Human Resources Articles

13 Simple Steps for Taming the Strange Beast in Your Life If someone asked you, would you be able to give a clear definition of job stress? More importantly, are you aware of how much job stress may be affecting your daily life? Job stress is a strange beast! Most people have experienced it but would be hard pressed to explain exactly what it is. And many individuals are not even aware that they are experiencing job stress on a daily basis. Let’s explore this rather shadowy but ever-present beast and ways you might be able to tame it!

Performance Improvement Interventions Aren't Always Successful Did you ever wonder why some employees don't do as well as others at work? Have you been frustrated with your employees' job performance? Do you want to help your employees make improvements at work but don't know where to begin?

This is the first in a series of three articles about improving business profitability by implementing strategic measures for managing employees. This article introduces the idea of using a structured “leadership system” for building a competent work force to achieve business goals. Increase Profitability by Building a More Competent Work Force Imagine what it would be like if all employees in your organization had the knowledge, skills, and motivation to do their job well every day.

This is the second article in a series of three articles about improving business profitability by implementing strategic measures for managing employees. Find out why structured employment practices make companies more profitable and what ingredients are required in the “recipe for success.” The Single Most Effective HR Strategy for Increasing Profits

Control Hidden Training Costs in Your Company Organizations typically include only out-of-pocket expenses when they estimate the cost of training their employees. But these expenses are just the tip of the iceberg. The following hidden costs make traditional training programs, which usually involve inefficient and ineffective training practices, much more expensive than what people may think: - Low productivity on the job because employees do not learn efficient work procedures

How Much Is Employee Turnover Costing Your Organization? Employee turnover is much more costly than you might think. In fact, research shows that up to 80% of turnover costs are hidden. Because of these virtually invisible costs, most managers usually do not track turnover and are not alarmed by high turnover rates. Turnover refers to the number of employees who have voluntarily or involuntarily left a given job or group of jobs during a specified period of time. The "turnover rate" is the ratio of this number to the total number of employees in the job or job group.

Learn the six universal principles of influence and how to use them to improve your marketing efforts. Part 2 of this series of articles, which are based on Dr. Robert Cialdini’s book, "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion," explains the first principle of influence – Reciprocation. The First Principle of Influence: Reciprocation If you ever felt inclined to return a favor, then you have experienced the power of the “rule of reciprocation.” This rule states that we should make every attempt to repay, in kind, anyone who gives us something.

Learn the six universal principles of influence and how to use them to improve your marketing efforts. Part 7 of this seven-part series of articles, which are based on Dr. Robert Cialdini’s book, "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion," explains the sixth principle of influence – Scarcity. The Sixth Principle of Influence: Scarcity G. K. Chesterton indicated that he understood a universal aspect regarding human nature when he wrote, “The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.”

Investing Time in Employees Puts Money in the Bank The following situation represents an age-old challenge facing many managers when it comes to helping employees improve their job performance: "I work in an organization that doesn’t use a standard performance management system. Managers are given some general guidelines, which are a bit confusing, but everyone seems to be using a different approach. Employees tend to get feedback only when they do something wrong. What is the best way to evaluate my employees and provide feedback regarding their performance?"

Learn the six universal principles of influence and how to use them to improve your marketing efforts. Part 5 of this seven-part series of articles, which are based on Dr. Robert Cialdini’s book, "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion," explains the fourth principle of influence – Liking. The Fourth Principle of Influence: Liking Your own experience illustrates your preference to say “yes” to the requests of someone you know and like. It stands to reason that you are more likely to do a favor for a friend, neighbor, or family member you get along with.r

Learn the six universal principles of influence and how to use them to improve your marketing efforts. Part 6 of this seven-part series of articles, which are based on Dr. Robert Cialdini’s book, "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion," explains the fifth principle of influence – Authority. The Fifth Principle of Influence: Authority In the 1960's a series of now-famous experiments were conducted to determine the extent to which people responded to authority. These experiments involved three individuals: a Researcher, a Teacher, and a Learner.

Are you wasting time processing applications and interviewing applicants who don’t meet your business needs? Find out what you can do to attract the right people to your organizational doorstep. Make Your Recruitment Efforts an Integral Part of Your Employment Process Your company may be using the best employment practices. But they might yield poor results if your recruitment efforts don’t attract the right talent.

This is the third article in a series of three articles about improving business profitability by implementing strategic measures for managing employees. Find out how to address training issues that typically create nightmares for many organizations. Employee Development Contributes to Organizational Health

Have you ever read a book that really made you think about things in a totally different way? I just finished reading such a book and decided to digest its contents in a series of seven articles.

The Right Barriers Can Make a Big Difference When Selecting Employees If properly placed “selection hurdles” aren’t part of your employment process, you’re probably wasting a lot of valuable time and money. Selection hurdles are barriers strategically placed in the hiring process to eliminate unqualified individuals from further consideration. Used properly, they increase efficiency and reduce hiring costs substantially. Unfortunately, companies often overlook worthwhile hurdles. And sometimes the wrong hurdles are used at the wrong times. BizTips

Why Structured Tools and Procedures Give You Better Results Supervisors require more than technical know-how to help employees perform better on the job. It’s rare for supervisors to be given the right tools to fix what’s broken. Then why is top management so surprised when so many employees aren’t able to meet work objectives?

However trite, the customer is the most important person in your business! Why? It’s simple: If there were no customers, there would be no business. As with any service establishment, it is very important to portray a favorable first impression with your customers. It is important for the survival of your organization to have as many favorable first impressions as possible. Did you know that, on the average, it takes approximately six favorable impressions to overcome o

A few years ago my SCORE Counselor suggested that I establish a business advisory council to provide our business with a ready source of business expertise. At this time our primary business issues were: dealing with sudden business growth, taxes, and staffing. Trusting the judgment of my advisor I began researching this task. I spoke directly with at least 10 small businesses, some of them in similar lines of work and discovered that none of my colleagues had such a group in place. I wanted to understand what the value of establishing a Business Advisory Council.

It’s easy to respect co-workers who are a mirror image of you. If they share your background, ethnicity and attitudes, you may develop an instant affinity for them. The challenge comes when you work with people who are not like you—at least on the surface. Whether they wear different kinds of clothes or speak in thick accents, you may allow your biases to interfere and draw certain conclusions as a result. The cornerstone of a respectful workplace is tolerance. Colleagues

Here are just 10 things you can do starting today to improve your career path in the Human Resources field. 1) Learn about all of HR. Study the functions of compensation, benefits, union negotiations, communications, training, organizational development all of it. Raise your hand to be part of ...

I have been in the security industry for years and when I asked field supervisors at the new companies I started with how they motivated their security guards they just looked at me bewildered. Their answer was basically that being a security officer was such an easy and simple job that the guards did not need any motivation. In my experience any job that one wants to get done well needs accountability, follow up and motivation. Besides that if one looks at all aspects of the

When building a team of specialists to work on a project together, - it is crucial to know what qualities a person should have to be able to work in a team productively. But first, let’s define what the team is. Team defined as a group of individuals with complementary skills and personalities that complement other team members', and united by same goal. All team members must understand and complement each other, trust and give help when needed. rnThat is the reason why it

Career objective is the foremost section in any resume. No matter what position you apply for, your resume objective statement will always get attention from the hiring managers. Presenting this part clearly and efficiently will get attention from the employers and reduce your efforts to a great extent. Resume constitutes of different sections and all these sections are equally important. You may not know what the employer is expecting in the candidate and what section he may go through to decide your suitability for the position.

The most important responsibility of a security company is to keep their security guards accountable and to constantly coach them. That role normally falls to the field supervisors, who should be randomly and frequently visiting the post. Many field supervisors see their responsibility as checking up on the guard. To an extent that is what they are doing, but it should be clear what that means and that the checking up is only twenty percent of the job. It is imperative to kee

Your employees watch closely how you manage them, your boss and your peers and they will emulate your behavior. How you manage your relationships with other managers will affect the relationship you have with your direct reports. You lead by example! Becoming a strong manager means you will ...

Creatine is naturally found in vertebras. It is a nitrogenous organic acid. The supplements of creatine are used by athletes and other body builders to improve their energy levels. The nerve cells are also benefited. Creatine comes from the Greek word ‘Kreas” which means flesh. This was first found by Michael Eugene Chevreul in 1832 who gave it the name creatine. He saw that it was a part of the skeletal muscle. Creatine is not a steroid. It occurs naturally in th

If you run a business and have employees, there are a slew of federal and state labor law notices you're required to post where employees can see them each day. These are often called labor law posters, or compliance posters. They include things like minimum wage laws, the federal USERRA, non-discrimination notices, and more. Keeping up with everything that ought to be posted and making sure that the most current notices are posted in the workplace can be a real chore for big

CREDIT SECRETS BIBLE™ If You Can Read And Write at the 5th Grade Level Then YOU Can Discover The Secrets To Raise Your Credit Score up to 249 Points In 90 Days... So You Can Start Being APPROVED For The CAR, HOME, Business Loans, and CREDIT CARDS You Deserve! February 27, 2011 From: Zodiac Publishing Corporation / Research Team RE: The All New OFFICIAL “CREDIT SECRETS BIBLE™” Dear Fellow American,

Outsourcing may well be the latest buzzword in the global business world, but this phenomenon has certainly not been restricted to the last few years. If one has to trace the genesis of outsourcing, one has to go back to the time of the Industrial Revolution that took place between 1750 and 1900 across Europe. The period witnessed a mass production of goods, a widening market and spiraling profits like never seen before. Unable to handle all the functions that were demanding

People are the most valuable resource for a nation. In order for the best production to reach people, government officials put in a lot of effort. This is why Human Capital Management is so important. Recruitment, training and development, and retention of the most capable people are all a part of handling human capital. In the world of Human Capital Management, chief human capital officers are key in the facilitation and management of federal employees. A section of the Home

We are going through the most severe global financial crisis since the days of Great Depression. Governments and major policy makers of world economy have taken notice of the urgency of the situation and frantic steps are undertaken to stem the rot. At the core of the term 'recession', spirals of several financial faults are intermixed. A recession is a contraction phase of the business cycle. This definition looks scary, and rightfully so. Almost every facet of our lives as

In order to ensure whether all the goals are being consistently met in an effective and efficient manner in an organization, a well designed Performance Management system is needed. There are many areas in an organization that require efficient Management Solutions to deliver transparency and quality of work to meet the set standards. However, this process will also help an organization to align all the different resources, systems and employees to strategic objectives and pr

The importance of HR in today’s corporate world is increased many folds. To provide business organizations with well trained hr professionals, b-schools offer management program in HR programs. Courses in hr management gives detailed insight of this profession and thus help students in making their hr professional career. HR Management Program consists of healthy workplace, excellent leadership, and excellent job to produce positive employees. It is a result-oriented techni

15.5% of the U.S. population will be Hispanic/Latino by 2010, according to The Census Bureau. Businesses in many areas of the U.S. need to know how to manage Latino workers in a bilingual and bi-cultural environment. Check out these tips to better understand how to navigate this new kind of workplace. You will find that creating an inclusive and supportive workplace will enhance productivity and employee success. (Understand that cultural information is always general and may

Human Needs And Their FulfillmentnEven though we are all different, we each have the same 6 basic human needs. These needs must be satisfied, otherwise we feel uncomfortable where we are, with our lives and ultimately with ourselves.nnEach of these 6 needs therefore have a very strong influence on your behavior, and even effect the type of success you achieve in life.nnSecuritynThe first and most fundamental human need, is the need for security. This need can come in many for

Trinity is a consultancy firm offering financial and human resource services. The company has 120 employees who offer different services. The organization vision and mission statement is to achieve highly in profitability, enhance customer’s services and promote human resource management to ensure that set goals are achieved.nnThe company intends to make a three year strategy in the planning of human resource training services in order to achieve its ambitions. The orga

Nothing improves employee performance like specific, credible feedback. Of course, giving and receiving that feedback can be pretty challenging: there is no way to predict whether our insights will enhance or destroy a solid working relationship. That’s why 360 assessments are so popular. Credible? You bet. Anonymous feedback comes from raters who are usually selected by the recipient; moreover, feedback comes from all sides—peers, co-workers, management. How is it specific?

For an employee to be productive he has to be satisfied and happy at his work place. An apt work environment gives a boost to employee morale and inspires him to be focused and dedicated. A suitable work environment encompasses all the people, place and situations that an employee comes across in his daily work schedule. A happy mind and soul is more productive and initiates a zeal to perform. So it becomes the prime responsibility of the organization and the management team

Many clients hire security guards to mitigate certain risk factors inherent to their industry, site location or business. They know that an incident that might endanger their property or employees will happen at some point, therefore the hire a security guard to be well prepared. Now it becomes the security company’s responsibility to prepare the security officer well for the instance that an incident happens. The security officer must be able to make quick and good decisio

Part of my corporate experience is working in the retail industry at a mall overseeing the customer service center. We would experience turn-over as high school kids who worked as Customer Service Representatives moved away to go to college. I personally know it can become very time-consuming to interview someone and get excited thinking they are the right fit only to get them on the job and have a different side of them emerge! During the interview it’s easy for people to

It doesn’t take long for a manager to bump into an employee with an “attitude.” Evaluating an employee as having an “attitude” also depends on what bothers a manager, as the same behavior may be just fine with another manager. Yet, there are certain behaviors that ...

Teach Yourself Solar Power Build your own solar power system with this easy to follow guide Do you want to learn how to use solar power? Because if you do, then you've come to the right place. The Solar Power Design Manual will guide you smoothly through the complex process of designing, specifying and installing stand-alone solar power systems for all applications, anywhere in the world. Download the Solar Power Design Manual and you will get: A simple explanation of how solar power worksr A guide to choosing the most efficient appliancesr

In recent months the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has renewed its focus on combating employee misclassification, and there’s been a rise in the number of wage-and-hour lawsuits. The underlying issue: workers are challenging their designation as exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In Mullins v. Target Corp. (No. 09-07573, N.D. Ill., 2011), Mullins began working in the Target retail chain’s Assets Protection Division as an assets protection team leade

You’re just about ready to start your job search and send out your first resume. Stop! Before your send out that resume, are you prepared for the job interview? Your resume just gets your foot into the door. If you want to have a successful interview, you will need to plan. Here are ...

Just as the personal reference checks provide the opportunity to obtain corroborating information on whether the applicant will potentially be a good addition to the company, employment background checks can uncover more information related to the ability of the organization to trust the individual. Organizations want to be sure of the individuals that they are hiring and minimize future lawsuits. Statistics have shown that resumes are filled with errors, accidental mistakes,

For Those Who Find Themselves In The Role Of Mediator In this time of pressing economic conce s, busy work schedules, and limited resources, the ability to exercise patience in the workplace can be a challenge. It's no wonder that conflict often times will erupt for what seems to be 'no ...

The supervision of security guards is the most important and most difficult challenge of a security company. Most security guards in Los Angeles are not trained properly and due to the diversity in Los Angeles many security officers lack essential communication skills. For a good security company the first task after hiring a new guard will be to evaluate the skill and trainings level of the new employee. After identifying strengths and weaknesses the officer must be retraine

Armed security guards in jewelry have become the issue of debate in security insider circles, especially in Orange County and LOs Angeles. After many jewelry stores were robbed in the LOs Angeles and Orange County area recently phones were ringing at many security companies. Jewelry business owners want to make sure that the trauma of being robbed by armed perpetrators does not repeat itself. Many jewelry businesses today have very lax security protocols, which is alarming co

A security guard most of the time is hired for contingencies, which means he is protecting property from vandalism or theft. The client is minimizing the risk to his property by hiring a private security guard. That in turn means that there is a definite risk involved with being a security guard. Therefore security guards should be well prepared and trained, because they might be making life and death decisions for businesses, private persons and public in general. The most i

In most cases the security guard’s job is monotonic and consists of the same redundant activities. Regardless, if the security officer is scheduled at night or during the day if he is scheduled at a busy or remote location there will always be the temptation to sleep at the job. Sleeping on the job can have devastating effects for the security guard, for the security company and the client. Most security companies have a zero tolerance policy against sleeping on the job, wh