February 2010 Vol 3, Issue 1
Provided by:    HRGroup    The workforce catalyst
Performance & Productivity Catalysts      In this issue of HRTips we address the following:    HRTip "We Sought Workers - But People Came Instead"   HRGreen Tip "Does 'Living Green' mean that I have to live out in the boondocks..."   HRGroup In Action "Hire the Best..."   Reminder: "Expect Success" HRTip                            We Sought Workers -   But People Came Instead...        In coaching managers and business owners on people issues over the years, after listening to the problems they are currently experiencing with one or more employees I often begin my response with a phrase I came across many years ago "We sought workers - but people came instead". I typically get a somewhat quizzical look at first followed by a slight smile as the message sinks in. It seems to help defuse the situation somewhat and also reminds them that they are not alone in experiencing people issues. It goes with the territory! If you hire people as workers, problems will absolutely surface.   So until we get robots that can handle all of the workload (which most assuredly will not happen in the foreseeable future) what is a manager to do?   The beginning point is to hire the right people in the right jobs. Proper selection - defining the job and the type of person who will succeed in that job - can help immensely in avoiding future problems. And this goes well beyond having a job description. A job description is just the starting point. Knowing what education, experience and technical skills are required is very important. But a job benchmark goes well beyond this by identifying the WorkStyle Behaviors, Motivators and Attributes that are required for top performance. And combining this with a valid pre-employment assessment of candidates that matches the required job traits is essential to ensure "right person, right job".   I tell managers that proper selection can eliminate 90% of future problems and management's time in dealing with the problems. I can't back this up with actual research or data but my experience tells me that when you have "job fit" and have found the right person who consistently "get's it done", you basically just need to mutually determine what needs to be accomplished, what results are expected and when, and then just get out of their way.   And this brings us to the second point, making sure you retain these key performers. Retention involves a myriad of things including dynamic performance management, compensation linked directly to performance, and recognition. Retention also includes career development, identifying high potential candidates and succession planning.   How effective is your organization in selecting and retaining top performers? And perhaps more importantly, how effective do your employees feel the organization is in these areas? We have a unique tool, the TALENT DEVELOPMENT indexÔ, that provides answers to these questions. Contact us to discuss how we can help your organization address these critical issues.   Or you can go on dealing with employee problems, over and over and over again.   John Guettler   HRGreenTip     Does "Living Green" mean that I have to live out in the boondocks and become a hunter gatherer? The short answer is "no".      To "live green" doesn't mean that you have to deprive yourself of all the things that provide you with pleasure and comfort. And you don't have to hunt and kill for protein or farm for fruits and vegetables. Rather you should strive to limit your use of energy, focus on consuming local organic produce, use water wisely and reduce use of petroleum products. In short it means you should strive to reduce your negative impact on Mother Earth. If you just check off one or two things in the list below, then it will have a significant impact over the long run.                  - Take hangers back to the cleaners                - Turn off electronics before leaving the home or office                - Try to reuse "stuff" whenever possible                - Look for paper products that contain at least 10% recycled content                - Use cloth instead of paper -- kitchen towels, diapers, etc.                - If you fertilize a lawn, use compost vs. chemical fertilizer                - Pay your bills online                - Turn off drip irrigation when it's raining                - Print only necessary items                - Seek eco-friendly products like paint and fabrics                - Replace light bulbs with compact florescent lights (CFLs)   Each one of these simple steps will have a positive impact on energy conservation. You don't have to target huge changes in how you live and you don't have to do everything at once!! HRGroup In Action         Hire the Best . . .       Based in Phoenix, Intelemark provides B2B Appointment Setting and Sales Lead Generation to organizations of all sizes nationally and internationally. In addition to a very successful business model and proprietary software they pride themselves on attracting and retaining the very best people. Their team is made up of talented, experienced, mature individuals who are conscientious about the client's objectives and are empowered to take every necessary measure to ensure the success of every campaign they implement for clients.   To ensure that Intelemark is hiring the best employees, HRGroup worked with Intelemark to install the Abilities & Behavior Forecaster pre-employment tests. The success of this process is best stated by Murray Goodman, Intelemark's COO:   "We have 80 appointment setting agents scattered across the country working independently out of their homes. These agents are the direct link between our clients and their prospects. We can't afford to hire the 'misfits'. Since we began screening with the Abilities & Behavior tests we have dramatically reduced our hiring mistakes."     More and more organizations are using pre-employment screening tools to help them hire the best. Contact us to discuss how we can work with your organization to implement the right assessments for your hiring needs.
Please forward your questions/suggestions to us and we will incorporate them into future e-newsletters. Contact Ted or John at 480.753.6188 or info@hrgrouponline.com