Do you have a standard new Employee Orientation in place in your company? You may want to take a look at these Tips for a Better New Employee Orientation.
You will find great pointers there.
Orienting New Employees
February 18, 2008 at 10:57 pm (Advise, Employers, Human Resource)
Tags: Human Resources, New Employees, Orientation
Create a Work Environment That Minimizes the Need for Disciplinary Action
February 4, 2008 at 12:10 pm (Advise, Discipline, Empowerment, Staff, Subordinate, Supervision)
Tags: Disciplinary Action, Self-Discipline, Supervision
http://humanresources.about.com/od/discipline/a/selfdiscipline.htm
From Susan M. Heathfield,
Your Guide to Human Resources.
Most supervisors dislike taking disciplinary action almost as much or more than they dislike doing traditional performance appraisals. Employees dislike disciplinary action even more than supervisors. If everyone dislikes disciplinary action so intensely, then why have disciplinary procedures found a home in most organizations today?
Read more from this great site, About.com
Strike a balance between family and work
January 27, 2008 at 11:57 am (Advise, Personal Growth, Work-Life Balance)
Tags: Career, Personal Growth, Work-Life Balance
By Ernie O. Cecilia
-
HOW can I achieve balance between my personal and professional life? I have been working for more than 15 years in a large manufacturing firm. I like my job; it gives me a sense of achievement. Over the years, I have been rewarded for my contributions and now I am a senior supervisor. My schedule is usually hectic and I am beginning to realize that my work is my whole life. Because of this, I tend to neglect my health and my family. Can you tell me how to balance my personal and professional life?- Anxious Juggler
I am glad that you realize what’s happening in your life. Millions of loyal and dedicated employees just go on until retirement without realizing the imbalance. There is nothing wrong with being loyal and dedicated, traits you must have if you want to reap the rewards of working.
But life is not all work.
Life is not an “either/or” proposition. We live in an environment where there is work and there is play. You get pressured to complete a task, but you must ensure good relationship with others in doing your tasks. All around us, we see tension between opposites –opposing ideologies, male versus female, old versus young — as we live in a continuum of polarities.
Robert Aitken Roshi reminds us, “Healthy tension is the natural complementarity of structure and inspiration, responsibility and personal fulfillment, discipline and freedom, authority and egalitarianism, tradition and relevance, male and female, form and void, life and nonexistence. Neglect one side of the pair, and it will turn around and bite.”
Like it or not, life is like that. There are several aspects of life that demand our attention as we live — work and play, ourselves and others, etc.
Career Tips: Sending Your Resume via Email
November 26, 2007 at 8:25 am (Advise, Career, Job Application, Jobs, Resume)
Tags: Career, Email Application, Job Application, Resume
1. Send your resume through email in the specified format. If not indicated, the safest format is Word.
2. Be direct. Specify your career objective and what position you are applying for. You may even have your name and position applied for as your Subject.
3. Observe proper use of upper and lower case letters. Do not use ALL CAPS except for acronyms and use it only sparingly.
4. Do not send multiple copies. Wait for the recruiter to acknowledge your email.
If any changes are made to the previously sent resume, you may resend only once but be sure to identify where the update was made.
5. Do not send overly large files. Lower down the picture resolution if you are attaching one.
A large resume file (500 kb or more) may be rejected by some email accounts due to exceeding the disk/space quota.
6. Make sure that what you send is virus free.
7. Avoid lengthy cover letters. Make sure that your cover letter highlights your abilities suited to the position applied for.
8. Save your resume with your name as File Name (and course/position desired). Many applicants send in resumes with titles like “My Resume.doc”, “resume.doc”, “Resume02.doc”. Too many applicants save their resume using the aforementioned file names. When your e-mail is saved in the recruiter’s computer, he may not have the time to change the filename to indicate your name and/or course. This reduces your file’s chance to be easily accessed when needed.
Sample file name: “First M. Lastname – BS Accountancy.doc”
What’s Behind The Smiles
November 20, 2007 at 3:42 am (Advise, Attitude, Customer Service)
Tags: Customer Service, Smile
by Joseph M. Gravish
===
Betty’s worked hard for the ABC Hotel Management Company for more than 25 years. She’s long past the usual retirement age and she finally has to leave. Work and age have caught up with her. Her department gave her a nice farewell luncheon, flowers, and lots of hugs. During over two decades of service Betty has never been offered one paid day-off of any type and no benefits whatsoever. Nada. Zilch. That’s gratitude for you.
There’s a growing uneasiness within our workforce, particularly among non-union hotel companies, especially considering the many labor union negotiated successes this past year. But, as usual at year end, some employers will simply do little more than sprinkle a little holiday cheer around by hosting a company party, giving employees a turkey or a gift card, and maybe even rewarding them with a small monetary bonus. It’s often too little too
late – not unlike putting soothing ointment over a sucking chest wound.
The good-bye gifts are fine, and the year-end parties are enjoyable and appreciated. But look also at all the industry advertising media featuring supposedly happy employees with smiling faces and perfectly aligned, gleaming white teeth. Just maybe our workers might better appreciate a dental plan, or health care benefits, or an above poverty-level wage, or an annual merit pay increase, or better working conditions. Despite impressive recent industry revenues and positive future growth projections, from where I sit the service industry as a whole provides fewer quality of life benefits and an average wage far less than other competing industries. Yet hotel management demands our front-line staff root out every opportunity to create best impressionable memorable moments, day-in and day-out, without exception, regardless of their personal work status.
Meanwhile, national and regional hotel associations continue to work hard and bankroll efforts designed to counter government initiatives mandating higher minimum or living wages even though recent ballot box proposals requiring this to be done so were overwhelmingly successful.
Isn’t the industry tired of this two-sided charade? Isn’t it time to change?
Hotel industry leaders should decide it’s no longer worthwhile to whine and cry aloud about the lack of adequate numbers of workers or the poor quality of job applicants. Hoteliers have the ability to heal themselves. Their time would be better spent adapting to the conditions which would improve the image of the industry and permit it to compete and grow in the future. Maybe paying their human capital assets so little for so many years (knowing that many of them may have qualified for government subsidies for the poor, and pushing their employees’ health care burden onto taxpayers like you and me) has come back to haunt them.
I’m reminded of a quote from the French playwright Moliere “There’s no praise to beat the sort you can put in your pockets.”
Let’s reflect as we prepare and finalize next year’s budget. Will your compensation philosophy acknowledge the changing realities and capitalize on the opportunity available? If your property made little or no profit this past year how much of your labor budget can you really cut without further degrading service? If your property made a decent profit, will any of that profit find its way to your front-line staff next year? Why not? If your property made a significant profit in 2006 why isn’t an above average portion of that profit being returned to those that created it?
My worst fear is that nothing will change – that budgeted monies will go to necessary infrasturcture improvements, some to accommodate ever-increasing amenity creep, and only just enough to meet brand-mandated employee training programs. The direct connection between quality, well-trained, respected, satisfied and loyal employees – and higher profits – will be quickly forgotten. The bean-counter mentality will return. The big picture will be ignored, once again.
Hoteliers need only look into the mirror to find the reason for massive governmental wage intervention. This industry, and others like it, has not enjoyed the most favorable public reputation. How many young adults, perhaps your own children, dream aloud of a career in hospitality? Given a choice would you encourage your son or daughter to aspire to become a hotel general manager? A recent Business Week profile of best places to launch a college graduate’s career failed to list any hotel-industry employer. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Very few hotel companies have made any “best” lists – ever. If this list had been expanded to 100 employers would any hotel company be on the list? I’m hopeful – but not optimistic. The hotel industry can’t hide behind the cute advertising smiles any longer. The public and most lawmakers have noticed. There’s decay aplenty. It was, sadly, inevitable – but also preventable. For too long, too many hoteliers have ignored their social responsibility. As Madame Marie Curie said “You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us… share(s) a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful.” To be specific – our smiling employees.
The problem is not that…
October 19, 2007 at 10:29 am (Advise, Attitude, Personal Growth, Self-Development)
The problem is not:
1. When some people have problems and others have solutions.
2. If some people have worries and other can understand that.
3. When some people are busy but others are able to spare some moments for them
4. When some people fall and other are able to hold their hand.
5. If someone is walking alone and others join.
The problem starts when:
1. All have problems and none have solution.
2. No one understands.
3. Everybody is busy.
4. There is no one to hold you…but people are ready to laugh…the moment you fall.
5. They discourage you to walk alone…when they de-motivate you.
The problem is not that:
1. You fail.
2. People hurts you…backstab you…betrays you and breach your trust.
3. People hate you and gives you pain.
4. Someone rejects you.
5. Some people ignore you.
The problem begin:
1. If you don’t start again
2. If you forget to learn your lesson
3. When, in-spite of hate and pain…you don’t stop and move on in your life. When you learn that not everyone will love you and accept you the way you are.
4. If you fail to take that opportunity and start working again
5. If you fail to come out of your ego…and reach them
You can read the complete article at http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Problem-is-That&id=311373
Conclusion
Most of the time we just see the problem…but don’t learn from that. If you look around…there is problem in everything…so what? But, what you have learned from that…is important.
Looking forward to your feedbacks and comments
Regards
Sanjeev Sharma
Blog: http://sanjeevhimachali.blogspot.com/
E-mail: ss_himachali@yahoo.com; sanjeev.himachali@gmail.com
Are You Managing By Example?
September 17, 2007 at 9:13 am (Advise, Management)
Tim Connor
In today’s fast-paced and rapidly changing business climate, it is critical that organizations maintain flexibility, fast response time, customer focus and agility. The vital ingredient necessary to accomplish all of these is creative, imaginative, loyal, productive, motivated and well-trained employees.
This rapid pace puts a great deal on the average manager’s plate, which often prevents him from spending adequate time coaching and training both long-term and new employees. Therefore, the rank and file employee must learn, interpret and understand corporate direction, organizational goals, priorities and challenges on his own without ample upper management influence, guidance and feedback. As a result, many employees are less effective in their roles than is required to maintain the corporate posture necessary for success. Further complicating this issue is the absence of many managers due to travel, meetings and a myriad of other administrative requirements. The result: many employees are busy in non-productive tasks WAITING for the direction and guidance they want and need.
So, what’s the answer? One approach is for managers to lead and manage by example. What are the keys to managing by example? Here are a few for your consideration:
1. You can’t manage your organization locked in your office behind your desk. If you are not routinely circulating throughout your organization, making field sales calls with salespeople etc., I guarantee you are out of touch with the REALITY that exists within your organization.
2. You get the behavior you reward. Don’t like the behavior of an employee, department or division? Look at the reward system in place that is directly or indirectly rewarding that behavior, attitude or activity.
3. All communication, culture, performance, results, attitudes, etc. are top-down. Don’t look at the lower levels of your organization for the cause of problems or challenges – look in the mirror.
4. Inspect what you expect. If you don’t – you don’t have the right to expect it. Stuff falls through the cracks. The only way to prevent this is to be aware of what is falling through the cracks and why – then take action to correct it.
5. There is a lot more, but let me wrap up with this last one: Don’t shoot the messenger. Reward people who bring you bad news.
Article Source :
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://business-management.bestmanagementarticles.com
About the Author :
Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. He is the best selling author of over 60 books including; Soft Sell, That’s Life, Peace Of Mind, 91 Challenges Managers Face Today and Your First Year In Sales. He can be reached at tim@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his website at http://www.timconnor.com.
Common Resume Questions
August 8, 2007 at 5:06 am (Advise, Career, Communication, Job Application, Recruitment)
by Linda Matias
As a Nationally Certified Resume Writer, I get asked the same questions over and over by job seekers like yourself regarding their resumes. Since the questions below are so popular, I knew it would be of interest to all of you. So I took the time to share the most common resume questions I’m asked, along with my thoughts, with all of you in mind.
1. I have so many accomplishments. How do I determine which ones to include on the resume?
This is a fair question. Since the resume serves only as a synopsis of your accomplishments, you won’t be able to include everything you’ve ever done. However, it is important that you identify all your achievements and then take great care in determining which ones you will include. Below are a couple of thoughts that you will find useful when making a decision.
a) An exercise that hones in on your accomplishments is the PAR formula. PAR stands for problem, action and result. Using the PAR formula will help you identify achievements you want to include on your resume. Take the time to reflect on your experiences and using the PAR formula, jot down every accomplishment you have for each job you’ve held. For example, are you a sales professional who increased profits? If so, how did you do it, and how much did profits increase? Alternatively, you may be a customer representative who has the ability to diffuse escalating issues with clients. Can you give an example that illustrates this talent, perhaps with a big-name client or an “impossible” problem you solved?
Once you have written down all of your accomplishments, select the ones you are most proud of and prioritize them in order of importance to the position you are seeking.
Another way to determine which accomplishments should be included on a resume is by examining your performance reviews. Take note of the comments your manager made and the achievements he or she lasered in on. Chances are, if your current manager was impressed by a specific accomplishment, your next employer may also be impressed. So consider including the observations made by your current/previous manager.
You can also include accomplishments in your cover letter as well. So if you find that you have a lot of accomplishments, you can make mention of some of them in the cover letter. However, keep in mind that your resume should contain the accomplishments you are most proud of, while the cover letter should contain supplemental accomplishments that may be of interest to the decision maker.
2. I’m not comfortable writing about myself. How can I overcome that?
5 Tips to Help Keep Your Day Less Stressful
June 22, 2007 at 4:19 am (Advise, Attitude, Self-Development)
Cynthia Morse
Let’s face it – our days are busy, full, and often stressful. How can we possibly find order in this craziness on a daily basis? Here are some (hopefully) helpful tips:
1) Have your day planned ahead of time.
Either the day before, or right before the weekend, take five minutes to organize and plan for your next work day. Clean off your desk, and make a list of tasks that need to get done the following day, preferably in the order of priority.
2) Assign time blocks to each task.
I assign each task its own approximate time block. For example, “Write blog post, 30 minutes.” This helps me to keep track of how I’m spending my time, as well as to organize the multiple tasks on my plate each day.
3) Limit the number of times you read and answer e-mail.
The temptation is always there to read each e-mail that arrives when it arrives – especially if you have an alarm set that lets you know each time you get a new one. Try turning off this alarm, and then stick to checking e-mail just three times a day – morning, noon, and late afternoon.
4) Take an occasional break.
This is difficult for me, because I tend to get so wrapped up in what I’m doing that I don’t want to stop. I do, however, know the importance of taking breaks, and am training myself to get better at it. Stretch breaks are my favorite since I sit in front of my computer for most of the day. Even just five minutes a few times each day can help both physically and mentally. Set an alarm on your computer for this one.it’s definitely a good thing!
5) Have something to look forward to when your work is done for the day.
Maybe you really enjoy reading, and are eager to start that great novel. Maybe you want to simply sit down and read the paper, or play with your children or pets. How about cooking a simple but great meal? Having something that helps to transition you from work mode to relaxation mode is the important thing to remember here.
Taking care of ourselves during these extremely busy times is so important. Keep these tips in mind as you go about your busy day. Your body and mind will thank you for it.
Article Source :
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://time-management.bestmanagementarticles.com
About the Author :
Cynthia Morse CAP is a Virtual Assistant, and the owner of Virtually At Your Service, http://www.virtuallyatyourservice.biz. She offers top-notch administrative support to small business owners and other busy professionals from her home office, allowing them the time to focus on what they love and do best. Sign up at http://virtuallyatyourservice.typepad.com/virtualbizconnection/ to receive weekly tips and resources benefitting small and micro business owners.
