 | Gregory P. Smith
Lead Navigator
President
|
|
Catch Greg at the Atlanta Society for Human Resource Management's 2013 HR Conference. Held at the Cobb Galleria Centre, the event draws HR professionals locally and regionally to discuss best practices. Greg will speak April 30, at 3 p.m. For more information go to www.shrmatlanta.org or call us at 800-821-2487 or 770-860-9464. |
401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees offers endless ideas on how to develop and retain your workforce. Avoid the high cost of turnover by implementing these strategies today!Purchase : $19.95 |
Feelings: Customer Service Training for Professionals is a fun, stimulating and entertaining program to develop your employees. Participants will learn and retain many new skills that benefit them both personally and professionally. Feelings builds motivation and team spirit. Expect an immediate improvement in behavior and attitudes. Your employees will care more about their customers and about their jobs. Feelings is designed specifically for your front-line personnel. Click here to learn more and watch a video clip on this program. |
(Live Webseminar) Our DISC training programs and assessments help you identify individual personality styles so you can hire the right people, reduce conflict, improve communication and unleash team performance. (Classes are conducted in four, 90-minute sessions) Dates: March 11, 13, 18, 20 April 8, 10, 15, 17 Time: 3:00-4:30 E.T. Cost: $1295 per person Register now! Your registration includes over $900 in DISC training materials! Call or email us for more information. 800-821-2487 or 770-860-9464 |
|  | | | PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP I hope this Navigator finds everyone well. One easy way to retain employees is to affirm their value to the company. My mother-in-law owns and manages a large florist/greenhouse business in Lawrenceville, GA. Every Mother's Day my wife Cathy helps her take orders, arrange and deliver flowers. I volunteered one day and I was exhausted at the end of the day. You can only imagine how busy it is at a florist on Mother's Day! Gloria is a successful business woman and she is still working full-time. She puts most people her age to shame. If you ask Gloria why she's still working, she might talk about bills or her customers. But what I really think keeps her going is the sense of purpose she gains from her work. In Gloria's case, it's contributed to her longevity and good health - feeling useful, knowledgeable and needed. If you want a happy workforce, remember each employee's human need to feel valuable. Consider how you can give your employees a sense of purpose and let them know they are appreciated. Helping you Chart Your Course!  Gregory P. Smith President and Lead Navigator     
|
Cutting Costs - Curtailing Services - Can Produce Crappy Customer Service |
| In uncertain economic times, it's common for businesses to focus their time and energies on ways to cut costs. However, many of the decisions to cut back have generated unintended, and in some cases, disastrous consequences. Some of these knee-jerk reactions can have a negative impact on a business' performance and growth. We are seeing increased rates of employee turnover, because people have learned the only way to make more money is to quit and find a job somewhere else. When a business shortchanges their labor or quality - its products, services, or level of customer service can suffer. To weather economic storms, businesses must continue to invest in their leaders and employees - and hire, train and retain the best people with greatness in mind. This means planning for training and setting realistic goals so employees can do their jobs and produce the best results for the company. If businesses take the time to invest in their employees and allow them to build relationships with their customers, they will see the rewards in greater profitability, customer loyalty and employee engagement. Here are five principles to keep you on track: - Hire the right people. According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Careerbuilder.com in September 2012, 40 percent of companies said they lost upwards of $25,000 per bad hire in 2011, and a quarter estimated the cost was more than $50,000. Meanwhile, 69 percent of businesses surveyed said their business had been negatively impacted from a bad hire. Hiring the right people saves businesses time and money. Businesses succeed when they take the time to screen, research and place new hires.
- Equip your staff. Regardless of their position in the company, new and current employees need training. Managers need leadership training that equips them to succeed. A third of new managers fail in the first 18 months, and the reason is often lack of training, direction or mentoring. Frontline employees need training. Their personal and professional skills are key to making connections, and establishing loyal customers that will come back and refer their friends.
To finish reading this article click here! |
| Industry Facts and Figures |
People tend to hire new employees based on cultural and social similarities, according to a December 2012 study from Northwestern University entitled "Hiring as Cultural Matching: The Case of Elite Professional Service Firms." The study showed that hiring managers were more likely to pick applicants who shared the same hobbies or background as themselves. As a result, HR could be missing out on more qualified applicants. "Employers really want someone they can bond with, who they will feel good around," says Lauren A. Rivera, an assistant professor of management and organizational sociology at Northwestern University. "As a result, employers don't necessarily hire the most skilled candidates." |
| |  Like the Navigator? Pass it on to your friends! The Navigator Newsletter is received by over 35,000 subscribers in 49 countries, in addition to other websites and magazines. Reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: "Chart Your Course International, by Gregory P. Smith, Copyright 2013." Sign up and receive free articles, tips and newsletters at our website or call us at (770) 860-9464 or (800) 821-2487. |
| | | |
Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.
|
| | |
