Can you imagine if the office you worked in today was like this video from 1950?
Or this one from 1958?
What’s Your Take on the Consumerization of IT?
This is a guest blog post from HRIS analyst, KyleLagunas, of Software Advice.
About the Author: Kyle Lagunas is the HR Analyst at Software Advice—an online resource for talent management software buyers guides and more. He reports on trends and best practices in human resources and recruiting technology. For the full roundtable discussion, find the original post on his blog here. In a world where some of the more innovative technologies are evolving at the consumer level before trickling up to the enterprise, it comes as no surprise that even entry-level employees have access to powerful tools, applications and networks in their personal lives. What is surprising many organizations is how these same technologies have begun infiltrating the workplace. For human resources professionals, the effects are hard to miss. From employee and manager self-service portals to the growing number of social media elements in performance and learning management, the technology employees expect to find in the workplace is changing. But how will this shift–the consumerization of IT–impact the way an organization recruits, engages and manages its workforce? What opportunities and challenges does it present to human resources? I’ve invited a few industry thought leaders to weigh in:
Bob Calamai, Director of HRM & Development at NYU/SCPS
Brandy Fulton, Vice President of HR Operations at Citrix Systems, Inc
Rob Garcia, Vice President of Product at UpMo
According to a survey conducted by Avanade, 73% of executives consider the consumerization of IT a top priority, and 79% will make new investments in embracing this trend in 2012. What factors are driving this?
Fulton: Things that we used to treat as exceptions are becoming the new normal. From road warriors to an increasing number of workers working from home–mobility is huge. Add to that the generational expectations of a workforce who are digitally enabled from day one. If you treat each of these as an individual event, you have a dozen different problems and solutions you have to come up with. If you look at it holistically, you’ll see that there’s a shift happening that you can enable by changing your infrastructure. Embrace the consumerization of IT, and the ability to provide people with the variety and flexibility and mobility they need–you can do all of that.
There’s a widely-held view that access to consumer technology (social media, the Internet, mobile apps) will offer too many distractions, and negatively impact productivity. Do you agree or disagree?
Garcia: Consumer technology definitely has the potential of becoming a distraction—all the more reason for executives to jump in and define policies that enable and encourage positive and productive usage of such technology. But I don’t agree with this sense of ill-fated, inevitable negative impact to productivity. When aligned with company goals, the possibilities are endless: from allowing dispersed team members to collaborate more effectively, to tapping into the knowledge of the crowd, to even allowing the workforce to self-organize and fill job openings and project resource requests.
Where is the greatest opportunity for Human Resources to embrace the consumerization of IT in their organization? Recruiting? Learning and development? Performance management?
Calamai: Companies are slowly shifting away from the annual performance evaluation, and slowly moving toward less formal performance feedback. These types of sharing and information-gathering feedback mechanisms work really well and are easy to use for that purpose. There are products where teammates can comment in real-time on how a project is being executed. You don’t have to wait until the end of the year for feedback from your boss—and that’s really helpful.
Many organizations struggle with the unique challenges specific to recruiting and managing an increasingly mobile and tech-savvy workforce. How can HR tackle these challenges head on, and support leadership in these endeavors?
Fulton: If all of the working parts in an organization are clear in what they want to achieve together–once you identify what you want to accomplish–then you join forces to make sure your plan addresses the people side of things, the procedural and policy side of things, and the infrastructure. I think it is incumbent for IT to work with HR–and engage in an open conversation around the existing state of infrastructure and draw a path for improvement.
Social Media Madness: HR Can Be an Effective Referee
We first wrote about employers needing a social media policy back in 2010 (read the post here) and it’s a topic that our customers often ask for advice on. This is one of the reasons we decided it was very important to offer a “for credit” webinar on the topic of social media in the workplace.
Our webinar on 3/13/12 titled ”Social Media Madness: HR Can Be an Effective Referee” covered quite a range of information. From the history of social media as it has changed our everyday workplace culture, to employment related legalities, all the way through policy recommendations, this 60 minute for-credit webinar offered a breadth of information.
As promised during the webinar Q&A this is a follow up blog post with additional information on sample social media policies.
It can difficult at best for employers to develop, from scratch, a social media policy that protects the employer, empowers the employee, doesn’t get in the way of building an employer/employee relationship, and still helps to engage a company’s community and keep a brand strong.
Let’s start with an infographic on social media in the workplace.
(Infographic is from Mindflash.com. See the original here.)
According to Social Media Today, there are a few standard components one should consider when writing a social media policy. The information below can be found in the original article on their site.
Here are the things to consider when developing a social media policy:
1. Why do you have a social media policy?
2. What is social media?
3. Which social media and networks are we talking about?
4. To whom does the policy apply?
5. How can an employee access to social media?
6. Definition of Terms (strict policy vs. guideline)
We also recommend you read this article in the National Law Review which covers “Social Media in the Workplace: NLRB Offers Guidance for ALL Employers on Offensive Posts and Social Media Policies”. Click hereto read SHRM’s sample social media policies.
(Disclaimer: You must be a SHRM member to login and read this policy).
Additionally, here are some public social media policies from some well known companies and government agencies that can also serve as excellent examples:
For a really full list of real-life examples of corporate social media policies, click here. To watch a recorded version of the Ascentis webinar “Social Media Madness: HR Can Be an Effective Tool”, click here.
Social Media is here to stay. Watch this video on the Social Media Revolution for more facts:
If you are interested in attending any of Ascentis educational series webinars, approved by the American Payroll Association and the Human Resource Certification Institute, click here to our current open webinar registrations.
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa: An excellent tool to rebuild America’s economy
It is simply a great idea. Invest lawfully earned money into US businesses, create significant jobs and you can live permanently in the United States. With the downturn of the US economy, many companies have failed, unemployment has been in double digits, US banks are more constrained in making loans or providing lines of credit and US investors are unable to or more timid about investing. As a result, many US Companies are having trouble funding operations sufficiently and a the economic climate has a chilling effect on establishing new companies or expanding existing ones. While the United States government has been borrowing money from foreign countries, this has simply expanded the massive government debt. A better solution is obtaining international investment from individuals who want to live in the United States.
It is a great time to invest in the United States, commercial real estate is more affordable. Many properties can be purchased at auction. I represented an investor from India who purchased a hotel at auction and converted it into an assisted living facility. It was soon at 100% occupancy and serving the increasing aging population with a secure Alzheimer’s and dementia center. Within a few years it increased in value by 150% and created a healthy cash flow. It also created more than 30 jobs for US workers. The investor then leveraged his investment and purchased three more hotels and saved over 30 more jobs for Americans.
My client utilized the EB-5 Immigrant Investor visa to petition for Permanent Residence for herself and her immediate family. The EB-5 visa was created for investors to obtain permanent residency (green card) by investing capital into a US company that creates ten jobs for Americans or legal permanent residents. Generally, the amount of investment is $1 Million unless the company is in a target employment area. Target employment areas have an unemployment rate of at least 150% of the national average. This means if the US unemployment rate is 10%, the target area must be 15%. Target employment areas can also be rural areas, cities or towns with a population of less than 20,000. Investment into target areas requires $500,000.
Investment of capital must be into a new company. However, that does not mean the investor must establish the company. A new company is defined as one established after Nov. 29, 1990. The investment can also be made into a troubled business, which has lost 20% of its net worth in one of the last two years. Investments into troubled business must retain current number of employees at time of investment. The investment can also be used to expand a business if it results in at least forty percent in the net worth of the business or in the number of employees of the business.
The investment can consist of cash, equipment, inventory, other tangible property, cash equivalents and indebtedness secured by assets of the investor , provided the investor is personally and primarily liable for the indebtedness and that the new company does not secure the debt. The EB-5 regulations also permit pooling of the investment with other EB-5 seekers. The regulations also permit investing along with others who are not seeking the visa.
The investor must prove the source of funds and the regulations require that the capital was acquired legally. This must be proven through submission of tax returns, payroll records, business registration records and other documents indicating the source of money.
The investor must have a managerial role. This can take the shape of a management or executive position, a position as a corporate officer or member of the board of directors or a limited partner, as long as the investor has the same rights, powers and duties normally granted limited partners under the Uniform Limited Partnership Act.
The employment must be created within two years and must consist of full-time jobs. The workers must be employees and cannot be contractors. The jobs cannot temporary jobs such as construction workers. However, some permanent construction jobs are permissible. If the EB-5 application is utilizing the lesser amount under the target employment area, the jobs must be created in that area.
The EB-5 visa also contains a Pilot Program which permits investment into a Regional Center, an economic unit which is involved with the promotion of economic growth as approved by USCIS. An investor may obtain EB-5 status by investing into a regional center project. One distinction between a regional center case is that jobs can be directly or indirectly created by the investment. Indirect job creation is determined by an economic analysis utilizing formulas recognized by USCIS. An example of indirect job creation is investment into building an apartment complex or housing development may create indirect jobs through grocery stores, restaurants or retail establishments built to serve the residents.
In general the process for obtaining an EB-5 is to file the initial petition with evidence that the investor has invested or is in the process of investing capital into the new commercial enterprise with a comprehensive business plan detailing how the jobs will be created. If the petition complies with the applicable regulations, the immigrant investor will receive a conditional green card. After a year and a half and before two years, the investor must file a petition to remove the conditions. The petition must establish that the business plan was followed, the requisite sums of money were invested and that the jobs were created. The regulation for when the jobs are to be created is unclear, as they require the investor created or can be expected to create within a reasonable period of time ten full-time jobs for qualifying employees. Documentation of proof may include payroll records, tax documents and I-9 forms.
America is still the land of opportunity and a wonderful place to live, our companies need access to capital and our people need jobs. The EB-5 visa is an excellent way to partner with investors from around the world and provide a win-win solution.
Learn more about international hiring and immigration law with the “Does Immigration Law Make You Want to Stick Your Head Through a Wall?” webinar taking place on Tuesday 3/27 at 10am PST. This 60 minute webinar is free to all attendees.
Today’s guest blog post comes from immigration attorney, Jon Velie.
Jon Velie is owner and President of Velie Law Firm, one of the nation’s premier immigration and corporate law offices. Doing business as Velie Law Firm and OnlineVisas.Com, Jon Velie has represented world renowned athletes and entertainers, and major corporations such as Tyson Foods and Lucent’s Bell Laboratories.
Jon has testified in court as an expert in immigration, has briefed three cases to the United States Supreme Court, as well as winning a Washington DC Court of Appeals case labeled “the most significant civil rights case in the 21st Century”. He has addresses US Congressional and agency panels as well as universities across the United States.