Future

Your Future becomes your Past..
So, to control your past, control your future.

Positive Attitude at Workplace

Positive Attitude at Workplace
“Attitudes are usually viewed as evaluative tendencies (favourable or unfavourable) towards a person, thing, event or process. An attitude towards a particular object is thus a bias, predisposing a person towards evaluative is thus a bias, predisposing a person towards evaluative responses that are positive or negative.”- From “Psychology at Work”, Ed.2002 (By Peter Marr)
Employee attitudes have a tremendous impact on the success or failure of an organization. It affects everything from customer service to employee turnover and profits. We can control our attitude and we can also have a positive impact on others in our organization. Distorted Thinking Styles (DTS's)DTS's are customary ways of thinking that eventually cause a misperception of a situation or event. Constant frustration can prompt Distorted Thinking Styles and challenged attitudes. When frustrated, thinking can become increasingly inflexible and may ultimately become distorted. Distorted Thinking Styles could account for 90% of the times you experience frustration.Five Types of Distorted Thinking Styles:Ë Magnifying: Magnifying turns the consequences of an event into a catastrophe such as, "I'm going to be fired."Ë Destructive Labeling: This is an extreme form of over-generalization, making someone or a particular situation totally negative.Ë Imperative Thinking: Think of this as a list of inflexible rules about how you and others should act ­ usually based on negative past experiences.Ë Mind Reading: This attributes to motives that explain other people's actions toward a person or event.Ë Divide and Conquer: This happens because of over-magnification and wanting others to support a particular position. People who have DTS's have a tendency to garner support, usually creating a division within ranks or groups. Challenged Attitude Examples: The following are actual examples I have heard from people who suffer from challenged attitudes and DTS's:
It's not my job.
But I have a college degree.
The other department should have taken care of it.
I have new responsibilities now so I can't do it.
It won't work.
It can't be done.
They won't like it.
You didn't consult with us first.
My pay scale is less than the national average.
Those other employees make a huge amount of money.
Because I don't make more, I'm going to punish my team by only giving 50%.
I just want to draw a check until something better comes along.
My perception is different than the companies.
They make more money than I do.
I am considered a bottom feeder.
I did the research ­
I should make more money.
There is too much change.
Nothing stays the same.
I have no incentives.
I want higher pay.
I can't advance because of a political environment.
I hope to get fired so I can collect unemployment.
As you can see, huge challenges are faced not only by the people that spoke these words, yet in the same spirit, corporations are challenged to find ways to help their employees or staffs have an environment that is positive and empowering.Positive attitudes lead to: W Resilience – Bouncing back from adversities is quicker and easier if you view failure as a learning experience and look for new approaches, rather than blaming yourself or others and thinking that the task is too hard or the world is unfair.W Optimism – Success, longevity and happiness are all by-products of optimism. With an optimistic attitude, you will see yourself as being able to influence the world and will carry a flame of hope that enables you to take risks and accept failure.W Confidence – Confidence stems from optimism. If you are confident, you believe in your own abilities and think you have the ability to impact your environment. Your confidence remains steady during setbacks, because you see them merely as challenges, and are ready to take new risks.W Creativity – Positive attitudes are at the heart of innovation, because it takes a risk to try something different. Without confidence and hope, you would not attempt a new idea.W Conflict Resolution - If you pause and think, you can probably think of dozens of examples of where differing attitudes have caused problems or conflict in your personal and professional relationships. Conflict arises because we expect everyone to have the same attitude as ourselves. But, with a positive attitude you can build your empathy and can more readily see how other people think and feel.W Emotional Intelligence – Once you have the attitude, you will find your emotional intelligence moving into overdrive. This will enable you to better manage and express your emotions and understand others.W Achievement Drives – The attitude of achievement, i.e. the will to get results, enables you to set challenging goals, take calculated risks and learn how to improve performance.W Motivation – Surveys show that most people’s motivation in their job comes from stimulation and challenge – the chance to learn. Bringing an optimistic attitude to the workplace will create a culture of innovation. The creativity and stimulation of ideas will keep you and your workforce motivated and keen to learn.W Focus – If you are focused, you are committed to tasks, take responsibility for them and are able to align your goals with the company’s goals.Remember In the workplace a positive attitude will prepare you for reaching peak performance, while creating a can-do culture.

An Article on competency mapping

Over past few decades, human resource and organizational development professionals have generated a lot of interest in the notion of competencies as a key element and measure of human performance. Competencies are becoming a frequently-used and written-about vehicle for organizational applications such as:• Defining the factors for success in jobs (i.e., work) and work roles within the organization• Assessing the current performance and future development needs of persons holding jobs and roles• Mapping succession possibilities for employees within the organization• Assigning compensation grades and levels to particular jobs and roles• Selecting applicants for open positions, using competency-based interviewing techniquesWhat has not been written about or explored as much over the past decade are the answers to the following two questions:1. How do competency-based human resource management methods of defining and measuring human performance impact individual workers? What impact does an organization’s use of competencies have on individual employees’ career management planning and actions in the long-term?2. How can career management professionals help prepare their individual clients to identify and present their competency strengths in various work or job search situations?The answers to these questions are the basis of this article.How Is “Competency” DefinedThe definition that I most prefer is as follows: Competencies include the collection of success factors necessary for achieving important results in a specific job or work role in a particular organization. Success factors are combinations of knowledge, skills, and attributes (more historically called “KSA’s”) that are described in terms of specific behaviors, and are demonstrated by superior performers in those jobs or work roles. Attributes include: personal characteristics, traits, motives, values or ways of thinking that impact an individual’s behavior. Competencies in organizations tend to fall into two broad categories:- Personal Functioning Competencies: These competencies include broad success factors not tied to a specific work function or industry (often focusing on leadership or emotional intelligence behaviors).- Functional/Technical Competencies: These competencies include specific success factors within a given work function or industry.In this article, however, the predominant focus will be on practitioners’ and clients’ work on personal functioning competencies, since they tend to differentiate success over time more often than do workers’ functional/technical competencies.Three other definitions are needed:• Competency Map. A competency map is a list of an individual’s competencies that represent the factors most critical to success in given jobs, departments, organizations, or industries that are part of the individual’s current career plan.• Competency Mapping. Competency mapping is a process an individual uses to identify and describe competencies that are the most critical to success in a work situation or work role.• Top Competencies. Top competencies are the vital few competencies (four to seven, on average) that are the most important to an individual in their ongoing career management process. “Importance to the individual” is an intuitive decision based on a combination of three factors: past demonstrated excellence in using the competency, inner passion for using the competency, and the current or likely future demand for the competency in the individual’s current position or targeted career field.Although the definition above for “competency mapping” refers to individual employees, organizations also “map” competencies, but from a different perspective. Organizations describe, or map, competencies using one or more of the following four strategies:1. Organization-Wide (often called “core competencies” or those required for organization success)2. Job Family or Business Unit Competency Sets3. Position-Specific Competency Sets4. Competency Sets Defined Relative to the Level of Employee Contribution (i.e. Individual Contributor, Manager, or Organizational Leader)This article will focus the ways that individuals need to present or demonstrate the use of the various kinds of competencies when interacting with organizations.Research is ongoing about the nature of competencies that are important for success across many organizations. There are a number of sources that describe some very common personal functioning competencies found to be important for employees at all levels across organizations. One good quote in this area is from Michael Zwell the author of Creating A Culture of Competence when he says, “From the body of competency research to date, a basic set of 6 competencies would differentiate the top quartile of performers from the rest in most positions in an organization: Initiative, Influence, Results Orientation, Teamwork, Service Orientation, and, Concern for Quality.”The definition of a competency includes three elements:1. A title2. A brief high-level definition3. One or more key behavioral statementsKey Behaviors [Behavioral Indicators]:• Empowers others by inviting input to decisions and requesting appropriate assistance. • Acknowledges the effort, achievements and contributions of others. • Uses active listening skills regularly. • Assesses each person’s hot buttons and adjusts style to get the best out of them. • Encourages others to set challenging goals, give their best efforts and work to their potential. • Helps others to feel important and respected. How Do Competencies Relate to Individual Career Development?First and foremost, competencies must be demonstrated by individuals. Perhaps the most common place where they are demonstrated is within the scope of a particular job or project involvement. However, competencies are also developed and demonstrated by individuals in the following settings: volunteer roles in the community, professional associations, school projects, sports participation settings, and even within one’s own home life. One of the first encounters with competencies for most individuals is in securing employment with a new organization. Many organizations that use competency-based interviewing and selection are also later using the same competencies to assess performance, to encourage future development plans from individuals, and to plan for succession in the organization. Therefore, the individual employees in such an organization will have an ongoing need to use and map their competencies.
Why Should Individual Employees Map Their Competencies?A list of compelling reasons includes, at a minimum, the following. An individual:• Gains a clearer sense of true marketability in today’s job market; once the individual knows how his/her competencies compare to those that are asked for by the job market in key positions of interest.• Projects an appearance as a “cutting-edge” and well-prepared candidate, who has taken the time to learn about competencies, investigate those in demand, and map his/her own competencies prior to interviewing.• Demonstrates self-confidence that comes from knowing one’s competitive advantages more convincingly, and from being able to articulate those advantages in specific language.• Secures essential input to resume development - a set of important terms to use in describing expertise derived from prior career experience.• Gains advanced preparation for interviews, many of which may be delivered using a competency-based approach called “structured behavioral interviewing” or “behavioral event interviewing.” Develops the capability to compare one’s actual competencies to an organization or position’s required/preferred competencies, in order to create an Individual Development Plan. Many organizations today are using the process of 360 degree feedback to compare an individual’s self assessment of his/her own performance against key position and organization competencies to the assessment of key “stakeholders” that the individual interacts regularly with. The 360 feedback received is then used as input to the Individual Development Plan.But what about individuals who work in organizations (or have their own businesses) that do not hire, appraise or develop employees using competencies? There are several reasons for these individuals to map their competencies, as well:1. If the individual ever has a desire to leave the current organization, it is very possible that competencies may be a part of the HR practices used by the next employer.2. The true factors for success don’t really vary that much in most organizations. This is another way of saying that competencies tend to be valid across a wide range of jobs, work roles, organizations, industries, and professions. Therefore, even if competencies are not officially being used, they do indeed have a lot to do with success in most organizations. So an individual who is prepared with insight into his/her own competencies will probably be able to use them in service of success in the organization anyway.Based upon the above description of the benefits of competency mapping, and the likely organizational applications of one’s competency map, it is probably clear by now that an individual needs to become very familiar with his/her own competencies and examples of when they have been demonstrated in the past. Therefore, individuals need to build some time into their career management efforts to do the following:Research (likely through informational interviews with key contacts) which competencies are in demand in their target organizations as a whole, and in particular positions of interest.Map their current competencies, giving emphasis to those which appear to be in the most demand.Integrate key current competencies into their resume, along with behavioral examples and key outcomes or results obtained.Practice describing their competencies, complete with behavioral examples of past use.Map their future development needs for additional competencies, based on their future career goals and the results of the informational interviewing noted above. Sometimes the implication may be for the individual to find a position that better matches his/her current strengths.
How Does Competency-Based Interviewing and Selection Work? ?Competency-based interviewing and selection presupposes that a set of organization-wide, job family/department, or position-specific competencies have been identified by the organization. Interviewers are then trained in the art of Structured Behavioral Interviewing, which has several hallmarks:A structured set of questions is used to interview all candidates. Each question is designed to elicit behavioral examples from the candidate which demonstrate the use of one or more key behaviors underlying each competency that is accounted for in the interview.A team of interviewers is usually used and they typically divide the list of competencies among themselves so that each interviewer can focus on asking the related detailed behavioral questions and documenting candidate responses.Interviewers typically ask open-ended and situation-based questions such as, “Think of a specific time when you faced ____________? How did you handle the situation? How did it turn out?”Interviewers record evidence of behaviors that the candidate relates, and they ask probing questions to gather complete behavioral evidence that includes details of the circumstance, the actions taken by the candidate, and the results achieved. This process is called the CAR (circumstance, action, results) Model. At the conclusion of the interview, all interviewers of a particular candidate meet and compare the behaviors they heard from the candidate that support the assertion that the candidate possesses a specific competency. If the candidate did not offer specific examples with relevant behaviors, after additional attempts at rephrasing the question or asking different but related questions, then the determination is made that the candidate does not possess the competency. (The underlying philosophy here is that the best predictor of future performance is past performance that was demonstrated by concrete, observable behavior.
A final hiring decision is made based on the total strength of competencies demonstrated by each candidate, compared with those competencies that are considered essential for success in the position and in the organization, and as compared with the competency strengths of the remaining candidates for the same position.]How is Competency Mapping carried Out by Individuals?Individuals can complete their own competency mapping process by completing a series of logical steps, including:1. Find and locate relevant competency resources.2. Identify the individual’s current competencies and then determine the top competencies.3. Define the top competencies with a list of behaviors the individual has demonstrated in the past. 4. For each key behavior, identify past performance examples.5. Prepare verbal explanations of the examples, using the CAR Model. (Note: Completing this step of the process has considerable value for the individual. In addition to being used during interviews, situation examples will also be of great value when participating in a performance appraisal, in a proactive career networking situation, or in identifying future positions of interest either internal or external to the organization.)6. Use the top competencies and key behavioral examples to write or revise the individual’s resume.These steps are described below.Step 1: Find and locate relevant competency resources.The first action here must be to identify what types of competencies the individual most needs to focus on. The individual may be employed by or seeking employment with an organization that uses any one of the four ways of categorizing competencies that were identified earlier in the article: Organization-Wide Core Competencies, Job Family or Business Unit, Position-Specific, or by Levels of Contribution (i.e. Individual Contributor, Manager, or Organizational Leader). Then, of course, the next action is to find a resource that covers the types of competencies the individual is focusing on. Some primary options for competency resources would include:1. A variety of competency listings and corresponding materials such as card sorts, are immediately available on the Internet. 2. Numerous books on the subject of competency identification, available on the Internet, directly from publishers, and sometimes at bookstores. On-line booksellers are an immediate source of these items. 3. Local career coaches who are experienced in identifying competencies.4. Informational interviews with known experts in an occupational field, and within key organizations the individual is targeting in his/her career search. In order to increase the effectiveness of discussing the individual’s competencies during informational interviews, I do have one suggestion to make. Step 2: Identify one’s competencies and determine their top competenciesCompetencies can also be identified with the assistance of an experienced coach, either organically through sample interview questions, standardized assessments, answer and writing exercises, or through the use of a 360-degree feedback process (i.e., a full-circle multi-rater evaluation) where one is assessed by one’s supervisor, subordinates, peers, customers, clients, or others. No matter which method is used, the individual should do a quick validation of the list of competencies that emerge to establish their face validity - in other words, a “reality check.” (A validation of this sort need not be scientifically done to add important value to the process.) Next, the individual should identify the four to seven Top Competencies that they believe are the most important to success at this point in their career. As described in the definition of a “Top Competency” earlier in this article, “importance” from the individual’s perspective is an intuitive decision based on a combination of three factors: (1) past demonstrated excellence in using the competency; (2) internal passion for using the competency; and, (3) the current or likely future demand for the competency in the individual’s current position or targeted career field.Three primary ways of validating one’s competencies, and then determining the top competencies, include:• A review of the list by an experienced coach who knows the client well, in comparison to an established list of competencies.• The inclusion of the individual’s competencies in a 360-feedback or multi-rater evaluation process, if feedback is sought from others as part of the coaching process.• Feedback from one or more trusted experienced mentors.Step 3: Define the top competencies using behaviors the individual has demonstrated through past performance.Career or performance coaches who have expertise in resume writing often are ideally suited to assist with this task. It can be a somewhat time-intensive task, made easier by the use of competency development resource materials (see Step 1). One caution is to ensure that behaviors are worded to include specific, concrete action verbs (e.g. “Helps others see the personal benefits of doing their job well”) instead of vague, cliche-oriented wording (e.g. “Inspires others to go the extra mile”). Another suggestion is to limit the number of behaviors per competency to no more than seven, since the human mind starts to lose its focus once a list exceeds seven items in length. Step 4: List performance examples of each key behaviorThis is one of the most crucial steps in preparing individuals for competency-based self-presentation. In addition, it’s a step for which the individual owns the bulk of the initial responsibility, since the coach does not have easy access the individual’s library of all past experiences. Individuals should compose a list of their prior work experiences, projects, and volunteer roles. Then, under each entry, they should spend “quiet time” thinking of one or two concrete behavioral examples - times when they had positive results from their effort. More recent examples are most advantageous, as they tend to have greater “selling value.”Most career coaches have probably encountered many scenarios where individuals state some difficulty and/or discomfort with coming up with specific examples of accomplishments for resume writing. A very useful technique for clients in envisioning their competency examples is to suggest categories of end results, and then ask the individual to brainstorm examples that fit under each category.Step 5: Prepare verbal explanations of the examples, using the “CAR Model”
Many career development practitioners have had experience in preparing clients to develop and present CAR examples. Provided below are a few tips for coaching individuals to come up with examples when they are confronted with unexpected interview questions, or requests for unusual examples:Have written notes, with condensed CAR examples organized by competency, in one’s portfolio during an interview or performance discussion.Take time to pause and think during the discussion - although silence at these times can be a painful experience to the candidate, when an example does not immediately come to mind. A quick glance at one’s notes during these times will be a great help, as well. The pausing technique requires individuals to develop an inner reservoir of tolerance for silence. Becoming comfortable with these moments of silence requires practice on the part of the individual. Our mainstream Western culture does not tend to reward silence, as does Eastern thinking and culture.Ask the questioner to rephrase the question, if the meaning is at all unclear. This allows the individual more time to think, and may also result in a more clearly worded question from the questioner.
The following is a CAR example for the competency “Motivating Others” that might be used by a person conducting an interview for a new position.
Interview Question: “Tell me about a specific time when you intentionally recognized the achievement or contribution of someone else, when it would have been perfectly acceptable to take the credit yourself or not mention the achievement at all.”
Circumstance: I was leading a project team tasked with writing 40 job descriptions inside a division of the large telecommunications company that I had been employed by for 8 years. Our project team had been through a series of planning meetings to put together a project plan that spanned several months. It was time for us to give a status update to the Senior VP of Human Resources, before we began interviewing position incumbents and writing job descriptions.Actions: I invited the rest of the project team (three other colleagues) to join in on the meeting with the HR VP. As part of the status update, I asked each team member to report on their insights to the project plan we had completed. I made a point of praising the level of teamwork that we had developed as a group, thus far in the project. In particular, I thanked one team member who had brought his MS Project expertise to bear in drafting the format of the plan we presented to the HR VP.Results: The HR VP commented later that she was pleased to see the whole project team so engaged and involved. The other members of the team talked pointedly about their enthusiasm for the plan that lay ahead, and their excitement about our team-oriented way of proceeding. We even had some fun referring to our one team member as “the MS Project guru”, and he beamed from ear-to-ear. The project as a whole ended up being completed in a near-record three months of time, with numerous compliments around the organization about the quality of the final job descriptions.
Step 6: Use the top competencies and key behavioral examples to write or revise resumesI will comment only briefly on resume-writing here, as this is a topic for another article. But there are at least four areas where a competency-based approach to writing a resume has impact:
1. In writing a chronological resume, the competency titles and some of the behavioral action verbs should be integrated into the descriptions of ongoing responsibilities for each position.
2. In writing a functional resume, the headings of the functional accomplishment sections should tie very directly into the titles of the individual’s most important competencies. This is especially true for self-employed consultants, whose functional experience headings should correlate with their most important consulting service offerings. Those service offerings should be ones that incorporate the consultants’ top competencies.
3. In either version of a resume, accomplishment statements should form a solid core of information in the experience section. The verbal CAR statements previously developed can be condensed into ideal resume accomplishment statements.
4. The summary of qualifications section, usually found at the beginning of a resume, is an ideal place to list the titles of the individual’s top competencies, almost verbatim.
The Six-Step Approach to Competency Mapping for Individuals was presented. The Approach includes the completion of the following steps: 1. Find and locate relevant competency resources.2. Identify the individual’s current competencies and determine their top competencies.3. Define the top competencies using behaviors the individual has demonstrated in the past. 4. For each key behavior, list past performance examples.5. Prepare verbal explanations of the examples, using the CAR Model.6. Use the top competencies and key behavioral examples to write or revise resumes.
A significant advantage of mapping one’s competencies has to do with using them for future development planning. Development planning in organizations spans a continuum from “not-done-at-all” to “very informal” to “very formal” processes. Larger organizations that do practice the use of more formal development planning tend to have competency models and competency assessment tools, from which individuals and their managers craft future development plans. In some organizations, those development plans are part of the organization’s performance management process. In other organizations, development plans are completed confidentially, separate from performance management, for the individuals’ own career development benefit. No matter how formal or informal and organization’s practices are regarding development planning, the important idea for the individual is to map his or her top competencies that are important to their future career passion and success. Great care needs to be given to crafting a development plan that puts equal or greater weight on using one’s competency strengths, rather than upon expending too many personal or other resources on trying to develop competency weaknesses into competency strengths. Significant competency weaknesses do need to be “managed around” through the use of such methods as delegating, partnering, and some personal modification of behaviors. This will require some planning on the part of the individual, and can be a very valuable part of development discussions with one’s manager, mentor, or career coach. But an approach that focuses on “fixing weaknesses and building them into strengths” tends to create a mindset of only grim determination, for both the individual and his/her manager/mentor/coach.
Competency mapping is a powerful and potential tool for making concrete and recognizable the employable assets that any individual brings into their career. Mapping one’s competency strengths might be one of the most powerful self-marketing tools available to both individuals and organizational talent management professionals today.

An Article on Rewards

Like a child being given a chocolate cupcake and a big hug after cleaning her room, rewards and recognition can be powerful tools for employee motivation and performance improvement. Many types of rewards and recognition have direct costs associated with them, such as cash bonuses and stock awards, and a wide variety of company-paid perks, like car allowances, paid parking, and gift certificates. Other types of rewards and recognition may be less tangible, but still very effective. In today's workplace, companies and management are increasingly using non-monetary rewards as an incentive to motivate and influence employee performance.Recognition should be part of the organization's culture because it contributes to both employee satisfaction and retention. Organizations can avoid employee turnover by rewarding top performers. Rewards are one of the keys to avoiding turnover, especially if they are immediate, appropriate, and personal.
Total Rewards
Total rewards is the monetary and non-monetary return provided to employees in exchange for their time, talents, efforts and results. It involves the deliberate integration of five key elements that effectively attract, motivate and retain the talent required to achieve desired business results. Total rewards strategy is the art of combining these five elements into tailored packages designed to achieve optimal motivation. For a total rewards strategy to be successful, employees must perceive monetary and non-monetary rewards as valuable.
Elements of Total Rewards
There are five elements of total rewards, each of which includes programs, practices, elements and dimensions that collectively define an organization's strategy to attract, motivate and retain employees. These elements are:
Compensation
Benefits
Work-Life
Performance and Recognition
Development and Career Opportunities
Context for Total Rewards
The WorldatWork model recognizes that total rewards operates in the context of overall business strategy, organizational culture and HR strategy. Indeed, a company's exceptional culture or external brand value may be considered a critical component of the total employment value proposition. The backdrop of the WorldatWork model is a globe, representing the external influences on a business, such as:
Legal/regulatory issues
Cultural influences and practices
Competition

The Exchange Relationship
An important dimension of the model is the "exchange relationship" between the employer and employee. Successful companies realize that productive employees create value for their organizations in return for tangible and intangible value that enriches their lives.
Total Rewards Strategy = Leveraging Five Elements to Attract, Motivate, Retain
· Compensation
· Benefits
· Work-Life
· Performance and Recognition
· Development and Career Opportunities
The Exchange Relationship
EMPLOYER PROVIDES: EMPLOYEE PROVIDES:
Total rewards valued by employees Time, talent, effort and results
Context of Total Rewards
· Business Strategy
· Organizational culture
· HR strategy
· External influences (competition, industry, regulation, etc.
· Geography (location of workforce)


Monetary Rewards
Any benefit an employee receives from an employer or job that is in from of monetary benefits for the specific purpose of attracting to the company as well as retaining and motivating the employees.
Methods of Monetary Rewards
Incentives
Perks
Increase in pay
Holiday Trip sponsored by company
Retirement Benefits
Non Monetary Rewards
Any benefit an employee receives from an employer or job that is above and beyond compensation package for the specific purpose of attracting to the company as well as retaining and motivating the employees.
Non-Monetary rewards include formal and informal acknowledgement, assignment of more enjoyable job duties, opportunities for training, and an increased role in decision-making .
Employers today are doing more in the area of non-monetary rewards compared to a year ago, according to a new survey by Watson Wyatt. The three most prevalent non-monetary rewards are advancement opportunities (76%, up from 60% in 1999), flexible work schedules (73%, up from 64%) and opportunities to learn new skills (68%, up from 62%).
"Top-performing employees report that they want greater opportunities to advance and hone their skills, and employers appear to be listening," says Paul Platten, Watson Wyatts practice leader for strategic rewards consulting.
Employers participating in the survey were asked to identify their top performers and invite them to participate in a survey to measure and rank their opinions about the effectiveness of various reward programs.
Factors Affecting Decision-Making Process of Top Performers
1. Opportunity to develop skills
2. Opportunity for promotion
3. Compensation
4. Vacation/paid time off
5. Type of people/culture

Methods of Non Monetary Rewards
Rewards can be based on an event (achieving a designated goal) or based on a time frame (performing well over a specific time period).
Rewards that are spontaneous (sometimes called on-the-spot awards) are also highly motivating and should also use a set criteria and standard to maintain credibility.
Handwritten thank you note
A letter of appreciation in the employee files
Handwritten cards to mark celebratory occasions
Recognition posted on the employee bulletin board
Contribution noted in the company newsletter
Provide public praise at a staff meeting
Take the employee out to lunch with Senior Management

Send people to conferences and seminars and ask people to present a summary of what they learned at a conference or seminar at a department meeting
The photo of the employee with a small write up about the person and his achievement on the notice board.
Star Performer of the Week
Boss of the Day - by giving stars

Regards,
Rajat Grover

SMILE

SMILE

A Smile costs nothing, but gives much
It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give
It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever
None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it,
and none is so poor, but that he can be made rich by it
A Smile creates happiness in the home,
fosters good will in business,
and is the countersign of friendship
It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and it is nature's best antidote for trouble.
Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen,
for it is something that is of no value to anyone, until it is given away
Some people are too tired to give you a smile;
Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.

An Article on Orientation Program for New Employee

An Article on Orientation Program for New Employee

We were born as a light to this world where we were welcomed by our parents, peer group and society. We have to mould ourselves to suit our professional culture in which orientation program plays an important role where we learn lots of things like culture, traditions, behavior pattern in an organization. . Let us have a glance on what is Orientation Program and how it is helpful for the new employee and the organization as a whole.


Orientation Program
Orientation Programs assist staff in understanding organization values and culture, and as a result, encourage commitment to the organization.
"Orientation programs should be more than just filling out forms .Done right, they can boost employee retention and satisfaction."
Effective orientation program is the first step to staff retention
Effective organization should understand the essential role that new employee orientation plays in creating their ultimate success and be prepared to adequately invest the necessary time, energy and resources to create a well-designed staff orientation program. Proper orientation of new employees can play huge returns on any initial investment through higher staff retention, greater employee commitment and accelerated productivity.
Staff members who are properly trained and welcomed as they begin their new employment feel good about choosing your organization tend to fit more quickly with their colleague, are more prepared to contribute new ideas, and they represent you more confidently to clients, community partners and suppliers.
Steps you can follow:
1. Adopt a long term approach like making comfortable to new employee with work culture.
2. Provide information in a way that can be absorbed and retained
3. Use your orientation program to develop a team- environment
4. Fundamental objective of a good orientation program
5. Get some personal information about the new person and circulate it around the office .

When planning the orientation program keep in sights on accomplishing the major goals:
ü Help individuals to create rapport between co-workers and make them comfortable in their new surroundings
ü Provide understanding about the organization culture
ü Carefully outline the job responsibilities and rewards
ü Ensure the orientation is done on ground realities.
ü Encourage participation which will involve the peers , colleagues.
ü Career Growth

Regards,
Rajat Grover

Angrez chale gaye....... Angrezii chhod gaye

Angrez chale gaye....... Angrezii chhod gaye..

sample these!!

Have a nice day! ------> Achcha din lo!

What's up? ------------ >Uppar kya hai?

You're kidding! -------->Tum bachcha bana rahe ho!

Don't kid me! ---------> Mera bachcha mut banaao!

Yo, baby! What's up? --> Beti Yo, uppar kya hai?

Cool man! -------------> Thandaa aadmi!

Don't mess with me, dude.-----> Mere saath gandagee mat karo, e yakti.

She's so fine! --------> Woh itnee baareek hai!

Listen buddy, that chick's mine, okay!?-----> Suno dost, woh choozaa mera hai, theek?

Are you nuts? ---------> Kya aap akhrot hain?

And the best ones are.....

How do you do? --------> Kaise karte ho?

General Body Meeting..-->Saamanya Shaaririk Milan

Keep in touch.......... >Chhoote Raho

Regards,
Rajat Grover