From the Editors - contents - Brief Article

HR Magazine, August, 2001

A Pain in the ... Back

Maybe certain social thinkers were right: Businesses really are built on the backs of their workers. And when those backs are subject to aches, pains and problems, businesses suffer.

That's the macro view. On a more personal level, anyone who has ever suffered back pain knows the following about the human anatomy: Nearly every neuromuscular activity you can conceive of seems to be routed through the back. When it hurts, everything becomes more difficult.

Want to stand up, get out of bed, walk down the hallway? Although you've probably performed these simple tasks successfully and effortlessly since you were a toddler, they will be significantly more difficult, more painful, as long as your back hurts.

And until it gets better, you either will fail to make it to work, or you will limp through your day hoping tomorrow will be better.

That's bad news for employers because back problems are pervasive, afflicting between 15 percent and 20 percent of all adults at any given time. As a result, bad backs are the genesis of serious legal and financial concerns. Back injuries affect productivity, health care costs, workers' compensation costs, employer liability under the Americans with Disabilities Act ... almost anything you can think of.

In short, if you fail to address this issue, you may find that your business--like your employees--won't be standing for long.

For an in-depth analysis of where back problems come from and how employers might be able to reduce them, see Contributing Editor Bob Grossman's cover story on page 36.

--Patrick Mirza

What's It Like?

When you think of integrating former welfare recipients into the workplace or of lifting opportunities for entry-level workers, you probably think of training. That is, training for the workers. That's the old way of thinking. The new way of thinking is training for employers.

That's right. The onus is on you to walk a mile in your entry-level employees' shoes to understand where they are coming from, how they live, where they live and how they learn. Not only will it help advance the opportunities for these workers, it will open your eyes to how to recruit, train and, most importantly, retain them.

The Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce embarked on an innovative program two years ago that exposes businesspeople to the fundamental needs of entry-level workers through one-day workshops. It has been so successful that three other counties in Florida have implemented similar seminars to great demand and success. Now, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has joined the mission and is piloting the workshops in six cities across the country. One may be headed near you.

To find out more, turn to page 76 for Andrea Poe's story "In Their Shoes."

--Adrienne Fox

A Few Good Friends

HR professionals know the cheapest and best way to find good job candidates is to ask good employees to refer their friends.

Easier said than done.

How do you get employees to refer their friends? Throwing money at them is one way. But, HR professionals are learning that you have to engage employees in the employee referral process to get them excited about it.

Michelle Neely Martinez found companies that are doing creative employee referral campaigns and asked them how they get their employees jazzed about referring possible job candidates. Read about these programs in "The Headhunter Within" on page 48.

Adrienne Fox