Content about Human resource management

The use of criminal background checks by employers is being closely watched.

Concerns that convictions among African Americans and Hispanics were causing hiring discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunity Council has issued new guidelines regarding employer use of criminal records under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to the Pew Center on the States 2010 study, while one in every 87 white men in America have been incarcerated, among Hispanics it is 1-in-36 and blacks it is 1-in-12.

Salt Lake City -- Overstock.com said Tuesday that chairman and CEO Patrick Byrne will take a leave of absence for medical reasons. Company president Jonathan Johnson will assume Byrne’s CEO duties during the leave, although Byrne will remain chairman of the board.

Byrne, in recent years, had undergone various procedures regarding cardiac issues that may stem from his earlier episodes of cancer, and his leave of absence is associated with these cardiac issues.

New York -- Chain Store Age will hold a webinar on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT) that will examine email marketing trends for Black Friday 2012 and how marketers used email to promote store shopping and events during the holiday weekend.

The webinar, sponsored by Bronto, will also cover such topics as promotional trends and the influence of mobile and social. Find out what you will need to do early in next year’s holiday season to ensure success.

Brentwood, Tenn. -- Tractor Supply Co. said Thursday that, as part of its planned management succession, current president and COO Gregory Sandfort will assume the role of president and CEO, effective Jan. 1. He will also be appointed to the board of directors at that time.

Current chairman and CEO James Wright will be appointed executive chairman of the board with a one-year term.

Prior to his tenure at Tractor Supply, Sandfort was president and COO of Michaels Stores.

Dallas -- PeopleAnswers and Real Mex Restaurants said Thursday the pair has executed a software licensing agreement that will bring the PeopleAnswers HR solution to Real Mex for pre-screening, selecting and hiring managers.

Philadelphia -- Management consulting firm Hay Group reported Tuesday that employee turnover levels in the retail industry are on the rise.

According to a new survey from Hay Group, an improving job market and solid first quarter sales are impacting turnover. Retailers report a median turnover rate of 67% for part-time store workers, a 33% increase over 2011. One in five retailers report that they have experienced more turnover in the first part of 2012.

Newton, Pa. -- Restaurant operator, The Rose Group, a 59-unit Applebee's and four-unit Corner Bakery Café franchisee, said Tuesday it has selected JobApp Network as its automated hiring solution to improve restaurant hiring, manage compliance and maximize employee tax credits.

Including the Rose Group, nearly 150 Applebee's units are currently utilizing the complete end-to-end hiring solution provided by JobApp, based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Charleston, S.C. -- PeopleMatter, a talent management solution provider for the service industry, said that Apple Sauce, LLC, a major franchisee in the Applebee’s system, has selected the the PeopleMatter Platform for talent management to find, develop and manage talent. The solution will be used for more than 78 Applebee’s locations in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Florida.

RadioShack has improved its hiring decisions chainwide with the use of a behavioral assessment solution. The Web-based solution is designed not only to make the overall hiring process more efficient, but also to improve performance and reduce turnover by helping to identify the candidate who is the best fit for a given position and is thus more likely to perform better on the job. 


Economic forecasts for 2011 are a mixed bag for senior executives in retail companies. Executive compensation packages and salary increases are expected to be healthier than in the last two years, but the overall economy is, at best, in a state of stagnation. 


The Society for Human Resource Management, or SHRM, based in Arlington, Va., projected median salaries across all industries would rise 3% this year, compared with the more modest 2.5% increase that was the median in 2010. 


Chelmsford, Mass. -- Century 21 Department Stores has chosen Kronos’ selection and hiring solution to manage the end-to-end hiring process for its 3,500 employees. With the solution, the retailer anticipates a 50% reduction in the time it currently spends on hiring new employees for its retail stores and corporate office.