hours will be reduced if they speak up. This problem is only heightened by the fact that a large number of the employees on zero-hours contracts are earning low wages. Thus, they feel powerless to begin with.

Quality of service

Zero-hours contracts has also had a direct impact on morale and staff turnover at many workplaces. These factors make it hard for a business to maintain a staff that is well-trained and high quality. This is an especially large concern in social care sectors where it is essential to have employees that meet a very high standard.

Tax credits

The interaction between the tax credit system and variable hours of work can be a major source of concern for many employees on zero-hours contracts. Since April 2012, a person needs to work a minimum of 16 hours per week to qualify for a Working Tax Credit. WTC eligibility is based on the person’s regular working hours. These are calculated based on how much the person ‘regularly, usually or typically’ works. However, this system presents problems, as it does not allow hours to be averaged out over a period of time. Therefore, coming up with an accurate estimate can prove difficult.

Sources:
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/06/forward-march-zero-hours-contracts-must-be-halted
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/31/zero-hours-contracts-sports-direct-desperate-lives
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ff75254e-9f89-11e2-b4b6-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2dd5Et7sz
http://www.barclaysimpson.com/news/organisations-defend-zero-hours-contracts-news-801621821
http://www.davidsonchalmers.com/news/story/the-renewable-energy-market-in-scotland-582.aspx