| All Previous Articles | |
Articles and Content from
2004 |
Top | ||
|
|
|||
Seven Tips About Successful Management
An effective, successful manager pays attention to many facets of management, leadership
and learning. He or she displays characteristics that make people want to follow them.
Here are seven tips for people who want to be successful managers.
Your Tip of the Week for Success in Work and Life
Looking for an immediate positive thought or an idea to pick your spirits up? Want good
ideas, thoughtful quotations, self-motivation ideas, working well with people tips,
newsletter fillers, news about trends affecting workplaces and more? Once a week,
Your Tip of the Week for Success in Work and Life will uplift your spirit, make you
smile, touch your heart and provide useful information.
Tips for a Better New Employee Orientation
Want to know what modern organizations are doing with new employee orientation?
It's not your traditional signing of policy acknowledgements. Find out what's new
in employee orientation.
Reference Checking
Checking job or employment references is time-consuming and frequently unsatisfactory, as
many employers, despite recent legislation, refuse to offer more than dates of employment,
salary history and job title. Here is the format I use to check references. Take a look;
it provides a format for reference checking that you'll find helpful.
Job Offer Letter
Looking for a sample job offer letter? Your candidates appreciate the job offer terms
spelled out in detail. Use this job offer letter as a base for developing your own
employment offer.
Initial Phone Screening: Telephone Interview
The telephone interview or candidate screen allows the employer to determine if the
candidate's qualifications, experience, workplace preferences and salary needs are
congruent with the position and organization. The telephone interview saves managerial
time and eliminates unlikely candidates. Review the suggested format.
Job Candidate Evaluation Form
You want samples and examples, so, this featured tool is a Job Candidate Evaluation Form.
Useful for comparing candidates, it also gives your interviewers information about the
skills they need to assess in each candidate. Take a look and remember, you can print a
printer-friendly version.
Free E-course: Recruit and Hire the Best
Recruiting the best employees for your organization is an ongoing challenge. If you're
looking for solid, proven best practices and up-to-the-minute ideas in recruitment,
interviewing and selection, you've found the right course. Sign up today!
Recruiting Stars: Top Ten Ways to Get Great Candidates
Looking for talent? The smartest employers, who hire the best people, develop a
pre-qualified candidate pool before they need to fill a job. You can develop
relationships with potential candidates long before you need them. These ideas will
also help you create a large pool of candidates when you have a current position available.
How to Recruit and Hire the Best: A Checklist for Success
Want to recruit and hire a superior workforce? This checklist will help you systematize
your hiring process. The checklist helps you keep track of your recruiting efforts. It
communicates both the recruiting and the hiring process and progress in recruiting to
the hiring manager. Take a look and provide feedback.
Internal Job Application for Career Opportunities
Looking for a format to use for your internal job application process? You do post job
openings for your internal staff first, right? This form will give you a head start as you
develop your internal job application and career opportunities process for current employees.
Take a look and feel free to use or modify the form to meet your organization's needs.
Build a Strategic Framework: Mission Statement, Vision ...
Organizations whose employees understand the mission and goals enjoy a 29 percent greater
return than other firms. U.S. workers want their work to make a difference, but 75% do not
think their company's mission statement has become the way they do business. Read more to
find out how to develop a successful strategic framework for your organization and yourself.
|
Articles from
2003 |
Top | ||
|
|
|||
Holiday Job Searching
Many job seekers are convinced that job hunting between Thanksgiving and the middle of January is a
waste of time. If you buy into this myth, you are losing one of the better job searching seasons of the
year. During this season, you enjoy reduced competition for jobs and more. Debunk the common job
searching myths.
Top Ten Ways to Show Appreciation
You can tell your colleagues, coworkers and staff how much you value them and their contribution
any day of the year. Trust me. No occasion is necessary. In fact, small surprises and tokens of your
appreciation spread throughout the year help the people in your work life feel valued all year long.
Stress Less for the Holidays
Want to keep productivity and employee spirits positive during the holidays? Are you looking for
ways to relieve holiday-related stress that your employees may experience during this time of the year?
You can start by not causing stress. Then, here are fifteen ideas for alleviating the holiday stress that
exists.
Singing the Job Search Blues: A Viewpoint From the Candidate's Side of the Table
My recent article about "How to Make a Potential Employer Fall in Love With You" sparked both praise and
controversy. There are two perspectives to every job search issue. In fact, a Forum reader said,"Want
a job search perspective from the other side of the desk?" Want to hear more? He gave employers plenty
of good, common-sense advice. Check out the resulting article.
How to Walk Your Talk
If you work in an organization, you’ve heard this complaint
repeatedly. Leaders and managers say they want change and continuous improvement but they don’t
walk their talk. The power of an organization’s leaders in creating the organization’s values,
environment, culture and actions is immeasurable. Want to know how to “walk your talk” to enable
organization change and improvement? Want to take the power away from oft-repeated employee
complaints? Start here to learn how to walk your talk.
Build a Mentoring Culture
What does it take to develop people? More than writing “equal
opportunity” into your organization’s mission statement. More than sending someone to a training
class. More than hard work on the part of employees. What development does take is people –
from the CEO’s office to the mailroom – people who are willing to listen and help their colleagues.
Development takes coaches, guides and advocates. People development needs mentors. Learn more.
10/22/03
- How to Reduce the Cost of Advertising: Adventures in Advertising
It’s expensive to advertise available positions in newspaper
classifieds and online. You can significantly reduce the cost of online advertising and classified
advertising with a bit of effort and rewriting. The cost savings is definitely worth your time.
Want to know more? I'll share a recent experience.
10/10/03
- Your Image Is You
Successful people believe
their success is attributable to a pattern of mutually beneficial
interpersonal relationships, as much as it is due to technical skills or business knowledge.
Your communication and the image you present create the first impression - often the lasting
impression - on the people you meet. Want a more professional image?
10/03/03
- Taking the Suck Out of the Information Vacuum
The report from the Columbia
Accident Investigation Board is in, and it's not pretty. NASA recently concluded that the Columbia
Space Shuttle tragedy had as much to do with failed management practices and a work environment
that discourages upward feedback and open communication, as the foam that hit the shuttle's side.
This should be a wake up call for all businesses.
09/17/03
- How to Make a Potential Employer Fall in Love With You
Looking for ways to impress a
potential employer? Want to make your resume or job application stand out from the pack? In the
past few weeks, I've reviewed 485 resumes and applications for 18 different positions. I've
interviewed 23 candidates and brought six back for a second, more intense round of interviews.
Believe me, I can tell you what rang my chimes.
09/07/03
- Working With Recruiters: What Is a Recruiter ... Really?
Curious about the role of
the recruiter in your job search? Who pays the recruiter? What do you want to look for in a
professional recruiting firm? What recruiting scam do you want to avoid? These questions and
more are answered about recruiters.
08/23/03
- Spice Up Your Company Meeting: Ten Tips for Meeting Planning
Are you the planner of the monthly or periodic
company or department meeting? They can be deadly dull if you're not careful. You know the drill.
A bunch of talking heads line up to give people important company information. People are
interested, but the most effective meetings woo their attention with thought-provoking questions
and answers, audio-visuals and participation. Learn more.
08/13/03
- Outsourcing: A Strategic Solution
Looking for ways to potentially cut
costs and unburden your shrinking Human Resources staff members? Do you have staff working until
six and seven at night? Are you going home each day feeling as if you will never catch up? If so,
join the crowd - or choose not to join. Outsource instead.
08/03/03
- How to Get a Seat at the Executive Table: Ten Tips
Staff functions in an organization have the
potential to positively impact every aspect of the organization - if allowed. The first step
toward having the impact you desire is to gain access to the people who make decisions and the
meetings and other informal settings in which decisions are made. Not up to you, you may think?
I think your inclusion is almost completely up to you. Find out more.
07/21/03
- The Stuff of Work: Ethics and Assets
Most people don't give company assets a second
thought until they are lost, stolen or broken. Herein lies the problem. Employees must understand
that ethical behavior is demonstrated not only in how they act toward others but also in how they
treat property that doesn't belong to them. The key to success is understanding who owns what and
what boundaries exist for its use. Learn more.
07/14/03
- Performance Management Center
A performance
management system helps you hire people with the talents and skills you need. You then build upon
those talents and skills through employee development and performance management and feedback.
These are the only actions that work to create "engaged" employees. As many as 70 percent of
employees are not "engaged." Intrigued? Check out my newest article and resource.
07/07/03
- Eight Hiring Mistakes Employers Make: From Application to Interview
Hiring decisions that result in "bad" hires sap your
organization's time, training resources, and psychic energy. These are the top hiring mistakes to
avoid during your recruiting and hiring process. Do these eight activities with care; your
recruiting, interviewing and hiring practices will result in better hires. Better hires will
help you develop a strong, healthy, productive, competitive organization.
06/26/03
- Want a Superior Workforce?
You can hire the best and develop the rest of
your employees. These seven practices will help you develop a high performance, superior workforce
that is focused on continuous improvement. And, what's more important than that for you?
06/19/03
- Motivation Center
Every person is motivated. The challenge at work
is to create an environment in which people
are motivated about work priorities. Find out how at the Motivation Center.
06/12/03
- Books That Enlighten Management Thinking
My current fabulous book
finds illuminate and clarify aspects of management, organization development, productivity,
marketing, business and change. Not management books, per se; they address universal organizational
issues. Find out more.
06/05/03
- The Darker Side of Goal Setting: Why Goal Setting Fails ...
Why don't most people set
and achieve personal goals, career goals and business goals? Goal setting is a positive, powerful
practice when it ignites enthusiasm and provides clear direction. When practiced poorly, however,
goal setting also has a serious downside which can undermine your success. Learn more.
05/29/03
- Create Your Own Path: Career Promotion Tips
Tired of watching others advance their career
as you continue to exceed all expectations, without promotion, in your current job? Successful
workers create their own path to promotion; they don't rely on luck. Self-promotion is key to
career success.
05/22/03
- Tips for Determining a Motivating Salary
Information online makes researching salary ranges
easier than setting salaries has ever been in the past - but, also trickier. The role of salary
in helping you create a motivated, contributing work force is inestimable. These tips will help you
address pay and salary issues in a way that contributes to employee motivation in your organization.
05/15/03
- New on the Site for May
Take a look at what's new for you on the site for May. Your Guide
writes a monthly note that updates readers about interesting facts in the HR world. Visit for your
monthly update.
05/08/03
- Compress Your Job Search Timeline
A critical factor in life and
business is resilience in the face of adversity. The question people who are unemployed or unhappy
with their present job ask, is will my resilience last long enough for me to find a new job. Find
your next job faster.
05/01/03
- Salary Trends for the Forward Thinking
How to research salary online, is the most
frequent request made of SHRM. Thus, the importance of salary to attract talented people, retain key
employees, and maintain an excited, motivated workforce, can’t be underestimated. And, life at
work is changing.
04/21/03
- Interviewing Styles: Tips for Interview Approaches
Interviewing is often just as
stressful for the interviewer as it is for the job seeker. Knowing the different types of
interviews, and why and when they are successful, can help make your interviews more comfortable
for both parties. Find out more.
04/14/03
- Support Your Company's Brand
Want a seat at the executive conference table? You
need to understand and support the business and emotional importance of your organization's brand.
You are in charge of the people actions and issues that support your business brand - or not.
Find out more.
04/07/03
- How To Manage the Perfect Project
Want to complete projects successfully - on-time,
within budget, and involving the appropriate people to ensure integration? These steps will ensure you
practice effective project management. Check them out.
04/03/03
- Fear During War
The enemies of America and the free world depend
upon our fear for their success. Fear is normal during war. You can, however, mitigate the impact
of fear on both the individual and the workplace if you implement these actions and ideas.
03/31/03
- What's New for April?
Take a look at what is new on the site and the dates to celebrate
in April. Find a note from the Guide and best wishes for a happy month.
03/26/03
- Women and Work: Then, Now, and Predicting the Future for Women in the Workplace
Tired of
reading about Carly Fiorina and other successful women who are the poster faces for the 'you've
come a long way, baby' spin doctors? What is happening for other women in the workforce?
Notably, what does the future hold for women and work?
03/19/03
- Coaching for Improved Performance
Looking for a step-by-step coaching approach
you can use to help an employee improve his work performance? This approach
avoids discipline and produces great results.
03/12/03
- How Do You Know When It's Time for You to Go?
Are you feeling increasingly unhappy about
your job? Sometimes, it really is time to quit your job. Take a look at these reasons to determine
whether it's time to quit the current job or identify adjustments that will re-invigorate your
job and career. Find the top ten reasons for quitting your job.
03/07/03
- We Serve Those Who Serve
What you need to know about reservist reemployment after
military service in the armed forces is the focus of this article. I'm looking for authoritative
online sources for information about countries worldwide. Please send email to the Guide with
your suggestions.
02/29/03
- Human Resources Policy and Procedure Directory
When I think of the most frequent email messages I receive, requests for sample
and example policies, procedures, and handbook wording are among the most frequent. In response, I am compiling this resource for your use:
sample and example policies and procedures. If you have written for your organization or found an effective policy, procedure, or guideline
online, please send email to the Guide. If you are willing to share yours or recommend an
online resource, please send an email with "Policy" in the subject line of the email.
02/22/03
- Human Resources Employment Directory
Look no further for everything you need in one spot about employment - links to the
Department of Labor, laws, OSHA, and informational content. Start here when you develop policies, procedures or your handbook.
02/15/03
- Motivating Your Staff in a Time of Change
In today's turbulent, often chaotic, environment, commercial success depends on employees
using their full talents. Yet in spite of the myriad of available theories and practices, managers often view motivation as something of a mystery.
Learn more about motivation and get a motivation checklist.
02/08/03
- How to Provide Feedback That Has an Impact
Make your feedback have the impact it deserves
by the manner and approach you use to deliver feedback. Your feedback can make a difference to people
if you can avoid a defensive response.
02/01/03
- What's New for February at About Human Resources?
A message for readers that highlights special February events,
GuideSite content that illuminates these events, and a roundup describing all of the new material at this site, are here.
02/01/03
- Receive Feedback With Grace and Dignity
Interested in hearing about how others view your work?
Make it easy for them to tell you. If they think you'll appreciatively consider their feedback, you'll get lots more.
And, that is a good thing, really.
01/26/03
- When Generations Collide at Work - Quiz
In every workplace, at least three generations, with all their different needs and wants,
try to peacefully co-exist. This quiz, from the authors of "When Generations Collide," will give you insight into the needs and wants of Boomers, Gen
Xers, Traditionalists and Millenials. Curious?
01/19/03
- It's Not About the Resume
Why do so many job searchers focus on writing and rewriting the resume?
Because most people don't know what else to do to ace a job opportunity. The resume is a concrete, accomplishable tool for job search.
What else will the successful job search emphasize?
01/12/03
- Five Tips for Effective Employee Recognition
Employee recognition is not just a nice thing to do for people.
Employee recognition is a communication tool that reinforces and rewards the most important outcomes people create for
your business. When you recognize people effectively, you reinforce, with your chosen means of recognition, the actions and
behaviors you most want to see people repeat. An effective employee recognition system is simple, immediate, and powerfully reinforcing.
01/05/03
- Use Training and Development to Motivate Staff
Want to keep your staff motivated about
learning new concepts? The quality and variety of the training you provide is key for motivation. The structure of
your training
programs brings 'em back for more. Learn more.
|
Articles from
2002 |
Top | ||
|
|
|||
12/27/02
- Got the Layoff Blues?
Here's hope and help. Whether you're an employer dealing with downsizing and layoffs or an
employee looking for a new work home, these resources will help. Find job search ideas and interviewing techniques. Learn how
the best employers treat the survivors of their layoffs. Get in touch with your dreams; set your goals; we'll help you chart
your future course. You don't have to do this alone. The Guides at About can help.
12/20/02
- How to Gift the Boss or a Special Co-worker
It’s an age-old dilemma and it comes up several times each year.
What do you do for that special boss or co-worker on their birthday, their company anniversary, their engagement, the birth
of their child, or to celebrate the holiday season. Gift-giving occasions are endless – and endlessly challenging. UPDATED.
12/13/02
- Best Practices in Interviewing
You want to interview potential staff and effectively select the people
who best fit your organization's needs. To do this, your interview process, interview questions, and interview exchanges
must be legal, ethical, and not offer assurances that potential staff can interpret
as promises. Want to know more about interviews?
12/06/02
- About and Primedia Diversity and Multiculturalism Special
With an emphasis on the special skills, strengths, wisdom, and differences that each person
brings to the workplace, this About - Primedia Special Report about diversity
and multiculturalism celebrates our differences and our similarities.
12/01/02
- What's New for December, 2002?
Take a look at the resources that have been added to the site for December.
Comprehensive topic development continues along with indexes and a FAQ that will help you find everything you need. A
special note for you that highlights the month's opportunities is here as well. Happy December.
11/30/02
- Top Ten Human Resources Management Books for Small Business
Looking for recommended small business
Human Resources books that will help your small business start Human Resources programs, processes, and systems
that are legal and helpful from the beginning? Take a look at these books which help you address your small business
Human Resources issues with wisdom and excellence. They'll bring you great success with your employees.
11/23/02
- Top Ten Audio Books About Management for Road Warriors
Do you commute? Travel between offices? Drive to
clients or customers? If so, forget talk radio and listening to music and news. These audio books about business
management for the Human Resources road warrior will help you learn while you travel. Listen to business, management,
and Human Resources audio books on tape. Unabridged where available.
11/16/02
- Top Ten Management Books for the Human Resources Book Shelf
Certain business and management books belong on the
book shelves of every Human Resources office. These are the Human Resources books you'll reference repeatedly. When
managers seek your help to deal with problems or opportunities, you'll share or recommend these business
and management books. Some are old, some new, but all are worth your reading and book review time. We begin a series.
11/09/02
- Top Ten Human Resources Books for Human Resources Staff
Building a foundation library for you and your
Human Resources staff? These book reviews will help you select the core Human Resources, business, and management
books critical to your reference collection. Find the information you need fast with these recommended Human resources,
business, and management books. These book reviews will save you research time. Check them out.
11/02/02
- Ten Recommendations for the Welcoming HR Office
You’ve heard the term, "dress for success," applied to clothing people wear to work.
Let’s apply the same concept to your office. Certain items are “musts” for a well-dressed, welcoming environment for
people. Is your office complete without these?
10/25/02
- Create a Very, Merry Holiday Season: Tips for a Stress-free Holiday Season
You can have a stress-free holiday season if you do four things
right. Keep your expectations rational, take care of yourself, take control of your time and limit your commitments,
and embrace your family and friends. Want to know more?
10/16/02
- Downsizing With Dignity
Downsizing (or redundancy) is a toxic solution. Used sparingly and with planning it can be an organizational
lifesaver, but when used repeatedly, without a thoughtful strategy, it can
destroy an organization's effectiveness. How you treat people really matters. Learn more.
10/12/02
- Performance Management Special
Check here first for all the information you need to establish an effective,
people-oriented performance management system in your organization. Retain your top talent and accomplish your organization's
goals with your performance management system. Find out how.
10/09/02
- You Get What You Request and Reward
Performance management encompasses the important people issues in your
organization. Performance management includes the entire relationship you have with the people you employ. Performance
management is a whole work system that begins when you define a job. Learn more.
10/02/02
- All You Have Is Your Integrity: Why Leave It to Chance?
Everyone knows right from wrong. Right? Wrong.
That's why business ethics is currently on the media front page. When daily, the next Enron story hits the wires,
you ignore business ethics issues at your peril. Don't leave business ethics to chance.
09/25/02
- You Can Make Their Day: Ten Tips for the Leader About Building Employee Motivation and Morale
You can make their day or break their day. Your choice. No kidding.
Other than the decisions individuals make on their own about liking their work, you are the most powerful factor in
employee motivation and morale. Learn ten tips for creating a workplace with high employee motivation and morale.
09/18/02
- Your 401(k) Plan is a Recruiting Magnet
Competitive base pay, medical insurance and a 401(k) plan are the
must have benefits necessary to attract and keep talent in your company. This makes your 401(k) and other retirement
benefits cornerstones for your Human Resources recruitment and retention strategy. Do you know everything
you need to know to serve as the "go-to" source for this information?
09/11/02
- Celebrate Life: Workplace Remembrance of September 11
People in workplaces around the world will remember September 11, 2001 as a day
of tragedy, sorrow, remembrance, honor, and celebration. To commemorate September 11, while there is much to
mourn and memorialize, there is also much to honor and celebrate. To appropriately honor the individuals, families,
and workplaces affected, your remembrance must provide the opportunity for both mourning and for celebration. Find out more.
09/02/02
- Celebrate Labor Day
People work for many reasons including love, money,
and creating a successful future. Celebrate Labor Day with our special resource about Labor Day, labor unions,
compensation, salary, bonuses, benefits, and more.
08/30/02
- What People Want From Work
Some people work for love; others work for personal
fulfillment. Others like to accomplish goals and feel as if they are contributing to something larger than themselves,
something important. Whatever your personal reasons for working, the bottom line, however, is that almost everyone works
for money. Find out the latest thinking and research about what people want from their work.
08/25/02
- Performance Consulting, Measurement, and Improvement Books
Effective performance
consulting and training can provide big payoffs for the employer in increased staff productivity, knowledge, loyalty, and
contribution. These resources increase your ability to do performance consulting, measure performance improvement, and
provide resultant training using internal staff. Increase your self-sufficiency in performance consulting and improvement.
08/18/02
- Working With People at Work Tip 2: Manage Competing Conversations
Want to develop effective working relationships with people
at work? Effective interaction by people in business meetings can create effective work relationships.
Effective group meetings manage the interaction of difficult people holding competing conversations.
08/11/02
- Working With People at Work Tip 1: Just Like Me: Search for Similarities
Want to develop effective working relationships with people
at work? Start with similarities, not differences, among people when you build relationships. As a human resources
professional, manager, supervisor, co-worker, staff member or business owner, effective work relationships are critical
for your success.
08/04/02
- Why an Effective Job Description Makes Good Business Sense
The job description is a communication tool
significant for your organization's success. A poorly-written job description creates workplace confusion, hurts
communication, and makes people feel as if they don't know what is expected from them.
Read words of wisdom and warning about job descriptions.
07/25/02
- Top 8 Business and Management Book Reviews: Must-Do Reading
These business books are my current favorites for managers,
supervisors, and Human Resources professionals. Management topics are often boring; these books offer new and useful ideas
in a readable format. These books won't put you to sleep. I promise! These book reviews tell you why.
07/17/02
- The Time of Your Life: Top 10 Time Management and Productivity Tools
Take a look at these top ten time management and productivity enhancement tools.
From my Palm and its keyboard to my favorite, current, stress-free productivity boosting book, you'll get ideas
that will help you best use the time of your life, too.
07/10/02
- Fight for What's Right: Ten Tips to Encourage Meaningful Conflict
Conflict avoidance is most frequently the
topic when conflict in organizations is discussed. Conflict resolution - as quickly as possible - is the second most frequent
topic. This is bad news because meaningful conflict is a cornerstone in healthy, successful organizations.
These tips will help you initiate and encourage positive conflict.
07/03/02
- Recruiting and Retention Special
Finding the best possible people who can fit within your culture and
contribute within your organization is a challenge and an opportunity. Keeping the best people, once you find them, is easy if you do
the right things right. Take a look at the helpful features in the Primedia/About Industry and Business Recruiting and Retention
Special.
06/26/02
- Top Ten Recruiting Tips
Recruiting ideas, facts, and myths permeate the hiring field. Check out these tips for
some of the best recruiting and hiring practices. They're research-based and recommended to you for hiring great employees.
06/19/02
- Why You Really Ought to Want to Love Your Work
Are you working more, enjoying it less, and dreading the time you
spend most days at your work place? If you answered "yes" to this question, take time this summer to explore your current career
choice and consider all of the other options life has to offer. You spend a substantial portion of your life at work. Why not make
that time as professionally and personally rewarding and fulfilling as possible?
06/12/02
- What's New at About Human Resources?
Frequent visitors will want to bookmark this page to quickly
link to new and exciting content on the About HR site. Want to know what's new and worth your reading time?
Learn what Susan's reading here. Check here first for new articles, products, and recommendations.
06/05/02
- Top 10 Books for Job Seekers and Career Changers
Thinking about your current job search or a career change?
For dads, grads and others, these books will help you find your way. Learn about the job market. Translate your most
important needs, interests, and goals into a rewarding career. Find techniques for a successful job search. These are my
long term favorites. Gift a favorite person with the opportunity to explore their desired future.
05/26/02
- About Industry and Business Training Special
Visit the About Industry and Business Training Special for up-to-the-minute
human resources and business information about how to make training and new employee orientation effective in your organization.
View links to the best training sites on the Web.
05/19/02
- Training: Your Investment in People Development and Retention
The right employee training, development and
education at the right time provides big payoffs for the employer in increased productivity, knowledge, loyalty,
and contribution. Learn the
approaches that will guarantee a return on your investment.
05/12/02
- The Best of Effective Networking for Professional Success
What propels your career success whether you are self-employed or
work for others? Networking with as many people as possible. Your business success is a result of the power, reach
and depth of the relationships you cultivate. Want to know more?
05/05/02
- People Power Your Small Business
Your small business has unique people opportunities and challenges.
Some are unique to small business. Others, you share with organizations of any size. The good news? Best practices exist.
Proven solutions to the troublesome issues you face with your human resources programs, policies, and approaches are available.
I'll highlight some of the most important time investments and solutions for the small organization. These also apply to
start-ups, and provide a basic HR framework for any business.
04/28/02
- Top 6 Work-Life Balance Books: Your Family-Friendly Future
Spring is the season for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day
and Family Support Month. Concurrently, work-life balance is a hot issue in the HR field. Searching for ideas and examples
of innovative approaches to recruiting and retaining employees? Start here.
04/21/02
- Employee Orientation: Keeping New Employees on Board
New Employee Orientation is a critical factor
in helping a new person develop a productive, lasting relationship with your organization. Here are tips, tools,
and examples for people orientation processes that promote longevity and loyalty.
04/14/02
- Top Picks: Reward, Recognition, Award, and Thank You Ideas
Looking for convenient, appreciated, reasonably
cost-conscious ways to reward, recognize, demonstrate your appreciation, award, and say "thank you" for contributions that
people make at work? These ideas will help.
04/07/02
- The Power of Positive Recognition
Prioritize recognition for people and you can ensure a
positive, productive organization. Belief that recognition is positive is common among employers even if not commonly carried out.
Why is recognition so closely guarded in many organizations? Here are tips to help you recognize people more often.
03/22/02
- Tips for Managing Stress and Change at Work
Stress is normal. You need some stress to perform
your best. The key for management? Determine the right amount of stress that will give you energy, ambition,
and enthusiasm versus the wrong amount which can harm your well-being. Here are five tips.
03/10/02
- Use Performance Management to Help People Succeed and Improve
Are you fed up with the return on investment
you experience with your current performance appraisal? Ready to change your approach? You can improve productivity,
motivation, and morale by handling performance management and development in new ways.
03/03/02
- Fun and the Bottom Line: Using Humor to Retain Employees
As more organizations reengineer, merge, downsize, and even capsize, employees confront uncertainty daily.
The rules keep changing and since most have little control over the rules, the result is often a sense of
powerlessness. This translates into increased stress, decreased wellness, demoralization, absenteeism, and lower productivity.
Humor could be the cure.
02/24/02
- Use Your Team for Recruitment: A Retention Strategy
How would you like to increase your candidate selection pool,
add value to interviews, heighten employee loyalty, build supportive peer relationships, and improve retention
rates simultaneously? By implementing a team recruitment
strategy, you can achieve this. Find out how.
02/21/02
- Creating High Morale Workplaces
Are you interested in resources that will help you create a work environment
that fosters high staff morale, productivity and motivation? Start here to retain your best employees and
create the work environment in which they will thrive.
02/14/02
- Manage Your HR Career
Are you mid-career and wondering what's next? Are you deciding
whether HR is the career for you? Learn how to get started and how to explore your mid-career options. This resource is
completely updated for your use.
02/03/02
- Community - Gone? Or Just Harder to Find?
Community is breaking down in America with
serious implications for volunteerism, charity-giving, religious practices, neighborhoods, friendships, family, democracy,
and society. There are implications for work, family, and self. Find out more.
01/28/02
- Top Picks: Toss Out Your Dusty, Old Appraisal System: Best Performance Management Books
Performance appraisal
systems don't work as traditionally practiced. The people who do them and the people who get them, despise the process.
You need to provide feedback and measure and reward contribution. Create a better system with these books.
01/15/02
- Catch the Wave: Six Training Trends
The wave of the future of training is breaking on the shore. It's dissolving old ways
of thinking and asking organizations to look at training in a whole new way. Why? Because much of what organizations
did for years in training failed to produce the desired results,
if expected outcomes were defined at all. Yes, results. Find out more.
01/06/02
- Four Trends Shaping Your Future
It's tough to write about trends. Writing requires separating what is
likely to happen from my own wishful thinking about what ought to happen. Add my fears,
concerns, needs, and wishes for your success … You get the picture. If you're not yet thinking about these possibilities
and opportunities, it's time to start.
|
Articles from
2001 |
Top | ||
|
|
|||
12/27/01
- Laughing Your Way to Organizational Health
Workplace wellness is a serious issue.
With stress-related-illness and burnout becoming household words, you are increasingly looking for ways
to keep your workforce happy, healthy and productive.
David Granirer's humor insights tell you how.
12/20/01
- How to Build a Teamwork Culture: Do the Hard Stuff
Team building is creating a work culture that
values collaboration. In a teamwork environment, people assimilate the belief that "none of us is as good as all of us."
Gain great teamwork tips, my favorite ice breaker and a fun team building activity.
12/15/01
- How to Gift the Boss or a Special Co-worker
It's an age-old dilemma and it comes up every year.
What do you do for that valued boss or co-worker on a special occasion? Gift-giving opportunities are endless -
and endlessly challenging. Help is here. These gifts are appreciated and cherished.
12/08/01
- Top Picks: Posters That Reinforce and Sustain Your Culture
Your culture is a result of the values, experience,
and behaviors shared by its employees. You can see your culture live in your language, symbols, stories, and
work practices. Emphasize the values and culture you desire with motivational prints.
12/02/01
- Top Picks: Accelerate Your Work Team Success
Many people view team-based, horizontal, organization structures as the best
design for involving all employees in creating business success and profitability. If you're intrigued by this belief,
these books will help you capitalize on team power.
11/25/01
- Twelve Tips for Team Building
People in every workplace talk about building
the team, working as a team, and my team, but few understand how to create the experience
of team work or how to develop an effective team. Here are twelve tips
for building successful work teams.
11/22/01
- Predictors and Promises for Your HR Future
If you wish to jump start your progress in the HR profession,
these books will tell you where to invest your time and attention. They are recent, on-target, study-based and
key for professional growth. They identify key trends for you to adopt now.
11/19/01
- My Favorite Recent Business Reads
Business books are often boring. They offer few "real world" examples of the touted philosophy
or recommendations in action. I've selected these books; they're the best I've read recently.
They'll hold your interest and demonstrate theory in action.
11/15/01
- Little Books With Big Impact
One current trend in business books is the short book, often written as a story or fable.
These books are approachable, useful and may help encourage more people to read.
They pack a solid punch in a small package. Read about some of my favorites.
11/12/01
- Books About Consulting
Looking for ways to find clients, keep clients happy and hone your consulting skills?
If you're starting a practice, even internal, these books will save you time. Experienced consultants
may have missed these informative, special choices. Take a look.
11/07/01
- Before You Buy a Business Book
Avoid the siren call of the latest and greatest business book.
When you spot a book that says, "buy me," resist the urge unless you can use the book right now. I own so many unread books.
These tips can help you avoid the same needless expenditures.
11/01/01
- Are You Getting the Best Benefit From Your Benefits?
Is your benefits package giving you the payback you deserve
in increased employee appreciation and satisfaction? Chances are, it's not. Employees only understand and appreciate part of the employer's cost of the benefits they receive. Learn more.
10/18/01
- My Favorite Online Business E-card Shops
Nothing beats an online greeting when you want
to communicate a sentiment, a reaction, or an observation quickly and informally. Pleased? Send congratulations.
Sad? Send sympathy. Many of you enjoy sending free cards; here are more opportunities.
10/13/01
- Reducing Sources of Conflict at Work Just Makes Sense
While it's unfortunate managers applied the company 'no flag'
policy on the national day of remembrance, it's a well-founded policy which other workplaces ought to imitate.
They'd reduce potential employee conflict. A reader offers a second opinion.
10/06/01
- The Workplace in a World at War
In the aftermath of the attack on America, organizations are addressing
issues of safety, security, sorrow, sensitivity, stress and staffing. Here are the conversations taking place in
workplaces around the world. If you're not discussing these issues, maybe you should be.
09/26/01
- Mourning Needs Not Met
On the national remembrance day, a Florida company deprived its employees of
their right to take comfort in the sight of the American flag. Why? Because the company had a long held policy
that did not permit political or religious expression at work. Read the whole story.
09/13/01
- When Tragedy Strikes...
The Kennedy assassination, the Challenger explosion, and the terrorist attack
on the World Trade Center and Pentagon are among America's unconscionable tragedies.
Many hear the news at work. Learn what you can do to ease the pain and encourage hope.
09/09/01
- Twenty Dumb Things Organizations Do to Mess Up Their Relationships With People
Twenty things you'd
never do - right? You'd be surprised
how often I encounter these approaches. Sadly, they are generally implemented or proposed to accomplish all
the right things for people and the organization. Don't miss these. Add your own.
09/01/01
- How to Add Value in Continuing Strategic Change
HR is the stabilizer and champion during organizational change. HR adds value
by ensuring change efforts deliver lasting results. How? Use a principle-based approach to promote
stability and manage your organization's embedded polarities. Learn more.
08/23/01
- Elan at Work
Are you capturing the ardor and the spirit
of your work force? You want to maximize contributions from people. You want to fuel excitement. You want people
to fulfill dreams, plans and needs. You want to be the chosen, valued employer. Find out how.
08/13/01
- Foster Success for People: Two Musts for Motivation
Tired of hearing that people are your most important
resource? That's fair. These buzz words sound trite today. How about a better statement of belief? People are your only
resource. Love them and help them grow or lose them to an employer who will.
08/05/01
- HR Tool: Ask Right to Hire Right
Looking for a simple, yet effective way to immediately improve your interviewing and
staff selection process? Define the characteristics
you'd most like to have in a new employee. Then, develop questions that help you assess the applicant's fit.
07/29/01
- True Empowerment Wins
Confused about the legitimate role of employee teams and committees in a non-union
work setting? If so, you are not alone. Employers have been cautious for years. A new NLRB decision may shed some
light. Truly empowered teams rock. Read more.
07/22/01
- Ten Tips to Prevent Vacation Downtime
Summer brings heavy vacation time to organizations.
Vacations tax your resources and keep you shorthanded. Work is undone. Customer
service suffers. Does this scenario have to happen? Not if you use these ten tips for work coverage. Check them out.
07/10/01
- HR Tool: Grow Your Strategic Consulting Skills
What does your organization need from you as an HR professional in the twenty-first century? I'll bet it's less rulemaking and
administration and more about consulting, customer-focus, measuring results and value-added activities. Find out how.
06/24/01
- It's All About the Managers...Duh!
The keys to financial success in
business are not the strategies or the systems of the firm. The character and
skill of managers, who practice what they preach, and know how to coach employee performance and morale are what count. Learn more.
06/17/01
- Sick Leave Abuse: A Chronic Workplace Ill?
Unscheduled employee absences are increasing. If you apply creative strategies to leave,
attendance, and absenteeism management, you can keep people coming to work. You'll increase workplace productivity and add value to your bottom line.
06/10/01
- It Can Happen Here
A very real, clear and present danger lurks just beyond the
consciousness of most people who work together. It is the potential for violent actions to occur in your
workplace. Increasingly, the Human Resources function is both the target and the organization's first line of defense for prevention. Find out more.
05/22/01
- HR as Product: Be the Brand of Choice
Human Resource practitioners need to rethink their role as a department, not just for contributing
to their organization's bottom line, but for their survival. Learn how to be the brand of choice in your organization. Welcome guest writer, Judith Brown.
05/15/01
- The Great Debate About 360
Join the great debates about 360 degree feedback. Anonymous or shared? Web-based or
paper and pencil? Affects compensation or not? Organization or employee-owned? Find out more about the pros and cons.
05/03/01
- Promote Self-Discipline
You can create a work environment in which people choose to practice self-discipline and thus, minimize the need
for supervisory disciplinary action. Intriguing? Find out more.
04/25/01
- 360 Degree Feedback: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Want to stir up all of the dormant fearballs
hidden just below the surface in your organization? Nothing raises hackles as fiercely as a change in performance feedback methods, especially
when they affect compensation decisions. Learn more about 360 degree feedback processes.
04/14/01
- Trust Rules: The Most Important Secret
Without it, you have nothing. Trust forms the foundation for effective
communication, employee retention, and employee motivation and contribution of
discretionary energy, the extra effort that people voluntarily invest in work. When trust is present, everything else is easier. Learn more.
04/06/01
- Training Resource Center
Some are old, some new, but all are
terrific resources about training related topics for you. Check out the free
training from Guides at About.
03/28/01
- Set Them Free: Two Musts for Motivation
Everyone is motivated
about something. Find out how to create a work environment that enables people
to express that motivation at work.
03/21/01
- A New Look at Performance Management
I've expanded the performance
management resources. Visit this resource for forward thinking ideas about
performance management, appraisal, or the annual review.
03/13/01
- Everyone Wins: More Tips for Training Transfer
Critically important
to training transfer are the activities that start during and occur following
the training session. You can help create an environment that fosters the
ability of each individual to assimilate learning and apply it on the job. Just
follow these guidelines.
03/07/01
- Change Management Wisdom
As the speed of change continues to
increase, change management is a fundamental competency needed by the Human
Resources professional. I've collected your words, from my recent change
management survey. They demonstrate the nuances of change strategy, planning,
implementation, and courage much more graphically than any I can offer on my
own.
02/26/01
- Orientation Vs. Integration
Your new employee orientation is a make
'em or break 'em experience for a new employee. Why does something we want to
do well, so often go astray? Check out these tips for doing new employee
orientation well. Welcome guest writer, Barbara O'Toole.
02/20/01
- Change, Change, Change: More Lessons From the Field
Want to make
change work for you? Communicate; involve all stakeholders; share the belief
and the dream. Check out the second installment of change survey
results.
02/12/01
- Change, Change, Change: Lessons From the Field
Change is possible;
the need for change is increasing; change capability is necessary for
organizations that will succeed in the future. So say the respondents to my
recent survey about change management success. Check out the first installment
of results.
02/05/01
- HR Tool: Performance Development Process Checklist
Performance
appraisals, performance reviews, appraisal forms, whatever you want to call
them, let's call them gone. As a stand-alone, annual assault, they are
universally disliked and avoided. Use this tool to create a process that
nurtures employee development instead.
01/28/01
- Tips About Dating, Sex, and Romance at Work
What's love got to do
with dating, sex, and romance at the office? Plenty. Get tips about how to
address dating, sex, and romance at work.
01/22/01
- Survivors Can Soar After Downsizing
If you do the right things
right, you can minimize, and even eliminate, the negative organizational
impacts of a downsizing. Find out how.
01/14/01
- Downsizing Survivors
For whatever reason, your organization
downsized, right-sized, eliminated redundancy, scheduled lay-offs, or cut
staff. No matter what you called it, you all have something in
common--survivors. Learn more.
01/08/01
- The Growing Glossary Keeps on Giving
Here's the every day gift that keeps on giving--the beginning
of a comprehensive glossary of
Human Resources words, terms, and concepts. Check out this ever-growing
resource.
|
Articles from
2000 |
Top | ||
|
|
|||
12/31/00
- Make the Most of Your HR Month
Looking for ways to shine the
positive spotlight on your Human Resources programs, processes, and people?
Human Resources Month provides a great opportunity to get started. Find out
how.
12/21/00
- The Top Ten Resolutions for Your Possible New Year
Take a look at
these recommended resolutions. They'll help you recharge, renew, and revitalize
your career and life. These are from my heart, and just for you.
12/10/00
- The Awesome Power of Goal Setting—Ten Tips for Triumph
Heed
the advice offered by Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat, Johann Wolfgang Von
Goethe, and Stephen Covey. When you begin your new year with solid direction
and desired outcomes in mind, you set yourself up for awesome success. These
tips will help you achieve your goals and live your resolutions.
11/30/00
- What Would an HR Hero Do?
Check out my first scenario in a new
interactive feature. I’ll keep adding more scenarios if site visitors
enjoy this new approach to sharing HR information. Please give me feedback in
the HR Community Connection Forum.
11/25/00
- Take Those Numeric Ratings and...
Numeric ratings are one of the
most abused components of any measurement and assessment system. They make
people angry and destroy fragile working relationships. The wonder to me is why
you would expect anything different. Want to know more?
11/18/00
- Make Learning Matter: Become a Learning Organization
Organizations with the best chance to
succeed and thrive in the future are learning organizations. What is a learning
organization? How can you turn your organization into a learning organization?
Find sixteen tips and a definition in this article.
11/10/00
- HR Trends: Are You Ready for an Agile Future?
Agile, nimble,
resilient—these words describe the people you want to hire, retain, and
develop in the future. They describe the organizations that will thrive in
times of intensely competitive, rapidly changing markets, customers, products,
delivery systems, and services. They describe YOU, if you value your HR career
and your contribution to the competitiveness and success of your organization.
Find out more.
10/31/00
- Help People Thrive at Work
How to recruit, retain, reward, and
motivate staff currently tops your interest list. Doing these well is the most
important strategic role of the Human Resources professional. Thomas Petzinger,
of Wall Street Journal fame, talks to the new pioneers, organizations that are
doing right things right for people, products, and customers. This is really
good.
10/23/00
- Performance Management is NOT an Annual Appraisal
Performance
appraisals are a hot topic in HR these days. In fact, hundreds of resources
exist to tell you how to do performance reviews. I think this is the wrong
approach. Should you do reviews at all? If so, what is the larger systems
issue? Find out.
10/15/00
- How to Make Values Live in Your Organization
Your culture is the
outward demonstration of the values that exist in your workplace. Are these
values creating the workplace you want? Do these values promote a culture of
extraordinary customer care by happy, motivated, productive people? Find out
more.
09/30/00
- HR Guide Got Guidance: Survey Results Are In
Survey results are
in. Over 140 people invested their time to participate. I promise your time was
well spent. Read on to discover who uses the About HR site and what your
colleagues want from this HR site. Some of the results may surprise you. They
did me.
09/24/00
- Training CAN Make a Difference: Twelve Tips for Training
Transfer
Can you turn your training participants into learning magnets
who can’t wait to attend their next training? Absolutely. Can you expect
improved work performance as a result of the time, energy, and money you
invest? Absolutely. Find out how.
09/12/00
- Build an Organization Based on Values
Does the environment of your
workplace motivate, excite and retain employees? To ensure that it does, create
a workplace with a foundation firmly based on your core values. Learn
more.
08/31/00
- Book Review: Birth of the Chaordic Age
I‘ve been
thinking a lot about chaos -- not as in massive disorder, but as described in
the new science of complexity. That’s the study of organizations as
complex, living systems, not as ordered, controlled environments like those
defined by organizational charts and detailed job descriptions. Read some
additional thoughts and a book review of a terrific book.
08/23/00
- Resource Roundup: Ten Great Web Sites for Managers
The Internet is
a world whose cities, countries, streets, and byways are millions of Web pages
and more. If you’re a Human Resources manager with limited time to use the
World Wide Web as a career-building tool, the sheer magnitude is daunting. To
make this world more approachable, I’ve picked ten Web sites that contain
knowledgeable, thoughtful content for managers. Take a look; I’m sure
they’re value added for you.
08/14/00
- Ten Tips to Make Training Work
How much money did your organization
invest last year in training that failed to provide the results you sought? You
are not alone if training classes rarely resulted in the transfer of
immediately useful information to your workplace. Real employee behavioral
change, based on the training content, is even harder to demonstrate.
Discouraging? You bet. So what's an organization to do?
07/31/00
- Cures for Negativity
Your workplace is seething with hostility and
negativity. No matter where the bad vibes came from, it's up to you, as an HR
professional, to help make the atmosphere more positive, productive and
supportive. Find out how.
07/16/00
- Tips for Minimizing Workplace Negativity
Nothing affects employee
morale more insidiously than persistent workplace negativity. It saps the
energy of your organization and diverts critical attention from work and
performance. Find out how to minimize negativity before it starts.
07/09/00
- What Great Managers Do Differently
Great managers break every rule
perceived as "conventional wisdom" in selecting, motivating, and developing
staff. See how this helps create a stronger organization and committed
staff.
06/11/00
- Performance Appraisals Don't Work
Many managers intensely dislike
doing performance appraisals. Given the expectations of the traditional
process, who can blame them?
06/04/00
- Tips for Effective Coaching
Have you tried on your coaching hat?
These six tips will help you make the most of your opportunity as an HR
Coach.
05/30/00
- The Strategic HR Coach
Are you missing the momentum as more and
more executives seek the assistance of a business or personal coach? Find out
more about your opportunity in this role.
05/28/00
- Training Trends
The way organizations integrate training and
development concepts is changing. Is your organization ready for new
developments such as online learning?
05/14/00
- The New Role of the Human Resource Professional
The role of the
Human Resources professional is radically changing. Are you ready for the next
decade of change and evolution in HR systems and management style?