In this week’s HR News Roundup, we offer noteworthy news and expert advice from HR bloggers and HR news sources.

3 thorny people problems that will arrive with new OT rules
Christian Schappel, HR Morning

“Are you ready for the three most difficult conversations you’ve had in a while? You can thank the DOL for them.
The agency’s changes to the FLSA overtime exemption rules aren’t just going to be a financial headache for employers; they’re also going to be a managerial dilemma.
If the final rules resemble anything close to the DOL’s proposal — which would crank up the minimum salary threshold for all exempt employees to $50,440 — large chunks of companies’ workforces are about to go from exempt to non-exempt … With the finalized rules slated to hit in 2016, the time is now to start prepping for these awkward employee conversations the rule changes will spur.”

Google’s Just-in-time Approach Gets New Hires Up to Speed 25 Percent Faster
Dr. John Sullivan, ERE, Recruiting Intelligence

“Although the initial part of this article is about how Google improved its onboarding results by 25 percent, the unique approach that it used reveals many other valuable lessons that HR executives should note. Those lessons include the importance of experimenting with different HR solutions, the need to use data to identify what works, and the value of working through managers using simple just-in-time checklist alerts.
Let’s start off with Google’s simple but high-impact onboarding approach. “

5 Reasons You Should Embrace Microlearning
Sharlyn Lauby, HR Bartender

“During this year’s ATD International Conference and Expo, I had the chance to hear Stephen Meyer, CEO of the Rapid Learning Institute, discuss the topic of microlearning. It’s defined as small learning units or bite sized pieces of content. I think it’s different from social learning, mobile learning or even elearning, which we’ve talked about before. Microlearning appears to be new to the scene and, based upon the standing room only crowd at Meyer’s session during the conference, I’d say it’s worth paying some attention.
As it pertains to microlearning, I walked away with 5 takeaways that organizations should consider.”

Retaining Senior Managers
Jill Cueni-Cohen, Human Resource Executive

“New research shows that senior managers are overlooked when it comes to retention efforts. Experts weigh in on ways to keep top talent engaged and in place.”

LinkedIn says it can find copies of your ‘rockstar’ employee
Recruiting Times

“Cloning your best candidates or employees might be a dream you often have, and while technology might not be close enough yet LinkedIn claims it can give you the next best thing – finding potential hires that are doppelgangers of your rockstar staff.”

The news item goes on to quote a LinkedIn spokesperon on their new Recruiter tool: “Now all you need to do is enter your rockstar employee’s name into the search field, select their profile, and LinkedIn Recruiter will automatically provide you with a list of similar members.”
See also: Linkedin Recruiter

Some workers think mental illness can be contagious: What are the implications?
A Q&A with Jessecae Marsh, PhD, Lehigh University, BLR Mental Health

“Medical and human resources professionals keep trying to educate people to treat coworkers with mental illness in the same way they treat colleagues who have a physical illness. However, according to a recent study, some people believe that mental illness is like many forms of physical illness—that it can be contagious.
Such beliefs can cause workers to stigmatize those perceived to have mental illness and distance themselves from them, resulting in the individuals being ostracized.”

Formalizing Flexible-Work Policies
Carol Patton, Human Resource Executive

A new survey finds 67 percent of managers offer flexibility to employees at their own discretion, but experts say a formal company flex policy is needed to avoid workplace inequities. Does your organization need a formal flexible-work policy?

How to Ditch Performance Ratings and Still Evaluate Employees Fairly and Accurately
Steven Hunt, TLNT

“Have you ever read about a company getting rid of performance management ratings and wondered, “How do they identify and reward high performing employees without some method to rate people based on performance?”
There are three methods that companies are using to resolve this dilemma. These are methods I’ve encountered through my work helping companies use technology to rethink performance management, which occasionally includes creating processes that eliminate manager ratings.”

The Science Of When You Need In-Person Communication
Laura Vanderkam, FastCompany

“In the debate over whether people should work in the office, or remotely, the in-the-office folks have one good point. A lot of things happen when we interact face-to-face that don’t necessarily happen virtually.
Human beings had little ability to communicate with those who weren’t physically close to them until the past century, and our brains don’t evolve as rapidly as technology. Fortunately, understanding the science of what happens when people interact in person helps us see what’s best done that way, and when virtual meetings are fine.”

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