Six Steps to Create an Engaging Work Environment
by Lucille Maddalena, Ed.D.
During the past twenty years I have supported thousands of corporate executives to transition into a management career. In addition, I have worked with senior level management, CEO’s and business unit heads to reduce the loss of good employees by successfully assimilating and then retaining the high-contributing staff.

Boiling the Frog
by Stephen Balzac
There is an old and hoary claim that if you put a frog in boiling water, it will immediately jump out, but if you put it in cold water and slowly increase the temperature, the frog will sit there until it cooks. In fact, this happens only if the frog is equipped with little frog cement galoshes rendering it unable to jump: frogs are too smart to be boiled alive.

Why and How to Assess Your Team in Times of High Risk
by Douglas Reiter
Is your management team up to the herculean task of navigating through the current recession, identifying opportunities, and assuring your company will survive?  If not, then maybe it’s time to perform a reassessment of your top team members. Here are nine steps to take to initiate and complete an assessment of your executive team.

Should You Care if Your Employees Love You?
by Roberta Chinsky Matuson
People who gravitate toward leadership roles tend to be charismatic. They work hard at keeping their audiences captivated and enjoy the adoration they receive from their followers. This is all fine and good, until their desire to be liked, or even loved, begins to cloud their judgment.

Stop Using the Economy as an Excuse!
by Roberta Chinsky Matuson
Leaders are using the economy as an excuse on a daily basis. Don’t believe me? Just ask your managers why now it’s okay to lay-off those employees who haven’t come close to meeting their performance objectives over the past several years. Perhaps your company could have avoided lay-offs if the entire team had been operating on all four cylinders.

Employee Engagement:  How to Navigate the Most Difficult Economic Times
by Sonya Sullins
Research conducted by the Corporate Executive Board reveals that 25% of Top Employees are looking for other opportunities (up from 10% last year) and 100% are in danger of being swept away by the competition ... headhunters are on the prowl. Read on to see what the experts are saying and what you should do about it.

Attracting, Retaining and Developing Talent in a Tough Economy: An Apprenticeship Approach
by Giselle LaFrance
In a study by the Rhode Island Tech Collective, over half of IT industry employers reported they are “inadequately” staffed. No matter the size, strength or focus of any organization, a hole in its talent resources is a hole in its operations and a tunnel for potential problems. Recognizing these problems and the need for an innovative solution, Atrion decided it was time to take a different approach to attracting, retaining and developing the talent its service offerings and clients demand.

Help Employees Survive Tough Times!
by Faith Ralston, Ph.D.
Whether your employees stay or move on to become independent contractors, employees of another company, business owners or sales people, knowing their talents pays big dividends. While working for your organization, employees produce better results. And if laid-off, they are equipped to succeed.

CEOs of Family-Owned Business Face Tough Hiring and Firing Decisions
by Darrell Beck, Ph.D., CMC
Poet Robert Frost once wrote “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”  But should family businesses give a job to every family member who comes knocking?  Should these organizations make room for sons and daughters, nephews and neices and if so, under what circumstances?  This article will give some clarifying principles to help owners do the right thing for family members and for the family business.

A Case for Reassessing the Job Interview Questions We Ask
by Victoria A. Hoevemeyer
If your goal is to determine a candidate’s ability to perform the essential functions of the position; that they possess the skills and knowledge required and they can demonstrate the position’s competencies at an acceptable level, you should ask questions that will help you determine each candidate’s skill, knowledge and competency levels.  To do this, it is recommended that you use competency-based behavioral interviewing.

Leadership and Sustainability in Uncertain and Unstable Times
by Dan Schneider
All of a sudden, some of the best and the brightest of America’s corporate leaders seem stuck in reverse, at worst, or in neutral, at best.  Seduced by the shadows of Wall Street, the leaders of these and other companies depended upon business models that have proved problematic. Could different leadership styles have kept them viable?

Hiring the Right Skill Set and Motivating the Millennials
by Tony Wagner
In an economic downturn, employers need to be even more careful with their hiring decisions. And recent graduates from some of the best schools may not have the skills that matter most in the new global knowledge economy. In researching my new book, The Global Achievement Gap, I have come to understand that there are "7 Survival Skills" for the New World of Work, and that employers must look beyond applicants' "pedigrees" to carefully assess whether they have the skills that matter most.

The Imbalance of Life/Work Balance
by Simma Lieberman
To achieve work/life balance in any organization or institution, a work/life balance initiative must be supported at three levels: the programmatic level, the cultural level, and the individual level. In the absence of one of these, there will be a lot of talk about work/life balance, but not a lot of walking that talk.

When is the Right Time for an HR Expert?
by Roberta Chinsky Matuson
For many companies, who have experienced rapid growth, Human Resources is an after thought. You start out with two employees and before you know it, you've grown to over 25. Life in the office goes from being fairly simple to highly complex. Like it or not, it may very well be time to formalize HR processes and procedures in your organization. No need to panic. You can easily accomplish this by hiring an HR Expert.

Things They Don't Teach You in Management Training
by Louise Kiernan, MA, PHR
Training prepares Managers to delegate, motivate, influence, coach, communicate, recognize and strategize. Often it does not prepare a Manager for the difficult employee who is resistant to most motivating, influencing, coaching, and recognition techniques. Here are a few examples of how to handle some difficult types.

Performance Reviews: They're Not A Once a Year Thing
by Liz Weber
If your managers start to complain about having to complete their employee performance review forms, you might ask if they've done their job well all year long. If so, the performance reviews and meetings are a great time to positively plan for the future. If not, share with them how to they can make the process a win-win in the future.

Develop Your Future Leaders: 7 Core Principles to Sustainability
by Edith Onderick-Harvey
Creating a sustainable pipeline of top-tier leadership needs an integrated, systemic approach to talent management. Current leaders in the organization need to be accountable for creating a talent management culture. Keeping your eye on the talent will allow you to survive, and even thrive, during times of change and come out stronger on the other side.

Absenteeism: Is 10% Causing 90% of Your Problem?
by Stefani Yorges, Ph.D.
Companies can no longer afford to permit unnecessary absence that they may have tolerated in the past. This article outlines how to handle those employees with an excessive amount of absenteeism differently from those who only miss a day now and then.

Employee Selection - Gambling at Work?
by Chris Young
Gambling is alive and well in the modern work environment! It's amazing how many organizations gamble at work by not using advanced hiring techniques that could save resources and future headaches.

Leader Mentoring: the Magic that Builds True Leaders
by Michael Shenkman and Bonnie Gorbaty
All leader mentors we know acknowledge there is "magic" in the mentoring relationship. Not much is assured by the mentor, but the new leader experiences a rising sense of possibility, by having an affirming voice and expression offered to that leader alone.

Ten Ideas for Building Your Leadership Bench Strength and Improving Performance
by Gayle Lantz
When it comes to leadership bench strength, some company benches are dangerously light. Many large corporations and small and mid-sized businesses lack the talent needed to sustain or grow the business beyond its current level.

Who is Behind that Resume?
by Jeff T. Collins
To keep your company from being the next appalling lead story on the nightly news, it is essential to understand the importance of investing in quality pre-employment screening.

The Future of the Human Capital Industry
by Herb Rubenstein
There are three basic shortcomings in the field of human capital that explain why CEO's can not buy the right tools, education, training, organizational consulting and leadership they need to improve how their workforces perform.

The Why and How of Background Checks: What Savvy Executives Must Know
by Shawn Rucks
Background checks have become essential. There are weaknesses in the current processes however we are entering a new era of technology that can be leveraged to make your company safer and your HR more effective.

Fire Up Your Company’s Success by Knowing How and When to Hire
by Dennis LaRosee
In good times and bad, leaders need a formula for making sure they have the right people in place. This is especially important in more challenging economies. Companies still need to have the people who will give them a competitive edge when opportunities open up.

Consumer Health Care Choice is the Buzz - But How to Choose?
by Beth Remus
As health care costs continue to climb and consumer choice is the buzzword that is heard throughout the industry, "quality" will increasingly be the driving force behind health care decisions.

Employee Education: Fostering an Autodidactic Workforce
by Dana VanDen Heuvel and Mark Kohls
Progressive companies are taking an effective and low cost approach to ongoing development by shepherding programs to foster self-taught employees, or an autodidactic workforce.

Achieve Competitive Advantage through a Strategically Aligned Talent Strategy
by Carol Bergeron
People formulate vision, goals and shape strategy to meet those goals. Having the right people with the right skills at the right time and place focused on a unified direction is one of the most significant challenges leaders face today.

Choose and Use the Right Resource Every Time
by Nan Andrews Amish, Colleen Cayes, and Joy-Ellen Lipsky
Understanding the different skills, services, and benefits of coaches, consultants, facilitators, trainers, mentors, speakers, and hybrid forms will lead you to hire the right resource every time.

Re-Recruiting: A Tool to Protect and Grow
by Roger E. Herman
To gauge the strength and loyalty of your workforce, invest resources in a re-recruitment campaign. Through this process, you can gain a better understanding of the stability, dedication, and preparedness of your employees.

When the Boss is a Bully
by Daniel D. Elash, Ph.D.
The fact of the matter is that people in positions of power come in all types and not all of them are emotionally healthy or well intentioned.

Holes in the O-zone Layer
by Roger E. Herman
There's a group of people in most companies that is increasingly referred to as the "O-zone," with the "O" standing for Officer. The reality is that too many organizations lack a complete team of high performers in the o-zone.

Talent Recruitment Challenges of High Technology Companies
by Anne Thornley-Brown
For high technology organizations, attracting, hiring and retaining the right talent is critical. Your first challenge is to generate a large enough talent pool from which you can draw. The second is to develop an effective process for screening and selecting the best candidates.

No More Warm Bodies!
by Roger E. Herman
Imagine what life will be like with a competent, enthusiastic workforce that's dedicated to achieving company goals. It's possible. Start today to build the power to excel!

Workforce & Workplace: A Look Ahead
by Roger E. Herman
Employment life will never be the same. Significant evolutionary changes are underway in the workforce, and consequently in the workplace, as well, and these transformations will occur much more rapidly than most managers expect or desire.

How to Take the Pain out of Performance Reviews
by Lora J. Adrianse
Companies need factual, reliable systems to make tough business decisions. The timing is perfect for managers to optimize performance review processes and engage each employee in the process.

Liars, Schemers and Thieves Need Not Apply
by Mark Goulston, MD
Few businesses have the luxury of having a poorly hired employee blindside their enterprise by underproducing or creating negativity among other workers. Your best defense against firing poorly is to hire well.

Here in Body, Absent in Productivity - Presenteeism Hurts!
by Graham Lowe
The focus on absenteeism gives a woefully inadequate picture of the relationship between employee health, work-life quality and workplace productivity. This largely stems from the flawed assumption that when people are at work they are being productive.

Disaster Prevention Tips for Hiring a New Manager
by Lora J. Adrianse
You can save yourself and others a great deal of stress and angst if you take the time to be mindful enough to make an intentional decision. Here are 10 questions to consider BEFORE you select your new manager.

"First Call" Minimizes Workers' Compensation Costs
by Karen L. Andalman McIntyre
The most effective way to take control of your program is to implement a "First Call" claim management reporting system, which directs employees towards care at the initial point of the claim.

Hiring Right Means Carefully Assessing EQ
by Dora Vell
Selecting a new captain at the helm is a critical moment in a company's history. With its ability to predict success, emotional intelligence or EQ is always an important consideration but for CEO hires it should be the top factor.

How to Attract the Best People
by Skip Corsini
I would like to see a simple marketing principle applied in the attraction and retention of good people. It is paraphrased best this way: spend 80% of your recruiting resources on the people that already work for you.

Earn Respect or Live With Disrespect - Take Your Pick
by Dr. Wendell Williams
I know I keep hammering this to death, but management selection and employee hiring is the SINGLE MOST POWERFUL contributor to high performance. Although we all know this, poor hiring and promotion practices continue to be the norm.

Are You Hiring Terrorists?
by Louis Rovner, Ph.D.
Even though most people at airports don't have evil intentions, everyone who intends to board an aircraft is carefully screened. As long as there is a terrorist threat to our country, we must continue to be vigilant in all aspects of our lives.

Employee Self-Service Applications
by Christina Morfeld
HR activities tend to be dominated by administrivia. One benefit of implementing an employee self-service application is that HR groups are freed up to play more strategic roles in their organizations.

Banking on Experienced Talent
by Jeff Turner
The current talent surplus gives you access to highly-qualified people for nearly any position, so the time is ripe to stack your talent deck with the best that the employment pool has to offer. Are you taking advantage of this opportunity?

Preparing for the Looming Talent Shortage Will Enhance Your Company's Effectiveness
by Catherine C. Candland
With all the downsizings making headlines for the past few years, it's hard to imagine that we will soon be faced with too few skilled, qualified workers. But, a talent shortage in the not-so-distant future is inevitable.

Personnel Record Retention Requirements
by Christina Morfeld
There are a variety of federal regulations - most notably those designed to combat discrimination and other unfair labor practices - for which record retention is a condition of compliance.

On Performance Evaluation
by Skip Corsini
Finding a company with a fair, equitable and internally supported evaluation system is about as likely as a Bid Laden sighting in the right field bleachers at Yankee Stadium.

Domestic Violence is a Workplace Problem
by Christina Morfeld
Despite the staggering statistics on domestic abuse, the corporate world has traditionally remained mute on the subject. Such silence is more often due to an unawareness of the problem, discomfort with asking probing questions when suspicions do arise, or the mindset that what takes place in someone's private life is just that.

Employee vs. Independent Contractor: A Game of 20 Questions
by Christina Morfeld
The Internal Revenue Service's 20-Factor Control Test is the most explicit in its requirements. When determining whether an individual is more appropriately classified as an employee or Independent Contractor, ask yourself the following questions.

Capitalize on the Power of Suggestion
by Christina Morfeld
In today's competitive environment, a company's ability to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and continuously innovate is vital to its success. And common sense dictates that line workers - the individuals closest to the processes, products, vendors, and customers - are in the best position to identify such opportunities.

Coaching, Organizational Development, Human Performance Improvement
by Sherryl Stalinski
What CEOs should know about the work of the human organization.

Successful Employee Orientation (Part 1)
by Christina Morfeld
A well-planned orientation shortens the learning curve, increases productivity, reduces errors, facilitates compliance with company policies and procedures, improves job satisfaction and retention, and promotes communication between manager and staff. Do you provide your new hires with the tools to achieve these outcomes?

Successful Employee Orientation (Part 2)
by Christina Morfeld
Employers should seize this opportunity to celebrate the arrival of their new team member and communicate that employees are their most valuable asset. These guidelines for conducting an effective corporate-level orientation will help you do just that.

Successful Employee Orientation (Part 3)
by Christina Morfeld
It is your obligation, as a supervisor or manager, to support new hires as they become acclimated to your work group and their job duties. This comprehensive checklist will guide you every step of the way.

Demographic Trends HR, Managers and CEOs Need to Be Aware of
by Susan Dunn
Never before in American history has living alone been the predominant lifestyle, and the time is fast approaching.

Running a 14-Facility Health Clinic is not all Black and White - It’s a Four-Color Process
by Patti Hill
Austin Regional Clinic’s success in utilizing the Insights Discovery System was the result of its ability to inspire leaders in the organization to understand the decision-making process, and thus facilitate interpersonal communications by enabling every employee to become an empowered, active participant.

Work/Life Programs: Not Just Another Employee Benefit
by Tara Pickering
Progressive companies are increasingly realizing the bottom-line benefits of programs designed to help workers balance professional and personal demands. These include an enhanced ability to recruit and retain top talent, reduced absenteeism and health care costs, increased morale and productivity, and improved customer satisfaction and company image.

Discipline: The Most Dreaded Management Task
by Christina Morfeld
Do you regard discipline and punishment as one and the same? If so, that may explain your uneasiness at the thought of disciplining employees who exhibit substandard conduct or work quality - particularly those who fail despite their best efforts.

Involve Your Employees in Community Service Efforts
by Christina Morfeld
Many organizations support local charities and events as a way of "giving back" to the communities in which they do business. While these programs can be successfully accomplished at the corporate or executive level, there are added bonuses associated with involving your employees.

Harvesting Future Talent Through Co-Op/Intern Programs
by Freda Turner, Ph.D.
Internship programs provide mutually rewarding outcomes. Linking organization strategy and co-op/intern staffing initiatives will help fill an organization's future talent needs.

An Effective Employee Suggestion Program Has a Multiplier Effect
by Freda Turner, Ph.D.
Empowered employees who actively submit improvement suggestions, give an organization a competitive advantage in generating cost savings, improving productivity and increasing efficiencies if a program is properly implemented.

Workplace Literacy: Are Your Employees Making the Grade?
by Christina Morfeld
It would occur to very few of us that troubled employees may, in fact, lack some very basic skills – such as reading, writing, and math – that we tend to take for granted. But without those as a foundation, how can they possibly be expected to master the higher-level competencies that their jobs require of them?

Book Summary: How to Work With Just About Anyone - by Lucy Gill
summarized by Regine Azurin and Yvette Pantilla
Here is the answer to common problems in conflict management. Dealing with negative behavior, whether at work or at home, can be solved with three steps.

Building a Great Company - Identify Strategic Employee Character Traits to Make Your Business a Success
by Fred Lange
With organizations becoming more team-structured and project-based, personality traits and good people skills are becoming essential attributes for achieving workplace harmony. In other words, you get your hiring right - you save your company time and money.

Mistrust: A Bigger Problem Than Ever Before
by Gregory P. Smith
Even before Enron, my experience as a management consultant shows many executives unintentionally damage their credibility and trust. Here are some ways to maintain a high trust level within your organization.

Workforce Planning: The Strategy Behind “Strategic Staffing”
by Christina Morfeld
Workforce planning is a systematic approach to anticipating staffing needs and determining what actions should be taken – starting now – to meet those needs.

All You Need to Know About Tests
by Dr. Wendell Williams
This article outlines some important concepts you need to know if you use tests. If you don't know these concepts, you will have no idea whether your tests work or not.

Investing In Your Employees - How To Make the Most of Your Assets
by Andrea Bargsley and Patti Hill of BlabberMouth
How much would you invest to keep your employees focused and happy? Employees expect more from their jobs, including a healthy working environment and a sense of accomplishment.

God, Car Batteries, and Concern for the Family: Interstate Battery Company
by Gregory P. Smith
The modern workforce is a stressful place. What has been traditionally considered "work" and what is considered "living" is becoming difficult to distinguish. At the Interstate Battery System of America, Inc. employees can turn to their employer for help in the quest for meaning.

Position Failure and Promotions
by Dr. Wendell Williams
It seems that business promotes people until they reach their level of personal incompetence. I would like to say that business has learned since Mr. Peter wrote his book .... but I cannot. Managers are still being promoted based on successful past performance and allowed to sink or swim in the new job.

What Color is Snow White?
by Andrea Bargsley and Patti Hill of BlabberMouth
Snow White wasn't all she was cracked up to be. She had some serious issues with her step mom, she made a foolish career move, and was totally naïve to the fact that the handsome prince that was swooping in to save her, promising her ‘happily ever after’ was statistically unlikely to stay by her side due to personality conflicts they couldn’t resolve.

Family Business - The Perils and Positives of Work and Family
by Paula Gamonal
How to accentuate the positives, downplay the negatives, and make good decisions for your situation when it comes to matters of family business.

A Refresher on Employee Health Benefits
by Kai-Lit Phua, Ph.D.
Classification, level of subsidy and cost sharing, varieties of health care plans, and the issue of efficiency.

Old Ideologies, New Vision: How to Harness Both to Succeed in the New Economy
by Cheryl Rickman
How does a workforce rise above the competition? Combining ancient ideologies and traditional values with new visions and technologies may just be the answer.

10 Management Secrets That Will Guarantee Failure
by Donald A. Phin
These secrets will all but guarantee your business failure. One note: just make sure you bleed the company to a point of extinction before you use these powerful secrets.

Managing Difficult People
by Paul B. Thornton
Managers deal with a wide range of personalities. Most people are cooperative and reasonable. However, some employees are very difficult to be around and work with. It is important that you understand them and develop techniques to help them be more productive.

Cultivating Performance
by Gloria Dunn
Can you turn poor performers into company assets, or should you simply fire them? Before you decide, take time to evaluate your management approach and the employee's capability.

10 Reasons Why People Do Stupid Things at Work
by Donald A. Phin
Over the years as an attorney and consultant, I have seen people do some pretty stupid things at work. Some of them are horribly stupid - others more innocently so.

How to Help Your Unemployed Friend
by Laura Benjamin
It takes some time to transition from being ‘fully-featured’ to someone who must make peace with the fact that while you’re still the same person, you’ll never be the same again.

Rules That Blind - Be More Effective With Fewer Rules
by Jody Urquhart
A certain amount of structure creates freedom because guidelines liberate people and make them more productive. However, most companies place too much emphasis on structure and not enough on their people.

Employee Suggestions Contribute to the Bottom Line
by Freda Turner Ph.D.
Many organizations have seen the effectiveness of an employee suggestion program. It can be a positive force to motivate, improve performance, productivity, safety, and add to the bottom line.

Employee Suggestions are Profitable - Do You Listen?
by Freda Turner Ph.D.
Organizations that listen and reward employees for their suggestions derive bottom line benefits.

A Lesson in Employee Expectations at Franklin Covey
by Scott Valentine
A most vivid practical lesson regarding the potential challenges organizations face when attempting to raise the bar of corporate expectations by empowering workforces.

May I Make a Suggestion? All Organizations Can Benefit
by Freda Turner, Ph.D.
Managers often overlook the company’s most valuable asset and source of information - their employees.

If Men are From Mars, How on Earth Does a Woman Get Promoted? Gender Bias in Corporate America
by Thomas M. Murphy
Men may very well be from Mars but that does not mean women must be relegated to a career as corporate note-taker. For an organization to effectively compete, it needs all the talent it can get.

Improve Your Interviewing Techniques
by Gregory P. Smith
A successful interview should determine if there is a match between the individual and the job. Furthermore, a good interview process allows you to understand their behavior, values, motivations, and qualifications.

Ham or Spam: Quality Performance vs. Poor Performance
by Janet Richardson
For the innovative manager, the hiring process includes more than merely giving an applicant an application, looking over a resume', interviewing and then deciding whether or not to hire this person.

The Importance of Having a Good Mentor
by Gregory P. Smith
Many companies have discovered that the use of a mentor for new employees not only helps employees settle into their job and company environment, but also contributes to a lower turnover rate.

Mentor, Mentor on the Wall
by Peter Kaufman
No matter how smart your degree says you are, people need human contact to feel secure about their role in the workplace.

Nine Tips for Fostering a Respectful Work Environment
from Ivy Sea Online
Food-for-thought for more effective interpersonal and organizational communication, and performance.

The Human Touch
by Susanne Laperle
What steps can a manager take to promote a climate of productivity, quality service and high morale?

Interview the Job Before Interviewing the Candidates
by Dinah Daniels
Hiring managers can dramatically increase their chances of long-term hiring success – before ever meeting a single job candidate.

Regenerating Spirit After Downsizing
by Barbara Glanz
Creativity, commitment, self-worth, purpose, fun and rebuild trust - send your employees a CARE package.

McDonald's Fast Food Job Application
Anonymous submission
This is reported to be an actual job application someone submitted at a McDonald's fast-food establishment and they hired him.

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