Posts Tagged ‘Hiring and Human Resources’
by Rebecca Button on May 9th, 2008
No no…I’m not referring to Paris and Nicole. Sorry for the bait and switch.
As savvy as those two are at marketing (themselves) I’m referring instead to good old fashioned business students.
We all know how the internship program works. Companies offer students an opportunity to gain "valuable experience" and some times even compensation in exchange for a semester of what can be boiled down to as free labor. The students will file, fax, answer phones and fetch coffee in the hopes that their time has been spent earning them a good recommendation and bonus points on their resume.
But... Read more »
by Leeia Ladipoh on April 24th, 2008
All my life, I have heard people say that good help is hard to find. Why is that?
Actually, there are several reasons that increasing numbers of small businesses are turning to spouses and other family members to help them fill their staffing holes.
Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Benefits
The first reason lots of small business owners cannot find good employees is that they want something we do not have. Most qualified people are looking for a benefits package. As small business owners, we can’t always afford to offer benefits like medical and dental insurance,... Read more »
by Danny Brown on April 18th, 2008
If your business is successful enough to have numerous employees, then you’ll be aware of how costly it can be to administer. Whether it’s employee benefits, health plans, simple payroll details or more, the costs to maintain your employee base can soon mount up. If you’re finding that it’s a cost that’s draining your finances, then you may want to consider using a Professional Employment Organization, or PEO.
What is a PEO?
The best way to look at a professional employment organization is to consider it an outsourced part of your existing HR department. They can handle everything that an... Read more »
by Danny Brown on April 17th, 2008
With businesses constantly wary of losing staff to rival companies, many are now enforcing what’s known as non-compete contracts. This is where new employees sign a contract that states they cannot contact a client of their old company to take them to their new place of work. It usually applies for anywhere between 2-3 years from the date the ex-employee leaves the company. However, whilst it’s an excellent way for business owners to protect not only their clients but also their intellectual property, it can also have its negative sides.
The Pros of Non-Compete Contracts
The obvious benefit of having... Read more »
by Larry Slusser on March 31st, 2008
Knowing what will motivate your employees is tough. Thus, it is important to determine how and what makes each of your employees tick. This will help you to establish different motivators that will appeal each person.
Regardless of what you do to motivate your employees, it is important that you do something. If you do not do anything to motivate your employees, they will care less about the success of the organization, or about their jobs. Motivation does not always come in the form of financial rewards. That is an important motivator to have in place, but money is not... Read more »
by Danny Brown on March 28th, 2008
An important part of any company’s success is the staff it employs. Although the management team may be the driving force behind a business, the people on the “ground floor” are just as important – without them your business would probably struggle to meet demands. Therefore it’s important that you attract the right caliber of employee.
Often this can be extremely expensive, with advertising costs in newspapers rising all the time. However, there are other methods in which you can recruit new employees, and often at a fraction of the overall cost of traditional advertising. Some of the most effective... Read more »
by Leeia Ladipoh on March 26th, 2008
There are two types of reactions to everything in life – positive and negative. This goes all the way down to the operation of the smallest atoms and molecules that make up the environment around us. It also comes into play at the workplace.
As a small business owner, you regularly have to choose between positive and negative reactions to things that happen. When dealing with your employees, you may let things continue as is – until something goes wrong.
You may then resort to using a negative reaction to effect course correction. While negative consequences do work, at least... Read more »
by Leeia Ladipoh on March 18th, 2008
At some point in your career as a small business owner, you will realize that you can’t do it all yourself. There is a limited amount of profit you can make when you’re responsible for every piece of the puzzle that is your business. It may be time to outsource.
Outsourcing is finding someone else to do parts of your job, so you can spend more time moving your business forward.
Let’s take a look at what happens in a business day.
A Day in the Life
You may start the day by dealing with customer questions in e-mails. You... Read more »
by Leeia Ladipoh on March 13th, 2008
When it comes to planning a retail strategy, you should always be one season ahead. While others are spring cleaning, you should be doing a fair amount of summer planning.
Planning is not just about making sure you have the right inventory on the shelves; it has to do with boosting morale and creating sales as well.
Employee Morale
If yours is one of the many small businesses that experience a summer lull, you may notice that your staff mood follows suit. While your employees stand in the store day after day, you may notice a little bit of a... Read more »
by Rebecca Button on March 3rd, 2008
According to a survey conducted by Yahoo!HotJobs here are the top 10 qualities employees consider necessary for being a good boss:
(in order of importance)
1. Communication/listening skills.
2. Effective leadership skills.
3. Trust in their employees to do their job well.
4. Flexibility and understanding.
5. Intelligence.
6. Teamwork skills and even temperament (tie).
7. Interest in employee development.
8. Ability to share credit.
9. Successful in finding and retaining new talent.
10. Presentation skills.
So if you are looking to cut down on employee turnover consider these things for yourself as a boss and also as qualities to... Read more »