This week's HR news was all over the place but what stood out were the radical ideas--the "something to consider" as you're thinking about strategy and execution.

1) Radical Idea at the Office: A 40-Hour Workweek from The Wall Street Journal

"At exactly 6 p.m. on any given weekday, the exodus begins at United Shore Financial Services LLC. By 6:05, “the parking lot is pretty much empty,” says Ahmed Haidar, who works in client relations at the Troy, Mich.-based wholesale mortgage lender. United Shore is among a group of small firms trying a radical management idea notable for just how un-radical it is: a 40-hour workweek."

2) The One Interview Question You Should Always Ask, But No One Ever Does from Inc. 

"You're interviewing someone for a key position, and you like what you see. This person's experience and demeanor, and the conversations you've had so far, indicate that he or she is a perfect fit for the job and your company. On the other hand, you know that eager applicants do everything they possibly can to make a good impression when interviewing for a job. Wouldn't it be great if there was a simple way you could find out the things about their personalities and job histories that they aren't so proud of? There is. Ask for negative references."

3) Recruitment Marketing on Autopilot is a Risky Business from exaqueo

"Any pilot will tell you, that even when the machine is humming along, there many, many factors that play into a safe, on-time arrival.  And the same goes for hiring. At exaqueo, we call it "source of influence." We coined the term several years ago when we realized through every workforce research project we did that there was no such thing as a source of hire. Sure, an applicant's last port of call might come from a job board or a company's career site. But that wasn't WHY they applied.  Further, there was never one reason, or one source of influence that drove a candidate to consider a company or apply for a job.  It's not just product, price, place and promotion (the classic 4Ps of marketing). It's the influence of people and relationships."

4)  How to Measure and Maximize Quality of Hire from Inc.

"There's no magic to hiring great people. It starts by figuring out what the best people do differently than everyone else doing the same work. I've given half a dozen talks in the past few weeks to more than 1,000 recruiters. They all complained they couldn't measure quality of hire until the person has been on the job for at least 3-6 months. I said this was a bunch of bull."

Susan LaMotte is the founder of exaqueo, a workforce consultancy that helps companies build cultures, employer brands and talent strategies. Contact exaqueo to learn how to better compete for talent by building honest, authentic employer brands and powerful talent attraction and retention programs.