B2B Connection

TrustRadius Top Rated Today, we awarded the 2019 TrustRadius Top Rated badges for Learning Management Systems (LMS). The TrustRadius Top Rated awards are the most trusted in the industry because they are an unbiased reflection of customer sentiment, based solely on user feedback and satisfaction scores. Top Rated awards are the voice of the market and are not influenced by analyst opinion, the vendor’s company size, popularity, or status as a TrustRadius customer. Learning Management Systems (LMS) An LMS is a platform that helps instructors manage educational resources, communicate with students outside of class, and conduct online classes. Common LMS features include content creation and management systems, course management tools, grading tools, separate portals for students and instructors, and student data analytics. Some LMS vendors offer additional features such as mobile apps, gamification systems, integration with social media, and learning object repositories (LORs). Most products support standard Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) plugins that add new features or integrate with third-party software like YouTube, Microsoft Office, and Learning.com. Some LMS vendors include support for technology-enhanced items (TEIs), which add interactive elements to assessments. TEIs can be used to ask students to perform tasks such as identifying keywords, labeling images, or completing […]

When trying to source the best candidates for a role, recruiters sometimes forget that a well-planned content strategy can make their job a lot easier for them. This is because engaging and informative content attracts top talent in a way that saves time and effort. But this isn’t the only benefit of prioritizing content in your recruitment marketing strategy. If you can consistently deliver high-quality content, you can add value to your business in all sorts of ways. Indeed, there are six reasons why recruiters should pay more attention to content creation. 1. Positing Yourself as a Thought Leader One of the key aspects of any successful marketing strategy is positioning your business as a trusted source of advice and knowledge. And this is no exception for recruiters. Sharing up-to-date, accurate insights about your industry lets not just clients, but also prospective employees know that they can trust you for useful information. You want to offer the kind of news, articles, blog posts, and thought pieces that they can’t find anywhere else. Original and interesting content will keep them returning to your website, and it will boost your overall reputation. It lets your audience of prospective customers and employees know that you’re […]

The competition for recruiters is more demanding than ever, with 72.8 % of HR professionals “struggling to find relevant candidates.” Depending on your industry, the recruitment process can become even more difficult in the winter, when holiday travel and festivities slow everything down. Key stakeholders are often traveling, and it’s the end of a fiscal year, before new budgets are available. So how do you set your company and job openings apart as unemployment rates are falling? The number of recruitment tools promising success to HR professionals is, quite frankly, dizzying. But recruitment is, and always should remain, a human-centered activity. An effective recruitment plan doesn’t rely solely on all automated tools or manual outreach. Instead, the plan blends the two to create efficiency with a personal touch. Below, we’ve identified both the challenges and trends you’ll need to take into account this winter. In turn, we discuss how you can design your recruitment strategy to tackle the holiday season. Here’s how: Rethink Your Strategy From the Ground Up Millennials aren’t afraid to leave a job that isn’t making them happy. In fact, this prevailing demographic job-hopped at nearly double the rate of their predecessors within the past 20 years. […]

”Culture eats strategy for breakfast” – Peter Drucker Having a good company culture relies on a variety of tangible and intangible factors. It is something that needs to be cultivated over time and practiced by managers and employees alike. And in today’s business world it is extremely important and can often be the “make or break” factor for your company. In fact, millennials–who make up around 35% of the US workforce–value company culture over many other things, including money. Additionally, company culture is important as it can have positive effects on your employee retention, engagement, and overall performance. Having good company culture also leads to happier employees, who are proven to be more engaged and perform better–12% more productive to be exact! Now that we’ve discussed the significance of a good company culture, here are 5 helpful tips to promote it in your workplace. Communicate and define your values “Having a clear mission and making sure you know that mission and making sure that mission comes through the company is probably the most important thing you can do for both culture and values.” – Brian Chesky, CEO, Airbnb According to an employee engagement poll, 1 in 4 employees are “indifferent or […]

Whether you are a small business or a Fortune 500 company, hiring is an imperative part of running your business. Unfortunately, finding top talent in today’s job market has become more competitive than ever. Gone are the days of posting a simple job ad and watching great applications roll in. Now, candidates have the upper hand. According to a recent survey, over 40 percent of employees surveyed said they plan on changing jobs in 2018. To keep up, employers will have to adopt new recruiting strategies to attract the best candidates. To help out, we have put together a list of unique ways to find top talent: 1. Use your employees as recruiters. In this highly competitive recruiting market, your employees may be the best place to look to for finding qualified candidates. Your employees are the ones who know what it takes to work for your company, and they want to find someone who would be a great addition to their team. Start by letting your employees know what you are looking for and incentivize if you can. Many businesses offer a referral bonus to thank employees for their help. Using your employees for recruitment may not only lead […]

As a manager, a call from HR can be one of the most stressful calls you receive if you’re not prepared.  Even though most managers have a better relationship with HR than, say, Michael Scott does, there are still phone calls no one wants to receive from HR.  Let’s look at five such calls, and how you can prepare for situations like these before they happen. 1. “You know Devon – as in Devon who you terminated two weeks ago?  We just got a letter from his attorney.” It’s easy for this kind of news to trigger an emotional response – What is he claiming?  How will I be implicated? – but try to keep your cool and focus on the facts. As you prepare, gather any documentation you have about the reason for termination, from poor performance to disciplinary action. Your HR Leader will require this documentation from you as they work closely with your legal counsel to address the situation. Never speak with the terminated employee or their attorney.  Even if Devon calls you directly, or his lawyer does, do not engage.  Let your HR Leader and your legal counsel speak for you. Don’t make any disparaging remarks about […]

If you’ve spent any time in business you know about the importance of customer experience as a way to retain customers, reduce churn rates, and attract new customers. Similarly, in recent years top-performing companies have turned that kind of attention inwards. They’ve identified employee experience as a way to retain talent, make employees happy, attract new recruits, and ultimately be better at business. As a result, these top-performing organizations have started to dedicate significant resources to measuring and improving how engaged and happy their employees feel. Below we’ll explore why treating your employees with the same level of care as you do your customers benefits all parties involved. What is Employee Experience? A lot of people believe that employee experience (EX) is synonymous with corporate culture but that’s only part of it. According to author and speaker Jacob Morgan, there are three components that make up employee experience: culture, technological environment, and physical environment. In this trifecta that makes up your employee experience, the culture is defined by the values and everyday actions of everyone in the company; the technological environment is composed of all the internal communication tools your employees use to communicate with each other like (Slack or internal email […]

A powerful HR department is essential for your thriving business.   As businesses shift to become more mobile, agile, and global, more stress is being placed on HR teams. Employees expect an HR team who provides an amazing onboarding process, constant feedback and recognition, and timely attention to their needs. Not only that, but they expect their documents and timesheets to be digital, mobile and self-service. As an HR representative, it is easy to find yourself overwhelmed. Fortunately, this is where modern HR management software comes in. HR management software is no longer just about employee history, timesheets, and payroll. In fact, solutions now include all core HR functions plus talent management and integrations with other business tools. Modern HR management suites are where core HR operations and strategic HR programs converge. The options for equipping your HR department are endless. To help you get started, we take a look at one of the most classic HR providers: Zenefits. After we give you the low-down on this solution, we will explore alternative options available to you as well. Zenefits for HR Zenefits is online software built for the entire HR ecosystem. Since 2003, this platform has evolved to feature HR, […]

No matter what type of business you are in, time is money. Growing businesses need easier ways to track time and expenses. Today, instead of using spreadsheets or complicated invoice reporting, managing costs can be simple as opening an app on your phone. Both Time Tracking and Expense Management software have been instrumental in allowing freelancers and companies of all sizes to track their time, expenses, and analyze resulting profits easily. There is a substantial overlap in these two categories because time and expenses are not mutually exclusive. Time Tracking software is an instrumental tool for modern workspaces. Remote workers and staff who travel for meetings can sign in from anywhere. Firms that manage multiple projects can analyze how much time is being spent on each task and reallocate if needed. It’s additionally beneficial for the hard working freelancer who shouldn’t give away free hours to developing a project and for the employer who is worried about staff “stealing” time. Expense Management tools today make expense tracking easier for both employees and companies. Software enables employees to keep track of expenses on the go (like submitting receipt photos from mobile, for example), and gives businesses a more streamlined way to […]

The war for talent is more intense than ever. Just when organizations are starting to adapt to the demands of millennials, their successors–Generation Z–are ready to stir up a storm. Satisfying these tech-savvy workers is notoriously tricky. Now, HR leaders aren’t just competing against other employers–they’re also battling demands from their potential recruits. Generation-based stereotypes are broad judgments, but there is often a lot of truth to the observations when it comes to recruiting and workplace culture. Younger generations demand convenience, and job-hopping doesn’t carry a stigma anymore–it is a way of life. If a role fails to fulfill their expectations, the next-generation workforce will gladly trade it in for another opportunity. HR staff move mountains to find qualified workers and hire them. Once new employees sign on, the grueling task of training and engaging them begins. Consequently,  one slip in this phase can invoke churn, dump all of HR’s efforts down the drain, and leave them back at square one with seats to fill. The truth is, nearly 56% of all new hires leave their job within the first year. 2017 saw a steep rise in employee turnover rates, and 2018 doesn’t look any better. Work Institute’s retention report […]

With project deadlines and new products rolling out, many businesses tend to put recruitment on the back burner. The thought is that a quick job posting with a few sketched out details will be enough to find a suitable candidate. While some businesses may get lucky with this approach, the truth is a bit more complicated. If you want a great company, you want great people. If you want great employees, you’ll need a great job post to attract them. “I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day, you bet on people, not on strategies.”  ~ Lawrence Bossidy, GE There it is: people trump nearly everything else you do. Why is that? Without exceptional, motivated people, success will be more elusive. A solid job post will help you attract promising leads, leaving a great first impression on your candidates and opening up an avenue for them to leave a fantastic impression on you. If you are looking to recruit stellar employees for your new product or project, you most likely already know what you are looking for. You have the experience, personality and strengths of your ideal […]

Mobile workforces are becoming increasingly common. As companies look to save money on office space and employees look for flexibility, remote teams have become a popular choice. This development comes with its own set of benefits and challenges. On one hand, a mobile workforce can arguably increase productivity, lower costs and increase flexibility. On the other hand, companies may find it challenging to manage these remote employees well and encourage teams to collaborate. But these challenges are not insurmountable! There are many tools in place to help small businesses and large enterprises manage their mobile workforces. These business apps can help you keep employees in communication and productivity. But that’s not the entire point – you don’t just want to manage your employees, you want to support your mobile workforce. We took some time to research which software tools TrustRadius users utilize to help them support their mobile workforce. Some useful tools are for collaboration, while others focus on time tracking or video communication. This list is in no particular order, but all the products have at least one thing in common: they are used by customers to support a geographically diverse team. 1. Dropbox Business Dropbox Business expands the cloud […]

Today, we awarded the 2018 TrustRadius Top Rated badges for Workforce Management Software. The TrustRadius Top Rated awards are unique in that they are an unbiased reflection of customer sentiment, based solely on user satisfaction scores.  Here are the winners in each segment, listed in order of research frequency on TrustRadius. We have also provided insights on how to pick the right workforce management software based on your needs and current industry trends. Overall Top Rated Kronos Workforce Ready UltiPro Ceridian Dayforce Beeline VMS Top Rated by Enterprises UltiPro Kronos Workforce Ready Ceridian Dayforce PeopleMatter TimeForce Top Rated by Mid-Sized Companies Kronos Workforce Ready UltiPro Beeline VMS PeopleMatter What is workforce management software? Workforce management software provides tools to help you maximize your workforce by efficiently planning, managing, and analyzing employee-centric processes such as staffing, time and attendance, PTO, compliance with labor laws, etc. Many solutions are geared towards particular industries and/or employee time configurations (hourly, or salaried, or both) with the corresponding tools required to manage employees effectively. In addition to scheduling shifts and tracking employee attendance, workforce management systems can also be used to forecast labor demands and report on the efficiency of your staff.  Workforce management solutions […]

Today, we awarded the 2018 TrustRadius Top Rated badges for Talent Management Software. The TrustRadius Top Rated awards are unique in that they are an unbiased reflection of customer sentiment, based solely on user satisfaction scores. Here are the winners in each segment, listed in order of research frequency on TrustRadius. We have also provided insights on how to pick the right talent management software based on your needs and current industry trends. Overall Top Rated UltiPro Workday Human Capital Management Oracle HCM Cloud Saba PeopleFluent Mirror Suite for Talent Management Top Rated by Enterprises Workday Human Capital Management UltiPro Oracle HCM Cloud Cornerstone OnDemand Saba PeopleFluent Mirror Suite for Talent Management Top Rated by Mid-Sized Companies UltiPro Oracle HCM Cloud Kenexa PeopleMatter PeopleFluent Mirror Suite for Talent Management What is talent management software? Talent management suites are designed to effectively track and coordinate all the HR activities that take place during the lifecycle of an employee, ranging from recruiting and onboarding to training, performance reviews, PTO, compensation adjustments, etc. Talent Management suites contain a combination of tools for performance management, recruiting, corporate learning, incentive/compensation planning, workforce analytics, and/or employee engagement. Main benefits of using talent management software Talent management […]

With the advent of platforms like Upwork, Elance, and Freelancer.com, the freelance economy has absolutely exploded. According to a 2017 study on Freelancing in America conducted by Edelman Intelligence, there are over 57 million freelancers working in the United States alone. That’s over 35% of the workforce! What’s perhaps even more telling, is that a strong majority of freelancers (63% to be exact) feel more financially secure with diversified income as opposed to just one employer. Freelancers in the study average 4.5 clients per month. Freelancers are also now investing in skill development on a regular basis. The study found 55% of freelancers reskilled within the last 6 months! That’s almost double the 30% of others who reskilled within the same time frame. So what does this revolution mean for small businesses? Expert human resources, that were formerly only available to small businesses as full-time hires, can now be afforded on an as-needed basis. It’s not dissimilar to the flexibility the SaaS model has provided to smaller businesses over the past decade. After all, the SaaS boom opened the door for budget-strapped organizations to leverage tools formerly reserved for enterprises and pay to use them monthly on a subscription basis, […]

Now, more than ever, people are clamoring for a humanized workplace — one where employees feel safe and respected, motivated to innovate, and inspired to get work done efficiently. Historically speaking, business strategies have always revolved around production and outcomes. And for the longest time, human capital was deemed a mere instrument to achieving those goals.   While some businesses may have managed to stay afloat by following such principles, the ones that can truly endure the tests of time are the organizations that provide the best conditions for employees to thrive and to innovate. Today, the workforce has been empowered to set their own terms. Financial compensation alone is not enough to motivate people to work hard, as professionals are seeking humanized work environments — where their voices can be heard, and where collaboration, inclusivity, and transparency are upheld. Below are the top 5 ways HR leaders can humanize an organization. 1. Promote Equality and Diversity A humanized organization is one that supports diversity and equality in the workplace. Since the New York Times published that expose on the now-disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein’s sexual impropriety, Hollywood and various other industries have made great strides to overcome workplace inequality. Through […]

There’s mounting pressure on companies to build a thriving workplace and culture in order to stay competitive, and the people you recruit are at the heart of this. Finding the right talent for your company can be an overwhelming task with an endless number of platforms and job boards at your fingertips. Understanding who to target in the pool of passive and active candidates is tricky, and figuring out how to successfully reach them can be even trickier. A five-star candidate sourcing program requires developing a cohesive strategy. It can be tempting to dive into sourcing right away, but it’s important to first communicate with management and determine what skills align with your company goals. Make sure you’re also synced up on the timeline and resources available for the project. All of these factors will play a big role in not only who you target, but where you look and what tools you use. You will also need to clearly develop a hiring pipeline and onboarding process with your team prior to sourcing candidates. Onboarding the best candidates takes strategic thought and implementation, beyond leaving it up to software alone to do the job for you. With the right balance […]

The rising trend of using office happy hours and free snacks as a way to keep employees engaged has continuously proven to be less successful than being a proactive employer. Although outside factors may ultimately drive employee satisfaction, the actions of employers—particularly within the first weeks of employment—have a statistically high correlation to team members’ lifetime success in the workplace. Despite those numbers, many companies still forgo thorough onboarding in favor of a meager orientation session or lightning-speed training—after all, when you needed a role filled yesterday, it’s hard to contemplate sacrificing precious time for drawn-out employee onboarding. However, investing in comprehensive onboarding ultimately means investing in your employees. Research shows that employees tend to form fast opinions about the job during their first few days of work, which means that those early days are a tenuous time for employee retention. Indeed, statistics further show that most turnover occurs within the first weeks of employment. Ultimately, the more time that you’re willing to spend on initial training and orientation, the longer team members tend to stick around. In order to improve retention levels and build a more positive onboarding experience all around, there are a few recommended best practices that […]

Today, we awarded the 2018 TrustRadius Top Rated badges for Core HR Software. The TrustRadius Top Rated awards are unique in that they are an unbiased reflection of customer sentiment, based solely on user satisfaction scores. They are not influenced by analyst opinion, the vendor’s company size, popularity, site traffic, or status as a TrustRadius customer. Core Human Resource (HR) Software, or Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS), encompasses benefits administration, personnel tracking, and payroll. These systems are also referred to as back-end HR systems since they help manage key administrative HR tasks, and are essentially the employee system of record. These core tasks are distinct from strategic HR tasks like performance management, recruiting, talent management, and learning management. Core HR Software streamlines communication between HR and employees through storage and management of crucial data such as employee personal information, payroll, assets, attendance, and reporting. HR vendors are beginning to integrate recruiting, talent and performance management capabilities into existing Core HR software, creating Human Capital Management (HCM) suites. Here are the winners: Overall Top Rated Workday Human Capital Management Workday Human Capital Management is a cloud-based HR and finance system that offers staffing, self-service, reporting, and analytics services for medium and large […]

Today, we awarded the 2018 TrustRadius Top Rated badges for Corporate Learning Management Systems. The TrustRadius Top Rated awards are unique in that they are an unbiased reflection of customer sentiment, based solely on user satisfaction scores. They are not influenced by analyst opinion, the vendor’s company size, popularity, site traffic, or status as a TrustRadius customer. Corporate Learning software caters to internal (employee) and/or external (customer) training. Some products in this category are designed for distribution of content, engagement tracking, and reporting, while other products allow users to create or customize content. Other Corporate Learning tools provide a library of pre-made content and assessments for particular industries, technologies, or certifications. The best fit for your company will depend on factors like the size of your training department, resources available to create custom content, frequency of training, subject matter, and type of employees being trained. Reviews from business leaders, trainers/content authors, managers, and employees can provide the full range of perspectives on these products, from how easy it is to update courses and how well they track compliance, to how engaging courses are for trainees. Here are the winners: Overall Top Rated Articulate Storyline Articulate Storyline empowers individual managers and […]