Final For 4400

All of the follow are the beginnings of an open-ended question except__________

"do you like"

Disney likes to say "while no one owns the guest, someone in every case creates the

"... the moment"

________ encompasses every aspect of a company's offerings -- from the quality . of product to its reputation management, marketing, packaging, product service features, ease of use.

Customer Experience

A new wave of savy HR executives are reaching out to _________ to inform or create practices that help reward, train and retain employees

Customers

Which of the following is a strategic Human Resource Activity?

Management of change

Pros And Cons of Having A Distributed Workforce Drive Employee Productivity

Letting a staff set their own hours so they can work early in the morning or late at night helps to drive productivity. It's just important to set some boundaries because the only con is that not all workers are that self-motivated to work without some type of management.

Pros And Cons Of Having A Distributed Workforce Attract More Talent

Many companies prefer that employees work in their offices or locations. A working remotely policy enables a company to attract employees who would otherwise go elsewhere. Collaboration tools can make working at home more productive, but they cannot replace the serendipitous interactions that occur while hanging out by the local Starbucks.

Which of the following is not an example of a company employing the concept of "anytime, anyplace, no matter"

McDonalds

Employers are required to report incidents of workplace violence to the federal agency

OSHA

A critical activity of the final step of the selection process is to:

Conduct a job analysis

Formal or informal on-going meetings with employees with changes in attitudes, motivation or personal issues that are hindering performance to full potential is know as employee:

Counseling

The most . recent competitive factor to emerge enabled by information technology is

time

Digital Natives

•The post-millennial " digital native," (also know as Generation C) is emerging as the globe's dominant demographic, while the "digital immigrant," becomes a relic of a previous time. •What does the 'C' stand for? That would be connected. Members of this generation are connected to people and things in ways we never imagined in the past. •The "Digital Native-Immigrant "concept describes the generational switchover where people are defined by the technological culture which they're familiar with. •Digital Natives as those born into an innate "new culture" while the digital immigrants are old-world settlers, who have lived in the analogue age and immigrated to the digital world. •The 100-meter runner Oscar Pistorius, an athlete with prosthetic legs, as an example of how technology is used to enhance our lives. •At no time in history has technology moved so fast. Today the latest high-tech gizmos can be passed even before hitting the retail "floors". To put this in perspective, here are some numbers about their habits from a Google/IPSOS/NowWhat study and other sources: •90% create content for the net at least monthly •83% have posted a picture online •76% visit YouTube weekly •59% look to the internet as their main source of entertainment •56% have followed through after watching ads on YouTube •55% are connected to 100 or more people through social me •Digital Natives all have the common characteristic of being "digital natives" who turn to the Internet naturally and extensively to do a number of things and are very Web 2.0-savvy. •They can unleash their creative forces using the latest gadgets and gizmos. Companies spend millions of dollars marketing products that encourage this generation to show off their creative skills. •Digital Natives wants to belong to a community -- online communities, to be more specific. Most have never known a reality beyond the internet age. •They use online mediums to stay in touch with friends, family, and business contacts and engage with people with shared interests •Here they can participate in discussions about different ideas and get involved in cultural conversations. They stay informed about causes that matter to them and take an action to improve the environment around them. •Access to information allows them to control their own lives, and they're content with complexity because they're well equipped to deal with it. •Digital Natives don't want to be restricted by rigid social structures. •You'll see less of them working for Fortune 500 companies and more with startups •Age does not matter when defining Digital Natives or " Generation" C •You could be a Baby Boomer (born between 1946 and 1964) and qualify as part of Generation C because you are heavily into Facebook or YouTube. •Or you could technically be part of the Millennial generation and still not be part of Generation C if you have not jumped on the content creation or social media bandwagon. •As this Google report puts it, "It's not an age group; it's an attitude and mindset defined by key characteristics."

Millennials (1983-1999)

•There are about 76 million Millennials in the United States. Millennials (also known as the Generation Y) is the fastest growing segment of today's workforce •Millennials grew up in an electronics-filled and increasingly online and socially-networked world. •They are the generation that has received the most marketing attention. •As the most ethnically diverse generation, Millennials tend to be tolerant of difference. •Having been raised under the mantra "follow your dreams" and being told they were special, they tend to be confident. •While largely a positive trait, the Millennial generation's confidence has been argued to spill over into the realms of entitlement and narcissism. •They are often seen as slightly more optimistic about the future of America than other generations -- even though they are the first generation since the Traditionalist Generation that is expected to be less economically successful than their parents.

Pros And Cons of Having A Distributed Workforce Retain Knowledge And Investment

•When someone plans on leaving, a lot of knowledge and investment leaves with them. •A remote/work-from-home policy helps resolve this problem

Challenges to Managing a Remote Workforce A remote workforce can exceed expectations

1.Establishing clear expectations 2.Making remote workers part of the team Companies are increasingly hiring remote workers to reap the benefits of access to a nationwide talent pool

With a _____________ the employee and the boss evaluate performance monthly

180 degree appraisal

The method where three persons evaluate an employee, him/herself, the boss and a co-worker

270 degree evaluation

The Balanced Scorecard is a form of what type of appraisal

360 degree appraisal

________ is known as "mutil-rater" feedback

360 degree appraisal

With a ____________, the employee evaluates himself or herself and shows their strengths and achievements to the boss and the boss evaluates him or her

90 degree appraisal

If a business would like to outsource certain selected HR activities they are most likely to turn to:

Administrative Service Organization (ASO)

If customers are given what they want, when they want, when they want it, they are most likely to:

All of the above

Some organizations are reluctant to use social media networks in the recruiting process because of concerns regarding

All of these

________ is when computers are used in support of more traditional training

CAT

As an organization implements its strategic vision and focuses on day-to-day activities its ________ becomes its DNA of competitiveness

Competencies

___________ can provide a window into the customers rational and emiotional need and inform future practices

Data Analytics

Kelleher (1998) identifies nine elements that direct impact the work environment contributing to potential workplace violence. Which of the following is not included in the Kelleher list of nine?

Dissatisfaction with pay

Most Companies Recognize that mobile learning solutions can improve adaption, expand global reach and engage users better, but only 10% are using mobile platforms because:

Do not understand how to execute a mobile strategy

which of the following a true statement regarding Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Emotional Intelligence is a skill that can be learned

In the end, the primary responsibility for the development plan resides with the:

Employee

According to studies by the National Sage workplace institutes, the most dramatic increases in the type of workplace violence is

Employer-directed

Which of the following is not one of the trends regarding performance reviews

Formal end of the year appraisals

There is an argument to be made that the central players of a company's business strategy are

Frontline managers

In addition to work environmental related factors increasing potentials for workplace violence, researchers have identified three equally, important psychological processes causing frustration. They are:

Frustration, anger, aggression

Which of the following HR functions would typically not be outsourced?

HR planning

When writing performance goals, which of the following is not one of the criteria for a well written goal?

How to

For a company that wants to Outsource HR Activities such as payroll, payroll taxes, records management, safety management. Workers compensation, government document filling etc they are most likely to turn to an

Human Resource Organizations (HRO)

Pros And Cons Of Having A Distributed Workforce Allow Improved Focus With Fewer Distractions

Often the members of a remote team performs better than the people who came into the office every day because they weren't distracted by meetings and other interruptions common to a shared office. Collaboration can occur over video, chat and project management software. People focused on work, followed established processes and were held accountable for their productivity.

Small firms who find it more beneficial to outsource all of their human resource functions are most likely to turn to a

Professional Employer Organization (PEO)

According to the survey presented in the lecture, the most cited reason by businesses for HR outsourcing is

Save money

The Harvard Business Review study on performance appraisal discussions, salary discussions should be held:

Separate from the performance appraisal

Which one of the following is not one of the perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard?

Shareholder perspective

The "S" shaped curve showing the natural life cycle of an organization is known as the

Sigmoid curve

Dynamics of Multiple Generations

Silent Traditionalists: •Long term benefit •Pension •Health insurance •Acknowledgment of fundamentals Generation X •Monetary gifts •Stock options •Gift cards •Tuition reimbursement •Workplace flexibility Baby Boomers •Public appreciation •Awards •Ceremonies •explain how their work has made the workplace better •Something to share with family, friends, and coworkers Millennials •Career development •Monetary gifts •Opportunities to give back Digital Natives •Flexible options •How can they get things done faster, more efficiently?

When each candidate is asked the same question in the interviews process

Structured interview

Communication Styles-Dynamics of Multiple Generations

Technology has affected how different generations tend to communicate. •Silent Traditionalists often prefer face to face communication. They, "embrace face-to-face communication. Baby boomers and generation Xers are more flexible, but all highly value in-person interaction. •Baby boomers differentiate themselves with an emphasis on group interaction. "They much prefer to meet in a conference room and hold a conference than to attend a conference call or do a webinar." •Generation X has a more individual emphasis. •They want less supervision and the ability to get down to work. While the baby boomers can seem more like extroverts, Generation X wants more physical and psychological space to do their work. •Millennials and digital natives, on the other hand, find technology critical to communication. This can work to their detriment with other generations. •Their emphasis is on efficiency and ease. Setting clear expectations of when to use tech and when to use in-person interaction is critical as both of these generations become larger components of your workplace.

The dangers of the inability to perceive threatening incremental change are depicted by

The boiled frog theory

According to the Harvard Business Review a customer experience is the sum of interactions a customer has with a company. Together these critical moments all add up to

Touchpoints

Remote Work

Working remotely means that a manager needs to supervise someone who is consistently not in the office, and in some cases not even in the same city, state, or country. •It can often be even more challenging to manage a remote position on which is temporary as opposed to full-time. •In a temporary arrangement, both the remote worker and the manager may initially struggle with time differences, poor connections, or lack of in-person communication, leading to miscommunication. •For the manager supervising someone who's permanently working remotely, some new strategies might need to be adopted. •One of the biggest challenges is avoiding miscommunication when you're not chatting face to face. •A challenge many businesses fear is how they'll know if a remote worker is working. Some positions have clear daily benchmarks. •Perhaps the remote worker is expected to complete a certain number of reports or other quantifiable tasks each day. •Establishing benchmarks that might not exist with an in-office worker can put management at ease. •Managers should avoid attempts to micromanage remotely, such as having high demands of being available on chat during "working hours" because such "glued to the desk" tactics wouldn't be tolerated by in-office workers, either. •Trust and responsibility are foundational for remote work.

Leaders develop through a three phase learning model which includes

action, observation, reflection

______________ is a methodology that breaks traditional models and allows employees to learn at their own pace

adaptive learning

The idea that careers are not just upward, linear is known as the career

lattice

The three elements of the framework to analyze leadership are as discussed in the lecture are

leader, situation, followers

Which of the following is not a myth about leadership?

leadership can be learned

When deal with angry employees which of the following is true:

let them vent to get it "off their chest"

One survey found the most common reasons for job candidates to not make the "short list: or being selected was

life-style

Which of the following is not an external entity that can impact/disrupt an organization

management

Which of the following is not a functional fit interview question

tell me your biggest disappointment at work

On going meetings, usually informal, to help the employees with job related knowledge, skills serve the purpose of improving performance competence and capabilities is known as:

coaching

As discussed in lectures "Customer service departments"

could be soon obsolete

From the Harvard Business Reviews Study on performance review discussions, which of the following had a negative impact on the discussions

discussions of salary and promotion

Organizations must cope with threats and opportunities in their external business environment. Their unique set of challenges is called:

domaine

In todays world organizations are facing critical challenges to develop their intellectual capital. Which one of the following is not one of them?

employee's ability to be productive

Takes the data driven techniques that game designers use to engages players and apply them to no game experiences to motivate actions

gamification

Which of the follow is not an emerging trend in leadership development?

greater focus on innovation

Offering Customers a great "customer experience" begins with______

hiring the right people

The first step in the recruiting process is

identify vacancy and evaluate needs

____________, is three to four times more important to a leaders career success than any other factor

people skills

Employees who are engaged and show a measure of discretionary effort, enthusiasm and loyalty are said to have a psychological contract with the company that

relational

Data shows that over the last several years learning investment has:

remained stagnant

An interview process that depends on a free flowing conversation is known as

unstructured interview

There were two types of leadership development presenting in the lectures. One focused on the development of competencies and the other focuses on developmental stages__________ is the one focusing on development stages

vertical

_____________ is a more sophisticated form of simulation that requires trainees to wear specialized equipment and interact with objects will be encountered on the job

virtual reality

Which of the following is not a cultural fit interview question?

what do you think are the most important skills for success?

Foreign Government Regulations

•A multinational firm faces the challenge of dealing with different sets of government regulations that may cause it to incur additional costs. •Foreign governments are increasing value-added taxes in goods and services, in addition to tightening compliance regulations. •A change in compliance regulations often means that a firm has to adapt its operational strategies and the way in which it delivers its goods and services. •This may require increased costs to hire local specialists who are able to keep abreast of changes and deal directly with local government officials.

Operation Coordination

•A multinational firm faces the challenge of deciding how to coordinate and streamline operations between its home country and its foreign operations. •Decisions have to be made regarding when and how to establish a local physical presence and how to gain the support of local organizations, such as labor unions and parts suppliers. •A certain number of local experts need to be brought on board to ensure that the firm is able to effectively network and communicate in a foreign environment. •Operations may need to be standardized as much as possible between countries, which could lead to increased overhead and duplication.

HR Management Key Skill #3—Dealing with Grey

•A surprisingly large percentage of the issues HR managers face are in "the grey area." •Is it discrimination? Is it harassment? What's a "reasonable" accommodation? •How far over backward do you have to lean to approve intermittent leave? •HR managers have to be able to act with incomplete and "best available" information, and they have to know when to seek the professional help of colleagues, attorneys, and other experts.

Why Telecommuting is an Emerging Trend? Reducing employee turnover

•According to Deloitte, the average cost of on-boarding a new employee can be in the $4,000 range depending on the employment role. •If a company experiences high turnover, this can be solved by introducing telecommuting as an option for employees. •Not only is it extremely attractive to the millennial worker, but Stanford University report found that job attrition rates fell by over 50 percent. •A study by Staples Advantage found 76% of telecommuters were willing to work overtime and felt more loyal to their company with the option for remote work and telecommuting. •Additionally, 80% reported a better work-life balance.

Why Telecommuting is an Emerging Trend? Decreasing costs

•According to Aetna, an insurance giant in America, it shed 2.7 million square feet of office space and as a result saved $78 million. American Express reported saving $10-15 million annually because of its telecommuting policies. •Analytics reports that if a typical business allowed their employees to telecommute for just half of the time, they could save on average $11,000 per year. •Other costs that can be avoided or reduced include office supplies, furniture, equipment, coffee and janitorial services. •The USA would save the equivalent of $650 billion a year •Reducing oil consumption by approximately 280 million barrels of oil a year •Reduce greenhouse emissions by an equivalent removing 9 million cars a year

Law-Abiding Globals

•All multinational firms encounter complex legal and ethical issues when conducting business abroad •Cronyism, bribery and unfair competition as some of the most challenging issues. •Multinational firms can also expect to confront human rights, social equity and environmental problems, which often undermine their ability to compete fairly in the global marketplace. •HR is responsible for keeping companies compliant with employment-related laws and tax codes, and that includes complicated - and sometimes conflicting - laws and regulations abroad.

HR Management Key Skill #4—Negotiation

•Along with grey comes the need to negotiate—there are often two or more opposing views, and the successful HR pro can find an acceptable middle ground. •The goal of negotiation is to end up with two parties that are satisfied with the outcome, and that's not often easy to achieve.

Cultural Diversity and Global HR Issues

•An issue in international HR is understanding and maintaining cultural diversity. •Working with people from different locations or from different cultural backgrounds mean adapting the business's work style to new ideas, new ways of communicating and unfamiliar social practices. •If you hire an employee from England, for example, the employee might have different ideas about how to manage employees or on how to run technology processes based on her experiences back home. •Being open to new work styles and cultural differences is the hallmark of cultural diversity in HR.

Compliance and International HRM Issues

•As businesses begin to expand into the global marketplace or as they hire employees from diverse geographic and cultural backgrounds, they may have to adapt to new labor laws and tax liabilities •Hiring employees who are non-naturalized US citizens might require HR to apply for work visas and report economic data to the federal government. •Compliance with international law can be an issue for the under-educated business owner or HR manager, because these laws tend to be complex and sometimes difficult to implement. •Keeping well-informed of the legal requirements for the business's operations can help alleviate some of this complexity and lessen the chances of landing in legal trouble.

Managing Multiple Generations Make mentoring a constant

•As the more established and experienced workers head toward retirement, develop strategies to ensure knowledge transfer and capture organizational memory. •The more structure you can lend to your mentoring program to create knowledge transfer the better. •First determine younger employees' goals and developmental needs •Then pair them with older, more experienced employees to create cross-organizational dialogue among generations. •Consider various mentoring models—one-on-one sessions, group programs, senior leadership discussion panels, and a "speed mentoring" program where employees sit across from company experts to ask questions. •No matter what method is chosen, making mentoring a part of the employment life cycle will ensure that the company's history and knowledge continues from one generation to the next. •A leader's primary responsibility will be to ensure that everyone in the organization understands that "working together" is not negotiable.

Managing Multiple Generations Strategies for Cross-Generational Leadership

•As these four generations continue to interact, companies can no longer assume that high pay, basic medical benefits, and a 401(k) will secure the top talent. •As more Silent Traditionalists have retired, Baby Boomers are seeking "postretirement careers" •Gen Xers demand challenging, but balanced work assignments •Millennials expect high perks in exchange for loyalty and technological savvy - leaders must find creative ways to recruit and retain talent. 1.Re-energize your compensation and benefits. 2.Expand your communication strategies. 3.Make mentoring a constant.

Baby Boomers 1946 - 1964

•Baby Boomer generation is predominately in their 50s, 60s, 70s. •They are well-established in their careers and hold positions of power and authority. •This generational segment constitutes a large majority of today's leaders, corporate executives, senior professionals, and managers. In fact, nearly 70 percent of of executives are Baby Boomers. •Members of the Post-War War II generation, Baby Boomers are loyal, work-centric and cynical. •This generation has lived through many changes and brings a different perspective to the workplace. •Baby Boomers often equate salaries, and long hours with success and commitment to the workplace. •They value face time in the office and may not welcome work flexibility or work/life balance trends. High levels of responsibility, perks, praise, and challenges will motivate this generation.

Benefits and Compensation

•Benefits and compensation are the backbone of any HR strategy, but in international HR, benefits and compensation are even more important in focusing on the work-life balance of employees. •The idea behind work-life balance is to provide employees with programs and initiatives that improve both their personal and professional lives. •This is considered part of international HR, because many multinational companies have already implemented programs such as flexible working time, paternity leave, extended holidays and on-site childcare. •In fact, many nations around the world, including much of Europe, mandate these programs by law. Implementing them on the local scale is one of the challenges and, ultimately, rewards of international HR.

Challenges to Managing a Remote Workforce

•But while having a remote staff brings several benefits, as well as challenges. •You want your workers to feel like part of one big team, even if they don't share a zip code-- and you want to ensure they're all working to exceed your expectations. •Fortunately, there are best practices to manage your remote team to foster success. Here are four tips to try.

Managing Multiple Generations Re-energize your compensation and benefits.

•Companies must approach compensation, benefits, and incentives to satisfy the needs of each generation's unique perspectives, attitudes, and values about work. •Younger people may value more flexibility in their careers, like assignments that foster new skill sets they can apply later in their careers. •Older workers may want research assignments and paid sabbaticals during which they can engage in learning programs. •Don't assume that everyone loves your current health plan. •Many companies now offer on-site health facilities and nutritionists as part of their benefits packages as well as flexible hours, alternate work schedules, and telecommuting. •Giving full medical benefits to older workers who decide to move to part-time status, experts say, can be an effective way to hang on to skilled employees, and can be cheaper than bringing in new workers who must be trained. •Generation X is the first generation to prepare for retirement without Social Security. •They believe they can't depend on the old pension system, so expect them to look for companies that offer 401 (k) plans and provide matching dollar amounts.

HR Management Key Skill #7—Dual Focus

•Employees expect human resources professionals to advocate for their concerns, yet you must also enforce top management's policies. •The HR professional who can pull off this delicate balancing act wins trust from all concerned. •There are times when decisions are made to protect the individual and other times when you protect the organization, its culture, and values. •These decisions may be misunderstood by some, and you may catch flak because of it, but you know that explaining your choices might compromise confidential information.

HR Management Key Skill #8—Conflict Management and Problem Solving

•Everyone doesn't always get along with everyone else. •High productivity demands that people work together at least civilly. •HR has to find ways to allow that to happen. •HR can't be effective without problem-solving ability.

Challenges to Managing a Remote Workforce Engage in team-building activities

•For remote workers to be invested in the success of your company, they need to feel they're part of a team. •Fortunately, positive company cultures can be built even when your team crosses multiple time zones. •The key to team building with a remote workforce is to invest time and energy in making connections outside of formal business meetings. •Some companies with a 100% remote workforce - have strong teams because they hosted virtual happy hours on Fridays, started weekly meetings talking about weekend activities, and did fun team-building activities like step contests using company-provided Fitbits. •Encourage informal connections, making sure you're somehow providing a virtual "water cooler" for staff members to make connections.

Generation X 1965 -1982

•Generation X encompasses the 44 to 50 million Americans born between 1965 and 1980. •Members of Generation X are largely in their 30s, 40s and early 50s •Unlike the Boomers, Generation X places a premium on family time and has a different attitude about work. They are ambitious and hardworking but value work/life balance. •Generation X dislikes rigid work requirements. •They value the freedom to set their own hours. Flexible work schedules and work-from-home options may help to retain and motivate this generation. •Generation X has an entrepreneurial spirit. This generation thrives on diversity, challenge, responsibility and creative input. •A hands-off attitude often works best when supervising, mentoring or working with this generation. •They dislike "meetings about meetings" and don't want face time. Flexible hours and challenging assignments will motivate this generation.

HR Management Key Skill #1: Organization

•HR management requires an orderly approach. •Organized files, strong time management skills, and personal efficiency are key to HR effectiveness •You're dealing with people's lives and careers here, and when a manager requests help with a termination or a compensation recommendation or recognition program, it won't do to say, "I'll try to get to that if I have time."

Cultural Divides

•HR must build a global employee community that's in step with the parent company's values and identity. •To secure this alignment, companies often send their star performers abroad to head up financial divisions or sales teams. But diverse languages, cultures and customs can hinder alignment •Multinational firms must guard against overlooking nationals when filling key positions. •Companies risk losing the chance to develop overseas employees when they traditionally promote from within the home office. •Companies' new hires must include nationals, who might bring new and different perspectives on performance to the workplace.

HR Disconnect

•HR must unite its own colleagues across international business units before it can build a global employee community •Policies and procedures on recruiting, hiring, benefits administration and compensation - all core HR functions - must be consistent across company divisions •A team of researchers concludes that a unified HR function helps multinational companies succeed. •The researchers state that multinational companies whose HR global teams use the same information technology systems, business forms and processes for handling employee-related matters are likely to have higher productivity than their competitors.

HR Management Key Skill #6—Discrete and Ethical

•HR professionals are the conscience of the company, as well as the keepers of confidential information. •Serves the needs of top management, also monitor their actions toward employees to be sure that policies and regulations are followed. •Able to push back when they aren't in order to keep the firm on the straight and narrow. •Handle confidential information appropriately, and never divulge it to any unauthorized person.

HR Management Key Skill #5—Communication

•HR professionals have to communicate up to management, over to managers, out to potential employees, and down to all levels of current employees. •They have to do it in writing, while speaking to large and small groups and, increasingly, through social media. •They have to be convincing, caring, and believable.

HR Management Key Skill #2—Multiple Priorities

•In a typical HR day, an HR professional will deal with an employee's personal issue one minute, an intermittent leave question the next, and a recruiting strategy for a hard-to-fill job the minute after. •And that's to say nothing of social media, wage/hour, engagement, retention, and a whole host of other things, every one critical to someone. •In HR, if it's not one thing, it's another. •Priorities and business needs move fast and change fast, and manager A who needs someone hired doesn't much care if you're already helping manager B who needs someone fired. •You need to be able to handle it all, all at once.

Traditionalists 1925 -1945

•In the legal workplace today they are in their 60s, 70s, 80s. •About 95% of Traditionalists are retired from the workforce. Those who are not retired are at or near retirement age and many are working reduced hours. •Many Traditionalists in the legal workplace are aging partners, managers and "of counsel" to law firms. •On the job, Traditionalists are hardworking and loyal. •Raised during the Depression, Traditionalists cherish their jobs and are hard workers. •Many Traditionalists have worked for only one employer their entire work life and are extremely loyal to coworkers and employers. •Traditionalists are great team players and get along well with others in the workplace. •Traditionalists differ from younger generations in how they process and respond to information. •They are less tech-savvy than younger generations and prefer in-person interaction to e-mails and technological gadgets. •Therefore, the best way to engage this generation is through face-to-face interaction. •Unlike younger generations, Traditionalists are comfortable sitting in long lectures and meetings are less inclined to incorporate video-conferencing and web-based technology into the workplace.

Pros And Cons Of Having A Distributed Workforce Expand Geographic Limitations

•Instead of taking the mediocre candidate in your area, you can hire the superstar who lives on the other side of the country or world. •Limiting yourself to hiring within your locality restricts you to a small talent pool. •You may be forced to settle for mediocre talent simply because you need the position filled. Companies that hire remote workers have a larger pool of top-notch talent

Why Telecommuting is an Emerging Trend?

•It is estimated that employers in the US lose $1.8 trillion a year in productivity. From distractions like hallway gossip to excessive commuting, health problems and more. •Workers are finding it harder than ever to hit maximum productivity in a traditional office work environment. The solution? Telecommuting. •According to the State of Work Productivity Report, 65% of full-time employees think a remote work schedule would increase productivity. •This is backed up by more than two-thirds of managers reporting an increase in overall productivity from their remote employees. Where do telecommuters find this extra boost of productivity?

Telecommuting

•It's not uncommon for businesses to ask a telecommuting worker who lives in the area to come into the office for regular meetings or to simply be present in the office one day per week. •This ensures employees and managers stay in touch, allows for in-person check-ins, and can help the telecommuting worker feel like they're truly part of the team. •Telecommuting is also a highly desirable perk for many job seekers and can help a business attract the best candidates. •Remember that the goal of telecommuting is to ensure employees are more satisfied and that overhead is lowered. •If employees are expected to come into the office too much, cost savings on that lower overhead can suffer.

Managing Multiple Generations Expand your communication strategies

•Most companies rely too heavily on one strategy for corporate communication. •By making the same message available in multiple formats (thus increasing the number of times you communicate a message), you'll ensure that you reach all workers. •Traditional Silents and Baby Boomers may appreciate verbal communication about changes in policy or procedures, while Generation Xers and Millennials may prefer the use of e-mail, instant messages, or corporate broadcasts. •Conduct generational information awareness/sharing sessions. •A great way to get people to work together across the generations is to provide them with an opportunity to educate each other about each generation's own history, characteristics, milestone events, culture, language, and norms.

HR Management Key Skill #9—Change Management

•Most companies today are in a constant state of flux. •Task forces, matrices, and teams spring into being, do their jobs, and disband as others form. •Hierarchies have been squashed, and companies have four or five generations working side by side. •HR has to help everyone cope with the constant changes.

Challenges to Managing a Remote Workforce Establish clear expectations from the start

•One of the best things about having a remote workforce is that staff members must be judged on performance, not just face time or personal attributes. •For the remote workforce to succeed, it should be clear to everyone what your expectations are. •Remote workers need to know the metrics/objectives to achieve for success... which means the manager needs to know what objectives you want them to accomplish. •Have an onboarding process just as you'd do for in-office workers and work with team members to set goals for each day, week, or quarter. •Ideally, goals should be quantifiable and measurable, like hitting a certain sales quota or writing a certain number of articles, so there's no ambiguity when determining if work is being done.

Pros And Cons Of Having A Distributed Workforce Weaken Communication

•One of the problems with remote employees is communication. •Being able to discuss ideas on a common whiteboard or screen is often more effective in person, as you can gauge reactions and tailor the discussion when you are able to see the whole person. •Remote employees often have flexible hours that can lead to scheduling issues and make spontaneous communications problematic.

Training and Development

•Related to the idea of benefits and compensation in international HR are training and professional development programs. •Training programs typically encompass in-house seminars and meetings designed to give employees on-the-job knowledge of skills that are important to doing business globally. •HR might offer language classes •For example. Professional development encompasses the "extra" training that HR provides to its employees, such as allowing them to attend networking events and conferences, global training seminars and other specific competency-based programs. •Professional development helps employees to hone their skills in global marketing, international business development and finance trends.

Remote Work versus Telecommuting

•Remote work and telecommuting are often used interchangeably, but there can be small differences between the two. •Remote work suggests that the employee is just that—remotely located. It's not a technical definition, but it does imply that the employee is too far away from the company to come into the office. •They may "work remotely" on a temporary basis, such as while traveling, or they might be a permanent remote worker. •Telecommuting, also called telework, can mean that the employee might be working on-site some of the time. •However, they also might never come into the office. •Most positions considered "telecommuting" are usually filled by candidates that are geographically close to the business.

Challenges to Managing a Remote Workforce Provide the support remote workers need to succeed

•Remote workers also need to know you're invested in their success if you want them to give the job their all. •This can mean providing funds for remote staff to buy office equipment and tools; paying for workers to attend conferences to meet industry professionals; or providing a monthly stipend to pay for educational materials so staff members are incentivized to keep learning.

High Alerts

•Safety and security is one of the most difficult challenges for HR professionals in multinational companies. •In a 2010 white paper titled "Global HR Transformation," that terrorism, disasters such as Katrina and Japan's tsunami, and epidemic diseases such as the avian flu have made HR's task of protecting employees and the workplace from harm more critical than ever. •Risks are especially high for multinational companies with subsidiaries in politically or physically vulnerable regions of the world.

Pros And Cons Of Having A Distributed Workforce Opens Potential Security Issues

•Security is often overlooked when a business decides to allow employees to work remotely, leaving companies vulnerable to cybercriminals. •Companies cannot afford to overlook protecting their confidential and proprietary information

Human Resources

•The administration of benefits and salaries often proves to be a challenge for a multinational firm. •Different labor market conditions might result in the firm offering a set of benefits that it otherwise wouldn't. •To attract and retain the talent it needs, a multinational firm could find it challenging to maintain a balance between its administrative costs and recruiting the necessary human capital to effectively perform in a foreign country.

Why Telecommuting is an Emerging Trend? Better for your health and the environment

•The average person spends 60-80 minutes getting to and from work. •With the drive to reduce our carbon footprint, telecommuting is an excellent way for your company to go green and improve your employees general well being. •In a report published by the Royal Society for Public Health, it found that 55% of people felt more stressed as a result of their commute. •Snacking habits also increased and with less free time available, the report also found that workers were leading less active and healthy lifestyles. •In a 2014 study by PGI, a leading provider of software services, it found that 80% of remote workers reported higher morale, 82% said it helped lower their stress levels, and 69% reported lower absenteeism.

Creating a Strong Workplace for All

•The problems in managing multiple generations rise from misunderstanding. •Each generation has their own preferences and expectations. •Millennials and digital natives, however, often care more about the quality of work than on taking orders. •They look less at position and the years spent at a company. •They judge management by the content of their work and want to be judged not for the hours worked but their results. Without an understanding of these differences between generations, conflict and misunderstanding may become a more prevalent factor in your work culture. •Thus, it's logical to consider hosting team-building exercises that bring employees together (physically and digitally) across departments as well as generations. •It can be as simple as bringing in free coffee for workers once a month or creating projects with teams of people from various generations.

Knowing the generations

•This is the first time in American history that we have had four different generations working side-by-side in the workplace. •Each generation, because of the context they grew up in, have very different expectations. •For instance, Silent Traditionalists are typically depicted as being very fiscally conservative while Baby Boomers may show more liberal fiscal tendencies. •While there are exceptions in every generation, knowing your workers' general framework of experience can help you understand their point of reference. •Silent Traditionalists (born between 1925-1945) •Baby Boomers (1946-1964) •Generation Xers (1965-1982) •Millennials (1983-1999) •Digital Natives (2000-present)

Product Strategy

•When introducing a product to a foreign country, a firm needs to conduct market research to determine whether adaptations need to be made. •Brand names, logos and product attributes might all need to be modified to ensure market success. •This is a challenge for firms that are entering unfamiliar markets and cultures. •Language translations of names and advertising slogans might also prove to be a challenge as wording and sentence structure might skew the intended meaning. •For example, a snack foods manufacturer might need to market a potato chip line under a different brand name than in its home country due to a potentially unfavorable interpretation. •The manufacturer might also need to produce a different line of flavors to appeal to local taste preferences.

Challenges to Managing a Remote Workforce Use the right tools to stay connected

•When you have a fully or partially remote team, communication is key. •Fortunately, there are endless tools to manage projects and to "meet up" for some face-to-face time. Trello or Jira can help you keep on top of tasks, •for example, while Slack facilitates informal chats and Zoom is ideal for meetings. •Keep close •Every team has different needs, but the important thing is to develop appropriate channels of communication to facilitate collaboration and encourage team members to speak up with questions, concerns, or innovative ideas. •Take a moment in your team and look up Trello, Jira, Slack and Zoom descriptions on the internet.

Distributed Workforce and Telecommuting as an Emerging Trend Telecommuting and distributive workforces provides a better future for work

•With a quarter of all employed Americans working from home, telecommuting has moved beyond being just another Millennial trend. •It's become a way of life, disrupting the traditional workplace as we know it with employees who are happier and more productive. •Time to consider these benefits.

Scope of Human Resource Management

•With an increasing number of businesses operating on an international scale, the impact of globalization on HR can be tricky to navigate. •Globalization means various laws, cultures and norms have to be taken into consideration when onboarding and crafting HR regulations. •Some countries are more forward thinking where gender is concerned than others, and this distinction can lead to misunderstandings or worse, the loss of key personnel. •A female manager handling the day-to-day operations in an area where female managers are frowned upon. •Understanding the mechanism that makes each culture tick and implementing as little or as much needed so create balance is something to strive for.

Why Telecommuting is an Emerging Trend? Keeping older generations in the workforce

•With life expectancy increasing and the cost of living exploding, people over the age of 64 have inadequate savings. •As a result, many in this age group choose to delay retirement while others prefer to work into their 70's to keep their minds engaged while continuously learning. •With 74% of older Americans wanting work flexibility, telecommuting presents this generation with an ideal way to make ends meet without a hectic daily commute. •It also gives them the opportunity to attend health checkups without it interfering with their work schedule.

Pros And Cons Of Having A Distributed Workforce Lose The Interaction Effect

•Working from home, one doesn't get the benefits of employee interactions. •These benefits that an organization gains are hardly documented or understood. •Many complex "back-and-forths" in a work-from-home setting can be quickly discussed and decided the hallway in an office setting. •You work at work and enjoy home at home. Don't work from home and home at work