Volunteers are everywhere — sorting donations at food banks, tutoring children at local schools and greeting visitors at the zoo. They play an integral role in nonprofits across America, guiding tours at museums, visiting the sick at hospitals and wielding hammers for Habitat for Humanity. They also are active behind the scenes, serving on boards and committees, and even … [More]
Employers, Employees and Workplace Violence
Workplace violence affects nearly 2 million American workers every year — more, actually, as that is just the number of incidents that are reported. According to Jessie Atencio, assistant director and consultation and training program manager for the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, violence can occur at any workplace, and he notes it is the responsibility of … [More]
Where are America’s Most Innovative Technology Hubs?
An important question to ask, of late, is, “Who is on top in innovation technology?” because the answer truly can make a difference in local markets that are all vying for the top position — or very close to the top. The good news is, many of the top communities are on top because they are making a concerted effort to compete. The bad news is some, like Phoenix — although they … [More]
How to Hire the Best Job Candidates
Most business leaders claim that hiring quality individuals for their organization is one of their highest priorities. Nevertheless, many of them tend to think that skilled interviewing and hiring come naturally, and that, because they are good at their jobs, they must also be innately good at interviewing and hiring. The truth is, effective interviewing and hiring skills do … [More]
NLRB: Off-Hours Email OK
Employers who monitor workers’ electronic communications cannot discipline workers for using company email off hours for non-business-related purposes, according to a ruling issued last December by the National Labor Relations Board. The new ruling (361 NLRB No. 126) states that employees with access to employer email systems “in the course of their work” must, in most cases, … [More]
Passion Fires Sustained Performance Improvement
Companies need passionate workers because these workers can drive extreme and sustained performance improvement. However, a mere 12 percent of the United States work force exhibits all of the attributes that define the “Passion of the Explorer,” according to a new report from Deloitte’s Center for the Edge entitled “Passion at work: Cultivating worker passion as a cornerstone … [More]
Hiring on the Right Side of the Law
The gamut of issues businesses must properly navigate when bringing on a new hire ranges from background checks and social media history to drug testing to treatment of disabled and other specific classes of workers — and the correct approach is not necessarily intuitive. In some cases, the law is downright confusing, such as the rules around E-Verify. This national database of … [More]
Hiring Practices Face Emerging Challenges
“If you’ve been convicted of a felony, you need not apply.” This type of hiring policy has long been accepted — but such blanket policies are now starting to come under scrutiny by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The issue of blanket hiring policies, from education level to criminal history, is on the EEOC’s hot list, says Lisa Coulter, an attorney in the Phoenix … [More]
Employee Engagement Lies in the Little Things
True employee engagement needn’t be expensive or difficult to implement. Engagement is really just another word for on-the-job happiness, and we intuitively know that happiness is connected to the simple things in life. So why not apply that principle to the workplace? Over the years, I’ve found that simple things like gratitude, respect, and autonomy make people far happier … [More]
Cost and Effect of Employees’ Bad Internet Behavior
Information technology managers report a high incidence of troublesome habits among office workers using company computers, according to a U.S. survey recently released by TeamViewer, a leading provider of remote control and online meetings software. The survey was aimed at determining how big an effect common “bad behaviors” have, both on the IT department and on the company’s … [More]
Collaboration Challenge: ‘Playing Nice’ Can Be the Enemy
Collaboration is the buzzword of today. Right along with creativity and innovation, everybody’s talking and writing about it, but what does it really mean for business? While it may be a great concept, the real challenge — and the enormous business opportunity — is to learn to collaborate in a way that makes a positive difference to the business. An organization may attempt to … [More]
Are Teams Obsolete?
Ten years ago, the business world couldn’t stop talking about teams. Remember all those slightly cheesy posters that showed rowers rowing in perfect sync or maybe just close-ups of interlocked hands? As we saw it then, teams of smart, innovative people were how work would get done in the “organization of the future.” Well, here we are in the future, and teams — at least as we … [More]
The New Employee: Veering from the Traditional
As businesses have begun ramping back up into a slowly recovering economy, expanding their work force is often a top priority. Filling job positions, however, is turning out to be a challenge as employment has come to encompass myriad aspects of culture, values, training and aspirations. “It’s gotten much more competitive for the employer to find the most talented … [More]
Create a Workplace that Meets Three Powerful Human Needs
Employers may be clear on what they need from their employees: hard work, efficiency, innovation, motivation, results. But what do employees need from their employer? To answer in practical terms — a steady paycheck, a quiet workspace, more training — is only partly right. Before they can meet the employer’s deepest needs, the employer must meet theirs. Psychologist Abraham … [More]
Role-relevant Certification Helps in Recruiting Talent
The publication of 2012 global jobless figures reveals a deepening of the crisis plaguing employers in every town around the globe. A paradox between numbers of unemployed and difficulty in recruiting talent is here for a generation. And while widespread unemployment and the need to up-skill populations has been widely reported, one vital ingredient is absent from the … [More]
Company Culture: Framework for Success
A culture is what makes a company unique. It is all about what, why and how a group of people or an organization does things. It also is about the language, mindset, traditions and values — which don’t cost much money, but there needs to be a structure that supports and maintains all these elements. Many companies I have visited want a great culture and try to do things … [More]
Kiss Your BUT Good-Bye
A simple, engaging and eminently practical guide to overcoming one’s weaknesses — one’s “Buts” — to achieve the desired career and personal relationships. Imagine a workplace where all the employees are aware of the things they do — or fail to do — that prevent them from being more productive and valuable. Imagine a company where everyone speaks openly and honestly about his or … [More]
The Human Equity Advantage
Trevor Wilson, global diversity strategist and visionary leader, presents a fresh, new management model that goes beyond the traditional diversity debate toward inclusion and building human capital. Featuring case studies and practical diagnostic tools and assessments, this book will benefit everyone who is interested in improving their business by building on the unique … [More]
