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How to Spot Fraudulent Online Freelance Writing Jobs on Popular Sites Like Craigslist

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If you’re new to freelance writing, not only can it be difficult to tell a legitimate job from a scam, it can be downright impossible. This is because online freelance writing jobs scams are evolving. Like all criminals, the scumbags behind them evolve as more and more people become hip to their methods. So, how can you protect yourself? How can you avoid being taken advantage of? Following are three ways to do so.

1. Look for Contact Information: Not only should you look for it, but try contacting the company via the methods they provide.

While many companies post anonymously on sites like Craigslist to avoid being bombarded by job seekers, sometimes a legitimate company will get back to you to at least acknowledge receipt of your materials if you apply.

Scam companies, on the other hand, may contact you with “offers,” eg, sign up for our membership site for only $2.95/month; subscribe to get job leads delivered directly to your inbox for only $1.95/month. Once they have access to your account, they’ll usually debit your account for anywhere from $40 to $97 per month or more – every month.

2. Look for Details: Speaking of presenting materials, scam companies operate at both ends of the spectrum – either they’ll ask you for specific things up front, or they’ll ask you for very little. It all depends on what their scam is.

Some want free content, so they may request “original” writing samples; others want money, so they’ll just ask you to send in specific (sparse) info so they can get your contact info and spam you later with their fraudulent offers.

3. Bulk Content Requests: If a company contacts you with a large content order, and won’t pay a certain percentage up front, they’re probably a scam. Their game is to get free content.

I’m an SEO writer. One day, I received an email from a company wanting 40 articles. I don’t remember what it was on. They provided me with a keyword list and asked when I could complete the order. I said within 3 days and that we require a 50 percent deposit to get started. They balked; I walked.

Many times, companies will say that they’ll pay you after you’ve completed a certain number of articles. Only, you never hear from them after you’ve delivered the initial content.

There are more ways to spot online freelance writing jobs scams, eg, if they ask for money for job leads, or if they ask you to submit “original samples” for no pay, etc. Just do your due diligence and if it doesn’t sit right with you – for whatever reason – go with that. Don’t talk yourself into something. Your subconscious is at work here. Listen to it.

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Source by Yuwanda Black

Harmful Bugs To Development: Poor Attitudes Towards Work

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An age-long setback to societal, national and global development has been poor work ethics exhibited by employees at workplaces. These workers who are the blood of every industry or institution are accountable for the achievement and/or progression of the set goals of the company which eventually leads to the attainment of national development. Any lackadaisical attitude on their part would ultimately affect the development of the nation. This article pinpoints the poor work ethics that are the contributing factors to the redundancy at workplaces and offers suggestions on how they can be addressed.

Lateness to work has been identified as one of the major unethical attitudes of the workers. The majority of them report an hour or two after the time they are set to report to work. Upon their arrival, they walk carefree into the offices of co-workers blowing the horn of their presence. This eats into the time allotted for work. This situation has to be censored by these workers by their supervisors who must intensify their supervisory and monitoring duties.

Supervisors at the various workplaces must issue written queries to perpetual latecomers after several verbal warnings. This would put these workers on their toes to report early to increase their individual productivity in the institution of work. Institutions that can afford electronic identification devices like face, thumb, and voice recognition devices must place them at the entrances of their institutions to capture the actual reporting times of employees. Occasionally, punishment instituted must be administered to monitor lateness. Institutions that do not have the financial strength to purchase these devices can effectively utilize the time book under the surveillance of the superior supervisor.

Another poor work ethic demonstrated by most workers is going for long overdue afternoon breaks that suck working hours. This usually can even escape the vigil eye of the most hardworking employee. If not unchecked, it could lessen output of productivity. Supervisors must still be stern in monitoring the reporting times of employees. Frequent culprits must be issued with either oral and/or written queries to prevent them from this unethical attitude.

Moreover, some workers excessively and needlessly complain of their remuneration so much such that it dwindle their fervor for the work. As a result, a greater part of productivity is lost. Workers must be content with their salaries that they have agreed before taking up the employment offer. Employees must always remember that bountiful produce results in salary increment in most situations with its allied monetary allowances. Employers must be firm with such employees and warn them against such attitude if it results in a reduction in output. They must advise such persistent complainants to forfeit the job and take on workers who are willing to accept the salary to be paid. However, employers must occasionally institute monetary incentives as forms of motivation to reward and maintain hardworking employees.

More importantly, employees must be people with integrity, serving wholeheartedly at their various workplaces since they were employed to offer such services. Employers and supervisors must beef up their supervisory roles to heighten societal, national and global development.

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Source by Dickson Adom

The BEST QUESTIONS to ASK at the END of a Job Interview in 2023!

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16 GOOD STRENGTHS for JOB INTERVIEWS! (What Are Your Greatest Strengths Sample Answers!)

To help you pass your interview at the first attempt, we will cover the following 4 things in this blog post:

#1. We will tell you WHY the hiring manager is asking you if you want to ask any questions – there is a specific reason why they are asking you, and you’ll be surprised what it is!

#2. We will tell you the questions you SHOULD NEVER ASK at the end of an interview. If you ask any of these questions, you will fail your interview.

#3. We will then give you the top 12 BEST QUESTIONS to ask at the end of a job interview. All of these questions will increase your chances of getting hired.

#4. We will tell you how many of those 12 questions you should ask, and you can  choose which ones you think are the strongest.

WHY is the hiring manager asking you if you want to ask any questions?

They want to assess two things:

#1. Whether you are going to actually ask any questions. If you ask any of the 12 questions I am about to give you, it demonstrates you have the right motivations for the job.

 #2. They want to assess your attitude. If you ask questions that focus on what YOU will get from the job, it could show you have a selfish attitude, and they may not take you on in the role.

#1. DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT TIME OFF OR HOLIDAY ENTITLEMENT.

If you ask questions about how much time off you are going to get, or if you can have time off for a pending holiday, it shows your mind is focused on not actually being at work. We recommend only asking questions about holidays and time off once you’ve received a job offer.

#2. DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW YOU’VE PERFORMED AT THE INTERVIEW.

Some candidates think it’s smart to ask the hiring manager if they’ve performed well at the interview and whether or not they are going to get hired. They might say:

“Do you think I’m qualified for the job? or… “How did I do?”

Don’t ask those questions! It comes across as desperate. Give the hiring manager the space and time to consider whether they want to take you on in the role.

#3. DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT SALARY!

The salary should be included with the job advert. If it isn’t, again, wait until they offer you the job before discussing pay.

12 BEST QUESTIONS to ask at the end of a job interview!

QUESTION #1 What’s the first thing you’d want me to concentrate on in the role if you hire me?

This is a great question because it demonstrates you are already thinking about what you can do to have a positive impact on their team.

QUESTION #2 Can you tell me more about the team I would be a part of in this role?

Team work is a vital component of any successful organization. This question shows you are aware of this, and you want to find out who your team members will be, and what their roles are.

QUESTION #3 What’s the best thing about working for this company?

We love this question because it is positive, and it gets the interviewer talking about something they love, which is their company. It’s a positive question that shows you are a positive person!

QUESTION #4 Who would I report to in the role, and what would they expect of me?

In your job, you may have to report to one or several managers. This question clarifies who your line manager will be, and what you must do to exceed their expectations.

QUESTION #5 What would my success in the role look like in twelve months from now?

This is another great question to ask at the end of a job interview because you are getting the hiring manager to visualize you in the position, and you are already focusing on what you would need to do to be successful.

QUESTION #6 What type of training would I receive once I started work for your company?

This question shows you understand how important training and development are. It demonstrates that you are keen to learn and do things to a high standard from the get-go!

QUESTION #7 What new initiatives or opportunities are on the horizon for the company?

We love this question because it shows you are looking to the future and you understand how important progression is to the success of a company. It demonstrates that you are a forward-thinking employee!

QUESTION #8 What’s the one thing I could do in this job to help you succeed?

This is another powerful and positive question that demonstrates your willingness to really drill down and focus on what you can do to help their business be the market leader!

QUESTION #9 How will my success be measured in the position?

This question demonstrates your awareness that you will be held accountable in your role, and measured against your manager’s pre-determined objectives. If you asked us this question, we would think you were someone who understands there will be high expectations of you in the role.

QUESTION #10 What are the plans for the company in the next 5 to 10 years and what could I do to help you achieve them?

This is a smart question. Again, it shows you to be a forward-thinking employee who is focused on setting yourself goals to help the company achieve its long-term mission. It also tells the hiring manager you are planning on staying working for them long-term, which is a good thing.

QUESTION #11 How would you describe your organisation’s culture?

This is a smart question to ask at the end of an interview because it shows you want to take the time to find out how the organization functions and supports its employees. Not many candidates will ask this question, but those who do will impress the hiring manager!

QUESTION #12 Who’s your biggest competitor, and what could I do in this position to help you better them?

This question shows you understand how important competition is in any industry, and you are then focusing on what they need you to do to help them be the market leader.

OK, so from those 12 questions, Ww recommend you ask the hiring manager 3 of them!

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Five Steps to Manage & Resolve Conflict in the Workplace

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Conflict is a word that causes many of us a great degree of discomfort, anger, frustration, sadness, and even pain. Conflict is no stranger to any of us. We experience it all the time in our daily lives – with our families, friends and increasingly so in our professional lives. It is a regular aspect of life.

Today we live in a flat world as one big global village. There is an increase in workforce diversity whereby organizations have teams comprised of employees from different geographic locations, diverse cultural and cognitive backgrounds with various outlooks. In the workplace where individuals have different perspectives on the same issues, sooner or later, there are bound to be disagreements sooner or later.

Conflict can happen when different views or opinions come to light. When conflict can be seen as nothing more than different points of views, it sets the stage for possible positive outcomes for the issue at hand.

The idea is not to try to prevent disagreements, instead to resolve and manage conflicts effectively. When individuals or teams can use appropriate resolution tools and skills to address an issue, they can keep their differences from escalating into problems.

Establishing some type of conflict management process within an organization is far better than allowing avoidance, denial, passive-aggressive indirectness, or plotting how to occur amongst the employees. In the conflict resolution process, individuals and teams can explore and understand their differences and use the information to interact more positively and productively.

Below are five basic steps to follow in resolving a conflict.

1. Identify a safe place and time to talk

To allow for a constructive conversation, individuals generally need to feel that they are in a ‘safe place’ – one that will enable them to take the risk involved for honest communication about the issues at hand.

This means finding a private and neutral room, a location that isn’t the office of one person or the other. For conversations that start in a more public place, it is helpful if the two persons can move to a more private area within the room.

Ensure the amount of time for a meeting is acceptable and appropriate for all parties. Complex disagreements can not be resolved in fifteen minutes or less. If time is limited, determine the criteria for the discussion and then fix a time and date for immediate follow up.

2. Clarify individual perceptions involved in the conflict

Each party involved in the conflict must have an opportunity to express his or her perception or understanding of the conflict. An issue can’t be solved if you are unclear what the problem is about.

Start by sorting out the parts of the conflict. Get straight to the heart of the matter and avoid any unrelated issues, not about the conflict at hand. Discuss facts and remove the emotion from the situation. Identify problems clearly and concisely.

When undergoing this process, each person must recognize that everyone needs to be involved to being the most effective.

3. Practice taking an active and empathetic listening stance

To obtain a positive outcome in negotiating solutions to workplace conflict, it is vital that we resist the desire to force our ideas onto others and instead make a concerted effort to listen to what is being conveyed. If we can practice active listening, the likelihood that the other person’s ideas and thoughts (as well as our own) will be heard is greatly improved.

By advocating empathy, team members can identify the thoughts or feelings of the other person and have the capacity to understand the other person’s point of view. When teams take a listening stance in the negotiation process, they set the scene for the opportunity to share their concerns about the conflict.

4. Generate options with the vision of a win-win outcome

In conflict resolution, a win-win strategy is a conflict resolution process that aims to accommodate all parties and arises out of a sense of fairness. Explore and be creative in searching alternatives and the use of an external facilitator or mediator if you feel it would be beneficial to the group engaged in negotiations.

Begin by taking one issue at a time, starting with an issue that the parties agree is worthy of discussion. Generate several possible solutions to the problem by collectively “brainstorming” ideas. Write down the various ideas on a flip chart so that everyone can see them. Defer any judgments or evaluations at this stage until all ideas have been presented to the group.

Clarify the criteria that the individuals or team will be used for evaluating options. This ensures that everyone is on the same page, and with mutually acceptable criteria, promising solutions to problems become easier to formulate.

5. Develop an agreement that works for all

After the negotiation process and the team has reached an agreement regarding solutions to each problem, summarize the ideas and put them in writing. Restate them back to each other to ensure everyone agrees with both the intent of the solution and how it is to be carried out.

Seek clarification that everyone is satisfied with the outcome. If one party is not happy with the outcome but is not saying so, then there is a strong likelihood that the problem will arise again.

As the conversation comes to a close, leave the session with a commitment to implement the plans that you have just created.

It is important to note that there is a positive side to resolving conflicts successfully. As a result of issues being brought to the surface, individuals and teams gain benefits that they may not have otherwise achieved. Such benefits include:

Benefits of Conflict Resolution

1. An increased understanding of how to achieve one’s goals without undermining those of other people.

2. Increases in group cohesion as team members/co-workers develop a greater mutual respect for one another and renewed belief in their ability to work together.

3. Co-workers also benefit from improved self-knowledge. Disputes force individuals to take a closer look at their own goals and help them to realize what is important to them, and help them to focus on enhancing their effectiveness at work.

So next time an issue or concern arises at the workplace, don’t avoid it by acting like an ostrich with his head in the sand; employ your conflict resolution skills and face the issue head-on before it has a chance to escalate into a conflict requiring intervention.

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Source by P Lorraine Wigglesworth

Applying the 20-60-20 Rule to Leadership & Change Management

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Most of us have heard of the Pareto Principle known as the 80/20 rule that states roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

Examples include:

· 80% of sales come from 20% of the salespeople

· 80% of customer complaints come from 20% of the customers

· 80% of the work is done by 20% of employees

……. and so on. It has been amazing to see, over time, how accurate this has been when analyzing the activities of clients.

Another rule I’ve found to be accurate is a variation on the Pareto Principle and it’s just as powerful. It’s called the 20/60/20 rule. Its application to leadership, time management and generating results is priceless.

The 20/60/20 rule applies to people and relationships. This could be employees, customers, vendors, a church congregation, PTA……. even family and friends.

The rule states that approximately:

· 20% of the people will immediately be on board with whatever you are saying

· 20% of the people will immediately be opposed to whatever you are saying

· 60% of the people can be influenced one way or the other depending on future interactions

Let’s expand on each of these.

The Positive 20% – This group already has an understanding or a viewpoint that is in complete alignment with what you are saying. You don’t have to “sell” them! They already get it. This could be the customer who is ready to buy, the employee that agrees with the new vision or the family member who has wanted you to change jobs for a long time.

The Takeaway: Leave this group alone or else you might screw something犀利士
up! Don’t over communicate with them or spend a lot of time influencing or persuading them……..they’ve already got it!

The Negative 20% – This group already decided before you even open your mouth that they are against it. Typical responses from this group are, “I’m too busy for this”, “it will never work”, “it doesn’t make any sense”, “this is a waste of time.”

No matter what you do, you will not be able to convince this group that whatever you’re doing is a good idea or that it’s a great product/service that they need to buy. Know anyone like this?? I bet you do and I bet they are in every relational group in your life: prospects, employees, neighborhood associations, family members and friends.

The Takeaway: Ironically, the takeaway here is the same as the positive 20%. Leave this group alone! All of your efforts in persuading this group will be for naught. The only outcome for you will be frustration and wasted effort. Wasted effort that could have been applied to the next group.

The Middle, Workable 60% – Here is where you can make a difference! The sixty percent in the middle can be influenced one way or another after the initial interaction. It will depend on further communications, the environment, and their own individual processing. Here is where you want to spend your time.

Identify this group and then spend the majority of your time with them finding out why they are “on the fence.” Create a safe environment where they can give honest answers to your questions without the fear of retribution. What do they like? dislike? How they would approach it? Incorporate their input so you can get their buy in. In most cases, people don’t expect all of their ideas to be incorporated. They just want to be heard and to know that leadership values their views and opinions.

The Takeaway: With focused attention and genuine interest in their input, you should be able to get the majority of the 60% to move over in the positive category.

Effective leadership, in any organization, involves knowing how to efficiently use your time to generate the best results. Applying the 20/60/20 rule is a great tool to determine where to spend that time and with “who” in order to generate the biggest impact to your organization.

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Source by Derrick Strand

Detained WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich wasn’t spying on Russia – his arrest is because Putin’s Ukraine war is failing

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BEING a journalist isn’t a safe profession, and it’s particularly dangerous for those who work in countries such as Russia.

They run heavy risks, but they continue reporting because they know how important it is.

Jailed Russian journalist Evan Gershkovich has appeared in court for the first time this week

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Jailed Russian journalist Evan Gershkovich has appeared in court for the first time this weekCredit: EPA

The Wall Street Journal’s Moscow correspondent, Evan Gershkovich, now awaiting trial for espionage, knows the country very well.

He has been based there for six years and he is the son of a Russian-Jewish couple who emigrated to the United States from the old Soviet Union.

Working in Russia for an American newspaper at a time of international tension is a worrying business.

But he has a deep love of the country and a strong desire to tell people what is really going on there.

Putin 'to SCRAP Russia’s largest nuke-powered warship Peter the Great’
Huge explosions hit Russia leaving thousands without power in 'drone attack'

Gershkovich was arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg, 900 miles east of Moscow.

It now seems he went there to write about the Russian war effort (not, as was at first reported, about the activities of Russia’s infamous mercenaries the Wagner Group).

It was an important and worthwhile story, exactly the kind of thing any foreign correspondent would do.

The Russian secret police, the FSB, will have watched him on to the plane from Moscow and followed him as he interviewed local people. Then they moved in to pick him up.

The FSB agents themselves may quite possibly have realised that he was just doing his job.

But the Kremlin wanted him arrested for spying and, ever since, Russian government ministers, together with Vladimir Putin’s powerful press secretary Dmitri Peskov, have been lining up to declare Gershkovich guilty.

Did Putin himself sign off on the arrest? We don’t know, but it’s hard to imagine something as major as this would have been done without his knowledge.

The fact is, Evan Gershkovich may have been picked up for a rather different reason.

Russia has been performing so badly in the Ukraine war that it can’t be sure how it will end.

Down the line, President Putin might find it handy to have some Western hostages to swap, maybe for Ukrainian PoWs or for some bigger deal involving Washington.

Over the past 13 years several American prisoners, some accused of spying, have been exchanged for genuine Russian agents held in the US.

At present there are two American hostages in Russia: Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan, who has been held for four years without being exchanged.

The Kremlin’s attitude towards Western journalists started to get more hostile around 2012.

Before that there was still plenty of freedom and you could speak to government ministers relatively easily.

Little by little, the atmosphere has got frostier. Things were a lot better for journalists during the Cold War.

If the Soviet authorities gave you a visa to go to report there, it was an assurance that you would be allowed to work without being threatened with arrest.

In 1978, I went to Moscow and filmed a secret interview with the top political dissident Andrei Sakharov while he was under house arrest.

It made a big in- ternational splash and the Russians went crazy. They accused me of endangering world peace, but they didn’t accuse me of spying.

Their anger lasted precisely two years. On the anniversary of the interview they invited me to an official embassy function in London. No one ever mentioned it again.

Everything is different nowadays. Kremlin officials are much more open to Western influences, and they know very well that journalists aren’t spies.

It suits Vladimir Putin to turn up the heat on Western governments with tired old espinage allegations

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It suits Vladimir Putin to turn up the heat on Western governments with tired old espinage allegationsCredit: AFP

But Putin needs to stir up anti-Western feeling, and the loudmouths who broadcast war news round the clock on Russian television are only too happy to pile on the accusations against someone like Evan Gershkovich.

Western journalists are spies if the Kremlin says they are, and the penalty can be up to 20 years in prison.

As a result, there are very few Western journalists left in Moscow nowadays, and their bosses in New York or London or Paris keep a constant eye on them to see if they should be pulled out.

Until the arrest of Evan Gershkovich it was as though the Russian government was happy to have a few Western correspondents on hand.

They knew what made the country tick and could be relied on to explain it calmly and rationally to the outside world. Gershkovich was one of that group, until his luck ran out.

The way a journalist works — interviewing people, taking notes, getting the odd photograph — can always be presented as spying.

At present it suits Putin to turn up the heat on Western governments, and so the tired old accusations of espionage are coming out.

In fact, Gershkovich was doing an important and necessary job. Of course he isn’t a spy.

He’s a professional journalist with an important job to do. Russia must free him at once.

John Simpson is the BBC’s world affairs editor. His programme, Unspun World, returns to BBC Two and the BBC News channel on May 17.

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John Simpson is the BBC’s world affairs editor. His programme, Unspun World, returns to BBC Two and the BBC News channel on May 17.Credit: Rex



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Find a Career Coach to Mentor You Through a Job Search Or Career Change

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You know that saying about life being counted not by the number of breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away? This Ezines Expert just had one, receiving a nomination for an award in the Best Creative Resume category of the Career Directors International (CDI) annual Toast of the Resume Industry (TORI) competition.

Much of the credit belongs to mentor Laura DeCarlo, director of CDI, who offered coaching and mentoring before the award entries were due.

Having been in the career industry for more than 10 years, this coach knew how to write a resume before her mentoring. Clients land interviews with Workwrite documents all the time, but Laura taught practical tips for content and design that made the resumes even more effective. The nomination would have been unlikely without her guiding hand and wonderful sense of humor.

Mentoring leads to your success, too

Mentoring can also be one of the secrets to a successful job search and career. Just as Laura’s mentoring nudged resume writing to new levels, mentoring from a career coach can put your job search or career change on the fast track.

You can talk with your friends and colleagues about changing positions, and they’ll likely support and encourage you; however:

  • Will they hold you accountable?
  • Can they advise you on effective techniques for your job search?
  • Do they know how to help you prepare for a tough interview?
  • Can they help you do the planning so essential for salary negotiations?

Friends, family, and business associates are not your best source of education and guidance about a subject in which they are not expert, but about which they do have an agenda. They love you, in the case of friends and family, and business associates are likely to at least want to keep you around – or not; either way, it’s an agenda.

Like a mentor, a career coach’s only job is to prepare you for your next career move. No agenda, no hidden motives, no extra baggage.

Contact a career coach or resume writer today for guidance and mentoring through proven techniques to increase your success. Look for a career coach who has a mentor. They’ve likely learned well.

Copyright 2010: Jeri Hird Dutcher, Workwrite.net. Permission to republish with attribution.

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Source by Jeri Hird Dutcher

The Power of Positive Reinforcement

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There has been much written about positive reinforcement as a psychology for changing performance. It is a technique both used in animal training and child development, which now has proven as effective for use as part of human resource management in business tool. As a business manager, how can one apply and monitor positive reinforcement?

First understand that everyone enjoys being recognized when they do good work. Only pointing out when someone does something wrong and never acknowledging what is done correctly can lead to negative results. Employees who are given praise for doing things right or for progress in performance improvement will work harder to do an even better job. Employees who are not told when they do good work and are corrected or ridiculed when they do bad work, will only do the work that is required to stay out of trouble in the future. These employees can enjoy their work, improve their attitude, or see a reason to work harder because only bad performance is acknowledged.

With this understanding of human behavior, managers must begin to modify the approach to employee recognition. Managers must notice when an employee does something right and give them simple and sincere praise for what they did. Tell the employee the specific thing they did right and how that helps the department or company. Let the employee know that management has confidence in their ability to continue to perform well and be innovative in their approach to their own tasks. This positive reinforcement of the employee’s effort should occur as soon as possible after the job well done is noticed. Frequent, sincere, and positive praise can go a long way to getting employees to perform at their best.

Giving positive reinforcement does not mean that what is done incorrectly by an employee is to be ignored. Instead, it means to recognize what portion of the work was done correctly first, then follow-up with what can be done better the next time and why the performance or work result was not quite what was expected. If this means the manager must take some of the blame for not giving detailed instructions for the desired behavior or result, they should do so in an apologetic manner and then proceed to explain how the manager personally will try to do better. This is an excellent time for the manager to let the employee know they still have faith in them but need their help and cooperation by their asking questions if the manager’s instructions are not clear. This allows both the employee and manager to get better at communication, which results in improved task completion. Remember mangers need to give positive results first, then follow-up with what improvements are needed, apologize if necessary, and then reinforce what was done right again. When working the improvement or follow-up statement do not use the word “but” as this word often negates anything said before it and the employee may stop listening as they know a negative is coming next.

Understanding that everyone enjoys being acknowledged when they do good work is a typical human response should help improve performance. Business managers need to learn how and when to apply positive reinforcement when monitoring improvements to work behavior or task completion. Managers should always consider the positives rather than only mentioning when employees may be performing beneath the desired level. Positive reinforcement could be the key to better results in human resource management, which should lead to better business results as well.

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Source by Shirley Lee

Investing In Employee Development For Improving Retention

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Employee retention is a critical issue for many companies. High turnover rates can be costly, both in terms of financial resources and the negative impact on team morale and productivity. Furthermore, recruiting and training new employees can take a significant amount of time and effort, which can slow down progress and hinder growth.

One effective strategy for improving employee retention rates is investing in employee development. By providing employees with opportunities to learn and grow, companies can increase motivation and job satisfaction, improve performance and productivity, and foster a sense of loyalty and commitment among their workforce. In this article, we’ll explore why investing in employee development is essential for improving retention rates, and how companies can design and implement effective employee development programs.

investing in employee development
Image by Freepik

Employee Development: What It Is and Why It Matters

Employee development refers to any effort to improve an employee’s skills, knowledge, and abilities. This can take many forms, such as on-the-job training, coaching, mentoring, formal education, and self-directed learning. The goal of employee development is to enhance an employee’s ability to perform their job and achieve their career goals, while also contributing to the overall success of the company.

Employee development is essential for both employees and companies. For employees, it provides opportunities to acquire new skills, gain knowledge about the company and its industry, and advance their careers. For companies, it leads to a more skilled and motivated workforce, better performance and productivity, and a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

The Link Between Employee Development and Retention

Research has shown that there is a strong correlation between employee development and retention rates. According to a recent study, 70% of employees indicated that they would consider leaving their current job to work for a company that has a reputation for prioritizing employee development and learning. This highlights the importance of investing in employee development as a way to attract and retain top talent in today’s competitive job market. Additionally, a survey by LinkedIn found that 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development.

Employee development fosters a sense of loyalty and commitment among employees by showing them that their employer is invested in their success. When employees feel valued and supported, they are more likely to stay with the company and contribute to its growth over the long term.

The Benefits of Investing in Employee Development

Investing in employee development is critical for the long-term success of any company. Here are ten benefits that come with investing in employee development:

  1. Increased Employee Engagement: Employees who are given the opportunity to learn and grow are more engaged and motivated. This leads to increased productivity, better customer service, and higher employee retention rates.
  2. Improved Performance: When employees have access to training and development opportunities, they are better equipped to perform their jobs at a higher level. This leads to increased efficiency, improved quality of work, and better overall performance.
  3. Enhanced Knowledge and Skills: By investing in employee development, companies can help employees acquire new knowledge and skills that are relevant to their job roles. This can help them stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices, which can improve their overall performance.
  4. Greater Innovation: When employees are given the opportunity to work on personal projects or engage in other forms of creative development, they are more likely to come up with new and innovative ideas. This can lead to better products, services, and processes that benefit the company as a whole.
  5. Improved Retention Rates: Employees who feel valued and supported by their employer are more likely to stay with the company long-term. By investing in employee development, companies can improve retention rates and reduce turnover costs.
  6. Better Customer Service: Employees who are knowledgeable and skilled are better equipped to provide excellent customer service. This can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, which can improve the company’s bottom line.
  7. Increased Employee Satisfaction: When employees are given the opportunity to learn and grow, they feel more satisfied with their jobs and are more likely to stay with the company. This can lead to a more positive work environment and better overall morale.
  8. Stronger Company Culture: Companies that invest in employee development tend to have a stronger and more positive company culture. This can help attract top talent and improve the company’s reputation in the marketplace.
  9. Better Succession Planning: By investing in employee development, companies can identify and develop future leaders within the organization. This can help ensure a smooth transition of leadership when key employees retire or leave the company.
  10. Improved Bottom Line: Ultimately, investing in employee development can lead to improved profitability for the company. This can come in the form of increased productivity, improved quality of work, better customer service, and reduced turnover costs.

In the next section, we’ll discuss strategies for implementing effective employee development programs. By following these best practices, companies can design programs that meet the needs of their employees while also aligning with their overall business goals.

Strategies for Implementing Effective Employee Development Programs

Effective employee development programs are designed with both the company’s and the employee’s goals in mind. Here are some key components to consider when developing an employee development program:

  1. Identify Key Areas for Development: Before implementing an employee development program, companies should identify key areas for development based on business goals, employee feedback, and industry trends.
  2. Develop Clear Objectives: Companies should develop clear and measurable objectives for the employee development program, such as increasing productivity, improving customer service, or developing leadership skills.
  3. Involve Employees in the Planning Process: Employees should be involved in the HR planning process to ensure that the program meets their needs and interests. This can help increase buy-in and engagement.
  4. Provide a Variety of Training Options: Companies should offer a variety of training options, such as online courses, classroom training, and on-the-job training, to accommodate different learning styles and preferences.
  5. Offer Mentorship and Coaching Opportunities: Mentorship and coaching opportunities can help employees learn from more experienced colleagues and develop valuable relationships within the organization.
  6. Provide Opportunities for Personal Development: Companies should offer opportunities for personal development, such as wellness programs, financial planning workshops, or language classes, to help employees grow outside of their job roles.
  7. Measure Success: Companies should measure the success of the employee development program by collecting feedback from employees, tracking performance metrics, and evaluating the return on investment.
  8. Encourage Continuous Learning: Companies should encourage continuous learning by offering ongoing training opportunities and promoting a culture of learning and development.
  9. Tie Employee Development to Career Advancement: Companies should tie employee development to career advancement by offering promotion opportunities and career paths that are based on skills and performance.
  10. Recognize and Reward Employees for Their Development: Companies should recognize and reward employees for their development, such as through bonuses, promotions, or public recognition, to encourage engagement and motivation.

By following these strategies, companies can create effective employee development programs that benefit both employees and the organization as a whole.

Case Studies: Examples of Companies that Have Successfully Invested in Employee Development

Many companies have seen the benefits of investing in employee development firsthand. These case studies serve to highlight the benefits of such programs and provide practical examples that other companies can learn from.


1. Google

The first example is Google, a well-known technology company. Google offers several employee development programs, including mentorship opportunities, career development workshops, and even a program that allows employees to spend 20% of their time working on personal projects. By investing in these programs, Google has been able to retain top talent and stay at the forefront of innovation in the tech industry.

2. Marriott

The second example is Marriott, a global hotel chain. Marriott has a comprehensive employee development program that includes job-specific training, leadership development, and tuition reimbursement for further education. By investing in their employees’ skills and knowledge, Marriott has been able to improve performance and customer satisfaction and retain talented employees.

3. UPS

The third example is UPS, a package delivery company. UPS offers a range of employee development programs, including tuition assistance, leadership development, and training programs for drivers and other employees. These programs have helped UPS improve employee retention rates and customer satisfaction, while also reducing accidents and improving safety.

Overall, these case studies demonstrate that investing in employee development can have a significant impact on a company’s success. By providing employees with opportunities to learn and grow, companies can increase motivation and job satisfaction, improve performance and productivity, and foster a sense of loyalty and commitment among their workforce. Other companies can learn from these examples and adapt similar programs to their own specific needs and goals.

Conclusion

Investing in employee development is a critical strategy for improving retention rates and achieving long-term success in today’s competitive business landscape. By providing employees with opportunities to learn and grow, companies can increase motivation and job satisfaction, improve performance and productivity, and foster a sense of loyalty and commitment among their workforce. To design effective employee development programs, companies should involve employees in goal-setting, provide regular feedback and coaching, offer access to learning resources, provide incentives, and evaluate and improve the program over time. By following these best practices, companies can retain top talent, improve performance and productivity, and stay competitive in their industries.

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Workforce Development is More Than Just Training

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“Why should I train employees for my competitors? They’ll just leave after I invest in their training. I’m smarter than that: I focus on hiring people who are already trained for what we need!”

I am sure my jaw hit the table when I heard that executive’s view of training during a break at a Chamber of Commerce meeting. How could he NOT do everything possible to maintain his biggest asset (and expense) – his workforce and their payroll?

I will admit it was very tempting to ask, “What happens if you don’t train them and they stay? Then what will you have?”

But, before I could say anything, he went on to top himself when a manager sitting next to him asked, “But as fast as technology and knowledge is changing, how do they keep up if you don’t train them?”

“I don’t worry about it. I pay them to stay productive. If they want to keep their jobs by being productive, it’s their responsibility to stay current!”

Unfortunately, his attitude of ‘why-train-them-for-my-competitors’ is fairly common when training is viewed as a unique event that disrupts productivity.

That is why workforce development means so much more than just training. ‘Developing the employee’ means that you are going beyond teaching job skills. You are also developing character, emphasizing values, and shaping attitudes about how they view themselves, their employer, their peers, and their future.

If an employer wisely spends money on maintaining equipment, software, buildings, and customer base to protect their investment in those costly categories, why not also invest (not ‘spend’) in maintaining the expensive workforce that is the source of their corporate income?

The old Army recruiting slogan, “Be All You Can Be” was an earlier way of describing workforce development. It is all about encouraging employees to expand their career horizons. It is saying, “Now that we have taught you how to do the basic job, we want you to figure out how do it more efficiently and increase your value to the company.”

‘Workforce development’ in its best sense means:

  • We conduct needs assessments to develop our training curriculum so the employees always support the business mission.
  • We do not conduct a training class if there is not a clear and distinct link to a business reason to do it.
  • We do not conduct training classes without having specific, behavioral, or objective outcomes defined first.
  • We have low tolerance for supervisors who discourage employees from attending valuable training classes.
  • We have taught our leaders how to reinforce the skills taught in any of our courses.
  • We view our training function as a valued business partner, not as a cost center.
  • Before sending employees to a class, we require leaders to tell us first how they will work with the employee to reinforce the application of it AFTER the training event because we know that training without reinforcement is a waste of resources.
  • Before sending employees to a class, we require leaders to review the learning outcomes most associated with the employee’s job, meet with the employee to be sure they learn them, and schedule a post-class opportunity for the employee to share those learning points with other employees in a departmental learning moment. This provides added value to the supervisor for the training.
  • Every department has an orientation and training program that insures new hires (or transfers) become as productive as quickly as possible. It isn’t the same program for all departments but one that is tailored to their unique functions within the organization.
  • Each employee can explain the difference between being ‘productive’ and simply ‘busy.’
  • We have a program to develop leadership skills in our current supervisors and managers as well as a program to identify and develop future leaders.
  • We know how to measure and manage performance in all job function so employees are assured that their work products are measurable and they are fairly compensated.
  • We know how to develop and apply fair and measurable methods for determining “soft skills” performance such as communication, teamwork, and customer service.
  • We have skilled employees sharing their knowledge with peers so that every employee becomes a trainer to some extent.
  • We have a ‘measurement culture’ that is so focused on performance skills that diversity-related issues almost never come up.
  • We teach employees to examine their work processes for opportunities to reduce cycle time, waste, or inefficiency.
  • Each employee can explain how his/her job supports the mission of the employer.
  • We have a performance assessment process that managers use as a tool to manage performance and employees see as a means of managing their self-development.
  • Employees are self-directed because their leaders have done an excellent job of communicating expectations and there are processes to provide performance feedback.
  • Tardiness, absenteeism, and turnover are very low because employees fell they “get to go to work”, not “have to go to work.”.
  • Employees at all levels see real opportunities for self-fulfillment.
  • We teach fundamentals of project management to line employees to teach “big picture’ thinking, process improvement fundamentals, and begin the development of future work leaders.
  • Our employees would be pleased to tell friends about job openings in our organization they could fill.
  • We teach the lowest level of supervisors how to collect and use historic data for measuring production capacity and forecasting potentials for staffing and productivity.
  • We teach the lowest level of supervisors how to collect data to prepare a budget and monitor their group’s expenses.
  • We teach our leaders at all levels how to lead a multi-generational workforce
  • We help our workforce expand their range of skills to broaden their career opportunities instead of just focusing on “moving up”

There are probably many more activities we could add to what “workforce development” means but I am sure you get the sense of how it is so much more than just a training event.

I doubt that executive at the Chamber’s meeting will ever change and I also doubt whether he will be an executive much longer. That kind of thinking drives employees away and creates high (and expensive) turnover ratios. I can visualize him being shown the door muttering how you just can’t find good help any more!

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Source by Dick Grimes

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