Best of the Week: Employees Shoplifting, GM’s Latest Hire, and the $5000 Quitting Bonus

April 18, 2014 at 6:00 AM by Kathleen de Lara

recruiting tipsIt’s with great pleasure that we again say this: Happy Friday, recruiters. We’ve collected top articles for the week covering the latest in sourcing, human resources, and tech updates.

Check out these articles and learn from top dogs about their tactics for retaining team members and keeping up with the industry, and decide if your company’s policies are hurting employees’ health.

Amazon Will Pay You $5,000 to Quit Your Job

In one of this week’s biggest lessons on measuring employee satisfaction, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos made known that the company will pay up to $5,000 to employees who choose to quit. The Pay to Quit program, also known as, “Please Don’t Take This Offer,” was originally established at subsidiary Zappos with the idea that team members who aren’t happy with their jobs have the opportunity to evaluate and address their satisfaction, and move along in their careers for the long-term, mutual benefits of employee satisfaction and company success. Back in 2008, Fast Company co-founder Bill Taylor suggested that the offer, which starts off at $2,000 the first year, and increases $1,000 every following year, may cost less than the price of the company running on a half tank of discontented workers.

Facebook friends with your candidates? Meet them at the corner cafe in 10

Facebook’s recent Nearby Friends mobile app feature allows users to receive notifications about connections who are within the same locale. For recruiters especially close to their contacts, this may indicate the chance to send a casual, “Hey, saw you were in the area. Want to meet for coffee?” note that’s somewhat acceptable between online friends...or “Friends,” rather. Quick interviews, networking opportunities, and meet-ups become more accessible and easier to swiftly put together.

The feature is completely optional and by default, turned off, and it will appear in iPhone and Android apps in upcoming weeks.

New Human Resources Head Appointed at GM

General Motors Company announced Melissa Howell, the company’s senior vice president of human resources, will be replaced by GM veteran John Quattrone, on Monday.

The news comes in a two-part series of company departures, including the departure of its head of public relations, Selim Bingol.

“John brings to the job a deep and rich breadth of experience across all levels of the enterprise,” CEO Mary Barra said in a statement.

Quattrone managed the human resources department for the global product development department, purchasing and supply-chain organization, and has been with the company for nearly 40 years.

Both Bingol and Howell are reported to have left GM to seek other opportunities.

Walgreens Employee Fired for Shoplifting: Loss Prevention or Passé Policy?

Former Walgreens employee Josefina Hernandez was dismissed from her 18-year cashier role after opening a bag of chips before paying for it.

In an effort to resolve her low blood sugar, Hernandez, a diabetic, ate the chips and paid for them after coming off her shift, but was fired for violating Walgreens’ zero-tolerance shoplifting policy.

The controversy lies in miscommunication concerning the definition of stealing and whether or not Hernandez’s actions are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. If she wins the case, however, some argue it would be a threat to employers’ rights and no-shoplifting rules across the board.

The price she skipped out on to refill her blood sugar? A grand total of $1.39.

The case continues in a California court.

Did we miss anything? Share your latest recruiting finds in the comments below or tweet us @Entelo!

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