Human Resources - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Rising Inflation Could Damage Economic Gains Made by Women

March 8, 2023

People around the world celebrate International Women’s Day every March 8th, paying tribute to the achievements of women while also campaigning for greater gender equality. While issues like equal pay and opportunity for women have certainly received a lot of attention in recent years, companies still have a long way to go before they reach total parity. To make matters worse, economists say that women are disproportionately feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis brought on by rising Continue reading →

Management, Motivation, Global, Ethics, Human Resources, Compensation, Regulation, Hiring, Gender equity, Wage gap

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions

Companies Cautiously Explore the Potential of AI Chatbots

February 10, 2023

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For the last few weeks, chatbots powered by artificial intelligence have made waves on social media as users talk with these automated conversation partners. The bot ChatGPT, for instance, can provide reasonable answers to questions posed by users regardless of their spelling or grammar. These responses are delivered in natural-sounding sentences that do not require scripting, a significant improvement on clunky chatbots of the past. As a result, many big companies are looking to get in on the ground floor Continue reading →

Marketing, Ethics, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Chatbots

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 13: Marketing, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Some Companies Charge Ex-Employees for “Training Repayment”

February 1, 2023

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Onboarding employees can be one of the most expensive items on a company’s balance sheet as firms spend big money hiring and training new staffers. Of course, this costly process has no guarantee of success: people hired yesterday can leave tomorrow as quickly as they arrived. To offset the costs of rapid turnover, some companies are inserting controversial clauses into employment contracts that require staffers to repay training fees if they quit. For example, Kate Fredericks signed such an agreement Continue reading →

Ethics, Training, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Regulation, FTC, Onboarding, Employee turnover

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

FTC Proposes Ban on Noncompete Clauses

January 18, 2023

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For years, many major companies have depended on noncompete clauses to hang on to their most talented employees. These binding agreements prohibit individuals from taking jobs at similar firms or from striking out on their own for a specified period of time. Companies claim that they insert noncompete clauses into employee contracts in order to ensure the safety of trade secrets and other confidential data like consumer lists or contact information. According to a recent proposal from the Federal Trade Continue reading →

Motivation, Ethics, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Regulation, Hiring, FTC, Noncompete clauses, Employee turnover

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

[VIDEO] Why Layoffs Are Hitting Professional Workers

January 11, 2023

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As the post-pandemic economic recovery slows down, many companies are looking to trim their bottom lines through restructuring and layoffs. Unlike in previous downturns, however, professional employees have largely been on the receiving end of these job cuts. The video below examines why white collar workers are more likely to receive a pink slip than their blue collar brethren.

Questions:

Why are white collar workers facing a disproportionate amount of layoffs as the economy slows down?
How can the strong Continue reading →

Ethics, Human Resources, Compensation, Layoffs, Recession, Supply & Demand, Frontline workers

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

California Passes Law Regulating Fast Food Industry

September 7, 2022

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Last week, California’s legislature passed a bill that will bring sweeping changes to fast food chains operating in the state. After being signed into law by the governor on Monday, the new legislation effectively sets a minimum wage for the industry while also establishing new safety and anti-discrimination requirements. California will create a 10-person council composed of restaurant workers and employer representatives along with two state officials, who will all review pay and safety standards across the state’s restaurant industry. Continue reading →

Motivation, Operations Management, Ethics, Franchising, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Compensation, Food & Drink

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions

Using Lego to Build Office Creativity

September 2, 2022

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Last year, the Danish building-block company Lego earned more than 7 billion euros in sales, making it far and away the top toymaker in the world. Once on the brink of bankruptcy in the early 2000s, Lego turned things around when it focused exclusively on construction bricks along with licensed sets based on popular franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter. Now the company’s dominance extends even into the offices of the world’s biggest corporations as part of team-building exercises Continue reading →

Management, Motivation, Training, Human Resources, Entertainment, Lego, Office Culture, Team building

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management

“Quiet Quitting” Trend Takes off on TikTok

August 24, 2022

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Like other social networks, TikTok users share almost everything about their lives on the app, from their favorite music and TV shows to their anxieties about work. In fact, talk about the latter has increased significantly in recent weeks as videos about “quiet quitting” generate millions of views among young professionals. The phrase is meant to convey the opposite idea of “hustle culture,” another popular work-related topic on TikTok that encourages people to devote themselves entirely to their careers. Quiet Continue reading →

Motivation, Ethics, Training, Human Resources, Social Media, Labor Relations, Company Culture, TikTok

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] The Fall (and Rise?) of Unions in the U.S.

August 12, 2022

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Thousands of workers at Amazon warehouses and Starbucks stores across the country have voted to unionize in recent months, potentially reversing decades of declining union membership in the U.S. This video takes a close look at the history of unions in postwar America, examining the reasons why service industries largely stayed unorganized and how that could change in the coming years.

Questions:

Why did union membership start to decline in the 1970s and 1980s?
Do you think U.S. legislators Continue reading →

Motivation, Global, Ethics, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Unions, Labor Relations, Compensation

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Videos

Managers Strive to Hit the 90-Day Mark with New Hires

August 9, 2022

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Seeking out qualified employees and then hiring them is a costly process for even the biggest companies, which is why most managers strive to keep their staff around for as long as possible. Sometimes fresh hires don’t feel the same way, though, and they leave their new jobs as swiftly as they joined. These “quick quits” are especially prevalent in the current job market where employee turnover remains high. As a result, companies are focusing on a key milestone: a Continue reading →

Management, Marketing, Motivation, Franchising, Training, Human Resources, Hiring, Company Culture, Onboarding

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 13: Marketing