What the Supreme Court Ruling Means for HR Development

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A perennial problem (complaint? whine?) from HR professionals is that we don't have a seat at the table. And it's true - many HR professionals don't. Why not? Let's be real: we'll never have a seat at the table if we don't have personal credibility, business acumen and a track record of adding value.

Trick is, we can add value at any time by schooling ourselves about how current events and economic issues affect our organizations. And a perfect opportunity exists with the recent Supreme Court decision to uphold nearly all of the provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Now is the time to assess its meaning for your organization over the next few years. For instance:

• Do you expand health care coverage to a broader group of employees?  Or restrict it?
• What is the cost of covering more employees, versus paying the per employee penalty for not covering them?
• Do you target more part-time employees for hire? If so, what impact will that have on retention, service or quality?
• What are your competitors likely to do with benefits offerings, and how might that affect hiring and retention?

These are just a few of the many considerations, cost implications and talent challenges your organization will face. So now's the time to start planning. And it's not too hard to do . . . here are two sample resources that will help you build a roadmap:

1.  What the Health Care Ruling Means for Talent Management, Talent Management Magazine
2.  SHRM's Special Report on the Healthcare Ruling for HR Professionals

So dig in - and show you deserve that seat next to the big dogs!

Other Articles You May Find Interesting:

HR Development:  It's the Economy, Stupid

The Case for HR Development