“If you are not measuring it, you are telling people that you are not serious about delivering it.”  When I heard this quote at a conference it sent a ripple of unrest and shuffling through the audience and a lively debate ensued.  What are you actually measuring in your business?  What are you doing with the data?  Is it creating the behaviours and results you want?

Measurement can be a double-edged sword, get it right and you will have razor sharp information that drives success,…

Projects end. Business does not.

It doesn’t matter what the project is, eventually they all come to an end - the date comes around where completion has been reached. However, during any project behaviour must change to recognise success. The return on investment (ROI) for the project is calculated on the improvement in business performance as outlined in the project charter and measured against the investments made as part of the project.

There are two main goals which…

Just as businesses thought they were getting the hang of the Fair Work Act, the Queensland Government has stirred up the pot by announcing a review of industrial relations arrangements.

A quick recap on where things are currently at and how we…

It is well documented that financial incentives can be strong contributor to job satisfaction. With this is mind, businesses can expect a spike in workplace satisfaction with holiday bonuses looming, but is it reasonable for employers to also expect rejuvenated performance in the New Year?

 While satisfaction does play a part in motivation, the two should not be confused. One is a state of emotion…

Australia’s economic conditions are predicted by some to take a downward turn in 2013, meaning employers large and small are growing anxious about an economic slump and the potential for China’s growth to go into reverse. In retail, the growing trend for US stores to welcome Australian online shoppers…

“Effective reward and recognition programs are an important strategic move that can strengthen your brand and achieve ultimate business goals by fully engaging your workforce.”

This month, Singapore’s Southern Star magazine features an interview with our very own Nathan Kitchner, Executive Director of Power2Motivate, Asia.

Here’s the full article:

Mark is the General Manager…

So, it’s interesting when we look at some client’s exit data.



We notice that there are certain times of the year when turnover increases.



Like the hospital chain in Melbourne. Do you know when most of their nurses resign?



Winter.



Ever had winter in Melbourne?



Much better to head to Europe or Asia for a few months.



A Canberra Federal Government client tends…

Today I got a reality check when my daughter came into the bedroom crying that the tooth fairy hadn’t visited her in the night. This was a BIG deal and I felt terrible.  I had forgotten. No excuses.

How do important things get lost in the haze of …

Recently I had an interesting issue where a client (lets’ call him Harry) was having trouble recruiting for a key position that is often mis-understood; the role of ‘Office Manager’.   It’s amazing how many different job descriptions I have seen for this role!  Ranging from mainly acting as an accountant, to being responsible for Marketing the business.   As you know, these are vastly different roles and require quite different characteristics, skills and traits.  

Harry is a classic…

Did you know that …

...IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR, AGAIN

I love Christmas Day.

For me it's a general feeling of calm which envelops surrounding streets like no other time of year.

The roads go quiet, shops are shut, music…

So, sometimes we’re responsible for looking at clients’ resignation histories to find out what’s really going on with employee retention. Are there certain times of the year that encourage people to quit? Are there certain employee groups who leave more than others?



One thing that we see in many organisations is the loss of staff at around the 3 year tenure level. This group is really valuable to most organisations because the employee is now skilled and…

Dear EI,

I own and manage a pub on the coast, I have a team…

Two years ago when I worked in a large corporate, I had an outrageous idea that risked $25 million in sales revenue completely on the trust of our front-line employees. It was so phenomenally successful that it got me thinking that trust itself might be the new business currency:

The Background

When our long-standing sales manager announced her impending maternity leave, it left me with a decision to make on how to drive sales for a year without her. Conventional…

 Thank you!      …

Sentimental reflections on the workplace of  nearly 50 years ago.  The workplace was rather different then:-

• the boss was addressed as Mister
• ‘please’, ‘thank-you’, ‘sorry’ and ‘excuse me’ were part of the language
• a man operated the lift:  he was old and he smelt of alcohol after lunch
• you were ill mannered if you conversed in it
• you got paid in cash – it smelt good
• you never felt richer than when you got your first pay and…

While many of my clients are mentioning how tough the current trading environment is, everyone is exceptionally busy!  There seems to be a lethal combination of short deadlines making everything urgent, top customers becoming even more demanding, restrictions on recruitment and tempers getting frayed.  Yet you can only achieve more by doing less . . .

The knock-on effects and hidden costs of all this busyness – if not properly managed – are more mistakes, misunderstandings and…

… And 82% say that recognition motivates them, another survey from Gallup highlights the importance of employee engagement. Have a look at more of the results in the infograph below…

 …

Can you relate to this?

If so, here are 4 useful posts on performance reviews:

 

A general guide:

http://www.thinkei.com/performance-reviews-an-effective-tool-or-a-waste-of-time/

In terms of improving productivity:…