Tag: human resources

One question – Where do you do your best thinking? – received the most surprising answer. Only around 10% of people responded “at work”. Consider this: people are paid to think, and are required to spend a lot of time at work, yet work is not the place where they think well.

The following clip takes the job application process to another level. The work of a Monash student and aspiring Junior Project Manager, it was submitted to Pollenizer and posted for all to see on YouTube. It was soon after spotted by MitchelLake and posted on the recruitment outfit's homepage. What's the moral of the story?

123educateme has found that if an employee spends more than an hour a workday on non-work tasks, it could cost their employer more than $6,200 a year. If that figure is expanded to account for the population of Australia, the amount of lost productivity could amount to a staggering $5 billion.

For thousands of corporations and businesses across Australia, it’s that time of year again. Managers are gearing up for a task which often provokes feelings of dread. Employees are preparing themselves for something frequently described as “loathsome”.

The term empowerment within the context of a business organisation is one that is much misunderstood and misdirected. What does it mean to ‘empower' your staff? What does an empowered team look like and how will it help the business achieve?

The term empowerment within the context of a business organisation is one that is much misunderstood and misdirected. What does it mean to ‘empower' your staff? What does an empowered team look like and how will it help the business achieve?

Picture it: a packed basketball stadium with fans going wild. It’s my son’s basketball grand final. There are four seconds on the clock. His team is down by two points. And he’s just been fouled – meaning he has two free throws. He makes his way to the free-throw line – the enemy of even the most accomplished NBA player. If he nets both shots, the game goes into overtime. If not, his team will lose the game.

Picture it: a packed basketball stadium with fans going wild. It’s my son’s basketball grand final. There are four seconds on the clock. His team is down by two points. And he’s just been fouled – meaning he has two free throws. He makes his way to the free-throw line – the enemy of even the most accomplished NBA player. If he nets both shots, the game goes into overtime. If not, his team will lose the game.

If someone asked you for a good synonym for inspiration, what would you say? You might answer that stimulation is a good substitute. You might choose influence or encouragement. But, by and large, when people think of inspiration, the word that usually comes to mind is motivation. Terry Barber explores seven ideas to get your staff striving to the best of their abilities.

It seems to me that the biggest thing holding Australian businesses back right now is the “me too” syndrome. I do not consider the fact that there are not enough women on boards and in senior management positions to be merely a sexist thing. What I mean is that there is an ingrained corporate culture that says the leaders and directors want to hire others that are “like them”.

Imagine how well your sales team could do if you knew what they were capable of. Stephanie Christopher, National Director of psychometrics consulting firm SHL, looks at how organisations can get the best out of their sales teams in an uncertain market.

Small businesses are big business in Australia, with the vast majority of all companies coming into this category. While they may not have the resources and manpower of larger organisations when optimising efficiency, their small size and all-hands-on-deck ability means that they have the competitive advantage when comes to their most important asset: human capital. Tony Wilson explains.

With one in five Australian workers admittedly unhappy at work, those companies that can keep their employees engaged have all sorts of advantages. Here are some tips to help your staff get the most out of themselves.

A company’s culture is set early and by the founder. If you hook in from the get-go, the resulting stories can become the stuff of legend that sustains staff morale long into the future, says Sahil Merchant.

There are as many different types of digital roles as there are breeds – and personalities – of dogs. Which personalities are best suited to which jobs? Here are my thoughts on eight match-ups: Jack Russell: Bold, alert and lively – big dog personality in a small dog’s body. Works well with early training and socialisation. This personality is suited for telesales.

Most employees can’t articulate the business mission statement. They don’t know what the business is trying to achieve. They come in every day and work in their own little world. Oh yes, and whose fault is that?

Respect can never be underestimated as it is a value many of us hold dear – respect for our information, privacy, views, time, and so on. Yet there is clearly a dearth of respect when it comes to recruitment and redundancy. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Attracting and retaining talented employees is vital to the success of any business. A bus depot provides an unusual yet powerful analogy of what businesses can be doing to increase talent attraction and retention of top performers.

The current market downturn has created uncertainty for many workers. However, while many remain concerned about job security, and others have lost it entirely, there is also a proportion of the workforce that look at the current market and remain calm and focused on securing that next great job opportunity.

What if there was a way to ensure the right candidate was waiting in the wings when an employment vacancy arose in your business?...