We were talking at the office the other day about whether someone preferred being hourly or salary and someone remarked "sourly" instead of salary.
Very often, salaried positions can turn sour very quickly. We used to joke back in my salaried days that we worked undertime rather than overtime because the more we worked the less we made.
Salaried positions have their perks, but sometimes its best to evaluate some of the benefits that come with an hourly position, or a 1099 position.
Don't rush into a job because of a high salary. Look at the entire compensation package before making a rush decision on a job offer.
What is broken about retail? Whether you work in it, shop retail, or just follow it in the news, the retail system as it exists needs to change. Whether it is electronics, grocery, apparel, or department stores, change is inevitable.
In the coming weeks, we plan on featuring several posts about Revolutionizing Retail. Based off of my experiences working retail for Gap, Apple, CVS and some family businesses, I will share perspectives on my learnings while working with these companies and best practices employed as a result of what I learned.
We will also explore ways that companies can look to change, especially from an HR perspective.
Tune in soon for our first Revolutionizing Retail post.
In addition, we are working on a series that we will be taking on the road and in webinars on hot topics in retail.
by Saratoga College Virtual Internship Program participant Annie Rosencrans
A little competitive spirit in the workplace is usually a good thing. Competition can be highly motivating, and often promotes self-improvement and group camaraderie. That is unless of course competition begins to overwhelm your bigger picture. When your employees' desire to beat one another overshadows their motivation to succeed at their job, businesses become dysfunctional. This is where you come in: The change agent.
If you are a team manager struggling to build solidarity in the work place, here are a few things that you can do: First and foremost, lead by example. If you want your employees' attitudes to change, you must first change the way you think and behave. When addressing your team, use inclusive words like "We" instead of "I" and "You". Make sure that everyone takes ownership in your company's successes, and shares responsibility in its failures. Along those same lines, treat all of your employees as equals. If you're trying to tone down the competitiveness in the office, the worst thing that you can do is play favorites. This will only deepen the resentment in the office.
You might also consider taking more creative action for unifying your company. This doesn't require anything fancy - something as simple as organizing happy hours once every couple of months can release inter-worker tensions and build camaraderie. If you're not satisfied with your company atmosphere, you have to be the one to make the change. So don't settle on the status quo, and be the change agent that your company so desperately needs.
by Saratoga College Virtual Internship Program participant Annie Rosencrans
Back in the day, running a business team was simple. Employees worked in the same office, on the same 9 to 5 schedule, for the purpose of reaching a common goal. But as technology's role in the workplace continues to grow, an increasing number of businesses are making the switch to virtual teams. This move has brought a host of benefits, not the least of which is flexible work hours, lower costs, and the opportunity to recruit team members from anywhere in the world.
But despite its many benefits, leading a geographically dispersed team also has its share of challenges. Typically, effective communication is the most difficult thing to achieve in a virtual team. To avoid communication issues, ensure that you have dependable technologies. Video chat programs that cut out every couple minutes are not doing you or your business any favors - so make sure you invest in technologies that work. Next, set clear and realistic goals for your team. When everyone is on the same page, the team is more productive, efficient and cohesive. Finally, evaluate your team members. Are they dependable? Trustworthy? Ambitious? If not, it may be time to restructure. Never settle on the status quo and remember that the success of your business depends on your leadership.
Ian Kennedy has blossomed into a very successful pitchers for the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, his career didn't get off to the greatest starts as he was banished to the minors a couple years ago by the Yankees when management didn't think he had the stuff to make it to the majors.
"Rosenthal points out how the pitcher he saw with the Yankees was "nervous and unsure of himself." Considering there is very little rope to hang yourself when pitching for the Yankees, it's not surprise.
2008 would have been the perfect year to stick with a struggling young pitcher like Kennedy. Joe Girardi was in the first year of his contract, and the team wasn't good enough to win a championship. Instead, the organization panicked and started to plug holes with mediocre stop-gap starters. Darrell Rasner was given 20 starts; Sidney Ponson 15.
After giving up 5 runs in 2 innings at Anaheim on August 8th, Kennedy was banished to the minor leagues. What's funny is that no one talks about how he was very good for Scranton that year. He struck out over a batter an inning with a 2.35 ERA."
If Kennedy hadn't had his character questioned, he may have made it as a tremendous part of the rotation for the Yankees instead of being included in the Curtis Granderson trade. Hopefully, with their patience with some of their latest young pitchers (Ivan Nova, David Robertson, Boone Logan), they have learned the errors of their ways.
In business, we need to give the young and untrained more leeway especially when they have the personality, interests and preferences we are looking for. Don't give up too early on people!
Today I will share how I work by the hour, not in a 4-5 hour block of time.
I enjoy working in powerful spurts of 30 minutes to an hour several times a day with breaks in between. Typically, I get started with an hour of work between 6 and 8am (either 6-7 or 7-8), followed by or preceded by some stretching or a workout. I then have a nice relaxing breakfast, and then do another hour of work around 9/10am.
I also work for about an hour after lunch (1-2pm), an hour mid afternoon (3-4pm) and an hour after dinner (7-8pm). By taking at least an hour between my power work periods, I am able to recharge, refocus, and maximize my productivity by combining it to short, powerful periods of time.
"Apple CEO Steve Jobs is well known for his electrifying presentations. Communications coach Carmine Gallo discusses the various techniques Jobs uses to captivate and inspire his audience -- techniques that can easily be applied to your next presentation."
I was talking with a colleague the other day about how the 9-5 workday for business professionals needs to be dead and buried. A lot of our woes of society (traffic, job fatigue, stress) could be averted if the work day was confined to a 10-3 timeslot for those working in an office setting.
Not all businesses would adapt to this new schedule, but think of the advantages of a tighter workday at the office - less driving home during rush hour; more time to spend with your kids before and after school; more productivity, knowing you only have 5 hours to accomplish what you could do in eight
What are the disadvantages? I see few, other than that people might not be able to attend as many boring meetings.
Next time I talk about this, I will share how I work by the hour, not in a 4-5 hour block of time.
A WWE wrestling faction a few years ago called the Straight Edge Society would go around beating up people to convince them that they needed to live a straight life and avoid alcohol and drugs. It's leader, CM Punk, has lived this lifestyle and even though his faction is no longer together, he still lives by its principles of a no smoking, no drinking philosophy.
Sometimes, we need to give up the good to get to the great, and for me that meant giving up any alcohol as well as coffee to get more focused on my business. The hardest part for me was coffee; I wanted to strangle people for a couple days when I gave it up but I've eased off of it with green tea and an occasional iced tea.
The mental clarity that has come from being "Straight Edge" has been amazing. I've been telling my colleagues, clients and students the benefits of this and how much it has done for my business by being completely clear of "ups and downs". (My wallet is a lot fatter too).
Next time you want to make a major change in your life or business, consider joining me in the "Straight Edge Society".
Hiring and firing are sometimes very tough to do, but it is better to hire before the "fire" hits your business.
For example, let's say you know that you are going to have seasonal upturns in your business or a graduation purge in your employment base. Rather than wait until the peak time hits, hire more help than you need to have a well-trained staff prior to the people leaving or the business peaking.
Many businesses take the opposite approach; they hire in panic and get a lot of bad fits.
In my business, I've done a great deal of work building bench strength so I can handle any sudden upturns in business with ease and poise. You can do the same!
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