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Infographic: Opioids and the American workplace

Brian Wallace Pharmaceutical

The opioid crisis has started to affect workplaces, where 31% have already seen an overdose, injury, or arrest related to opioids. Getting people the help they need is about more than just being compassionate — it can also make a workplace safer. Employees who are suffering from addiction can often feel their job would be threatened if they were to come forward and seek help. Providing employees with a path to rehab and then back into the workplace can address the opioid crisis head-on.

Why cultural-fit hiring is the enemy of diversity

Simma Lieberman Business Management, Services & Risk Management

A study by Cubix International of 55 organizations, including Ikea, found that 9 out of 10 recruiters passed over applicants that were not a "cultural fit." Hiring for "cultural fit" has become somewhat of a trend and buzzword. It usually applies to values, visions, norms and the way a company does business. Some people have told me that hiring for "cultural fit," as opposed to just skills, is a way of ensuring that the new hire gets along with everyone and be a "team player." I’ve also been told that it is a way of increasing diversity since you’re not just hiring based on degrees and grades. But what if this is part-fallacy?

3 ways to say no

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

No is such a powerful word, and yet few of us seem to know how to use it. We gracefully accept additional work, commitments and obligations, then spend our energy either trying to improve our time management to fit it all in or stressing about the fact that we will never have enough time to do it all. Instead of focusing our efforts on getting it all done, here are three ways to say no and save our energy.

Infographic: Find and hire the best candidates with better interviews

Brian Wallace Business Management, Services & Risk Management

When you say, "tell me about yourself" in a job interview, the most likely response is going to be a repeat of what's already in the candidate's resume and cover letter. Why ask the question if you're not going to get any new information? Better job interviews lead to better hires, and better hires build better teams. Asking questions to test a candidate's creativity can show you how they will perform better than asking what school they attended. Learn more about better interviewing practices from this infographic.

Watch what happens when you align your team

Hank Boyer Business Management, Services & Risk Management

On a crisp late September morning, as I stood on the eastern bank of the Schuylkill River just outside downtown Philadelphia, I witnessed a tremendous lesson on alignment. An eight-person rowing team was practicing for an upcoming race and one of the oarsmen was having difficulty staying in sync with the other seven rowers. Principles of alignment are true in business and almost every other human activity. Failure to properly align means missed goals, wasted time and resources, and a less-than-optimal working environment. Results range from poor to good, but never great.

A climate of change: What should your organization do?

Linda Popky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

The data show the earth is getting hotter — hotter now than it’s been since records were first kept in 1880. The rise in temperature affects animal and marine life and causes potentially devastating dangers for people. What should we do about it? How involved should businesses and associations be on this issue? Will support one way or the other help or hurt your business? Here are a few points to consider.

AI, IoT converge to create a new technology superpower: AIoT

Joseph Zulick Science & Technology

When people hear the terms artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT), most think of modern advances in a futuristic world like those that have been depicted in science-fiction franchises. Many of those predictions are now coming to fruition in this Fourth Industrial Revolution that is currently transforming the way the world works. Even though the full capabilities of AI and IoT are still in their relative infancies, these two technology superpowers are now being combined across every industry to provide scenarios where information and problem-solving can improve outcomes for all stakeholders.

Common myths about employee handbooks

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Employers are not required to have a handbook. That is true. State and federal regulations do, however, require employers to provide a variety of information to their employees. The easiest way to do this is often via some sort of handbook. Yet, for those organizations without a handbook, it can be easy to find excuses not to create one. Here are a few myths about handbooks and the corresponding reasons why it is a good idea for every employer to have one.

How to build confidence in the board chair

Robert C. Harris Association Management

Before the first meeting, the incoming board chair confessed to the executive director, "I don't feel confident about my boardroom skills. I'm nervous. What can I do to improve my competency?" It's a fair question. It is better to be honest than to fake confidence that will quickly be recognized by the rest of the board. Try these ideas to instill confidence and find the balance between the elected chair and paid CEO.

Seeking silence: Ultimately, it’s an inside job

Lisa Cole Mental Healthcare

Noise — it's everywhere! Noisemakers abound: fans, compressors, leaf blowers. Even libraries, once a respite enshrouded in a tomblike hush, have now become community headquarters. Am I the only one left seeking silence in what seems like a deafening world? From the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety: "Sound is what we hear. Noise is unwanted sound. The difference between sound and noise depends upon the listener and the circumstances."

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