Since there was a lot of good stuff on the interwebs this week, we're sharing the latest. No themes, no topics, just the latest in HR thinking. Happy weekend!

1) Employers set to increase career development program to retain talent from Employee Benefit Advisor

"Career development programs are poised for significant growth this year, as employers recognize alternative rewards as part of a benefits strategy to keep and retain employees. According to new research by Korn Ferry Hay Group, companies are prioritizing career development over other alternative rewards, benefits and bonuses for their employees. More than half of the 242 employer respondents polled by the consulting group said they intend to expand the use of career development programs across all employee levels. “Retention of key talent is a top-of-mind issue for organizations these days, given the lowest unemployment in several years and continued economic health of most industry sectors,” says Tom McMullen, rewards practice leader, Korn Ferry Hay Group."

2) Coke to offer six week paid leave for all new parents in 2017 from ajc.com

"Beginning next January, Coca-Cola will offer U.S. employees who are new parents — including mothers, fathers, adoptive parents and those providing foster care — six weeks of paid leave. The new benefits will supplement the time off Coke currently gives to birth mothers — roughly six to eight weeks of paid leave — through short-term disability. “Fostering an inclusive workplace means valuing all parents – no matter their gender or sexual orientation,” Ceree Eberly, Coke’s Chief People Officer, said on the company’s website Monday. “We think the most successful way to structure benefits to help working families is to make them gender-neutral and encourage both moms and dads to play an active role in their family lives.” The company, citing statistics from the Society for Human Resource Management, said 21 percent of large U.S. businesses offered paid maternity leave in 2015, up from 12 percent in 2014."

3) Employer Branding: Fad or Future? The Expert Review from Beamery

"Branding building has been part and parcel of the marketing process for years. Nowadays though, the way we market our companies to candidates is becoming increasingly important. Long gone are the days of top talent beating a path to our door, nowadays the onus is on earning the best candidates’ attention. Job applications are starting to receive the same scrutiny as any other purchasing decision. In this case, instead of reading reviews on Amazon, applicants are turning to social media and to websites like Glassdoor to get the real scoop on companies."

4) Why Hiring Managers Need to Be Totally Responsible for Hiring from Inc.

"Hiring managers need to be able to attract, assess, recruit, retain and develop top talent. Otherwise they'll be left to the whims of the HR department. There's a reason LinkedIn has fallen on hard times. It's the same reason job boards are now ineffective and why every new hiring tool quickly falls short of its initial promise. It's due to the law of diminishing returns: Once everyone has the same tools and uses the same techniques, everyone will get average results. However, there are still a few things when it comes to hiring that can't be mass produced. The big ideas fall around these central strategic shifts."

5) The 4 Keys Of Remarkable Company Culture from Forbes

"It’s a buzzword being thrown around by business leaders quite a bit right now. And while everyone is talking about it, nobody seems to know what it really is. Ever notice how some teams seem to function better than others no matter who is on the team? I’ve been paying attention to culture more and more, and I have come to believe that it is the most important factor in a company’s productivity, talent acquisition and retention, and even its viability. In a world where the war for talent is scaling up on a daily basis, building a healthy company culture can be the difference between getting by and getting ahead."

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 our employer brand innovation, workforce research, and recruiting strategy offerings.