When most of inventory shrinkage is due to employee theft, why would anyone hire a thief?   The National Retail Federation estimates that 60% of shrinkage is due to employee theft.  The US Chamber of Commerce estimates that 30% of those companies filing for bankruptcy do so because of theft.  Employee theft is a big issue, about $30 Billion a year according to the US Chamber of Commerce.  So, what can be done?  I say, “Don’t hire a thief!”

Typically, most companies conduct background checks or some tell me that they are a good judge of character, but if that were the case and if these were successful, the rate of theft would be going down.  It isn’t, so what’s the next step?  How about a simple application of science and technology to identify the thief before they are hired?

Why not conduct a pre-employment integrity assessment specifically designed to use science to measure the core attitudes of an individual as they relate to theft?   Psychologists tell us that a core attitude on the inside is displayed on the outside of an individual as behavior.  In other words, if an individual has a propensity or inclination to steal they will, at some point in time, actually act on it.

A leading psychometric assessment company has developed a highly accurate, meaning predictable, instrument to measure a person’s inclination to steal.  This tool is given to candidates in the pre-employment process to screen for theft; and if a candidate scores low, my advice is, “let your competitors hire them.”   You can’t get this information from any other source, and the prevention of theft could save you thousands and prevent your company from going broke.   You don’t believe any of your current employees would steal from you!  Consider this; a recent study indicated that on average 20% of the time an employee spends on the internet at work is for personal use.

With 72 questions and about 15 minutes in front of a computer, a candidate will provide important information that will enable you to make better hiring decisions.   I know, you say, “Hey, who would be so stupid to incriminate themselves in such an assessment?”   But they do!  And since an assessment can compensate for distortion, referred to as “polishing” their responses, it can determine if a person is not being candid in their answers.  It’s just another way to validate the assessment.

Employee theft doesn’t have to be a cost of doing business.  Give your candidates an integrity assessment and know that you are hiring the right people.

This article was written by Bing Spitler, M.ED, SPHR, Spitler Group LLC. Bing is also an Adjunct Professor at the Keller Graduate School of Management and was recently featured on WNKU’s BusinessWISE.  Contact: bspitler@spitlergroup.com

Author: Jodi Harmeyer

By now, seniors in college have their first job lined up or are actively searching for their first job out of college. The “A” candidates have had an offer since the fall, which probably includes a sign-on bonus or relocation package. Have you started recruiting for your entry-level positions for the summer? If not, you are behind the curve.

There are so many positive reasons to hiring recent college graduates.　 Recent grads are trainable, they bring fresh ideas and ready for a big challenge, however, how do you know if one recent grad will be a better fit than another? Typically, they have limited work exposure and their resumes have similar experience and extracurricular activities.　

“Job Fit” is crucial when hiring recent graduates. The best way to know if someone is going to fit into your culture is to have them experience your culture and company through a Co-Op or Internship Program. By having the student on-site and interacting with your team, you will know if they would be a good fit for your organization. Also, as a company, you can start building a strong relationship with the top candidates and start selling them on your organization during the internship/co-op. This will save time and cost with training and decrease your turnover.

All of the local colleges have a Co-Op or Internship program. You can reach out to someone in Career Services to find out how to one of your own.　

By: Julie A. Stephens, SPHR

Well social media is here they say.  Actually, it has been here for a while!  Sometimes I am a bit slower to fully commit to this new way of accessing information and sharing ideas in all its many facets. I am all about Facebook and LinkedIn mind you, but Twitter and Blogging?  I must say, I have not been so quick to dive in.  In my humble opinion, as I venture more into this digital world of sharing ideas and meeting people I realized as an HR professional I would do myself a world of good if I figured out how to be in this “space” effectively.  Frankly, for me and my development I believe it is not an option to ignore all the various forms of social media any longer.
What’s there to be afraid of anyway? Sometimes I feel HR professionals get in their own way worrying about all the ways social media can harm companies and cause employee issues.  While I do realize there are risks and we should be mindful of them, I would like to share with you what I have found on my journey in the digital world.

1. “There is nothing to fear but fear itself “~FDR
This quote is one we have all heard before.  I found that once I walked through my fear it became easier to join the conversation.  Let’s face it, we HR folks all talk to people for a living, what could be so scary?

2. People want to connect with you and share ideas.
I have connected with some wonderful HR leaders who have some great ideas to share.  My network has increased tremendously and when I want to bounce an idea off of someone there are plenty to choose from. I also found I can be of help to others along the way, which is a bonus. Together we are better, synergy!

3. They say knowledge is power!
The amount of useful thought provoking information at your fingertips is amazing! Any HR topic you can think of is covered in a blog. I suggest setting up Google Reader to help manage your blogs and subscribe to the ones you find most thought provoking and informative. Topics and discussions are going all the time on Twitter, join the conversation! Go on, dip your toe in the water it really is very easy once you get the hang of it!  Get a twitter handle and follow some great people for a while to see how it flows.  I reached out to some of those folks and they are continuing to help show me the way.

There are many types of social media and I have only commented on a very small number of them here. However, I am determined to continue to learn and grow in my knowledge of social media.  I found what I am learning very rewarding!  I would encourage you to take a step and dive right in!

Onsite Wellness Screenings
Wellness initiatives are a current trend in HR with the goal of improving overall health of employees and decrease rising health care costs through wellness initiatives. Occasionally we hear about the importance of health screenings in the media, most recently it was Jerome Harrison’s routine screen before a trade in the NFL from Detroit Lions to the Philadelphia Eagles that detected cancer and probably saved his life. Twenty years ago, it was Magic Johnson discovering that he was HIV positive through a routine health screen. Early detection of health problems dramatically increase the chance for a positive outcome and decrease healthcare costs.

I coordinated wellness biometric screenings onsite, during work hours that were free to all full time employees regardless of their health insurance benefits election last month. Biometric screening were coordinated through our health insurance provider, CIGNA, and included a personal health questionnaire, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol (LDL and HDL) and glucose testing followed by a short consultation with a health care  professional. The entire process took less than 20 minutes, was very well organized and was relatively painless – although I did have a bruise from that finger prick!

Here are a few thoughts to consider as you plan your onsite wellness screening:

• Work with your insurance resources.  Don’t recreate the wheel here. Use the resources that you have available to you, including your insurance provider and TPA. Both are experts in health and wellness; you are not.
• Address privacy concerns up front and be clear about how the data will be reported back to the employer. As you would expect, the company will receive aggregate reporting of trends within our employee population to create targeted wellness programs to help employees improve their health. Although data will only be shared with the company in aggregate, privacy during the screening and privacy about individual results were the biggest concern of our employees.
• Tell employees exactly what to expect during the screening. What tests will be run and why. Have an example summary report that they will receive after the screen.
• Have a trained professional review results with employees privately. I received negative feedback from employees- including marathon runners, tall employees and shorter employees – about BMI calculations because that these employees were considered overweight based upon BMI. Assuming that height will not change over time for most adults, BMI seems to be a helpful measure to determine changes in weight if nothing else. Having a trained professional tell me this was very helpful.
• Allow all employees to participate onsite and on the clock. The data provided to employers to create targeted health initiatives and to employees to improve their health is worth the 30 minutes away from work. Allowing all employees, not just those who elect your insurance coverage, demonstrates your commitment to employee wellness, not just to benefit rates.

As an employee, I received good information about my own health and wellness. I am overall good health- regularly exercising, making better food choices than I did just a few years ago and living a healthy lifestyle. I know that I don’t need to worry about cholesterol or glucose levels at this time and can still enjoy my daily Coca Cola. Although my screening was uneventful, it’s just as important that employees received this positive information about their health as it is to uncover issues that require follow up with a physician.

With a few exceptions (particularly healthcare), unionization has been on a downward trend in Ohio and across the country. There are many reasons for this trend. The first among those is the emergence of individual employee rights laws over the last 50+ years including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). These laws provide rights for employees that previously would have been negotiated by labor unions. With the advent of these laws, the protections unions provided became less important. Another reason for the downward trend in unionization is the transition from a manufacturing economy to a service economy in the United States. As manufacturing jobs moved oversees, union membership declined.

If this declining membership trend reverses, historians may look back on 2011 as a pivotal year on both state and federal levels. The year began with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) declaring that it planned to require private-sector employers to post union rights notices to increase employee knowledge of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The posting requirement applies to both unionized and union-free companies. The posting is similar to those required by the FLSA, FMLA, and other state and federal discrimination laws. Employers protested to no avail. The posting requirement officially goes into effect on January 31, 2012.

The NLRB also injected itself into the world of social media in 2011. In September, an NLRB administrative law judge issued a decision in the Hispanics United of Buffalo, Inc. (“HUB”) case. HUB had terminated five employees for using a worker’s Facebook page to post angry and defensive responses to a coworker’s criticism of their work. The company asserted that the employees’ Facebook postings bullied and harassed the coworker in violation of the company’s zero tolerance harassment policy. The administrative law judge disagreed. He concluded that there was no evidence showing that the posting violated the harassment policy. Instead, he ruled that the employees engaged in protected concerted activity when they posted work-related comments in response to the coworker’s criticism. This, he concluded, violated the NLRA.

The HUB decision applies equally to both unionized and union-free employers. If this line of thinking continues, it will represent a major setback for employers. In addition to the EEOC and OCRC, Employees terminated or disciplined for social media violations will now consult the NLRB to determine the legality of the decision. This will undoubtedly lead to a rise in Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges (and additional frustration and expense for employers).

Unions also gained ground at state levels in 2011. The most obvious Ohio example involved the battle over Senate Bill 5 (SB5). SB5 was intended to radically reform public sector collective bargaining in Ohio. It attacked virtually all key aspects of bargaining, including wages, benefits and the right for public sector employees to engage in strikes. As everyone now knows, Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected SB5 in the November elections. What many may not realize is that some of the SB5 changes were included in House Bill 153, the budget bill which is now law in Ohio.

While SB5 specifically dealt with public sector unions, the impact of its defeat will likely be felt in the private sector as well. The battle over SB5 reenergized unions across Ohio. Public and private sector union members united for a common mission: to defeat SB5. They characterized SB5 as an attack on “regular people” and united with those people to defeat the law. These “regular people” are exactly the people that unions will now try to recruit as new dues-paying members. The recruiting drive will certainly not be limited to the public sector.

We will not know for several years whether 2011 will be dubbed “The Year of Labor Union Resurgence.” What we do know is that 2011 was a good year for unions. This is an opportunity for them to build on that momentum and add new dues-paying members. Wise employers will be mindful of that as they make employment decisions in 2012.

About the Author: Lee P. Geiger, Esq. is a Partner at Graydon Head & Ritchey, LLP in Cincinnati, OH. His practice focuses largely on labor, employment, healthcare, and education law. Lee has significant experience representing employers in matters before administrative agencies including the EEOC, OCRC and NLRB, as well as handling arbitrations, mediations, labor negotiations, due process hearings, and litigation matters in state and federal courts.