There are some big brands included in the employment news conversation this week: Google and Starbucks to name a few. Get leadership tips from the Final Four coaches, and see how culture can help the bottom line in this week's Talent and HR News Weekly Roundup.
1) Google's Head of HR Shares His Hiring Secrets from Fast Company
"Laszlo Bock knew he wasn’t walking into a traditional corporate setting in 2006 when he arrived for his job interview for head of people operations at Google. Google recruiter Martha Josephson implored Bock, who had done stints at firms like GE and McKinsey & Co., not to wear a suit to his interview. No one wears suits there, she told him—show up in one, and they'll think you don't get them or their culture. Bock acquiesced, but kept a necktie in his jacket pocket just in case."
2) Focus on Your Company Culture, and Earnings Will Follow from Forbes
"What do Google, Wegmans, Build-A-Bear Workshop, and Zappos all have in common? Recently, Fortune ranked the country’s 100 best companies to work for, and after digging deeper into the data, found that culture was a key consideration for employees of most of the organizations on the list. This isn’t a new idea, and it certainly shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, we hear a lot about corporate culture these days — praising organizations like these that have a strong corporate culture and lamenting those that don’t."
3) The Four Leadership Styles of the Final Four Coaches from Washington Post
"The four men whose teams will face off in Saturday's Final Four games of the NCAA men's tournament have been called a "Mount Rushmore of modern coaches." Each of them — loved or hated though they may be — is among the NCAA's most veteran, heralded greats and reminds us how much college basketball continues to be a coach's game. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski has won more than 1000 games. Michigan State University's Tom Izzo will be coaching his seventh Final Four team. Kentucky's John Calipari is aiming to make his team the first one undefeated in college basketball since 1976 if the Wildcats go all the way. And though Wisconsin's Bo Ryan may have been called an "underrated pillar of the sport," he's one of only five active Division I coaches to win more than 700 games."
4) Starbucks to expand online college tuition program from Associated Press
"Starbucks says its workers can now have four years of tuition covered for an online college degree from Arizona State University instead of just two, marking the latest sign that companies are rethinking their treatment of low-wage workers. The Seattle-based coffee chain says the decision is part of its commitment to "redefine the role and responsibility of a public company." The expansion of the program comes as employers increasingly seek to win favor with customers by cultivating their images for being socially responsible. Last week, McDonald's also announced it was expanding a college tuition assistance program to workers at its more than 14,300 U.S. stores. At its company-owned stores, McDonald's said workers would get a pay bump and be able to earn paid time off as well."
5) XpertHR Identifies Five New Changes in California Employment Law from PR Newswire
"New leave laws and equal protection for domestic violence victims, veterans, interns, volunteers and immigrants are among the significant changes in California employment law in 2015, says XpertHR, an online compliance resource. Considered one of the most employee-friendly states, California has a complicated legal landscape, as it offers protections to more classes and employee leave mandates than any other state."
Lexi Gordon is a Lead Consultant for exaqueo, a workforce consultancy that helps organizations build their cultures, employer brands and talent strategies. Contact exaqueo to learn more about how we can help you build a workforce that’s aligned with your company culture and develop an employer brand that will allow your business to scale the right way.