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Welcome back after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The beginning of the year is littered with holidays, and it seems as if every time you turn around your employees have a day off. That all draws to a close with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

It has been said that HR, as an industry, moves at a snail’s pace. Despite technological innovations, we still use fax machines for documentation and have file cabinets full of employee files. Admittedly, some of this is because we, as a human race, are hesitant to change what works.

Companies are trying to track everything and increase worker productivity. Some tracking is good (how much time do you spend on Facebook a day?), but other things should not be tracked (how much time do you spend in the loo each day?).

In 2013, Zappos announced its plan for self-management. It would eliminate all managerial positions and let each employee dictate their activities. The tremendous backlash, both from the media and employees, left the company reeling.

At one time, Jan. 1 and New Year’s Resolutions were single day events. Now, like Christmas, resolutions are stretching to encompass the entire month of January. So, if you haven’t set your resolutions yet, you still have plenty of time.

If you’ve already logged a few hours prior to today in 2016, you are in the minority (and may be in need of an actual vacation!). But, for many, this is the first day back. Welcome.

As Jan. 1 looms, everyone is writing about the New Year’s Resolutions. However, lose weight, eat healthy and the usual have taken a backseat to a singular concept: focus. Are you ready to begin your extraordinary year?

At KRESS Inc., we encourage our employees, and our dinosaurs, to take a break and get into the holiday spirit. Beer exchanges and ugly sweater contests are fun, but if you’re not actually taking time to rest this holiday season, you’re doing yourself a great disservice. However, you’re not alone.

After weeks of productivity conversations, employers are turning the lens on their management techniques to see if they are getting the most from their employees. Now, it’s time to give the employees autonomy. This concept has been touted before, with the rise of the intrapreneur.

Happy Thanksgiving! Now, we’ve got to get there. The productivity conversation continues this week, and there is more of an impetus than ever for HR to become more productive, not busy. Can you hire as well as a machine, because in low skilled jobs, an algorithm hires as well as a person.