With a rapidly evolving economy, increasingly technological workplace and incredibly fluid labor pool across a wide range of industries in today’s global economy, the management of human resources has become a bourgeoning enterprise in and of itself. And as with any new and popular phenomenon, a lot of folks have decided to write books about it. Year after year now, an inordinate number of “how to” guides have come out professing to be the “final word” on how to effectively manage a company’s human resources.
Thankfully, it hasn’t yet quite gotten to the point in which these books line grocery store express lane check out lanes alongside publications heralding the infamous and otherwise-unnoticed mishaps of famous celebrities. Indeed, publishers’ craze for cheap books on HR management is almost as bad as the psychological self-help frenzy of a few years ago, and the end is nowhere near in sight.
Fortunately, there’s one writer who has actually managed to cut through all the nonsense. In The HR Answer Book: An Indispensable Guide for Managers and Human Resources Professionals, author Shawn A. Smith presents insightful argumentation and practical advice for business leaders and managers of HR departments who are or have been heading up the highly involved task of hiring, firing and generally managing a workforce.
Really, this book is like a breath of fresh air, considering the unseemly amount of useless HR pulp circulating through the shelves these days. Its get-down-to-basics, hands-on approach makes it easy for the reader to understand the often complex and highly detailed process of human resources management, from the very beginning to the very end of the entire process. What’s the first step in developing a strong and productive workforce? It’s hiring—and from page one The HR Answer Book is there to answer your questions.
And when reading the HR Answer Book, it’s easy to feel that sometimes certain issues are looked at in a manner you may not have considered before, which creates a sense of discovery. While the first chapter on hiring does go much more in depth than other books, readers of the HR Answer Book might still be struck by a certain level of simplicity and directness to the approach. Indeed, upon reading this book it could be easy to feel that something is missing were it not for the rigorous logic of the text and the examples from experience that laid out the ideas in action. Interestingly, however, there’s nothing missing out. Having read countless HR management guides, textbooks, theory books and more, I have found that The HR Answer Book is a precise and effective primer on the way to get things done—not how to spend hours stroking your chin and contemplating everything that you might end up not needing to know after all.
Indeed, The HR Answer Book is designed for business leaders and human resources professionals who are eager to see change happen now. And if this book were an instructional video, it would need to be a twenty part series on PBS and still only touch on the topics compared to the depth in which the ideas are explained within this book. The mere act of reading this HR guide is enough to increase one’s energy to make a positive change in the work flow, and while it’s a total page turner, it’s also hard not to get up, drive to the office, and start implementing the changes. If you happen to be reading The HR Answer Book on a Sunday, take notes instead.
After the concise instruction on how to recruit and hire employees, The HR Management Book lays out the groundwork for how to set up a clear and well-communicated list of policies that both management and the workforce can refer to throughout the course of employees’ tenure with a company. From there, readers will be able to learn about performance management and the effective use of reviews and metrics as part of an overall scheme for evaluating and improving workforce productivity.
Of course, worker performance appraisal is useless when it’s not coupled with effective training and development, and finding out the right way to keep employees—and keep them happy—is essential to a vital and productive employee base. That’s why Chapter 4 “Training and Development: How do Successful Companies Improve and Enhance Workforce Skills” and Chapter 5 “Employee Relations and Retention: How Do I Keep Good Employees and Maintain Working Relationships at All Levels” elucidate the importance of solidifying an effective approach to workforce management.
With so much good advice so concisely and effectively written, one would think it would be difficult to keep up the momentum in subsequent chapters (I like to call them “lessons”). Yet the spell isn’t broken as we head into Chapter 6, titled “Compensation: How Should Employees Be Paid?” (Yes, I was wondering when you would ask…). Indeed, this is perhaps one of the most pressing questions to face anyone involved in running a business or heading up a human resources department. Little known to many business leaders, however, is the fact that salaries are not always the maker or breaker of the job deal. Increasingly, HR professionals are realizing that work environment, benefits and other factors play a major role in the decision making process for highly skilled talent. The looming specter of salary negotiations and price wars needn’t eclipse other essential parts of an effective hiring strategy.
Yet doing away with the myth of a salary’s relatively inflated importance is best enacted by a clear understanding of how to go about addressing the compensation issue head on. That’s why Chapter 6 is an essential part of this book: it highlights the need for clarity, efficiency and a straightforward approach to employee compensation in a manner that is easy to follow for any individual assigned to the task of human resources management.
Once you put this book down, it will be easy to understand why The HR Answer Book is much more than simply a pamphlet containing a few practical suggestions—take them or leave them—about HR management theory. No. Rather, it is most effectively read as a step- by-step guide to implementing results-oriented workforce development and management processes in real time—without any of the jargon.
Indeed, the lack of pretentiousness is really one of the most refreshing qualities of this book. After reading each chapter, the reader is able to feel like he or she could simply step into the office and take charge of hiring, firing, managing tasks, increasing revenues—whatever the “lesson of the day” that The HR Answer Book provides can easily and practically be carried out by anyone intelligent enough to follow the simple instructions. We highly recommend this book, it belongs on the desk of every HR professional. Buy it now.
LINK : http://www.hrvillage.com/human-resources
Monday, August 6, 2007
Executive Recruiting
The field of executive recruiting requires an understanding of the importance of the employment opportunities being filled. Indeed, finding the right leadership is essential to the health of a business or corporation, and without applying the proper strategy to an executive recruiting campaign—without attracting the right leaders, that is—an organization could face a wide range of management dilemmas in both short term and long term scenarios.
That’s why human resources specialists have taken to closely studying the unique requirements of recruiting the top talent for executive positions. Defining the necessary approach to executive recruiting is a multi-staged process in which begins by mapping out the playing field.
Understanding the Executive Recruiting Scenario
Today, the market is nothing less than fierce when it comes to recruiting the most talented applicants for top executive positions. That’s because leading companies are already to begin locking into tight struggles, a set of virtual tug-of-wars for those who are most qualified to head of positions as directors, managers and chief officers.
Fortunately, the study of human capital management and human resources has helped professionals in these fields to formulate a useful set of approaches towaqrd recruiting executives that are proving to be extraordinarily successful. By applying an effective series of practices and methodologies to the recruitment effort, it is very likely that a company can beat out competing firms and reel in the best.
One of the first rules in the application of effective executive recruiting is simply this: be creative. While ingenuity may not have always been one of the top qualifications for a recruiter of executives, it is a definite priority today. Creative solutions oftentimes involve looking for executives within the very ranks of the company itself. After all, why not bring on board those who already know the ropes?
Executive Recruiting Firms
Contracting the services of an executive recruiting firm is a crucial step in the hiring strategy for many successful businesses throughout the corporate United States and other countries. While in-house human resources may be the alternative option for many companies, still more are finding out that a professional executive recruiting firm is oftentimes much better prepared for the challenges involved in this type of recruitment campaign.
Indeed, the area of executive recruiting has become fiercely competitive in recent years, and this has made it extremely difficult to attain and retain the right executive management personnel. Hiring the services of an recruitment firm not only streamlines the workflow for existing businesses by allowing a corporation to outsource this process, but it also provides a strong solution for the demands on creativity that recruiting the top management executives exacts.
Benefits of outsourcing an executive recruitment campaign
One of the foremost features of an executive recruiting firm is found in the application of a creative methodology to the recruiting strategy. With leading companies in all industries fighting tooth and nail for the best talent, it takes a shrewd and precise approach when it comes to actually winning over the best applicants. The executive recruitment process can also involve a lot of looking in unusual places—such as the company itself—for potential talent that can be fostered and then placed into management roles.
Apart from employing the consulting services of a recruiting firm in order to bring in the best executive talent, it is highly important to recognize that a wide range of factors must already be in place within the company or corporation itself in order to effectively make the sale. The work environment must be inviting, the salary must be competitive, the benefits as well and the overall public image of the business must be thriving and positive.
When these factors are in place, the work of a firm that recruits executives not only is easier, but it is ultimately more effective in pulling in the best.
LINK : http://www.hrvillage.com/human-resources/
That’s why human resources specialists have taken to closely studying the unique requirements of recruiting the top talent for executive positions. Defining the necessary approach to executive recruiting is a multi-staged process in which begins by mapping out the playing field.
Understanding the Executive Recruiting Scenario
Today, the market is nothing less than fierce when it comes to recruiting the most talented applicants for top executive positions. That’s because leading companies are already to begin locking into tight struggles, a set of virtual tug-of-wars for those who are most qualified to head of positions as directors, managers and chief officers.
Fortunately, the study of human capital management and human resources has helped professionals in these fields to formulate a useful set of approaches towaqrd recruiting executives that are proving to be extraordinarily successful. By applying an effective series of practices and methodologies to the recruitment effort, it is very likely that a company can beat out competing firms and reel in the best.
One of the first rules in the application of effective executive recruiting is simply this: be creative. While ingenuity may not have always been one of the top qualifications for a recruiter of executives, it is a definite priority today. Creative solutions oftentimes involve looking for executives within the very ranks of the company itself. After all, why not bring on board those who already know the ropes?
Executive Recruiting Firms
Contracting the services of an executive recruiting firm is a crucial step in the hiring strategy for many successful businesses throughout the corporate United States and other countries. While in-house human resources may be the alternative option for many companies, still more are finding out that a professional executive recruiting firm is oftentimes much better prepared for the challenges involved in this type of recruitment campaign.
Indeed, the area of executive recruiting has become fiercely competitive in recent years, and this has made it extremely difficult to attain and retain the right executive management personnel. Hiring the services of an recruitment firm not only streamlines the workflow for existing businesses by allowing a corporation to outsource this process, but it also provides a strong solution for the demands on creativity that recruiting the top management executives exacts.
Benefits of outsourcing an executive recruitment campaign
One of the foremost features of an executive recruiting firm is found in the application of a creative methodology to the recruiting strategy. With leading companies in all industries fighting tooth and nail for the best talent, it takes a shrewd and precise approach when it comes to actually winning over the best applicants. The executive recruitment process can also involve a lot of looking in unusual places—such as the company itself—for potential talent that can be fostered and then placed into management roles.
Apart from employing the consulting services of a recruiting firm in order to bring in the best executive talent, it is highly important to recognize that a wide range of factors must already be in place within the company or corporation itself in order to effectively make the sale. The work environment must be inviting, the salary must be competitive, the benefits as well and the overall public image of the business must be thriving and positive.
When these factors are in place, the work of a firm that recruits executives not only is easier, but it is ultimately more effective in pulling in the best.
LINK : http://www.hrvillage.com/human-resources/
Recruiting Software
When it comes to managing human resources, one of the most important tasks is recruiting the most talented employees. That’s why it’s necessary to implement an effective employee recruiting strategy that fully utilizes the following proven techniques, in conjunction with software that is designed to streamline the recruitment process
First, figure out who it is you want working for your company. All too often, companies set out on an executive search without even realizing what they’re looking for. Don’t make this mistake. Outline a list of metrics that pinpoint the skills and qualifications needed, and match those up to applicants recruited. Software that is specialized in the recruitment process is ideal for helping you to effectively identify the ideal job candidate.
Leverage Software for Recruiting on the Internet
Once a model for the target management executive of your company’s open position(s) has been established, the recruiting process can begin. In today’s age of information, the Internet is fundamental in finding the right talent. Not only are an increasing number of potential recruits logging on to look for jobs, but, for many high-tech industries, it is often the right kind of applicant that searches in this way.
Recruiting software allows you to integrate with an online jobs portal so that prospective employees can input their information and have it instantly processed and vetted by the software using sophisticated algorithms. Especially in larger enterprises where the corporation is inundated with employment applications, having an efficient software solution that can sit between your website and your human resources database is the most effective strategy.
The Internet can be used in two ways. First, establishing an easy-access applicant portal on your company website allows recruits to pour into your database. Casting a wide net out onto other job discovery sites throughout the Internet is also an essential recruiting practice.
Focus on Multiple Recruitment Strategies
While the Internet is extremely useful, other strategies should be utilized as well. Recruiters and headhunters are a widely-used and highly effective resource for located and recruiting the best talent. Yet if you have a large enterprise, it may ultimately prove more cost effective and efficient to have a headhunter-in-a-box, which is to say, to look into purchasing an enterprise class recruitment solution, of which you could go with a hosted solution (which will save time and money in implementation and training), or with a less expensive on the front end software solution. It all depends on how much you want to keep in house, and how strong your IT department is at training key personnel. Indeed, it's been observed that many organizations do not fully realize all the cost savings available in their software programs solely because of a lack of training.
While these active pursuit techniques are crucial to any successful employee recruiting effort, it should also be noted that the company must make sure to brand itself as a good place to work. In addition to managing the workforce in such a way that positive word-of-mouth employee referral spreads, a company should launch an extensive PR campaign in order to brand the organization as, simply, the best.
LINK: http://www.hrvillage.com/human-resources/
First, figure out who it is you want working for your company. All too often, companies set out on an executive search without even realizing what they’re looking for. Don’t make this mistake. Outline a list of metrics that pinpoint the skills and qualifications needed, and match those up to applicants recruited. Software that is specialized in the recruitment process is ideal for helping you to effectively identify the ideal job candidate.
Leverage Software for Recruiting on the Internet
Once a model for the target management executive of your company’s open position(s) has been established, the recruiting process can begin. In today’s age of information, the Internet is fundamental in finding the right talent. Not only are an increasing number of potential recruits logging on to look for jobs, but, for many high-tech industries, it is often the right kind of applicant that searches in this way.
Recruiting software allows you to integrate with an online jobs portal so that prospective employees can input their information and have it instantly processed and vetted by the software using sophisticated algorithms. Especially in larger enterprises where the corporation is inundated with employment applications, having an efficient software solution that can sit between your website and your human resources database is the most effective strategy.
The Internet can be used in two ways. First, establishing an easy-access applicant portal on your company website allows recruits to pour into your database. Casting a wide net out onto other job discovery sites throughout the Internet is also an essential recruiting practice.
Focus on Multiple Recruitment Strategies
While the Internet is extremely useful, other strategies should be utilized as well. Recruiters and headhunters are a widely-used and highly effective resource for located and recruiting the best talent. Yet if you have a large enterprise, it may ultimately prove more cost effective and efficient to have a headhunter-in-a-box, which is to say, to look into purchasing an enterprise class recruitment solution, of which you could go with a hosted solution (which will save time and money in implementation and training), or with a less expensive on the front end software solution. It all depends on how much you want to keep in house, and how strong your IT department is at training key personnel. Indeed, it's been observed that many organizations do not fully realize all the cost savings available in their software programs solely because of a lack of training.
While these active pursuit techniques are crucial to any successful employee recruiting effort, it should also be noted that the company must make sure to brand itself as a good place to work. In addition to managing the workforce in such a way that positive word-of-mouth employee referral spreads, a company should launch an extensive PR campaign in order to brand the organization as, simply, the best.
LINK: http://www.hrvillage.com/human-resources/
Motivating Employees From Afar
Today more and more supervisors are given the task of supervising employees who they rarely see face-to-face. These employees may be working at home, in different states, or sometimes even in different countries.
Luckily, when a supervisor is given the task of supervising remote employees, those employees usually are fairly autonomous and self-sufficient; therefore, they are not likely to require a supervisor monitoring their every move. However, remote employees still require the same amount of motivation as office employees, and in some cases even more than what office employees require.
Tips for motivating remote employees:
1.) Out-of-sight should not be out-of-mind. Yes, this tip is obvious; however, it is the one that most supervisors adopt when supervising remote employees. Supervisors should not forget that remote employees should be teleconferenced in during staff meetings, team meetings, and goal setting meetings. You may also want to consider placing pictures of your remote employees in your office or cube so you and other employees will remember them.
2.) Remote employees should not be declassified as UNIMPORTANT PEOPLE because they do not come into the office. A supervisor of a remote employee should frequently ask for his or her opinions, and they should champion his or her opinions with their coworkers.
3.) Allow remote employees to built friendships with the office workers and other remote workers by using the telephone, e-mail, or by using a company based Internet chat-room. Remember, if you want "sticky" remote employees; allow them to build friendships with the other employees in the company.
4.) Short-term goals work best for your remote employees, and long-terms goals work best for your office employees. It is okay for office employees to have long-term goals because they frequently receive informal short-term feedback while accomplishing their long-term goals. However, remote employees frequently do not receive the same informal feedback; therefore, by setting up short-term goals it will force you to provide them with the positive feedback to keep them motivated.
5.) Communicate value to your remote employees by helping them understand how their work adds to the overall success of the company. Office employees require less "value" communication because they can see what they are creating, while remote employees can usually only see their own work.
6.) Build company loyalty with your remote employees by sending out coffee cups, hats, and shirts with emblazon with your company's logo. Instead of sending out your remote employee's paycheck in a plain white envelope, stick it inside a logo emblazon coffee cup in a nicely wrap gift box.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Employer-Employee.com
Luckily, when a supervisor is given the task of supervising remote employees, those employees usually are fairly autonomous and self-sufficient; therefore, they are not likely to require a supervisor monitoring their every move. However, remote employees still require the same amount of motivation as office employees, and in some cases even more than what office employees require.
Tips for motivating remote employees:
1.) Out-of-sight should not be out-of-mind. Yes, this tip is obvious; however, it is the one that most supervisors adopt when supervising remote employees. Supervisors should not forget that remote employees should be teleconferenced in during staff meetings, team meetings, and goal setting meetings. You may also want to consider placing pictures of your remote employees in your office or cube so you and other employees will remember them.
2.) Remote employees should not be declassified as UNIMPORTANT PEOPLE because they do not come into the office. A supervisor of a remote employee should frequently ask for his or her opinions, and they should champion his or her opinions with their coworkers.
3.) Allow remote employees to built friendships with the office workers and other remote workers by using the telephone, e-mail, or by using a company based Internet chat-room. Remember, if you want "sticky" remote employees; allow them to build friendships with the other employees in the company.
4.) Short-term goals work best for your remote employees, and long-terms goals work best for your office employees. It is okay for office employees to have long-term goals because they frequently receive informal short-term feedback while accomplishing their long-term goals. However, remote employees frequently do not receive the same informal feedback; therefore, by setting up short-term goals it will force you to provide them with the positive feedback to keep them motivated.
5.) Communicate value to your remote employees by helping them understand how their work adds to the overall success of the company. Office employees require less "value" communication because they can see what they are creating, while remote employees can usually only see their own work.
6.) Build company loyalty with your remote employees by sending out coffee cups, hats, and shirts with emblazon with your company's logo. Instead of sending out your remote employee's paycheck in a plain white envelope, stick it inside a logo emblazon coffee cup in a nicely wrap gift box.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Employer-Employee.com
The Art of Employee Procrastination
Procrastination zaps employee motivation when it interrupts workflow. One characteristic of motivated employees is their ability to move from one task to another with ease and without long delays or "stall-time" between tasks. Employees who easily move from task to task are known as having "flow."
Procrastination stops employees from moving from task to task and therefore it stops their flow. Procrastination undermines flow because it causes the employee to stall between tasks in order to focus on their negative emotions.
Managers and supervisors can help employees overcome their procrastination stalls. In order to help employees, it is important that supervisors understand that procrastination is a behavior that is caused by negative feelings and negative thoughts. The negative emotions that lead to procrastination include fear, anger, and hopelessness. The negative thoughts that lead to procrastination include perfectionist thinking, last-minute-crisis thinking, and denial thinking.
A supervisor, who notices that an employee is constantly late with his or her tasks, should check to see if the employee is procrastinating. Simply ask the employee if he or she sometimes postpones starting their projects or tasks, until it is too late to complete the type of high quality work that is expected within the organization. Some employees will have logical excuses for being late, e.g., they depend on other employees to get their work done or they were out ill. However, unless the employee can provide a logical explanation, it is fairly safe to suspect that procrastination is the cause.
Once the employee admits that procrastination is the cause or part of the cause of their poor work performance, a supervisor's next step is to discover the negative feeling and/or thought causing procrastination to develop and hinder the employee's workflow.
Procrastination can be caused by negative feelings:
1.) Fear: An employee fears that a negative outcome will occur if they engage in a task; therefore, the employee avoids engaging in the task. Since most fear is unfounded and irrational, a manager can help reassure the employee that they will not be blamed for the negative outcome that he or she is worrying about.
2.) Anger: An employee is resentful that he or she was given the task or project to complete; therefore, he or she rebels by delaying the task. In this situation, the supervisor should provide the employee with a choice in how they complete the task or project; thereby, reducing the amount of rebellion.
3.) Hopelessness: An employee is hopeless when they feel they are in a lose-lose situation. Here the employee may feel that they will lose if they complete the task, and they will lose if they do not complete the task or project. This employee is truly stuck between no two good options. Supervisors can help employees by coaching them on the best alternatives, and what future wins may occur down the road for the employee.
Procrastination can be caused by negative thoughts:
1.) Perfectionist Thinking: This employee's thinking tells him or her that the project or task he or she is completing must be absolutely perfect or the conditions must be perfect before the task or project can be completed perfectly. A supervisor can help an employee with this type of procrastination by coaching an employee about the balance between efficiency and quality. Also, that high quality work does not mean the work must be completely free of minuet errors.
2.) Last-minute-crisis Thinking: These employees believe that they work best under crisis; therefore, they delay projects or task in order to perform under pressure. This thinking may work well for some, but if the employee works in a team-it will drive their teammates crazy. A supervisor can help this employee by coaching him or her that last-minute-crisis thinking creates crisis for their coworkers even if it makes them productive at the last minute.
3.) Denial Thinking: These employees believe that they do not really need to complete the task or project given to them in the allotted time. Perhaps this employee is so bogged down in other work that they cannot think about another task until they are more caught up. A supervisor can help employees procrastinating due to denial by offering time management training.
Read more about procrastination and see a list of excellent books on the topic at: Procrastination in the Workplace.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Employer-Employee.com
Procrastination stops employees from moving from task to task and therefore it stops their flow. Procrastination undermines flow because it causes the employee to stall between tasks in order to focus on their negative emotions.
Managers and supervisors can help employees overcome their procrastination stalls. In order to help employees, it is important that supervisors understand that procrastination is a behavior that is caused by negative feelings and negative thoughts. The negative emotions that lead to procrastination include fear, anger, and hopelessness. The negative thoughts that lead to procrastination include perfectionist thinking, last-minute-crisis thinking, and denial thinking.
A supervisor, who notices that an employee is constantly late with his or her tasks, should check to see if the employee is procrastinating. Simply ask the employee if he or she sometimes postpones starting their projects or tasks, until it is too late to complete the type of high quality work that is expected within the organization. Some employees will have logical excuses for being late, e.g., they depend on other employees to get their work done or they were out ill. However, unless the employee can provide a logical explanation, it is fairly safe to suspect that procrastination is the cause.
Once the employee admits that procrastination is the cause or part of the cause of their poor work performance, a supervisor's next step is to discover the negative feeling and/or thought causing procrastination to develop and hinder the employee's workflow.
Procrastination can be caused by negative feelings:
1.) Fear: An employee fears that a negative outcome will occur if they engage in a task; therefore, the employee avoids engaging in the task. Since most fear is unfounded and irrational, a manager can help reassure the employee that they will not be blamed for the negative outcome that he or she is worrying about.
2.) Anger: An employee is resentful that he or she was given the task or project to complete; therefore, he or she rebels by delaying the task. In this situation, the supervisor should provide the employee with a choice in how they complete the task or project; thereby, reducing the amount of rebellion.
3.) Hopelessness: An employee is hopeless when they feel they are in a lose-lose situation. Here the employee may feel that they will lose if they complete the task, and they will lose if they do not complete the task or project. This employee is truly stuck between no two good options. Supervisors can help employees by coaching them on the best alternatives, and what future wins may occur down the road for the employee.
Procrastination can be caused by negative thoughts:
1.) Perfectionist Thinking: This employee's thinking tells him or her that the project or task he or she is completing must be absolutely perfect or the conditions must be perfect before the task or project can be completed perfectly. A supervisor can help an employee with this type of procrastination by coaching an employee about the balance between efficiency and quality. Also, that high quality work does not mean the work must be completely free of minuet errors.
2.) Last-minute-crisis Thinking: These employees believe that they work best under crisis; therefore, they delay projects or task in order to perform under pressure. This thinking may work well for some, but if the employee works in a team-it will drive their teammates crazy. A supervisor can help this employee by coaching him or her that last-minute-crisis thinking creates crisis for their coworkers even if it makes them productive at the last minute.
3.) Denial Thinking: These employees believe that they do not really need to complete the task or project given to them in the allotted time. Perhaps this employee is so bogged down in other work that they cannot think about another task until they are more caught up. A supervisor can help employees procrastinating due to denial by offering time management training.
Read more about procrastination and see a list of excellent books on the topic at: Procrastination in the Workplace.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Employer-Employee.com
Just-In-Time Employee Motivation
Employees respond best to informal and timely recognition of their efforts. Therefore, a manager who allows special moments to go unnoticed is missing prime opportunities to motivate their employees.
Listed below are employee recognition ideas that are simple, easy to utilize, and provide targeted recognition.
1.) Create recognition business cards (RB-cards) to give after an employee completes a difficult project, achieves his/her goals, or after an employee receives special acknowledgement from a customer or coworker. RB-cards are simply a business size card that you carry with you at work. RB-cards can be either elaborately or simply designed. What is important to have on them is a blank space where you write the employee's name, an area where you can write down the specific behavior being recognized, and a pre-printed statement telling the employee to bring the RB-card to their next performance review.
2.) Create recognition memos on gold paper. A recognition memo is similar to the RB-card. It also has a blank space to fill-in the employee's name, specific behavior being recognized, and a pre-printed statement telling the employee to bring the memo to their next performance review. However, the recognition memo is read and signed by the CEO and all relevant department managers. The key to making recognition memos a successful motivational tool is to have all signers sign the memo within 48-72 hours. A recognition memo that takes 3-4 weeks to get to an employee is no longer useful to producing additional employee motivation.
3.) Create an employee "freedom" card. An employee freedom card allows an employee to take a certain amount of time off of work, usually 1-2 hours, at their leisure. The employee freedom card works best with salaried employees who have a certain degree of freedom over their work schedules. It also works best when given to an employee who has just completed a difficult work project that required him/her to put in long work hours. Similar to the RB-card, the freedom card has a blank area to write the employee's name, a blank space to record the specific behavior being recognized, and a time limit in which the employee needs to take their time off, usually within one or two weeks. The employee is not allowed to save up freedom cards. The point of the freedom card is to allow the employee to take a couple hours off work to help them recharge their batteries and to lower their stress levels. The manager should tell the employee, "In order to recognize your hard work, I would like for you to take a couple of hours off, on company time, in order to relax and recharge yourself."
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Employer-Employee.com
Listed below are employee recognition ideas that are simple, easy to utilize, and provide targeted recognition.
1.) Create recognition business cards (RB-cards) to give after an employee completes a difficult project, achieves his/her goals, or after an employee receives special acknowledgement from a customer or coworker. RB-cards are simply a business size card that you carry with you at work. RB-cards can be either elaborately or simply designed. What is important to have on them is a blank space where you write the employee's name, an area where you can write down the specific behavior being recognized, and a pre-printed statement telling the employee to bring the RB-card to their next performance review.
2.) Create recognition memos on gold paper. A recognition memo is similar to the RB-card. It also has a blank space to fill-in the employee's name, specific behavior being recognized, and a pre-printed statement telling the employee to bring the memo to their next performance review. However, the recognition memo is read and signed by the CEO and all relevant department managers. The key to making recognition memos a successful motivational tool is to have all signers sign the memo within 48-72 hours. A recognition memo that takes 3-4 weeks to get to an employee is no longer useful to producing additional employee motivation.
3.) Create an employee "freedom" card. An employee freedom card allows an employee to take a certain amount of time off of work, usually 1-2 hours, at their leisure. The employee freedom card works best with salaried employees who have a certain degree of freedom over their work schedules. It also works best when given to an employee who has just completed a difficult work project that required him/her to put in long work hours. Similar to the RB-card, the freedom card has a blank area to write the employee's name, a blank space to record the specific behavior being recognized, and a time limit in which the employee needs to take their time off, usually within one or two weeks. The employee is not allowed to save up freedom cards. The point of the freedom card is to allow the employee to take a couple hours off work to help them recharge their batteries and to lower their stress levels. The manager should tell the employee, "In order to recognize your hard work, I would like for you to take a couple of hours off, on company time, in order to relax and recharge yourself."
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Employer-Employee.com
Self Motivation: "No passion, no self-motivation."
The key to successful self-motivation is in hiring the right type of inner-coach.
In order to help you hire the right type of inner-coach; there are five inner-coach qualities your should look for prior to hiring. If you hire an inner-coach who does not have these five qualities, you are only likely to destroy any self-motivation you presently have.
An inner-coach needs to incorporate the following qualities.
1.) Hire an inner-coach who can help you define your goals. If you do not know what you want, you will not have any achievement or success in your life. Also, look for an inner-coach who is interested in helping you define your goals and not the goals of your parents, society, or any other person.
2.) Hire an inner-coach who can break down your goal(s) into small components. If your goal is to start your own business, you will first need to set a number of smaller goals until your main goal is achieved. The general rule of thumb to follow is not to set any small goal that cannot be achieved within two weeks.
Here is a good interview question to ask a candidate you are considering hiring as your inner-coach. "Is it a good idea to set small goals that take a month or longer to complete?" A good inner-coach will tell you that if your small goal takes over a month to complete, it is not a small goal and it therefore needs to be broke down into smaller components.
3.) Hire an inner-coach who can help you remove the following words from your vocabulary: "should," "ought," "must," and "guilt." Why these words? If the goal you set is something you really want to achieve, you will not need to tell yourself you "should," "ought," or "must" do it. People who have achieved self-motivation achieve their goals because they have passion. Passion is the "emotional-gas" you have to help you achieve all your smaller goals and eventually your main goal(s). No passion, no self-motivation.
A good inner-coach also helps you to remove the word "guilt" from your vocabulary. Why should you not feel guilty about achieving your passion? Because your passion is your life. Achieving your true passion is on the same level as breathing, and you don't feel guilt about using up oxygen do you?
If you think that if you follow your passion you will take too much time away from your family, it is time to prioritize your priorities. Let go of less important priorities so you can spend more time with your family at the same time you achieve your goal(s).
4.) Hire an inner-coach who can help you not listen to the "nay-sayers," but encourages you to seek out the advice and wisdom form people who have achieved the goal(s) you are interested in achieving.
5.) Hire an inner coach who does not criticize effort, blame you for failures, or who encourages you to give up when the going gets tuff. A good inner-coach will help you to turn failures into learning experiences. Remember that failure is a perquisite before true success can be achieved.
Are you interested in hiring an inner-coach? Where can you find a qualified inner-coach to interview and possibly hire? Is there a certification board or inner-coach school that you can call to obtain a list? No, there is no inner-coach university.
The best inner-coach to hire is YOU! You are the best inner-coach you can hire because who else knows your dream goals better than you do. Unfortunately, we all have a number of types of inner-coaches within us, and not all are there to help meeting our dream goal(s). Therefore, you will need to only listen to the advice of the inner-coach who can meet the five qualities that I have outlined, and fire any inner-coach who can't cut-it.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Employer-Employee.com
In order to help you hire the right type of inner-coach; there are five inner-coach qualities your should look for prior to hiring. If you hire an inner-coach who does not have these five qualities, you are only likely to destroy any self-motivation you presently have.
An inner-coach needs to incorporate the following qualities.
1.) Hire an inner-coach who can help you define your goals. If you do not know what you want, you will not have any achievement or success in your life. Also, look for an inner-coach who is interested in helping you define your goals and not the goals of your parents, society, or any other person.
2.) Hire an inner-coach who can break down your goal(s) into small components. If your goal is to start your own business, you will first need to set a number of smaller goals until your main goal is achieved. The general rule of thumb to follow is not to set any small goal that cannot be achieved within two weeks.
Here is a good interview question to ask a candidate you are considering hiring as your inner-coach. "Is it a good idea to set small goals that take a month or longer to complete?" A good inner-coach will tell you that if your small goal takes over a month to complete, it is not a small goal and it therefore needs to be broke down into smaller components.
3.) Hire an inner-coach who can help you remove the following words from your vocabulary: "should," "ought," "must," and "guilt." Why these words? If the goal you set is something you really want to achieve, you will not need to tell yourself you "should," "ought," or "must" do it. People who have achieved self-motivation achieve their goals because they have passion. Passion is the "emotional-gas" you have to help you achieve all your smaller goals and eventually your main goal(s). No passion, no self-motivation.
A good inner-coach also helps you to remove the word "guilt" from your vocabulary. Why should you not feel guilty about achieving your passion? Because your passion is your life. Achieving your true passion is on the same level as breathing, and you don't feel guilt about using up oxygen do you?
If you think that if you follow your passion you will take too much time away from your family, it is time to prioritize your priorities. Let go of less important priorities so you can spend more time with your family at the same time you achieve your goal(s).
4.) Hire an inner-coach who can help you not listen to the "nay-sayers," but encourages you to seek out the advice and wisdom form people who have achieved the goal(s) you are interested in achieving.
5.) Hire an inner coach who does not criticize effort, blame you for failures, or who encourages you to give up when the going gets tuff. A good inner-coach will help you to turn failures into learning experiences. Remember that failure is a perquisite before true success can be achieved.
Are you interested in hiring an inner-coach? Where can you find a qualified inner-coach to interview and possibly hire? Is there a certification board or inner-coach school that you can call to obtain a list? No, there is no inner-coach university.
The best inner-coach to hire is YOU! You are the best inner-coach you can hire because who else knows your dream goals better than you do. Unfortunately, we all have a number of types of inner-coaches within us, and not all are there to help meeting our dream goal(s). Therefore, you will need to only listen to the advice of the inner-coach who can meet the five qualities that I have outlined, and fire any inner-coach who can't cut-it.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Employer-Employee.com
How to Give Worthwhile and Effective Praise
For Supervisors/Managers:
I.) Praise with purpose: The purpose of praise, at work, is to increase employee morale and employee productivity. The purpose is not to get employees to like you, or to make the employee with a bad haircut feel better. Praise is not the same as a compliment. Telling an employee that you like their Denver Bronco’s jacket is a compliment. Telling an employee that their skills at resolving customer complaints is a valuable asset to the company is praising effectively.
II.) Target your praise: Target your praise to specific accomplishments, and not to general work. It is better to say, “Mary, that presentation you made this morning was very helpful and informative.” vs. “Mary, you are a great employee to have around.” Praise helps reward the employee for hard work, and increases the chance that they will continue to make great presentations. Asking an employee for their input or feedback is another way to target your praise. When you ask an employee for their advice, you are praising their intelligence.
III.) Believe your praise: In order for praise to work you need to be sincere and honest about it. An employee can easily pick up phony praise, thus causing you to lose your credibility and the ability to motivate them in the future with praise.
IV.) Praise in proportion: Praising an employee too frequently waters down the effectiveness of your praise; on the other hand, praising too little is also ineffective. At a minimum praise each employee once a month. Certain employees may require more praise than other employees. Adolescents generally need more praise than adults, new employees need more praise than experienced employees, and employees lacking confidence require more praise.
V.) Praise in public and reprimand in private: If it does not embarrass the employee, a public method of praise is helpful to improve the morale of all the employees. A brief mention at a meeting, a note in a company newsletter, or a note to their supervisor are all methods of simple public praise.
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For Employees:
I.) Praise with purpose: The purpose of praising a manager is not to be a “brown-nose,” but to receive an honest and positive work performance review each year. Okay, a bonus would also be nice! A manager who feels good about you, is more likely to give you a good work performance review, more money, and may even overlook a minor screw-up.
II.) Target your praise: Be specific as possible with your praise, otherwise it will feel awkward to both you and your manager. It is better to say, “Thank you, for your helpful advice.” vs. “Gosh, you’re the best manager an employee could ever have.”
III.) Believe your praise: If the advice, feedback, or input from your manager has been helpful, that is the time to provide the praise. If you wait for these opportunities to provide your praise, it will come across as sincere and therefore believable.
IV.) Praise in proportion: Too much praise may come across as insincere or phony. Try to distribute your praise-giving throughout the whole year, and not just the week before your annual performance review.
V.) Praise in private: Public praise may make your manager or supervisor feel uncomfortable.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
I.) Praise with purpose: The purpose of praise, at work, is to increase employee morale and employee productivity. The purpose is not to get employees to like you, or to make the employee with a bad haircut feel better. Praise is not the same as a compliment. Telling an employee that you like their Denver Bronco’s jacket is a compliment. Telling an employee that their skills at resolving customer complaints is a valuable asset to the company is praising effectively.
II.) Target your praise: Target your praise to specific accomplishments, and not to general work. It is better to say, “Mary, that presentation you made this morning was very helpful and informative.” vs. “Mary, you are a great employee to have around.” Praise helps reward the employee for hard work, and increases the chance that they will continue to make great presentations. Asking an employee for their input or feedback is another way to target your praise. When you ask an employee for their advice, you are praising their intelligence.
III.) Believe your praise: In order for praise to work you need to be sincere and honest about it. An employee can easily pick up phony praise, thus causing you to lose your credibility and the ability to motivate them in the future with praise.
IV.) Praise in proportion: Praising an employee too frequently waters down the effectiveness of your praise; on the other hand, praising too little is also ineffective. At a minimum praise each employee once a month. Certain employees may require more praise than other employees. Adolescents generally need more praise than adults, new employees need more praise than experienced employees, and employees lacking confidence require more praise.
V.) Praise in public and reprimand in private: If it does not embarrass the employee, a public method of praise is helpful to improve the morale of all the employees. A brief mention at a meeting, a note in a company newsletter, or a note to their supervisor are all methods of simple public praise.
Top /
For Employees:
I.) Praise with purpose: The purpose of praising a manager is not to be a “brown-nose,” but to receive an honest and positive work performance review each year. Okay, a bonus would also be nice! A manager who feels good about you, is more likely to give you a good work performance review, more money, and may even overlook a minor screw-up.
II.) Target your praise: Be specific as possible with your praise, otherwise it will feel awkward to both you and your manager. It is better to say, “Thank you, for your helpful advice.” vs. “Gosh, you’re the best manager an employee could ever have.”
III.) Believe your praise: If the advice, feedback, or input from your manager has been helpful, that is the time to provide the praise. If you wait for these opportunities to provide your praise, it will come across as sincere and therefore believable.
IV.) Praise in proportion: Too much praise may come across as insincere or phony. Try to distribute your praise-giving throughout the whole year, and not just the week before your annual performance review.
V.) Praise in private: Public praise may make your manager or supervisor feel uncomfortable.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Don't Praise Employees...Praise Their Work or Abilities
"I don't get it! If I tell an employee how well he did a certain work task, did I not just praise the employee?" No, what you did was praise the work done by the employee.
"What's the difference?"
When you praise an employee and not the work you are communicating to the employee that you value him or her as a person, instead of saying that you value a particular skill he or she possesses or the amount of hard work it took to get a certain job done. For example, Debbie is a salesperson who just signed up a new customer for your company. Now you have a choice, you can either tell Debbie that she is a great and terrific person, or you can tell Debbie that you appreciate all the hard work she did in order to sign-up the new customer.
"I still don't get it!"
When you praise Debbie as a person, you tell Debbie that she is a great person in all aspects of her work. She is great in sales, she is great at how she gets along with coworkers, and she is great in how she completes all the detailed paperwork that you require etc...etc... However, when you praise the work Debbie just did to secure a new customer, you praise Debbie on only one of her job duties, i.e., sales.
"Okay, I get the difference, but what's the big deal?"
A supervisor's job duties include being able to motivate and discipline employees. Overall, it is much easier to motivate an employee than to successfully discipline an employee. For instance, lets go back to the example of Debbie. In reality Debbie is really a mediocre salesperson who not only has poor sales numbers each month, but also comes to work late and tends to take long lunch breaks. Debbie's coworkers constantly complain about her lateness and are starting to wonder if you are favoring her over them. You see potential in Debbie to become a successful salesperson, but you know that unless she disciplines herself more she will only become a company liability.
What do you think will be easier? To talk with Debbie about her performance problems after you just indicated that she is a great and terrific person or after you just praised her work in obtaining a new customer. Not sure? Let's review the two options you could take with Debbie.
Option #1
As Debbie's supervisor, you told Debbie that she was a great and terrific person on Monday, and on Thursday you tell her that she must start to take shorter lunch breaks and come to work on time. Now what do you think Debbie's reaction will be? Most likely she will be completely dismayed and confounded about why you told her on Monday that she was terrific, and in a matter of few days, she is now a terrible person for coming to work late and taking too long at lunch. "Don't great and terrific employees get a few perks," says Debbie? Debbie is also likely to think that you are just another crazy boss from hell. After your unsuccessful discussion with Debbie, she becomes unmotivated, does not bring in another new customer for weeks, and calls in sick three days in a row. Eventually, she takes a job with another company after she has used up all her sick leave and vacation time.
Option #2
As Debbie's supervisor, you told Debbie on Monday that you saw how her persistence and sales skills successfully created a new customer for the company. On Thursday, you tell Debbie that even though she demonstrated high quality skills on Monday, she still has much to learn about how to use those skills consistently to bring up her sales numbers. You inform her that on Monday you saw the salesperson that she has the potential to become. Next, you tell Debbie that in order for her to develop her potential, she will need to make it to work on time and also to take the same amount of time on her lunch breaks as her coworkers. You tell Debbie that a successful employee not only has good sales numbers, but a successful employee is also a good team player. Lastly, you indicate that you are only giving a verbal warning at this time, and hope that she can use the same skills that allowed her to bring in a new customer account, to help herself come to work and return from lunch on time. Debbie accepts your statements and decides that she will work harder to come to work on time, take shorter lunch breaks, and improve her sales numbers.
In sum, it is best to praise an employee for either their hard work or a particular skill that led to a successful work outcome. Praising the employee for hard work or a particular skill, allows you to later discipline or point out areas of needed improvement without having the employee think you dislike them, as happens when you praise the person.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Employer-Employee.com
"What's the difference?"
When you praise an employee and not the work you are communicating to the employee that you value him or her as a person, instead of saying that you value a particular skill he or she possesses or the amount of hard work it took to get a certain job done. For example, Debbie is a salesperson who just signed up a new customer for your company. Now you have a choice, you can either tell Debbie that she is a great and terrific person, or you can tell Debbie that you appreciate all the hard work she did in order to sign-up the new customer.
"I still don't get it!"
When you praise Debbie as a person, you tell Debbie that she is a great person in all aspects of her work. She is great in sales, she is great at how she gets along with coworkers, and she is great in how she completes all the detailed paperwork that you require etc...etc... However, when you praise the work Debbie just did to secure a new customer, you praise Debbie on only one of her job duties, i.e., sales.
"Okay, I get the difference, but what's the big deal?"
A supervisor's job duties include being able to motivate and discipline employees. Overall, it is much easier to motivate an employee than to successfully discipline an employee. For instance, lets go back to the example of Debbie. In reality Debbie is really a mediocre salesperson who not only has poor sales numbers each month, but also comes to work late and tends to take long lunch breaks. Debbie's coworkers constantly complain about her lateness and are starting to wonder if you are favoring her over them. You see potential in Debbie to become a successful salesperson, but you know that unless she disciplines herself more she will only become a company liability.
What do you think will be easier? To talk with Debbie about her performance problems after you just indicated that she is a great and terrific person or after you just praised her work in obtaining a new customer. Not sure? Let's review the two options you could take with Debbie.
Option #1
As Debbie's supervisor, you told Debbie that she was a great and terrific person on Monday, and on Thursday you tell her that she must start to take shorter lunch breaks and come to work on time. Now what do you think Debbie's reaction will be? Most likely she will be completely dismayed and confounded about why you told her on Monday that she was terrific, and in a matter of few days, she is now a terrible person for coming to work late and taking too long at lunch. "Don't great and terrific employees get a few perks," says Debbie? Debbie is also likely to think that you are just another crazy boss from hell. After your unsuccessful discussion with Debbie, she becomes unmotivated, does not bring in another new customer for weeks, and calls in sick three days in a row. Eventually, she takes a job with another company after she has used up all her sick leave and vacation time.
Option #2
As Debbie's supervisor, you told Debbie on Monday that you saw how her persistence and sales skills successfully created a new customer for the company. On Thursday, you tell Debbie that even though she demonstrated high quality skills on Monday, she still has much to learn about how to use those skills consistently to bring up her sales numbers. You inform her that on Monday you saw the salesperson that she has the potential to become. Next, you tell Debbie that in order for her to develop her potential, she will need to make it to work on time and also to take the same amount of time on her lunch breaks as her coworkers. You tell Debbie that a successful employee not only has good sales numbers, but a successful employee is also a good team player. Lastly, you indicate that you are only giving a verbal warning at this time, and hope that she can use the same skills that allowed her to bring in a new customer account, to help herself come to work and return from lunch on time. Debbie accepts your statements and decides that she will work harder to come to work on time, take shorter lunch breaks, and improve her sales numbers.
In sum, it is best to praise an employee for either their hard work or a particular skill that led to a successful work outcome. Praising the employee for hard work or a particular skill, allows you to later discipline or point out areas of needed improvement without having the employee think you dislike them, as happens when you praise the person.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Employer-Employee.com
Team-Building in Secret
Corporations have been going about building teamwork in some of the strangest ways known to employer and employee. It all began when corporations started having employees hang from ropes, next came having employees shoot each other with paintballs, and now some corporations are trying to build teamwork by having employees participate in inflatable-sumo-wrestling. What will the future hold? Will corporations be asking their employees to swim with dolphins to build teamwork, or perhaps group parachuting will be the key to transforming your squabbling employees into a winning team.Conduct a search on the Internet, and you will quickly realize just how ridiculous team-building exercises are becoming for both employers and employees. Therefore, if I may take a moment to speak on your employees' behalf: "PLEASE…PLEASE…do not make your employees participate in human foosball, comedy karaoke, or sing in a music video with the company CEO in order to build teamwork." Now, if I may take a moment to speak to the HR manager(s) in the company. "Team sailing, employee Olympics, and having all your employees ride around on All-Terrain Vehicles may be fun, but ask yourself this question: does a fun team sport really add up to more teamwork back in the office?"If comedy karaoke and human foosball will not develop your employees into a well-oiled self-directed team, what will? It's simple, if you want to build employee teamwork, do it in the office and do not tell your employees you're doing it. Why keep it a secret? It is important to keep any teamwork activities that you do a secret for three reasons.First, employees are human, well most of them anyway, and humans are social animals that gravitate to work in groups versus individually if given the opportunity. Therefore, employees are already naturally geared to work in teams (groups), and making them swing from ropes will not add any more "group behavior" to their genetic makeup.Secondly, since employees are already geared to work in teams, your primary goal is to integrate teamwork practices into everyday work patterns. It is up to the leaders within the organization to integrate teamwork practices, not the employees.Lastly, if you announce that the company plans to build teamwork, most employees will respond by asking when the team building practices will be over, so they can get back to work. By announcing your team-building efforts, you will not create additional motivation in your employees to suddenly get them to develop team cohesion.Steps to Team-Building in the Office:1.) Define your teams. Most large organizations will have one main team with numerous sub teams. A sub team may be composed of just one employee and employees may be on several different sub teams.2.) Setup a meeting and ask each sub team to define their goals, and what would be helpful for them to have from the other sub teams within the department. You will need to prepare your employee for this meeting by letting them know ahead of time what they will be asked, so they can prepare proper responses. End the meeting after all participants have reported to each other their goals and needs. Do not mention the words teamwork or team building.3.) In future meetings, ask employees to report what assistance they are receiving from other sub teams. Focus only on the positives, and applaud those sub teams that have assisted other sub teams. It may take a few meetings for employees to pick-up on the trend of asking how other sub teams are assisting, so don't give up if your employees are slow to report. Remember, be mindful not to mention the words teamwork or team-building.4.) Incorporate sub team assistance as a performance review item during employees' performance reviews. Be direct by asking employees to report how they have assisted other sub teams while they met their own goals.These are the basic skills necessary to build teamwork within your organization's various sub teams. Remember that your employees are already geared to operate in groups; all you need to do is integrate teamwork practices into your organization's operations. Hence, please cancel the inflatable-sumo-wrestling team-building exercise you have planned for next week.Happy Working,Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
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