Streamlining the hiring process is grabbing headlines this week. LinkedIn just rolled out a feature that allows applicants to schedule their interviews via the site, and Home Depot is doing something similar. Applicants can not only apply in minutes via Home Depot’s mobile apps but they can now schedule interviews in a snap on their smartphones as well. Streamlining the hiring process resulted in a 50 percent surge in applications. In this tight labor market, making it easy to apply is a strategy that’s paying off, and self-scheduling makes HR’s life easier, too. HR Dive
The Norwegian men’s alpine ski team is dominating the Olympics yet again this year. They credit team dynamics for their success: respect for each other, camaraderie on and off the mountain, even sharing rooms when on the road, egalitarianism (despite the fact that two members are national heroes in Norway), and loyalty. How does that help the skiers win medals? They say their teammates constantly supporting and lifting each other up makes the team work harder and stay motivated. It’s a winning concept easily translatable to the workplace. New York Times
Employment classifications matter in terms of who gets employee benefits, so says a California federal court. It handed down a huge victory this week to Grubhub, the food delivery service being sued by one of its drivers, who alleged he was misclassified as an independent contractor and thus owed overtime pay like any other employee. The judge decided that since Grubhub doesn’t control its drivers’ attire, schedule, vehicle, and other aspects of the job, drivers are independent contractors, not employees, and not entitled to employee benefits. Workforce
As the flu marches through offices nationwide, are you monitoring and managing your staff’s sick days? If you aren’t, maybe you should think about it. Analyzing sick-day data can uncover a whole host of issues beyond the bugs. A surge in sick days might mean that the flu is making the rounds, but it also can signal employee overload, ennui, or general unhappiness, all problems HR can help solve. Flipboard HR
Baby Boomers just aren’t retiring at 62 anymore, and as the workforce gets older, age discrimination becomes a factor for HR. In the news this week, longtime sportscaster Warner Wolf announced he is suing radio host Don Imus for age discrimination, alleging he was improperly fired in 2016 at the age of 78 and replaced with a much younger man. Imus’s own on-air comments about Warner’s age put him in the crosshairs. Bottom line: Your company’s age discrimination policies need to be iron-clad, and communicated to managers. Bloomberg
