The Top HR Products of 2011 Award winners were recognized at the 14th Annual HR Technology® Conference & Exposition held in Las Vegas in October. Judged by editors of Human Resource Executive® magazine, the top products were selected based on their innovation, user‐friendliness and value to the HR profession.

The Global Human Resources Outsourcing (GHRO) team isn’t recommending any one product over another…we’re just sharing.  The Top winning products are:

1. RAVE, by BI Worldwide, is a mobile and web‐based platform designed to facilitate communications, engagement, recognition, promotion, incentives, learning and brand management. Built for mobile devices first and Web second, it is geared to serve and reach audiences on the go. It also has the capability to share recognitions and announcements with personal Facebook, Twitter and email accounts. Features include customizable mobile learning programs, a secure and private social networking environment for connecting across an organization, promotions and incentive tools to help product and brand managers drive their messages to the front lines, and alerts and push messages designed to put corporate information into the hands of employees.
2. Manager Ready, by Development Dimensions International (DDI), is DDI’s electronic version of its “day‐in‐the‐life” assessment experience that it has been offering at its facility in Bridgeville, Pa., for years. Long in the planning, the interactive and simulated three‐and‐a‐half‐hour experience now gives online participants the same opportunities to respond to realistic job challenges – although only through open‐ended emails as opposed to the live assessment’s additional role‐playing and telephone activities.  Like the “in‐person experience,” Manager Ready lets participants come face‐to‐face with real business problems in the form of videotaped messages and steadily streaming emails from supervisors, subordinates, colleagues and customers – all of them needing to be prioritized and acted upon.  DDI assessors follow up with reports, ratings and development plans for both the participant and his or her manager.
3. EASy Virtual Customer Simulation, by Employment Technology Corp., uses high‐end graphics and a storyline to immerse applicants into a variety of venues within a hypothetical town, where they meet a cast of characters who help them navigate through the simulation.  To complete it, applicants must visit the different venues and provide outstanding service to a variety of customers – who have varying degrees of unpleasantness – while mini‐games carry the applicant from one venue to another. The assessment also measures applicants’ abilities in three competencies: friendliness, conscientiousness and problem‐solving abilities.
4. HireVue Enterprise, by HireVue, enables employers to create a holistic environment for conducting and managing the interview process. Companies can use the platform to deploy video interviews, interview guides, scientifically validated questions, collaborative evaluation and comparison tools, and more. From phone screens to video interviews, all types of workplace interactions can be captured and used to make more informed decisions. The product’s authoring tool includes templates and frameworks that enable content to be organized and pushed out to the entire enterprise.
5. Keas Health Challenge, by Keas, is designed to get employees to take their well‐being more seriously through quizzes, challenges and the promise of a cash prize. The product encourages players (employees) to engage in three simple, manageable health actions (such as getting eight hours of sleep each night for a week) and team up with other players into groups of six in order to amass the most points in a given companywide challenge. Players also can see a live news feed of updates from teammates and others in the organization from their own profile page, as well as comment and share advice on health challenges.

Look for Part II of this post with the rest of the list next week.

However, the most memorable aspect of Ms. Bovino is not simply her notable career accomplishments, of which she has many, but it is her considerable philanthropic work that truly makes her a remarkable person.

Ms. Bovino is a major contributor and co-chair of the Women’s Philanthropy Fund of Orange County which is an organization solely focused on helping women and children who are in need of support.

Founded in 2002, the Women’s Philanthropy Fund consists of over 110 members who give $10,000 or more every year to support the Orange County United Way. The WPF is the most successful group of women philanthropists in Orange County and in conjunction with the United Way provide crucial help to thousands of underprivileged women and children who are in need of basic services such as medical, education, financial and counseling.

The WPF member’s collective support of the women and children of Orange County has transformed the lives of many families in the community by providing them with the emotional and financial support to get them back on their feet to ensure them safer and brighter futures.

Ms. Bovino’s philanthropic reach extends even further by serving as the Executive Director of the Owl Foundation. The Owl Foundation is focused on out-of-school/out-of-work youth to raise their self-esteem by while enabling them to continue on with their education and teaching them the job skills to help make them successful and independent adults.

Ms. Bovino attended Boise State University and majored in Business Administration before going on to become owner and president of 1st Flagship which is the parent company of GHRO, a professional employer organization and administrative services organization which specializes in human resources outsourcing.

Even though Ms. Bovino’s many accomplishments take up most of her time she still manages to enjoy her family and pursue some more leisure interests including traveling, reading, snow skiing and learning to play golf.

However, despite her busy schedule, the amazing fact remains she is dedicated to making it a priority to contribute to the future well being of Orange County’s families and youth by generously giving her time and money to important local philanthropic work.

Human resources consultants offer many services to complement your existing HR policies or develop new ones:

• Payroll services are at the top of a human resource consultant’s offerings. It includes paycheck processing, tax filings, direct deposits, and year-end tax form processing.
• They can also obtain competitive rates for comprehensive benefits packages.
• A human resources consultant ensures 100% compliance with all federal and state laws.
• They create documentation for such policies as sexual harassment and minimum wage.
• To ensure the safety of the workplace and your employees, human resources consultants can develop risk management policies in accordance with OSHA regulations.

Human resources consultants: pros & cons
There are some pros and cons to hiring human resources consultants for your business. HRO firms offer consultants with years of experience, something a small or new business could benefit from. But some of the policies they implement can cost money and may only work for larger companies. You can make up some of those savings by bringing in consultants in lieu of a full-time HR director. However, you lose the personal attention in-house HR directors provide.

Also, when your organization anticipates big changes, a human resources consultant can help ease the process by detailing how it benefits the company. But they often need the help of in-house staff to directly respond to employee concerns and to gauge reaction throughout the company.

If you feel hiring a human resources consultant can benefit your HR processes, contact GHRO to receive a free quote, and learn how you can outsource you business.

As a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), GHRO Total Solutions provides integrated services designed to streamline the cost and complexities of HR management, employee benefits, payroll, Workers’ Compensation and more. We offer this through a unique and seamless co-employment model that provides the benefits of a highly staffed HR team, without the overhead costs.

Our two newest clients are progressive organizations that understand the importance of HR, having all of the “T’s” crossed and “I’s” dotted in government compliance, HR policies and manuals, payroll administration and benefits coordination.

GHRO’s New Customers:

Kyliptix Solutions, the brainchild of William Gast, provides Software as a Service to small and mid-sized businesses. What makes them unique is that they have utility pricing — so it is a very affordable option for small companies who can’t afford to pay for the software usually sought after by large corporations. Businesses like them because the downtime for data transfer is very brief and the training time for their KIBS Business Suite is basically overnight. Kyliptix Solutions allows small to mid-sized companies to communicate better with employees at every level within the company and share information with better consistency. But mostly, the affordability is the big draw. With their focus forward approach to business solutions, partnering with GHRO was a purely natural decision.

Excalibur Technology is the only IT partner your company will ever need. Excalibur’s solutions can be customized to organizations of all sizes. From initial evaluations to installation, integration, service and support, their staff can deliver the business results you may require. They successfully support thousands of clients with technical services and projects. As your network services partner, Excalibur Technology will work closely with you and your staff and ensure that their solutions are custom tailored to meet your business needs.

Human Resources can be complex. See how easy it can be with GHRO. Your Trusted PEO. Call GHRO at 888-308-0338 or 949-797-2001 or check out our website at http://www.ghrogroup.com.

Let GHRO help you with:

• Timely and accurate payroll preparation
• Convenient direct deposit services
• Garnishment, advances and pretax benefit deductions
• Federal and state tax compliance and administration
• Detailed payroll reports
• Online access to payroll reports

Don’t let Payroll bog you down. Call GHRO today.

Contract Transition Services

GHRO boasts more than 40 years of experience in Contract Transition Assistance. Together, we’ll help you:

• Integrate employees into a new payroll and benefits package
• Ensure employees are hired within federal, state and contract guidelines
• Acquire talent to replace employees not making the transition

• Employee Relations and Talent Acquisition
• Benefit and Payroll Management
• Training and Organizational Development
• Compensation Planning and Administration
• Safety and Workers Compensation Administration
• Government Compliance and Liability issues

Not ready to commit to an on-site rep? We offer phone support too, or a mix of both. Just tell us what you need and GHRO is there.

Our audits provide you with a comprehensive review of all your HR practices, along with recommendations to maintain compliance with the country’s ever-changing legal rules and regulations. GRHO also provides Human Resources transactional services such as:

• Maintenance of personnel files
• Address and dependent changes
• Benefit changes
• Medical files

If you want to get out of the record keeping business, call GHRO today.

• Representation at Unemployment Insurance hearings
• Claims Management
• Affirmative Action Plans
• Corrective Action Assistance
• Sexual Harassment investigation and training
• Dispute Resolution policies and procedures
• Separation and Arbitration agreements
• Union Negotiations and Contract Administration
• Union Avoidance

Got court? Our litigation management experts employ the country’s most respected legal firms. Together we can resolve your employment issues quickly and at the lowest possible cost, whether in the courtroom or through local arbitration.

Dealing with a union? We’ve got the experience to help. We’ve successfully negotiated agreements with the Operating Engineers, California Federation of Teachers and Unite Now, to name a few.

• Medical
• 401(k)
• Deferred Compensation Plans
• Life and Accidental Death
• Employee discounts on local events
• Dental
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Credit Union membership
• COBRA administration
• Vision
• Short and Long Term Disability
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Voluntary benefits such as legal, cancer, accident and even pet insurance

If you’re looking for a complete benefits solution, call GHRO. We’ll create the right package at the right price for you.