Resources

Some say performance reviews are a thing of the past; a waste of time for everyone involved. If you’re part of these naysayers then most likely you haven’t been part of a culture that embraces the year-round significance of performance reviews. Performance reviews are essential to workplace management yet often times they hold lower weight amidst a sea of projects, to-do lists, meetings and more. Supervisors tend to look at performance reviews through jaded lenses, but what they may be overlooking is the fact that effective performance management leads to improved productivity.

The ever-rising cost of corporate health care is expected to increase by 4.4 percent this year. Couple that rising pressure with hard-fought efforts to maintain compliance with the federal government’s Affordable Care Act, and some employers have chosen to waive benefits, placing more responsibility onto their employees, who pay more both in premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

What does it mean to be a leader? And can anyone be a leader? These are questions I’ve been asked a lot in school, interviews and workshops but until now I didn’t really have a definite answer. Leadership is a complex trait and it’s far more than “guiding a group of people.”

No one said forecasting talent and your budget was easy. It’s extremely difficult to try to see into the future and anticipate what your organizational budget and staffing needs will be in the coming year. It is, however, a necessary evil of planning for the future of your human resources department. Not only is it imperative to plan for spending but also it gives you a sense of what your department’s priorities are, what challenges you may face and what your staffing needs will be. In order to do so successfully, there are several strategies you can utilize along the way.