The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows increased unemployment for June but doesn't highlight a skills shortage that is keeping many Americans from finding work, Scott Cohn writes. The skills gap is reaching a breaking point, with an estimated 1.4 million computer science jobs expected to be available by 2020 but only 400,000 graduates receiving enough training to be hired.
Do-it-yourself vs. Doing it right A highly-engaged workforce drives results and employee engagement programs are key to success. But most companies still lack on-the-ground programs for employee engagement and alignment. Learn how to leverage time and resources with a social recognition program in the whitepaper "Do-it-yourself vs. Doing it right".
When coaching people who are new to HR, show them various aspects of the field, encourage them to be creative and give frequent feedback and rewards, writes Rita Trehan, a former chief HR officer. "Some of the greatest employees that have proceeded me in HR were given stretch opportunities to show the stuff of which they were made," she writes.
The Labor Department cannot prevent janitors, dishwashers and other non-customer-facing restaurant workers from participating in tip pools, according to the US Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. One appeals court has reached the opposite conclusion, setting up a possible Supreme Court review.
Potentially difficult conversations have a better chance if there's a point of common ground, such as acknowledging what you both agree on and focusing on understanding rather than being right, Jeremy Chandler writes.