Ideas Worth Stealing in 2014 — and a Call for Blog Post Ideas

ERIN VAN HANDEL
HNI Marketing Coordinator

To jump-start the blog for the new year, we wanted to take a look back — reviewing the wicked problems at the top of your mind in 2014. (Hey, it’s still January and still a new year. Where did this month go, anyway?)

Our blog, Steal These Ideas, exists as part of our mission to drive change through education and to help our clients navigate a world that's increasingly more complex. Our subject matter experts get to share their insight right here, and they also learn loads researching posts. The blog is fun, challenging, and most certainly never boring!

These 10 posts and the wicked problems they covered captured the most eyeballs in 2014. Were these your favorites? Do any posts surprise you?

1.) Dan Baker Sounds Off on What Matters Today in Truck Driver Recruiting

If you've had the chance to hear Dan Baker speak, you know it's not hyperbole to say he's trucking's No. 1 fan. Dan's regular gig is talking to trucking pros about their culture, and he shared his message at our Driver Recruiting Summit. He also was gracious enough to record a follow-up message to his summit talk just for our blog.

2.) 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Truck Drivers

This laundry list of "don'ts" when it comes to bringing on new drivers included ignoring your online reputation and failing to tap into non-traditional job candidates. With hope, it made readers examine their current driver recruiting tactics and turn a corner toward a strategy to help them fill their seats with the right folks.

3.) Decoding Reasonable Alternative Standards for Wellness Programs

It's no surprise that a post inspired by health care reform snuck into the top 10! The Affordable Care Act changed the game for wellness programs at work, initiatives that many employers use to improve the health of their people and to reduce medical spending. This post broke down the rules for activity-only and outcome-based wellness programs.

4.) Tracy Morgan Crash Shines Spotlight on Culture of Safety in Trucking

The trucking crash this summer that involved actor Tracy Morgan got us thinking about how transportation firms can develop a culture of safety. A culture of safety is especially critical in trucking, because your people (drivers) are expected to make good calls without the benefit of a boss nearby. This post made an argument for adopting safety as a value, because values never change even when priorities shift.

5.) 3 Habits of Successful Supervisors Worth Copying

Successful supervisors regularly ask their reports three revealing questions: 1.) How are you?; 2.) How is the team doing?; and 3.) How can I help? The best bosses aren't mind readers, don't have all the answers, and can't control anyone. But they strive to create a positive work environment, because they know employee satisfaction is linked to customer satisfaction.

6.) Motivate Employees with 5 Rewards You Probably Haven't Thought Of

Employees who feel valued bring their "A" game to work, inspire their co-workers, and never fail to delight customers. Out-of-the box ideas to say thanks to your top performers can go miles toward making sure they stick around to further build up your organization. Rewards could include allowing an employee to come in late or leave early for a week and extending a special invitation to an otherwise closed-door board meeting.

7.) How Physical Abilities Testing Can Stop Your Next Work Comp Claim

Physical abilities testing helps screen candidates before hire to discover whether they can perform the essential functions of a job. An ADA-compliant job analysis is the foundation of a physical abilities test, recording in extreme detail what gets lifted, pushed, pulled, and carried in the role. This sort of testing allows employers to ID the "wrong" worker — the worker who can't perform the physical demands and likely would end up with an injury and a work comp claim.

8.) 5 Social Recruiting Mistakes — and How to Avoid Them

Using social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to fill your pipeline with talent is becoming a hot practice for HR professionals. This strategy, however, is not without challenges. Many employers punt on their careers webpage (which is job seekers' No. 1 destination) or forget to measure social recruiting activity (and don't have a sense of where they're flying or failing).

9.) Does Work Comp Cover Parking Lot Falls?

This post was developed after a few different clients asked about whether an employee who experiences an injury while coming to or leaving from work can file a work comp claim. We searched for legal precedents and found that employer ownership determined whether an injury was work related and whether work comp benefits were required. Read the post for more explanation. Interesting!

10.) Why Your Employees Need to Understand 'The Why’

People risk — the uncontrollable side of what your people do — is made much more manageable by explaining to them "The Why" of strategy and tactics. This post cuts to why the most successful organizations are transparent from top to bottom. Answering "So what?" helps creates alignment and helps your talent make better decisions.

We Want YOUR Blog Post Ideas

We're always excited to share our perspective on many different industries (including our own) and how they're changing. Our posts usually (but not always!) fall into one of these categories:

Thought leadership, especially when it comes to culture, brand, and wicked problems
Hot topics and current events, including breaking news on regulations and compliance
Game-changing ideas and trends that we're working through with our client partners

The landscape in which you and your people do business is evolving faster than ever. Steal These Ideas is a space for us and our readers to explore today's (and tomorrow's) obstacles and opportunities.

What kinds of posts would you like to see? What questions do you need answered? Share your ideas in comments! You also can email me, Erin Van Handel, with any and all blog questions, comments, and ideas, at evanhandel@hni.com.

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