Hiring Veterans

Since the recent tragedy in Afghanistan, stats are flying in the media about the percentage of returning vets who have traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and/or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). All of this media noise can make the idea of hiring a vet intimidating. However, on the one hand, it is illegal to discriminate against vets in hiring. On the other, there are many excellent reasons to hire veterans:

• The vast majority of jobs in the military provide direct experience, training, and skills transferrable to civilian jobs
• Many veterans, particularly officers, have strong leadership skills
• Many veterans have four-year degrees and/or technical certifications
• In general, veterans make up a large population of smart, mature, and experienced potential employees

Luckily, there are excellent resources available to help your organization and veterans work together smoothly and productively...

Will 2012 Be the Year of Corporate Musical Chairs?

The New Year is well underway, and Fast Company reports it may very well be the year of corporate musical chairs—job dissatisfaction remains high, and workers are ready to look elsewhere:

Right Management found that workers continue to feel trapped in their jobs and want to find new employment elsewhere. They polled more than a 1,000 employees in North America and found 84% of respondents are planning to look for a new position in 2012. According to Mercer’s recent What’s Working global survey of nearly 30,000 people in 17 countries, between 28% and 56% of workers are seriously considering leaving their jobs, with younger workers even more likely to be considering a move.

It’s no secret that people are working longer hours, working outside their area of expertise, and holding multiple roles within organizations. The new normal has never felt less normal—and while companies may still be struggling, high performing employees who are feeling the economic pinch and are dealing with high levels of stress are ready to look elsewhere. While salaries for certain professions are starting to rise, many employees are also ready to move with work/life balance in mind. High stress is taking a toll on their relationships and health; they’re ready for a change.

Is the Customer Always Right?

No New Cola, Please. In perhaps the most notorious corporate misfire ever, in 1985 Coca Cola replaced its much-loved product with a new version. Coke customers quickly expressed their horror that Coke had messed with their beloved drink. Shortly thereafter, Coke backtracked, re-releasing its original product as “Classic Coke.” The customer had won.

The logical question here is, “Why didn’t Coke ask the customer what she wanted first?” Well, according to Coke’s own website, the “formula [was] preferred in taste tests of nearly 200,000 consumers.” The website goes on to say,

What these tests didn't show, of course, was the bond consumers felt with their Coca-Cola—something they didn't want anyone, including The Coca-Cola Company, tampering with.

Netflix. Let’s fast forward to 2011 and the Netflix fiasco. Netflix, purveyor of streaming movies and TV shows and DVDs, decided to split into two companies: Netflix for streaming and Qwikster for DVDs. With this division, customers would now have to go to a website for streaming and another for DVDs—and to both if they didn’t know which medium was available. People would also receive two bills. (And Netflix did this shortly after raising prices and losing roughly a million customers.)

After a tidal wave of protest from customers, Netflix backtracked and apologized. The customer had won.

So, Is the Customer Always Right?

Introducing HRI's News and Views!

Welcome to HRI’s new blog, News and Views. We look forward to sharing our ideas and opinions—and to hearing yours!

We also plan to provide regular “Links You Can Use” posts to help you easily keep up with the world of work, human resources, the economy, the changing healthcare landscape, and more.

Let the blogging begin!