Construction Executive Search Firms

Construction is a highly competent sector in Asia, requiring qualified as well as professional workforce. In other words, construction field is continually looking for efficient candidates with the capability to shape the industry at its highest level.

However, it is quite difficult and complicated task to select the right candidate. Here comes the importance of construction executive search firms.

Executive search firms are companies that are solely engaged in recruiting and appointing senior level executives as well as board members for the construction industry, such as, board directors, C-level executives, chairman, presidents and vice presidents, project executives and senior project managers, chief estimators, CEOs, and project as well as field engineers.

Broadly speaking, construction executive search firms assist you in identifying, evaluating, and recruiting construction personnel of highest caliber.

With impressive workforce coupled with most sophisticated technologies and adequate expertise and knowledge in the industry, these search firms serve construction clients of all levels including local and international builders and contractors, architects, real estate developers, and manufacturers and distributors of building materials.

Further, these firms cater to the recruitment requirements of such arenas as estimation, project management, engineering and business development, general management, and accounting and finance.

Asian executive search firms also recruit and appoint professionals with adequate experience in fields such as industrial, retail, office and commercial, multi family housing, bridge construction and parking structure, hospitality and health care, and manufacturing and heavy civil industries.

Also, services are rendered to recruit construction executives for assisting contractors, from general and specialty contractors to highway and engineering contractors.

Based on the requirements of clients, different types of executive search firms are available. For instance, there are search firms solely engaged in providing suitable personnel for home construction industry.

Further discussed in this article are some of the services rendered by firms. Most prominent among them is carrying out construction executive search for finding high quality candidates that suit requirements of client firm.

Some Asian construction executive search firms may have access to a chain of professional firms, which in turn help them to effortlessly find a candidate that goes with a particular skill set. Interviewing the potential personnel, coordinating the optimal results, and following up are the other services offered in connection with the recruitment of personnel for construction industry.

Also, many of them boast of sections exclusively for conducting research and library science. Apart from finding permanent personnel for this specific industry, these executive search companies also focus on staffing and appointing contract executives and corporate directors for consultations as well as short term projects.

In some instances, these construction executive companies even provide such services as undertaking research to analyze project cost, budgeting, and analysis of overall costing.

Despite the aforesaid services, majority executive search companies provide services like evaluation of management team, delivering proper guidance and training for effective team building, conducting retention programs, and development of soft skills, all of which ensure maximum productivity from your staff.

Mostly, a nominal fee is charged by these types of executive search companies for the services offered, which is mostly either 20% 0r 30% of successfully appointed workforce's annual gross income, covering allowances, incentives, and commissions. But, it is important to carry out a thorough research before approaching a construction executive search company, with regard to its reputability, services rendered, and fee charged by them.

Further, it should be enquired whether the firm you have chosen possess any membership from a professional association like International Council of Shopping Centers. It must also be ensured whether the company consists of a workforce capable to undertake research and all necessary facilities and resources such as sophisticated management tools, to select appropriate personnel for your firm, which in turn match with your company requirements as well as individual preferences.

A knowledgeable as well as experienced executive search company can undoubtedly supply right candidates for your firm, which in turn helps you to achieve your goals in a short span of time. It also helps you to obtain benefits such as minimized financial risk, enhanced retention, and considerable savings in time. Above all, it guarantees maximum efficiency to your organization.


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Human Resources Planning - It's More Than Filling Vacancies For The Next Few Months

Constant planning is what most business people do so they are ready for changing circumstances.

Is human resource planning or workforce planning up there with the budget? Possibly not. Quite often, with workforce planning, it will be treated as another budget line item and not taken much further.

The reality is, if it is to be done properly, there are long lead times and it should be a regular feature of any manager's role.

Workforce planning for many people is just about looking at new jobs coming up and how they might fill the vacancies. For those less fortunate, it may be about how they lose surplus staff.

However, to do it effectively requires a little more forward vision coupled with a rigorous approach to ensure you have captured all the information possible - and that will never be enough!

A few of the steps you may wish to include are listed below.

Strategic Plans
Revisit your plans for the business and look at each objective and strategy from a workforce perspective. Do you have the people to carry out the plans? Do you have enough of them? Do they have the experience, are their conditions appropriate? Do they have the right competencies? (a combination of knowledge, skills, aptitude and motivation)

Are they going to stay with you to see the plans through? When do you need to start recruiting? Is there enough in the budget? New people may cost more.

Succession Plans
Have you reviewed your succession plans - not just for immediate replacements but looking ahead at future needs and recruiting accordingly?

Maybe when you recruit your next Accounts Clerk you should be looking for your future Financial Controller. Immediate replacements are a must as anyone may leave your business for a number reasons and some of them may cause a sudden departure. What happens if several people leave at the same time?

Building some depth in your talent pool is good insurance. Often it is better to have a surplus of talent and lose people due to lack of opportunity rather than have people suffer because of overwork, stress and uncertainty caused by too few resources. Do you have development plans to bring people up to the level your business needs?

Employment Conditions
Are employment contracts and general conditions appropriate for any new people being sought? Do you need full time or part time people? Will you be able to attract full time people?

Flexible work arrangements often work well for all parties - make sure you have policies and procedures that allow you to do this.

Rewards
Can you attract new people with new skills? Has the market moved since you last took on new people? Will they integrate into existing salary structures? Do you need a blend of fixed and variable pay? Do you offer the right benefits? Young people are not particularly enthusiastic about superannuation but older people may be obsessed by it.

Recruitment
Do you have a recruitment process that includes a range of techniques for identifying the new skills and competencies required? Do you know where to look for people now that we're in a full employment market? Are all line managers skilled in recruiting? Do they "recruit" constantly, even when you may not have current vacancies?

Training and Development
If you are recruiting new people there will probably be a need to carry out some sort of training - even if it is just induction training to give your new investment the best possible start. Have you looked at the possibility of developing your existing people for the new jobs?

Often we find unexpected talent in our own ranks - people who are waiting to be given an opportunity. On going growth of staff is necessary and part of this is planned training and development. They expect it and will seek it elsewhere if you don't provide it.

Defining the Jobs
Are jobs defined in terms of the results they are going to produce and how they are going to be measured?

This process will help you design your organization and avoid the mistake of continuing with positions just because you've always had them.

Defining what has to be done is part of it. Defining how is equally important. This is why you need to revisit the core competencies of the business and check that they are what you need for the future.

Whilst the current values and culture is a good starting point for this, Generation Y may not want to work for a business that has been built solely around baby boomers.

Performance Management
Once jobs are designed and people recruited, will you be able to manage them? Do your managers have the required skills? Do you have a performance management process?

Are you prepared to listen to employees and make changes as a result of their feedback? Are you linking this information back into your workforce planning?

There are many aspects to planning for your people however if you start with these key factors and work on the action points that will come out of them, you will be well on the way to building your future workforce to deliver your business plan and proving valuable insurance against those unexpected events that always sneak up on us.

In today's tight labour market it is especially critical that as business leaders we can present our workforce plans as confidently as we present our strategic and operations plans. They are integral to our long term business success.

Talent Management Best Practices

Some people say Talent is god's gift for a person. A person is said to be talented if he possess awesome ability in a particular activity or field. Every one is talented in one or another way. Nourishing the talent and utilizing it to the best is a challenge. Talent levels will vary from person to person. There is a scarcity of talents in all areas. Competition is always there for getting the talents between organizations, that is why the talent management attains significance.

Every organization needs talented persons in different levels to enhance the efficiency of the company. In this globalized era talented personals are having demand and are offered good remuneration. For discharging specific tasks talented and work ethic specialists are needed. In every field the case is same. It is not easy to find the right talent needed for the organization, it takes a wholesome effort involving lot of human resource to find the talents and recruit them.

Talent management is simply a process of recruitment of talents, developing the skills of existing workforce, promoting and retaining the employees, attracting highly talented and rated employees from other companies etc. Talent management is practiced by human resources department of each and every company.

Performance management is directly linked with talent management. In every organization the challenges as well as strategies are entirely different. Hence the focus is mainly on getting and connecting the talent with the organizational set up as well as making sure that the person can cope up with the organizational challenges and deliver the might.

For a successful organisation team of talented dynamic executioners, passionate leaders in right roles will make sure effective execution of strategies and correction if needed as per the situation. That means talent should be there in executive, middle and lower level of the organization. But setting up and maintaining this kind of persons for longer periods is not easy.

Senior human resource executives are dealing with the talent management and it is very important for companies as there is practice of rival companies luring away the talents. So motivation and retention of talents in an organisation is a real challenge for HR officials. With companies becoming global with overseas acquisitions, keeping the upward growth will depend on cost effectiveness, internal execution of strategies precisely with existing workforce as well as integrating new talents.

In good olden days the talent management was not a priority and hence it was taken care by personnel management departments in the organization. However in this new era talent management has become one of the top priorities of the organizations. Impact of talent management is directly visible as many companies are spending a chunk of their revenues to disburse wages as well as benefits. Wages are increasing every year rapidly for maintaining the talents in the organization.

Talent management best practices are competency based and some of the competencies are skills, personal traits, experience as well as knowledge. Talent management is for the optimisation of the resources in the organization, henceforth achieving good business results. Always there is chemistry between better talent in workforce and better business outcome. Leaders are developed through the talent management system.

Keeping the workforce satisfied is an important aspect which can't be neglected by any organization. Success profiles should be the main criterion for promotion. There should be some planned strategy for talent management since human resource is an asset for the organization in this new age business world.

Top level management including CEO and senior leadership should support the efforts of human resource department for developing talent pool. Line managers have a proactive role in talent management. They are the ones who can spot talents within organization for higher levels. Developing the talent within the organization is cost effective than really recruiting new ones in some cases and it can be termed as one the talent management best practices.

The demographics of the workforce across the world are changing as many companies are turning global and cheaper workforce with talent. This process is one of the talent management best practices. Hyper competition is the main factor which drives companies to have talent management best practices to keep the competitive edge.

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How To Select the Right Person For The Right Position

Critical to business success is selecting the right people, especially executives, managers and supervisors, for leading and managing the work that needs to be done. Selecting someone ill-suited can cost tens of thousands of dollars and much wasted time.

Mistakes are made when a rigorous selection process is not used.

Often, the selection process consists of a relatively few questions sometimes thought up in the moment and conducted by one interviewer over a relatively short time. Likeability, rapport, interviewee expressed interest in the work convince the interviewer that this person should work out.

A shortage of qualified people doesn't make the selection process any easier. How can this process be improved?

Here are some ideas:

Written Job Description

Take time to write a detailed job description. Include specifics on required and desired education, work experience, specific skills, intellectual characteristics, personal characteristics, interpersonal relations, additional personal specifications, and physical requirements.

Writing crystallizes thought!

Determine Person Specifications

Extract between 20 and 30 of the most important person specifications from the job description and create a written list. For each specification, determine the desired competency level using a scale of 1=poor to 10=excellent.

Written Interview Guide

Create a detailed written interview guide using behavioral based questions to gather data about the person specifications. Include questions on culture and character compatibility with the company.

This guide should have space for writing interviewee answers. The number of questions should ensure that the interview is two hours long (you want to 'know' the interviewee when the interview is over).

Now you are ready for the interview. After appropriate candidate screening, the hiring interview can be held.

Here are a few ideas to enhance that interaction:

Interviewers

Hold the interview with no less than two interviewers (one to ask questions and one or more to observe and write answers or collect data).

The person asking questions will be focusing both on the process and collecting data and therefore may miss important clues.

Rate on Person Specifications

Immediately after the interview, individually and silently the interviewers review their data and rate the candidate for each of the person specifications listed in item 2 above using the scale of 1=poor to 10=excellent. A note on each item could be valuable in comparing ratings and developing averages.

Determine Qualification

Discuss and average or set the interviewee competency level for each person specification. Then compare to the desired competency level to see if the candidate is a good match for the job position.

A few low ratings do not necessarily disqualify the candidate but employee development and coaching areas have been identified.

The ideas presented here turn the interview process into a more objective way of matching the person to the desired work requirements. It ensures that emotions and likeability are not the prime hiring motives.

Could these enhancements to your hiring process lead to better decisions and matches to your work? Try it, you'll like it!

By: Joe Farcht

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Executive Search For IT Positions

An executive in a firm refers to a member of the professional body, who in turn is responsible for the firm's actions, policies, and regulations, along with other members of the body. Executives usually take up such positions as president or vice president, secretary, chairperson, director, treasurer, and committee member or board member.

In other words, executives are visionaries who form the back bone or driving force for the success of a business organization. From the above mentioned discussion, it is evident that how much important is an executive position for the success of a business firm. It is therefore vital to seek assistance of an expert while making executive search.

Here comes the importance of executive search firms, which are alternatively known as headhunters, recruiters, and third party staffing firms. Executive search firms are simply job search consultants who are hired by large companies and corporations to find most suitable candidates to fill the executive positions within the industry.

With a team of expert as well as world-class team, these firms render a variety of services that go with the specific needs of the client companies. Mostly, executive search companies assist in recruiting multi lingual, senior level, and multi cultural executive for the following areas like, Finance, Sales and Marketing, General Management, Manufacturing and Engineering, and Operations and Human Resources. Nowadays, it is seen that, executive search firms are also widely hired to fill the MIS (Management Information System) and IT positions, apart from these areas.

Executive search for IT positions usually include finding top-level personnel such as Managing Director, Director, Manager, Sales Director, and Marketing VP, for industrial sectors such as Information Technology (IT) and software firms engaged in developing software including Shrink Wrap Software, Business Intelligence Software, Multimedia and Graphics Software, Accounting and Financial Software, Handwriting and Speech Recognition Software, Language Learning and Machine Translation Software, Engineering and CAD Software, E-commerce and faxing software, Sales and Marketing Software, Network Management Software, and Business Management Software.

This category of executive search firms also sometimes provide services to IT-Enabled Sectors, which include searching candidates to fill positions like voice and sales coach, technical specialist, site director, operations manager, inbound and outbound sales manager, team leaders, transition manager, technical and customer support personnel, and area manager.

One of the salient features of IT Executive Search firms is that they have extensive domain knowledge, covering industrial and embedded automation, mobile computing, networking, telecom, and storage and security. Also, a prime feature of these executive search firms is that their management team excels in almost all areas of IT, such as, databases, operating systems, ERP, IT infrastructure, data warehousing, and business intelligence and reporting.

Further, they also possess vivid knowledge in Microsoft and Application Servers, including windows programming and web services, Framework, DCOM, Apache and Tomcat, WebLogic, Lotus Domino, Notes Application server, WebSphere, and Application Server Administration.

Now we will discuss some of the services these firms offer in connection with executive search for IT positions. Assessment of clients' requirements, understanding the culture and business of the clients, determination of search strategy, identification of suitable candidates, preliminary evaluation, short listing or benchmarking, conducting interviews, performing referral checks, and follow up with clients as well as candidates, are among the services with regard to executive search for IT positions.

Hiring an executive search firm to fill an IT executive position can fetch you a continuum of benefits. Executive search firms are usually adept in performing a discreet job search, which in turn is advantageous to large business firms who do not want to reveal their requirement for a position.

In addition, utilizing the service of an expert executive search firm will enable a business organization to concentrate on their core business activities. Another great benefit of these firms is that since they have thorough knowledge on recent market trends, executive search firms can effectively assess requirements of a job.

However, the aforesaid benefits can be derived only if you are successful in selecting the most competent IT executive search firm. Hence, it is important to make a thorough analysis, prior to the selection of an executive search firm.

Primarily, it must be checked whether the executive search firm you have chosen possesses a professional team that are able to understand your requirements as well as able to identify exceptionally talented executives that match your company's needs. In case, if you require executive personnel for a start-up venture, then it must be ensured whether your executive search consultant can deliver executives in stipulated time and location.

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Benefits Of Professional Talent Hunting

Retained search is different than any other type of 'talent hunting' in the market. If done properly and professionally, it is much more effective than any other mechanism to find 'the right fit'. Today there are more and more internet sites linking people and companies, on-line ads, networking sites for CV placements, popping up like mushrooms.

It is more than enough to convince you that everyone is on the Web job hunting, and if you're not, well, you'll lose that dream job that pays USD500K plus your own private jet to use the company villa in St Bart's. Sad to say it doesn't work like that- pasting CV's all over the Internet dilutes one's marketability, lowers credibility, and instead gives a patina of childish playfulness, not strategic marketing.

Companies, and candidates both partake of such posturing, but it has a very limited and passive effect; to stand back and see who comes a'knockin' on your door. It reminds me of the cartoon ads decades ago that used to show a muscular man on the beach kicking sand at a wispy guy, telling you that if you want to be strong and confident, send in $10 and all your worries will be gone Ah, if only life (along with perfect abs and the perfect job) was that easy.

The best companies get the best talent by going out into the market and looking for it! Do you, as a hiring manager, really believe that you will find the best people to come into your organisation by taking out an ad and hoping your wishes are filled, or even by looking in a database and having an 'ah ha' moment, having found a perfect fit? Do you, as a strong candidate, think that the best companies will send you back a note on-line, telling you that you're what they're looking for, and the job is yours?

That is the attitude of 'whoever comes along'..You are faced with a search process that warps the selection process; hiring those who come along rather than those you really think would be the best fit for the company.

Now, of course, I am aware that people have gotten jobs and companies have found people over the internet. I'm not a Luddite and think it is an amazing tool to get information. But the higher up one goes, the less likely that your next career move will be from the internet-it will be from your interpersonal ability to position and market yourself skillfully.

Part of that process is to work with a credible and trustworthy search firm. Whilst that is often synonymous with retained search, the truth is that a knowledgeable search firm mitigates a happenstance hire, and pivots towards the best content and the best fit.

Companies hire people based on their ability to think, not technical aptitude. Working with a like-minded search firm that can think, and allow a targeted search strategy to evolve, is antithetical to that passive approach. That, by the way, is why retained search often seems to be the last resort for companies, when it should logically be top of the list.

A good search firm will be able to consultatively understand not only the position, but the history of the role, organizational chart and how it works, the pluses and minuses, must haves, culture, future, growth, benefits, peers, and be able to articulate it [to the right people] better than the client!

For me personally, unless I have a mental picture of whom I'm looking for, I cannot do a successful search-it cannot get more intimate than that, yet unless you are truly under the skin of the organisation, you can't explain, much less promote it, to a viable candidate.

Lesson #1-Don't wait for whoever comes your way, whether you're a client or candidate. Use the internet as much as you want, but it's a chimera to think that technology will get you in the door.

By: Wolfgang Jaegel

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You Need Great Workers

This article is an introduction to the fact that you need great workers to help you in your business. If you have great workers your business will have a much greater chance of succeeding.

No matter what type of business you are in, you have probably heard the saying, The customer is always right. Many business owners and managers base their policies around this belief, and do everything in their power to make their customers happy. However, a better strategy would be to put all your efforts into making sure your employees are happy.

Your employees are the foundation of your company. If customer satisfaction is important to your company, you should direct your attention to your employees -- because when they are happy with their jobs, they make your customers happy. Anyone who loves his or her job, and loves what they do, is going to make sure the people they interact with on a daily basis are satisfied.

This is just one of the many reasons you need great employees for your company, whether you are a two-person operation or a multi-million dollar conglomerate. Have you ever walked into a business where all of the employees are frowning, moping, doing things that obviously are not work, or ignoring you? As a customer, this probably did not make the best impression on you.
In most cases, this type of on-the-job employee performance is a sign of unsatisfactory job conditions. If you want your company to be a welcoming and pleasant place for customers, you need to hire good people and treat your employees well.

Hiring good people is absolutely essential for a thriving business. Aside from the obvious horror stories you could end up with if you hire the wrong people, the benefits of hiring and retaining a fantastic employee pool, whether it is two people or two thousand, are enormous.

You need to make sure that you take your time and hire great workers so that your business doesn't suffer.

Remember, it only takes on mad customer to go out and tell all of their friends that your business is horrible to start spreading the negative word about your business. You do not want that so make sure that you get good people working for you right from the beginning. Great worker represent the difference from being in business temporarily or being in business for years to come, so please choose carefully.

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Using The Print Classifieds To Find That Perfect Employee

This article will show you the tricks of the trade when using the newspaper classifieds to find good workers.

One of the oldest and most established methods of advertising open positions is through print classified advertisements. Many job-seekers still turn to the classified section of the newspaper or the back section of trade magazines to look for career opportunities.

Newspaper classifieds are generally inexpensive; trade magazine classifieds can run from a low to considerable cash outlay. If you intend to place a classified ad, it is important to make sure you compose an effective ad that will bring in the most qualified candidates, in order to make sure you get your money is worth.

How do you write an effective classified ad? In most cases, space will be limited to three or four lines (though you can typically get extra space for an additional charge). This means you will want to make every word count!

Here are the basics you need to include in your classified ad:

1. The job title you want to fill (manager, accountant, assembly, administrative assistant, etc.)

2. A brief description of the job duties

3. Pay rate: You do not necessarily have to list the exact amount you're offering, and often it's preferable to simply say competitive pay or salary DOE (depending on experience)

4. The name of your company

5. The name of the person to contact for an interview

6. A phone number, and an e-mail address, for the prospective employee to get in touch with you (it's amazing how many classified ads forget to include contact information!)

Another important consideration when it comes to print classified ads is the publication in which it appears. If you're looking for general employment, often the best place is the local newspaper. Trade magazines offer an advantage for filling specialized positions, in that few people who don't have experience in the fields you need will be reading them.

It's a good idea to ask the publication you're considering placing a classified ad with for information on their circulation and demographics. That way, you'll have a better grasp of the size and type of audience you'll be reaching.

Those are the key points that you need to consider when using the paper to source workers in your business.

Great worker represent the difference from being in business temporarily or being in business for years to come, so please choose carefully.
I wish you the best in your search on hiring the right people.

By: Dionisio Gomez


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Using The Internet To Find Workers

This article will give you some great tips for using the Internet to find employees that work well in your business.

Make sure you pay attention to everything discussed here because it's important when using the net for employee searching.

Our world is becoming more digitized every day, and online venues can be great places to look for good help. However,you will need to be sure you tailor your message to attract the kind of help you need, and you should be prepared to weed out quite a few applicants who don't understand what you're looking for, no matter how carefully you word your job listing.

With online ads, the "where" matters more than it does for print classifieds. In most cases, a free online classified will not generate much interest. You can check with your local paper to see if they have a website with a classified section, many of them do, and listing on them is less costly than print; in some cases it's free. Job boards and forums are another good place to post classifieds, because job seekers can search listings by location and generally employers can post for free.

Typically, you can include a lot more information in an online help-wanted ad than in a print classified ad. Here are some tips on writing effective employment ads for online forums and classified sections:

1. Keep your language clear and concise. Use action words to describe what you're looking for, both to ensure job seekers understand, and to portray your company as a great place to work.

2. Create a detailed job description, so the candidates know exactly what is expected of them. This will also help to reduce the number of unqualified applicants you receive.

3. Target the forums and message boards where you're most likely to get qualified candidates. There are plenty of places online where like minds gather, and the more closely the people who will see your message are to your industry, the better the applications you'll receive.

4. Job banks are a great place to start. Places like Monster Jobs and Yahoo hot jobs attract a large number of job-seekers from many different areas, so you will probably get local talent and interest there.

5. Remember, you want your company to look good, so be sure to list any benefits and perks, including a great work environment.

6. Don't forget to include contact information! Make sure it's easy for potential employees to respond to your ad, the job market is fiercely competitive, and there are plenty of other companies waiting to get the best employees for themselves.

You now have a bunch of tips for safely using the Internet to locate potential employees. Make sure that you use all of these strategies so that you have the best chance of getting a great employee.

By: Dionisio Gomez

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What to Look For When Looking For An Employee

This section will give you all of the tools you need for properly evaluating an employee.

What makes a good employee? There are several things you can look for during the application and interview processes that will help to ensure you hire good people the first time. The screening process should start with the initial application or resume.

One step you definitely shouldn't skip is the background check.Though there may be a small cost involved in this, it's important to make sure anyone you are considering hiring has supplied you with accurate information, and doesn't have a criminal background (or has sufficient record of dismissal).

Here are a few alarming statistics from HireRight, a company that verifies resume information and conducts background checks:

1. 10 percent of applications and resumes contain serious background misrepresentation

2. 30 percent of job applicants exaggerate accomplishments to look good on paper

3. 34 percent of applications and resumes contain outright lies regarding ability, education, and experience.

As you can see, background checks are an important step in the hiring process.

Nice people make the best employees. In general, they are fast learners, easy to teach, and fun to be around. If it comes down to choosing between an exceptionally qualified and rude candidate, or a nice one who may need a bit of extra training to get up to speed, it's in your best interests to choose the nice person every time.

Other than being nice, what qualities should good employees possess? Here are a few examples of qualities and characteristics to look for:

1. Responsibility: Seek people who will see their tasks through to the end, and will claim responsibility for their work and their actions on the job.

2. Initiative: Does the candidate demonstrate an interest in self-starting? Look for someone who will find something to do when they run out of work, rather than someone who'll wait to be told what to do, and then rush through the assignment.

3. Discipline: Good employees are able to focus and complete a task or assignment thoroughly.

4. Positive: The best employees are generally cheerful, even when working on an assignment they don't particularly enjoy.

5. Consistent: Look for employers who are dependable, show up on time, and will put in extra effort when necessary to finish the job.

6. Empathetic: Your employees should be able to recognize when coworkers or customers are having trouble, and be courteous and aware of their needs.

7. Modest: Look for people who give credit where credit is due, and don't try to claim all the recognition for the work of the team.

This set of tricks for evaluating employees before you actually hire them should give you an extremely high chance of finding that perfect employee.

By: Dionisio Gomez


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Can Non-Financial Incentives Work? You're In Trouble If They Don't

The Oxford English Dictionary defines an incentive as "Something that arouses feeling or incites to action". If the only thing that will do this for your employees is money then you have problems. Of course people want financial returns for their work - they have to live and, yes, financial incentives work in many situations, but let's look at some of the other reasons people may come to work.

It is worth considering volunteer organizations when we want to look at peoples' motivations. They don't get paid yet many volunteers devote much time and hard work to their favourite causes. Often they risk their lives in fire and rescue type organizations.

Some of the jobs they do are often boring, and have low skill requirements yet they turn up week after week to work on the stalls, repair equipment, clean the premises or answer the phones. These people have found a cause they are interested in, can be passionate about and feel is worthwhile.

Why can't we manage the same level of engagement at the business workplace?

Well, quite often we can - there are many good employers who, while they may not pay the highest wages or provide financial incentives, do manage to generate loyalty and passion in their employees.

Back in 1966 Frederick Herzberg conducted some research which has turned out to be very useful for managers. He was interested in the importance of work and working conditions to working people. His study covered 300 accountants and engineers and collected extensive information on what experiences made them feel good about their jobs and what made them feel bad. Fourteen factors were uncovered which influenced job satisfaction. What was surprising about the analysis was that the factors which led to satisfaction were different from those which led to dissatisfaction. This led him to believe that the opposite of job satisfaction was not dissatisfaction but rather just no satisfaction.

While inadequate financial rewards definitely caused dissatisfaction, increasing it did not necessarily lead to satisfaction.

The factors that provided the satisfaction were identified as: a sense of achievement; recognition; being given responsibility; advancement and promotion; awareness of prospects for further growth; interesting work.

If we are going to look at incentives, financial or non financial, the best starting point is defining an objective - what are we trying to achieve?

If what we are trying to achieve is retention of staff and productivity, or having them focus on a particular area of the business, and we feel for whatever reason that financial incentives are not the answer, then we should review a few factors.

Has the organization defined where it is going and what it stands for? If people can relate to what the business is aiming to achieve they stand much more chance of being able to relate their individual work to it and consequently finding it more interesting. Managers can help them make this link.

Do people really understand what we want them to do in terms of what is to be done and how they do it. Are there clear job descriptions which focus on what is they need to achieve. Are the organization's core values described in terms of how successful people behave? If these are in place then there is more chance of someone knowing what they are aiming for and reaching that sense of achievement.

Is there a process in place to provide feedback to people on their performance - a process that systematically measures what people do and how they do it so that when they receive recognition they know it was for something worthwhile. The frequent pats on the back and "well done" are very powerful tools and the additional, more formal recognition, will add a significant boost to them.

Are there plans in place to help people develop and grow? Starting with a Succession Plan for the organization this should lead to evaluating the aspirations, performance and potential of individuals and putting a plan together that meets these along with the needs of the business. These plans can map out training, job expansion, promotions - whatever the business needs and align with the abilities and interests of the employee.

Having processes in place for all these factors will cover the key issues identified by Herzberg and provide the satisfaction that should lead to improved performance.

If you wanted to add further recognition, which are commonly referred to as non financial incentives such as awards, flexible hours, movie tickets and dinners, then these will certainly help, but on their own, they are not often a sustainable way of providing motivation.

So, in addition to the money, people generally want these other factors in their job and their workplace. If you don't provide them they may well find them somewhere else. This can have major consequences for your business and may well be part of a gradual absenteeism or staff turnover problem that you already have.

You may wish to rate your business using our diagnostic tool which you can access from the web site shown below.

By: Paul Phillips

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Office Stress, Good Riddance

All jobs come with a stress level that sooner or later may escalate to physical health related problems. As an employer stressful workers can reek havoc on not only your office productivity but ultimately your bottom line. A badly designed office space can foster stress and un-comfort, increasing the possibilities of employees increasing errors and accidents, turnovers, higher group insurance premiums and decreased productivity.

Preventing this in your business is relatively easy as changing/ upgrading your office furniture. Ergonomic tables and chairs are the most idealistic furniture today considering the importance of computers. Ergonomic furniture helps to prevent injuries due to cumulative trauma from repetitive tasks as typing, escalating the increased risks of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Many believe that office furniture with such positive benefits cost a fortune, and a lot of sellers of improved office furniture would make you believe that it does. Fortunately, thanks to the World Wide Web you can find exceptional product quality at low cost. Low cost, high quality office cubicles, chairs and other office equipment are well designed to promote comfort, posture and circulation throughout the body.

On top of that you can teach your employees different techniques to reduce stress. By doing these simple techniques it will add to the physical benefit that ergonomic chairs and desks provide in your day to day business.

1. To begin with, offer ways for office staff to be more organized and foster time management skills. This is a skill that should be mastered by not only the new intern but as far up as the CEO and owner of the company.

2. Relax and breathe deeply; before you dive into that huge pile of work that awaits you, step away from your desk for a brief moment and take a deep relaxing breath in and out. This will help you target your work load more strategically and efficiently.

3. Take small breaks during your day. Whether it is to take a brisk walk outside or just stretching your muscles, this will help the creative juices to flow and create less stress on the body.


4. Fix your environment; proper lighting and bright colors can help provide a warm atmosphere

5. Get more sleep; in the United States we are better off known as sleepless zombies. More and more over the counter drugs are being prescribed to induce sleep because of us never taking a break or slowing down the amount we take on.

6. Find a mentor. Everyone has an idea where they would like to go in your career and life. The best way to get there and avoiding the pitfalls that so many others fell into would be to find someone you would like to model after, a Mentor of sort that will help you, and your employees get to the next level.

By: Sam Inci



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Flexible Job Schedules for Boomers-and Employers

Baby Boomers, those Americans born between 1940 and 1960, make up about 50% of the US population. They represent a significant part of the American labor force. These men and women are not ready to stop working and they are set to change the definition of "retirement".

Q: What will happen when the Baby Boomer generation retires? Who can replace them?

A: This is a pertinent question because one out of every four workers will be reaching the age of retirement in the next ten years. Certain industries may take a hard hit when these valued employees retire. There is a risk of a huge knowledge gap as the highest leadership positions may soon be empty.

Luckily, studies have shown that many Baby Boomers do not want to quit working at age 65. A survey by The Associated Press found that while most Baby Boomers expect to "retire" at about age 63, more than two thirds expect to work after retiring. Forty-three percent will work because they want to, 27 percent will keep working to make ends meet, and 19 percent will work to have extra money.

This generation is healthy, well educated, and living longer. This longevity gives Baby Boomers the opportunity to continue pursuing their passions and working past retirement.
With this trend, you will not have to replace your "retiring" employees! But do plan on finding ways to accommodate their changing needs.

Q: What can I do to keep my employees who are nearing retirement age happy and working?

A: Baby Boomers are less interested in working long hours and are defined less by their careers. They are looking for alternative work schedules that provide them flexibility to adapt to their changing lifestyles.

As you have noticed, corporate America is slowly realizing the value of their Boomers. Companies are beginning to place an emphasis on retaining Boomers by creating a favorable work environment for them that includes all variations of flextime. Offering alternative work schedules like job-sharing and part-time work benefit your employees and you.

Q: How can I explain to my family the benefits of continuing to work part-time past retirement?

A: You are not alone! Most people reaching the age of retirement do plan on continuing to work. Whether this is for financial reasons or because they simply want to keep working for personal satisfaction, these workers prefer a flexible schedule that will allow them to gradually retire.

Baby Boomers are changing what it means to "retire". You and many others are on the path to reinventing retirement into a combination of part-time, flextime, telecommuting, and consulting work.

Just explain to your family that you are on the cutting edge!

Q: How do I benefit from allowing Baby Boomers to work flexible or part-time schedules past retirement?

A: Employers may enjoy financial perks by retaining experienced employees on a flexible, part-time basis. Some flextime employees may not need the same health benefits as full-timers and this allows employers to save some money.

Baby Boomers have a wealth of knowledge, skills, and work experience. If you are ready to move from a 9 to 5, 40 hour per week schedule for them, you could retain motivated, loyal employees. These workers will continue to contribute to the workforce as they enjoy working flextime that fits their lifestyle.

By: Kathleen Wiant




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Ask Kathleen-Answers to the Most Asked Questions About Flexible Work Schedules

Tired of working the 9-5 grind? Struggling to balance work and family? Why not look into alternative work schedules with your employer?

More and more companies offer flexible work schedules, or flextime, for their employees. These alternatives help employees balance their jobs, their families, and their personal responsibilities. Flextime is different for everyone and can be used in different ways to fit your lifestyle.

Q: I have heard a bit about flextime from my friends but am still not sure how it works. What exactly is flextime?

A: Flextime is simply a work schedule that is not 9-5, Monday through Friday. Flextime can be either a full time commitment or a part time one.

Two common types of alternative full time work schedules are variable work schedules and compressed work weeks.

A variable work schedule consists of core hours and flexible hours. Core hours are times designated by the employer that all employees must be at work. Flexible hours are hours when employees can choose when and possibly, where to work. These are the hours that allow employees to work around their personal responsibilities.

A compressed work week is fewer work days each week with longer hours each day. For example, an employee could work four 10 hour days and have a three-day weekend.

And there are many other variations both in full time and part time working arrangements. You and your employer are only limited by your imagination - and, of course, the job that needs to get done!

Q: I have been working full-time for 15 years and have never thought about a more flexible schedule. What are some of the benefits of flextime for my employer and myself?

A: Flextime is a wonderful opportunity that benefits you and your employer.

Benefits of flextime for the employer include longer business hours for customers to accommodate different time zones; decreased overtime costs; decreased tardiness and paid time off; increased productivity and employee satisfaction; and increased recruitment opportunities and employee retention.

With flextime options, you and your fellow employees will enjoy personal control over work schedules; the ability to adjust work schedules to meet personal needs; the opportunity to work at personal peak times; less stress; increased job satisfaction; and easier work life balance.

Your family and friends will also benefit from your flexible work schedule. You will be able to spend more time with those who need you and better perform the role of a father and husband.

Q: I work a full time 9-5 job. How do I know if a flexible work schedule is right for me?

A: Alternative work schedules may not be for everyone but they are great for those who have other responsibilities during the regular 9-5 work day and who still want to continue working full time.

Do any of these situations sound familiar? You have an elderly parent who needs medical treatment or your child gets home from school at 3pm to an empty house, or you would like to return to graduate school taking some classes during the day?

Flextime could provide a flexible work schedule so you could be with your parent at the doctor's office, meet your child at the door when he/she returns home or attend classes for that coveted advanced degree. It could provide this flexibility while also keeping a full-time salary, status, and the potential for advancement.

If this sounds like something you struggle with, then flextime might be just the thing you need!

Q: I am a working mother and want to be able to spend more time with my kids when they get out of school. My employer does not currently offer flextime. How can I ask about flextime opportunities?

A: The first step is to ask your employer about flextime so you are on the right path! Focus on this as an accommodation and not an entitlement. Your job performance and excellent work ethic will prove that you can handle a more flexible schedule.

Concentrate on solutions and benefits of flextime and not the things you dislike about your current schedule.

Have a thought out proposal ready for your boss. What are your needs and your job responsibilities? You can offer your boss a time frame with measured results. Set aside time each week to discuss the flow of information and overall job performance with the new schedule.

Offer benchmarks so your boss knows that your job responsibilities will be met.

Most importantly, be positive! Many companies have benefited from flextime. It is an inexpensive and successful way to improve employee's job satisfaction.


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Policies And Procedures Can Save You Money, Time And Possibly Expensive Claims

The idea of a shelf full of dreary policies and procedures that tie everyone down in unnecessary bureaucracy does not usually sound too appealing. It doesn't have to be like that. Splitting the task into two will help work out what you need.

First, there are practices that are legislated for and it is necessary to be aware of these and ensure all your people follow them. They normally relate to the provision of a safe and fair workplace and every employer has an obligation to take reasonable steps to provide this. These reasonable steps may include having policies and practices in place.

Then there are the policies that provide guidelines for your people on how to manage to reinforce the culture of your organization and attract, retain and develop your people. These can save a lot of time spent in making decisions, dealing with ad hoc issues and ensure that you use a consistent approach across the organization.

The policies to support the employment legislation should include Equal Employment Opportunity, Discrimination and Harassment, Bullying and OH & S along with the various types of leave and pay entitlements. Having these in a format that can be interpreted easily by your managers and staff will save them from having to access the legislation directly or breach it inadvertently.

Regularly communicating the key aspects of these policies to employees will lessen the chances of people breaking the law and, if they do, will provide you with a reasonable defence which could save you many thousands of dollars.

The other policies which can provide consistent guidelines for managers also give you an opportunity to promote a positive and professional image of your organization. Rather than rely on individual managers to workout out how to recruit, develop people, pay them, manage performance and determine what appropriate professional behaviour is, clear guidelines should be available for all.

Rather than try to distribute these policies in hard copy it is relatively easy these days to have them on an Intranet or at least in a shared folder on your server.

A summarised version of these can also be used in an employee handbook to establish understanding for all employees at the beginning of their service and help reinforce their decision to join your organization.

By having appropriate and effective HR policies and procedures in place, continually revising and communicating them, you free up time and resources to focus on delivering business results.



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Keeping Employees Happy

There are many things that you have to worry about as you have a business in the world today. Keeping your employees happy is certainly one of the things that you are going to want to focus on. This is especially true if you have gone through the trouble to find employees that you really feel are valuable to you in each and every way. Once you have found the employees that fit into your business, do good work and that you can trust, you simply do not want to lose them because of something that you have done or something else that you could have helped.

People who are good at what they do or who are good employees are going to know that they can find work anywhere, so they are going to need to be kept happy, no matter what you do, so that you do not lose them. On the same token, you should know that an employee who demands things that you can not do might not be the best employee for you. There are several tricks that you can use to make sure that your employees stay happy.

First of all, think about what they are doing for you and make sure that they have the conditions that make this worthwhile for them. Are they working under safe conditions, conditions that make them happy? Can you tell that they are going to be happy in their job? Are there safety measures or other things that you could do to make sure that they stay happy at work?

Secondly, remember that you should listen to your employees. Is there a place where you can have a suggestion box or something else that will let your employees tell you how they feel about certain matters? This is something that you might find more important than you think. If you have a way for your employees to tell you what they need or how they feel, you might be surprised by what kind of results you get. Also, be sure that there is a way that they can suggest or ask things without talking to you face to face. Often people are intimidated and will not ask for something unless they can do it anonymously.

Also, when an employee asks for something, see if you can do it. Even if it is something small, you might be surprised at how much of a difference it will make in a persons work day. You want to keep your employees happy and keep them working for you and even if it is something that you can do through the small things, you should try to do so. You might find that it makes all of the difference in your business.

By: Obinna Heche

Key Challenges for Developing Asian Executives

Asia has now become a hotbed for establishing innovative as well as huge investment businesses. However, many of the Asian business corporations confront a range of difficulties with regard to incessant social shifts, rapid changes in business laws, and global responsibilities.

No wonder why there is an increased demand for talented business executives. Hence, developing or coaching executives has now become essential for the success of a business organization in an Asian country. In other words, executive coaching has been now construed as an advanced methodology in order to develop expert Asian executives.

A host of benefits can be derived from developing executives in Asian countries. Foremost is that it helps to build an executive or a leader, who is trustworthy as well as self confident. The next is that it helps them to get a better vision of their developmental goals, which in turn allows for effortless achievement of goals.

Another key benefit of developing Asian executives is that it enables them to be a more effective and successful leader or a manager. Through effective executive development programs, individuals are able to master the concepts and models of management, which make them adept in tackling the challenges involved in modern businesses such as government policies and regulations, globalization, pressures within the organization, technological advance, and dynamic markets.

In addition, benefits cover identification of strategic opportunities, in case a change is required in the organization; effectual development of financial and business plans; effective management of rapid changes in a business environment; acquiring skills to evaluate overall business functions; and formulating strategies for a successful marketing and management.

Aforesaid are among the benefits from the point of view of managers or leaders. In other words, developing executives is not only beneficial for managers but also for business firms, as it can fetch them benefits like goodwill and reputation, enhanced ROI (Return of Investment), and minimized internal conflicts. Al though, it renders substantial benefits, there are certain key challenges for developing Asian executives.

One of greatest challenges for developing Asian executives is that many of the business corporations and firm consider training business executives as a redundant expense. Nowadays, a practice seen in most of the Asian countries is that corporations and business firms are ready to invest billions and trillions of dollars in their business. This in turns places greater demand for business executives and top level managers. But, when it comes to development of business executive, the activities with regard to it are under-funded and hence still in infancy.

The success of an executive development program usually depends on the expertise and knowledge of an expert business coach. Further, an executive coach must necessarily possess artful questioning, observation, and listening skills, apart from qualities such as integrity, self worthiness, loyalty, and confidence. However, nowadays many of the Asian executive development firms face a shortage of senior personnel as well as a competent business expert for imparting training for executive development.

Another major constraint for the development of executives is lack of communication as well as language skills. Conflict between the approaches of young generation and business coaches, lack of confidence to take risks; global exposure, lack of innovative and creative thinking, and lack of skills in structuring and coordinating the processes vital for developing leadership qualities in individuals, are the other key factors that affect the success of executive development in Asia.

Above all, many of the Asian executive development firms face challenges in building a culture of leadership that focuses on developing qualities like valuing other people as well as the ability to manage changes.

Apart from these, constraints for developing executives also include factors such as lack of openness, ie, in most cases, there is no open or free flow communication between the individuals and business executive coaches, which in turn obstacle the shaping of a successful as well as competent business executive.

Understanding these challenges and drawbacks, many business executive firms have now come forward to render the best in the development of a competent business executive in Asia. Majority of them render superb programs to develop business executives in almost all arenas of a business, such as, information technology, industrial, professional services, general manufacturing, and logistics. Let it be any type of programs, a business executive development should necessarily focus on achievement of goals, facilitation of workforce efficiency, and improving leadership qualities.

By: Wolfgang Jaegel

How to Retain Executives in Asia

An executive is a highly skilled personnel or a member of a professional body, who is responsible for actions, policies, and regulations of a business organization. In other words, executives are usually high level managers or employees with rare skill sets.

In most cases, executives play a dominant role in the decision making processes as well as during the procedures of the introduction of some innovative strategies. In fact, an executive finds a key position in an organization. But, when an executive leaves the company, it may badly affect the culture and morale of an organization, which in turn may sometimes result in significant loss. Here comes the importance of employee retention.

Retaining an executive has now become an important segment of sound management practices. Executive retention enables to build a healthy client relationship and allows to keep employing and training cost in tact, thereby ensuring longevity and financial success of a business firm. Discussed further in this article are some of the most popular ways to retain an executive in Asia.

The most popular way to retain an executive is the selection of right employees through such measures as behavior testing and competency tests. The suitable person in the suitable seat is the starting point. After the successful recruitment of right personnel, it is important to provide them a pre-work training, which should include a review of the company's policies and procedures.

Another great way for executive retention in Asia is the creation of an environment for professional learning and growth, ie, the opportunity to constantly procure professional knowledge and skills. This in turn is not only pave way for the success of a business but also enables to enhance the loyalty of executives towards the organization.

A good operating system or a manual covering policies and procedures of the firm is indispensable for the retention of executives. This in turn allows the executives and other employees to get an idea of the firm and easily handle a plethora of duties and responsibilities. It is usually seen that an executive may possess decision-making powers, but he often lack empowerment to raise a process. Hence, providing executives with bigger responsibilities than they may have anticipated can help to make working environment more significant as well as challenging.

There should be a strong rapport between the CEO and executive team, ie, each of the members in an executive team must have a direct relationship with the boss. This is highly advantageous to keep away from misconceptions and avoid a feeling of not being respected. It also helps to build trustworthiness and loyal relationship between company's owner and executive team.

However, in order to maintain a good relationship, it is necessary to have better communication and employer as well as executive being a good listener. One of the prime causes for executive turnover in many of the Asian business firms is burnout. Hence, the working atmosphere must be made as enjoyable as possible. Further, they must be given opportunities to engage in a variety of activities that are not related to work, such as, social services, athletics, education, and spiritual purposes.

Everyone, whether it is an executive or an ordinary employee, likes to be valued. It is therefore vital from the part of employers to reward and recognize their executives for their unparalleled job. Anything in the form of gift certificates or sincere thank you notes could be a great way for employee retention.

Likewise, executives must be paid competitive wages coupled with substantial perks and bonuses. Hence, it is important to frequently review and restructure compensation programs in order to remain competitive in the market. In addition, one of the best ways to retain an executive is to conduct surveys in order to know the actual requirements of executives. Hence, feedbacks in the form of written procedures or online surveys must be collected for regular measurement.

Apart from these, companies across the Asian nations have now adopted many innovative methods for executive retention, such as,

- Hiring the service of an expert executive coach
- Innovative reward as well as excellent recognition programs
- Utilization of most sophisticated technologies
- Fun-filled working environment
- Providing opportunities for executives to take part in organization-sponsored community programs
- Concierge services

Above all, careful planning is also vital for the success of employee retention programs.

Hiring Trustworthy Employees

No matter what you are doing for your business or where it is based out of, chances are very good that you are going to have to hire employees and chances are good that you are going to have to worry about finding those that you can actually trust. This is an issue that comes up again and again because often people do not realize they need to be able to trust their employees much more than they do and they find themselves with serious issues regarding trust before they even know it. So, finding employees that you can trust is something that you are going to want to think about and something that you are going to want to make sure that you are doing.

First of all, the key to hiring people you can trust is knowing as much about them as possible. You want to be sure that as you are going through the hiring process, you are getting as much information as you can, right away. You want to take the time to really know your employee before you hire them. So talk to the other people that they used to work for and get a feel for what they are like as employees. You want to be sure that you know as much as you possibly can about the person you are hiring before you do so and this is one of the only ways that you can be sure you can trust the person that you hire.

Another thing that you can do is run a background check. This is something that is expensive sometimes and so many employers do not do it. However, it is something that needs to be done, because if you do not do a background check you might never know what someone has done in the past. Remember, even if someone tells you that they were falsely accused of something you should trust your gut. If a person has something on their record that you do not like or that you can not trust, simply do not hire the person.

There are lots of people out there in the job market today. You will find that if you take the time to really make sure you are hiring quality people, even if it means that it takes you longer to hire someone, you want to be sure that you are doing so. You are going to spend far less time finding the right person than you will constantly firing and hiring the wrong people. So, take a little bit of time, talk to the person and choose the right person for the job based on the qualities that you want to see in your employees. This is going to be one of the most important things that you can do.

By: Obinna Heche

Challenges of Executive Recruitment in Asia

With more than three billion people, Asia is home to over two-thirds of the population of the world. Many of the East Asian nations such as Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore are well-established. In recent years, Asian nations including India and China have also received much recognition. Due to tremendous increment in foreign investment, even less developed nations in Asia like Thailand and Vietnam also make some headway in terms of per capital income as well as GDP growth.

Above all, understanding the strong industrialization and infrastructure options that majority of the Asian nations render, a large number of international corporations and huge business firms have chosen these countries to carry out their core business activities. As a result, scores of international as well as local firms have been sprouted up throughout the Asian countries. In fact, recruitment procedures in Asia have also now become much sophisticated.

However, it is now often seen that many Asian firms and business set ups face some key challenges for recruiting executives including mid as well as senior level managers. Executive recruitment is a specialized field dealing with recruitment of specialist or senior level personnel for a business firm. This article further elucidates key challenges of executive recruitment in Asia.

One of the prime challenges in the recruitment of executives in Asia is the lack of qualified candidates for filling top level positions. An executive must necessarily be a strong leader with a proven career track in managing and working with top level personnel both internally and externally. Lack of cultural sensitivity is another challenge in the recruitment of executives, ie, inability of candidates to adapt in various working environments. Also, a major challenge for the recruitment of executives is lack of communication and language skills.

Apart from these, key challenges also include conflict between the attitudes of young generation and business coaches, lack of confidence to take risks; global exposure, lack of innovative and creative thinking, and lack of skills in structuring and coordinating the processes vital for developing leadership qualities in individuals. In addition, constraints for recruiting executives also include factors such as lack of openness, ie, in most cases, there is no open or free flow communication between the individuals and business executive coaches, which in turn hinder the shaping of a successful as well as competent business executive.

From the aforesaid discussion, it is evident that executive recruitment in Asia is not an easy process. However, with careful planning coupled with the assistance of an expert as well as dedicated professional recruiting firm, one could easily locate and appoint competent candidates to fill their executive positions in Asia.

On recognizing the challenges and drawbacks involved in the recruitment process, many business executive search firms have now come forward to render excellent services in the recruitment of executives, and that too depending upon your firm's requirements.

Many of these executive recruitment firms have developed innovative programs to recruit business executives in almost all areas of a business, including, accounting, construction, engineering, health care, legal, information technology, industrial, professional services, general manufacturing, and logistics.

Further, in most cases, these recruitment firms provide necessary training to the candidates, for which they have expert business executive coaches. However, prior to approaching a service provider, it is important to make a through investigation with regard to its reputation and the steps they take to find the most suitable executive for your firm. A good executive search firm recruits candidates after match up the personality as well as the candidates' goals with the client company's corporate culture, which in turn guarantees a pinpoint placement.

The internet serves as a great source to search for the most suitable recruitment firm in Asia. Since many of the service providers have their own websites, it enables you to find an executive recruitment firm that goes with your needs. Online directories, business magazines, and yellow pages are the other major sources to find a competent recruitment firm in Asia.

In short, executive recruitment is a high specialized field comprising a lot of innovative of endeavors. Hence, a recruitment agency must be able to render highly dedicated management solutions in order to fill in the gap in the management structure of a company.

By: Wolfgang Jaegel

How to Prevent Minimal Employees from Destroying Your Business

You know who they are. They know who they are.

You know you should fire them but you just don't get around to it and so you keep them on. Month after month. Year after year.

In front of you they spout the company line. It's all rah-rah and go team and let's make it happen yesterday. It's all about us and our company. But they say it with a sarcastic smile that you can read like a book but you let it go.

You make excuses for them but you know deep down those are your excuses. You keep them by rationalizing they work cheaper and you will have to replace them and their replacements will probably be just as bad. Or worse. Better the devil you know, right?

Of course in the back of your mind there is also the fear they will take you to the labor commission. You are pretty sure they will and you've already heard rumors about where your company is vulnerable and how they can get you in your weak spot. Intimidation is definitely part of their strategy.

You've got more important things on your plate so you rationalize it away. You rationalize that their doom and gloom on any company improvements are simply misguided enthusiasm. Right. Like non-dairy creamer you know better but you do it anyway. By default and with your consent, the minimal employee sets your agenda for you.

You let them get away with it because the minimal employee is an expert at feeding into all your insecurities and weaknesses. They probably know you better than you know yourself but unfortunately they use this knowledge against you.

They know how to pull your string and will be against any changes in the status quo as they could be next. They go through all this because it's easier than looking for a new job. Besides, it's what they do.

If it were just you and them it might be all right. But no company lives in a vacuum.

Minimal employees subtly poison your work environment every chance they get. To you it's all smiles but to coworkers it's a constant series of negatives and morale busters. They are quick to point out all the faults in others but become defensive about their own faults.

The problem is it doesn't stop there. It spreads throughout your company and to your vendors and (gasp!) to your clients and customers. A rotten apple soon spoils the whole box.

Besides, why should they care if your company is profitable? It's not their company.

But they won't go voluntarily. It's not easy finding a boss like you that will let them get by without being accountable and productive. A good boss like that is hard to find. They know you can get rid of them but they also know you are not really focused on your company so at least they will get by while the getting is good.

What to do? Well, you can try to counsel or rehab them. You can write them up and go through a series of reviews. But counseling won't work because it took them lifetime to develop their minimal personality and a bad review certainly won't change that. A bad review to them is simply another piece of paper.

The only cure is to get rid of them.

That's probably what you did not want to hear as you were hoping for some sort of slick management trick to let you off your precarious hook. Sorry. If you have been a weak manager all along you most likely have been a minimal manager as well so you have put yourself into a management bind. Minimal employees understand this very well. Probably better than you do.

What to do? First check your Employee Manual to see what policies and procedures you have in place for dealing with the minimal employee. If you don't have a manual or your manual is minimal itself, then you may need to consider other measures. And put an Employee Manual on your to-do list.

You immediately begin documenting your reasons for firing your minimal employee because that is what you might have to do. Remember they have no personal pride so you cannot shame them into quitting.

You can 'reorganize' and eliminate their position. In California employees can be let go without much fuss for reorganization or if the employee no longer has the skills required to do the job. It's messy, but it works and keeps you away from the Labor Board.

You have to play hardball because minimal people sure do. If it's too messy to reorganize, simply reduce their hours. If they are fulltime, make them part time. Make sure you do your homework and just don't single them out from all your other employees with the same classification. Then they can say it's discrimination. Unless you can document they are a minimal employee. Which of course you can, no?

Globally, you need to rate each employee: keepers, maybes, and goners. The idea is to cycle out the goners and bring in keepers. Each year you should be cycling out your minimal employees and replacing them with better employees. Unless you are lazy.

But if you are just remember that minimal employees hurt morale, stunt growth and every day cost your company money. From the management perspective it's only a matter of when and how to let them go.

So go ahead, do yourself a favor and get rid of them.

How to Use Your Company's Employee Manual as a Business Development Tool

The Employee Manual is another one of those 'groan' topics that everyone gives a sigh and throws up their hands on. Just the mention elicits a painful response. But it's not all that painful.

There are a number of templated softwares available on the Internet for building an employee manual. Pick one and look at the contents.

The first thing you notice is how the Employee Manual is a funny bird and not your normal company document. It's written in a stilted manual format. The manual's purpose is to clearly describe the relationship between your company and your employee. This is not the time to wax poetic or be goofy, even if goofy is in your company culture.

Many aspects of this employer - employee relationship are legal in nature and therefore not optional unless you are running an underground or flea market operation. Nothing against flea marketers of course.

A good employee manual builds a company's credibility in the eyes of an employee. Employees know there are rules and good employees follow company rules. Bad employees don't follow the rules. A company with no rules doesn't care. Employees expect rules and like knowing exactly what is expected of them.

The other reason to keep it neat, crisp and businesslike is that you may be showing a labor commissioner or judge what your company policies are when an employee files a labor complaint or grievance against your company.

When you go before the court or labor commission if you have no written policy you will be considered by the court or commission as not having a policy. If you have no policy the odds are 10 to 1 you lose for whatever infraction you have been charged with. Case closed.

Several of these labor commission settlements can outweigh the costs of creating a solid employee manual. You can chalk it up to the cost of doing business but a good employee manual is much cheaper in the long run.

If you or someone in your company messes up, and that is probable, you can at least show the labor commissioner a copy of your Employee Manual demonstrating that you do have a clear policy. This also demonstrates the mistake should not be a reoccurring one.

Labor commissioners are sharp and wise and they can sense immediately if a company is not serious about its employees. It is not good strategy to get them upset as there are a number of ways they can make your business life less rewarding.

It has been my experience that no matter how grievous or stupid your company's labor commission offense, if you show good faith through your employee manual and promise to not be stupid again then you may be given some leniency. I say maybe.

Most likely you will still have to pay back overtime, lunch breaks or whatever infraction you committed. But if you act in good faith the labor commissioner will admonish but not penalize. The labor commission will realize that you are just another clown employer trying to stretch a margin. You really aren't malicious, just stupid.

What they want is some sense that you understand and will correct your problem and not do naughty things against your employees ever again.

More good news is there are literally hundreds of topics and items you must decide on or omit from your Employee Manual. By going through this exercise you and your company are forced to make the types of decisions that will allow you to grow. Or at least put your company in a position to grow.

Putting together a manual can be a nerve-wracking series of tasks. Since it is tedious it is best to break down the manual into chunks or files and work on each file until it is completed. The exception may be overview or summary type files that can be left until the end after all the other content is entered.

Make sure your good employees understand that your new book of rules is not meant to punish them. Good employees need not be afraid of the manual; it makes their company stronger and allows the company to reward high levels of productivity and deal appropriately with problems that hinder productivity.

It is important to remember that the manual is a very frank and honest discussion about the relationship between company and employee and what is expected of both. There are a number of topics that some folks would rather not discuss but these topics are not optional in a good manual. This is life in the contemporary business world. Get used to it.

Such topics could include descriptions of sexual harassment, policies on theft and embezzlement, prohibited behaviors, workplace violence warning and prevention, the progressive steps toward a firing, probation, etc. Leave these topics in. This is the reality of the world we live in.

By: Jack Deal

Let Hypnotherapy Take Care Of Your Business Responsibilities

Every business manager is aware of the responsibilities they have towards not only their business but to their staff as well. These responsibilities seem to grow each year and the burden upon owners and managers increases with it. But with the use of hypnotherapy these burdens can be reduced and even eliminated. If you are not sure exactly what I mean here are just a few of the responsibilities that I hope this article will be able to help you control more easily.

The first one is an obvious one when you sit back and think about it and has been associated with hypnotherapy for a long time now. Helping your staff to stop smoking, especially with the new non smoking regulations that have recently come into force will not only help improve the health of your employees, but it will lead to less time away from their work stations and fewer days off ill.

One of the biggest problems in all types of industries, large, medium and small in these hectic times is stress management. Stress is in there fighting for the top position as being the cause for staff taking time off of work, poor performances and working relationships between co-workers. Hypnotherapy can help you control stress in the work place bringing stress levels down to create a more harmonious and healthy working environment for everyone involved. Another benefit is that people will be less likely to take the stress home with them therefore creating a better lifestyle in all areas of their lives.

Do you and your staff need help in generating more motivation, better target setting, increased presentation skills or higher creativity levels? Even if they do not, just think what hypnotherapy could bring to an already successful team, if you could increase all of those areas by just one percent! It would of course mean even better performances and higher rewards for everyone and surely that is what you went into business for in the first place. These are just a few of the things that hypnotherapy can help any business with, taking the responsibility off of the backs of owners and managers and letting them concentrate on the job at hand.

Hypnotherapy can be a great tool for any business to invest in and pass that investment onto the personal development of all involved, from the cleaner up to the chairman. The beauty of being taught how to use hypnotherapy is that once mastered any individual can use self hypnosis to continue on their own personal development, so the benefits go on and on and on.

By: Steve Tallamy

Choosing Good Employees For Your Business

No matter what kind of business you have, hiring the right people is the key to making it successful. You need good employees and if you start out with the right group of people, your business will become successful much quicker than if you have to go through a process of hiring and firing people because they just are not the right people to meet your needs.

One o the mistakes you want to avoid is hiring your friends and relatives just because they expect it. Certainly, if they are qualified to do the job, there is no reason not to hire them as long as you are capable of separating business relationships from personal relationships. In other words, there must be an understanding that they will be treated no differently at work than any other employee and that you will not make any special allowances.

If you fail to do that, you are setting yourself up for controversy from your friends and relatives because you do not treat them differently from your other employees. Most new business owners do not have a clue about hiring people to work for them, so you may have to consider getting some college credits on human resource education and tactics, choosing good employees or similar subjects. If you are not comfortable with the idea of hiring staff members, you might enlist the services of a recruitment firm to at least help you get some prospects into prospective.

It is important to remember that the agencies are not free, so you may not have the funding that is necessary to enlist their assistance. However, the state employment service is free and there is an office in every state and county within that state. You will learn by your mistakes but you also want to make sure to make those minimal by learning the right questions to ask and making it a point to check previous references. Do nt trust your gut or instincts, because they are not always correct.

When you hire people to help you with your business, do not hire them because they looked nice or talked nice but combine all of the qualities into forming a profile of each person you interviewed. At the same time, do not look past the person who comes to the interview dirty and unkempt because unless he or she is coming directly from another job, this is an indication of what to expect from that person.

Also, if someone is late for an interview with no valid excuse, it may be an indication of a poor record of punctuality. Even the person who came from another job unkempt must not be taken at face value. Consider whether they left the job in enough time to clean up or whether you could have scheduled the interview a little later. The first impression is the lasting one, so keep in mind your first impression when you make your choice.


By: Obinna Heche

Hiring Qualified Employees

While you may have many positions available that need to be filled, hiring unqualified candidates can have serious effects in the workplace that can end up costing the company a lot of money. Because new employees need to be trained, need office equipment, salary and benefits, a lot is invested on the success of the employee. When they perform poorly, retraining or letting them go are usually the only options that companies have. Either way, the cost is much more than hiring a top performing employee.

Even though the job market is slow right now, it pays to hire only the best in the business so your company can thrive. Bad employees not only perform poorly, they may also cause other employees to leave the company. Employees who can not perform their job tasks make it difficult for other employees to complete their tasks. As a result, top performers may leave the company in search of better working conditions. This can also cost the company a lot of money.

If you hire an employee for a customer service position, they need to be able to communicate effectively with customers, vendors, clients and others who are important for your business. If the employee can not communicate effectively with others, they fail to create working relationships or bring in new business, your business may not be as profitable as it could be. Make sure that employees who will be working with the public are able to meet deadlines, work well with others and have an understanding that they need to present themselves in a professional manner at all times.

Preventing the hiring of bad employees can be difficult if you are not looking for warning signs. This can include failure to answer all questions during an interview or on an application, showing up late for the appointment, or not meeting all the requirements needed to perform the job. While you can still hire those who lack formal training but who are able to learn quickly or have other skills that will be useful, it is important to set a minimum number of goals so you can find candidates that have the ability to learn how to complete job tasks.

While you will still occasionally hire bad employees, if you create criteria when hiring, you will be able to reduce this number. Bad employees can have a negative effect on a companys reputation as well, which could deter top performers from applying for positions offered. By reducing the number of bad employees, you will improve the overall feeling at the workplace which will increase productivity. Keep in mind that while an employee may have many skills, they may not have the ones needed to perform their current job. Moving them to another department may help them become more successful.

By: Obinna Heche

Induction - First Impressions Really Mean Something When You Are Competing

A recent survey of 478 businesses in the UK by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in the UK found that 19% of staff turnover occurred in the first six months and a further 28% in less than two years. From these figures it looks like poor choices by employers or candidates is fairly common.

Many businesses still think people should be grateful for a job offer. But times are changing. People, especially the younger ones, have choices, and they want to work somewhere that meets their needs. While it may be difficult to work these out specifically, we can probably guess at some.

People like to think they are joining an organization that is professional, that cares about it's people, is serious about who they select as employees and can provide some interesting work and the opportunity for a career with a future. It also needs to fit with their values. We are reminded of a story shared with us of a candidate that received a job offer by email sent at 11.00pm on a Friday night. He turned it down on the basis that if they worked those sorts of hours he wasn't interested.

The impression given by a potential employer starts very early: the way the phone is answered, the advertisement, the appearance of the building, the reception area. All of these factors will start to shape the expectations of the potential recruit. You may already be losing your best potential employees before you meet them.

If you are serious about attracting and keeping good people, your business should be marketing to potential and existing employees just as seriously as you are to your customers.

For most recruits, they want to feel there is a professional standard to the whole recruitment process - who wants to join a business that lets anybody in?

Starting at the beginning: during recruitment, handle each candidate like you would your best customer. Staying in touch with applicants in a professional and caring way and respecting their time. Make sure you have a rigorous and professional recruitment process and that all line managers are trained in it. Shoddy interviews are a sure fire way to show people you are not professional or serious about hiring the best people.

During the time between the employee accepting the position and starting, stay in touch by inviting the new employee to appropriate Company social functions, sending information about the business such as the employee handbook and product brochures and organising their benefits such as superannuation, car, and any other benefits or equipment required. Their office or work station also needs to be prepared during this time. An internal notice can be distributed advising people of the new arrival complete with photograph so they can recognise them.

When they start, make sure the relevant people are available on day one - their manager, peers and support staff if relevant.

The sequence of events that follow from day one is going to vary between organizations but it is important to have a plan. The following should be included.

1. Occupational Health and Safety issues
2. Showing them the layout of the work location - parking, lunch room, toilets, medical facilities
3. Understanding of key Company policies, especially those relating to employment legislation
4. Completing relevant employment forms if not done before starting
5. Agreeing what expectations the line manager has in the first three to six months (this period may vary depending on the job). This has an affect on a successful completion of the probation period and helps the new recruit settle in and gain a sense of achievement
6. Meeting the relevant people to be able to do their job
7. Meeting the right people to be able to build a social network
8. Being able to start their job and feel like they are contributing
9. Learning about the organization and the industry - visits to customers, suppliers and different Company locations are very useful if appropriate
10. Learn about the products or services provided

With a well developed plan provided to them on day one, or even before, you have a much better chance of an employee feeling they are being well treated by a professional business. They are more likely to be productive earlier, become engaged and stay longer. Overall a good return on your investment.

By: Paul Phillips

Worldwide Employment Trends

Employment prospects were bright in the Asia Pacific region for the first quarter of 2006 as well as in North America, but it was expected to be an up and down three months for most of Europe, according to news reports on June 29 this year.

This was the conclusion bared by Manpower Inc. following a survey of 23 countries in different continents. The Employment Outlook survey covered 45,000 employers. Overall, it reported that employers in nine or 23 countries and territories were expected to add to their workforces in the first quarter of 2006. On the other hand, it also said that 11 of the 23 countries and territories reported weaker employment prospects compared to the same period in 2005.

The strongest hiring expectations were reported by employers in India, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United States and Australia. In contrast, employers in 14 countries, mostly in Europe, reported weaker employment prospects. The weakest hiring prospects were reported by employers in Germany, Austria and Italy.

In Austria, employers reported a negative Net Employment Outlook (NEO) for the first time since the first quarter of 2004, while employers in Italy have not been this pessimistic since the survey started in that country in the third quarter of 2003. The study conducted over 11,000 interviews across 12 European labor markets to measure anticipated employment trends for the first quarter of 2006.

The survey revealed continued buoyant hiring activity in the USA and Canada.

Meanwhile, in Asia Pacific, employment prospects were positive in all countries that were covered by the survey, which included interviews with 3,000 employers in the region. Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and Taiwan all reported improved NEOs compared to the last quarter of 2005.

Interestingly, Australian and Japanese employers reported their most optimistic first quarter NEOs since 2003 when the survey began. Positive hiring intentions were reported by the USA, Canada and Mexico.

American employers were optimistic and reported the same NEO as in the fourth quarter of 2005. The same cannot be said for Canada which reported slightly weaker hiring expectations but still favorable. Mexico was hopeful of starting the year off on the right foot and reported the most positive first quarter NEO since the third quarter of 2002 when the survey began in that country.

An updated Manpower Employment Outlook survey covering only the US market said that of the 16,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 30 percent foresaw an increase in hiring activity for the second quarter of 2006, while 6 percent expected a reduction in payrolls. Fifty-eight percent reported no change in hiring plans, and 6 percent had yet to determine their staffing needs. The seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook for April to June was 21 percent.

By: Jonathon Hardcastle

How To Use Assessment Centers To Your Business Advantage

To start with, let's look at it from the side of the business owner. Are you familiar with the role of assessment centers in business?

If you want to maximize the productivity of your business then you may well need to use an assessment center to make the most of it. So, why do you need the services of an assessment center?

The Value of Assessing Job Candidates Properly

First of all, an assessment center can help you decide who the right people are for a certain job. For instance, if you want to find a person that will be able to speedily execute a lot of accounting transactions in a given period of time, then you can build into the assessment center to test if they can do that.

Whilst it's possible, if you do this on your own, without testing appropriately, there is a fair chance that you will not get the right person for the job

If you get the wrong person for the job then you will have trouble running the business. You will need to go through the process of hiring someone else, just because you didn't do the job right first time!

If you don't learn from your mistakes, then, without question, you will go on in this cycle over and over again until you find the right person.

And what happens if you do not get the right person for the job? Your business will struggle and you will not be able to grow and prosper. This is why you need the services of an assessment center.

Set up well, an assessment center can readily assess whether a person is right for the job or not.

You May Already Have Great People

Second, you may need to use an assessment center within your business or organization, because apart from looking for the right person for a job, you also need to know who should be promoted. Internal assessment centers can be used for specific jobs, or even when you just want to benchmark your people along the way.

Your business or your company needs to grow and if you want to grow then you need to know which of your existing people are capable of making the company grow.

An assessment center can find out who the right people are when it comes to company growth - who has potential even, such that they will be just right for the future.

If you want to make sure that your business succeeds and grows going forward, then you need to know who to spend time with to prepare for promotion.

People Management Can Be Tricky!

Business can be very tricky because it deals with a lot of human beings. People management is part science and part artform, because human beings can be very complex creatures! If you do not know how to manage people then your business growth will suffer.

With the help of assessment centers internally, you can focus your energies where people need it most - on the people you will get the very best value out of.

By valuing the services of an assessment center to measure capabilities of internal and external people, it will give you a serious helping hand in getting the best from your people, now and in the future.

Assessment Centers - What's There To Lose?

So, if you have not considered the services of an assessment center then you might want to try it now. Do you wonder why your business is not growing, or it puzzles you why certain employees work well together and others don't in your team?

If you want to find answers to questions like this then you will definitely find value in using the services of an assessment center.

Don't wait for all your competitors to overtake you in your business or for your business to start sliding down a slope. Get the best people for now and the future.

Using an assessment center is one way you can do it!

What People Do When They Retire

Many people believe that they’ll be able to just completely switch gears once they retire, but the truth is, if you don’t prepare yourself now, retirement may be some of the most boring and dull years of your life. Instead of having just the weekends off, you are going to be at home nearly every day. If you want to make the most of it all and have a happy, successful retirement, you’re going to need to get started preparing right away.

The most obvious thing for people to do when they retire is to take up a hobby. The most important step to take before retiring, though, is to make sure that you actually have some hobbies started. Because once you’re retired, unless you’ve already started a hobby, you’ll find it to be very hard to get into something new, so hobbies aren’t for everyone. Think about what it is that you enjoy doing (be it gardening, craft-making, or even bowling) and get started participating on a limited basis now.

Another thing many people get into is volunteering. Not only does volunteering give you something to do in your spare time, it also gives you a sense of accomplishment and can add meaning to your life. Volunteering is also rewarding in other ways, too. There are hundreds of different types of volunteer services and you’ll always be able to meet new and interesting people. Also, don’t think that volunteering is always just about helping someone for free. Many companies pay their volunteers after they’ve had enough experience and prove themselves to be valuable workers.

If money is a concern, as for many people it is, than you can always take up a part-time job or start a home based business, as well. This is usually a good option for people who are retiring from a job that involved a lot of interaction with other people. You can even turn certain hobbies into something larger or pursue long lost passions. If you’re into gardening, then you could perhaps start your own landscape development service.

There are plenty of other options, as well. Going back to school is a great way to keep yourself feeling young. You may discover new interests or hobbies and you'll even be able to make new friends. Taking a vacation around the world with your loved ones is another great way to spend your retirement (everyone should be able to get to see the grand canyon and the great wall). Lots of people seem to enjoy taking up golfing or other sports and games, there are even chess clubs which will help keep your mind active.

Ultimately, though, the key to a happy retirement is simply keeping yourself busy and doing whatever it is that you love. Many people tend to only think about the financial aspects of retirement and fail to realize that money is never the answer. If there's nothing you love doing in life now, then you'll find that once you have a vast amount of free time, your life will be pretty empty. Now is the time to figure out what it is you want to do with your life.

By: Nell Marry

Find Salespeople that Actually LIKE Your Products & Services

"I don't want a job hopper--I want someone with a stable work history." I get that a lot, particularly from hiring managers looking for good salespeople.

The phrase "job stability" is defined very differently today than it was 25 years ago. So the question is, as we prepare to enter 2008, what is the new measure of job stability? 10 years at each position? 5 years? 18 months? As a business owner or sales manager, should you just install a revolving door and resign yourself to the fact that you are going to have to be in constant recruiting mode? How long can you realistically expect a salesperson to be productive with your organization before they voluntarily move on or you have to let them go for lack of production?

That depends. It all comes back to how well suited the person is for the job in the first place.

I had this exact discussion today over lunch with Tom, the Vice President of Sales for one of my clients: a technology company that sells value-added products and services to webhosting providers, internet service providers, and cable companies. He had sent me an email earlier this week expressing some concern because the last 2 sales reps he hired, one of whom he recruiting on his own and the other referred by me, did not stay with the company longer than a year. And it turns out that these were not isolated incidents; apparently this has been a recurring theme since he took over the sales department 4 years ago.

"What's the biggest challenge you're running into with new salespeople?" I asked.

"The bottom line is they're either not ramping up the way we expect them to or they're bailing after 12-18 months as soon as a new opportunity comes along," he said. "We need our reps to hit the ground running. We provide some basic product training when they start, but it's not like a formalized 6-week 'boot camp', by any means. We just don't have the resources to do that--we're not a huge company. Essentially, we leave it up to the individual to determine those areas where they need training and then they're responsible for finding the educational resources. The reps that do well with our company are the ones that take the initiative to be successful. The ones that stand around waiting for you to send them to product seminars and complain about the lack of marketing materials and support are the ones that don't make it."

In the last 15 years or so, a lot of career salespeople have gravitated to the technology industry, not due to their interest in technology, but because there is a lot of money to be made. Within the telecom industry, for example, there are a ton of people in sales roles with limited technical skills that bounce around from company to company every 18-24 months. They're the $75 - $110k per year player--what I like to call the MLS (Mid-Level Sales rep). The job boards are littered with their resumes. The two reps that recently left Tom's company are prime examples: one went to work in sales for Louis Vuitton luggage while the other is now managing a golf tour.

Up to this point when considering a candidate for a sales position, Tom's focus was on their sales experience first and foremost, with their technical aptitude and skill sets a distant second. When we sat down and analyzed the profiles of his top 3 sales reps, all had one thing in common: a strong background (education and/or work experience) and keen interest in technology. 2 of the 3 had never even been in sales prior to taking the position, yet they were all top performers.

"Most of the people you've been hiring are just not that interested in your products and services," I told him. "They just see your job as a means to an end and as soon as an opportunity comes along that sounds better where they can make the same money, they leave."

In a perfect world, your sales reps would be totally passionate about your products and services. But at the very least they should have a strong interest in what you sell. This will allow them to speak naturally and confidently when carrying your message to their clients and prospects.

Hiring is not an exact science, particularly when it comes landing great sales reps--it's trial and error. Study the profiles of your successful salespeople or those working for other companies in your industry. Talk to your competitor's sales reps and ask them what they like most about the job/company/product lines. Forget about what you think the profile of a successful salesperson should be or what looks good on paper. Duplicate what you already know is working.

By: Thad Greer

The Concept And Practice Of Outsourcing

Outsourcing has become popular and therefore common practice among business professions these days. This is because hiring others to do particular jobs alleviates the load and stress of the primary agent as well as ensures quality work by specialists in a given field. For those professionals with hectic schedules and even independent contractors or freelancers, this is a godsend. But the truth is, like anything else it is far from perfection or even that which would be considered utopian.

As said, the advantages of outsourcing include reducing stress levels that heave ones shoulders and obtaining the services of those, such as experts who specialize in a given field or task. Time constraints are also relieved because more than one party shares the weight. Weight distribution balances everything out, minimizing the stress involved. Further, since these specialists are focusing on a particular aspect of the business, the quality of the product is sure to increase, making all parties look good happily satisfy business needs and desires.

From this comes another advantage of outsourcing, a positive image. This is especially true with large businesses or corporations that can offer attractive and workable funding to those whom are outsourced and gain greater profits as well. With professional reputations, business rises and so does success for everyone. The drawbacks of such an arrangement however, tend to lean toward higher expenses and profit sharing.

When companies outsource, they add to their overhead and have more to pay out. This in itself can add to the stress. Everyone knows that expanded debts are no fun and can even be constricting to some. Such an irony outsourcing can be when it creates the effect that it was intended to eliminate. Profit sharing, though not necessarily considered an adverse aspect to the business process, reduces the amount for each party involved because more parties are involved in the venture and require payment.

With a wider distribution of payment, each party in the company acquires less than she or he would had the company not outsourced and add more to the overhead. In the end however, the quality that comes from outsourcing is bound to serve as an advantage for everyone in the longer run, although those parties involved are inconvenienced in the short term, distant benefits that are ensurred by outsourcing tend to provide a more than adequate and enticing incentive.

The concept of outsourcing is still developing as businesses grow and their particular needs expand and become more sophisticated. This is good because space exists for wings to flex and soar and creativity has no limit. This is probably another great reason why the concept and practice of outsourcing is considered valuable and necessary in business. Growth relies on it.

Candidates Need to Know the WHOLE Story

About 15 years ago I attended one of the best wedding receptions I've ever been to in my entire life. Don't ask me whose reception it was because I honestly couldn't tell you - all I remember is they had a DJ that could have headlined at any club on South Beach. Toddlers, grandmothers, and everyone else in-between crowded the dance floor non-stop as DJ Dan spun the hits until 2 a.m.

At the time, my fiance and I were engaged to be married within a few months and after the party we were full agreement that we wanted Dan to play at our upcoming reception. Having set up a time to meet with him to discuss the plans over dinner, Dan sat down at our table plopped open a 3" thick binder.

"I ask every client to complete an evaluation form after I perform at their event, so I'd like to share some of these with you," he said.

That's not really necessary, I thought to myself. I didn't need a sales pitch because I had already seen him in action. My mind was made up: as far as I was concerned he could go ahead and queue the "Electric Slide."

"But rather than start by showing you a bunch of great evaluations," he said as he began removing laminated pages from the binder, "I want you to see the ones where the client was less than pleased."

There's an interesting approach, I thought. Heck, I was ready to sign a contract before he ever said a word but seeing as how he brought it up, I decided to sit there and listen while he took us through a handful of feedback forms where several clients (primarily newlyweds) indicated they weren't exactly thrilled with his services. The comments, many of which could be viewed as nitpicky and trivial to the casual observer, ranged from the music not being "age appropriate" to his inability to accommodate every special request, but for the couple that wants (and wanted) everything to be perfect on their special day it's anything but. He then proceeded to walk us through a dozen or so glowing recommendations that accurately reflected the experience we had at our friend's reception.

Even though we were still committed to moving forward with him, the evaluations did bring up a couple of issues we hadn't thought of and needed clarification on before signing the contract. I didn't think less of Dan or reconsider hiring him just because a handful of people were critical of his work; as a matter of fact I commended him on his approach. In my mind, he wanted to increase the odds of us having a great experience at our reception by ensuring that he not repeat some of the mistakes he had made in the past.

Needless to say, our reception couldn't have gone any better - DJ Dan had us rocking the downtown Hyatt all night long.

So when it comes to hiring, are you being completely forthcoming about your company/department/environment with those candidates that you're serious about bringing on board? Are you doing like Dan did, and laying the good, the bad, AND the ugly out there on the table for them to see? Or are you just showing them the 8 x 10" glossies of shiny, happy people?

When doing the interview dance, it's imperative that you paint as accurate a portrait as possible of your organization and the position you're recruiting for (minus the rose-colored glasses) so that the candidates are able to make an informed decision as to whether or not the circumstances are right for them. I recommend sharing with them feedback from exit interviews (both positive and negative) or put them in contact with former employees that have left to go to work for other companies in similar roles.

Employees would much rather brace themselves and take the anticipated blow than be blindsided and resentful down the road.

Taking Care Of Your Employee

Your employees spend a considerable amount of time at their desks, typing and answering phones. You worry about your employees health as well as your own. What you may not consider is whether the office is helping to decrease their health which may decrease productivity for your business. An employee who sits at a desk in one position continuously for eight hours a day, five days a week may go home with a stiff neck or lower back pain.

They may not even mention it to anyone else in the office. They may even assume that it is due to lack of sleep. It may however, be related to the office equipment that they use on an almost daily basis. You can help your employees by replacing their telephone hand sets with hands free head sets. This will help your employees to refrain from holding the phone between their shoulder and their head or to free their hands from continuously being above their hearts causing pins and needles feelings in their wrists and hands.

Buying ergonomically correct chairs can help your employees too. They should be sitting high enough to hold their wrists at a level range, with their feet firmly planted on the floor. If your wrists are at irregular angles, holding them too high or too low, you may begin to notice tingling sensations in them from the pressure being placed on your wrists, hands and arms. It is also important to have your arm rests sitting high enough that your arms can rest lightly on them.

They should also be at 90 degree angles with shoulders and wrists. Place your chair close enough to the desk to keep pressure off of your shoulders arms and hands. Your knees should be at a 90 degree angle in relation to both your feet and your hips. Perhaps purchasing desks that allow for standing as well as sitting can help to alleviate discomfort on your back and legs. Spending too much time in one position adds unnecessary stress and strain to areas of your body. It is also important to avoid eye strain so purchasing light filters for computer monitors can help to reduce glare and squinting at a screen for forty hours a week.

If you are not aware of the symptoms associated with sitting uncomfortably for long periods of time, you may not notice your pains until it is too late. You may feel fatigue, stress, irritability and have shorter attention spans. If these problems continue, you may develop tendinitis, spinal injuries, nerve damage or even tears in the muscles. Some of these health problems are fixable with regular doctors care but some of them can progress to the point where surgery is necessary or can be crippling for life.

Feedback - Your People Need It

The early months of a job are the most important in determining whether the match between employee and organization is going to be successful or not. If the recruitment has been handled well and reasonable expectations have been set by all parties, then it comes down to the relationship between the employee and the manager.

Ideally you will have a performance management system that incorporates WHAT people need to do through a job description and HOW they are to do it through core competencies and behaviours. However, whether you have that in place or not, early setting of expectations and provision of feedback is essential.

Regardless of the seniority of the job, it is important that the new employee has some direction and receives information on how they are going.

We have previously discussed Expectations of Success which are the targets for a new employee over the first few months - possibly even up to the first year.

It is important to give in-depth and specific feedback at these times. It is often too easy to say "everything seems to be going OK" whereas a comment on what they are doing well is far more useful. "I liked the way you prepared that report, it was clear and concise and I was able to use it to communicate with the Board." "Thank you for briefing me on the planned meeting well in advance, it helped me prepare for it"

A useful reinforcement model is to define exactly what was expected, how they did it and the consequences. "Part of your job is to plan the preventative maintenance of the equipment. I see that you have done that well in advance; it is comprehensive and has been communicated effectively. As a result, we have had no down time and our margins are up. Thank you for doing a great job."

With that sort of feedback the employee knows what it is they did well and why it is important. They are likely to do it again.

Of course giving positive feedback is easier than the other kind. If we have to be critical, we'll tend to try and avoid it. It is important that we don't.

Try this simple improvement model.

Describe what the problem is. "One of the behaviours we try to encourage here is team work. I've heard that the rest of your team is not getting the information they need from you. Is there a problem?"

Collect the relevant information which will include the employee's side of the events. "What sort of obstacles are stopping you from sharing this with them?"

Explore possible solutions. "Can we organize brief meetings, do it by email or will phone calls be OK?"

Agree on the action to be taken. "OK, so you'll send an email with the figures each Friday"

Agree on a follow up. "Let's meet as a team at the end of next month to check this is working and see what else we can do to make improvements."

A few guiding principles also help.

Maintain the employee's self esteem. Look for the positive aspects of the employee's behaviour and treat any negative aspects as areas that are development opportunities.

Concentrate on the task or behaviour - not the person. For example: "When you say 'get me the file now', the support team feels intimidated and offended" rather than "You upset the team". Another example may be: "When the report is late, the invoicing is delayed which increases interest costs" rather than "You're too slow".

Remember to focus on the behaviours and performance, not the personality.

Don't fall into the trap of giving a couple of compliments followed by a "but". Try replacing this with an "and". It makes all the difference.

With a structure to follow it is often easier to prepare for giving feedback and preparation will help reduce the tendency to procrastinate.

We have talked about the importance of feedback for new employees, of course it is also important to keep this up with all employees and build it into your ongoing performance management process.

In times of a talent shortage it is particularly important to identify any instances of previously good performers who may be slipping in their performance and addressing this in a positive way. This way problems are identified and fixed as soon as possible rather than left to grow and lead into costly exercises that cause friction, reduce productivity and increased costs.

Human Resource Professionals: A Big Help for the Growth of Your Company!

The selection of qualified applicants to be future employees of your company is a responsible of your Human Resource Management. Therefore, they should be familiar with the totality of the company its organization, vision, priorities and objectives. They are accountable on gathering precise information from these aspiring employees so as to avoid misleading and would save time and money.

The human resource professionals are experienced consultants in evaluating all aspects of your HR program. Through their expertise and skill, they are tasked to establish the company?s priorities and set some guidelines for future development. A company would be said effective if its human capital is efficient as well. It is then the duty of the human resource professionals to make the most out of them.

Intelligent and well-educated individual are some traits a Human Resource Professional must attain in aiming a career growth just like other professionals. They also aim acknowledgement for their service, the probability of promotion, and the challenge of career breaks. Companies should derive a standard to valued employees for them to build a definite career trail in achieving career development and personal growth.

Mission of Human Resource Professionals

Provide the company?s staff with support they?'l need training, seminars, self-improvement, to motivate them in providing an improvement on the company?s needs and customer?s satisfaction.

Taking into account the present situation of Human Resources and continuously developing it in a manner of interacting more efficiently with their work tasks among its co-workers, the company itself, and the company?s customers.

Main Responsibilities of a Human Resource Professional

Use a broad variety of specialize knowledge to offer support services to the company and its aspiring applicants.

Improve areas of proficiency and company know how to strengthen customer service and meet its objectives

Convey information precisely, with all honesty, and briefly in line with the company?s rules and regulations, and procedures.

Offer services in an apt and proficient manner

The formulation and evaluation of plans, work process flow and decision-making should be beneficial, both cost and legal view, to the company.

Collect and assess information to establish the company?s aim.

Categorize, manage and optimize resources required to carry out plans; adjust aims and strategy, when needed

Distinguish the fluctuation of trends to determine present and future problems.

Use methodical tactics to solve the problem.

Work hard to achieve a work environment free from errors.

Always aim to go beyond what is expected from you.

What can Human Resource Professionals do for your company?

They can help you on your compensation and salary programs. This includes job evaluation, performance appraisal, job description, merit pay and total compensation audits.

They are also knowledgeable on performance management.
this includes sales incentives, skill-based pay, recognition programs, gainsharing, and high-performance work teams.

They are also in charge in coming up with Human Resource Policies and Procedures.
this includes policy manuals, wage and hour compliance, EEO and affirmative action and employee handbooks.

They are entitled to provide your company with supervisory and employee training.
this includes high performance teams, managing conflict, performance appraisal programs, leadership skills, effective communication, managing diversity, interviewing skills, human relation motivation, time management and customer relations.

Stop the Revolving Door of Employee Turnover

The challenge and cost of employee turnover is one of the most discussed, most frustrating and most misunderstood problems businesses face. CEO's have identified employee retention as one of their key challenges in 2005. Yet organizations continue to struggle with this costly issue. The science of psychological assessments has recently advanced, allowing the development of much more predictive assessment tools.

If you do not know what your employee turnover cost is, many experts agree that you can come surprisingly close to the cost of a single turnover incident by simply multiplying the annual salary for the position times 2.5 - that will cover productivity loss, recruiting and hiring cost, training cost, liability, unemployment and the other 101 hidden costs that we usually try not to think of when we lose an employee.

Employee turnover often begins with a poor hiring decision. When we hire someone who is a poor job fit, we have already begun an almost inevitable course that will end with failure - and another turnover casualty. Part of the problem of poor hiring lies with our poor tools: One comprehensive study of the hiring process indicated that, if an interview is your only tool, you have only a 14% chance of making a good hire. Add good reference checking (and we all know how difficult that can be), you can raise your success ratio to 26%. If your goal is to beat one out of four odds, you need better tools!

Fortunately, the science of employee assessments has produced increasingly useful tools to add to the art of hiring. While no assessment, or even a combination of assessments, guarantees success, the same study showed that use of personality, abilities, interests, and job matching measures can raise your success rate to 75% or better. Equally important, valid pre employment screening assessment tools in all of those areas can be applied for well below 1% of the projected cost of a bad hire.

Why don't more of us use employee assessments to improve our hiring (and lower turnover)? Part of the answer lies in lack of education on the topic - not many of us have even attended a single seminar on use of scientific assessment tools. Part lies in reluctance to spend any money on new processes. Part of it, frankly, is the already overwhelming load we place on the people who are doing the hiring - they are so busy bailing the boat, they can't take time out to turn on the bilge pumps! To change the course of turnover, you must recognize that the costs are killing you, that you can change course, and that the rewards are well worth the trouble.

Profiles International, Inc. is the world's leading publisher of employment-related assessments. Its products serve the needs of business, industry, education, and government, by providing a means of getting the information employers can use to make better hiring decisions.

Poor Performing Employees Severely Impact Productivity

In business there are two very necessary and very different forces which must be balanced so that business will perform perfectly - people and processes. But far too often they are not in balance.

CEO's are ranking people issues as one of their major concerns in 2005 as they struggle with productivity, profits, and labor shortages. Robert A. Cameron & Associates takes a new approach to quantifying and solving this growing business issue.

This is a critical issue as people have a very real financial impact. Even if you have every process of your business working perfectly, people problems can still be the difference between profit and loss.

That's exactly what a summary of eighty-five years of research has shown very clearly. Frank Schmidt and John Hunter - two of the foremost experts in personnel productivity and psychology - reviewed dozens of studies on the impact people have upon the success of organizations. One of their most interesting findings is related to productivity.

What their research showed them was that for every job they reviewed, about 16% of the people in any job fall into the "superior" category, 16% in the "poor performer" category, and that the vast majority of people were "average performers". However, the most significant finding is the difference in employee productivity. It ranges from a 38% boost from a "poor" to "superior" performer in an unskilled position to a 98% boost from "poor" to "superior" in management positions.

Robert Cameron examined how the differences in the productivity in each category affect a company financially. Using a company size of about 75 people, his conservative estimate of the cost of having average versus superior performers is around $800,000 per year. What is the easiest strategy to improve the bottom line?

First, do whatever it takes to move "poor-performers" out of that category and into the "average" category. Your second objective would logically be to start moving your "average performers" into the "superior" category. And then your focus should be ensuring that you do all that you can to maintain the situation where all of your workers are in the "superior" category.

This approach provides you with a firm framework for effectively managing one of your largest investments - your human capital - in a manner that ensures that return on your investment are maximized through focus on clear measurable objectives.

To avoid unnecessary people costs, you must be sure that every time you make a people decision - whether you are hiring someone new, moving someone from one job to another, promoting someone, or investing in training or development - you are doing so with a view to achieving superior performance in the target position.

But how do you do this and why do some people perform at a superior level and some don't? That factor is "Job Match.". It has to do with matching people with work that fits who they are; their unique combination of abilities, temperament, motivation, and other intangible human qualities.

To achieve a good job match you should use employee assessments to improve your selection process. The cost of using assessments is offset many times over by the gain in employee productivity. Hiring more people like your best people gives you more superior performers, and greater productivity and profits.

Employers are Hiring Good Candidates, not Good Employees

Robert Cameron examines the question "Do you want to select top candidates or top employees?" The answer would seem obvious but a surprising number of manager's perform very poorly in this critical task.

Peter Drucker, one of America's leading management gurus has examined this and says, "Executives spend more time on managing people and people decisions than on anything else, and they should. No other decisions are so long-lasting in their consequences or so difficult to unmake and yet, by and large, executives make poor promotion and staffing decisions. By all accounts, their batting average is no better than .333. At most one-third of such decisions turn out right; one-third are minimally effective and one-third are outright failures. In no other area of management would we put up with such miserable performance."

Hiring expert, Cameron, reports "I see the pattern of poor hiring far more than what would seem logical. In fact I am frequently flabbergasted by the poor hiring practices I have observed." He found some interesting facts that can cause this behavior. Research suggests the answer may be a missed point of focus. We are trying to find and hire top candidates rather than top employees. They are not the same.

In conversations with recruiters and employers across Canada, Tom Brennan compiled this list of the characteristics of top candidates and top employees:

Top candidates characteristics
• Good Résumé
• Good Skills
• On time for interview
• Prepared for interview
• Good communicator
• Enthusiastic
• Great first impression
• Aggressive jobseeker
• Interested in you
• Interested in company
• Good follow up

Top employees characteristics
• Highly motivated to work
• Competent
• Do More than required
• Do not make excuses
• Anticipate problems
• Solve problems
• Take initiative
• Learn quickly
• Committed
• Focused
• Consistent
• Poised and confident
• Strong team player

Clearly the criteria of a top candidate are different from a top employee. While both lists are critical, an employer needs an objective tool to bridge the gap and provide information to select the best employee. That tool is a validated pre employment employee assessment, modeled off their top performers. This will help you hire the best employees who fit the job as compared to hiring the best candidates.

Creating A Dream Team

Businesses can not run themselves without employees. No matter how good a company it is, it still needs different people to accomplish different tasks. When you are trying to make your dreams come true, you need to approach your plans as you would a business by assembling the best team possible for your larger goals.

Help is Not a Bad Thing

While it's understandable that people want to do everything on their own, it's not necessarily the best plan of attack. When you're on your own, you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself. If you succeed, it's yours to celebrate, but when you make mistakes, you need to take responsibility for them too. This is not a bad situation, but it can become burdensome, especially when you have a really big dream you want to make come true. Here are the people you need to 'hire' for your dream team.

Someone Who Will Be Honest with You

Whether this is a close friend or family member or even your spouse, you need one person on your team that you can trust unconditionally to help you with your dreams. This is someone who has the right to tell you when you are doing something that may not be a good idea, for example. They are also someone you can turn to when you are trying to decide on a specific step. But you might not always get the answers that you want. What you will get in return is an unbiased opinion and another perspective on your dreams and your progress.

Someone Who Will Commiserate

Of course, just as you need someone to be honest with you, you also need someone that will simply tell you that everything will be alright and that you're not on the wrong track (even if you are). You need a 'rah rah' person that is going to be able to talk you down from the difficult times and that will help you stay positive, even when it seems like everything is headed in the wrong direction. A friend is a good choice for this team member, but a close sibling can also provide the necessary support and motivation too.

Someone Who Has Experience

It can help if you have a sort of mentor in this team of dream helpers. This would be a person who has already achieved or is in the process of achieving what you want. They can help you with specific questions you have along the way, plus provide you with access to resources that you might not have found on your own. This person will become a sort of partner in your progress and can act as someone else to bounce ideas off of.

Setting Up the Team

Instead of labeling these people in your head as people to turn to, let them in on your plans and what you need from them. Be specific about what you want from them and what you don't want from them in order to create the exact supportive environment you need. Keep them updated about what successes you have in order to show them just how helpful they are in your life.

This team can be even bigger than three people. Some of the most successful people have over fifty people they can turn to for questions and concerns about their current goals. But you will also want to know that more people are not necessarily better for this team. Choose the people that help keep you on track, as many as that might take.

Staff Retention in a Competitive Environment

A skilled staff is regarded as one of the most inevitable commodities for the longevity of a business organization. Regardless of the size of the organization, key staff retention is highly essential for the long term health as well as the success of a business enterprise.

Retaining your best staff in today's highly competitive scenario is extremely unavoidable, since it guarantees enhanced customer satisfaction, improved sale of your products thereby ensuring increased profit, and carrying out of other activities in an organization such as staff reporting and job planning in an effective way.

Further, as considerable time and money is required to recruit an appropriate employee and train them in order to make adaptable to the existing working environment, it would be better to retain the existing competitive employees in the organization. In other words, losing key staff may sometimes even affect the reputability as well as profitability of your business firm. Discussed further in this article are some of the effective ways to retain staff in today's competitive environment.

One of the effective ways for staff retention is to recruit right personnel to fill the positions in an organization, via methodologies such as competency tests and behavior tests. Another key step for the successful retention of staff is to follow the policy, 'Hire Only the Best,' ie never recruit an employee unless you as well as your organizational team are satisfied with a job applicant.

Once you have appointed the most suitable employee for your business, it is important from the part of the employers to impart them pre-work training covering policies and procedures of the company. Further, a good operating system consisting of the rules and procedures of the organization must be established. This in turn allows the employees to handle a myriad of activities pertaining to organization in an effective way.

After you have determined the competency as well as ability of employees, it would be more effective if you provide your employees with bigger responsibilities than they have anticipated. This would help to make working environment more rewarding and challenging.

For the successful retention of employees, it is also important to determine the needs as well as what actually motivates an employee. For instance, money would be a means to motivate majority of the employees, while recognition or fulfillment may be a tool to motivate other employees.

Also, a great way for retaining key employees or staff is to develop such an environment that allows for professional learning and growth, ie, the opportunity to constantly procure professional knowledge and skills. This in turn not only paves way for the success of an organization but also enables to improve the loyalty of employees towards the organization. As a part of employee retention, it is also important for the employers to give considerable freedom to employees in order to speak out his mind freely within the business organization.

Let it be an executive or an ordinary staff, an employee always likes to be praised. Anything in the form of a sincere thank you note or gift certificate would be effective for employee retention.

Similarly, an employee must be given competitive salaries and that too attached with substantial bonuses and perquisites. It is therefore important to frequently review and restructure compensation programs in order to remain competitive in the market.

In addition, one of the best ways to retain an executive is to conduct surveys, which enables to know the actual requirements of employees. Feedbacks in the form of written procedures as well as online surveys would be helpful for assessing the needs of employees.

Aside these options, many companies spread across such leading destinations as Hong Kong, India, and China, have now adopted many innovative methods for the retention of employees, such as,
- Adopting the service of a professional employee training coach
- Devising excellent recognition programs and innovative compensation programs
- Deployment of high-tech measures
- Fun-filled working environment
- Providing opportunities for employees to be a part of the community programs sponsored by the organizations
- Concierge services

Scores of benefits can be derived through employee retention such as
- Employee retention significantly reduce the cost of recruiting new personnel
- Considerable savings in advertising expenses
- Increased employee tenure
- Heightened productivity
- Enable to deliver excellent client services
- Improved customer satisfaction

How to Make Yourself More Saleable for an Interview

It is estimated that one spends about two thirds of his life on the job. In addition, according to certain surveys, majority of the respondents have showed discontent on their jobs. Hence, in order to overcome dissatisfaction from the part of both employees and employers, a productive interview is highly essential.

Today, an interview has been regarded as an inevitable segment of one's life. An interview is just a face to face conversation that occurs between an employer and a job applicant. During this process, an employer determines whether or not an applicant is suitable to fill the vacant positions, while prospective employees or job applicants try their best to impress the employers. In short, an interview is a highly important segment in the process of applying for a job.

Nowadays, the job market is awfully competitive, and the real fact is that the demand for jobs is tremendously larger than its supply. It is often seen that many of the job applicants may be highly qualified as well as educated. But, they may be sometimes rejected due to their poor performance in the interview. It is therefore important for a candidate to prepare for an interview soon after the completion of his formal education.

The way an interview is conducted may vary from organizations to organizations. For example, in big business enterprises, interviews may be conducted by highly professional people adept in particular field or expertise as well as in the art of interviewing.

On contrary, in small business set ups, an interview is more likely to be conducted by the owner, who need not be a trained interviewer. Further, several methodologies are adopted for interviewing as well as assessing skills of a prospective employee, which among many others, are telephonic interviews, panel interviews, group interviews, and behavioral and stress interviews.

Similarly, the steps involved in an interview may range from a casual conversation to a series of serious discussions within a formal environment consisting of a group of professional interviewers. Hence, whichever the organization may be or whatever the methodologies they adopt for interviewing, it is important that an applicant must be well prepared for an interview.

Now we discuss some of the different ways as well as steps in order to make your first or next interview successful. This includes,

Assessing Yourself - Prior to attending an interview as well as preparing for an interview, it is important to assess your skills, personal qualities, and abilities. Also, when you prepare to attend an interview, think of your past achievements and your role in it, all of which allows you to effortlessly manage a stressful situation in the interview.

Anticipation of Questions - Perhaps the most troublesome aspect of an interview is to predict questions, especially those which are tricky. But, in most cases, these kinds of questions are mostly on the basis of common themes. This in turn allows you to anticipate questions that are normally asked in an interview.

Conducting Research - An important segment in the process of preparation is to conduct a research in order to trace out information that helps you to attend an interview. For this, you have to consider factors such as occupational knowledge, ie what is actually required to apply for a job. It is also important that you must have adequate knowledge on the organization in which you are going to attend the interview.

Your Appearance - Despite your qualification and ability to attend the interview, your appearance plays a dominant role in an interview. If your appearance as well as way of approach is good, it could undoubtedly create a good impression in interviewer on you at first sight itself. So when you come to attend an interview, dress smart, put on clean shoes as well as dress, wear appropriate jewelry, and avoid over usage of perfumes or deodorants.

Day of the Interview - On the day of the interview, prior to leaving the house, make a quick search on some of the leading search engines to gather latest information on share prices as well as any other important info related to the organization in which you are going to attend the interview. Also, brush up your knowledge on the company. Further, also check whether the company holds any kind of accreditations or certificates in the form of ISO 2001, which may sometimes prove useful in attending an interview.

During Interview - First of all greet interviewer and shake hands. As far as possible, it is good to have an open conservation between interviewer and interviewee.

In short, by doing some home work you can definitely make your interview successful. Nowadays, many leading firms have come forward to provide suitable learning programs to make an interview successful.

Correcting Employee Conflicts

There are times when there are disagreements between employees that can get out of hand and end up in a physical confrontation. The key is to learn how to prevent this from escalating and how to resolve employee conflicts peacefully. It is best at the time of hire that you explain to your employees that conflicts are resolved in a civilized manner and anything other than that is unacceptable. Set forth a plan that allows you to have a step by step process in correcting employee conflicts.

When To Jump In

It can be difficult to say if a small disagreement can turn into hand to hand combat or if it will simply dissipate through the disagreement process. So when do you know if you should become involved in an altercation? If you see or hear employees arguing in a back and forth manner but it is not disruptive or containing crude language you can use your own discretion in waiting to see if it will end here or if you should pull the employees aside. In most cases waiting for lude remarks and screaming and shouting should not be an option. Prevention is key in stopping any unwanted behavior.

Conflict Resolution

It is best to call your employees into an office or quiet space for discussion. Have the two employees take a seat facing on another and allow each employee to state what is causing the conflict. Inform each employee that you will listen in full detail to each side of the story and assist them in solving the issue. If you find that the issue is not work related and in fact that it is of a personal nature you can do one of two things. Suggest that these two employees keep their personal issues out of the work place and resolve this issue outside the business property or you can provide time in the office or allow the employees to leave the work place until the issue is resolved.

Employee Agreement

As suggested in the beginning of this article you can bring your conflict information to light through an employee agreement. Have a document prepared stating how you see conflict and how it is to be handled in the work place. Have a description of conflict resolution choices and have the employee sign and date the document. The cause for this is in the event that you are forced to relieve someone of their work position due to conflict or violent altercations in the workplace you are protected by this legally binding document. In a court case you can show proof that you set place the rules and regulations as well as consequences for this type of behavior and you will see no further consequences from the former employee.

Reasoning Behind Conflict Resolution

Conflicts disrupt other employees and can cause property damage as well as lawsuits when someone is injured. Taking the above precautions are simply set in place to protect yourself, your business and your employees. It is as simple as that.

Answering Job Advertisements

Answering job ads must be meticulous to get a job, and it becomes increasingly less likely that one will get a job as the level of jobs increases, if not applied in a comprehensive manner as per the job description. Answering ads, in other words, is fine for jobs that pay under Rs 200,000 per year, but it’s highly unlikely that as one moves up in management he is going to get the job by simply answering classified ads. Nevertheless, good sources of classified ads for professionals and managers include leading news papers like The Times of India that list job openings. All these sources may also post the positions online.

In responding to ads, be sure to create the right impression with the materials you submit; check the typing, style, grammar, neatness, and so forth, and check your resume to make sure it is geared to the job for which you are applying. In your cover letter, be sure to have a paragraph or so in which you specifically address why your background and accomplishments are appropriate to the job being advertised; you must respond clearly to the company’s identified needs.

Be very careful in replying to blind ads, however (those with just a post office box). Some executive search firms and companies will run ads even when no position exists just to gauge the market, and there is always the chance that you can be trapped into responding to your own firm.

Employment Agencies:

Recruiting Agencies are especially good at placing people in jobs paying up to a certain level but they can be useful for higher paying jobs as well. Their fees for professional and management jobs are usually paid by the employer. Assuming you know the job you want, review a few back issues of paper’s ads to identify the agencies that consistently handle the positions you want. Approach three or four initially, preferably in response to specific ads, and avoid signing any contract that gives an agency the exclusive right to place you.

Executive Recruiters are retained by employers to seek out top talent for their clients, and their fees are always paid by the employer. They do not do career counseling, but if you know the job you want, it pays to contact a few. Send your resume and a cover letter summarizing your objective in precise terms, including job title and the size of company you want to work, work-related accomplishments, current salary, and salary requirements. However, beware because some firms today call themselves executive search or career consultants but do no searches: They just charge a (often hefty) fee to help you manage your search. Remember that with a search firm you never pay a fee.

What sorts of things will the headhunter look for? Ten important items include. You have demonstrated the ability to get results; you come well recommended by your peers and competitors; you understand who the search consultant works for and what he is trying to do; you are likeable and presentable, your ego is in check; you think strategically and understand how to institute change in an organized direction; you have achieved the results you because of the way you treat others, not in spite of it; you can sell yourself concisely; you have at least some of the key specific experience that the job entails; you are honest, fair, and a good source and even take the time when somebody calls you as a source to give them other sources that you believe are high potential; and know who you are and what you want.

Executive Marketing Consultants manage candidates job-hunting campaign. They generally are not recruiters and do not have jobs to fill. Depending on the services aspirants chose, your cost will range from they charge reasonable fees to select a few right jobs. The process may involve months of weekly meetings. Services include resume and letter writing, interview skill building, and developing a full job-hunting campaign. Before approaching a consultant the candidate should definitely do in-depth self appraisal.

Then check out three or four of these firms. They are listed in the Yellow Pages or leading newspapers under “Executive Search Consultants”. The aspirant can consider by finding out their exact program, cost of each service, extra costs, such as charges for printing and mailing resumes, contract details etc. Review notes, check the Better Business Bureau, and decide which of these firms (if any) is suitable.

Employers’ Web Sites:

With more and more companies listing job openings on their Websites any serious job hunter should be using this valuable source. Doing so requires some special resume preparation.

Improving Productivity through HRIS

Automating the Compensation Planning Process:

All companies, whether large or small, must engage in compensation planning. Compensation planning is the process of ensuring that managers allocate salary increases equitably across the organization while staying within budget guidelines. Usually, the company identifies set times during the year (called “focal reviews”) when all the firm’s managers review employees’ performance, and match these with budgetary constraints and formulate pay raise recommendations for the coming year.

As employers like IBM have moved toward linking their compensation plans more closely with strategic consideration, the job of developing salary raise recommendations has become increasingly complex. It’s no longer just a case of the manager allocating raises across the board, or allocating raises based just on performance appraisals. Instead, (as at IBM) numerous issues including strategic concerns, geographic considerations, the effects of paying employees based on competencies rather than job duties, and the need to take into consideration a variety of elements including bonus payments and stock option grants make allocating equitable raises while staying within budget quite a challenge.

Making raise decisions has always been cumbersome, even when there were fewer complexities involved. In the 1980s and early 1990s, employers used spreadsheets to administer these compensation planning periods. The firm’s HR department would create individual spreadsheets for each manager, and the manager would use these to record their salary increase recommendations for all their subordinates. HR and its compensation unit would then have to assemble the spreadsheets by unit, department, division, and finally companywide. This was obviously a very labor-intensive and costly process.

In the late 1990s, firms began moving toward mainframe or client-server-based applications for facilitating this compensation planning process. This usually required developing custom designed compensation planning software for each customer. It also tended to lack the flexibility most companies desired, for instance, to add new compensation components, such as when a company moves to competency-based pay.

Today, companies are moving toward intranet based compensation planning programs. Using an intranet-based compensation planning application has many advantages. It lets the company control and distribute its application centrally, so that it can quickly update its compensation programs, without having to modify the software on individual managers’ computers. Automating the system can also produce huge cost savings for even medium-sized businesses. For example one company estimated that it cost them about $35 to complete a single manual compensation transaction such as combining the raise budgets for two departments, but about $16 if it automated this process. Using a centralized application saves money in other ways. For example, employers often assign pay raise budgets to all their managers, only to find that once the various department budgets all come together the accumulated excess raises amount to millions of dollars. This generally doesn’t happen with an automated system.

In acquiring a system like this for a company there are several criteria to keep in mind. First, look for the most intuitive and easiest to use application. Second, make sure the application includes decision-support tools such as pop-up window with guidelines alerts, calculators, and additional supporting information to make it easy for managers to make intelligent compensation allocation decisions. Third, the application should be flexible, so that the employer can easily add different pay raise components like merit pay, yearly bonuses, and so on for various departments. Fourth, the application should be robust, in that it can easily handle all of the business rules and actual calculations that the system aims to support. Fifth, the compensation planning application has to be compatible with a variety of HRIS (such as payroll systems) so that the employer has no problem integrating systems from several vendors without costly code customization.

Pay for Performance and Financial Incentives

One of Lisa Cruz’s biggest pay-related concerns is that the Hotel Paris compensation plan does not link pay to performance in any effective way. Because salaries were historically barely competitive, supervisors tended to award merit raises across the board. So, employees who performed well got only about the same raises as did those who performed poorly. Similarly there was no bonus or incentive plan of any kind aimed at linking employee performance to strategically relevant employee capabilities and behaviors such as greetings in a friendly manner or providing expeditious check-ins and check-outs. The bottom line for Lisa and the CFO was that the company’s financial rewards system potentially, the single biggest tool they had for channeling employee performance toward accomplishing the Hotel Paris’s goals was totally inadequate. She and her team thus turned to the job of deciding what sort of incentive based reward system to install.

We’ll discuss in this article incentives for individual employees, incentives for managers and executives, incentives for managers and executives, incentives for salespeople, incentives for professionals, and organization wide variable pay plans. We’ll turn to financial and non-financial benefits and services such as pay for time not worked and insurance benefits, which are the final part of the compensation package.

Money and Motivation:

There is nothing new about using incentives to motivate workers. Frederick Taylor popularized the use of financial incentives – financial benefits paid to workers whose production exceeds some predetermined standard in the late 1800s as a supervisory employee of the Midvale Steel Company, Taylor had become concerned with what he called “systematic soldiering” tendency of employees to work at the slowest pace possible and to produce at the minimum acceptable level. What especially intrigued him was the fact that some of these workers had the energy to run home and work on their homes, even after a 12-hour day. Taylor knew that if he could find some way to harness this energy during the workday, his firm could make huge productivity gains. His answer in part was to institute employee incentive programs.

Performance and Pay:

Maximizing shareholder value under conditions of enormous competition and turbulence is a necessity today, and this has produced a resurgence of interest in financial incentive/pay-for-performance plans. Studies show why: because incentives can work. One study involved 34 stores of a large retailer, 15 of which installed a new sales incentive plan. The researchers found that installing the plan enables a store to capture more customers from its competitors [especially] when there is more intense competition. The new plan was most effective in the stores facing the greatest competition. Another study focused on 20 Fortune 500 companies. The researchers concluded, data showed that organizations in which turbulence was greater shifted the financial risk to their managers by paying proportionally higher levels of variable pay. Turbulence included reductions in force, sale of assets, acquisition by another company, mergers, joint ventures, and attempted takeovers.

The problem is that other surveys suggest that most incentive plans are less than effective. For example, Mercer Human Resource Consulting found that just 28% of the 2,600 US workers it surveyed said they were personally motivated by their companies’ incentive plans. Only 29% said their firms rewarded their performance when they did a good job. Employees don’t see a strong connection between pay and performance and their performance is not particularly influenced by the company’s incentive plan.

What accounts for the fact that about 70% of these employees felt that their firms’ pay-for-performance plans were ineffective? In many cases, those devising the pay for performance plan simply don’t understand the motivational underpinnings and effects of the plan. Not everyone reacts to a reward in the same way and all rewards are suited to all situations. Compensation experts therefore argue that managers should understand the motivational bases of pay-for-performance plans.

Building a Management StructureBuilding a Management Structure

The first concern in building a management structure is the requirements it has to satisfy. What are its typical stresses and strains? What performance does it have to be capable of?

There are three major answers to these questions.

It must be organization for business performance. This is the end which all activities in the enterprise serve. Indeed, organization can be likened to a transmission that converts all activities into the one “drive”, that is, business performance. Organization is the more efficient the more “direct” and simple it is, that is, the less it has to change the speed and direction of individual activities to make them result in business performance. The largest number of managers should perform as businessmen rather as bureaucrats, should be tested business performance and results rather than primarily by standards of administrative skill or professional competence.

Organization structure must not direct efforts toward the wrong performance. It must not encourage manager to give major attention to the old and easy but tired products and business while slighting the new and growing, though perhaps difficult, products. It must discourage the tendency to allow unprofitable products and businesses to ride on the coat tails of the profitable lines. It must, in brief, make for willingness and ability to work for the future rather than rest on the achievements of the past, and to strive for growth rather than to put on fat.

Hardly less important is the requirement that the organization structure contains the least possible number of management levels, and forge the shortest possible chain of command.

Every additional level makes the attainment of common direction and mutual understanding more difficult. Every additional level distorts objectives and misdirects attention. Every link in the chain sets up additional stresses, and creates one more source of inertia, friction and slack.

Above all, especially in the big business, every additional level adds to the difficulty of developing tomorrow’s managers, both by adding to the time it takes to come up from the bottom and by making specialists rather than managers out of the men moving up through the chain.

In several large companies there are today as many as twelve levels between first-line supervisor and company president. Assuming that a man gets appointed supervisor at age twenty-five, and that he spends only five years on each intervening level both exceedingly optimistic assumptions he would be eighty-five before he could even be considered for the company’s presidency. And the usual cure a special promotion ladder for hand-picked young “geniuses” or “crown princes” is worse than the disease.

The growth of levels is a serious problem for any enterprise, no matter how organized. For levels are like tree rings; they grow by themselves with age. It is an insidious process, and one that cannot be completely prevented.

Here, for instance, is Alfred Smith, fairly competent as a plant manager but hardly good enough to be promoted. Under him, however, is Tom Brown, first-rate and “raring to go” – but where? He cannot be promoted around Smith – there is no job even if the company were willing to let him leap over his boss’s head. Rather than see Brown leave in frustration, management kicks Smith upstairs into a new job as Special Assistant to the manufacturing Manager in charge of tool supply; and Brown is put in as plant manager. But Smith knows enough to get busy in his new assignment; soon a veritable avalanche of mimeographed papers rolls out of his office. When he finally retires, one of the bright young men – Tom Brown II – has to be put in to clean up Smith’s mess; being a bright young man, he soon makes a real job out of what was originally nothing but the easy way to solve a personality problem. And when something has to be done for the next Alfred Smith – and, like the poor, they are always with us – a new job has to be set up; he is to be a “coordinator. And so two new levels are created both soon essential and both in no time hallowed by tradition.

Without the proper organization principles, levels will simply multiply. Yet, how few levels are really needed is shown by the example of the oldest, largest and most successful organization of the West, the Catholic Church. There is only one level of authority and responsibility between the Pope and the lowliest parish priest: the Bishop.

Organizations - Two Structural principles

Organization structure must apply one or both of two principles.

It must whenever possible integrate activities on the principle of federal decentralization, which organizes activities into autonomous product businesses each with its own market and product, and with its own profit and loss responsibility. Where this is not possible it must use functional decentralization, which sets up integrated units with maximum responsibility for a major and distinct stage in the business process.

Federal decentralization and functional decentralization are complementary rather than competitive. Both have to be used in almost all businesses. Federal decentralization is the more effective and more productive of the two. But the genuinely small business does not need it, since it is entirely an “autonomous product business”. Nor can federalism be applied to the internal organization of management in every large business; in a railroad, for example, the nature of the business and its process rule it out. And in practically every business there is a point below which federal decentralization is no longer possible, below which there is no “autonomous product” around which management can be organized.

Functional decentralization is universally applicable to the organization of management. But it is second choice for any but the small enterprise. It has to be used in all enterprises sooner or later, but the later it can be resorted to, the stronger the organization.

Decentralization whether federal or functional has become so prevalent in industry during the last few years it has become a household word. Its practice goes back at least thirty years. DuPont, General Motors, Sears and General Electric all, started to develop their decentralized organization before 1929.

Yet organization theory has paid little attention to it. General Motors in 1946 was the first to consider decentralization as a distinct principle of organization.

The reason for this lag is that conventional organization theory starts with the function inside a business rather than with the goals of a business and their requirements. It takes the functions for granted if not for God-given; and it sees in the business nothing but a congeries of functions.

Moreover, conventional theory still defines a function as a group of related skills. And it considers this similarity of skills to be both the essence of functionalism and its major virtue. If we look at well-organized functional units, however, we shall find no such “bundle of skills”. The typical sales department, for instance, includes selling activities, market research, pricing, market development, customer service, advertising and promotion, product development, often even responsibility for relationships with governmental bodies and trade associations. And the typical manufacturing department covers an equally wide range. No greater diversity of skills, abilities or temperaments could be imagined than that needed in these “functional” organization. Indeed, no greater variety exists in the business as a whole. If functionalism were really, as the books say, organization by skill-relationship, the typical sales or manufacturing department would be absurd if not totally unable to function. But they work indeed, they work much better than units organized on similarity of skills because they bring together all the specialized activities needed in one fairly sharply delimited stage of the work. That they require different skills and different temperaments is irrelevant; what matters is that they bring together what is objectively needed for performance. The first principle of good production organization is to bring the machines to the work rather than the work to the machines. It is cheaper to have the work flow according to its own inner logic, even if it requires a few more machines, than to cart materials around. Similarly, we must always bring the special activity to the work, never the work to the special activity. For ideas and information cost even more to cart around than materials.

The stress on functional organization by related skills is thus a misunderstanding of what functional organization properly should be organization by stage of process. This is illustrated by the unsatisfactory experience with those functions that are typically organized as bundles of skills: accounting and engineering. The typical accounting department is in constant friction with the rest of the organization. The typical engineering department has constant difficulty working out its objectives or measuring its performance. Neither condition is an accident.

Screening before Hiring

In today’s competitive environment, it has become essential to find the ‘right fit’. Hence, HR today has become overtly cautious and is indulging in extensive background checks before bringing a prospective employee on board. It has become imperative to confirm and reconfirm a candidate’s credentials, his/her character and his/her proposed experience before it’s too late.

Organizations today have become highly alert and are ready to do anything to have the kind of employees on board. The market is booming and the IT industry has witnessed a phenomenal growth and hence, it has become important to ensure that best quality professionals were getting inducted into the organization. It was a customer centric initiative to establish credibility with respect to the caliber of the people they recruit in the organization. In a well known IT company the pre-employment check, more popularly referred to as the ‘Background Check Process’ is a very critical part of the recruitment procedure. Employees are not allocated to projects without the background check being cleared for the employee.

In another Training and Staffing Solutions company, hiring is done only on referral basis and hence it becomes imperative to have referral checks as the first step in the entire pre-employment procedure. Every necessary check is done before calling the candidate for the interview. This company gives more weight age to job performances, work ethics, attendance at work and attitude. Hence, pre-employment checks form the first step. In Xerox, it is mandatory to conduct such screening and it is an auditable process. They collect detailed information about his/her candidature, personal and professional history and analyze it well.

These checks are important because they allow better informed and less subjective evaluations to be made about a person. Integrity and performance on the job are some of the important factors today. With the advent of new MNCs into India, it is getting rather important to do pre-employment checks as companies investing heavily in India cannot risk taking employees with dubious backgrounds. The above is practiced by an organization which is into recruitment for senior level positions it becomes all the more pivotal since these candidates are going to be in strategic/leadership positions and are accustomed to a lot of confidential information.

Pre-employment screening was traditionally done by the police but is now most often purchased as a service from small private business that specifically render such services. Information usually includes past employment records credit worthiness and criminal history. But most companies have their own kinds of checks that they follow prior to recruiting any new hire.

At Patni computers, pre-employment screening is outsourced to a third party with clear ‘Service Level Agreements’ (SLAs) defined. Their screening usually consists of educational qualifications check, previous experience check and database (criminal and credit) checks.

At Enhanzee, Employment Verification means ensuring that the selected candidate actually worked in the positions listed in the application resume, cover letter or otherwise cited by the candidate that quality him/her for the position sought. Background checks, employment verification documents, reference checks, character and personal reference checks are amongst the various checks that are performed in that organization before hiring. And all these procedures are done by their in-house HR team.

They check on various factors like performance on the job, ability to work with teams, integrity, leadership abilities, and ability to take tough decisions, commitment and areas of development which may be a deterrent to a prospective employee’s performance.

Organizations in India can benefit tremendously from an employee screening program. Decreased turnover, reduced expenses and elimination of risks of theft and fraud are just some of the advantages. Being employers, it is up to them to provide their employees a safe and secure working environment. Hence, it is their job to reject those people who might have violent or criminal records. They must be sure about the quality of our software professionals and having clear cases on board makes it that much easier to practice integrity as a value in each of their actions. The only drawback of this practice is the delay in actual allotment that happens due to stringent SLAs. However, breaking up the process into parts is done so that essential checks are completed without delay.

This procedure saves a lot of time wasted in conducting too many interviews. Once all the necessary checks are done, only a few short listed candidates are called for, which saves time and energy. The most important virtues an employer looks for in any candidate are honesty and integrity because all the other traits can be acquired but these can be inherent traits. Pre-employment screening is one way of getting closest to understanding the person’s profile on such accounts.

Today, organizations are being more and more cautious because they do not want to bear the brunt of a faulty recruitment process and bring a misfit aboard and to these organizations, pre-employment screening is a boon as they are employing people almost everyday, every hour.

Humor at Work

Humor is essential at workplace, but not many are lucky to have it. In this article we are trying to suggest some pointers that can help an employee add that much-needed witty dynamism at work.

Surfing the internet will tell the employee that this trend of working just for the sake of money with disgust in heart when it comes to the work environment is one of the leading causes of attrition. But what is the solution for this? Today, even the Human Resources Department of almost all organizations takes note of the humor factor within the workplace. It’s not that in every office an employee will be allowed to play pranks on co-workers. But the fact is that humor is an important ingredient of success at the workplace. This cannot be negated. In an organization employees try do everything with a touch of humor. For example, even when CEO sends out a message, he usually uses a funny anecdote to convey it. This brings the much-needed smile on employees faces.. Almost every organization has employee initiatives that guarantee some humor in an otherwise formal work environment. In some firms they have yearly talent hunt contests, cricket and football matches and an annual party that ensures humor levels don’t slide down and making the work environment ‘wanted’.

Is there a way to usher some fun and happiness around at the workplace? Well, there is no definitive answer to this as it depends on who the employee is as a person. Humor that works in the workplace has a lot to do with attitude. Employees should be able to see humor in everyday situations. It means taking everything and everyone not quite so seriously all the time. It means having the confidence to laugh at self.

A humorous employee will always find a quiet corner in office where he can laugh about the pompousness and idiosyncrasies of superiors, and for his colleagues that is real breather. But someone like BT, who works with an investment consultant, says his music is his savior at work. It helps to stay alert and concentrate. Because his job demands a high level of concentration, all other distractions are a strict ‘no’. He further confesses that he has actually managed to smuggle at least a dozen CDs into his workplace which his micromanaging boss is yet to find out.

For others who are not music buffs like B suggests subscription to a comic strip, online games, constructive Internet surfing (some really interesting stuff) and blogging, desk Yoga, reading e-books and e-paper among others.

A humorless office is like a dark room with no window. It is true that humor is essential in every aspect of life it is a must at the workplace. It is widely believed that people with a sense of humor at their jobs, compared to those who have little or no sense of humor. Studies have shown that happy workers are more productive. Humor could help employees release tension and relax for a while. What’s more? Employees who enjoy interacting with their co-workers aren’t as likely to be distracted or absent from work. All said done while office humor is recommended but the employees must not for get of achieving their tasks as per specified schedules.

The funny Side

• Suggests that your department have a bulletin board, where employees can share funny cartoon, photographs, anecdotes, amusing advertisements, and bumper stickers. And don’t let the enthusiasm take a nosedive after the first few months.

• Use humor to break the ice when you’re presiding a meeting or to make your point during a discussion Remember, a good sense of humor and skilled communication always go hand in hand.

• Give your co-workers funny cards and gag gifts for special occasions.

• Send “Humor grams’, when you want to express appreciation. Instead of a verbal compliment, send a humorous card to the concerned person, or create a “humor gram” by writing a note and attaching a relevant cartoon.
  

Vroom’s theory and Incentive plans

Another important motivational fact is that, in general, people won’t pursue rewards they find unattractive, or engage in tasks on which the odds of success are very low. Psychologist Victor Vroom’s motivation theory echoes these commonsense observations. He says a person’s motivation to exert some level of effort is a function of three things: the person’s expectancy (in terms of probability) that is or her effort will lead to performance; instrumentality, or the perceived connection (if any) between successful performance and actually obtaining the rewards; and valence, which represents the perceived value the person attaches to the reward. In Vroom’s theory, motivation is thus a product of three things: Motivation = (E x I x V), where, E represents expectancy, I instrumentality, and V valence. If E or I or V is zero or inconsequential there will be no motivation.

Vroom’s theory has three implications for how managers design pay-for-performance plans. First (looking first at just “E”), if employees don’t expect that effort will produce performance, no motivation will occur. So, managers must ensure that their employees have the skills to do the job, and believe they can do the job. That is why training, job descriptions, and confidence building and support are important. Second, (with respect to “I”), Vroom’s theory also suggests that employees must see the instrumentality of their efforts they must believe that successful performance will in fact lead to getting the reward. Managers can accomplish this in many ways by creating easy to understand incentive plans, and by communicating success stories, so that employees see they will be rewarded for doing well. Last but not least, with respect to “V”, the reward itself must be of value to the employee. Here, the manager should take individual employee preferences into account, and endeavor to use extrinsic and intrinsic rewards that make sense in terms of the specific behaviors he want to encourage.

Managers often use two terms synonymously with incentive plans. Variable pay is a team or group incentive plan that ties pay to some measure of the firm’s (or the facility) overall profitability; (profit sharing plans) are one example. However, confusing as it may be, some experts do include individual incentive plans within the category of variable pay. Traditionally all incentive plans are pay-for-performance plans. They pay all employees based on the employees’ performance. To structure our discussion, we will organize the remainder of this article around individual employee incentive and recognition programs, sales compensation programs, team/group-based variable pay programs, organization wide incentive programs, executive incentive compensation programs, and executing effective incentive programs. We first take a brief look at how employment law affects one’s choice of financial incentives.

Several federal laws apply to employer incentive plans. For one thing, the employer must comply with the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act when designing and administering its incentive plans. If the incentive is in the form of a prize or cash award, the employee generally must include the value of that award when calculating the worker’s over time pay.

Specifically, overtime rates are paid to non-exempt employees based on their previous week’s earnings, and unless the incentive bonuses are structured properly, the bonus itself becomes part of the week’s wages. It must then be included in base pay when computing any overtime that week.

Certain bonuses are excludable from overtime pay calculations. For example, Christmas and gift bonuses that are not based on hours worked, or are so substantial that employees don’t consider them a part of their wages, do not have to be included in overtime pay calculations. Similarly, purely discretionary bonuses in which the employer retains discretion over how much if anything to pay are excludable.

The problem is that many other types of incentive pay must be included। Under the FLSA, bonuses to be included in overtime pay computations include those promised to newly hired employee, those provided in Union contracts or other agreements, and those announced to induce employees to work productively, steadily, rapidly, or efficiently or to induce them to remain with the company. Such bonuses would include and group production bonuses, bonuses for quality and accuracy of work, efficiency bonuses, attendance bonuses, length-of-service bonuses, and sales commissions.

Molding the managers

No matter how big or small is the organization, managers are considered to be the link between the senior management and the employees. Recent studies have shown that employees look to their immediate, managers to get important information they need about their role, the developments that are taking place in the organization. And organizations know that the only way this relationship will hold ground is through good communication as it is lifeline of any organization and they are going out of their way to make sure that managers and the employees connect.

Communication keeps the team running and the only way it can succeed is if both parties take an effort to work on it. Lack of communication, or even worse, no communication, can cause frustration within the staff. This can lead to a low morale and ultimately impact productivity. In order to make sure that there is smooth functioning between the two firms are initiating different measures like imparting various training programs and skills enhancement programs for them. Apart from the regular sessions of brainstorming, they also conduct informal sessions with the managers and the employees. Informal gatherings help in achieving certain targets and also help in improving the communication levels between the employees and the managers.

After reaching a certain position, organizations find it a little difficult to reach out to every employee and hence count on the team managers to help them in doing so. And to help them do so, they initiate methods to ensure smooth flow of information across the employees. Employers must create the right environment and culture for the employees to interact, where the question of hierarchy does not arise. Employees are encouraged to proactively raise issues for the company to resolve them. In the entire process, the manager becomes an important part of the system where all matters come through him/her.

One of the initiatives taken in an organization is a New Manager Assimilation initiative wherein the entire team gives their feedback under a trained facilitator, which is fed back to the manager. They also have a ‘Supervisory Skills Programs, which equips employees with the basics and helps in transitioning from being a subordinate to managing a team. The organization also conducts a ‘Personal Effectiveness Program’ wherein employees across both sides of the table are encouraged to learn how to be more effective in their roles, and one key aspect is communicating with their manager and colleagues to get work done.

Another organization has a Leadership Development Program wherein they identify young and promising leaders and induct them to an eighteen month development program, which includes managerial skills and communication training.

All new managers must go through a program called “Leading at Tesco’ as this program helps in developing people management skills and business and social etiquette skills. They also follow the ‘Tesco Leadership Development Framework’, which has been developed by the Tesco.

It is the ability to understand, motivate and get along with other people. It is equally important at all levels of management. Middle managers who can understand, motivate and get along with supervisors are sure to be effective. The same is true of supervisors who relate well to their subordinates and superiors. Activities requiring human skill include communication, leadership and motivation. The application of human skill may involve persuading office staff to save money on stationery or motivating the sales force to meet sales targets.

Conceptual skill is the ability to comprehend abstract or general ideas and apply them to specific situations. Managers with conceptual skill understand the complexities of the overall organization, including how each unit contributes to the accomplishment of the firm’s purposes. The most successful firms are good at tapping the conceptual skill of people at all the management levels. Conceptual skill is especially crucial for top-level executives, who must keep the firm’s purpose clearly in focus. The farther down the organization levels, the less one finds the need for conceptual skills. Middle managers need a moderate level of conceptual skill while supervisors typically have relatively less need as they are usually given fairly specific guidelines. Application of conceptual skill may involve suggestions for entering the international market or starting a new product line.

In the end, the only thing that matters is that the manager and the employee are on the same page and organizations say that these programs help them make a difference as it means effective operations without too many glitches.

Time Management through delegation of work

It’s virtually impossible to do everything as a boss on your own in the modern workplace. And if you ever decide to do that, you will be left gasping at the end of it. Delegation is an effective tool towards time management. The Head or Team Leader can easily delegate less important, unimportant and inconsequential tasks to subordinates/juniors and concentrate on those that require the leader’s immediate attention.

Delegation helps the boss to balance his workload in a better manner, gaining time to focus on important projects, as well as some time to relax. Once people learn to accomplish a given task in an efficient manner, they can take responsibility for the same.

Ones subordinates/juniors may have skill sets are well suited for particular tasks. This will save time and the feeling of additional responsibility might boost their job satisfaction level. The Head of the group definitely needs time to plan, think and improve the efficiency of what he is doing. Delegation helps him do this and a lot more.

Firstly, decide on what are the tasks/projects to be delegated to members of the team or subordinates. The department or group should have skilled people to do the tasks for the boss. It’s easier if these tasks are low yielding ones, and don’t involve major managerial or operational decisions.

Select capable people for delegating tasks, with their talents ranging from ‘Fair’ to ‘Better’. The extent of delegation solely depends on the ability, experience and reliability of assistants. Competent people can manage well without intervention/supervision from while inexperienced ones need constant watching. Proper coaching, encouragement and practice might improve their standards. Once work is delegated to the right kind of people the boss can save a lot of time, in addition to accomplishing the tasks in much quicker time.

Always complete tasks must be delegated instead of doing it in parts. It’s easier and less time-consuming to keep tabs on totally delegated task. Even solutions will be better and well integrated.

While delegating explain the task in totality, and the results wanted from the assistant. Also explain the importance of the job, its constraints, deadlines for completion and reporting dates/time when you want to know about the progress.

Monitor the efforts of assistants/ juniors at an early stage so that the progress is in line with specified time frame. A spreadsheet is a good way to tack multiple projects at the same time. It also eliminates the need to micromanage the team, and thereby saving time.

The Team leader must accept only finished work: The purpose of delegation is to lighten his workload. If accepted partially completed jobs, the boss may have to rework on them if required. This will take up a lot of time, and also hinder the progress of the boss as well as his assistants.

The Head of the Team should be clearly able to define the tasks that are to be delegated. SMART tasks i.e. work which is specific measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound is good for delegation. If something vague is delegated, the results are bound to be inconsistent too. Always recognize the efforts of your assistants and share credit with them.

There may also be some draw backs in the delegation process. Many managers find it difficult to delegate work. They feel that it reflects a lack of ability or have problems trusting others to do the job properly. Some even feel guilty about delegating as they feel that others being overworked.

Many managers feel that by delegating they will let matters slip out of their control. Whatever may be the reason, the boss must always keep in mind that his objective is to manage time well, and delegation is an important part of it. Delegation can be the ultimate tool for time management provided a manager or Head or Team Leader must know how to use it properly.

Feedback at work must be constructive

It is told by seniors or mentors that if one has nothing good to say, then he must not say anything. But today, we see just the opposite happening. Many people are liberal with their criticism but when it comes to appreciation they are sore in the throat.

In today’s corporate world, perfection is a demand; therefore feedback on one’s performance is critical. And by feedback, it means constructive inputs on one’s work on how it is perceived by others. There is a very thin line between feedback and criticism. Both are opinions and both give one’s perception.

Feedback v/s criticism:

Here is the difference between the two: Feedback is a method by which a boss or appraiser express his/her opinion to the person to help him improvise on his work. On the other hand, criticism can be emotionally charged and expresses dislike rather than opinion.

*Give opinion only when one is asked to: If no one has asked for opinion, and if the matters do not affect the concerned in any way, show appreciation. Don’t walk around the office telling people, this hair style doesn’t suit you or this project is lousy.

• State how things should be: When you are asked for feedback or constructive criticism, find out what’s wrong and then give feedback on how things should be. Don’t just pinpoint mistakes and leave.

  *Give ideas: Instead of rejecting some thing, give ideas that will allow a person to explore more options.

  *Give suggestions: Whenever you want things changed, give suggestions.

  *Point out the good things: Before you say anything that is out of place talk about the things that are in place.

• State your intention for the feedback: Express your interest in the person’s success and the giver of the feed back will win respect for his opinion and knowledge.
• Make feedback objective: Use third person language instead of addressing in second person. Instead of saying, you should not have written with blue ink it is better to say Blue ink can be avoided.

We mentioned above as how to give a constructive feedback there may also be occasions when a feedback may have to be given to the boss which may even require handling an angry Boss. We have some tips for all interested people,

Anger at the workplace, affects morale, reduces productivity and creates an atmosphere of resentment. This is further aggravated when the person hurtling the flames of anger at you is none other than your BOSS.

Very often people in a position of power feel they can easily get away with verbal abuse. In case, the boss has a really short fuse, there are some ways to handle his/her wrath:

• It’s disastrous to be passive, quietly tolerating the barrage of words directed at you Stand for yourself; the meek shall inherit the earth, but that’s not likely to happen in your office.
• Don’t be overly aggressive. Trying to out do each other in the verbal arena is not going to solve anything. In fact it will raise the tempers even further and probably prompt your co-workers to stock up on ear plugs.
• Before confronting your boss on any issue, consider for a moment what you can change in your own behavior. That can mitigate the problem. Deal with things that are in your power first, if you find that you have been slack and your boss’s outburst was justified. Diagnosing the problems within are so much easier and hence avoidable.
• If you find that the problem lies with your boss, then don’t barge in with statements like ‘I think you’re a narcissistic fool’. Take a deep breath and consider what you are going to say and whether it will solve the problem. Remain flexible in your solutions and be ready to compromise and adjust to reach a conclusion that is satisfactory to you and the boss.
• Remain calm at all times: You may need to practice meditation to achieve this but remember that your boss’ angry fire can blaze away only so long as it gets the necessary fuel. Faced by you being calm yet responsive, his anger is bound to deflate and will start conversing with you in a formal manner. But remember, the key here is to be responsive; ignoring an angry boss is like waving a red flag before a bull.
• Above all do not try and solve the matter or confront your boss immediately. One needs to let the embers cool till the end of the day or even the week before broaching a touchy subject. Practice good listening skills to gauge what ignites the boss’ anger. When you drop your ego from the equation it becomes easier to reach a solution. The key to all situations that require interaction between us is communication. With an aggressive boss, one needs to communicate assertively. This will most likely result in a happier work environment.
  

Human elements in Change

Implementing change is one of the most important and most frustrating tasks of being a manager. Unflattering animal metaphors come to mind: people are pigheaded or bull headed or some things like ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’. But it’s actually human nature to be resistant to change, and dealing with that can be very tricky. Because managers get so little instruction or training in managing the human elements of change, they are often caught off guard in their efforts to make things better.

Consider this true story. Our protagonist is a junior executive who had just moved companies. Because he was the ‘new kid’ there, the other execs conspired to assign him the administrative from hell. She had a reputation for being contrary and lazy, but no one wanted to go through the difficult procedure of getting fired. Our protagonist son learned firsthand how the assistant had earned her reputation. He decided to engineer things so she would quit voluntarily. He ramped up the quantity, complexity, and challenge of her work. But the more he gave her, the better she did and the more she seemed willing to take on. His attempt to make her quit failed, but he ended up with the most motivated and productive assistant in the place.

Help in understanding such stories and their implication is available from the field of managerial psychology, which connects knowledge from psychology, organizational behavior sociology, economics, and other fields to understand why people act the way they do at work. Studies reveal that the process of change is often counter intuitive. Many of the thorniest problems arise from a common source: Managers who want people to change see the situation very differently from the people who are being asked to change.

For example, managers typically focus on the upsides of change, whereas employees focus more on the risks. Will I be any good at doing these new things? Will the company still need me? Who will help and advise me? Who will listen to me? Research shows that worry about what will be lost weighs twice as heavily in people’s minds than anticipation of what might be gained.

Managers need to spend a good deal of time explaining and negotiating the new order with the people who are going to have to fit into it and emphasizing the opportunities that will be lost if changes aren’t made. And then is the possibility that employees are opposing change for good reason. Resistance to change from employees should sometimes be heeded and not overcome. That may be the most counter intuitive aspect of seeing change from another perspective.

What if you need to give an employee some negative, corrective feedback? Here too, differences in perspective can doom the interaction. The manager giving feedback tends to place the cause of the problem with the person – lack of necessary abilities, insufficient diligence and effort. The employee receiving feedback tends to place the cause of the problem with the situation – unreasonable task, lack of resources and cooperation, a run of bad luck. The truth is usually some combination of the two. Rather than but heads over interpretation, both parties should hear each other out and then take cooperative problem solving approach. The message from the manager should be that the employee is capable of solving the existing problems and meeting high performance standards, and that, with appropriate support, success is anticipated.

Sometimes managers think that closer supervision and lower standards will help subordinates see how to improve and will make them less anxious about messing up. But the opposite will be true if employees infer that supervisors don’t trust them and have low expectations of their abilities. Expectations, positive or negative, have a way of becoming self-fulfilling. In the 1980s, Toyota management turned a troubled, failing General Motors automotive plant into the most efficient plant in the GM system by giving employees more responsibility for quality control and more knowledge and authority to initiate changes in procedures. Employees felt trusted and competent, and they rose to the occasion.

The junior executive of our story accidentally made the same discovery with the administrative assistant from hell. By giving her more work and more challenging work, he inadvertently communicated to her that her talents are underutilized and that she is worthy of more responsibility. Just imagine how that can improve a person’s outlook and motivate her to prove the boss is right.

Symptoms of mal-organization

Anyone with experience in management knows a healthy organization structure when he sees it (which is seldom enough). But he is like the doctor who knows a healthy person when he sets one but can only define “health” negatively, that is, as the absence of disease, deformity and deformity and pathological degeneration.

Similarly a healthy organization is hard to describe. But the symptoms of mal-organization can be identified. Whenever they are present there is need for thorough examination of the organization structure. Whenever they are present the right structural Principles are not being observed.

One telling symptom of mal-organization is the growth of levels of management by speaking poor or confused objectives, failure to remove poor performers, over centralization or lack of proper activities analysis. Mal-organization shows itself also in pressure for “frictional overhead” for coordinators, expediters, or assistants who have no clear job responsibility of their own but are supposed to help their superior do his job. Similarly it shows in the need for special measures to co-ordinate activities and to establish communications between managers, coordinating committees, incessant meetings full time liaison men and so forth.

Equally telling is the tendency to “go through channels” rather than directly to the man who has the information or the ideas needed or who should be informed of what is going on. This is particularly serious under functional, for it greatly aggravates the tendency organization of functional organization to make people think more of their function than of the business. It tends to insulate people and functional organization, even at its most decentralized, is a heavy insulator. Going through channels is not just a symptom of mal-organization; it is a cause.

Finally, whatever the organization pattern and structure, management must watch out for a serious and crippling constitutional disorder” a lopsided management age structure.

We have heard a good deal of the dangers of having a preponderantly old management. But a preponderantly young management is at least as dangerous. For overage in management liquidates itself fairly fast, and if enterprise survives till then, its recurrence can be prevented. A preponderantly young management means, however, that for years to come there will be no promotional opportunities for young people. All the good jobs are filled by men with twenty or more years of service life ahead of them. Good, men either will not join such a company or will quit. If they stay, they will soon cease to be good men as they urn into frustrated time servers. Twenty years hence the preponderantly young management of today will be a preponderantly old management with no one is sight to succeed them. In fact, every company that suffers from an old management today does so because, twenty years ago, under the impact of the Depression, it brought in a young management.

To insure a balanced age structure should be one of the main concerns of manger manpower planning. There must be enough older men to insure opportunities for younger men, enough younger men to insure continuity ‘enough older men to provide experience and enough younger men to provide drive. Age structure of management is like the metabolism of the human body; unless it is balanced all constitutional processes are diseased.

Good organization structure does not by itself good performance just as a good constitution does not guarantee great presidents, or good laws a moral society. But a poor organization stricture makes good performance impossible, no matter how good the individual mangers may be.

To improve organization structure through the maximum of federal decentralization and through application of the principle of decentralization to functionally organized activities will therefore always improve performance. It will make it possible for good men, hitherto stifled, to do a good job effectively. It will make better performers out of many mediocre men by raising their sights and the demands on them. It will identify the poor performers and make possible replacement by better men.

A good organization structure is not a panacea. It is not, as some organization theorists seem to think, the only thing that matters in managing management. Anatomy, after all, is not the whole of biology either. But the right organization structure is the necessary foundation; without it the best performance in all other areas of management will be ineffectual and frustrated.

Tackling Job Redundancy

The job scenario today is paradox. On one end there are surplus of jobs but on the other end, executives are nervous due to the fear of job redundancy. Job redundancy is a typical situation which arises in corporations, where a particular job is no longer relevant to the enterprise. Jobs are made redundant when there is no need for a specialized skill/delineation of role or when the organization’s need, because of growth or downsizing requires a less or more qualified person. A lot of activities today are occurring around the, merger and acquisitions (M&A), So what happens during M&A is, some set of jobs overlap with each other like HR, Marketing, non-technical or commercial functions etc., some support function areas, at times even excess of sales manpower; that’s when some of the functionalities become redundant .

Redundancy could also happen as a result of introduction of new technology and change in working styles. For instance, the typical ‘personal secretary’ concept has been replaced by the ‘executive assistants’ phenomenon.

Newer ways of working or delivery have made certain profiles redundant. For instance, once railways decided to get away with ‘using mugs made of mud’ lead to huge job redundancy of that genre of laborers.

So what happens when a job gets redundant and how does the company treat its employees whose jobs get redundant? Most of the professional organizations are normally aware of future redundancies. They take it into consideration while training and retaining employees on newer / additional skills sets. However, Sometimes employees with less visibility about the future are caught unaware in a number of joint-ventures and takeovers, the pace of change is so fast that often both employees and employers are not able to calculate it well in advance.

At companies like TechSpan India, when skill needed for a particular project is over, employees are kept on the bench and are skilled for newer dexterities. However in smaller organizations this still hasn’t happened on larger scale.

Today in India in most companies with functions like payroll, administration, security etc being out sourced, related jobs are becoming redundant.

So when exit is inevitable, companies give the redundant employees minimum period of notice and also hires external recruitment agencies to do outplacement for redundant employees.

The impact on career is directly proportionate to the time it takes him/her to find another job and if the period between jobs is short, the impact is not much, but if it stretches out, then it can be quite traumatic. A prospective employer will always be influenced by the way the individual has handled the redundancy and the reasons for the redundancy.

Previous job redundancy will not create a negative impact as long as employees are open to learning and employers value their experience. Normally new employers do understand the past redundancy scenario of a prospective hire and it doesn’t create a negative feature on the employee’s profile. But definitely the new hire needs to convince the new employer on why he/she could not get retrained and absorbed by the pervious employer.

At the same time in some senses, if does reflect on the lack of farsightedness of the employee also, as most of the smart employees are always eager to take on role expansions and experience with different roles/functions.

In India the organized sector is just around 9%, the job redundancy is significantly low because the job market is very upbeat and there is a huge demand hence people can shift careers and still can manage well. However, at unorganized sector, which is over 91% it’s a big challenge.

Again, as employees are still not very comfortable and open to move out of comfort zones. Typically people below 40 are more open to change and hence redundancies do not hit them hard. However employees in the later age bracket are still not amenable to change. Employers are also willing to retain younger employees who are eager to learn and have the right attitude in the person.

A person’s job gets redundant, not because she/he incompetent; it is just because the organization couldn’t offer a role to his/her specific skill sets. So the solution is to be able to scale up to the changing environment and be perfectly well equipped to take up any job irrespective of such job redundancy scenarios.

Managing Promotions in an organization

Promotions and transfers are integral parts of most people’s careers. Promotions traditionally refer to advancements to positions of increased responsibility; transfers are reassignments to similar positions in other parts of the firm.

Making Promotion Decisions:

Most working people look forward to promotions, which usually mean more pay, responsibility, and (often) job satisfaction. For employers, promotions can provide opportunities to reward exceptional performance, and fill open position with tested and loyal employees. Yet the promotion process isn’t always appositive experience for either employee or employer. Unfairness, arbitrariness, or secrecy can diminish the effectiveness of the process for all concerned. Several decisions, therefore, loom large in any firm’s promotion process.

Is Seniority or Competence the Rule?

Probably the most important decision is whether to base promotion on seniority or competence, or some combination of the two.

Today’s focus on competitiveness favors competence, as does the fact that promotion based on competence is the superior motivator. However, a company’s ability to use competence as the criterion depends on several things, most notably whether or not union agreements or civil service requirement governs promotions. Union agreements sometimes contain clauses that emphasize seniority, such as: In the advancement of employees to higher paid jobs when ability, merit, and capacity are equal, employees with the highest seniority will be given preference. And civil service regulations that stress seniority rather than competence often govern promotion in many public sector organizations.

How should Competence be measured?

If the firm opts for competence, how should it define and measure competence? Defining and measuring past performance is relatively straight forwards: Define the job, set standards, and use one or more appraisal tools to record performance. But promotions require something more: You also need a valid procedure for predicting a candidate’s future performance.

Most employers use prior performance as a guide, and assume that (based on his or her prior performance) the person will do well on the new job. This is the simplest procedure. Other use tests or assessment centers to evaluate employees who can be considered for promotion and to identify those with executive potential.

An increasing number of employees take amore comprehensive approach. For example (particularly given the public safety issues involved), police departments have traditionally taken a relatively systematic approach when evaluating candidates for promotion to command positions. Traditional promotional reviews include a written knowledge test, an assessment center, credit for seniority, and a score based on recent performance appraisal ratings. Other departments are adding personal records review. This includes evaluation of job-related dimensions such as supervisory-related education and experience, ratings from multiple sources, and systematic evaluation of behavioral evidence.

Is the process Formal or Informal?

Many firms have informal promotion processes. They may or may not post open positions, and key managers may use their own “unpublished” criteria to make decisions. Here employees may (reasonably) conclude that factors like “who you know” are more important than performance, and that working hard to get ahead at least in this firm is futile.

Promotion policy may contain the following in general:

The basis of promotion can be merit seniority or merit cum seniority. Merit can be judged by tests to be used to measure merit and potentiality, norms to measure the seniority on the job in the department, in the organization etc. Clear guidelines should also be framed for computing overall seniority.

Consideration must also be given when the employees work in different jobs, departments, organizations on deputation etc. Seniority should be clearly specified whether it is job seniority, departmental seniority, zonal seniority or organizational seniority.

The weight ages to be given for merit and seniority if the basis of merit-cum-seniority will be followed for promotion. Other criteria to be taken into consideration in case two or more employees are assigned the same rank.

Promotion policy should contain the groups of jobs with same job requirements, class of the jobs based on the level of skill requirements. Establishment of clear cut promotional channels from one level of job to another, from one department to another, one unit to another and from one region to another.

Necessary qualifications, level of performance on the present job, level of potentialities to be possessed by employees to be considered for promotion.

Promotion policy should also contain alternatives to promotion when deserving candidates are not promoted due to lack of vacancies at higher level. These alternatives include up gradation, re- designation, sanctioning of higher pay or increments or allowances assigning new and varied responsibilities to the employee by enriching the job or enlarging job.

Provision should be made for immediate relief of the promoted candidates by their present superiors or heads of the departments.

Many employers establish formal, published promotion polices and procedures. These have several components. Employees get a formal promotion policy describing the criteria by which the firm awards promotions. A job posting policy states the firm will post open positions and their requirements, and circulate these to all employees. Many employers also maintain employee qualification briefs, and use replacement charts and computerized employee information systems.

Enhancing diversity through Career Management

Sources of Bias and Discrimination in promotion Decisions:

Women and people of color tend to experience relatively less career progress in organizations, and bias and more subtle barriers are often the cause. Yet this is not necessarily the result of decision makers’ racist sentiments. Instead, secondary factors such as having few people of color employed in the hiring department may be the cause. Sometimes the bias may be unintentional and uniformed. In one study, the people of color applying for promotions actually had more work experience, and were therefore ironically had seen as reached their peak. In any case, the bottom line seems to be that whether it’s bias or some other reason, questionable hurdles like these do exist, and need to be found and eliminated.

Similarly, women still don’t make it to top of the career ladder in numbers proportionate to their numbers in US industry. Women constitute 40% of the workforce, but hold less than 2% of top management positions. Blatant or subtle discrimination, including the belief that “women belong at home and are not committed to careers”, inhibits many managers from taking women as seriously as men. The old boy network of informal friendship forged over lunch, at social events, or at club meetings is usually not open to women, although it’s often here that promotional decisions are made. Lack of women mentors makes it harder for women to find the role models and supporters they need to help guide their careers. Unlike many men, women must also make the: career versus family decision, since the responsibilities of raising the children and managing the household still fall disproportionately on women.

Balancing work and family life can be challenging. For example, BB gave up her job as head of PepsiCo’s North American beverage business in order to spend more time with her family. LN an auditor with Deloitte and Touch, left to join smaller accounting firm after trying to balance a 70-hour workweek with her responsibilities as a new mother. Her situation also illustrates what employers can do to resolve such work-family conflicts. When Deloitte instituted a new flexible work schedule, LN went back to work there. She signed an agreement to work 80% of the hours normally expected of her position. She also arranged to work more hours from January to March (when the workload is heaviest) and to take more time off the rest of the year to spend with her two daughters.

Women and men also face different challenges as they advance through their careers. Women report greater barriers such as being excluded from informal networks than do men, and greater difficulty getting developmental assignments and geographic mobility opportunities Women had to be more proactive to get such assignments. Because development experiences like these are so important, organizations that are interested in helping female mangers advance should focus on breaking down the barriers that interfere with women’s access to developmental experiences.

Adding to the problem is the fact that some corporate career developments programs may actually be inconsistent with needs of minority and non-minority women. For example, many programs assume that the workplace plays a central role in people’s lives, but family needs may well play the major role in many women’s (and men’s) lives. Similarly, such programs may assume that career paths are orderly, sequential, and continuous; yet the need to stop working for a time to attend to family needs may well punctuate the career paths of many people of color and women and perhaps men. And, in any case, a study of male and female corporate expatriates concluded that three organizational career development activities fast track programs, individual career counseling, and career planning workshops were less available to women than to men. Many refer to this combination of subtle and not-so-subtle barriers to women’s career progress as the glass ceiling.

Career Management and employee commitment

The globalization of the world economy has been a boon in many ways. For products and services ranging from cars to computers to air travel, it has powered lower prices, better quality and higher productivity and living standards.

But these advances haven’t come without a price. At least in the short run, the same cost efficiencies, belt tightening, and productivity improvements that globalization produced have also triggered numerous and ongoing workforce dislocation. The desire for efficiencies drove firms to downsize, and to “do more with less”. It prompted thousands of mergers, large and small any of which as when NCNB bought Bank of America aimed specifically to eliminate redundancies, in other words for closing duplicate branches and back office operations. And with every buyout, merger and downsizing ore employees found themselves out of work. Partly as a reaching to these changes, and to the bubble economy of the late 1990s and to the recession of 2000-2003, the US economy lost over three million jobs in the early 2000s, or about 2% of the country’s job.

The New Psychological Contract:

Changes like these as mentioned earlier, understandably prompt many employees to ask why they should be loyal to their employers. They might ask why they should be loyal to the employer if they are just going to dump them in deciding to cut costs. The smart employee today thus tends to think of him or herself as a free agent to seek any other employment to prepare for the next career move to another firm and to do good job there also. Yesterday’s employee employer psychological contract may have been something like, ‘do your best and be loyal to us, and we’ll take care of your career’. Today, it is do your best for us and be loyal to us for as long as you’re here, and will provide you with the developmental opportunities you’ll need to move on and have a successful career. In such situations, employers must think through what they’re going to do to maintain employee commitment and thereby minimize voluntary departures, and maximum employee effort.

Commitment oriented Career Development efforts:

The employer’s career planning and development process can and should play a central role in this process. It is through this process that the employer supports the employee’s efforts to test and develop viable career goals and to develop the skills and experiences for accomplishing those goals required. Managed effectively, the employer’s career development process should send the signal that the employer cares about the employee’s career success and thus deserves the employee’s commitment career development programs and career oriented appraisals can facilitate this.

Career Development Programs:

Most large and many smaller employers provide career planning and development services. Consider the program at Saturn Corporation, Tennessee plant. A career workshop uses vocational guidance tools including a computerized skills assessment program ad other career gap analysis tools to help employees identify career-related skills and the development needs they possess. This workshop, according to one employee, helps you assess yourself and takes four to six hours. You use it for developing your own career potential. The career disk identifies your weaknesses and strengths: you assess yourself, and then your team assesses you. Tuition reimbursement and other development aids are also available to help employees develop the skills they need to get ahead.

Programs like these can help foster employee commitment. Here is how one Saturn employee put it:

“I’m an assembler now, and was a team leader for two-and-a-half years. My goal is to move into our people systems [HR] unit. I know things are tight now, but I know that the philosophy here is that the firm will lookout for me – they want people to be all they can be. I know here I’ll go as far as I can go; that’s one of the reasons I’m so committed to Saturn”.

Organizational Philosophy and Culture

One could devise improved processes and systems but ultimately these are operated upon or made to deliver through people working in the organization and handling these processes and systems. Therefore the need is to:

(i)Develop technical and interaction skills of the employees’ specific to their jobs.

(ii)Keep the employees informed about related aspects such as

• Specific customer needs / expectations
• Specific market developments and changes
• Organization’s mission and specific goals.
• Organization’s policies and procedures
• Critical requirements / factors for quality
• Processes that an employee may operate or interact with
• An employee’s specific role, responsibility and authority
• Metrics that are used to measure performance
• Rules and regulations of the regulating bodies
• Values important to the organization

(iii) Widen the employees’ knowledge about the market in general, its trends, competition, their organization’s role in the market and in the society and the organizational culture and philosophy. Skills, information and knowledge are the three areas where the organization needs to constantly improve the employees. This could be done through (a) training, (b) providing information and© education (formal or informal).

Organizational Culture:

An employee could be imparted skills, be well up on information and be educated to understand the organization’s philosophy. Skills, information and knowledge do not amount to the employee’s involvement, which needs ‘motivation’. It requires transformation in the way person thinks, behaves and acts. This transformation has to occur in all the employees. Since it consists of individual as well as group behavior, it amounts to the organizational culture. The organization’s culture has to be transformed as a part of TQM program as the desired attitudes, beliefs and behaviors on the part of the employees at all levels.

It is this culture which will inspire an employee and guide him in decision making in his job. True empowerment of the employee cannot come unless there is the organizational culture supporting it. An employee in delivering his task may come across cross roads of decision. It is the organization’s culture and values imbibed in him which will guide him in decision-making. Same is true about team behavior. Team work may be desirable and necessary, but it has to be fostered. It has to come as an organizational value—part of the organization’s culture. Though team work and conflict management have a significant component of skills, these should be manifest as internalized behavior. To take another example: Integrity above everything else may be a desirable characteristic in the employees but it can be taught to a limited extent, and has to be brought in through a cultural a cultural transformation. In short, organizational culture inspires, guides and supports an employee in carrying out his tasks

Leadership and commitment:

Developing the desired culture is largely the function of the top management of an organization. Instilling a culture requires a transformation in the individuals, in the teams and in the organization. In this transformation, the part played by the leaders in the organization cannot be over emphasized. The top management cannot ask for the desirable values to exist in the employees at other levels, unless it demonstrates those values. If it is not committed to satisfying the customer’s requirements, one cannot ask the lower level employee in the shipping department to be committed to delivering a shipment to perform under all circumstances ‘come what may’. The other aspect of effective leadership is its clarity of vision regarding the goal. Commitment and clarity of vision drive the leadership phenomenon.

What TQM asks for is transformational leadership. There is no doubt that the higher level management has to show the way. The organization’s senior leaders have to set the directions, develop values and increase expectations. They have to be the role models. Their own value systems, attitudes and behavior have a great bearing on the outlook of the lower level employees to get involved in the organization’s activities and programs. It is the top management’s commitment that drives the transformation within the organization.

TQM needs such creation of leadership at all levels. Quality is about all tasks done excellently by the respective persons. Empowerment is not just a transfer or conferment of authority. It is about people ‘feeling’ empowered .It is only then that they bring the initiative, energy and creativity into their respective tasks. Employees should feel fulfilled in doing their tasks. The top management should cause such seeking of fulfillment by these employees.

Making career choices

Identify your career stage: Each person’s career goes through stages, and the stage you are in will influence your knowledge of and preference for various occupations. The main stages of this career cycle follows:

Growth stage: The growth stage lasts roughly from birth to age 14 and is a period during which the person develops a self concept by identifying with and interacting with other people such as family, friends, and teachers. Toward the beginning of this period, role playing is important, and children experiment with different ways of acting; this helps them to form impression to how other people react to different behaviors and contributes to their developing a unique self concept or identity. Towards the end of this stage, the adolescent (who by this time has developed preliminary ideas about what is or her interests and abilities are) begins to think realistically about alternative occupations.

Exploration Stage: The exploration stage is the period (roughly from ages 15 to 24) during which a person explores various occupational alternatives. The person attempts to match these alternatives with what he or she has learned about them and about his or her own interests and abilities from school, leisure activities, and work. Tentative broad occupational choices are usually made during the beginning of this period, a seemingly appropriate choice is made and the person tries out for a beginning jobs.

Probably the most important task the person has in this and the preceding stage is that of developing a realistic understanding of his or her abilities and talents. Similarly, the person must take sound educational decisions based on reliable sources of information about occupational alternatives.

Establishment Stage: The establishment stage spans roughly ages 24 to 44 and is the heart of most people’s work lives. During this period, it is hoped a suitable occupation is found and the person engages in those activities that help him or her earn a permanent place in it. Often, and particularly in the professions, the person locks onto a chosen occupation early. But in most cases, this is a period during which the person is continually testing his or her capabilities and ambitious against those of the initial occupational choice.

The establishment stage is itself comprised of three sub-stages. The trial sub-stage lasts from about ages 25 to 30. During this period, the person determines whether or not the chosen field is suitable; if it is not, several changes might be attempted. JS might have her heart set on a career in retailing, for example, but after several months of constant travel as a newly hired assistant buyer for a department store, she might decide that a less travel oriented career such as one in market research is more in tune with her needs. Roughly between the ages of 30 and 40 the person goes through a stabilization sub stage. Here firm occupational goals are set and the person does more explicit career planning to determine the sequence of promotions, job changes, and/or any educational activities that seem necessary from accomplishing these goals.

Finally, somewhere between the mid thirties and mid-forties, the person may enter the mid career crisis sub stage. During this period, people often make a major reassessment of their progress relative to original ambitious and goals. They may find that they are not going to realize their dreams such as being company president or that having been accomplished, their dreams are not all the were purported to be. Also during this period, people have to decide how important work and career are to be in the lives. It is often during this mid career sub stage that some people face, for the first time, the difficult choices between what they really want, what really can be accomplished and how much must be sacrificed to achieve it.

Maintenance Stage: Between the ages of 45 and 65 many people simply slide from the stabilization sub stage into the maintenance stage. During this latter period the person has typically created a place in the world of work and most efforts are now directed at maintaining that place.

Decline stage:
As retirement age approaches there is often a declaration period in the decline stage. Here many people face the prospect of having to accept reduced levels of power and responsibility and learn to accept and develop new roles as mentor and confidante for those who are younger. There is then the more or less inevitable retirement, after which the person hopefully finds alternative uses for the time and effort formerly expended on his or her occupation.

Organizational Philosophy and Culture

One could devise improved processes and systems but ultimately these are operated upon or made to deliver through people working in the organization and handling these processes and systems. Therefore the need is to:

(i)Develop technical and interaction skills of the employees’ specific to their jobs.

(ii)Keep the employees informed about related aspects such as

• Specific customer needs / expectations
• Specific market developments and changes
• Organization’s mission and specific goals.
• Organization’s policies and procedures
• Critical requirements / factors for quality
• Processes that an employee may operate or interact with
• An employee’s specific role, responsibility and authority
• Metrics that are used to measure performance
• Rules and regulations of the regulating bodies
• Values important to the organization

(iii) Widen the employees’ knowledge about the market in general, its trends, competition, their organization’s role in the market and in the society and the organizational culture and philosophy. Skills, information and knowledge are the three areas where the organization needs to constantly improve the employees. This could be done through (a) training, (b) providing information and© education (formal or informal).

Organizational Culture:

An employee could be imparted skills, be well up on information and be educated to understand the organization’s philosophy. Skills, information and knowledge do not amount to the employee’s involvement, which needs ‘motivation’. It requires transformation in the way person thinks, behaves and acts. This transformation has to occur in all the employees. Since it consists of individual as well as group behavior, it amounts to the organizational culture. The organization’s culture has to be transformed as a part of TQM program as the desired attitudes, beliefs and behaviors on the part of the employees at all levels.

It is this culture which will inspire an employee and guide him in decision making in his job. True empowerment of the employee cannot come unless there is the organizational culture supporting it. An employee in delivering his task may come across cross roads of decision. It is the organization’s culture and values imbibed in him which will guide him in decision-making. Same is true about team behavior. Team work may be desirable and necessary, but it has to be fostered. It has to come as an organizational value—part of the organization’s culture. Though team work and conflict management have a significant component of skills, these should be manifest as internalized behavior. To take another example: Integrity above everything else may be a desirable characteristic in the employees but it can be taught to a limited extent, and has to be brought in through a cultural a cultural transformation. In short, organizational culture inspires, guides and supports an employee in carrying out his tasks

Leadership and commitment:

Developing the desired culture is largely the function of the top management of an organization. Instilling a culture requires a transformation in the individuals, in the teams and in the organization. In this transformation, the part played by the leaders in the organization cannot be over emphasized. The top management cannot ask for the desirable values to exist in the employees at other levels, unless it demonstrates those values. If it is not committed to satisfying the customer’s requirements, one cannot ask the lower level employee in the shipping department to be committed to delivering a shipment to perform under all circumstances ‘come what may’. The other aspect of effective leadership is its clarity of vision regarding the goal. Commitment and clarity of vision drive the leadership phenomenon.

What TQM asks for is transformational leadership. There is no doubt that the higher level management has to show the way. The organization’s senior leaders have to set the directions, develop values and increase expectations. They have to be the role models. Their own value systems, attitudes and behavior have a great bearing on the outlook of the lower level employees to get involved in the organization’s activities and programs. It is the top management’s commitment that drives the transformation within the organization.

TQM needs such creation of leadership at all levels. Quality is about all tasks done excellently by the respective persons. Empowerment is not just a transfer or conferment of authority. It is about people ‘feeling’ empowered .It is only then that they bring the initiative, energy and creativity into their respective tasks. Employees should feel fulfilled in doing their tasks. The top management should cause such seeking of fulfillment by these employees.

Something for Fresh candidates

If the company you apply to do not select you for lack of experience, one need not get worried much. An individual may not have any years of hands-on experience of the job but that doesn’t mean that he is incompetent.

HRD recruiting experts opine it’s possible to correlate candidate’s expertise in a certain area to the job at hand. By doing this, lack of industry experience can appear to be less of a handicap of the candidate

Even if with little or no experience, a fresh candidate (without experience) must be positive about searching for a job. For one, time has never been better for freshers. There are a lot of recruiters and hiring managers looking for fresh talent in the expanding job market. Many firms prefer the speed, energy and enthusiasm that youngsters have and that is the reason firms prefer them in to the firm.

A plethora of Job-hunting sources are available for freshers, especially those with professional qualifications. Various free networking sites have come up and form an integral part of the job hunting exercise.

Moreover, a fresher can start on a clean slate with no black marks on his resume. Since his background is spotless, he can stop worrying about how it will match up to others.

Pep up CV:

Supposing one does not have prior work experience, he can start off by emphasizing his recent training or education. Here he can include specific qualifications, or any others activities that can be correlated to the position applied for.

For this, compile all professional activities to date in a detailed manner (even those which don’t seem important). The following can be taken into consideration:

• Short term projects or research projects in which you have participated.
• Part time jobs that you under look during your studies.
• Internships or in-service training.
• Reports or document you have prepared.
• Presentation made at seminars, workshops etc.

The candidate (fresh) must identify the specific skills he has acquired by taking part in these activities and label them according to the skills headings used in job ads.

Also seek out anything that could be acceptable as experience and highlight it. Apart from education he can highlight or mention anything else that can support his case.

Many freshers have far more talent, valuable skills, and experience than they write in CV. They often omit these positive points from their resume, which may prove to be costly.

Pre-plan for job applying with a strategy:

• Write down a list of 100 people who can help you bag a job. They could include friends, family, teachers, relatives, your friends’ parents, neighbor’s people you helped out earlier etc. Send them your resume via e-mail or post. This type of networking can open doors to unadvertised jobs too.
• Attend any networking events in your city and make some good contacts.
• Take advantage of the placement program offered by your college/ institution.
• Become a member off several e-mail discussion groups, and you are sure to get some good leads.
• Persist and follow up. Employers will often notice and give you the benefit of doubt.
• The number one complaint about freshers is their lack of preparation. Basically, an interview is just like a sales call – you have to sell yourself to the prospective employer. Do your homework about the company (prospective employer).
• Achievements in studies sports and extracurricular activities must be documented properly.
• Be ready to take an entry-level position /internship to demonstrate competence. Be ready to work for free or for a low salary just to get an opening.
  

Negotiator ‘Pro’

Negotiator ‘Pro’the preparation before sitting down at the table that counts.

That means the negotiator must take the time to define what he wants and what he is willing to accept and at what point he must walk away. It also means doing enough research to know what the other side wants and how far they are willing to go to get it.

The most important information deals with the other side what drives them, how they measure success and what are their strengths and weaknesses? By that know the kinds of negotiations that one enjoys and is good at and what is going to trip him up and make him anxious.

That also means choosing the right people to do the negotiating in the first place. For example, one off transaction favor competitive types who see the negotiation as a game they must win. If one is naturally more at ease with building consensus and nurturing long term relationships, let someone else take the lead.

The next step is to try and establish some trust. In Northern Ireland an expert tried to set up a process that people felt that they had a chance to make their case. The process set up was fix a system where the negotiating parties had unlimited debate. It sometimes failed as the debate was leading to 15 to 18 hour speeches, but it was important for helping things move forward.

Before one starts haggling, establish what negotiating textbooks lovingly call the ZOPA, or zone of possible agreements. There’s always a large area of overlapping interest. It’s helpful to define that up front so one can refer back to it later, what the petty details threaten to bog one down.

Let us take case of a Star and negotiations with the Star’s agent. The star’s agent presented with along set of demands, ranging from the relevant to the ridiculous to the negotiator ‘N’. The numbers involved were large enough that ‘N’ had to go to his boss who is an excellent negotiator in his own right, for guidance. ‘N’ had carefully thought out a detailed response to each of the many issues, down to the smallest perk. To his surprise his boss didn’t even want to hear most of the counter arguments; instead as ‘N’ went down the list, he kept saying ‘fine’. Rather than engaging in hand to hand combat on every point, he chose to focus on the few that were truly important and contentious.

Finally if one can’t find the ZOPA, have enough discipline to walk away. That advice comes from a guy who has negotiated a few deals and doesn’t like to lose. Sometimes the price just doesn’t make sense to the negotiator or the target company has certain culture that the negotiator feels is not going to fit together. In that case one must got to have the discipline to walk away. Lo and behold, something better would come along in six months or a year which in most cases was a much better deal.

Principles of Manager Development

The first principle of manager development must therefore be the development of the entire management group. We spend a great deal of time, money and energy on improving the performance of a generator by 5%. Less time, less money and less energy would probably be needed to improve the performance of managers by 5% and the resulting increase in the production of energy would be much greater.

The second principle is that manager development must be dynamic. It must aim at replacing what is today’s managers their jobs, or their qualifications. It must always focus on the needs of tomorrow. What organization will be needed to attain the objectives of tomorrow? What management jobs will that require? What qualifications will managers have to have to be equal to the demands of tomorrow? What additional skills will they have to acquire, what knowledge and ability will they have to possess?

The tools of manager development as commonly used today will not do. Not only is the back up man inadequate; job rotation which in most companies is the favorite tool of manager development, is not enough either.

Job rotation takes one of two forms as a rule. A man who has come up as a specialist in one function is put into another function for a short while often into several functions, one after another. Or the man is put into a special training job, since he does not know enough about any other function to carry a regular management job in it. An announcement made a short while ago by one of the large electrical manufacturer states, for instance: Men in the promotable group will be rotated into special jobs in functions they are not familiar with, each job assignment to last six months to two years.

But what business needs is not engineers with a smattering of accounting. It needs engineers capable of managing a business. One does not come broader by adding one narrow specialty to another; one becomes broader by seeing the business as a whole. One can learn of a big area such as marketing or engineering in six months probably the terminology and a little more. A good course in marketing, or a good reading list on the subject, teaches many times more. The whole idea of training jobs is contrary to all rules and experience. A man should never be given a job that is not real job that does not require performance from him.

In fine, manager development must embrace all managers in the enterprise. It must aim at challenging all to growth and self development. It must focus on performance rather than on promise, and on tomorrow’s requirements rather than on those of today. Manager development must be dynamic and qualitative rather than static replacement based on mechanical rotation. Developing tomorrow’s managers mean in effect developing today’s managers all of them to be bigger men and better managers.

The job of developing tomorrow’s managers is both too big and too important to be considered a special activity. Its performance depends on all factors in the managing of managers. A man’s job is related to his superior and subordinates, the spirit of the organization, and its organizational structure. No amount of special manger development activities will, for instance, develop tomorrow’s managers in an organization that focuses on weakness and fears strength, or in one that scorns integrity and character in selecting men for managerial appointments. No amount of activity will develop tomorrow’s managers in a functionally centralized organization; all that it is likely to produce are tomorrow’s specialists. Conversely, genuine federal decentralization will develop, train and test a fair number of managers for tomorrow without any additional manager development activity as such.

What cannot be Manager Development?

Manager development cannot be just “promotion planning,” confined to “promotable people” and aimed at finding “back up men” for top management vacancies. The very term “back up man” implies that the job of manager as well as the organization structure of the company will remain unchanged so that one simply has to find people to step into the shoes of today’s executives. Yet, if one thing is certain, it is that both job requirements and organization structure will change in the future as they have always done in the past. What is needed is the development of managers equal to the tasks of tomorrow, not the tasks of yesterday.

If a company’s management forced to rely entirely on conventional methods of increasing productivity and if it is specified the goal should be of increasing productivity by 50% in less than say 8 or 10 years then it is a wishful thinking. The Company’s laboratories and factories will continue to find ways to produce more and better goods with a lower expenditure of time, effort and cost. But one cannot expect the physical sciences to carry the whole load.

There has been a growing realization in industry that great untapped opportunities lie in finding ways to develop more fully human resources available particularly the managers of business enterprises. Technological advances and the increasing complexities of managing under today’s and tomorrow’s condition have made manager development a necessity as well as an opportunity. Those who are closest to the field of a company can believe that an opportunity exists in the company to increase productivity by 50% in the next ten years through better management alone it may be possible to achieve the same.

The concept of the back-up man for top management jobs also overlooks the fact the most important decisions regarding tomorrow’s management are made long before a man is promoted to a senior position. Tomorrow’s senior positions will be filled by men who today occupy junior positions. By the time the company has to find a man to take over the management of a big plant or sales organization, the choice must be limited to three or four people. It is appointing people to position as general foreman or department superintendent, as district sales manager, as auditor etc that we make the decisions that are crucial. And in making these decisions the typical back up planning helps us little, if at all.

Altogether the concept of a ‘promotable man’ who shows high potential is a fallacy. There is no method that can predict a man’s development more than a short time ahead. And even if one could predict human growth there is no method or right to play providence. However “scientific” the method, it would still at best only work with 60 or 70% of accuracy: and no man has a right to dispose of other people’s lives and careers on probability

Above all, however, the ‘promotable man’ concept focuses on one man out of ten at best on one out of five. It assigns the other nine to limbo. But the men who need manager development the most are not the ‘balls of fire’ who are the back up men and ‘promotable people’. They are those managers who are not good enough to be promoted but not poor enough to be fired. These constitute the great majority; and they do the bulk of the actual managing of the business. Most of them will say in ten years still be in their present jobs. Unless they have grown up to the demands of tomorrow’s job the whole management group will be inadequate no matter how good, how carefully selected and developed the ‘promotable people’. And whatever can be gained by developing the chosen few will be offset by the stunting, the malformation, the resentment of those who are passed over. No matter how carefully the promotable men are chosen, the fact of their choice must condemn the whole system in the eyes of the management people as arbitrary must convince them that it is the rankest favoritism.

Employer employee mutual benefits

Consider old job scenario and retired professionals remember most about their workplace, a 9-5 routine, work and only work in these eight hours, a pay check at the end of the every month and a constant struggle to save for a rainy day. The present job scenario workplace has become more than a place to earn daily bread. It has become a second home as you end up spending more time here than any other place and have to contribute more, than just what is expected of the employee. This had led to both employers and employees extending themselves beyond just a 9-5 relationship. Employees, therefore have high expectations, as far as benefits and remuneration for the time and the effort they put into their work concerned.

However, according to a recent survey, ‘The Study of International Employee Benefit Trends’, Indian employers are not maximizing the potential of benefits to fulfill business objectives and generally offer employees few benefits besides life and health.

The study reveals a disconnect between what benefits Indian employees say they need and want and the benefits Indian employers are prepared to offer. The top benefits that most Indian employer provide are benefits to control employee health and welfare cost and to help increase employee productivity.

The survey finds workers are extremely concerned about basic financial worries such as adequate health insurances (82%) and having enough money to live on (80%). India employees’ top financial concerns regarding retirement include “having enough money to take care of elderly parents or in-laws” (79%) and “running out of retirement money”(71%). Keeping this in mind and the fact that Indian organizations have to measure up against global standards, the need of the hour is for employers to tailor make their employee benefit plans based on their employees’ priorities

Some employers have initiated a ‘Flexible benefit Plan’, which is individual specific where the employees get to choose which benefits are necessary for them. It is observed that majority of employees opt for benefits that have maximum tax optimization.

Another priority that some employers have taken into account is the need of employees to upgrade their skills. Another employer has an education enhancement program where they offer monetary support to all employees who are eager to pursue higher education in their respective fields. Apart from this, many organizations are also paying attention to the wellness aspect of employees. They offer meditation classes, language classes, games, reiki sessions etc.

81% of Indian workers are concerned about job security. And the thought that arises is what whether or not organizations keep this factor in mind while initiating new benefits? Job security comes through the organization’s culture. For the employees, having benefits makes them feel that they are apart of the organization but doesn’t really spell out job security for them. Benefits are provided so that employees are motivated and certainly make them happy but a sense of job security cannot necessarily be achieved from it. It depends upon various other factors like the work environment, caliber of leadership, business results achieved, skill set and consistency of decision making. These factors all add up to employee comfort and security.

IT, biotechnology and manufacturing companies, which often have difficulty finding skilled workers, have greater incentive to offer competitive benefits programs in order to attract and retain experts agree that organizations need to change to keep the employees engaged and they feel that one obvious way to do it is to offer them more than just the ‘regular’ benefits. Introduction of benefits has helped organizations as employees sense the care of the employer and especially so, on the happening of the unplanned event.

Recruiting strategies have changed and employees are now the company’s internal customers. Organizations are investing in training, objective assessments and transferable skill development to cultivate commitment. Compensation is no longer the most important issue, but greater value is now placed on career development, training and life style.

Today, benefits provided by organizations enable people to have a work life balance. It also encourages participation and involvement in the organization’s growth. Imaginative benefits might just be the things to keep employees happy, loyal and productive.

Decision Analysis

A major tool to find out what structure is needed is an analysis of decisions. To find out the decisions that are required to be made to obtain the performance necessary to attain the objectives and the kind of decisions needed. On what level of the organizations should they be made? To find out activities that are involved in or affected by the decisions. Which managers must therefore participate in the decisions at least the extent if being consulted beforehand? Which managers must be informed after they have been made?

It may be argued that it is impossible to anticipate what kinds of decisions will arise in the future. But while their content cannot be predicted nor the way ought to be made their kind and subject matter have a high degree of predictability. In one large company it was found that well over 90% of the decisions that managers had to take over a five year period were what might be called “typical”, and fell within small number of categories. In only a few cases would it have been necessary to ask: Where does this decision belong? The problem was not thought in advance because there was no decision analysis. Almost three quarters of the decisions had to go looking for a home as the graphic phrase within the company put it, and most of them went to a much higher level of management than they should have.

It has also been argued that a breakdown of decisions must be an arbitrary measure. One president likes to make one kind of decision himself another president another kind the argument runs. Of course personalities and their preferences lay a part in any organization. The area of personal preference is small and marginal and adjustment to it is fairly easy (after all, how often do presidents change?). Furthermore what matters is not what the president lies to do but what he and every other member of management should do in the interests of the enterprise. Indeed, if personal preference rather than the objective needs of the business are allowed to control where decisions are being made, effective organization and good performance become impossible. It is no accident that the greatest single cause for the failure of businesses to consolidate their growth and for their relapse into smallness if not into bankruptcy is failure of the boss to give up making decisions which are no longer required to be made by him.

To place authority and responsibility for various kinds of decisions requires standard classification as policy decisions and operating decisions debates of a highly abstruse nature. There are some basic characteristics which determine the nature of any business decision.

First where does it commit the company? And how fast can it be reversed?

The decision whether the raw material requirements of a speculative commodity such as copper should be bought according to production schedules or according to a forecast of price fluctuations may involve a good deal of money, and a complex analysis if any factors. It may, in other words be both a difficult and an important decision. But it is almost immediately reversible; all it commits the company to is the duration of a futures contract its importance and difficulty, should therefore always be pushed down to the lowest level of management on which it can be made: perhaps the plant managers or the purchasing agent.

The second criterion is the impact a decision has on other functions, on other areas or on the business as a whole. If it affects only one function, it is of the lowest order. Otherwise will have to be made on a higher level where the impact on all affected functions can be considered; or it must be made in close consultation with the managers of the other affected functions. To use technical language: optimization of process and performance of one function or area must not be at the expense of other functions or areas; it must not be sub-optimization.

One example of a decision which looks like a purely technical one affecting one area only, but which actually has a major impact on many areas is a change in the methods of keeping the parts inventory in a mass production plant. This not only affects all manufacturing operations, but makes necessary major changes in assembly. It affects delivery to customers it might even lead to radical changes in marketing and pricing such as the abandonment if certain designs and models and of certain premium prices. And it may require substantial changes in engineering design. The technical problems in inventory keeping though quite considerable almost pale into insignificance compared to the problems in and marketing organization is not. Product businesses with a significantly lower sales volume are in danger of being understaffed, staffed with inadequate people, or actually managed by the central office.

Avoid micro management

There was a time when a team meeting meant a fountain of ideas. One could throw a problem and get a minimum of six to seven solutions. Everyone felt at ease and it was one big family. However, things seem to have changed. No, managerial skills are at their best but team meetings are no longer as lively as they used to be. It is possible that a manager could be unintentionally micromanaging his team without realizing it. Sometimes a manager needs to let others do their job. Too much interference at the micro level can de-motivate his employees. Micro management can be counter productive, so avoid it.

Very often, one may slip into the trap of micro-management, but it’s a strategy he should avoid. Here are some indicators that will safeguard a team leader or a manager from falling prey to micro-management.

A manager is bursting with ideas and feels that he has handled all his recent projects really well, even down to the smallest detail. This is the biggest sign of things going wrong because the small details aren’t his lookout. The manager’s sudden interest in such matters may be affecting his team’s creativity.

Feeling distanced from the team: A manager may dismiss a drop off in communication with a team member as his/her issue. But the problem could be with the manager. If team members don’t feel free with the manager it could be due to the different image the manager has acquired lately. They could be feeling threatened or resentful. Pay attention to the content of conversations with juniors.

No one is offering ideas: This could be the most important indicator of micro-management practices. A manager’s team doesn’t come up with ideas because the manager does most of the talking. Listen to yourself and analyze the situation.

After some soul searching, if the manager finds him self guilty of micro-management he must face it. In the case, the manager has been guilty of over direction, here are some things he can do to send a firm message to his team that they are allowed their professional freedom and right of equal participation on a project.

Start with a question: The next time issues are discussed with his group, the manager can start with a question. This will give his team members an opportunity to talk and others including the boss to listen.

State the problem and shut up: If a manager needs to state something specific or draw attention to a particular matter, mention it to his team members and let them talk. Don’t offer a solution or put forth a procedure. Let the team work on it from scratch.

Don’t offer solutions: Listen to the team’s inputs, and as a manager don’t offer own solutions. This can prompt them to rethink or revise their ideas, but let the task rest on them. Limit yourself to prompting.

Suggest don’t instruct: make sure that the suggestions offered come across as suggestions only. It is possible a manager can accidentally slip into instructing, so he must be careful. He can offer ideas but tell the team to handle it as they seem best.

Introspect: Ask yourself as to why you are micro-managing? What may be interfering in the work of others for reasons other than exercising authority? Find out the real reasons and take a second opinion ion it.

Assess the matter: Boss needs to think positively about team effort. In case, there is a genuine problem with a project or the performance of a member, he must be upfront about it. Review the scenario and discuss the problem with the team or a fellow manager. This will reduce the urge to micro-mange and shift attention on real progress. After all, the manager is accountable for the task in totality.

Approach to Job hopping

XYZ has received an extremely lucrative job offer that promises great returns and he is thinking of jumping at it before it is too late. Instead of rushing and just grabbing it we suggest he must be patient and use his discretion before taking a decision. Today almost every vacancy appears “lucrative”; thanks to fancy, designation, delectable job descriptions and innumerable head hunters, there is no dearth of dream job seekers and organizations hunting for skilled manpower.

Unlike yesteryears, when frequent change of jobs was an indication towards a professional’s lack of focus, today, investing more than ‘apt’ time in a company is often looked at as in competency or lack of ambition. Take the case of ‘A’ who is working for a media company from last six years, fears being tagged as a ‘not-so-career-oriented’ professional. The fact is she has to take care of her children and so a reason enough for her loyalty to the present organization. But she feels it is no justification as the tide is turning.

Loyalty to the employer is old fashioned, say market experts. If one sees all new employees in his office, he can be assured that he is considered as a furniture item and looked down upon as an aging professional. On the other hand, there are a few like, a bank employee, who feels that though job hopping is an acceptable occurrence, only fresh candidates can get away with it.

Job hopping is no longer looked at as a negative trait, provided a career oriented individual knows his ‘aim’ and drafted a career path to accomplish it. However, the trend of job hopping owes its acceptance to many factors.

With the economy booming like never before the need for skilled manpower has the job market on a spin. With the invasion of MNCs and professionals looking to set up their own business, opportunities are abundant. The job market seems to be like a pool of professionals, freshers and experienced and employers are looking for the right candidate.

‘Pay matters most’ adage is the route followed by many professionals; they decide to take on a new job because it translates to better returns. Undoubtedly, apart from apart from the company profile, job description and other factors, the most attractive part of any opening is the returns it can fetch. It is suggested If one has decided to give in to the trend of job hopping, it is important to look beyond the pay check. The job hopping individual may know the range of salary he will be offered but, as an outsider to the company, estimating the size and content of a job accurately is a difficult task.

Not many people realize that they feel compelled to go for a job change just because their peers are doing it. This comparison of career graph with friends and peers can be indeed inspiring.

An employee was not considering a job change till sometime back until his colleagues got better opportunities, he made up his mind shifting from programming to software sales.

Sometimes, peer pressure results in waking up to the job scenario, and cashing on opportunities to be at par with peers.

In today’s competitive world, work pressure, deadlines and politics are a part of every job profile. One has to deal with all this, and at times, much more. Thus, stagnation and boredom creeps in easily. Job hopping gives a fresh perspective to ones career providing opportunities to perform at different environs and learn the different tricks of the trade.

Some variety in the resume is desirable to indicate that a person is not resistant to change and ready to accept new challenges. It is important that a professional knows his long term goals and is progressing towards it. Lack of which indicates a superficial approach to life.

People leave managers not companies. HR experts say that of all abuses, employees find humiliation the most intolerable and may decide to go for a job change over a trivial issue. They know that now there are many opportunities out there. A senior sales manager with a topnotch office automation company, decided to call it quits and start from scratch in a different industry because he was desperate for a change. The reason is his incompatibility with seniors.

Most often than not, the immediate boss is the reason for which many people stay and thrive in an organization. Others quit for the same reason. And when they leave, they take knowledge, experience and contacts with them, straight to the competition.

There is a divided opinion about Job hopping. Job hopping is not always about being indecisive or fickle minded. Job change is vital for energizing careers, infusing creativity and self motivation. The problem arises when switching jobs becomes a second nature and professionals accept pouring job offers at the drop of a hat.

Many organizations prefer employees with a gamut of experiences. No point taking up job offers just because there is a potential to earn more. One must not let go of their dreams and make proper selection. If there is no thrill in a new job, a professional may be leading a mechanical life.

The change could go awfully wrong unless one has weighted other equally important factors before deciding to add to the fast growing bandwagon of professionals for whom job hopping is becoming a routine. Being at the right place at the right time is what is called a smart move.

Reasons for Job Hopping

1.Salary hike
2.Better profile/prospects
3.Desire to relocate
4.Difficult boss
5.Peer pressure
6.Been there, done that
7.Garner new experience

Advantages

1.Re-energize career
2.Infuse creativity
3.Self motivation
4.Triggers career progress

Consider Switching Jobs as per your

1.Qualification and interests
2.Individual goals
3.Priorities in life
4. Strengths and weaknesses
5.Skills and temperament
6.Present job scenario
7.Market
8.Industry trends.

Employee interaction and rise

An employee wants to be seen as a competent, confident and valuable employee, rather than just an average and expendable one. When an employee goes to work, he may think what he can give or what he can get. Although both are relevant, it’s the former that helps an employee rise up the corporate ladder.

A little give and take is always applicable in a work environment both for the employer as well as an employee. Value and its perception are imperative to success in today’s competitive workplace. Employees must understand and demonstrate their value addition to the organization in order to achieve success on a long term basis. The organization should perceive the value of the employee as well

Many employees complain that the company doesn’t do enough for them. Although this could be true, but in order to be perceived as a valuable asset, the employee should instead think of what he is doing for the company and his contribution can give him what he wants.

A great employee is the one who exceeds his limits in work making positive and greater contribution. Coming to work on time doing tasks well, and causing no problems are hallmarks of good employees. However, great employees are able to do all that and much more.

Such employees work in accordance with the company’s vision. They are team players who can assume a leadership role, as and when required. Besides pursuing their own goals, they encourage and assist others in their efforts. And they do these things because they know it’s in their best interest and will propel them further along their career paths.

An employee must aim at being a ‘value added’ employee. Focus on developing strengths rather than cribbing about company weaknesses. By choosing perceptions and perspectives in positive manner, an employee can focus his energy where it matters on furthering his own career.

Rather than complaining, concentrate on solving problems. If an employee is a ‘fixer’, then he can become indispensable. Instead of finding faults all the time, show appreciation for the efforts of others. Instead of doing just the bare minimum required, the employee must give just a little more expected from him.

If one clearly communicates what is needed and wanted, he will save time and energy, which can benefit his firm. Anticipate problems before they surface. This way, an employee can be more in control of the situation. Make plans and complete assignments before their deadline. Working under pressure can result in mistakes and a poor outcome.

Be polite and gracious to everyone even if you don’t like them. If you have a reputation for getting along with everyone, you will be looked upon in a positive manner. Always promise what you can deliver. For example, if you complete an assignment a day early, or suggest three plausible alternatives to a senior instead of just one, the employee appears really efficient.

Network with professionals outside ones company and people will seek you whenever they need any additional information. This will boost the employee’s image.Know the latest happenings within your profession and your industry. An employee who can talk on the same level as the top managers will be perceived as valuable.

Volunteer to do extra work in the organization. If you have more skills than others, you will know more people who are willing to learn from you and you will be perceived as a promising employee and bosses are sure to notice you.

Never badmouth your company, whether within or outside the premises. Wherever you go, represent your company well to the best of your ability. Sooner or later, word will get back to employers about your loyalty and sincerity, and they will recognize and reward you. Even if they don’t at least your conscience is clear.

MBA in India

It’s the proverbial debate. Is an Indian MBA degree at par with global standards, or does one still have to look abroad for quality education? Here we are outlining a direct account of the advantages of pursuing an MBA at a premier institute in India.

As far as higher education is concerned, the educational scenario has changed dramatically in India in the last decade. In the debate of an MBA in India versus abroad, a student currently pursuing MBA in India believes that an Indian MBA scores over an international MBA on several counts.

The main advantage is the cost. An MBA from any good B-school in the US or UK cost anywhere between Rs 25 to 50 lakhs, whereas Indian MBA schools charge ten percent of the same amount. Secondly, when living abroad, a student has to spend far more than he would in India, and as a result need to work there for at least a few years to recover the amount. This severely hampers his prospect of returning to India after the completion of the degree.

On the other hand, a student from a reputed Indian B-School always has the option to work at either place, since all premier B-Schools have a significant amount of foreign placements taking place each year. Also, Indian is a vibrant economy today and corporate companies the world over value the pool of talent that exists here. In fact, people opt for position in India to be apart of the growing economy. Lately there has been an increase in the number of NRIs coming back to India. In this thriving scenario, it makes sense to get ones degree from an Indian B-School.

There has also been steady increase in the number of the tie-ups between Indian and foreign universities. Some of them include the SP Jain Institute of Management and Research with Virginia Tech, the Indian School of business with the Wharton School Kellogg School of Management, the management Development institute with Cambridge College, Great Lake & Yale, Wellingkar College with Temple University the institute of Management and technology with Fairleigh Dickinson University, Great Lakes and Yale University. Thus, with more and more premium international education its way to Indian shores one can experience the benefits a international education and a lesser cost.

Also, Indian MBA courses have been expanding and growing significantly in recent years. MBA graduates from Indian B-Schools have proved their mettle in the global working environment and are offered top positions in several organizations. Considering the purchasing power parity, initial expenditure (cost of the program), initial placements, and growth in salary as inputs in decision, MNCs do not have to think twice before coming to India in search of middle and senior management talent.

In every Indian B-school participants with two to five years of IT industry experience always fill a certain percentage of the batch. These students often have international exposure. Their multicultural experience adds value to the entire batch and program as a whole. And to a certain extent, it compensates for the rich diverse cultural experience that is associated with a US or UK MBA. Finally, Indian B-Schools are more open to non-experienced candidates than international B-schools, and thus prove to be an advantage to most people. Hence, keeping in mind today’s scenario we believe that an Indian MBA is the way to go.

Placement Consultants

Placement consultants are professional and from their individual capacity they went on to establish HR organizations supporting job seekers as well as employers (even large organizations). But all of them cannot be trusted blindly as we hear scandals about them in the news and how candidates were lurched in a foreign country without basic documents. Some of them cheat candidates by charging them so called ‘Recruitment fees’ or ‘Placement charges’ which are actually not chargeable.

There were days when candidates made rounds to various offices holding the CV in one hand, and wiping their forehead with another. Today a group of professionals are ready to present a candidate’s bio-data before helping him or her to bag the best available job.

Placement consultants have become a buzzword with employers and candidates, considering the rising demands in certain job sectors.

With a large number of placement consultants in the country candidates have many choices. But it would be wise for the candidate to exercise some caution in dealing with them, especially when the placement consultants promise more than expected and in real quick time.

It’s really tough to find a good placements consultant. Unfortunately, some of them don’t have a clear understanding of the requirements from both ends – the candidates and the employer. Supposing a candidate has to present himself for an interview at an ad agency, and in such a situation the consultant has to advise the candidate on the dress code, communication, body language etc that will suit that particular post. Interview guidelines for a media job will be far different from those for a job in the bank.

If the placement consultant is just warming his/her seat, it’s time to find another one. Here are a few pointers that will help in the process:

• Check the client portfolio: Ask the consultant to furnish list of clients the consultancy claims handled on a regular basis. Try to learn more about the background of the consultancy, number of years they have been in business and their successful placements, testimonials etc. This will help the candidate to ascertain their credibility

• Check job description: Please ensure that the consultant has a proper job description for the position being offered. .Every consultant should have a copy of the job profile with him/her.
• Meet the consultant in person: Insist on meting the consultant who is representing the client that is employer. This will help the candidate gauge whether the consultant is competent enough to handle his CV.

Normally, recruiters always hurry in placing candidates for IT and ITES sectors because of the demand from employers. There have been instances when recruiters have pushed under qualified candidates for certain positions with disastrous effects. The firm sacked the candidates as well as filed cases against the recruiters.

The job profile should ideally match the candidates profile but allowances can be made for fresh graduates. Employees have a zero tolerance attitude qualifications towards discrepancies in educational qualifications, previous work experience, salary and reasons for quitting previous job.

So, in case if a placement consultant tells a candidate to conceal or polish drawbacks in the CV, one must not do it in the long term interests.

It’s difficult to determine whether a placement consultancy is a genuine one or not, especially if it’s not well known. Many consultants extract huge sums of money from candidates promising them lucrative jobs. Some of them cannot even arrange interviews or furnish proper job descriptions.

On the brighter side, most placement agencies are professionally run organizations having the clients’ interest at heart. But it does no harm to find out some facts first.

Own Price and Demand

The demand for goods varies inversely with its ceteris paribus. Thus, as the price of the car goes up, other things remaining same, the demand for the car goes down, and vice versa. This is known as the law of demand. It must be noted here that the law, which describes the inverse relationship between quantity demand and price, includes a rider, that is, other things remaining the same. The other things here refer to all the factors which affect the demand barring its own price. Some people make fun of economists by saying that while most prices are going up, no demand is going down meaning the law of demand does not hold good. However, they forget that the other things have not remained constant.

Several theories have been developed to explain the law of demand. The most convincing one goes through the concepts of price effect, income effect and substitution effect of price change on its own demand. The price effect (PE) refers to the effect of a change in the price of a commodity, ceteris paribus, on the demand for that commodity. This effect is divided into income effect (IE) and substitution effect (SE).

PE= IE + SE

The income effect refers to the effect of a price change on its demand, ceteris paribus, which arises due to the corresponding change in the (real) income of the consumer. For example, suppose the nominal income of the consumer is Rs4,000 per month, price of milk is Rs 5 per litre and currently he buys 60 litres of milk per month. Now, if the price of milk falls to Rs.4, ceteris paribus he would save Rs 60 (60X5 – 60X4) if he continues buying 60 litres of milk. Alternatively, with the earliest milk budget of Rs 300 (60X5), he could now purchase 75 liters of milk instead of earlier 60 litres. Thus a fall in the price of milk is tantamount to an increase in the consumers’ income. Depending on whether milk is a superior or inferior, its demand would increase or decrease. Thus, the income effect could be negative or positive.

The substitution effect stands for the effect of a price change on its demand, ceteris paribus which results due to change in the relative prices of the goods in the consumption basket. For example, if the price of the car goes up, other things (including the prices of other cars) remaining the same, this car under consideration would now become relatively more expensive compared to other cars, than it was before the price change occurred and therefore some people will switch over from this car to other brands of cars, causing a depression for the demand for the car. Thus, an increase in the prices of the car, ceteris paribus, would lead to a decrease in the demand for the cars through the substitution effect. The substitution effect is thus always negative, in the sense that the price change and the change in demand through the substitution effect are the opposite direction.

A price change, which produces both the income and substitution effect thus leads to a change in the demand for the good whose price has undergone a change. The total effect is negative (i.e. the law of demand holds good) under two conditions:

1.when the good in question is a superior good; and
2.when the good in question is an inferior good but the positive income effect is weaker than the negative substitution effect.

When the product is a superior item, both the income and substitution effects are negative and hence this sum (total effect) is obviously negative. In a situation when a good in question is an inferior item, the two effects work, in the opposite direction and their sum could ether be negative or positive. But if the positive income effect is out-weighted by the negative substitution effect the price effect continues to be negative, substantiating the law of demand. The law of demand does not hold good for that inferior good whose positive income effect is stronger than the negative substitution effect. Thus, for a good to be Giffen, it must be an inferior good, it must have a strong income effect which would be possible if and only if the consumer spends a significant part of his income on this good and it must have a relatively weak substitution effect (which would happen if and only if there are no close substitutes for that product). The demand for a Giffen varies directly with its price and thus it provides an exception to the law of demand. The Irish potato was considered one such good.

Exceptions to the law of demand could arise under the following situations:

1.When the good in question is a luxury item, having some snob value.
2.When the good in question goes out of fashion.

Rich people buy costly items such as diamonds in large quantities in spite of their high prices and sometimes they increase such purchase in the face of rising process, for the acquisition of such expensive items expensive items distinguish them from common people, who cannot afford them. Also, some consumers judge quality by high prices, and if so, they might purchase more of a product when its price is high than when its price was low. Similarly, with the television, the demand for radios has gone down even though their prices have declined. This is because radios are out of fashion these days.

About Capacity in Industry

The long range operations strategy of an organization is expressed to a considerable extent by capacity plans. It is in connection with capacity planning that the following issues must be considered. What are the market trends, in terms of market size ad location and technological innovations? How accurately can these factors be predicted? Is there a technological innovation on the horizon that will have an impact on product or service designs? How will capacity needs are affected by new products? Are there process innovations on the business on the horizon that may affect production methods? Is a more continuous productive system justified in the near future? How are capacity needs affected by process innovations? Will it be profitable to integrate vertically during the planning horizon? In planning new capacity, should existing policies for using overtime and multiple shifts be reviewed? In planning new capacity, should we expand existing facilities or build new plants? What is the optimal plant size? Should a series of smaller units be added as needed, or should larger capacity units be added periodically? Should the policy be to provide a capacity with which some lost sales be incurred, or is demand to be met?

The foregoing strategic issues must be resolved as apart of capacity planning .In assessing alternatives, the revenues, capital costs, and operating costs may be compared, but managers may need to trade off the possible effects of the strategic issues against economic advantages and disadvantages.

Capacity is the limiting capability of a productive unit to produce within a stated time period, normally expressed in terms of output units per unit of time. But capacity is an elusive concept because it must be related to the intensity with which a facility is used. For example, it may be the policy to work a plant five days per week, one shift per day, to produce a maximum of 1000 units per week. On this basis, one might rate the regular capacity as 1000 output units per week. But this limit can be increased through overtime, resulting in a capacity limit with overtime of 1150 units. By adding a second shift, however, the capacity can be pushed to perhaps 1800 units per week.

Another way of increasing a capacity limit is to engage in subcontracting when it is feasible. Thus, changing policies with respect to the intensiveness with which facilities are used can change capacities without actually adding any new capacity. These alternative sources of capacity can provide managers with important flexibility in making capacity plans.

Measures of Capacity:

When output units are relatively homogeneous, capacity units are rather obvious. For example, an auto plant uses numbers of autos, a beer plant uses cases of beer, and a nuclear power plant pant uses megawatts of electricity.

When output units are more diverse, it is common to use a measure of the availability of the limiting resource as the capacity measure. For example, the airlines use available seat miles (ASMs) as a measure. They do not use “number of seats” because such a measure does not provide an indication of the potential intensiveness of the use of the seats. Similarly, a restaurant would not use seats as a measure because it does not indicate how many “turns” the restaurant can accommodate. Thus, available seat turns, or the number of people that can be served during mealtime would be an appropriate measure for a restaurant.

Finally, a jobbing machine shop has many different types of equipment for performing a wide variety of machining operations, and the outputs may be unique parts. The value of the labor and material of the outputs could vary widely. There fore, the capacity of the shop is normally stated as the capacity of the limiting resource, the availability of labor hours. Labor hours are used rather than machine hours because there are usually two or three times as many machine hours available as labor hours; that is, skilled machinist is the limiting resources. Table below shows common capacity measures for a number of different types of organizations.

Table:

Type of Organization/Capacity Measure

Auto plant: Number of autos
Steel plant: Tons of steel
Beer plant: Cases of beer
Nuclear power plant: Megawatts of electricity
Airline: Available seat miles
Hospital: Available bed days
Movie theater Available seat performances
Restaurant: Available seat turns
Jobbing machine shop: Available labor-hours
School of Business Administration:Available semest quarter ctions

Predicting Future Capacity Requirements:

Long range forecast of demand are difficult to make. There are always contingencies that can have important effects, such as the competitive situation, recessions, wars, oil embargos, or sweeping technological innovations. Therefore, predicting demand also requires an assessment of contingencies. These contingencies are apt to be rather different, depending in the situation. Mature products are likely to have stable and predictable growth, whereas the markets for new products may be quite uncertain.

Quality is everybody’s job

Quality management is a company wide activity and various functional departments contribute to its success. The marketing department, specifically market research has information about: what quality characteristics the customers desired and to what extent? This is a valuable input for planning quality. Also the information regarding the quality of the manufactured products needs to be presented to the customers. This is also done by the marketing department. Product design writes the specification for the product, raw materials, bought-out parts, and the contracts with the customers. The purchasing department makes contracts with the supplier of raw materials and selects the vendors. Naturally, product design and purchasing have much to contribute to the quality of the final product. Production engineers select the processes, methods, and equipment for the manufacture of the product and can provide valuable information regarding the anticipated difficulties in implementing a certain product quality specification. The contribution of manufacturing line is obvious. They are responsible for the actual production, and therefore the final product quality depends much upon their skills, motivation to work, and their interpretation of the specifications. Since the finished product may take as much as one year before it reaches the final consumer, the product quality depends upon the design of the packaging and the method for storage in the warehouses. The quality depends also on how the product is shipped. The purpose of good product quality is to create a good feeling for the company in the minds of the customer and this feeling should be sustained. Therefore the company has to attend to the complaints from customers and provide periodic services to the customers. The quality control laboratory inspects a batch of raw materials, or semi-finished goods or finished goods or finished products and approves or rejects them as much to contribute to quality. Many a time, the quality control job is misunderstood because of this last function alone. The product quality has inputs from various angles and a total quality control program should consider all the different aspects contributing to quality. It is stated by many that “quality is everybody’s job in a business”. When we take a look at the organizations whose products are of top quality, we always notice that in such organizations all the company employees at all levels and in all functions are motivated to contribute to the total quality establishment effort.

Customer service is at the heart of quality:
Of late, the perception as to what constitutes Quality has undergone a metamorphosis. Quality is regarding the performance of the product as per the commitment (written or unwritten) made by the producer to the consumer. It does indeed concern itself regarding the control of defectives in a manufacturing environment and or complaints in a service environment. However, the scope of quality as a concept has expanded beyond its conventional definition. Defining quality as only lack of non-conforming product /service would be taking a very limited view. The prevailing new paradigm for world class quality is Total Customer Satisfaction. The customers’ expectations are therefore, paramount. Customer service is at the heart of quality for physical products as well as services .

Genichi Taguchi, a Japanese engineer, realized the importance of cost associated with poor quality and its impact on corporate profitability. Taguchi did not confine himself to the corporate losses alone but took consideration the losses due to poor quality to the society. His principle states that for each deviation there is an incremental economic loss of geometric proportion. The cumulative effect of the functional variations of various products can be very great, although these products may just deviate only a little from the target value of a measurable quality characteristic. Our traditional view has been that there is no negative effect as long as the products / components are within their respective engineering specifications. The whole Statistical Quality Control, with its percentage tolerances and the Upper and Lower Control Limits, is based on this traditional view. In our Statistical Process Control so far, we have seen 3-sigma control limits and ‘percent’ defectives As long as the process is within these limits, the process was considered to be ‘in control’ or ‘normal’ and it was not to be disturbed. Taguchi, however, (contrary to this view) says that the point to consider is the cumulative impact of the deviations from the target value. Tagiuchi developed a mathematical model in which loss is a quadratic function of the deviation of the quality of interest from its target value.

Taguchi methods of quality control, therefore, involve the online and offline methods. On line methods include the use of statistical process control charts amongst others so that the aspect of reducing deviation about the target value care of as far as process or manufacturing is concerned. The off line methods involve market research, product design and development, and process development.

The tolerances, the key process variables and the overall system need to be so designed that the variations in the end product are minimized. The variations from the target values are very important and these variations are to be reduced as much as possible. While it is necessary to be ‘accurate’ it may be better to be ‘precise while being inaccurate’ than to be ‘accurate but imprecise’. For example, between the two hits on the dartboard, the former should be preferred; because, although the darts have missed the bull’s eye, with a correction in the direction of hit, most of data will hit the bull’s eye. This cannot be said of the more variable process.

The definition of quality is changed from ‘achieving conformance to specifications’ to ‘minimizing the variability while achieving the target’. An important aspect of philosophy is its linking of the quality of a manufactured product (total loss generated by the product) to the society. If these variations are to be minimized then one has to resort to the Design of Experiments (DOE) in order to identify the factors which are responsible for the variation, to find the relative impact of the factors on the variability and hence to suitably select a combination of input parameters to achieve the result.