The National Retail Federation just released a report that organized retail crime (ORC) has jumped by 8%. This increase is attributable in large part to economic pressures on retailers who've had to cut back their staffing and loss prevention efforts.

ORC often involves collusion with retail employees. In fact, according to the University of Florida's National Retail Security Survey, almost half of all retail shrink (loss of products between manufacture and point-of-sale), is related to employee theft. This is the single largest source of shrink.

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In many organizations, few training topics suck the air out of the room faster than diversity training. However, succesful companies are finding that diverse workforces provide new depths of innovation, customer service, and brand recognition... in essence, making them more competitive in the marketplace. So how do we get past the basics of counting people in certain categories and move into an area where the company can really draw on the diversity of experience and background in its workforce?

Our guest today on the Imperative Podcast is Scott Airitam of Leadership Systems. Scott is a consultant, trainer, and co-author of Ethics for Everyone, The Handbook for Integrity-Based Business Practices. Scott will be the luncheon speaker at the North Texas SHRM's March 24th luncheon meeting.

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Despite all the talk of HR's "seat at the table," in many organizations, HR is still a paper-pushing function. In others, we're the equivalent of Dr. No. Is it any wonder that HR is still not seen as a partner in many companies?

In this much-delayed edition of The Imperative Podcast, I interview Lisa Autry. Lisa is an employment law attorney and consultant who was actually in HR before she sold out and went to law school. She's got some great things to say about how HR has contributed to the sometimes negative perceptions opertions managers have toward us and how we can change them - especially when economic times are tough.

Lisa will be the speaker at the April 1st Mid-Cities HR Association Meeting.

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Every day, we all face problems that cry out for creative solutions. And, if you’re like me, you’ve worked with people who can look at a seemingly complex problem and say, “Oh, here’s what you need to do” and then proceed to outline an elegant solution that solves the problem.

Man, I hate those people… but their creativity is invaluable to an organization’s survival in this economy.

Our guest on this edition of the Imperative Podcast says that we all have a creative genius hidden away inside of us. Stephen Thomas King is a “personal creativity coach” who consults with organizations of all sizes to help bring out the personal genius of their employees, from the C-suite to the shop floor. Stephen is author of The Creativity Code and the brains behind geniusforrent.com.

Stephen King will be the speaker at the North Texas SHRM Chapter’s February 24th luncheon meeting. You can register for that event by visiting www.northtexasshrm.org.

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Like every other department, human resources managers are being asked to measure the effectiveness of their activities and report their impact on the organization's bottom line.

Most HR professionals are familiar with measurements like cost per hire and HR expense as percentage of company revenue. But do those kinds of measurements really reflect HR's contribution? How do you really measure HR - particularly as HR moves from a strictly transactional function to a consultative business partner?

Our guest today on The Imperative Podcast is Dr. George Benson. Dr. Benson is an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is also an affiliated researcher with the Center for Effective Organizations at USC. Dr. Benson has a Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from USC. Dr. Benson's research and writing has focused on a variety of HR issues.

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In this episode of The Imperative Podcast, Mike interviews Dr. Lon Roberts on the subject of his February 19th presentation to the Fort Worth Human Resources Management Association. The title of his presentation is "Mastering the Art of Multitasting." As Lon points out, multitasking is on the rise in our never-ending quest to "do more with less." While acknowledging that multitasking is here to stay, Lon makes it clear that there is a sane and "insane" way of going about it.

Lon is a Principal Partner with the Texas-based training and consulting firm, Roberts & Roberts Associates. He is the author of four books and numerous articles, including several dealing with multitasking. From his research he also developed a training program on this topic that has been delivered to the U.S. Army and private sector companies.

Lon recently wrote an article for Defense AT&L magazine. The article is titled "Too Busy To Think: Cost, Consequences, and Causes of Multitasking Mania," and you can download a copy of the article below.

Download a copy of "Too Busy To Think"

You can register for the February 19th presentation online at www.fwhrma.org.

For more information about Roberts & Roberts Associates, visit their website at www.R2assoc.com. Or contact Lon at (972) 596-2956.

We hope you enjoy the podcast!

Three ways to listen to the podcast:

1. You can listen using our java-enabled player at the top of this post.

2. Or you can listen to the podcast in your computer's mp3 program by clicking the "Play mp3" button below (or right-click on the button and select "save target as..." to save the mp3 to your computer).

3. Or you can download the podcast and subscribe to future podcasts via iTunes.

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The Texas Legislature is currently convened in its 81st Regular Session. As legislators grapple with the state's economic woes, other issues important to Texas' employers are also under consideration.

On February 12th, the Texas State Council of the Society for Human Resources Management will host a legislative conference for HR professionals in Austin. Imperative Information Group supports the efforts of both SHRM and the Texas State Council, and we are proud to sponsor this event.

Lon Williams is a partner in the Dallas office of Bracewell and Giuliani. He is the Director for Legislative Action with the Texas State Council, and he is our guest today on the Imperative Podcast. We hope you will listen as he discusses what HR professionals can expect at the legislative conference.

Under the Bush Administration, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revised the Form I-9 by amending the documents acceptable for verification of employment eligibility. The new form I-9 was to go into effect today (02/02/2009).

Apparently, in it's review of all pending actions initiated by the outgoing administration, the Obama Administration has announced a delay in implementation of the new form until April 3rd. The public commenting period on the proposed change has been reopened until March 4th.

The most significant change to Form I-9 is the requirement that all documents presented during the I-9 verification process must be unexpired. Currently, certain documents, including U.S. passports or drivers’ licenses can be presented as proof of identity and/or work eligibility without regard of their expiration date.

The revised Form I-9 also eliminates Temporary Resident and older versions of Employment Authorization Cards (Forms I-688, I-688A, and I-688B) from the list of documents sufficient to establish both identity and employment authorization (referred to as "List A"), since these cards no longer are issued and any outstanding cards would have now expired.

To verify the accuracy of the information provided by a new hire when completing the Form I-9, Imperative offers a user-friendly interface into the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify system. Our interface dramatically improves the ease of use and functionality of the E-Verify system that was, after all, designed by government contractors.

An MP3 player purchased in an Oklahoma City thrift shop was found to have secret US military files, including documents containing the contact information of US soldiers serving in current hotspots.

What many people don't realize is that iPods and other MP3 players are primarily portable storage devices akin to USB thumb drives. When connected to a computer, they can be used to transmit a virus to the computer or to copy files from the computer. Some even show up as with a drive letter in the computer's directory, increasing the chance that sensitive files might be saved to the device accidentally.

 In fact, in NAPBS' accreditation program for employment background screening firms, we required firms seeking accreditation to have specific policies about the use of removable media in the workplace.

Take a walk around your company. How many iPods are lying innocently on desks? How many are actually connected to workplace computers? How many of those computers have access to some sort of sensitive data? What does your policy say?

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In this episode of The Imperative Podcast, Mike interviews Dr. Lee Colan, a researcher and business consultant, and author of nine books including 7 Moments That Define Excellent Leaders and Engaging the Hearts and Minds of All Your Employees: How to Ignite Passionate Performance for Better Business Results.

His best selling book is entitled Sticking to It: The Art of Adherence, which will be the topic of his presentation at the February 4th Mid-Cities HR Association luncheon meeting.