Resources

Do you know what your employees really want? One survey reveals discrepancies in what managers think employees want and what workers actually do.

Every company wants engaged employees, and most HR executives, if they’re being honest, will admit that they haven’t found the perfect solution yet. Studies show that employee engagement remains a substantial challenge; a 2015 Gallup poll found that a staggering 51 percent of the workforce is not engaged.

There’s constant buzz in the HR community about being named a “best company to work for.” But HR executives should be careful in assuming that meeting those awards’ criteria is all it takes to be a “best company.”

Earlier this year, Starbucks announced it will offer tuition reimbursement to employees. In a headline-grabbing, 4,000-employee hiring binge, Chipotle showed candidates a career path where entry-level employees eventually could find themselves working in the corporate office. And in related news, restaurants in Seattle, San Francisco and St. Paul, Minn., are competing for top-chef talent with wage wars.

Since its inception in the early ‘90s, the business-casual dress code has become a norm in the modern workplace. It has its perks: Employees say a relaxed dress code has the power to motivate them, boost morale and act as a powerful recruiting tool.

Focusing efforts on engaging employees can be a slippery slope. Even employers with the best of intentions can find themselves spending their resources on free lunches and on-site gyms to make employees happy, only to lose sight of what true engagement means, why it matters and what fully engaged employees can do for their business.

Just like you and me, sharks have their own set of personality traits, and these attributes have set both species apart as apex predators. In honor of one of the greatest weeks featuring our misconstrued finned friends from the sea, TV’s Shark Week, we are discussing the parallels shared between sharks and the job titles that make up corporate America.

The greatest flaw in intent is how often good intentions go bad. It doesn’t matter if you “didn’t mean to” offend someone; regardless, they’re upset and you have to figure out how to move on.

I started the year talking about innovation and how we all can be innovators. Great innovators are ordinary people, like you and me, doing extraordinary things.

In 2013, U.S. businesses spent nearly$162 billion on learning initiatives, according to the Association for Talent Development, and yet questions linger whether organizations are getting their money’s worth.

All great innovations begin with someone intending to be different, be better and be successful. If you don’t have intent, you can’t innovate.

2014 was monumental for Paycom and I want to take a moment to reflect on the year that has passed since our initial public offering on the NYSE. In those 52 weeks, we’ve developed and released nine new major products or enhancements, added many new clients and witnessed the value of our stock more than double. The reason for our success is due to our unique value proposition: Paycom’s innovative technology, motivated people and astounding growth.