Employee Retention

2011-08-05T07:20:00.001-07:00

Job Satisfaction & Motivation Benefits the Workplace | Small Business - Chron.com http://ping.fm/ZEHVm

2011-07-05T07:47:00.001-07:00

Zappos.com, a great place to work, Top 100 Best Places to Work http://ping.fm/W4Jd8

2011-07-04T08:33:00.001-07:00

Great places to work are more productive and more profitable than their stock market peers. http://ping.fm/yO6mY

2011-07-02T09:12:00.001-07:00

Have a happy July 4th!

New Article: The Spaghetti Management Syndrome

2007-09-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

You have permission to use this article in your publication as long as you use the bio tag at the end.

The Spaghetti Management Syndrome
Good Employees Require Good Managers

When an employee quits, many times they don't quit the company -- they quit their manager. I validated this fact in a survey which showed in 46% of the cases the main reason people quit their employer was because of their first-line supervisor; a painful statistic when you consider how difficult and expensive it is to find and train good people. To make matters worse, businesses are stupid to do nothing about it.

In my mind, it is an honor as well as an important responsibility to become a manager. When I use the word, "manager," I am not necessarily referring to a job title, but talking about the "role" of managing people.

A manager's job is not easy. The demands are difficult. Many bosses are doing the jobs of two or more people. Employees expect more; some are plain difficult to work with.

Many businesses do a poor job selecting and training managers. It goes without saying those that do a good job selecting and developing their managers will enjoy higher productivity and lower employee turnover. However, most often the employer is at fault for not giving them the tools, training, and support to succeed.

Spaghetti Management Syndrome

Just because a person shows potential or has a degree does not mean they will be good at managing others. Many are skilled technicians, but unfortunately are clueless on the art and science of managing people.

Some businesses practice what I call "spaghetti management." They pick a bunch of people, promote them to managers, then throw them on a wall like spaghetti, and see what sticks. This is not the fault of the individual manager, but the employer's. Without training and support most new managers will fail. This is one of the main reasons people today run like the plague to avoid becoming supervisors and managers.

Sure, some managers are tyrants and no amount of training is going to change them. But at least good businesses recognize their mistakes and provide additional training, or find the errant manager a job somewhere else.

Good businesses place people skills as a vital part of their performance management system. For example, Synovus Financial has been listed in the "Top 100 Best Places to Work" for several years. They have a commandment that says, "A manager's most important role is to serve, grow, and inspire his or her peoplewith no exception." This requirement had a positive impact on the bottom line. Not only did their employee turnover rate drop, but also their market capitalization grew from $2.2 billion to $8 billion in four years.

Good Leaders Show They Care

I went into the Army after college to learn how to be a good leader. My first boss was a great mentor and teacher. He was an experienced veteran and a former Special Forces medic in Vietnam. He was the type of person who always put the needs of others before his own interests.

As the lowest ranking member of my battalion, I had to pull duty on the worst day of the year -- New Years Eve. I worked all day and then I was up all night. You can imagine what mischief 500 soldiers can get in. Finally, Saturday morning arrived and I could not wait to go home. The phone rang; it was Joe, my boss. He wanted to know if I had made any plans for lunch. He and his wife had prepared something and he wanted to bring it over to me. Today, I don't remember what the food was, but it was a meal I will never forget.

That one small act of kindness crystallized in my mind what leadership was about -- caring for those you lead. That act taught me more about leadership than all the degrees and diplomas hanging on my wall.

Here are a few suggestions to consider in your management development program:

Establish key competencies your managers should possess and demonstrate.
Have company executives share their expectations with your managers.
Consider using a 360-degree evaluation on top management.
Hold managers accountable and responsible for retention.
Have HR train managers on reward and recognition.
Provide the support and tools to help managers do their job well.
Start measuring turnover and apply the cost to the bottom line.
Conduct post exit interviews to discover the real reason employee's quit.
Complete an individual retention profile on every employee.
Conduct an employee satisfaction survey at least once a year.

Please contact us about our online and onsite management development programs.

Greg Smith's cutting-edge keynotes, consulting, and training programs have helped businesses reduce turnover, increase sales, hire better people, and deliver better customer service. As President of Chart Your Course International he has designed and implemented professional development programs for hundreds of organizations globally. He is a former examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest award for business excellence. He has authored eight informative books including 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees. For more information, visit www.chartcourse.com or call (800) 821-2487 or (770) 860-9464.

==========================
Gregory P. Smith
President
Chart Your Course International

"We show managers how to create high performance
organizations that attract, keep, and motivate their workforce"

Author of:
401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees.

www.401ProvenWays.com

Phone: (770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

New article: Managing personality conflicts

2007-07-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

MANAGING PERSONALITY CONFLICTS AND NEGATIVE ATTITUDES IN THE WORKPLACE

Gregory P. Smith

They�re here, there, everywhere. They upset managers and fellow employees--even themselves. Who are �they?� If you haven�t already guessed, �they� are the negative employees most people encounter in the workforce at some point. If not carefully managed, they can suck the energy out of your business and your personal life.

What is a negative employee? They are people with poisonous attitudes and behavior patterns who negatively influence the people around them. Negative workers come is various shapes and sizes. Sometimes they spread rumors, gossip about coworkers, or bad mouth their superiors to their faces and behind their backs. Basically, they are unhappy people who resist the positive efforts of others.

Managers often hesitate to terminate them if they are productive or have special skills/experience.   Sometimes managers do not understand the amount of stress a negative employee creates. It may be hard to accept a negative employee who did a good job did so at the expense of the productivity of others. Yet, ignoring or tolerating the problems and atmosphere they create can easily and quickly result in dissatisfaction among other employees.

What can a supervisor/manager do when faced with this unpleasant dilemma?

First, analyze the situation. How much does the person contribute to the overall success of the office/department/business? How much do they contribute to creating personality conflicts with other employees? How does that unhappiness translate into reduced productivity and enthusiasm? How much of your time as a manager are you using to control the situation? What are the legal ramifications (if any) of discharging the employee?

Second, plan a course of action. If you decide to try to salvage the employee, consider these tips:

Discuss the situation with the employee. They will probably profess ignorance of any problems, acknowledge the situation but blame the problems on others, or become defiant and try to play mind games with you. The employee may also voice his or her own complaints.

Evaluate the employee�s position. Even a person with a negative attitude can have a legitimate complaint. Evaluate not only the employee�s response to your remarks but whether the employee has legitimate concerns you need to consider. If the complaint is the basis of the person�s negative attitude/behavior, resolving it should result in a more positive situation. Often, however, the complaint is either a smoke screen for the employee�s behavior or has resulted from the person�s own negativity.

Focus on a behavior you want changed, not an attitude. Accept the reality you may not be able to remake the person into an ideal employee, even if you are a great manager. However, you can specify an action or goal for the employee, and then follow through on the employee�s progress. Once you see improvement, focus on another area. Always, of course, acknowledge the employee�s efforts.

Use personality profiles and assessments. Many times, personality conflicts are the result of misunderstandings that build up over time. Each individual has a different personality style and frequently, different personality styles clash with others. A team building session can help co-workers understand and appreciate each other in a new way. Packaged along with a personality profile or an individual behavior assessment, it can be a powerful tool in reducing conflict and improving communication between workers.

Consider assignments that will isolate the person from other employees and limit contact. Most work situations require cooperation and teamwork that make this technique unworkable, but it may be feasible in some cases. You may even encounter an employee who prefers isolation and is less negative when working alone. Unfortunately, negative employees often seek out fellow workers--either to complain about their job/boss/life in general, or to blame other employees as the source of their unhappiness.

Set a limit and stick with it. Managers have adopted the �three strikes and you�re out� rule. Make the employee aware of the limits, tell them when they �strike� and remind them when they have only one �strike� left.

Third, terminate the employee. If all else fails and the negative employee ignores your warnings and refuses to cooperate, it is time to consider termination. Once you decide this is the proper course, take action.   Otherwise, you risk losing the respect and confidence from your employees. Before termination, discuss the situation with a human resource professional and seek legal counsel accordingly.

Free by E-mail: If you would like a free subscription to our newsletter, please E-mail us the word �Navigator� to navigator@chartcourse.com.

Greg Smith helps create high performance organizations that attract, keep, and motivate their workforce. He speaks at conferences and conducts training programs worldwide. He has helped business owners reduce employee turnover, increase sales, and deliver better customer service. He is also the author of eight books including 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees. For more information, visit http://www.chartcourse.com or call (800) 821-2487 or (770) 860-9464.

2007-06-15T04:09:00.000-07:00

Retain Employees
Employee Retention Tips Designed to Reduce Employee Turnover

Keep Your Promise List

Employees often gripe that companies do not keep their promises. For
example, who has been promised a promotion, education, or a new
assignment? Keep a list of these promises and make sure they are
fulfilled or at the very least keep the person posted on their status.

Get Out of Work Free Card

A Perkins franchise in Minneapolis stages contests for servers and
kitchen crew and provides them a get-out-of-work-free card. The
restaurant employee chooses any manager they want to work one of their
scheduled shifts. It is done in a good-natured, fun way. The results
generated build better camaraderie and help managers understand the
challenges of each position through this unique "Walk a Mile in My Shoes"
incentive.

Excerpted from "401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees"
http://www.401ProvenWays.com

Receive current updates at
our blog site: http://chartcourse.blogspot.com

2007-06-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

EMPLOYEE RETENTION INSTITUTE
July 26, 2007 Atlanta

Don't wait too long to register if you plan on attending the Employee
Retention Institute in Atlanta on Thursday, July 26. The seats are
filling fast. Also, the price increases July 1.

Http://www.chartcourse.com/Employee-Retention-Workshop.html

Gregory P. Smith
President & CEO
Chart Your Course International
Voice: 770-860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com

Receive current updates at
our blog site: http://chartcourse.blogspot.com

We help businesses identify, hire, develop, and retain top employees

Author of: 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees
http://www.401-provenways.html

Comments about Generation X, Y and Baby Boomer Generation

2007-06-10T04:52:00.000-07:00

"I find that several of my bosses (esp. other woman) have ultimately
found me a threat. And sometimes the better I performed or the more
earnest I seemed to "be part" of the team, the faster I earned my way to
the unemployment line."

I could not agree more. I was taught that you do your best and make your
contribution to improve the effectiveness of the organization you work
for. When I work with other people of my generation (Gen X) this is what
we do, we look for the best ideas and implement them. When I work for a
Baby Boomer, talent, skill, and dedication are a threat. I've actually
been confronted about coming in extra hours to get a project done. Raise
a new, better way of doing things with a baby boomer and all you get is
resistence.

And as for women in the workplace, I have only ever had one male boss and
I can tell you women treat women subordinates worse than I've ever seen
any boss treat anyone else. Most of the women I work for won't work for
another woman and with good reason.

Let's face it, the baby boomers were coddled by the world war II
generation, who didn't want to see them go through the hardship they went
through. They expect an easy path and all for them, if you have an idea
or are talented, rather than embrace this as a virtue or something to
support for the greater good of the organization, they're the first to go
at you like snakes.

"Many Gen Xers resent the Baby Boomers and feel they are the single most
destructive generation EVER to have thrived in America, and that they
have, Locust-like, destroyed everything they personally didn't like or,
worse, threw a monkey wrench into the works just to see if they could, or
for the challenge."

Yeah, total spoiled bast@rds. "The Worst Generation" if there ever was
one.

Posted by Chart Your Course International
We show businesses how to hire, retain and engage the workforce.
http://www.chartcourse.com
770-860-9464

Employee Retention Seminar

2007-06-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Growing Worker Shortages Becoming a Crisis
Seminar Addresses Strategies for Employee Retention

Atlanta, GA (June 7, 2007) The high employee turnover rate and the
growing demand for skilled workers is creating a crisis for the majority
of employers across the United States. It is getting more difficult to
find and keep talented workers. As a result, organizations placing more
effort in creating better places to work to retain their employees.
Strategies enabling you to retain your best and brightest are available
at the upcoming workshop, Here Today, Here Tomorrow, being held in
Atlanta on July 26. The one-day seminar sponsored by Chart Your Course
International and People Skills International will be held at the World
Trade Center Club at 303 Peachtree Street from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Greg Smith, president of Chart Your Course International and author of
Here Today, Here Tomorrow, says that "Unemployment is the lowest it has
been since 2000 and estimates show 48 to 65 percent of the workforce is
dissatisfied with their current employment situation and could leave for
better positions as the economic situation continues to improve. To keep
their workforce intact, employers need solid strategies for employee
retention."

The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Wall Street
Journal website recently completed the Job Recovery Survey. The key
findings revealed 64 percent of employees said they were extremely likely
to begin or increase the intensity of their job search. An additional 19
percent said they were somewhat likely to increase their search.

"U.S. businesses spend over $200 billion annually recruiting and
replacing employees," says Karla Brandau, president of People Skills
International and authority in Culture Integrity. "It would make sense
for companies to reduce the money spent replacing employees by spending
the money to retain employees, thus reducing training time for new
employees. When good employees are retained, productivity and innovation
increase as you climb the ladder together rather than putting
productivity on hold as you step down a rung or two to get new employees
up to speed. By retaining your best and brightest, you will reduce
expenses while you make faster progress toward increased market share and
organizational effectiveness."

Greg Smith is the CEO and founder of Chart Your Course International, a
performance management consulting firm located in Atlanta, GA. Smith has
provided advice to many of the "Top 100 Best Places to Work" and served
as an advisor to the U.S. Army Surgeon General. His message is
international as he has traveled to and worked with businesses in 22
countries. He is a former Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award, which is awarded each year by the President of the United
States. He also was selected by the Human Resource Executive Magazine as
one of the nation's "Top-Ten Rising Stars" in Human Resource Management.
He has authored eight books including 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best
Employees. His book is available on http://www.401ProvenWays.com and
www.Amazon.com

Get free articles on employee retention and learn more about the coming
seminar at

http://www.chartcourse.com/Employee-Retention-Workshop.html.
Questions can be answered by calling Chart Your Course International at
770-860-9464.

Comments about Generation X and Baby Boomers

2007-06-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Boomers had it the best in this country and the fact is they lost touch
with the difficulty of struggle. Most of them inherited land, money and
or businesses from there parents and did not have to struggle the way
their parents did. they have no respect for their children and treat them
as if they don't count. Most baby boomer employers fores workers into
unpaid overtime or expenses and will not compensate. when I started in
the work for back in 1989 I work for the parents of baby boomers and it
was a grate work environment. the boss treated the workers with respect.
Now that the baby boomers have taken over its a mess. Employers are
mistreating, harassing, abusing ,and over working their employees. This
is creating a more then hostel environment in the workforce. Theirs other
issues as well. In all its a mess.

From Greg Smith, President, Chart Your Course International

More information provided at www.chartcourse.com and
www.highretention.com

2007-06-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Top Threats
When asked what they believe to be the top threats to their company's
success in 2006, the five most common responses among more than 900
executives were:

72% Competition
67% Health of global economy
60% Inability to attract and retain top talent
59% Company's reputation
48% Inability to develop new products and services
Source: Accenture, New York

Gregory P. Smith
President & CEO
Chart Your Course International
Voice: 770-860-9464
Fax: 770-760-0581

Don't miss Greg's latest book!

401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees
http://www.401-provenways.html

Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees

2007-05-22T05:19:00.000-07:00

Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers:
Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees

Gregory P. Smith

Imagine--you have been working late to finish an important project when
your project manager walks into your office and tells you she has been
offered a better job. This is the same person you handpicked, trained,
and recently gave a pay raise. As she turns to depart she says, "There
are others thinking about leaving too."

What went wrong? How are you going to finish this project? Who will be
next to leave? The dread is starting to sink in.

Employers face enormous challenges when they consider the increasing
difficulty of finding skilled people, a more demanding younger workforce,
and a growing population of older workers heading toward retirement. In
the next 10 years, HR professionals expect three out of 10 employees in
their organization's workforce to retire.

The difficulty in finding and keeping talented people is having a
catastrophic impact on many businesses and industries throughout the
world. In addition to those retiring, surveys show one out of every three
people plan on quitting their jobs this year. The greatest threat
employers face is losing their best and brightest to the competition.
That's a lot of talent leaving organizations and just the beginning of
what many people have described as the "perfect storm."

Here Comes the "Plug and Play" Generation

A new generation of workers is transforming the landscape. There are
several reasons why. On one end of the workforce, the Baby Boomer
generation is retiring, leaving fewer skilled people to choose from. On
the other end, a smaller group of younger workers is entering the
workforce who place their needs for instant gratification first and
foremost. The average tenure of a 20-something is less than 18 months,
creating a swinging door and a cycle of misery for employers.

The Cost of Turnover

Each year businesses spend billions of dollars recruiting and replacing
their employees. They assume turnover is unavoidable and think there is
very little they can do to prevent it. For the most part, organizations
focus on retention after they start experiencing a turnover problem.

Few businesses consider the impact of turnover on their bottom line. It
takes $7,000 - $14,000 to replace a typical employee, and to replace a
key manager costs the same as buying a Lexus. To replace a critical care
nurse can run up to $185,000; and when a top talented individual in a key
role departs, it can cost millions. In spite of the staggering cost, the
majority of businesses do not have a formal retention program.

Money and benefits are important, but studies show most employees leave
for other reasons. Obviously, a certain degree of turnover is
unavoidable, but with a small amount of effort organizations can make a
major difference. Your retention plan should address the following key
components.

Hire the best and avoid the rest. Cisco CEO John Chambers said, "A
world-class engineer with five peers can out produce 200 regular
engineers." At Yahoo they would rather leave a position open than hire
the wrong person. Instead of waiting for people to apply for jobs, top
organizations spend time looking for high-caliber people whether they
have a job opening or not.
Redesign your orientation program for new employees. The old saying, "You
don't get a second chance to make a good first impression" is true in
this case. Organizations experience the highest level of turnover during
the first 90 days on the job. The purpose of onboarding is to quickly
assimilate the new person into the organization, so make the first
critical days stand out as a positive experience. This is a great
opportunity to make new hires feel proud to have chosen your
organization.

Provide flexible work schedules adapted to the needs of the individual.
In today's workplace, flexibility rules. A one-size-fits-all approach
has long since lost its effectiveness. Workers will migrate to a company
whose benefit packages and schedules help them meet the demands of their
lives, whether they are single parents, adults who care for aging
parents, older workers, younger workers, part-time workers, or
telecommuters.

Get rid of the slackers and whiners. Employee retention does not mean
you keep everyone. Employees say one of the main reasons they stay is
because they like the people they work with. No one wants to work with
people who do not pull their weight. Those businesses that tolerate poor
performance will drive off the good employees and be stuck with the bad
ones.

Soft skills are becoming the hard skills. Interpersonal skills are a
critical element of the high-retention culture. People want to feel
management cares and is concerned for them as individuals. Yet, poor
"soft skills" are one of the biggest factors driving people away. To
build stronger bonds between the top management and employees, one
corporate office practices something called the 'Employee Scavenger
Hunt.' Once or twice a year, they give every executive or manager five
names of employees. They find each person, meet them, and learn about
them as individuals. The process builds a better bond, improves
communication, and increases trust within the organization.

If they can't "move up" they will "move out." For many people, learning
new skills and advancing their career is just as important as the money
they make. In a study by Linkage, Inc. more than 40 percent of the
respondents said they would consider leaving their present employer for
another job with the same benefits if that job provided better career
development and greater challenges.

Create an early warning detection system. Ask employees to let you know
if they hear of people who are thinking about quitting. Advance notice
will give you an opportunity to try to prevent the departure. One
practice Applebee's put in place is the "Turnover Alert Form." It is
designed to identify and prevent discontented managers from quitting. In
those situations, Applebee's brings the managers in to meet with the CEO
and possibly other executives. They want to identify and repair anything
that might be causing job dissatisfaction.

Create an alumni program. No matter how good you think your company is,
your employees always think they can find a better job elsewhere. "The
grass is greener" mentality is alive and well in organizations across the
country. So keep the doors open for the good ones to come back. Keep in
contact with previous employees, send them newsletters, keep recruiting
and talking to them until they return. Who knows, they may refer other
employees to you.

Look for triggers. Focus on individuals going through some form of change
such as marriage, pregnancy, divorce, a child's graduation, mergers, or
other important events that could influence job satisfaction and/or
persuade or force employees to leave the organization prematurely.

Re-hire your employees. An emphasis on hiring new people can cause
"older" employees to dis-engage, feel ignored, or forgotten. To combat
this situation, consider reinterviewing all of your employees
periodically. During the interview, review their training and
development, ideas and suggestions, identify new skills acquired, and
review their pay and benefits.

Take the temperature of your workforce. High-retention workplaces use
employee climate assessments to measure the attitudes and feelings of
their workforce. Every organization should conduct some form of climate
assessment periodically during the year.

Complete an Individual Retention Plan on your best employees. You must
manage retention one employee at a time. Focus on the key jobs that have
the most impact on profitability and productivity. Everyone has a
different set of needs and expectations about their jobs. By conducting
an individual retention profile, managers can quickly identify the
employee's unique motivations, goals, level of job satisfaction, as well
as other expectations.

Focus on the family. One small company gives their employees' children a
$50 Savings Bond twice a year when they get straight A's on their report
cards. Another survey of 1,000 companies showed half of them let workers
stay home with mildly ill children without using vacation or sick days.
Two-thirds permit flextime defined as allowing employees to adjust work
hours on a daily basis.

Identify and weed out poor managers. The relationship with the employee's
front-line manager is the most common reason people leave. As part of
LaRosa's employee retention strategy, all workers evaluate their bosses
twice a year using a special report card. It asks the employees to give
their managers a letter grade from A to D in four categories. Any score
less than a "B" requires a specific comment from the employee. After it's
completed, they tabulate the comments and design action plans for
improvement.

Adopt your employees. Starting employees off on the right track is
incredibly important, and maintaining your hiring initiatives and keeping
strategies fresh and creative is the key. One organization goes a step
further than most-they ADOPT their employees. After they are hired and
complete the orientation program, the new employee is brought into a
conference room and presented with a set of "Adoption Papers." The
certificate is printed on parchment paper. The employee also receives a
cupcake and with a lit candle commemorating this important event.

Visit our website to download a free employee retention organizational
assessment and a Cost of Turnover Calculator to determine how much
turnover is actually costing your business. Please go to:
http://www.highretention.com/cost-of-turnover.html

Greg Smith's cutting-edge keynotes, consulting, and training programs
have helped businesses reduce turnover, increase sales, hire better
people and deliver better customer service. As President of Chart Your
Course International he has designed and implemented professional
development programs for hundreds of organizations globally. He is a
former examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the
nation's highest award for business excellence. He has authored eight
books including his latest, 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best
Employees. For more information, visit www.chartcourse.com or call (800)
821-2487 or (770) 860-9464.

The book is available on Amazon.com and http://www.401ProvenWays.com

FW: Google Alert - employee retention

2007-05-20T04:59:00.000-07:00

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 8:17 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - employee retention

Google News Alert for: employee retention

Employee Wellness Is Employee Motivation
About - News & Issues - New York,NY,USA
I am also a fan of wellness programs because I believe they are positive factors for employee motivation and retention. They have the potential to lower an ...
See all stories on this topic

Employee-employer partnership changing
Ocala.com - Ocala,FL,USA
Recovery could dramatically increase the need for retention strategies if a better-than-expected recovery occurs. Human resource professionals must champion ...
See all stories on this topic

Is Attrition Bad? Top HR Mangers Answer at Rai Foundation
Business Wire India (press release) - New Delhi,India
Employee retention and motivation is a tightrope walk for HR managers in today’s job swarmed market. Rai Foundation organized the conference “Retention ...
See all stories on this topic

EdgeOhio Offers New Employee Engagement Course
PR Web (press release) - Ferndale,WA,USA
It also helps to greatly improve both employee motivation and retention by targeting individual attitudes, beliefs, expectations and behavior patterns in ...
See all stories on this topic

Retaining Employees
Associated Construction Publications - Norcross,GA,USA
But by taking a proactive approach to developing an effective employee retention program, the anxiety of high turnover can be reduced. ...
See all stories on this topic

Kenexa Research Institute Uncovers Contrasting Perceptions of US ...
Web Services Journal - Montvale,NJ,USA
In contrast, the US workers were more favorable with employee benefits, a category in which there was a variance of 41 percentage points. ...
See all stories on this topic

United States: Alternative Risk Financing: Non-Trading Options
Mondaq News Alerts (subcription) - London,UK
Known as alternative risk financing, these arrangements combine risk transfer and risk retention techniques with self-insurance to provide alternative (or ...
See all stories on this topic

Small-biz employees value retirement plans, study says
InvestmentNews - New York,NY,USA
In talking to small-business owners about such plans, it is important to highlight the employee retention, or recruitment, benefits, Mr. Holtzman said. ...
See all stories on this topic

E-mail checks at work increase
Frederick News Post (subscription) - Frederick,MD,USA
When it comes to retention of records, she said businesses are free to come up with a policy —but they must follow the policy completely. ...
See all stories on this topic

Google Blogs Alert for: employee retention

A series of annual appointments as an educator may not result in ...
By Harvey Randall, Esq.(Harvey Randall, Esq.)
Seniority is one of the critical elements in determining the retention of an employee in layoff situations. Such seniority, however, is a function of having tenure with the individual’s employer, as the Mohr case demonstrates. ...
New York Public Personnel Law - http://publicpersonnellaw.blogspot.com/

5/12/07 Hour 2 - The Tim Knox Radio Show Instant Replay
By Tim Knox
This hour includes a discussion on employee perks and retention, the lack of customer service at Wal-Mart, and an overview of affiliate marketing. "The Tim Knox Show" features common sense business advice with a side order of fun! ...
The Tim Knox Show - http://timknox.podOmatic.com

Swamp Sunrise
By Newsdesk
EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP — The ESOP Association of America (the national trade association for companies with employee stock ownership plans) holds its 30th annual conference. Highlights: 7 pm The 16th Annual AACE Awards Banquet. ...
The Swamp - http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/

Mobile Marketing - Nokia - ShowPressRelease : Business mobility ...
By Fabrice Jacquet
... making headway into organizations and more advanced applications and processes are mobilized, the reasons behind companies’ mobility adoption can vary from hard core ROI benefits to softer values such as employee retention. ...
...... MOBILE ALLEY ...... - http://mobilealley.wordpress.com

Google Web Alert for: employee retention

Focus - employee retention - CareerOne
Includes listings of jobs in Australia like accounting jobs, administration jobs, HR jobs, hospitality jobs, IT jobs, customer service jobs and many more ...

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401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees

2007-05-20T04:58:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jan King
E-mail: jan@chartcourse.com
Website: www.chartcourse.com
Phone: (800) 821-2487 (770) 860-9464

BUSINESSES WASTE BILLIONS REPLACING TOP PERFORMERS
Author and management consultant, Greg Smith says, "This country is
facing a growing labor shortage and most businesses do not have a formal
employee retention program."

Atlanta, GA (May 1, 2007) Imagine--you have been working late to finish
an important project when your project manager walks into your office and
tells you she has been offered a better job. As she turns to depart she
says, "There are others thinking about leaving too."

What went wrong? How are you going to finish this project? Who will be
next to leave? The dread is starting to sink in. Surveys show one out of
every three people plan on quitting their jobs this year. Employee
turnover is having a catastrophic impact on many businesses and
industries across the country. The greatest risk employers face is losing
their best and brightest.

International business consultant and author Gregory P. Smith is making
waves as one of the nation's top employee retention experts. His new
book, 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees, provides practical
solutions to promote high employee retention in your workplace.

Executives say employee retention is one of the top issues keeping them
up at night. There are several reasons why. On one end of the workforce,
the Baby Boomer generation is retiring leaving fewer skilled people to
choose from. On the other end, a smaller group of younger workers is
entering the workforce whose loyalties and priorities lie within
themselves first and foremost. The average tenure of a 20-something is
only 18 months creating a swinging door and a cycle of misery for
employers.

Few businesses consider the impact of turnover on their bottom line. It
takes $7,000 - $17,000 to replace a typical employee; to replace a key
manager costs the same as buying a Lexus. To replace a critical care
nurse can run up to $185,000. And when a top talented individual in a key
role departs, it can run into the millions.

Smith states, "Most employee turnover issues can be prevented." Many
organizations are clueless and do little to prevent good people from
leaving prematurely. For example, one CEO rewards outstanding employees
by allowing them to drive his BMW M3 convertible for a week.

401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees provides a wealth of
information, tips, advice, and case studies that allow for quick
reference and practical application. Ten years of research has gone into
this book. Smith says, "It is a great tool for busy managers who don't
have time to read dozens of books on theory. It is all here in one small
book."

He is the CEO and founder of Chart Your Course International, a
performance management consulting firm located in Atlanta, GA. Greg has
provided advice to many of the "Top 100 Best Places to Work" and served
as an advisor to the U.S. Army Surgeon General. His message is
international as he has traveled to and worked with businesses in 22
countries. He is a former Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award, which is awarded each year by the President of the United
States. He also was selected by the Human Resource Executive Magazine as
one of the nation's "Top-Ten Rising Stars" in Human Resource Management.
He has authored eight books including Here Today, Here Tomorrow:
Transforming Your Workforce from High-Turnover to High-Retention. When
Greg is not working, he loves to sail and raise orchids.

XXX

Greg

Gregory P. Smith
President & CEO
Chart Your Course International
Voice: 770-860-9464
Fax: 770-760-0581
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

We help businesses identify, hire, develop, and retain top employees

Don't miss Greg's latest book!

401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees
http://www.401-provenways.html

FW: [Employee Retention] FW: Google Alert - employee turnover

2007-05-14T22:53:00.001-07:00

From: Greg Smith [mailto:greg@chartcourse.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 1:46 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: [Employee Retention] FW: Google Alert - employee turnover

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 1:32 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - employee turnover

Google News Alert for: employee turnover

Top Restaurants Implement Kronos ® Solutions to Deliver Ultimate ...
QSR magazine - Durham,NC,USA
Talent management solutions not only impact the end customer experience but also tackle recurring industry problems such as employee turnover by eliminating ...
See all stories on this topic

What to Make of Shake n Shake?
Motley Fool - USA
The recently published annual report touts a reduction in employee turnover last year. While this is important in the restaurant business, Steak n Shake ...
See all stories on this topic

Zero Employee Turnover At Casinos Is Not Desirable Because New ...
Emediawire (press release) - Ferndale,WA,USA
Casinos struggling to reduce their employee turnover should keep in mind that zero turnover is probably impossible and not particularly desirable. ...
See all stories on this topic

Research Shows That the Cost of Replacing A Departing Casino ...
Emediawire (press release) - Ferndale,WA,USA
Employee turnover is so deep rooted in the casino industry that one major university has identified five areas associated with the cost of replacing a ...
See all stories on this topic

Morale booster: Making employees part of the team
American Medical News (subscription) - USA
Experts say Spring Road and other practices are right to pay such close attention to employee morale. Poor morale can lead to high employee turnover, ...
See all stories on this topic

Google Blogs Alert for: employee turnover

Q&A with Tata Consultancy Services
By Alan Zeichick(Alan Zeichick)
There’sa lot of turnover for the first few years after an employee is hired, but once someone has been onboard for seven or eight years, they’re like to stay at TCS. What about wage inflation, which is running at 12-15 percent in India ...
Z Trek: The Alan Zeichick Weblog - http://ztrek.blogspot.com/

Assessing Cultures Before A Merger or Acquisition
By Velvet Hammer
But he (Debes) acknowledges that employee turnover, at 18 percent, has been higher than he had wanted, and above the 12 to 15 percent that is average for the information technology industry. Acquisitions are often made by first by ...
The Hire Sense - http://selectmetrix.com/blogs

Say Yes To Corporate Alumni
By admin
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth No company is immune to the perils of employee turnover. But what if I told you that there was a way to recoup some of the investments made into former employees? ...
mike myatt, n2growth, CEO Blogs,... - http://www.n2growth.com/blog

Chain Reaction
By ccoffman
Whether they listen or not is another issue, but if employee turnover happens too much or too fast they will need to change policies. Or, look for another job. I know that is not easy, but it is an option. ...
octoberland - http://www.octoberland.com

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--
Posted By Greg Smith to Employee Retention at 5/14/2007 10:43:00 PM

FW: [Chart Your Course International] FW: Google Alert - employee turnover

2007-05-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

From: Greg Smith [mailto:greg@chartcourse.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 1:39 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: [Chart Your Course International] FW: Google Alert - employee turnover

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 1:32 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - employee turnover

Google News Alert for: employee turnover

Google Blogs Alert for: employee turnover

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--
Posted By Greg Smith to Chart Your Course International at 5/15/2007 01:43:00 AM

FW: Google Alert - employee turnover

2007-05-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 1:32 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - employee turnover

Google News Alert for: employee turnover

Google Blogs Alert for: employee turnover

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Question from Greg Smith

2007-05-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Happy Friday to you.

I have a new article on employee retention coming out in the next week or two as well as a press release on the same topic. This coincides with the release of my new book, 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees.

Can I send the article and press release to you?

Best,

Greg

FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.014-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Friday, October 07, 2005 5:42 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

Businesses increasingly offer English language programs
Mail Tribune - Medford,OR,USA
... for English classes and predictions of a work-force shortage in 10 ... For companies, the classes can build loyalty among employees and identify talented workers. ...

Manufacturers face obstacles to growth
DesMoinesRegister.com - Des Moines,IA,USA
... Leaders expect a shortage of 15 million skilled workers by 2015. ... said educators and manufacturing leaders need to work harder to recruit talented students. ...

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.013-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 4:28 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

Questions & Answerrs for Oral Answer 16 Nov. 2005
Scoop.co.nz (press release) - New Zealand
... to many people such as health workers, schoolteachers, staff ... in progress, and what does that shortage do for ... and to attract in highly talented individuals from ...

Pipeline plugged up
Boston Herald - United States
... Some experienced and talented plumbers get top dollar for ... similar scramble to find and keep workers handy with ... others point out that a shortage of experienced ...

Bangladesh yet to groom hospitality industry
The New Nation - Bangladesh
... the International hotel Industry is facing an extreme shortage of talented, competent, well ... 2005 the industry will employ more than 200 million workers.

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.012-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2005 8:47 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

FOR SUCCESS
Investor's Business Daily (subscription) - USA
... are vying with each other for talented college graduates ... Retirement is accelerating as some older workers cash stock ... 2010, resulting in a worker shortage of 10 ...

Top employees' value on the rise
Ottawa Sun - Ottawa,Ontario,Canada
... means there will be more jobs than talented people to ... only worked when the supply of workers was greater ... With a talent shortage looming, managers are being ...

India Inc running out of people power
Financial Express - Bombay,India
... healthcare, heavy industries, feel that the shortage of a ... have now started hiring less skilled workers to train ... find -- and hang on to -- talented employees. ...

Buyers are Red Hot
Purchasing.com - Newton,MA,USA
... not be aware that there's a shortage of individuals ... Competition's hot for talented purchasing professionals who can think ... Demand for purchasing workers will be ...

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.011-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 4:46 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

Businesses face 'perfect storm' over talent, skills and older ...
Management-Issues - London,UK
... to hiring and retaining talented workers are combining ... among the categories of key workers who disproportionately ... or expected to experience a shortage of white ...

Helping workers learn English
Cincinnati Enquirer - Cincinnati,OH,USA
... for English classes and predictions of a work force shortage in 10 ... For companies, the classes can build loyalty among employees and identify talented workers. ...

Mercy Health System earns national praise for taking care of its ...
Janesville Gazette - Janesville,WI,USA
... With a shortage of new employees entering health care, stretching the other ... Work to Retire" program, which is designed to retaining talented workers older than ...

India Inc running out of people power
Expressindia.com - New Delhi,India
... healthcare, heavy industries, feel that the shortage of a ... have now started hiring less skilled workers to train ... find -- and hang on to -- talented employees. ...

The Light's election endorsements
Point Reyes Light - Inverness,CA,USA
... in the district and recruiting talented teachers. ... little to do with state workers: the environment ... in 2001 and an artificial electricity "shortage" contrived by ...

Status quo won't cut it for future development, economic ...
Canton Daily Ledger - Canton,IL,USA
... By 2010, there will be a shortage of 10.3 million workers across all ... It results in "brain drain," a slow leak of talented, educated persons. ...

Baby Boomers Augur Old Age, New Needs
Kansas City infoZine - Kansas City,MO,USA
... will be coping with a severe shortage of skilled ... to ensure the productivity of future workers, regardless of ... states could gain a highly talented workforce of ...

Women raise kids, lose careers
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
... just as businesses need talented, experienced workers to fill the gap as baby boomers prepare to retire en masse, leaving the biggest labor shortage in history ...

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.010-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2005 6:10 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.009-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2005 6:47 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.008-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2005 5:41 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.007-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 3:43 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

Visit Australia ... And Stay And Work
TheDay (subscription) - New London,CT,USA
... are using perks such as subsidized housing or education subsidies to persuade talented foreigners to relocate. ... For Australia, the shortage of workers is no ...

Ford: How Layoffs Can Improve Performance, Not Just Cut Costs
Indiacar.net - India
... and that the number of skilled workers in key ... workforce that will withstand the labor shortage to come ... be idled, there are certain to be talented employees with ...

Biggest concerns hit closer to home
St. Petersburg Times - St. Petersburg,FL,USA
... being felt by employers is a shortage of skilled ... As demand for technology workers has rebounded in recent ... finds it even harder to recruit talented sales people ...

Poles Apart
Sunday Herald - Glasgow,Scotland,UK
... And yet there is a desperate shortage of skilled ... skill Eastern Europe, luring its most talented professionals to ... and openly in homes for these migrant workers? ...

Cuts to education take step backward
The Heights (subscription) - Boston,MA,USA
... no shortage in jobs - there is a shortage in qualified ... constantly decry the fact that American workers do not ... to climb even higher, many talented students will ...

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.006-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 3:26 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

HOTTEST HOT NEWS OF 2005
RacingWest.com - Thousand Oaks,CA,USA
... There was no shortage of stories surrounding the Grand ... by there was nothing but track workers in T ... tracks while learning from experienced talented veterans. ...

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.005-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 11:42 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

Skilled Migrant Category to benefit NZ employers
Scoop.co.nz (press release) - New Zealand
... job offers in areas of skill shortage," Mr Cunliffe ... the new selection process, highly talented migrants who ... needing to recruit skilled workers from overseas ...

Feedback to the University of California
San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA
... competing, recruiting and retaining talented administrators, compensation ... a junk job for your striking workers. ... of the most critical nursing shortage in history ...

A virgin virtuoso!
Edmonton Sun - Canada
... Don't panic - there is no shortage of raunchy material ... Give credit to the script and the talented Carell, who ... the interaction of Andy and his co-workers at the ...

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.004-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2005 8:04 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

Overturning stereotypes will help plug the IT skills gap
VNUNet.com - Haarlem,Netherlands
... Graduates -- particularly older workers -- should provide a ... almost ceaselessly for the talented worker ... The continuing shortage should give the opportunity to ...

Economic outlook: Labor shortage in US puts heat on inflation
International Herald Tribune - France
... A labor shortage is one thing in Wyoming ... physicians, nurses, construction workers and other skilled workers. ... finding skilled people, or talented individuals, is ...

The ''Young and Restless'' Are Key for US Economic Growth; New ...
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA
... these factors will lead to a labor shortage and an ... and attracting the young, college-educated workers who propel ... is going to be 'Can I hire talented people in ...

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.003-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2005 8:06 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

Manufacturers Report Worker Shortage
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
... and 68% said they experienced a moderate shortage. ... problem," said Owens, whose 1,500 workers provide factory ... retiring who are extremely talented, good people ...
See all stories on this topic

Recruiting IT Students?
Slashdot - USA
... There must be a shortage in IT". ... If you really want talented people, then I think you'll have to ... I don't understand this absolute refusal to train IT workers. ...

Industries scramble to find qualified candidates
Cherry Hill Courier Post - Cherry Hill,NJ,USA
Are you a talented regulatory compliance supervisor in ... there is a critical shortage of qualified ... programmers, engineers, manufacturing workers, or Philadelphia ...

Charitable Pay: A Growing Disparity
BusinessWeek - USA
... A national shortage of nurses created competition for employees ... when the organization was laying off workers and facing ... not be able to find talented leaders as ...

The Great Legacy Skills Debate
Online Recruitment - UK
... will be a ‘legacy' or ‘mainframe' skills shortage is of ... given that most of these workers still have a ... to recruit and retain the talented staff required ...

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.002-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 7:17 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Workforce crisis: Coming invasion of the body snatchers ABS CBN News -
Philippines ... birth rate- which spells deficit of takeover-younger
workers. ...
organizations should beat the coming shortage of skills ... much of its
warm and talented bodies to ...
<http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=38740>

The empire strikes back
Economic Times - India
... system to make it simpler for talented individuals who ... This
scheme recognises UK's shortage of physical ... students at university
and skilled workers in the ...
<http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1528734.cms>

Talent gap hits businesses
The Standard - Hong Kong
... Dave McCann bemoaned the shortage of qualified ... to live for
expatriate workers fell sharply ... shortfall of incoming talented
professionals, PricewaterhouseCoopers ...
<http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=17794&sid
=7756185&con_type=1>

Iowa House OKs teacher pay increase
Quad City Times - Davenport,IA,USA
... it tough for Iowa schools to recruit talented teachers and ...
bookman and i can see full time workers point ... teachers more, than
deal with having a shortage of good ...
<http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/05/03/news/local/doc4458cfea910cd44
5629226.txt>

Workers Seek Better Balance
California Job Journal - Sacramento,CA,USA ... difficult to recruit and
retain talented employees. ... warns employers that instead of workers
today feeling ... they have jobs, an impending labor shortage means the
...
<http://www.jobjournal.com/thisweek.asp?artid=1699>

Stingy Immigration Stifles US Innovation Always On - USA ... Talented
Indians and Chinese are either choosing to stay ... the addition of
200,000 high-tech workers from foreign ... The predictions of a labor
shortage never came ...
<http://www.alwayson-network.com/comments.php?id=14890_0_6_0_C>

Recruiters Struggle to Fill New Orleans Jobs Newhouse News Service (NNS)
- USA ... already dealing with a human resource shortage, and Katrina ...
housing is keeping the pool of workers down, and ... there are a good
number of talented people who are ...
<http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/russell050106.html>

WWF LEGEND TITO SANTANA RADIO SHOW RECAP Pro Wrestling Insider -
Marmora,NJ,USA ... drug use." Unfortunately, we have lost many talented
individuals & some of the greatest workers that this ... in 1996, there
has been no shortage of amazing ...
<http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=17777&p=1>

The VW Story
BusinessWeek - USA
... of new competitors from Asia, the gas shortage in the ... were made
to over 2,500 wartime workers in 26 ... studio was opened in California
with talented designers who ...
<http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/may2006/bw20060509_200145.htm?
chan=autos_autos+index+page_news>

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.001-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2006 11:39 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

Brain drain and Iraq's bleak future
Middle East North Africa Financial Network - Amman,Jordan
... nation suffers from a chronic shortage of doctors ... because higher-educated, higher-earning workers pay more ... increase in trained and talented individuals -- for ...

Yepsen: Diversity has become bottom-line concern
DesMoinesRegister.com - Des Moines,IA,USA
... One way they do that is to find a qualified, talented workforce. ... the US Department of Labor has predicted a shortage of 10 million skilled workers by 2010. ...

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 9:21 AM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Google Alert for: shortage of talented workers

Older workers in demand in 'brain-draining' job market
Scripps Howard News Service - Washington,DC,USA
... health-care field also faces a talent shortage and has ... and a positive attitude help older workers when "they ... 35-year-olds and eager, willing and talented 55-year ...

Not enough local housing: Experts reveal what it means
Greenwich Post - Greenwich,NJ,USA
... Turning to the reasons behind the shortage, Ms. Fox took ... figure out a way to keep its talented teachers ... such as nurses, pharmacists and service workers, find it ...

Walking on two legs
Hindustan Times - India
... stories, our problem is the emerging shortage of such ... with the extra demand for skilled workers by them ... While highly talented students selected from a nation ...

The Labor Shortage Hoax
AmericanEconomicAlert.org - Washington,DC,USA
... of firms that value trained workers and are ... it's hard to imagine that talented people will ... same multinationals now crying "Labor shortage!" Talk about ...

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:42:00.004-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Monday, May 29, 2006 10:43 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

THE SATURDAY INTERVIEW: United in Madhya Pradesh The Statesman -
Kolkata,India ... and Rajasthan tide over their electricity shortage
problems. ... to Indore and directed the Congress workers to go ... and
file individuals who are talented and have ...
<http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=4&theme=&usrsess=1&id=117
595>

Fences or open arms?
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo,ND,USA
... US is that there are highly talented people we ... immigrants and US
employers to hire workers, would there ... ve got the lowest unemployment
and a shortage of workers ...
<http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=128324&section=News>

Help wanted finding more IT students
ChronicleHerald.ca - Halifax,Nova Scotia,Canada ... that a substantial
portion of IT workers in the ... customized training to fill a looming
workforce shortage. ... work and meet some of the talented students
pursuing ...
<http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/505723.html>

Demographic dilemma creating skills shortage ChronicleHerald.ca -
Halifax,Nova Scotia,Canada ... A shortage of skilled workers of this
magnitude would ... and in doing so, attract the talented people we ...
guest editorials focusing of the skill shortage and what ...
<http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/505496.html>

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:42:00.003-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2006 5:47 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Indian outsourcing industry is headed for a crash and an outright ...
India Daily - Whitehouse Station,NJ,USA
... has systematically converted millions of its talented individuals
into ... gas and food prices as well shortage of real ... it is evident
that cheap workers of India ...
<http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/8946.asp>

Dave Salzwedel column: 'Perfect storm' ready to hit business Appleton
Post Crescent - WI, USA ... 15 years, the demand for bright, talented 35-
to ... increasingly difficult to find "good workers," and now ... realm
of workforce readiness: labor shortage and skills ...
<http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060521/APC0701/
605210545/1888/APCbusiness>

Dramatic exit leads to office drama
Bizjournals.com - Charlotte,NC,USA
... competing companies that prevented overt recruiting of one another's
talented workers. Those days are coming to a close. And with the shortage
of qualified ...
<http://www.bizjournals.com/extraedge/consultants/at_work/2006/05/22/colu
mn217.html?market=portland>

Real Estate Transfer Tax Revenue to Create Affordable Workforce ...
Empire Information Services, Inc. (press release) - Schenectady,NY,USA
... since the housing boom has also worsened the state's shortage of
affordable ... to retain and recruit teachers, nurses, and other skilled
and talented workers. ...
<http://www.eisinc.com/release/storiesh/NYHOUS.001.html>

Unemployment rates tap historic lows
Fort Pierce Tribune (subscription) - Fort Pierce,FL,USA ... economy, it
has made the hunt for talented workers difficult. ... because they have a
dwindling supply of workers and high ... "We have a real talent shortage
here in ...
<http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/business/article/0,,TCP_998_4713350,00.html>

New Merrill Lynch Retirement Study Reveals Americans and Their ...
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA ... professionals
are the most valued and most at risk for a shortage.
... first and foremost the importance of attracting and retaining older
and talented workers. ...
<http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news
_view&newsId=20060518005075&newsLang=en>

'Dream' bill hopes to lure skilled workers Daily News & Analysis -
Mumbai,India ... "The SKIL bill addresses the shortage of highly ... by
making it too difficult for talented people to ... migrants has obscured
the fate of richer knowledge workers. ...
<http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1029870&CatID=9>

Never mind conventional wisdom, job shortage is really a skills ...
MaineToday.com - Portland,ME,USA
... The shortage of nurses and other skilled health professionals is well
documented in ... and even podcasts in their efforts to reach and attract
talented workers. ...
<http://business.mainetoday.com/bottomline/060521chuck.shtml>

Employers stumble in hiring apprentices
Canadian HR Reporter - Scarborough,Ontario,Canada ... to train the
newcomers when the real shortage hits, making ... a sustainable supply of
skilled workers, while 16 ... may lose interest - the most talented ones
often ...
<http://www.hrreporter.com/loginarea/members/viewing.asp?ArticleNo=4475>

By Invitation / Reasons to stay
Economic Times - India
... US Bureau of Labour Statistics is forecasting a major talent
shortage.
... to fill and only 157 million workers to fill ... can to hang on tight
to talented people, if ...
<http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1538691.cms>

MISSING MANAGERS CRUNCH
Financial Express - Bombay,India
Corporate India fights a shortage of talented employees across ... worst
hit with estimates of shortage ranging from ... are slowly being brought
in to retain workers. ...
<http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=127820>

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:42:00.002-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 11:14 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Morgan McKinley May London Employment Monitor Online Recruitment - UK ...
again overtook the number of new candidates looking for a career move
last month, the shortage of high ... "Talented financial services workers
have had ...
<http://www.onrec.com/content2/news.asp?ID=12213>

Wage hike in China hits Japanese firms
The Daily Yomiuri - Osaka,Japan
... in China regard the labor shortage as one ... China are securing
sufficient numbers of talented engineers (47 percent) and hiring skilled
workers
(37.5 percent ...
<http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/20060620TDY08008.htm>

Bet on the vets
Manufacturer.com - UK
... manufacturers experience an overall shortage of qualified ...
machinists, operators, craft workers, distributors and ... very small
pool of talented machinists; they ...
<http://www.themanufacturer.com/us/detail.html?contents_id=4313>

As drilling industry surges, need for skilled workers grows Oil City
Derrick - Oil City,PA,USA ... slump decimated the industry workforce,
resulting in the loss of talented and experienced ... In 2005, a shortage
of drillers and well service companies impacted ...
<http://www.thederrick.com/stories/06172006-6012.shtml>

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:42:00.001-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Monday, June 12, 2006 6:32 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Growing Worker Shortages Becoming a Crisis: Seminar Addresses ...
PR Web (press release) - Ferndale,WA,USA ... Combined with the growing
worker shortage, they are unable to fill jobs with qualified people. ...
It is getting more difficult to find and keep talented workers. ...
<http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/6/prweb395287.htm>

Planning is key to skills supply
NEWS.com.au - Australia
... and-fill mentality that involved sacking workers with outdated ...
this approach meant that many talented and experienced ... is a deepening
skills shortage that will ...
<http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19446935%5E15309%5E%5Enb
v%5E,00.html>

3D Animator shortage abroad
DCCcafe.com - Campbell,CA,USA
... The reason: they simply cannot find enough talented animators. ...
to work in the industry, and most are not in direct competition with US
or Canadian workers. ...
<http://www10.dcccafe.com/nbc/articles/view_weekly.php?articleid=279491>

Canadian Manufacturers' Boom
Mining Magazine - London,UK
... this success is facing the skills shortage, which is ...
manufacturers are in competition for skilled workers from the home ... to
be able to attract talented people to ...
<http://www.mining-journal.com/mining_magazine/Mining_Mag_Breaking_News.a
spx?breaking_news_article_id=421>

Skills shortage - Executive comment
Mining Magazine - London,UK
... have also given their views on the shortage. ... like Gold Fields,
are losing talented people in ... the competition between companies for
skilled workers was almost a ...
<http://www.mining-journal.com/Breaking_News.aspx?breaking_news_article_i
d=369>

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FW: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

2006-07-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Gregory P. Smith
Chart Your Course International
Phone(770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com]
Sent: Monday, July 03, 2006 10:47 PM
To: greg@chartcourse.com
Subject: Google Alert - shortage of talented workers

Sierra Leone Health Pride Achieves Second Annual Conference in ...
Awareness Times - Freetown,Sierra Leone
... in the world, mainly due to shortage of medical ... patients, staff
and ancillary workers at Connaught ... to provide scholarship to young,
talented and interested ...
<http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20052910.shtml>

When bingeing ends in cheers
Guardian Unlimited - UK
... a generational thing, and partly down to a skills shortage that has
... "For me, binge workers are people ... going to miss out on an
important pool of talented people ...
<http://money.guardian.co.uk/worklifebalance/story/0,,1809761,00.html>

New England may see exodus of young talent, study warns Boston Globe -
United States New England states will face a shortage of educated ... we
have this educated and talented workforce that ... that the percentage of
young workers in Massachusetts who ...
<http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/06/29/new_england_may_see_e
xodus_of_young_talent_study_warns>

Number of degreed workers declining
Portsmouth Herald News - Portsmouth,NH,USA ... College educated workers
may not be the only group in decline. ...
"Today's talented work force ... Census results should alarm anyone who
believes a shortage of young ...
<http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/06302006/business-b-neweng.edu630.htm
l>

Shortage of skilled workers? Baloney!
NetworkWorld.com - Southborough,MA,USA
... if the company should already have these talented people working ...
The cry of "IT shortage" has been ringing in the ... IT industry, not to
mention IT workers in non ...
<http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/6238&ts>

Gov't urged to allow more foreign workers China Post - Taipei,Taiwan ...
managerial personnel to ease the shortage of both ... facilitate entry of
more unskilled workers and white ... attractive incentives to lure
talented foreign students ...
<http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/detail.asp?GRP=B&id=85144>

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Article from Greg Smith

2006-06-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest article I wrote for your consideration.

"United We Stand . . .Divided We Fall"
Gregory P. Smith

This morning you arrived at work early to check on a special project. As
you enter the building you hear excited voices coming down the hall. As
you walk through the office door, Mary, your Sales Manager, notices the
surprised expression on your face. She says, "Hi boss! I took care of that
project you gave me yesterday and it is running great. We will exceed our
sales goals again this year!" You see your staff huddled around a table
working on the new proposal to improve customer service. They came in
ahead of time to work on the project. Ceiling lights illuminate the charts
and graphs showing progress made.

There are no walls or barriers separating your team from each other. The
room is full of energy, a charged, innovative environment of motivated team
members. They are proud of themselves and their accomplishments. Is this
a dream? Or is this for real?

The advantages of having people work together as teams still remain a
critical element in building a positive work environment and high job
satisfaction. In a rapidly changing world that values technology, speed,
and flexibility, teamwork unites individual efforts and is key for success,
innovation, and creativity.

Teamwork has improved morale, reduced costs, and dramatically enhanced
productivity in businesses. William J. O'Brian, the former CEO of Hanover
Insurance Company said many years ago, "The fundamental movement in
business in the next 25 years will be in dispersing of power, to give
meaning and fulfillment to employees in a way that avoids chaos and
disorder." Teamwork is still a major ingredient in high performing
organizations.

Teams can decrease the need for excessive layers of middle managers and
supervisors. Aetna Life & Casualty reduced the ratio between workers and
middle management from one supervisor to seven workers up to one supervisor
to thirty workers, while improving customer service. At a General Mills'
plant in Lodi, California, productivity escalated to 40 percent above
comparable plants because of teams.

However, many businesses do a poor job building teamwork. I have visited
organizations where open conflict existed between individuals and
departments. Imagine working for a company where individuals do their best
to sabotage each other's efforts. According to the website Mediate.com,
managers spend 30% of their time dealing with conflict. How long can a
business stay viable when people refuse to work together?

Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith, in their book, The Wisdom of Teams,
provide an excellent definition of a team. They say, "A team is a small
number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common
purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves
mutually accountable."

In their book, the authors talk about the following successful criteria in
high performing teams.

Complementary Skills. Each person on a team possesses a particular skill or
talent. When blended, these talents and skills improve the capability of
the team. In a high performing team, members can perform each other's job.

Committed People. Teams reach maximum performance when they are committed
to each other and trust management. Personalities and human dynamics are
critical to team success. Until team members trust one other, and
understand each other's personalities and individual work styles,
commitment to the project is difficult.

Common Purpose. Most teams work on a particular project, task, or specific
type of work. Committees are not teams. The most effective teams are ones
that have a written charter outlining a clear goal, purpose, and mission.

Common Approach. You can't throw some people into a room and expect them to
become an effective and productive team. Not having a structured way of
doing work is one major reason teams fail. For example, project teams
should follow a standardized methodology for solving problems, designing a
new service, and/or improving a process. Initially, teams require
training, mentoring, and coaching.

Free by E-mail: If you would like a free subscription to our newsletter,
please fax us your letterhead to 770-760-0581 or E-mail us the word
"Navigator" to navigator@chartcourse.com.

Greg Smith is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and business
performance consultant. He has written numerous books and featured on
television programs such as Bloomberg News, PBS television, and in
publications including Business Week, Kiplingers, President and CEO, and
the Christian Science Monitor. He is the President and "Captain of the
Ship" of a management-consulting firm, Chart Your Course International,
located in Atlanta, Georgia. Phone him at 770-860-9464. More articles
available: http://www.chartcourse.com

You can also find photos and my ad if you can use them at this website.

http://www.chartcourse.com/contactus_articles.htm

Note from Greg Smith -- Please renew your article subscription

2006-05-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Hello

You have been receiving articles from us for a while now. I am trying to update my list and see if you are still interested in receiving articles from us.

If you are still interested, please go to this form and let me know you are still interested. I know you are super busy, but it should only take a minute.

http://www.chartcourse.com/contactus_articles.htm

Also, for those of you who have been publishing my articles, I would like to ask another favor. If you have a trade magazine I would like to see if you can return the favor and use one of my ads from time to time. You can use the same link above to download the ad for your magazine.

Best regards,

Greg

==========================
Gregory P. Smith
President
Chart Your Course International

"We show managers how to create high performance
organizations that attract, keep, and motivate their workforce"

Author of:
Here Today Here Tomorrow: How to Transform Your
Organization from High Turnover to High Retention

Phone: (770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

New article: Employee Retention and Turnover

2006-03-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

Please consider this article for publication.

Best regards,

Greg

++++++

Transform Your Organization from High Turnover
to High Retention

Each year U.S. businesses spend billions of dollars recruiting and
replacing their employees. Individually, it costs between $2-11K to
replace an hourly employee, and upwards to $40,000 to replace a manager.
One Silicon Valley company estimates the cost of replacing an employee is
over $125,000.

As you know, it is getting difficult to attract and keep skilled
employees. Many businesses and industries are desperate for help and can't
find good people with the right skills and attitudes.

While many leading companies place more effort in employee retention, most
are clueless. They accept employee turnover as a normal part of doing
business. High turnover organizations spend disproportionate amounts of
resources on recruiting and replacing their workforce, while smart
organizations invest in employee retention. Yes, there is going to be
turnover no matter what you do, but blindly ignoring the reasons for
turnover is foolish and expensive.

Employees quit for many reasons but, in general, there are five important
areas that motivate people to leave their jobs.

Poor match between the person and the job
Poor fit with the organizational climate and culture
Poor alignment between pay and performance
Poor connections between the individual, their coworkers, and the supervisor
Poor opportunities for growth and advancement

These five P's can be addressed successfully. Employee retention begins by
paying attention to what causes low job satisfaction as well as what
attracts, retains, and motivates your workforce. Here are a few items to
consider:

Identify and weed out poor managers. The relationship with the employee's
front-line manager is the most common reason people leave. La Rosa's is a
large restaurant business with over 3000 employees. As part of their
employee retention strategy, all employees evaluate their bosses twice a
year using a special report card. It asks the employees to give their
managers a letter grade from A to D in four categories. Any score less than
a "B" requires a specific comment from the employee. After it's completed,
they tabulate the comments and design action plans for improvement.

Hold managers accountable for turnover. Set specific responsibilities for
Human Resources, supervisors, and executives on what their specific role is
in employee retention. Train managers so they understand what leads to
higher retention and greater job satisfaction. Hold managers responsible
for retention in their departments, set turnover goals for each manager,
and track accordingly. Promote managers whose behavior is consistent with
the organization's values and philosophies.

Create a positive work environment. Money and benefits may bring employees
through the front door, but poor work conditions drive them out the back.
In its National Study of the Changing Workforce, the Families and Work
Institute showed earnings and benefits have only a 3 percent impact on job
satisfaction. "Job quality" and "workplace support" have a combined 70
percent.

Develop an "Onboarding" program for the first 90 days on the job. Don't
hire and abandon your new employees. Insure they get the support, training,
and assistance they need. Quint Studer, CEO of the Studer Group, a
consulting firm in Gulf Breeze, Florida, finds companies that take steps to
"re-recruit" new employees can improve performance and reduce turnover in
their first three months by as much as 66 percent.

Enhance connections between co-workers, managers, and the organization. To
build stronger bonds between the top management and employees, one
corporate office practices something called Employee Scavenger Hunt. Once
or twice a year, they give every executive or manager five names of
employees. They find each person, meet them, and learn about them as
individuals. The process builds a better bond, improves communication, and
builds trust within the organization.

Hire the best and avoid the rest. Research shows those organizations that
spend more time recruiting high-caliber people earn 22% higher return to
shareholders than their industry peers. Cisco CEO John Chambers said, "A
world-class engineer with five peers can out produce 200 regular
engineers." Instead of waiting for people to apply for jobs, good
organizations are always on the lookout for high-caliber people.

Provide learning opportunities. For many people, learning new skills is as
important as the money they make. Identify career paths and provide
developmental opportunities for employees early in their jobs with the
organization. Promote on-going, two-way communication between employees and
their immediate managers regarding career progress. In a study by Linkage,
Inc. people said they would consider leaving their present employer for
another job with the same benefits if that job provided better career
development and greater challenges.

Make people feel appreciated. People want to be paid well, but also would
like to be treated with respect and appreciation. Find creative ways to
make people feel good about their job. We have helped organizations set up
something called, "peer recognition." Peer recognition allows people to
reward each other for doing a good job. It works because employees are in
the best position to catch people doing the right things. TD Industries in
Dallas, Texas, helps their employees feel valued by using one wall within
the company to place photographs of all employees who have been with the
them more than five years. They also try to make everyone feel equal and
have no reserved parking spaces for executives. That is one reason why TD
Industries was listed by Fortune magazine as one of the Top 100 Best Places
to Work.

Measure attitudes of your workforce. High-retention workplaces are using
employee climate assessments to measure the attitudes and feeling of their
workforce. Every organization should conduct some form of climate
assessment periodically during the year.

Focus on individuals. You must manage retention one employee at a time.
Focus on the key jobs that have the most impact on profitability and
productivity. Everyone has a different set of needs and expectations about
their jobs. By conducting an individual retention profile, managers can
quickly identify the employee's unique motivations, goals, level of job
satisfaction, as well as other expectations.

Focus on the family. One small company gives their employees' children a
$50 Savings Bond twice a year when they get straight A's on their report
cards. Another survey of 1,000 companies showed half of them let workers
stay home with mildly ill children without using vacation or sick days.
Two-thirds permit flextime defined as allowing employees to adjust work
hours on a daily basis.

Visit our website to download a free employee retention assessment and a
cost of turnover calculator to determine how much turnover is costing your
business. Please go to: http://www.highretention.com/cost-of-turnover.html

Gregory P. Smith shows executives and business owners how to reduce
employee turnover and build high retention workplaces. He is the author of
Here Today Here Tomorrow: Transforming Your Workforce from High Turnover to
High Retention. He speaks at conferences, conducts management training, and
is the President of a management consulting firm, Chart Your Course
International located in Atlanta, Georgia. Phone him at (770) 860-9464 or
send an email at greg@chartcourse.com. More information and articles are
available at www.ChartCourse.com and www.HighRetention.com.

Article: Make Your Customers Say Wow by Greg Smith

2006-01-24T13:18:00.000-08:00

Here is my latest article for your consideration.

Make Your Customers Say "Wow!"

I want to tell you a story about a recent trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I travel a lot and sometimes for fun, my luggage and I have a competition to see which one of us makes it to the destination first.

We had a quick connection in Chicago where I hoped and prayed my luggage would make it on the next plane. The good thing about the Cedar Rapids airport is you don't have to wait long for luggage. Our airplane was the only one at there. Well, guess what? No luggage. I won the race again.

My next move was to rent a car and drive to Iowa City to conduct an executive retreat for a client, my final destination. I presented myself at the Enterprise car rental counter. Now, if you are like me, you have reached a point in your life where you just expect poor service. You expect to be treated like a robot, a sub-human, or a clod of dirt. I soon found out this customer experience was going to be different.

The interaction started off as usual . . .some nameless guy asking for my credit card and drivers license. Then something unusual happened. The young man stood up, reached over the counter, and shook my hand. It wasn't one of those dead fish kind of handshakes, but a real strong, glad to meet you handshake. I almost feel out of my shoes in shock. Wow!

In my entire life, no car rental agency person has ever shaken my hand. Most people in other car rental places could care less if I showed up or not. Well, this young man was amazing. He finished all the paperwork and asked me to sign those blank spaces on the contract; all the while I was trying to compose myself from the handshake experience. For all I know, I could have agreed to rent the car for $2000 a day. But at that point I didn't care. I was beside myself.

Then he did it again. He stood up, walked around the counter, and shook my hand one more time. Then he said, "Mr. Smith, we appreciate your business." I was blown away.

Here is an important fact to remember. A Gallup survey showed a customer who is �emotionally connected� to your place of business is likely to spend 46% more money than a customer who is merely "satisfied" but not emotionally bonded.

To get your customers to say "Wow," you need to follow these four steps of exceptional service.

Select the right people. Most businesses do a poor job hiring people. They hire just anyone and then place them on the front-line with customers. This in turn runs them away to the competition. So spend more time recruiting and hiring the "right" people with good personalities.

Set performance standards. Outline specific steps on how employees are to act, speak, and respond to customer needs and requests. If you let your employees decide how to act, there is no telling what they will do.

Sustain on-going training and reinforcement. Good customer service skills do not come naturally. Successful businesses make good skills a habit. They reinforce and train their staff on a recurring basis.

Specify consequences for good behaviors. You must hold people accountable. Reward those who exceed the standards and develop those who do not.

For a free fact sheet, "How to Hire Exceptional People Each and Every Time," please call (770) 860-9464 or (800) 821-2487 or visit our website at: http://www.chartcourse.com/greatservice.html

Greg Smith helps create high performance organizations that attract, keep, and motivate their workforce. As President of Chart Your Course International he has designed and implemented professional development programs for hundreds of organizations globally. As a business growth consultant, he has helped business owners reduce turnover, increase sales, deliver better customer service, and reach long-term prosperity. He is also the author of Here Today, Here Tomorrow: Transforming Your Workforce from High Turnover to High Retention, the New Leader, and several other books. For more information, visit http://www.chartcourse.com or call (800) 821-2487 or (770) 860-9464.

==========================
Gregory P. Smith
President
Chart Your Course International
Examiner, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

"We show managers how to create high performance
organizations that attract, keep, and motivate their workforce"

Author of:
Here Today Here Tomorrow: How to Transform Your
Organization from High Turnover to High Retention

Phone: (770) 860-9464
http://www.ChartCourse.com
http://www.HighRetention.com
http://www.BehaviorProfile.com

New Article

2005-11-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

Please consider this new article for your publication.

Best,

Greg Smith

What Good Managers Must Do

Gregory P. Smith

One morning at the airport, I overheard an employee talking about her new boss. Hes a nice guy, she said. He makes me feel good about working here.

Like many employees, this young woman is more influenced by her bosss soft skills than his technical skills. His interpersonal skills were what mattered most: including his ability to communicate, motivate and showing genuine concern. These interpersonal traits influence people to decide to quit or stay. When a manager lacks these skills, or actively cultivates their hard-edged opposite, workers who have choices will jump ship or lower their productivity.

I experienced this myself when I went into the military service right after college. My boss was a special persona great boss. An experienced veteran and a former Special Forces medic, he was the type of person who always put the needs of others before his own.

One night I pulled duty that required me to stay up all night on New Years Eve. It was a night that seemed it would never end. I was tired and miserable. Saturday morning, when I still had several more hours to go, the phone rang. It was Joe, my boss. He asked if I had plans for lunch and that his wife had made something and wanted to bring it over to me. While I dont remember what food they brought over, it was a meal I never forgot.

That one small act of kindness showed me he cared. It taught me more about leadership than all the degrees and diplomas hanging on my wall. It confirmed the truth of the old military saying, If you take care of your troops, your troops will take care of you. Its still true today, no matter what kind of business you are in.

The older I get and the more I see reinforces that leadership techniques and fads change with the times, but caring about individuals holds constant. Caring for people cant be faked or replaced.

On the other hand, no manager should be a pushover. A caring manager must also be respected. He or she must be able to generate results.

Soon after my boss treated me to that special meal, he gave me the worst chewing out Id ever had. I deserved it and did something to deserve it. It hurt moreand made a deeper impression on mebecause of the respect I had for him. When you respect someone, you always value what he or she has to say.

Businesses that do a good job selecting, training, and developing their managers will enjoy higher productivity and lower turnover. While its hard to measure the impact soft skills have on productivity, I strongly believe an employee who feels good about working for a company or a boss will want to contribute much more than the minimum acceptable level.

In the years I led people, I never met an average workeronly people I saw the potential to become much better. I think it was General Omar Bradley who said, There are no such thing as bad soldiers, only bad leaders. Sure--the workplace has its share of problematic and difficult to manage individuals. There are many bad managers. But what I notice is good managers are able to transform difficult people into better people. Exceptional workers have exceptional managers as their leaders. The only difference between the two groups is the quality of the leader.

I imagine my first boss saw me as an average individual with a short attention span, high maintenance, inexperienced, and scattered brained. Fortunately for me, he took the time to train and develop me, even though it often frustrated him. He was a true leader. He understood leadership of people is a transformation process, and with the right tools and a willing attitude, he could make the transformation happen.

Greg Smith helps organizations accelerate workplace performance. He is a nationally recognized speaker and author. He has written five books including his latest, Here Today, Here Tomorrow: Transforming Your Workforce from High Turnover to High Retention. Greg has been featured on Bloomberg News, PBS television, and in publications including Business Week, USA Today, Kiplinger's, President and CEO, and the Christian Science Monitor. He is the President of a management-consulting firm, Chart Your Course International, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Phone him at 770-860-9464. More articles available: http://www.chartcourse.com

Employee of the Month Programs Don't Work

2005-10-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

Employee of the Month Programs Don't Work

Here is a question sent to me:

I attended your session in Philadelphia called, "The Care and Feeding of
Staff: Energize, Engage, and Motivate Your Work Force." It The timing
was just right. Our firm is beginning an 'Employee of the Month Award'.
We hope this will be a morale booster.

I wanted to know if you could give me any pointers. Can you suggest
some criteria for such an award? Also, should the employees decide what
criteria will be used?

Our law firm is relatively small. We have five attorneys with a support
staff of ten. Several employees have over fifteen years service with the
company. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You, Richard

My reply:

I applaud your efforts in wanting to create a reward and recognition
system, but being a small firm makes an EOM program that much more
challenging.

Most of the Employee of the Month programs I have seen rarely work as
intended. The results fall short, and in some cases the program can do
more harm than good. Why?

Fairness is the main problem. Any program that selects only one winner
is bound and determined to make others feel like losers. Also, employees
must be nominated to be considered. But what happens to people who
deserve recognition, but work for managers who do not take the time to
nominate anyone? What happens to people who maintain nontraditional work
schedules such as those who telecommute or work remotely? Honoring one
person a month also defeats teamwork. Instead of only recognizing one
employee, many of my clients recognize the "Team of the Month."

The goal of any reward and recognition program is to encourage,
recognize, and show appreciation to those who work in your office.
However, the most important reason is to align behaviors with the goals
making your organization successful. Most organizations miss this
important point.

Since you are a small firm, your candidate pool is very limited. You will
fall in to the trap of giving the EOM only to a few people--your top
performers. Or on the other hand, you may be forced to rotate the EOM
award from person to person, whether they deserve it or not, just to meet
the requirement each month. Is this your intention?

One organization we worked with was unhappy with the results of their EOM
program. Every month managers nominated one person for selection. Part
of the difficulty was that person had to compete against people working
in eight different locations. A committee of eight senior managers, one
from each building, selected only one winner. The winner was awarded a
savings bond.

There are several weaknesses with this program. First, the winners felt
uncomfortable winning the award. They realized there were coworkers just
as deserving as they. Second, there were others in the organization who
were never considered or nominated. They felt "ignored" and not
appreciated. Then there were those who felt the managers were playing
favorites--you had to "brown nose" your boss in order to win. The
program generated more negative feelings than good. Something had to
change.

The organization followed our recommendation to allow the employees
themselves the opportunity to redesign a better system. We convened a
problem-solving team consisting of one volunteer from each location. At
the first meeting, we outlined the options they could consider. Then we
let them go to work.

An hour or two later they came up with a brand new program. They decided
to create a peer selection process. They did not want management to make
the selection. Each building would run a separate Employee of the Month
program. Then they decided to collect money to buy a plaque for each
building to display winners' names. Finally, the staff would take the
winner out for breakfast each month and provide them a reserved parking
space near the front door of their office.

Greg Smith helps create high performance organizations that attract,
keep, and motivate their workforce. As President of Chart Your Course
International he has designed and implemented professional development
programs for hundreds of organizations globally. As a business growth
consultant, he has helped business owners reduce turnover, increase
sales, deliver better customer service, and reach long-term prosperity.
Greg is published in hundreds of trade publications. He is also the
author of Here Today, Here Tomorrow: Transforming Your Workforce from
High Turnover to High Retention, the New Leader, and several other books.
For more information, visit http://www.chartcourse.com or call (800)
821-2487 or (770) 860-9464.

Welcome to the Employee Retention Blog

2005-10-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

Chart Your Course International is a management development and consulting firm located in the Atlanta area. We focus on employee retention and talent management. We show executives and business owners how to attract and keep customers and build organizations that retain and motivate their workforce.

Our company has been featured in Business Week, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, USA Today, President and CEO, and other publications. He has appeared on television programs including Bloomberg Business News and PBS television.

Greg's background in organizational behavior has guided dozens of businesses with measurable improvements in reduced turnover, increased sales, better customer service, improved communication, and the morale of all concerned.

For more information please call us or visit http://www.highretention.com or call 770-860-9464