Recruit, Inspire & Retain

WWW.TRAININGSYS.COM OPEN HOUSE! 

Everyday is an Open House at our web site. Get immediate access to great recruiting, inspiring, training & retaining tips, ideas & resources where you can: 
* Download articles for your employee newsletter! 
* Take a fun test each month to improve your skills! 
* Purchase resources to help you be the best — a new resource featured each month! 
* Get new tips each month on Recruiting, Inspiring, Training, & Retaining great employees! 
* Click on links to great managing and training resources! 
* Purchase our famous inspirational quote posters! 
* Get answers to your employee recruiting, inspiring, retaining, & training questions from our experts! 

Put the TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. web site on your Windows taskbar! 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.

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SURVIVING AUDITS OF YOUR HR POLICIES AND PRACTICES 

How would you fare if your HR policies and practices were reviewed for compliance with federal and state laws? Here are several areas where many organizations are vulnerable: 

*Out-of-Date I-9 Forms. 
While the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is revising the I-9 form, you should be using one dated November 21, 1991. I-9 forms must be completed during a new employee’s first three days on the job. 

*Questions on Applications for Employment for Which You Don’t Need to Know the Answer. 
Make sure your applications only contain questions which will give you information related to the person’s ability to do the job or jobs in general in your organization. Example: if you’re seeking a bartender you should ask “Are you 21 or over?”, instead of “How old are you?”.

*Noncompliance With the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). 
Only order a credit report after getting the applicants’ authorization (often used to learn criminal record information). Remember, if the employer considers adverse action as a result of information in the report, the applicant or employee must first be given an opportunity to explain the report.

*Personnel Files Containing Medical Information. 
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that medical information be kept in a locked file separate from personnel files. The only way a personnel file can include medical information is if the information was obtained prior to the employer being covered by the ADA.

*Personnel Files Containing I-9 Forms. 
In anticipation of an INS audit of I-9 forms, you should keep them separate so they are the only items examined (alphabetical is a great idea). Keep only the form, not copies of the supporting documents.

*Insufficient Application Form for Department of Transportation (DOT)-Covered Drivers. Drivers who are covered by DOT regulations may be required to complete more in-depth applications than applicants for other positions.

*Improper Deductions from Paychecks. 
Many state laws regulate what items may be deducted from an employee’s paycheck. Rules governing deductions for the cost of safety equipment, for example, are not uniform.

*Improper Classification of Exempt Employees. 
Many employees who are classified as Exempt employees are actually Non-Exempt and entitled to overtime pay. Use the tests presented by the DL to review each position. If you receive notice of an approaching audit by the DL, see if the notice mentions inspecting I-9 forms. That may mean the audit is random. If there is no I-9 reference, the audit usually stems from a complaint by an employee who’s not happy with you. 

Adapted with permission from the Human Resource Department Ltd, copyright Summer 2000. 

Which of the above are you doing properly and on which do you need more information? Let us know by e-mail to Recruit, Inspire & Retain at rir@trainingsys.com  and get a COOL prize! 

 WHO’S WEARING FUN METERS?
*United Airlines pilot - he then bought them for his own charter company.
*Conference Chair of previous year’s IFTDO/ISPI Conference - he had a really fun conference.
*SWA Skycap in Cleveland - wore it home from a convention down south and now Cleveland staff may all be wearing them! 

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? IS THE BIBLE FOR MANAGING PEOPLE? 

Be part of an upcoming book on managing staff using the Bible as your guide, being written by Carolyn B. Thompson and Gary Shoup. Send e-mail to cbt@trainingsys.com telling how you use principles from the Bible when managing staff. Tell us:
*specific situations when you’ve used the Bible or Biblical principles to: 

• recruit 
• interview
• train
• give constructive feedback
• give praise
• handle an employee who was acting inappropriately
• let an employee go
• delegate
• mediate a disagreement between 2 employees
• provide incentives
• other management situation

*What verse(s) guided you to do the above?
*What your concerns are in the workplace in using biblical principles to guide your employee management?
*Advice you’d like us to give in our book about using biblical principles to manage staff. 

E-mail to: cbt@trainingsys.com and include your name, company name, and e-mail address (if you’d like to be quoted). You can also answer these on our web site! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. 

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

Tips for Managers and Bosses From Their Staff

*Never give me work in the morning. Always wait until 4:00 and then bring it to me. The challenge of a deadline is refreshing.
*If it’s really a “rush job”, run in and interrupt me every ten minutes to inquire how it’s going. That helps.
*Always leave without telling anyone where you’re going. It gives me a chance to be creative when someone asks where you are.
*If my arms are full of papers, boxes, books, or supplies, don’t open the door for me. I need to learn how to function without arms – and opening doors this way is good training.
*If you give me more than one job to do, don’t tell me which is the priority. Let me guess.
*Do your best to keep me late. I like the office and really have nowhere to go or anything to do.
*If a job I do pleases you, keep it a secret. Leaks like that could cost me a promotion.
*If you don’t like my work, tell everyone. I like my name to be popular in conversation.
*If you have special instructions for a job, don’t write them down. In fact, save them until the job is almost done.
*Never introduce me to the people you’re with. When you refer to them later, my shrewd deductive capabilities will identify them.
*Be nice to me only when the job I’m doing for you could really change your life.
*Tell me all your little problems. No one else has any and it’s nice to know someone is less fortunate. From Just4Laughs Humor List. 

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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  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

COOL RECRUITMENT TIPS
*Stock up on state-of-the-art equipment that will draw people looking for a new technical feather in their caps (suggests John Challenger CEO of international outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas).
*Offer a BMWZ23 roadster to the first 20 hires (Interwoven).
*Send recruiters to party with the college kids during spring break (IBM).
*Offer $10,000 to any employee who recommends certain Web development hires (Reed Elsevier).
*Launch a “parketing” campaign - put parking tickets on car windows that turn out to be recruiting ads (Synapta.com).
*Hire a prop plane to fly over the competition’s offices with a banner hanging off the back that says “Don’t Make a Career Mistake” (Sybase).
*Set up an Internet startup investment fund on behalf of employees (Vignette and Andersen Consulting).
*Offer “less work” (example employment ad: “In this entrepreneurial environment, the company has carefully balanced the issues of home and career to create a fun workplace.”) (Ticketmaster Online)
*Look for the kind of people who know how to get their jobs done and have a life as well (Audio Basket).   

We challenge you to send us any innovative recruiting strategies that have worked for your organization. E-mail to rir@trainingsys.com and we’ll publish them in an upcoming issue - giving YOU credit for the idea!

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TRAIN SO THEY’LL LEARN 

What’s More Effective - Canned or Customized Training? Some interesting answers to ASTD’s weekly web site question:
*Organizational change occurs differently in every company. It has been my experience that canned training gets you canned responses, at best. (D.Herbert)
*Don’t attempt the “worked elsewhere” approach. Because organizational culture is so individual, how could a canned approach manage the uniqueness of the situation? (Michael)
*How could a canned or generic approach be as good as something that is customized or prescribed specifically for your needs? (D.D.)
*Clearly, the part of the culture-change initiative that relates specifically to your organization needs to be customized. The principle that says “that all learning and all change should begin from the learner’s frame of reference” certainly applies here. (Hy)
*Use a custom program to have the most impact on your employees. The custom approach shows that you care about them as individuals and can start the teambuilding process. (Don P.) 

E-mail to: rir@trainingsys.com with YOUR experiences.   Get more tips on training from http://www.trainingsys.com 

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YOUR COMPANY’S GOOD - WANT TO MAKE IT BETTER? 

Resources to Help You Recruit, Inspire & Retain Employees Needs Assessment, by Focus Groups 
Provides a step-by-step guide for conducting interactive focus groups and for obtaining legitimate insider information for a needs analysis. Contains a list of facilitator skills. Job aid is a facilitation checklist. Call ASTD at 800-628-2783 to order.
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Instructional Objectives 
Presents the basic elements of instructional objectives and describes how to prepare each element of an objective and how they work together. Provides a template to use in developing learning objectives plus sample objectives. Job aid is an objective development checklist. Call ASTD at 800-628-2783 to order.
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Conducting a Mini Needs Assessment 
Defines a mini-needs assessment as a process for identifying problems and solutions in a condensed period of time. Outlines a process model and guidelines for implementing the model. Offers a mini-needs assessment stakeholders interview guide and sample action plan. Job aid is a sample client interview form. Call ASTD at 800-628-2783 to order.
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Be a Better Needs Analyst 
Offers ideas for improving needs analysis techniques. Provides a discussion of needs assessment instruments, focusing on interviews and questionnaires. Job aid is a checklist for designing instruments. Call ASTD at 800-628-2783 to order.
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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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Straight Talk for Employers! (2-tape cassette set) 
When you drive, how fast is your mind growing? With STRAIGHT TALK FOR EMPLOYERS!, you can discover innovative and effective ways to recruit, inspire & retain great employees! ...and more! While you drive! Call 800-469-3560 or go to http://www.trainingsys.com to order.
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Just 4 Laughs! 
Free humor sent to your e-mail 4 times per day. To subscribe, send e-mail to: Subscribe-Just4Laughs@lyris.enlist.com
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Check out ZDNET daily for their Free File of the Day. 
Just 1 recent free file is eLibrary, which allows you to search online for books. Go to http://www.zdnet.com.
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Humor Works, by John Morreall 
Using dozens of anecdotes and examples, this book looks at how humor and creativity, teamwork, risk taking, and communication all can be combined in the work place. Also included are the healthy benefits of humor form stress reduction to a way to be a “Social Lubricant”. Available from HRD Press, 800-822-2801.
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Games by Thiagi 
17 games to help make learning fun, including topics on Creativity, Diversity Simulation, Group (grope), teamwork, and others to challenge and stimulate. Call 800-996-7725 to order.
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 Link to hundreds of other great tools and resources at TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. at http://www.trainingsys.com 

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MISSED AN ISSUE? You can SEARCH RIR ISSUES by keyword at our web site, http://www.trainingsys.com 

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HOW TRAINING SYSTEMS STAYS UP TO DATE ON INFORMATION 

Did you ever wonder how it is that TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. seems to have the latest information or just seems to know about what is currently happening? From ways to determine if your training is really helping employees, to a quick tip on how to inspire an employee, to the best ways to recruit and hire great employees. Here are a few of the ways TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. stays in the know for you!

*Active involvement in the community. A Training Systems Associate can be found at, or is invited to, various business functions and trade meetings around the country.

*Training Systems has some of the latest training and consulting tools and technology to help facilitate learning, conduct a job audit, or build a training department

*In the home office, there is a comprehensive library of current publications and resource materials that Associates may immediately access through our FTP site. More than 200 on shelf resources and more than 40 subject files are waiting for them!

*In addition to the work we do for you, we work with hundreds of other industries, bringing you valuable benchmarking information! 

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IDEAS TO INSPIRE 

Incentive Program Ideas:
*Have a contest with employees with each department designing a T-shirt with this premise, “If my department were a T-shirt, this is what it would say...”.

*Keep a bulletin board in the office with photos of repeat customers and their families. This not only will help build relationships as you collect the photos, but it will also remind everyone in the organization of why they have a job.

*Provide a “Message of the Day” when staff first turn on their computers, such as a quotation on customer service or personal growth, something humorous, or even the birthdays of employees during that week. (You can get our quotes screen saver at http://www.trainingsys.com

*Encourage senior managers to do something creative for all staff members in their divisions once a month, such as serve doughnuts and coffee or wash the windshields of their cars as they arrive at work.

*Designate one room as the “Whine Cellar”, the place for anyone to go who is having a bad day or wants to gripe. Put a sign on the door and have fun decorating it. Ideas from Barbara Glanz in her book, Dozens of Little Things You Can Do To Regenerate Spirit At Work.

*Pets as perks - that’s the latest lure high-tech companies are offering in a white-hot job market. Autodesk Inc. of San Rafael was a pioneer in allowing dogs and cats to join their owners at work. Now pets are popular with Internet companies like Excite, McKinley Group, and Netscape.

*Subscribe to Magazine of the Month. Your company name is on each magazine label and you pick the theme for your magazines. Contact Michael Goldstein at 202-232-2348 ext.300 or visit http://www.magazineofthemonth.com.

*Give employees an award certificate which allows them to choose their own prize from a selection you determine. Visit http://www.marketinginnovators.com.  

 Call TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. at 800-469-3560 for more employee incentive ideas.

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TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. ASSOCIATE TELLS US 

Are You Getting the Best from Your Co-Workers? 

Employees continue to rank “reward and recognition” at or near the top of their work place “Wish” list. People want to be valued and use their talents and strengths more than ever. Sadly, many have lost their zest due to a lack of recognition. If you want to “juice up” your work environment try these ideas which can help you build effective relationships and unified teams: 

1. Ask team members how THEY would like to be recognized and acknowledged! Too often, management pre-decides what it should be (if they do it at all!). Collaborate on ideas that have meaning to people with whom you work. 

2. In meetings, communicate your appreciation for the contribution of others and BE SPECIFIC and SINCERE about what they have done well. 

3. Celebrate EFFORTS as well as OUTCOMES! Great effort is important to reward in many instances, not just the outcomes! 

4. Recognize others for no reason at all! Want to blow people away? Simply recognize (or reward) others by valuing them for what they bring to the organization. When people feel good about what they do they bring more happiness, productivity and teamwork to their work. Dave Breslow is a Professional Leadership Development Coach who’s helped many managers, sales staff and others reach their goals. 

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RETAIN THE BEST 

Quiet, Please! #1: Rank of acoustic privacy (a.k.a. peace and quiet) as the workplace quality having the strongest effect on employee performance and satisfaction, according to data compiled by BOSTI Associates. 

85%: Percentage of workers who say they need acoustic privacy to optimize their performance. 

48%: Percentage of workers who say they have acoustic privacy in their workplaces. 

7: Number of times more likely people who work in private offices are to be satisfied with their work spaces than those who work in cubicles.
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Why Your Workers Might Jump Ship. 
High turnover isn’t cheap. Interim Services survey pegs the cost of losing a typical worker at $50,000. So a 1,000-worker company with poor training could lose $14.5 million, while nonexistent mentoring could cost $9.5 million. Yet if you ask a typical CEO about training and mentoring, says Ray March, CEO of Interim Services, “their eyes glaze over”.
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Who Wants to Quit in 12 Months?
21% All Workers 
35% Those dissatisfied with company mentoring 
41% Those dissatisfied with company training (Data: Emerging Workforce Study)   

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

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Put the TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. web site on your Windows taskbar! 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.

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PLACES TO GO, THINGS TO DO 

October 17-19 
Developing Procedures, Policies & Documentation Seminar, in Seattle WA & Waltham MA. Call 800-463-6627 or visit http://www.infomap.com/register.htm 

October 17-19 or October 24-26 
Structuring User Documentation Seminar, in Irvine, CA. Call 800-463-6627 or visit http://www.infomap.com/register.htm 

October 24-26 
Developing Procedures, Policies & Documentation Seminar, in Chicago IL, Phoenix AZ, Washington DC. Call 800-463-6627 or visit http://www.infomap.com/register.htm  

October 28 
National Make A Difference Day! Join other businesses and/or get together an employee team - in working with a United Way agency to complete a much needed project, to sponsor an outing for an underprivileged group, or one of countless other ways to “Make A Difference” for an agency or group in need. 

October 28-November 1 
Organizational Development Network (ODN) Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta GA. Contact Richard Ungerer at 972-763-7663 or visit http://www.odnet.org  

November 30 
Computer Security Day! Get more information and become an official participant at http://www.clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/computersecurityday/ 

December 2-6 
National Staff Development Council (NSDC) Conference at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta GA. Contact Shirley Havens at 513-523-6129 or visit http://www.nsdc.org  

December 4-15 
Human Resource Executive Program at the Executive Education Center of the University of Michigan Business School. Call 734-763-1000, e-mail to: um.exec.ed@umich.edu or visit http://www.bus.umich.edu/execed  

December 11-15 
Financial Analysis for Nonfinancial Managers at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. This essential 5-day program will enhance your ability to understand financial reports, better communicate with financial officers in your organization, evaluate your unit’s financial performance, and make sound financial decisions. Call 312-464-8732 or visit http://gsb.uchicago.edu/execed 

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FORWARD Recruit, Inspire & Retain to others, and remember, you can get issues you missed at our web site http://www.trainingsys.com, by clicking on the Recruit, Inspire & Retain link, then SEARCH RIR ISSUES.
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ARTICLE REPRINTS FROM RECRUIT, INSPIRE & RETAIN. Reprints of articles in this publication are an ideal way to introduce new ideas or stimulate learning with the employees in your organization, and promote your products or services. Article reprints can serve as a powerful promotional or sales tool - include them with your brochures, newsletters & media kits. For complete information on article reprints or copyright permission, call 1-800-469-3560.
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YOU HAVE UNIQUE, VALUABLE KNOWLEDGE FOR OTHERS We’d love to print your articles on recruiting, inspiring, training and retaining employees. We reprinted an article from RainMaker Thinking and they thanked us, saying, “We’re very excited that we’re going to be reprinted in this cool publication!” Thanks RainMaker for the compliment. E-mail your article to mail to: rir@trainingsys.com.
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We’ll be back next month with more great tips, ideas, success stories, and information to help you recruit, inspire, train & retain great employees!
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Visit us at http://www.trainingsys.com soon!
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