Brenda Perkins's blog

It comes as no surprise that one of the reactions to our past 18 months of economic turmoil has been an increased focus by organizations on getting the most value possible out of every dollar they spend. This practice also extends to compensation.

You can’t click on a human resources web site or open a newsletter these days without confronting a significant issue in our line of work: employee morale isn’t where we’d like it to be. Sure, with the recent economic volatility it would be odd if sentiment was at an all time high. However, many surveys are indicating that if employers don’t do a better job of improving morale there will be a lot of employees hopping jobs once the market opens up again.

The New Year is here and many of us are thinking about our professional goals for the upcoming year. One thing that is never far from the minds of human resources practitioners is skills development. Looking at this for ourselves and our company’s workforce with tightened budgets can make it difficult to find development opportunities. Trade and professional organizations offer a great way to increase your skill set without breaking the bank.

There is no doubt that our present economy is still under significant pressure. While a recovery may not be in the immediate future, companies are starting to feel less panicked and are focusing more on their futures once again. One of the most exciting changes has been the reduction in conversations about cost-slashing among corporate leaders and the renewed interest in replacing those savings with more effective performance management tools.

Over the past few years many companies have gone from having separate sick and vacation policies to having just one, consolidated paid time off (PTO) program. While the flexibility of these programs can be attractive to employees and companies alike, there are also some serious consequences that can arise from a poorly planned PTO program. If you haven’t recently reviewed the potential legal impact of your current PTO system, here are a few topics to consider.

Well 2009 is officially behind us and it’s time to get into the swing of the New Year. Every year at this time companies are looking for ways to re-engage their workforce after the lengthy holiday break and get their team revved up to start the year with a bang. What better way to welcome your staff back and get things rolling positively than by giving them an added benefit for working for you: tax-free transportation.

Great leaders all know that no plan ever goes off as expected. Recent events in our global economy have certainly sent many of us back to the drawing board when it comes to prioritizing our top initiatives. The last few quarters have required each of us to spend considerable amounts of time working on short term shoring up of our businesses to combat a volatile and challenging market. As the signs begin to point to some inherent stability in the marketplace (if not a small turnaround), it is time once again to turn an eye to succession planning.

It’s probably safe to say that not many of us would choose to relive the last few months of economic insanity if asked. In truth, the volatile nature of this year has forced organizations to think outside the box to survive. As happens frequently in difficult environments, the innovations and trends that have surfaced over the recent months will help us all build more effective organizations going forward.

Open enrollment for many human resources departments is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, technology advancements that allow an employee force to manage, select and enroll in their own benefit programs significantly cuts down on the red tape for HR managers. On the flip side, benefits are complicated and making sure you’ve informed and educated your staff to get through your open enrollment period without too many issues is a difficult task.

We’re almost to the end of the year, and many people are breathing a sigh of relief that they can move on from 2009 and get a clean start in 2010. Undoubtedly this year has been among the most difficult for employers in our lifetime. Not only have we faced the worst recession since the great depression, but it has occurred in a much more interdependent and globalized world making it far more difficult for companies to navigate effectively.