Archive

Table of Contents March 2002

By Staff Report

Mar. 4, 2002

Features

Workforce Optimas Awards 2002
The winners of this year’s Optimas Awards are proof that amazing ideas and solutions can flourish in the workplace, despite a recession and dramatic reversals of fortune.
Optimas General Excellence Winner:
HR Proves Its Value
At food-service giant SYSCO, HR professionals focus on approaches that really work. The results are impressive, bringing SYSCO lower costs, higher retention, and an enviable bottom line.
By Patrick J. Kiger
Why 9/11 Didn’t Change the Workplace
Despite news stories and advertising hype, the terrorist attacks have not brought massive changes to most workplaces. The challenges that HR faced before 9/11, however, are greater than ever. They need HR’s undivided attention.
By Shari Caudron
How to Make the Right Voluntary Benefit Choices
Voluntary benefits build retention at little cost to employers. But the array of choices means that HR needs to pick the programs that fit their employees.
By Jennifer Hutchins
HR Takes Charge of Contingent Staffing
It’s not always HR’s job, but unless HR manages the use of temporary workers, it runs the risk of serious legal, financial, and security problems.
By Carroll Lachnit

Departments

Between the Lines
Why ethics is HR’s issue.
Mailbox
Controlling health costs • Envious? You’re normal • The right textbook date.
The Buzz
Moving Forward with Reverse Mentoring • Well Done: A Turnover Turnaround • Raw Data: Selling Shirts and Seeking Work
On the Contrary
Shari Caudron thought she’d find an atmosphere of kooky disarray in an inventor’s garage workshop. What she actually found was a spotless space, an orderly mind, and a new way of looking at creativity.
What Works
Do you quail and quake when your CEO demands proof that innovative HR practices help the bottom line? Never fear. Tom Terez has the research you need.
Dear Workforce:
CEO? CFO? To whom should HR answer? • Grandfathering benefits • How a non-technical manager evaluates tech skills. 
Small, Medium, Large
Customer satisfaction determines success in this economy. And if the only contact a consumer has with your company is the call-center representative, you’d better hire carefully and train extensively. Here’s how three companies make call-center recruiting and training work.
Legal Insight
Reductions in force are hard enough without discrimination or adverse-impact lawsuits. Here are the steps to take to minimize risks. • A tussle over computer passwords • Fraternization policies.
Think Twice
Who’s a model for great HR practices? Todd Raphael says he’s a bigmouth NBA team owner who has been fined millions and irks his peers, but keeps his employees at the top of their game.

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