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Employee Relations: September 2010 Archives
Last year, I wrote several columns on Job Fairs and how to make them successful. In anticipation of next Tuesday's job fair in Saratoga Springs, here are some things to keep in mind around job fairs. After reading this, check out prior postings on job fairs that I have posted.
From 2009: Feedback from my students and clients of late has been that job fairs don't do anything for them. Some of the reasons for this that I have heard include:
1. The people that are working the tables don't care. 2. All the jobs at these fairs are cold-calling jobs. 3. I already have a job, why should I go to a job fair? 4. There are only entry level opportunities at the fairs I have been to.
Today, I'll address the first point. I've seen this myself; apathy or lack of care in the people working the job fair tables. This could be the result of someone being assigned to the role with little interest, a belief that no candidates will be found by using this method, or the misconception on the part of the attendees that the people behind the table don't care.
Some of the best practices to employ as a representative of your company at a job fair:
1. Rotate job fair responsibilities between HR, managers, and other representatives of the company.
2. If possible, break up the job fair into shifts, and have people rotate roles during the shift.
3. Outsource your job fair representation; their are plenty of passionate people out there who if hired for a single event may be more passionate about your product than you!
Yesterday at Yankee Stadium, a memorial was erected for the late owner of the New York Yankees, George Steinbrenner. What Mr. Steinbrenner did for baseball, his community, and communities around the Tampa area (where he hailed from) will live on in his memory.
What made Mr. Steinbrenner so amazing was his ability to laugh at himself, willingness to give people 2nd, 3rd and 4th chances at succeeding, and his command of his team far outweighed some of the negatives.
Even for baseball fans, the important things to remember about Mr. Steinbrenner were his passion and tireless pursuit for excellent, his contributions to the community (often unpublicized and unannounced), and his preservation of the legacy of the Yankee tradition.
If any of us can be successful in even one of Mr. Steinbrenner's pursuits, we become part of his legacy and the legacy of our own communities as well. I know without even knowing "The Boss" personally, his passion and drive and genuine caring for the human race have inspired me in many of my pursuits.
What does it take to build a successful internship program? Here are some items to consider
1. A structured job description of the internship 2. Key relationship development with the interns and management 3. A solid interview process for placement 4. A strong relationship with schools, colleges, and businesses to find and develop interns 5. Educational components that add value to the relationship 6. Possible opportunities for placement at the company after the internship is over
These are but six components that make internships effective. Sometimes, the key is #7
7. Bring in a consultant or expert in the field to oversee the internship program in lieu of an HR department or training department
What prevents a number of companies from instituting internships is not having someone on staff who can manage the process remotely or on-site. Contact me for a free consultation on how to build a successful internship program into your business, no matter the size. Even businesses with less than 10 employees can capitalize on local talent through internships.
Robert J. Braathe, MBA Business and Technology Consultant, Professor and Trainer Former Walt Disney World, Apple and Gap manager iPhone 203-770-2686
Q: I've had trouble filling a management position recently; I'm either getting people who are too qualified, live too far away, or not qualified enough. What do you suggest?
A: Perhaps the answer lies in providing internship opportunities to those wanting to break into the field. You may be able to hire a few candidates to work as your assistants in part-time roles that you can pay them a hourly wage and offer incentives such as management training and internship credit for their school. Many companies have done this well (I myself am a graduate of the Disney Management Internship Program).
Many colleges are looking for companies to provide these kind of opportunities, and partnering with college placement offices/professors/career counselors can open you up to a sea of candidates.
Sometimes people on your staff aren't suited for particular roles, and it is management's job to ensure that their employees are not put in roles that they cannot handle.
In baseball, the 8th inning role for pitchers generally is given to someone who throws hard, can get three outs with ease, and brings the game to the closer to end it with a victory. With Joba Chamberlain, he has continually failed in this role time and time again. Prior to Friday night's game, he actually had done a fairly decent job pitching in innings other than the 8th. However, for some reason, manager Joe Girardi decided to put him in with disastrous results.
Since Chamberlain has performed well when brought in earlier in the game, it may make sense to still keep him on the team, but not as an 8th inning guy.
Think about situations in your workplace that draw parallels to this; are their shifts that your employees do well on but not on others? For example, do you have a server who does really well at lunch but when they are put on a Saturday night they can't handle the volume? In retail, do you have someone who does very well with selling to the 18-35 crowd but can't handle the day shift when older clients are in the store?
What can you do to ensure that situational leadership is effective?
In many cases, the answer is to retrain, readjust your schedule, or move the person to a new role or out of the company altogether.
The news of the costs of paying out pensions and the ramifications of such payouts has been a hot topic in the Albany Business Journal, The Times Union, The Saratogian, and nationally in papers such as the Wall Street Journal. Since pensions are part of the appeal of working in many state and government jobs, a long-term solution that can satisfy the wants, needs, and desires of all the stakeholders seems to be a mystery.
Over the next two weeks, I'd like to solicit some reader thoughts on what can be done to
A. Cover the costs of pension payouts currently existing B. Create a future that enables pensions and retirement benefits that are fair and equitable and benefit all stakeholders. C. Enable others to continue to receive pension benefits in the future that they are entitled to by their contracts.
Send your ideas and thoughts to robert@galaconcierge.com with the subject "Pensions in New York State". All submissions will remain anonymous, and those who submit comments before September 16th will be posted here on this website and receive a complimentary copy of my e-Book "Manners Positivity Heroics"
One of the best practices that I have employed in my classroom and in my work has been the asynchronous discussion board. In the summer of 2008, I took a course over at UAlbany called Intro to Online Teaching, which exposed me to just how effective asynchronous discussion can be.
By allowing students and employees to speak on a discussion board that isn't limited by time and space, more vibrant and thoughtful discussion can take place. Be sure to set clear guidelines or rubrics ahead of time to ensure that everyone participating is providing the kind of contribution that you desire from your students or employees.
After July 31st, all players that teams attempt to trade must pass through waivers. If any of the other teams in baseball put a claim on the player, then the team must either remove the player from waivers (thus making him untradeable the remainder of the season), negotiate a trade with the team who claimed him, or let him go to another team with no compensation.
Manny Ramirez was claimed by the White Sox and the Dodgers gave him up in what could be called a "salary dump". Mike Napoli and Ted Lilly were claimed by the Red Sox and Yankees respectively, but their teams instantly removed them from waivers.
Sometimes the waiver wire is just used to gauge interest in another player by other teams. How can this be used in business? A good HR philosophy by a company would be to regularly have high level meetings between locations discussion potential talent, transfers of management, and potential for trading staff to fill gaps where needed. A company would be wise to hold these meetings on a regular basis (maybe twice or quarterly) to share what talent is available, offer talent who is interested in moving, and also share what talent may be available once the next meeting commences.
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