Fidelity Investments says close to 5,000 employees have joined its program for student-loan repayment. Those employed at least six months are eligible, and Fidelity is offering up to $10,000. The Boston Globe (tiered subscription model) (3/15)
WorkHuman CHRO Spotlight Announced One of WorkHuman's most highly-anticipated events is the CHRO Spotlight. Learn how leaders like Pat Wadors (LinkedIn), Mike Elliott (JetBlue), and Tom Aurelio (Priceline) foster employee happiness and well-being. Discover WorkHuman and Save $300 if you register by March 18th!
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Recruiting & Retention
Pay is often the reason women change jobs Companies assume women in their 30s leave their jobs for familial reasons, but research says the real issue is compensation, Christie Hunter Arscott writes. Organizations should talk to female employees to better understand their needs and to address issues that extend beyond workplace flexibility, she writes. Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model) (3/15)
How to Rid Your Company of Toxic Employees Difficult employees are a bigger drag on your business than you think, so much so that it's better to avoid a toxic employee than it is to hire a superstar. Learn more through research from Kellogg School of Management Professor Dylan Minor.
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Training & Development
Transparency in compensation can drive better work Pay transparency empowers workers and enhances fairness, but research suggests it can also increase employee performance. The number of companies catching on to this and adopting transparent measures is increasing, writes David Burkus. "When people know where they stand and know what it will take to move up, they’re more motivated to work to improve both their performance and their standing," he writes. Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model) (3/10)
Benefits & Compensation
Does body-type discrimination hurt pay? Short men and overweight women appear to suffer from unconscious bias affecting their pay, according to a study from the University of Exeter. The results showed that men who were shorter than the national average and women who were heavier earned about $2,000 less annually than colleagues. UK leaders should acknowledge the unconscious bias that leads to this pay discrepancy and work to remedy it, writes Vicki Arnstein. CIPD (U.K.) (3/11)More than 40 top-ranked companies offer on-site clinics More than 40 employers on Fortune's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For have on-site health care clinics for employees, but many have them only at their headquarters. JM Family Enterprises is among the companies that offer multiple on-site clinics, and its nine centers are open to workers and dependents over age 16. Fortune (3/15)
Regulatory & Legal Update
Labor's fraud case against BP 401(k) gains SEC support The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a brief with the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals backing the Labor Department's lawsuit that alleges executives of BP's 401(k) plan failed to carry out their fiduciary duty by not disclosing and acting on information related to the value of BP stock. The SEC says its brief explains what fiduciaries should do when they become "aware that the employer's publicly traded securities are materially overvalued due to an undisclosed fraud." Pensions & Investments (free access for SmartBrief readers) (3/14)
Technology
Platform helps small companies streamline hiring Workable, a software-as-a-service program, helps small businesses automate hiring by facilitating job postings and analyzing candidate data. The software lets businesses track applicants, schedule interviews and monitor feedback, the company says. Small Business Trends (3/15)Blooming creates wearable tech to monitor stress levels Tech startup Blooming is working on providing wearable tech that could help professionals monitor their stress levels while in the office. "Blooming’s vision is to make mindfulness meditation as widely practiced as physical exercise, giving people tools for self-empowerment, leading to reduction of stress and anxiety," said Blooming founder and CEO Kristian Ranta of the company's hardware solutions. TechCrunch (3/15)
Zappos' experiment with leaderless "holacracy" has hit a stumbling block, with the company falling off Fortune's Best Companies to Work For list, in part because a perceived lack of direction has left employees confused and demoralized. CEO Tony Hsieh says he's disappointed but convinced that holacracy remains the way forward for the company. "The one thing I'm absolutely sure of is that the future is about self-management," he says. Fortune (3/15)
Growth is a spiral process, doubling back on itself, reassessing and regrouping.
