BETTER CAREER

Five Business Benefits of Employment Training Programmes

1. Impact on bottom line Successful employee training delivers improvements in employee performance which, in turn, creates a better performing business and an improved bottom line. Research conducted has suggested that, where training programmes are effective, employee productivity can increase by 230 per cent. You may wish to highlight job roles within your organization where employee performance has improved using measurable variables that will demonstrate your business case for further investment. By focusing your business case on the objectives of the business you will not only be preparing a persuasive proposal for the rest of your management team but will also be steering your training plans towards the areas of greatest benefit. Hence, ensuring the greatest return on investment for the project.

2. Staff retention Want to spend more training recruiting staff? Thought not. Training increases staff retention which will save you money. Instead of paying recruitment fees, re-investing in training, loss of management time why not treat your people as your number one asset? Invest in their development and they will receive a return your investment many times over. In some companies, training programs have reduced staff turnover by 70 per cent and led to a return on investment of 7,000 per cent. Incredible, eh?

3. Improved quality and productivity Training that meets both staff and employer needs can increase the quality and flexibility of a business’s services by fostering: • accuracy and efficiency • good work safety practices • great customer service. You know the benefits of quality assurance programmes. Now buy in to the benefits of employee training programmes! Can you put a value onto a lost customer? How about a health and safety issue? If you wish to gain a simple but meaningful measure of employee training programmes take a look at the consequences of NOT investing in your people. Often, we only make investment decisions when we can visualize the effects of not taking action. If you’re not yet convinced by the benefits of training, take a look at where your company has suffered from a lack of improved skills and try calculating the TRUE cost of those incidents.

4. The flow-on effect The benefits of training in one area can flow through to all levels of an organization. Over time, training will boost the bottom line and reduce costs by decreasing: • wasted time and materials • maintenance costs of machinery and equipment • workplace accidents, leading to lower insurance premiums • recruitment costs through the internal promotion of skilled staff • absenteeism. If you take a closer look at those companies which sit within the ‘Top 100 Companies’ to work for you will notice something which runs through each of them. You can’t measure it but successful companies have a ‘culture’ which runs throughout them. The benefit of this culture is a happy, innovative and successful workforce. A positive culture only comes through a respect for and an investment in your people. Start cultivating a progressive culture within your business today through employee training programmes and other forms of people investment.

5. Remaining competitive Businesses must continually change their work practices and infrastructure to stay competitive in a global market. Technology, previously the main driver of competitive advantage, is progressively taking a back seat to people. As economies become progressively service orientated, it is the development of people that is providing successful businesses with long-term sustainable success. Training staff to manage the implementation of business strategies, improvements to procedures and customer service policies can also act as a benchmark for future recruitment and quality assurance practices.

Job Interviews Give Them What They Want to Hear

Job interviews. Each interviewer thinks that they are using new and novel techniques. Really it all goes down to the book they read this week or most likely last year. Once you realize that there is little originality in interview techniques your ability to succeed in interviews and hence jobs and promotions offered to you will soar .and you will be on the gravy train so to speak. In actuality it is all about giving the interviewer what is that they want to hear. Management guru Riteway Strokon notes that the skill of getting through university is to learn to give back to the professor what he told in different words – and importantly words that he understands. So it is with passing interviews. . There is very little originality in interview techniques and questions no matter how elaborate and intimidating the interviewer and interview seems. If ever get an honest out of way real interview this is the tip off that this is either the company with its style of management or the superior you can work with and for to prosper. First of all read and reread the ad or posting carefully. What are they looking for? What skills and traits are desired both by the organization and the ad? Do you have those traits or will you have to groom them. Reread the ad to ascertain the “corporate culture”. How could you fit into that society so to speak? How would you present yourself both in appearance, attitude and answers to better fit the interview mold? Further along the path of interview preparation, research the company either as if you were buying one of the company’s expensive products or purchasing a large block of stock. The internet affords the easiest and quickest ever means of initial research.

Interviewer beware!

Reality can be very different from what is written on a slick resume, and the personal interview is your chance to uncover the truth. Watch out for some symptoms of potentially serious problems: I, me, myself. Sure, an interview Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting & Orienting New Employees (Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting and Orienting New Employees) (Hardcover) is all about impressing the other party, but self aggrandisement must have its limits. Be wary of anyone who claims that he or she was the best thing to happen to the previous company - they wouldn't be sitting in front of you if they were. People who focus excessively on themselves are also likely to want the trappings to satisfy their ego. As soon as you hear noises about designation and size of the office, you know it's time to let them go! Asking for the moon. Some people think that switching time is also milking time. If you come across an interviewee who demands an excessively high salary, steer clear of him or her. What's the point of paying more than necessary and upsetting existing employees, even if your company can afford it? Throwing attitude. This one can really hurt if you don't pick it up at the interview stage. Beware of people who don't like the idea of working with a team, are hierarchical or unwilling to get their hands dirty. No homework. It's an interview for heaven's sake, so you'd expect a bit of preparation from the other party. Like having taken the trouble of visiting your company website or reading up a bit on the industry! If you're going to have to coach the candidate during the interview Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting & Orienting New Employees (Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting and Orienting New Employees) (Hardcover) it's really not worth your time. Imagine what he or she will be like once employed!

Employer of Choice

Here is a list of five principal factors considered by most workers.

1) The company. Does the company have a solid history and a good reputation? Is it stable? Is the company respected in its industry as well as in the community? Are the products and services worthy - do they have a positive value for society? Are they produced well and is quality valued? Is the company socially conscious and environmentally sensitive?

2)The culture. People want to work for a company with high values and standards. They want a culture of inclusion and a sense of community. Today’s workers are not interested in status barriers. Traditions, rituals, and history are important as threads that weave together the community.

3)Enlightened leadership. Even though the most influential relationship in any company is usually between the worker and the worker’s immediate supervisor, people want to be well-led from the top of the organization. They expect leaders to think and operate strategically always looking to the future. Senior executives in Employer of Choice companies emphasize the strategic value of people. Leaders are visible and accessible, reaching out to others. They embrace change, making continual change and improvement comfortable for all.

4)Care of people. Quality of life issues are increasingly important to workers in today’s fast-paced, active world. A home-like, safe, and healthy environment is expected today. People want good working conditions, flexibility, and lots of recognition. They want their families involved and they want to know what’s going on. A good internal communications system is a common characteristic of Employers of Choice.

5)Growth and opportunity. Personal and professional growth is strong motivators today, as employees concentrate on their future marketability. Whether they stay with one employer or not, people want to choose their own circumstances. Staying current makes that choice possible. Supervisors become advocates for employee growth, encouraging people to take training, gain new experiences, and participate in the company’s mentoring program. Fast-track opportunities abound.

Employment Law

Since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, federal and state governments have enacted a number of laws that bar an employer from discriminating against employees on almost any grounds, aside from the quality of the employee's work or the nature of his or her personality. Following is an introduction to the law of discrimination in employment. The best known of employment anti-discrimination laws, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibits an employer with fifteen or more employees from discriminating on the basis of race, national origin, gender, or religion. Under Title VII, it is illegal for an employer to take any of the following actions against an employee based upon his or her race, national origin, gender, or religion:• Refuse to hire• Discipline• Fire• Deny training• Fail to promote• Pay less or demote• Harass