Recruit, Inspire & Retain -- archive

Recruit, Inspire & Retain

A FREE eZINE FROM TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC.
RECRUIT, INSPIRE & RETAIN
AUGUST, 2000
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Be sure to FORWARD Recruit, Inspire & Retain to others, and remember, you can CHECK ARCHIVES by keyword at our web site http://www.trainingsys.com

COOL INFO CONTAINED IN THIS ISSUE:

Top 10 Stupid Policies * Who’s Wearing Fun Meters? * Cyberspace and Tele-Commuting Quandaries * Some things to think about * Ask Candidates to Check Your References! * Get Learners to Complete Your Reaction Evaluations * Cool Calls from Happy Clients * TOOL BOX: Resources to Help You Recruit, Inspire & Retain Employees * How Training Systems....Analyzes Jobs & Processes * The Duct Tape Challenge Day * Results of MONSTER.COM Poll * Places to Go, Things to Do

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You can put the Training Systems, Inc. web site on your Windows taskbar! Just right click a blank area of your taskbar and select Toolbars/New Toolbar from the drop down menu. In the new Toolbar box, enter http://www.trainingsys.com. It’s that simple! Then you can have immediate access to great recruiting, inspiring, training & retaining tips, ideas & resources!

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YOUR TOP 10 STUPID POLICIES (We know you have them!)

Years ago we read an article in Training Magazine listing what the writers called “Ways to Recognize Excellence in the Quest to Treat Employees like Morons and Customers like Thieves.” A few of the choice ones:

*waitresses can only carry straws in their apron for children, not for adults (why? - “saves money”)
*manufacturing plant cleans it’s restrooms only at shift change time (why? - “that’s when we clean them”)
*retail stores cut labor hours the next week after a slow sales week (why? - “if sales are low, we need to make our budget the next week”)
*department store will only give one bag (why? - “it’s just the rule”)
*restaurant with a 7 page of list of rules describing when to serve bread to dinner guests (why? - “staff will know what to do in every conceivable circumstance”)

Well. . . we know you have them...

SEND YOUR STUPID EMPLOYEE AND CUSTOMER POLICIES with or without your name and company name to Recruit, Inspire & Retain at rir@trainingsys.com and get a COOL prize!

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WHO’S WEARING FUN METERS?

* A Southwest gate agent telling some really funny jokes in Las Vegas.

(You, your employees, and your customers could be having FUN wearing Fun Meters - send e-mail to TSI@trainingsys.com and we’ll send you ordering information. Also see a photo of a Fun Meter on our web site http://www.trainingsys.com.)

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?WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Cyberspace and Tele-Commuting Quandaries

A Union Organizer can stand on your sidewalk and hand out information to employees about organizing a labor union, but he/she can’t hand out the material inside your building.

*But...what about sending e-mail – is the Organizer “inside” or “outside”?

A staff person works for you out of their basement home office. On the “way to the office” they fall and break their ankle. (Commuting injuries aren’t compensable.)

*But...is this an injury sustained while commuting or on the job? If it’s on the job, does your company need to regulate the stairs?

Let us know your opinion on the above situations by sending e-mail to: rir@trainingsys.com and we’ll include

it in the next Recruit, Inspire and Retain.

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YOU LOVE OUR POSTERS, YOU’LL LOVE THESE...

Something to think about:

If there were just 100 people in the world, the breakdown would be: 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 N. and S. Americans and 8 Africans.

70 would be non-white
70 would be non-Christian
6 would possess half the world’s wealth
70 could not read
50 would be malnourished
1 would be a college graduate

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Did you know there are coffee flavored PEZ?

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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

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Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down - hence the expression “to get fired”.

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Hershey’s Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it’s kissing the conveyor belt.

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The phrase “rule of thumb” is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn’t beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

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The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds.

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The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

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Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.

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A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

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Have a recruitment, inspiration, training, or retention idea or question?

Send e-mail to: rir@trainingsys.com and we’ll post your idea

or question (and the answer) in Answers & Ideas on recruiting, inspiring,

training, & retaining great employees at http://www.trainingsys.com

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COOL RECRUITMENT TIPS

Ask Candidates to Check Your References!

You check references of job candidates, but how often do you ask candidates to check out your references? The owner of one New Jersey-based information technology company regularly tells applicants to call his customers and ask any questions they want about the company. This has two benefits:

1. The candidate learns what the company expects of employees. A customer who says the company went the extra mile to keep a commitment demonstrates the level of effort the applicant will be expected to maintain.

2. Customers can comment on the applicant’s rapport, depth of industry knowledge, and phone manners.

(Inc., 38 Commercial Wharf, Boston MA 02110)

Get more tips on recruiting great employees by clicking http://www.trainingsys.com

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TRAIN SO THEY’LL LEARN

Get Learners to Complete Your Reaction Evaluations

*Have a drawing with a bookstore gift certificate as prize. (Debra J. Coe-Bradish, Executive Director, MAQIN- the Madison Area Quality Improvement Network)
*Offer incentives, such as: ask them to turn in the evaluation with their business card, and then draw cards for prizes. (Jeff Schrum, Director of Education, NATSO)
*Link the return of the evaluation with a certificate. They hand in the evaluation and receive a certificate (suitable for framing) that they completed the training. (Karen Hahn, Director, Education Programs, Steel Service Center Institute)
*Have Facilitator mention the importance of filling out the evaluation form several times during the session. (Amy Staska, Director, Education Programs, National Roofing Contractors Association)
*Have the form at the Learner’s place at the beginning of the session, so they can fill it in as they go along, rather than wait until the end, when they’re in a hurry to leave. (Julie A Briggs, Program Development Specialist, National Office Products Alliance, Business Products Industry Association’s Office Products Dealers)

Get more tips on training from http://www.trainingsys.com

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COOL CALLS FROM HAPPY CLIENTS

Jet Maintenance Co. - Two co-facilitators facilitated the leadership session for managers in a new facility and received the highest rating for their ability to help people learn that day. Robin Pelfrey designed the training and Carol Delisi helped them learn to facilitate using the training. Way to go!

Owner of a Convenience Store felt comfortable enough with the new manager Lynn Hauser found for him that he was able to take a vacation for the first time in a long time. Great job!

Res Rehab Agency just loves the new employee training Lynn Hauser designed. “We’ve never had so much fun with this training.” They also were thrilled with the way Robin Pelfrey coached their facilitators in the training. “They were so prepared.” Way to go Lynn & Robin!

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TOOL BOX: Resources to Help You

Recruit, Inspire & Retain Employees

Creating Highly Interactive Training Quickly &

Effectively, by Carolyn B. Thompson

A great new book that gives you the step-by-step process for putting together group and self-study training with all the methods you need! Full of examples illustrating how each piece should look, and photos of actual training. Call 800-469-3560 or visit http://www.trainingsys.com to order.

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Skill Wars, by Dr. Ed E. Gordon

This book helps you learn how to win your battle for productivity & profits. See excerpts at beginning of this newsletter. Call 800-469-3560 or go to http://www.trainingsys.com to order.

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Career Values Card Sort Kit

An easy and fun device that allows your employees or potential employees to let you know their values in just five minutes. Each card lists a variable of work satisfaction, such as time freedom, precision work, power, technical competence and public contact. This kit also includes guidelines for managers/team leaders and facilitators, instruction for the individual user, five Supplementary Activities for further career values clarification, and an overview of values and their role in job task decision making. Call 800-469-3560 for prices and to order.

Motivated Skills Card Sort Kit

The quick and easy way to identify the motivated skills that are central to personal and career satisfaction and success. The employees, or potential employees, use the cards to assess their proficiency and motivation in 48 transferable skill areas. This kit includes an instruction manual for managers and facilitators, instructions for the individual user, a series of Supplementary Activities for further clarification of one’s motivated skills and achievement patterns, and an overview of achievement motivation and its role in job task decision making. Call 800-469-3560 for prices and to order.

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Fun Meter Buttons imprinted with YOUR company name! A great visual to show others how much fun you’re having. Call 800-469-3560 or go to http://www.trainingsys.com to see what they look like and to order.

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The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era

Organizations, by Stephen Denning.

A fun book that helps you learn storytelling as a powerful and formal discipline for organization change and knowledge management. It explains how organizations can use certain types of stories (“springboard” stories) to communicate new or envisioned strategies, structures, identities, goals, and values to employees, partners, and even customers. Call 800-366-2665 to order.

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Want a “different” kind of holiday catalogue? Get one that lists items that charitable organizations need. Call 888-511-6511 or visit http://www.worldvisiongifts.org for World Vision’s catalogue, or call 800-696-1918 or visit www.heifer.org for Heifer Project International’s catalogue.

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FREE Voice Chat available at http://www.hearme.com, http://www.paltalk.com, http://www.excite.com, and http://www.tribal.com/powwow .

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FREE Web Conferencing available at http://www.myplaceware.com, http://www.webex.com, http://www.centranow.com, and http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting.

Link to hundreds of other great tools and resources at Training Systems Links at http://www.trainingsys.com

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HOW TRAINING SYSTEMS....ANALYZES JOBS & PROCESSES

“I can never get the work all done!”, “I’m having a hard time filling this position.”, “Most of the injuries happen in this job.” It’s common to blame the employee or supervisor for poor performance, when many times the real problem is the way the job is designed. Jobs are analyzed, sometimes re-designed, and job descriptions are written when we hear about performance problems as well as when a company wants to have a tool to determine the specific tasks of a job and the characteristics needed for a successful employee for recruiting, interviewing, training, daily prioritizing, and performance appraisal.

*First, we decide with you whether you/your staff or one of our HR consultants should analyze the jobs.

*If you’re analyzing, we help you learn what to look for and how to do the steps.

*If it’s best for time, budget and employee comfort to have an outside expert analyzing, we do the steps.

1. Help employees understand why the job(s) are being looked at and what are the possible outcomes.

2. Schedule times to work with each position using the Training Systems’ Job Audit.

3. Watch, Ask, and even Do the jobs.

4. Decide the best format for the job description.

5. Write job descriptions and have pre-identified staff review for clarity.

Call Training Systems, Inc. at 800-469-3560 or e-mail to: TSI@trainingsys.com for more info on how Training Systems helps their clients.

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IDEAS TO INSPIRE

*Manco Duct Tape held the Duct Tape Challenge Day a few years ago at which their CEO swam across a pond in a Speedo after the sales team made their goals!

*Another company has digital signs throughout the company listing everything from problems needing ideas to sales figures, stock prices and goals.

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RETAIN THE BEST

Results of MONSTER.COM Poll, June, 2000

Question: When was the last time your boss said “well done”?

Results:

33% Never
22% Last week
16% Last month
14% Today
12% Last year

Total votes: 81,737 votes

8.6: Number of jobs that a typical U.S. worker can expect to hold between ages 18 and 32, (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

9.5: Percentage of American workers who have been with one company for 20 years or longer, (Employee Benefit Research Institute)

37.3: Percentage who have been at their jobs for two years or less 27: Percentage by which executive turnover has increased

Looking at the above numbers, we need to work on keeping the best and brightest longer. Ideas from a variety of different companies include:

*company card to employees who traditionally wouldn’t have gotten one
*non-disclosure agreements and non-compete agreements
*larger than normal stock options
*cash awards after certain periods of employment
*eldercare resources/referrals
*investment adviser

Find out how Shigechiyo Izumi’s employer kept him working for 98 years. He started working in sugar cane forming and sugar mills when he was 7 and worked until he was 105! Check it out in the Guinness Book of World Records!

Get more tips on retaining great employees by clicking http://www.trainingsys.com

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PLACES TO GO, THINGS TO DO

September 16-20
International Customer Service Association (ICSA) Conference at the San Antonio Marriott in San Antonio.
Contact Pam Bewerman at 312-644-6610, ext. 4743 or visit http://www.icsa.com for details.

September 27-29
Fifth Annual Chief Learning Officer Conference at the Chicago Marriott, Chicago IL.
Call 781-862-3157 to register.

October 2-3
Gear Up 2000 Conference: How to Manage Content, at the Argent Hotel, San Francisco CA.
Call 888-886-8861 for information.

October 3-5
2nd Annual the Best of Organizational Development Conference in Registry Resort, Naples FL.
Call 781-862-3267 to register.

October 2-5
Organizational Development Conference at the Registry Resort in Naples FL.
Call 781-862-3157 for details.

October 9-13
Customer Service Week – Give them Fun Meters!

October 10-12
Motivation Show 2000 at McCormick Place, Chicago IL.
Call 800-853-1140 for information.

October 28-November 1
Organizational Development Network (ODN) Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta GA.
Contact Richard Ungerer at 973-763-7337 or visit http://www.odnet.org for information.

November 5-9
Leveraging Best Practices in HR Technology, HRIS, Information Portals and HR Call Centers Conference at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas NV.
Call 800-882-8684 or visit http://www.hrtechevents.com to register.

December 2-6
National Staff Development Council (NSDC) Conference at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta GA.
Contact Shirley Havens at 573-523-6029 or visit http://www.nsdc.org for details.

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**Be sure to forward Recruit, Inspire & Retain to others, and remember, you can check archives by keyword at our web site http://www.trainingsys.com .

**We’ll be back next month with more great tips, ideas, success stories, and information to help you recruit, inspire, training & retain great employees!

**Visit us at http://www.trainingsys.com soon! You can:

* Download articles for your employee newsletter!
* Take a fun test each month to improve your skills!
* Find resources to help you be the best — a new resource featured each month!
* Get tips on Recruiting, Inspiring, Training, & Retaining great employees!
* Click on links to great training resources!
* Download our famous quote posters – a new poster each month!
* Get answers to your employee recruiting, inspiring, retaining, & training
questions from our experts!

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