Understanding UFOs and How They Impact Your Business I had the opportunity to attend SHRM's Employment Law and Legislative Conference this past week and learned additional insights about UFOs, or Union Front Organizations. Union penetration into the private sector has fallen from 35% of employment Americans during the 1950s to just below 7% today. In the face of greater regulation and less interest from workers, unions are developing new tactics and going after new segments of the working public. It’s more important for business owners to be knowledgeable about trends in union efforts to help protect your business interests and your rights.

Providing employees the opportunity to update their knowledge, skills and abilities should be one of your organization’s top priorities and a key component of your employee total rewards package.

How many of you are already thinking about your summer vacation? My colleagues are buzzing about where they will go and how they will spend the coveted time away from work. Some will go to the beach, others are going to the mountains, and some are staying local for a "stay-cation." What I have also noticed is the trend as evidenced by the number of my colleagues concerned about internet accessibility while away from the office. This made me curious. I wondered: "Is it possible for an employee to take a vacation?" and "As a manager, what can I do to ensure my employee has the opportunity to decompress and relax?"

At Helios, our mission is to support enlightened leaders in attracting, retaining and engaging their workforce. By engaging employees, organization leaders are creating an environment where everyone is at work because they want to be. Employee engagement is not only beneficial to productivity, but also has a direct correlation to improved morale. So, how do you engage your employees?

Have you ever given feedback to someone and questioned why you needed to re-state what you thought should have been obvious in the first place? The reality is our employees are all individuals working as part of our larger team. What may seem obvious to us is not always clear to others.

Are you a Federal Contractor who is in the process of or considering making a change to an automated Applicant Tracking System (ATS) from a manual or “home grown” solution? And do you feel that in order to be compliant you have to force candidates through a lengthy and cumbersome application process where you have a large decline in candidates who are willing to complete your application?