Retain Your Best People:
Many managers and team leaders ask me how to deal with employees in a way that will maximize their potential, create loyalty and respect, and cut down on high turnover and destructive behavior in the workplace. The single most common reason people stay or leave an organization is based on the relationship they have with their direct supervisor. Therefore, the key is to show a keen personal interest in each person. Recognize everyone's uniqueness and find ways to allow that uniqueness to be expressed at work.The following tips can be adapted to your particular situation.- One-on-one Me. . .

The New Way To Lower The Cost Of Health Insurance:
It seems that every day there is an article about the rising cost of health insurance, the high number of people with no health insurance, and our system of financing medical care which is broken and needs repair or replacement. What goes unreported is that since January 1, 2004 there is a new way to finance medical expenses which drastically reduces the cost of medical insurance when compared to traditional forms of health insurance. The name of this radical new approach to financing health care is: Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs. Health Savings Accounts combine a health insurance plan t. . .

I can't get no Employee Satisfaction:
I'm not happy. The printer has still not been fixed and now my chair is broken. The problem with this place is that it is falling apart. My boss is okay but has no clue what is going on. That new guy that started last week, who no one bothered to introduce, has been given a job that he has no idea how to do; why didn't they just ask me? I could have told them that a new set of drawings have been issued so even if he did know what he was doing the drawings he is using are obsolete anyway. Sometimes I don't know why I bother turning up.I went for a drink with some of the guys last night after. . .

Stress In The Workplace:
According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions’ (A.C.T.U.) 1997 survey, fifty per cent of workers had suffered some form of stress at work in a 12-month period. The statistics in care professions were even higher, with the Department of Education and Training in Western Australia reporting in its 2002 Attitudes To Teaching Survey that seventy per cent of teachers identified workplace stress as a cause for concern in their teaching positions.Stress in the workplace is becoming a major concern for employers, managers and government agencies, owing to the Occupational Health and Safety l. . .

Salary and benefits basics:
In today’s scenario when the escalating prices are touching the sky, it becomes essential that your salary is able to provide you a satisfactory life in which all your basic necessities and a little more than that are comfortably met. But this actually does not happen. The salary structure progresses on a snail’s pace while the prices of commodities scale new heights. The question is what an individual should do in such a situation. The answer is the perks or the benefits that a company offers with the basic salary. The perks that are supplemented with the basic salary are a source of relie. . .

Dynamics of Work Environment :
The work environment is undergoing constant change, i.e. in factories, manufacturing units; production houses the work scenario and working condition is changing. Prolonged working hours, specialization of job profiles, technical complexities for jobs, increase in work pressure, etc are some of the major aspects of work environment that are undergoing changes. In the industrial set ups competition is growing by leaps and bounds. So the main concentration of employers is to increase production, maintain quality of the products yet make the long working hours more pleasant and safe in terms o. . .

Coming of age - A look at the draft Employment Equality (Age) Regul...:
As promised last month, this month’s Cripps Alert will look at the draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations.Why, you may ask are we looking now at draft regulations that are not due to come into force until October 2006? These regulations introduce a new area of discrimination that will impact upon all aspects of the employment relationship from recruitment to retirement and even after employment has ended. The regulations are still in draft and their form may change, but the underlying policy behind the rules is settled. However, rather than going through the draft regulations one by. . .

The Demand for Business Security Cameras -:
Businesses with employees to monitor were the largest purchaser of security cameras prior to the 9/11 attacks in New York City. Up until that time all kinds of businesses were interested in protecting themselves from employee theft of valuable items or even more valuable, sensitive information. Employees in businesses where theft of any kind was a problem were used to security measures in place all the time of which business security cameras where only a small facet of the total system. Obviously, banks and other businesses with public exposure were used to having security cameras in place . . .

Is Drug Screening Too Costly To Do Or Do Without? One Company Has T...:
The director of telemarketing operations at a financial services company looks out across his 3600 square foot call center on a typical Monday morning. “Look at all those empty chairs”, he laments. “It is sickly Monday and my partiers are taking their usual unscheduled day long break”. The problem of the “three day weekend” or absenteeism in general doesn’t just affect the manager in this setting. What about the other 80% of the work force who showed up? They are now burdened with additional duties while filling the vacancies that have temporarily developed.With the challenge of recruiting . . .

When It Pays To Use Incentive Programs:
Non-cash incentive programs and fringe benefits can have a powerful influence on attitudes, which should in turn improve results. You can give employees the greatest incentive program, however, by impairing a sense of ownership in the organization.If you don’t know what kind of incentive programs to employ so as to motivate your people to work and increase productivity, here are some tips that you can use:1. Sharing the shares.Use share schemes as an incentive program to reward people for contributing to team success.An employee who sees his or her efforts rewarded in company shares will, i. . .

403(B) Plans Wave of Future for Many Workers :
"Millions of new teachers and health-care workers expected to be hired in the coming decade will need to become familiar with a retirement plan they may know little about: the 403(b), commonly called a tax-sheltered annuity. 403(b) plans are salary-deferral plans designed for teachers, college professors, health workers at nonprofit facilities, and employees working for churches and charitable groups. As with 401(k) and similar defined-contribution plans for the private sector, contributions and earnings in a 403(b) are tax deferred. For 2005, the maximum an employee generally can defer out. . .

The Importance of Personal Background Checks -:
The purpose of personal background checks is to get a feel for the applicant’s character. Personal and professional references are a good starting point, however, experts in the investigative field caution employers on using this method solely. Prospective employees are obviously going to give references of people whom they trust will provide a good character reference for them. Those references may not necessarily be fabricating information regarding the applicant; they simply may not know pertinent information about him or her. Another method employer’s use is obtaining a credit report on. . .

Mr. Brown is coming! The Need for Feedback and Coaching:
“Get a move on, Mr. Brown is coming!” Those were the words I heard about once a month when I was a 14-year-old kid working as a stock boy in a retail store. It was usually my store manager making the statement. And Mr. Brown was our district manager who came to inspect our store. The visit lasted a few hours and during that time he would walk the store and look for things he didn’t like. I have no recollection of him ever speaking directly to me, although I remember him watching from a distance as I moved freight or stocked shelves. He seldom spoke to anyone other than the store manager or . . .

The Need for Employment Background Checks -:
Depending on your state and what type of business you are in, employee background checks may or may not be mandated by law. In businesses that deal with children or seniors, Federal law requires background checks on all employees and/or volunteers. The reasons should be obvious: the Federal government wants to ensure that those served are safe from hard and employers need to safeguard themselves against negligent lawsuits. If an employee will be doing any type of driving for the business, it is important to know their driving history. For insurance purposes, employers need to have up-to-dat. . .

Office Chairs Determine the Office Environment -:
Office chairs are an important part of the business environment. An increasing number of employees find themselves seated in front of a computer terminal or telephone console for an extended period of time during their workday. On average, most employees who use computers are seated for more than eight hours per day. It is extremely important that their office chairs be both comfortable and safe. Office chairs that are comfortable are conducive to workplace productivity and satisfaction. Office chairs are much more than just furniture. A good office chair will offer a cushion that is . . .

Managers Must Choose Their Battles Carefully:
The most difficult choices you’ll ever have to make as a manager are in choosing your battles. You need to answer three questions:1.) Which battles can be won?2.) Which battles do I have to win?3.) Which battles are best not to fight?You can’t win all battles. For example, you shouldn’t resist if a mugger sticks a gun in your back and demands your money. Other battles can be won but the price of winning is too high. Taking a customer to small claims court over an unpaid $20 invoice is unwise when the court cost is $75. An example often brought up by managers is employees who smoke. Smoking . . .

Benefits of I.D. Badges:
Everyone knows that I.D. Badges are significant to the society. It is used to identify each person from his office, school, and country. But is this the only benefit the I.D. badges provide?In general, the I.D. badge serves as a function to identify the ID bearer as a person who is supposed to be in the building. The ID badge gives comfort to the people around him that he is significantly there for a reason. To establish that I.D. badges are truly essential in your daily lives, here are two instances where I.D. badges are advantageous.ID Badges benefit the school in many ways.1) In a learni. . .

Measuring Your Way to Successful Outcomes!:
Would you like to Increase Business Performance, Get ahead of your Competition and Effect a Proven Positive Sustainable Change within your Organization - Immediately? Are you an Organization that engages outside facilitators to motivate, inspire or train your staff? Have you ever wondered if your money is being well spent? Despite the rave reviews from staff, have you seen any real change take place in the workplace? Would you know how to measure for it if you had? If your answer is NO, then I will share with you the importance of METRICS and why this buzz word is so important for you to . . .

Business Solutions: GPS Car Tracking:
At first blush, it may not make sense to consider GPS car tracking as a viable business solution. However, when one thinks of what can be accomplished using such a system, and how it is actually possible to cut expenses, it soon makes sense to incorporate GPS car tracking into the business plan, especially if you have company cars.There are many companies whose employees take advantage of company cars on company time to go out and run personal errands. This costs money not only in time wasted, but also in the cost of gas. Additionally, extra trips put more miles and wear and tear on company. . .

Finding Comfortable Office Chairs and Furniture -:
Comfortable office furniture are necessary for offering seating to customers and clients who must wait for service or for a scheduled appointment. In addition, quality office desk chairs are necessary for maintaining employee comfort and morale.Office desk chairs can be found in every individual office or cubicle. A comfortable, ergonomic office desk chair is essential for employee satisfaction and a high level of office productivity. Many employees sit for as long as eight hours each workday, with only occasional short breaks. It is important to take preventative measures to prevent in. . .

Six Sigma as a Way to Develop People :
One of the many benefits of Six Sigma is how it helps to develop people. The dual processes of Six Sigma training and Six Sigma projects cultivate excellence in not only product quality and financial savings but also in the knowledge, confidence, and quality of the people in your organization. People are, after all, your organizations' most valuable assets. To sustain and continuously improve, an organization needs to develop its people. Six Sigma helps to develop your people in two areas: it develops leaders and it empowers people to be knowledgeable and valuable contributors to the organi. . .

The Rise of Executive Background Checks -:
With the recent corporate scandals of Enron and WorldCom, the popularity and necessity of executive background checks has greatly increased. In order to protect themselves from potential disasters later on, many companies are now requiring extensive investigation on prospective executives to verify their employment and educational history as well as information regarding any past wrongdoings. As with any other type of pre-employment background investigations, employers need to have the appropriate disclosures available. According to Federal law and the Fair Credit Reporting Act, applicants . . .

Six Ways Video & Web Conferencing Can Benefit Your Business:
Are you really using the power of modern technology to make your business more profitable? Sure, you are using e-mail, you have a web page and you may be reaching your clients and customers with an electronic mailing list, but are you using web and video conferencing to hold virtual meetings with your employees, customers and clients in different geographical locations? Here are six ways how web and video conferencing can help you to increase the efficiency of your enterprise.First however, it is important to know what web and video conferencing are. Web conferencing is when two or more . . .

How to Deal with Work-Related Accidents:
Having been involved in a personal injury in your workplace can really be embarrassing. It can bring you psychological stresses which are truly hard to deal with. Among the most difficult effect of these incidents is mental distress. In this case, it may be hard for you to calculate the exact amount that you’ll ask for compensation for the psychological trauma that you have suffered from a work-related accident. Therefore, it is recommended that you contact a lawyer who can protect you from tricky plans of your employer especially when your case is still in the court.If you’ve been physical. . .

Coaching for Creativity in the Workplace:
There was a CEO of a large company who had an interesting object on his desk. Over the course of many years the object had been the topic of numerous conversations by most employees and visitors who found themselves in his office. When I heard the story about the CEO and the strange object, I knew it had to be the topic of an article, because of how moved I was by the message. The object on his desk was a hand-carved automobile made from wood that was similar to what you might see at a Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. The car was about eight inches long and although quite detailed in design, obvio. . .

Critical Guidelines You Need to Know Before Hiring Anyone:
We don’t like to think about people doing harm to ourselves or others.  The reality, however, is that we live in a country with one of the highest rates of financial crimes, including embezzlement, fraud, theft, etc.  And, that’s just the beginning.   Let’s look at just a few statistics on what the FBI reports is the fastest growing crime in the US - employee theft:·         US Chamber of Commerce reports that $50 billion dollars are lost annually due to employee theft and fraud and that 20% of all businesses fail due to the same reason.·         According to an Ernst & Young Report, "White. . .

Sexual harassment and sex discrimination Answers:
Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII applies to employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations, as well as to the federal government.Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance, or crea. . .

Conference Calling Can Save Your Sales Organization Time and Money:
Conference calling can save you money. There is no doubt that inthe sales business, every second counts. Whether it be training,sales meetings, or other needs, pulling your employees away fromthe sales opportunities even for these important tasks, cuts downon the time they can be making you money. If you take the firststep and try using conference calling, you may just find yourselfsaving money and making money. Let’s point out some of thefeatures and benefits of using conference calling here: Consider the costs of training individuals. You need to flythem to your location. You need . . .

Getting Payroll Tax Figured Out:
There is nothing escaping payroll tax. It is something that you will need to deal with from the day that you get your first job until the day you retire. Payroll tax is the amount of money that comes out of your paycheck each and every time for the various services that you need to pay for. And, there is even a specific tax that is for the use of payroll as well. Nothing is certain… If you are a business owner, then you realize that you will need to take care of these payroll tax needs for your employees. The problem is that you cannot possibly take care of that information for your employe. . .

How to Create Your Designer Team:
Copyright 2005 Anne AlexanderDid you know that you have a team that supports your life? This is true whether you are a business owner, a solo entrepreneur or an employee. And the quality of your team has a huge amount to do with the results you are getting in your life.Most people have default teams. They haven’t consciously picked their team members and so what they have is often a pretty mixed lot. Some members may be highly consistent, positive, and fun, while others may be unreliable, irritating or worse.Your team members can include your spouse or partner, employees, accountant, financ. . .