Career,
Management and Human Resources
Articles
Am I a Manager or a Leader
and Why Does it Matter to Me? 'NEW'
We all have leadership roles in life.
Most of us have multiple roles where we need to set a direction
and mobilize people towards it - both at work and outside.
By Chris Henderson, April 17, 2008
The New Norm
Sarah James doesn’t have to worry about finding a carpool partner.
The 65-year-old from Long Island, N.Y., rides three days a week with
her granddaughter
to a nearby warehouse store, where they both have regular shifts.
By Adrian Brijbassi, April 10, 2008
Low-Wage Work:
Myths & Facts
Facts brought to you by the Fairness
Initiative
on
Low-Wage
Work.
By The Editor, March 20, 2008
Mature Workers
Vital to Success
How important are workers 50 and older to a nation’s economy?
Steve Wing will tell you.
By Adrian Brijbassi, February 13, 2008
Fire-Fighting
at the Office
Fire-fighting is still an insidious pattern in a lot of organizations.
It causes untold frustration, overwhelm and stress, not to mention
the larger productivity loss costs to an organization. If you find
yourself fighting fires more than a few times a week, consider
putting that energy to better use and volunteer at a crisis centre
or even the local fire department.
By Christina Sestan, February 7, 2008
Employee Wellness
Programs
Wellness programs are instrumental in keeping people
healthy, especially in office environments where employees are often
sedentary for significant portions of the day.
By Faye Mallett, January 23, 2008
Employee Health
and Wellness Programs
Over a decade of research has effectively shown that employee wellness programs
help to create a happier, healthier, and more productive workforce. Indeed, wellness
programs may be one of the few employee benefits that pays money back to the
organization.
By Faye Mallett, January 9, 2008
Green Collar
Careers
Employment related to environmental sustainability and ecological
trade is anticipated to grow in the decades to come, leading media
pundits to call blue collars "green."
By Faye Mallett, December 16, 2007
Energy Management,
Part I
According to Tony Schwartz, president and founder of The Energy
Project in New York and a co-author of The Power of Full Engagement
(Free Press, 2003), when people are exhausted, disengaged, getting
sick, and leaving their jobs, they are in the thralls of a full-blown "energy
crisis."
By Faye Mallett, October 16, 2007
The colour of
business
When Deputy Chief Jim Chu was appointed as the Vancouver Police
Department’s new chief — the first Chinese-Canadian
to achieve that post in any major Canadian city — it didn’t
really raise any eyebrows, but attention was certainly focused
on his ethnicity.
By Margaret Jetelina, September 12, 2007
Career Development:
A Perspective for Employers
Employees will often develop their careers with their same employer
if they can foresee challenges in their future and increasing opportunity
to develop new skills, receive promotions or make a lateral move.
To achieve this, organizations must make clear the link between
career development
and business
priorities.
By Faye Mallett,
August 1, 2007
The Jugular Question
Consider the possibility that everything we know today
about our world emerged from somebody who first became curious
about something and then framed a question around it.
By Faye Mallett, July 11,
2007
Research Shows Greater Self-Reliance
Everyone has their own agenda when it comes to their career. Why should organizations
care about this?
By Faye Mallett, June 27, 2007
When
Words Hurt
Search for “workplace bullying” on the Internet and
you will find a plethora of websites, articles and books devoted
to describing, analyzing and
eliminating the behaviour. Bullying is a widespread and enormous problem that
seriously affects productivity and the emotional well-being of those who are
bullied. Luckily, interest in the topic is booming while tolerance for the behaviour
is waning.
By Trilby McGaw, May 2,
2007
The
Hardest Part about Being a Manager Isn't the Work
Supervision in the workplace can be a challenge and
is often the part of being a manager that we’re least prepared
for.
By Adrian Brijbassi,
April 18, 2007
The
Nature of Ambition
In literature, ambition is consistently portrayed as a complex
attribute that can swing a protagonist from hero to villain upon
a single act.
By Adrian Brijbassi,
January 17, 2007
A
Laugh a Day
Comments and reflections about laughter have existed in our culture
since the time of the early Greeks, who spent time reflecting and
theorizing about the role of laughter in a healthy society.
By Faye Mallett, December
20, 2006
Overqualified,
eh?
Immigrants have to have a good sense of irony while looking for
a job in Canada - when they apply for positions at their skill
level, they're told their qualifications are not good enough; when
they apply for lower level positions, they are told their qualifications
are too good … they are "overqualified."
By Margaret Jetelina,
December 5, 2006
When
You Shouldn't Tell It Like It Is
Many Americans believe that the only purpose of language is to
convey information and that information should be stated outright.
But there
are many reasons why meaning should not be stated outright, why indirectness
is useful and even necessary.
By Deborah Tannen,
November 15, 2006
For Argument's
Sake; Why do we feel compelled to fight about everything?
I was waiting to go on a television talk show a few
years ago for a discussion about how men and women communicate,
when a man walked in wearing a shirt and tie and a floor-length
skirt, the top of which was brushed by his waist-length red hair.
He politely introduced himself and told me that he'd read and liked
my book "You Just Don't Understand," which had just been
published. Then he added, "When I get out there, I'm going
to attack you. But don't take it personally. That's why they invite
me on, so that's what I'm going to do."
By Deborah Tannen, October
11,
2006
When
Zero Tolerance Policies Fail
As a diversity consultant, I’ve witnessed how proclaiming a “zero
tolerance” policy for harassment and discrimination does not deal effectively
with the issue of micro-inequities. These are the words and behaviors that are
not so blatant, are often “below board,” and are much harder to understand
without the willingness to listen and engage in cross-cultural conversations.
By Simma Lieberman, July 19,
2006
Value
Expansion: When Values Become Incongruent
Sandra Cha, an assistant professor at McGill University, and Amy Edmondson, of
Harvard Business School, recently published a surprising study on both the rewards
and risks of interpreting corporate values.
By Faye Mallett,
July 5, 2006
Talk
of the Sandbox
BOB HOOVER of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was interviewing
me when he remarked that after years of coaching boys' softball
teams, he was now coaching girls and they were very different.
I immediately whipped out my yellow pad and began interviewing
him -- and discovered that his observations about how girls and
boys play softball parallel mine about how women and men talk at
work.
By Deborah Tannen,
July 21, 2006
Gender
Communication Differences & Strategies
What can your organization do to create more equality
for men and women? The first step to creating equality is understanding
the different strengths and styles that different genders bring
to the work table.
By Simma Lieberman,
June 14, 2006
The
Indebted Generation
The weight of debt doesn’t only plague the bank account, it burdens the
psyche. Owing money — especially large amounts of it — spawns shame,
rage, seemingly endless frustration and a level of anxiety that shouldn’t
be felt in rich nations. When scores of people add up their net worth and come
up with a total of less than zero, crisis looms.
By Adrian Brijbassi, April
12, 2006
Trust
Relationships: The Work of Karen Stephenson
It’s amazing how patterns, if you understand them well, can be shifted
and moved. When a culture shifts, then you can turn around small communities
and small nations even,” says Dr. Karen Stephenson, an anthropologist who
has been studying the human networks in corporate boardrooms for over 20 years.
By Faye Mallett, April
5, 2005
A
Product Worth Buying
“You are the product,” says Barbara McCleave, a career
management consultant based in Long Island, N.Y. “And products
need good marketers.”
By Adrian Brijbassi,
March 15, 2006
Career
Advice: Don’t Know What You Want? Join the Club
There are many people in careers today who are tolerating this
unsatisfying work environment. The principal causes of this epidemic
are people
who don’t know what they want. For many people, all they
really know is that they don’t like their job, but they don’t
know what will make them happier, thus they remain inactive and
hollow. To stop this cycle, the worker should identify the source
of their unhappiness by asking themselves if they feel challenged
and utilized.
By Susan Selby
January 18, 2006
Why
Office Design Matters: Part II
Numerous studies are revealing how some of the greatest ideas occur from contact
between members of different groups within the same company. Therefore, the design
of an office needs to invite social interaction between people who normally wouldn’t
go out of their way to communicate with each other.
By Faye Mallett January
11, 2006
The Value of
Corporate Social Responsibility
More and more, corporate decision-makers are enacting principles
meant to meet
or exceed the public’s vision for what a business should contribute to
humanity and the environment. Unlike some programs drawn
up in boardrooms, Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives are not being closely
guarded. In fact, these platforms are making public
appearances like never before.
By Adrian Brijbassi January 4,
2006
New
Energy: Alternatives to Oil
Climate Change Specialist Ian Bruce of the David Suzuki Foundation
says that “the
vast amounts of oil and gas we consume on the planet is sending us down a path
that is neither economically nor ecologically sustainable.”
By Melissa Montgomery
December 14, 2005
The
Science of Happiness: Part I - What Makes Us Happy?
By studying people who are exceptionally happy, exceptionally depressed and neither,
psychologists have compiled some fascinating evidence regarding what produces
and maintains a happy mood.
By Jake Gosselin December
7, 2005
International
Placements
In today’s world, international travel is possible at the
drop of a hat. In a few hours you can be across the continent-
in a few more on the other side
of the world. This increased mobility has resulted in the development of many
personal and professional links between local communities and international
countries.
By Melissa Montgomery, November
23, 2005
Why
Office Design Matters: Part I
When engineers for US furniture manufacturer Herman Miller designed steel frameworks
to surround their metal desks in the late fifties they called it the “Action
Office.”
By Faye Mallett, November 3, 2005
Job Sharing-
Having it all
Job sharing, or flex time, has become common in the US, particularly
amongst women who want to work and have a family. Job sharing
enables women to have the best of both worlds- they are able
to work reduced hours, work from home, they have flexible holidays
and most importantly, more time.
By Melissa Montgomery, October 12, 2005
The Consequence
of Attitude
I don’t know a single manager who hasn’t had an experience with bad
attitude. Looking over my own management career I’ve fired three people,
two of which were for performance issues ultimately related to “having
a bad attitude.” To determine if this is normal, I conducted a quick survey
and garnered more than 100 responses
By Peter de Jager, September 21, 2005
Career
Profiles Part II
In an ongoing series, the Galt Global Review
will look at the recently named fastest growing occupations in
more detail regarding what the job entails, the knowledge and necessary
skills required, as well as education and salary information.
By Faye Mallett, September 14, 2005
National
Happiness
In our age of “faster, cheaper and better,” many Canadians
are feeling the stress to perform with greater efficiency and to
work longer hours. But are they happier?
By Melissa Montgomery,
August 31, 2005
Career
Profiles Part I
In an ongoing series, the Galt Global Review
will look at the recently named fastest growing occupations in
more detail regarding what the job entails, the knowledge and necessary
skills
required,
as
well
as education and salary information.
By Faye Mallett, August 17,
2005
UK
Maternity Leave Laws
Maternity leave legalities are an on-going process in the UK, with
rates for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Maternity Allowance
(MA) subject to revision
by the Department for Work and Pensions each April.
By Faye Mallett, August 10,
2005
Careers
after Retirement
Every seven seconds, someone is turning 50 years old. With 76
million American Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964, the
potential of this group is enormous. In fact, this market is
the largest, best-educated and wealthiest generation in U.S.
history.
What are they doing with the rest of their lives?
By Melissa Montgomery,
July 20, 2005
Canadian
Maternity Leave Laws
The Canadian Labor Code defines maternity and parental leave laws
in Canada. Under the legislation of this Code, female employees
are entitled to a standard 17 weeks unpaid, job-protected maternity
leave.
By Faye Mallett, July 13,
2005
PhD
Benchmarking: Getting it right the first time
Traditional hiring methods are about as scientific as flipping
a coin or analyzing a job applicant’s handwriting, and
they often create results that can cost an organization time,
money and energy to train a new hire who was not the right
aptitude fit for the job in the first place!
By Faye Mallett,
July 6, 2005
Generations
X, Why, and Because
Are traditional management strategies appropriate for Generations X,
Y and Z? On one hand, the post-Baby Boomer generations represent a
new
breeding in techno-savvy and creativity, the cornerstone of the notorious “Talent Wars.” On
the other hand, the ability to reign-in, retain, and direct these so-called
young super-stars provokes new strategies
in management structures. New business management and human resource
structures are not isolated phenomenon directed just to the young person.
New strategies offer innovative ideas for the overall flow of business
in the new millennium, regardless of generational paradigms.
By Shelley Lightburn,
June 15, 2005
Australian
Maternity Leave laws
Australia currently provides a few different arrangements for maternity
leave. While Australia’s unpaid maternity leave arrangements are
generous by international standards, existing paid maternity leave arrangements
are limited and fall significantly below what could be considered a
national system. There are no legislated rights governing paid maternity
leave, and the paid maternity leave options that do exist are created
by the initiative of individual employers, the average duration of paid
maternity leave in this arrangement being approximately anywhere from
six to 12 weeks.
By Faye Mallet, June 8, 2005
Debunking
some myths about Executive Coaching
You’ll never see a football team run onto a field without a coach
at the sidelines. There’s a reason for that. Every team needs
someone to motivate and encourage, but more than that, coaches hold
players accountable when they don’t play by the book.
By Corey Van't Ha aff, June 1, 2005
The
Female Business Traveler Experience: Changing an industry
The hotel industry is learning quickly that it takes a lot more than
a few “feminine touches” to attract women who are traveling
on business, and many are revamping their décor and mediocre
amenities as a result. Some hotels have created ‘women-only floors,’
such as the London Hilton and Singapore’s Gallery Hotel, ‘women-only
rooms,' such as the Kempinski Hotel Beijing and women’s only hotels,
like The Wellington in New Zealand.
By Faye Mallett, May
18, 200
Dealing
with Workplace Depression
The University of British Columbia is not timing the announcement of
its new centre of excellence in depression research to coincide with
its Health Work and Wellness conference. But both imminent events will
chip away at the stigma of depression and its devastating impact on
business, said UBC’s head of clinical neuroscience Raymond Lam.
By Glen Korstrom, May
11, 2005
Generations
X, Why and Because
When we think of the changes made to the world economy over the past
century, defining a generation’s contribution to this economy
may be as important an influence as transnational trade agreements and
the Internet. Each succeeding generation is more information-age-savvy
as the generation before them.
By Shelley Lightburn,
April 20, 2005
States
of Well Being: Modern Health Care
Maintaining a universal or near universal health care system holds many
challenges in the new millennium. The following profiles outline healthcare
coverage in Australia, Canada, the UK and the US, identifying the benefits
and the issues of each unique system.
By Melissa Montgomery,
April 12, 2005
Flight
or Fight
When the New York Times newspaper's young rising star Jayson Blair was
forced to resign his prestigious post for plagiarism many wondered:
Are the pressures on a new generation of young professionals too much
to live up to? Is there space for a strong work ethic in a young professional's
career?
By Shelley Lightburn,
March 23, 2005
Internships:
Benefits for the Employers
Students approach internships as opportunities to learn more about an
industry or job role, to develop new skills, and to expand their professional
networks and strengthen their resumes. With these specific goals in
mind, they also search for internships that provide challenging and
varied work experiences.
By Faye Mallett, March
2, 2005
Forecast
of Job Growth: To 2012 and Beyond
Which careers are on the hot list for the next decade and beyond? The
accurate first guess is computer jobs. Yet the computer industry isn't
the only growing career field. Employment is expected to increase in
fields as diverse as education, restaurant management and health care
as the baby boomer generation ages, creating a need for higher numbers
in the service-oriented occupations.
By Faye Mallett, February
15, 2005
Fitness
in the Workplace: Part 1
In 2005, the definition of fitness means being mentally and physically
fit. Wellness means not only the absence of illness but the presence
of a relaxed mind, a positive attitude, high energy level, the ability
to handle stress effectively, and the ability to maintain a healthy
physical condition.
By Melissa Montgomery,
February 9, 2005
Successful
Leaders: What Does It Take?
17th century Russian field marshal Alexander Suvurov never lost a battle,
leading his regiment became one of the best in the Russian Army during
the Russo-Turkish Wars. Suvoruv's secret weapon? He recognized that
his soldiers were the foundation for his success and trained and encouraged
them to be their very best.
By Faye Mallett,
January 5, 2005
Ten Secrets
of Super Successful Meeting Planners
Whoever said that being a meeting planner was easy, lied! Rather, it
should be classified under the tough and demanding job category. But,
along with being tough, it’s also fun, exciting, exhilarating,
stimulating, and never, never boring. You have the opportunity to go
to exotic places, stay in luxurious hotels, and experience life from
a completely different angle. Who could ask for anything more? For those
of you ready to shoot me at this point, know that I fully understand
your pain!
by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP , September 21, 2004
Meetings Beat
E-mail and Voicemail
Many of us just don't meet our goals when it comes to communications
in the workplace. It's because we're not meeting enough. With the proliferation
of email, voicemail, faxes, and teleconferencing, we've lost that human
contact.
By Workplace.ca, September 1, 2004
Employer Branding:
Putting Together a Team
An effective Employer Brand involves advertising and marketing, market
research, customer service, public relations, human resources management,
psychology, and organizational development and management. As any marketing
expert will say: The most successful brands are built upon an intimate
knowledge of their customers.
By Faye Mallett, August 11, 2004
Employer Branding:
The Major Players
Employer branding campaigns are being created by most of the major employers
in North America and Europe. According to a 2001 The Conference Board
study, two-thirds of corporate communications directors were planning
to increase their budgets for employer brand development.
By Faye Mallett, July 28, 2004
Employer Branding:
A New Era of Workforce Attraction and Retention
Employer Branding takes the elements of branding – creating a
particular thought, emotion and image around a particular product or
service - and applies them to create a strong brand to recruit employees.
It is a concept that is rapidly gaining exposure in the corporate workforce,
especially with companies who deal in international markets and who
seek to attract employees with cross-cultural experience.
By Faye Mallett, July 14, 2004
Bonus Plans:
Focus on Performance
A bonus plan can be an extremely effective tool to drive behavioral
change and increase business performance, but only if it is focused
on the measures that really count. This article outlines the primary
design issues that need to be considered in developing an effective
bonus arrangement.
By PeopleMatters, June 30, 2004
Behavioural
Based Interviewing
The interview remains the key ingredient in almost all selection decisions.
The traditional approach attempts to determine the match of a candidate's
traits required to perform. For example, if "assertiveness"
is a job requirement, the interviewer would assess this characteristic
in a candidate and then predict the candidate's ability to be assertive
on the job.
By Workplace Today, June 16, 2004
Internships:
Learning on the Job
Internships are becoming a necessary stage one goes through in his or
her journey to become a professional in their career. At their best,
internships create opportunities to network, provide mentors, and present
an environment for learning and growth. They are entry-level work experiences
that provide students, recent graduates, and those seeking a career
change with opportunities to gain experience in a particular field.
By Faye Mallett, June 2, 2004
HR Unplugged
- Part 2
For a manufacturing company, OSRAM SYLVANIA is on the cutting edge of
workplace flexibility. Although shift work and other circumstances don't
always lend themselves to an anything-goes policy, the company has made
real strides in providing flexible work options at all levels of the
organization. This mentality does not stem from altruism, however; "it's
a pragmatic response to the issue of securing talent and figuring out
how to deploy talent in ways that work," Geoff Hunt, OSRAM SYLVANIA's
vice president of HR says.
By Maureen Minehan, May 19, 2004
HR Unplugged
- Part 1
Try to conjure up images of companies with highly evolved HR organizations.
What comes to mind? Fast-paced, hard-driving new-economy companies?
Entrepreneurial start-ups? It's a pretty good bet your first thoughts
did not include a 100-year-old manufacturing company whose core business
has remained the same for a century.
By Maureen Minehan, May 5, 2004
Transforming
HR - Part 2
The makeover from manual processes to a fully automated HR department,
complete with workflow and automation, doesn’t happen overnight.
It’s about building on success and connecting systems over a period
of years. Yet, when done right, these initiatives can lead to greater
organizational success and improved shareholder return, says Jim Holincheck,
a research director at consulting firm Gartner, Inc. “There is
a tangible link between many of these initiatives and results, even
when it’s difficult to measure the direct ROI.”
By Sam Greengard, April 7, 2004
Transforming
HR - Part 1
Human resources software plays an increasingly important role in fueling
enterprise productivity and cost cutting. A successful transition to
automated processes requires vision, technology and a thorough understanding
of the costs and return on investment.
By Sam Greengard, April 7, 2004
Inflicting
Type III Change
The word 'inflict' in the statement above was
deliberately chosen after careful consideration. It is a distinctly
negative word, bringing to
mind all sorts of nasty accidents with sharp objects. Why use such
an emotionally charged word? Because it serves as a strong reminder
that
Type III Change, is also Type I Change. It is "Change which is
done to us" from an employee’s perspective.
By Peter de Jager, February 4, 2004
Web
Search Success
With everything we are able to do from our home computers these days,
the new trend in the quest for employment is not surprising - Pavement
pounding is off and job searching is on-line. A rapidly growing market
that offers broader career prospects and increased technological efficiency
is advancing the recruitment process to the next level, and the Internet
is now a gateway into a global workforce.
By Jana Ritter, February 18, 2004
Managing Type
II Change
It is worthwhile noting that if the statement "People resist change"
were true, then Type II Change would exist in only small quantities
and on rare occasions. Yet, if we look around us, most of the big changes
we endure are all self-inflicted; marriage; children; learning a new
language; acquiring any new skill etc. All of these are changes we choose
to embrace.
By Peter de Jager, February 4, 2004
Coping with
Type I Change
While there are several questions we might ask when
a change is presented to us, there one which trumps all others. Do
we have any control over
this change? While this seems to call for simple a "Yes" or
"No", if we look a bit deeper, things get complicated. The
question is about what we believe, and how that belief matches reality.
By Peter de Jager, January 6, 2004
Personnel
Business: The Life of an HR Professional
If business is based on productivity and the people working as a team
of employees determines productivity, then recruitment plays a leading
role in the success of a company's performance. But what some organizations
see as being of significant value to company structure, other companies
see human resource professionals only as an essential administrative
function.
By Jana Ritter, December 23, 2003
Aligning the
Stars
These days, movie studios drop hundreds of millions of dollars for a
star-studded cast only to watch a blockbuster fizzle at the box office.
Sports teams routinely shell out megabucks for megastars, who bicker,
battle and feud their way to the division cellar. In the business world,
too, talent is no guarantee of success. Without the right attitudes,
values and focus, superstars can become a black hole for red ink.
By Samuel Greengard, December 16, 2003
Star Wars
Every sport and every era has it superstars. Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds.
Bill Russell and Shaquille O’Neal. Johnny Unitas and Emmitt Smith.
Ultimately, what separates the champions from the also-rans is the ability
to provide leadership and inspiration while fitting into a team. Without
every player understanding his exact role and what it takes to succeed,
there simply aren’t enough balls or minutes to go around.
By Samuel Greengard, December 9, 2003
The Three
Shades of Change
"What type of Change are you trying to implement?" To most
people that's a nonsensical question. A typical response is, "Type?
What do you mean type of change? We're implementing a change! Change
is change!" Or, they might have some sense that they can distinguish
different types of change, and that some changes are "easy",
and others are “difficult”...or that it is an organizational
change vs. a technological one.
By Peter de Jager, December 2, 2003
Say Hello
to "Talent Wars"
Currently, the economy is entering phase three of a three -phase evolution
that began in the eighties and nineties with downsizing and restructuring.
Companies are leaner now, and management is working hard to hold onto
valuable employees. Gone are the days when jobs were the equivalent
to a lifetime of security. We are now in a market-driven economy in
which talented people are becoming more aware of their power and influence.
By Melissa Montgomery, November 26, 2003
Outsourcing:
Know the Ins and Outs
You've probably heard all the futurists talk about how organizations
are completely rethinking the way they operate. Where companies once
owned and managed all their own resources, including full-time, permanent
employees, firms are now sending out key aspects of their business to
individual contractors, temporary workers, and other firms.
By Workplace Today, November 4, 2003
Life After
Employment
Jeff was shocked and angry after being laid off as editor-in-chief for
a Canadian arts and culture magazine. With the support of his partner
and close friends who supported him during, as he puts it, “this
hellish ordeal,” he was able to keep his motivation and morale
high. But make no mistake, he says, “It is traumatic!”
By Faye Mallett, October 14, 2003
Test the Applicant's
Skills Before Hiring
At a recent job interview the recruitment officer asked “Are
you bilingual?” “ Mais oui,” replied the applicant. “Can you type?”
“60 words a minute,” he boasted. “How about Wordperfect?”
“Perfectly,” he assured. The interviewer was impressed.
Nice resume, professional appearance, necessary skills, and plenty of
confidence. Just one more question, “Can you work under pressure?”
“Oh yes, I enjoy being in the hot seat.” They had their
candidate. At least so it seemed. Two days later administration called
up fuming, “How could you send us this imbecile, what did we ever
do to you?”
By Workplace.ca, October 7, 2003
Career Intelligence:
What Every Professional Needs to Know as their Personal CEO
Whether you are fresh out of university or the freshly appointed vice
president, today’s workforce is a complicated challenge for everyone.
With structural changes, developing technology, increasing opportunity
and shifting demands, career savvy is now more essential than ever.
By Jana Ritter, October 1, 2003
Reward Programs
Offer Organizations a Competitive Edge
Most members of the business community believe that people are an essential
part of sustaining an organization’s long-term competitive advantage.
Therefore, the ability to attract, motivate and retain the best people
will be a key influence on an organization’s future success.
By Watson Wyatt, September 2, 2003
What the Survey
Says: Recognizing the Importance of Recognition Awards
Last year in Oregon, The Personnel Department was one of the "Top
10 Best Employers to Work For", also ranking number one in the
“Career Development” category by Watson Wyatt and the Oregon
Chamber of Commerce.
By Jana Ritter, August 19, 2003
Switching
Gears: the New Approach to Changing Careers
Variety may be the spice of life, but longevity has always been a key
ingredient in the recipe for career success. However, time changes
everything,
and with new dynamics of our transitory economy, yesterday’s career
taboo is transforming into today’s career trend.
By Jana Ritter, August 12, 2003
Broadbanding:
Do's and Don'ts
In recent years there has been a trend for employers to re-think
the traditional lineal grading structure. Instead of using many separate
grades covering all jobs within an organization, there has been a
move
towards a broader grading approach, colloquially known as “broadbanding”.
By Watson Wyatt, August 6, 2003
Survey Design
Savvy: Designing an Effective Employee Opinion Survey
At a time when more employers are commissioning employee opinion surveys,
some companies are coming away disillusioned with the experience.
By Watson Wyatt, July 15, 2003
Career Forecast:
Today's Update on the Roads to Tomorrow's Success
“You need a good education to get a good job.” The career
advice most parents give their children, and most recently, what they
mean is university. Not surprisingly, an increasingly competitive workforce
has been steering more and more students in the direction of college
and universities, and although a higher education will always be a road
to higher places, the job market is changing.
By Jana Ritter, July 8, 2003
Overworked,
Underpaid? Think Again
Good news travels slow in our world of infotainment, but let me be a
devil and tell you anyway: it's becoming clear that the great epidemic
of overwork is subsiding. Of late, we're working less, not more. And,
in any case, the latest research suggests the whole story's been a bit
overdone
By Ross Gittens, July 1, 2003
Employees
Have Strong Emotional Connection to Work
North American employees have intense emotions about their work - and
right now, a lot of that emotion is negative. But, a recent Towers Perrin
study identifies the elements of an ideal work experience - one that
can transform this negative emotion into positive emotion.
By Towers Perrin, June 24, 2003
Reworking
Retirement: Growing Old and Wise in a New Era
The new millennium is coloring our world so profoundly, that the golden
years are turning into a gray area. A transformation that has already
redefined retirement for some, and with the projected implications of
an aging society, may change the workforce for everyone.
By Jana Ritter, June 10, 2003
Computer Ergonomics:
Strategies for Safe Classrooms and Healthy Learners
While computer use in schools is increasing, the average age of someone
with repetitive stress disorder is decreasing and many warn that classroom
ergonomics has become a mandatory subject in the learning curve for
its prevention. Concerned with the effects of unhealthy learning environments
and with the future success of our children, community efforts are recognizing
a pro-active approach for schools to get in better shape.
By Jana Ritter, May 20, 2003
Forget
Balance, Focus is the Key
Work-life balance has become a new kind of mantra, expounded upon endlessly
at conferences, in newspaper articles and on television. I will admit
to having devoted many column inches to the subject.
By Barbara Moses Ph.D. May 13, 2003
Best Practice
Probation for a High Performance Organization
Competing in today’s knowledge-driven economy demands strategic
team building to ensure efficient productivity and continuous progress.
As a result, attracting and retaining skilled talent is becoming increasingly
vital to an organization’s success.
By Jana Ritter May 6, 2003
Maintaining
Competitive Advantage in Turbulent Times
The current economic and financial pressures on many organisations,
particularly in hi-tech sectors, provide a major challenge for human
resource departments. Increased competition and shrinking demand have
resulted in a tightening of budgetary belts. In addition, many employees
have seen the value of their share options dwindle, while the threat
of redundancy has either become reality or remains in prospect.
By Watson Wayatt April 1, 2003
National
CHRP Designation: Higher Standards and Broader Horizons for HR
Professionals in Canada
As of March 1st, 2003, Canadian Human Resource Professionals (CHRPs)
must undergo a new certification process to obtain CHRP designation.
Previously determined by Provincial HR Associations, the Canadian Council
of Human Resources Associations (CCHRA) has implemented a set of national
CHRP standards and taken the Canadian HR profession to a new level.
By Jana Ritter, March 25, 2003
Street
Smart: Inventor Paves Way to the Future ...
What most of us just use and throw away is also what inspired Gina Gallant
to make the world a better place. Inventing a process that turns recycled
plastic into pavement, her streetwise innovation has led to international
acclaim as a business savvy solution to one of our environmental concerns
- landfill.
By Jana Ritter, March 18, 2003
Working with
the Contingent Workforce
Whether you are the owner of a small start-up company or the HR manager
of a large firm, the thought of hiring a contingent worker is likely
to have crossed your mind.
By Esme Friesen March 4, 2003.
Working
Out Work Stress
We are certainly aware of how unpleasant on-the-job stress can be, but
what we may not realize is how much we actually pay for it. In addition
to the huge monetary expense incurred by employers and taxpayers, work-related
stress is costing employees their health.
By Jana Ritter February 18, 2003.
When it Comes
to Business, Is There Really No Place Like Home?
Many of us have always dreamed of a home-based office, and technology
has made it our growing reality. As self-employment is on the rise,
more employers are realizing the benefits of having home-based employees.
The amount of employees doing "homework" has doubled in the
last five years, and the numbers are continuing to climb
By Jana Ritter February 4, 2003.
Land of the
Rising Sun
Japan, The land of Geishas and bullet trains: a paradox of culture and
technology. After several months of deliberating, I decided to take
the plunge. Leaving behind a successful career in Canada, I ventured
forth to Japan to do something I had never done before… Teach English!
By Ravinder Booth. January 14, 2003.
Less For More:
Re-evaluating the Standard Work Week
In a market driven world, where time is money, a shorter workweek has
been a tough sell. Increasing competition and the shift towards a globalized
economy has made even the standard workweek a foreign concept.
By Jana Ritter. December 17, 2002
The Lying
Game: A Matter of Fact Approach to Resume Fraud - Part 3
Fact-based recruiting is a necessary approach to re-establishing a playing
field where honesty wins. In addition to eliminating the cheaters, it
encourages a matter of fact approach to job hunting - the first step
to career success.
By Jana Ritter. December 2, 2002
The Lying
Game: A Matter of Fact Approach to Resume Fraud - Part 2
Rampant resume fraud has made recruiting such an extensive process that
reference checking has evolved into a growth industry. Unable to commit
the necessary time to thorough recruiting techniques, many employers
are opting to leave it to the experts.
By Jana Ritter. November 19, 2002
The Lying
Game: A Matter of Fact Approach to Resume Fraud - Part 1
From entry to executive level applicants, resumé falsifying is
on the rise and so is the importance of recruitment awareness. Almost
ninety percent of the personnel directors surveyed by the SHRM (Society
for Human Resource Management), reported resume untruths ranging from
past salaries to personal identification. While they are most often
minor embellishments, there is only one truth about lying: It is not
what employers want to hear.
By Jana Ritter. November 13, 2002
Impress
for Success: A Professional Approach to Your Professional Image
You have seven seconds to create a first and lasting impression in today's
competitive job market. Personal presentation is the key factor in recruiting
and career advancement and like it or not, this can work as your tool
to career success or keep you "pounding the pavement". Whether
you are job hunting, keeping your current position or stepping up the
corporate ladder, an effective professional image will help you achieve
your goals.
By Esme Friesen. October 30, 2002
Accommodating
for Disabilities -
Part 2
Disabilities were once seen as a display of human frailty invoking feelings
of fear and sympathy. They are now being recognized as surmountable
obstacles producing a high level of flexibility and perseverance in
individuals who have overcome them.
By Esme Friesen. October 15, 2002
Accommodating
for Disabilities - Part 1
Disabilities were once seen as a display of human frailty invoking feelings
of fear and sympathy. They are now being recognized as surmountable
obstacles producing a high level of flexibility and perseverance in
individuals who have overcome them.
By Esme Friesen. October 8, 2002
Call the Stress Busters
The working environment is one of the most common areas where one can
feel stressful pressure rise to a dangerous level. Over the past decade,
overwhelming stress has been recognised more than ever before by doctors
as being a genuine and significant factor in people's lives, particularly
for those who work for a living.
By Mario Cacciotolo. September 10, 2002
Biotechnology:
Career Options
Biotechnology, a field that exploded in the late 1980s, is a combination
of biology and technology that allows scientists to alter cells to manipulate
them as needed. The biotechnology sector in the U.S. and other developed
countries has expanded at a rate almost double that of the economy,
and this trend is expected to continue into the foreseeable future.
Careers:
Gain a Psychological Advantage
Recruiters are increasingly incorporating personality and psychological
testing into the interview process in order to separate the men from
the boys. Evaluations during the recruitment process may help employers
ensure better productivity, reduce absenteeism and fight high turnover
rates. Those goals have given pre-employment assessments a push.
Confidential
Data Leaves with Job-Hopping Employees
Despite many countries adopting trade secrets and industrial espionage
laws, many nations, even allied nations, continue their attempts to
acquire trade secret information and critical technologies for military
and commercial application, through both legal and illegal means.
Who's Watching
Those Watching - Part 2
Mario Cacciottolo investigates why increased surveillance leads to more disciplinary
action. Part two of two.
Worker
Surveillence Increasing: Leads to Dismissal - Part 1
Mario Cacciottolo investigates why increased surveillance leads
to more disciplinary action. Part one of two.
The
Right Clothes for the First Job
The association is a non-profit organization
that helps low-income women make tailored transitions into the workforce.
Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has an interview
and a second suit when she gets the job. Women are referred to Dress
for Success by a continually expanding number of diverse, non-profit
member organizations which include homeless shelters, domestic violence
shelters, job training programs and English as a second language programs
The Joy
of Jumping Ship
Lindsay Wood looks into the joy of leaving an old job for the joys
of the new. Just as long as you're bailing out for all the right reasons
that is.
Retailers
Offer Opportunities to Grow
Confidence, enthusiasm, the ability to work with others and to be open
to training programs.
Skills
Versus Qualifications
A larger percentage of the population is employed than at any previous
time, according to a report from the Council of Economic Advisers and
the Department of Labor.
Trust Takes
Time
Trust takes time because it demands proof. Is there anything more basic
than trust? Can I trust this person? Can I depend on this company?
Return
to Top
© Copyright 2002 - 08. Galt
Western Personnel Ltd. Unless otherwise specified, you may reprint
this article,
quote from it, use it in research or projects, duplicate it or distribute
it. Credit of authorship and source MUST be given to galtglobalreview.com.
Ownership of Copyright remains with Galt Western Personnel Ltd.
