The relentless pressure on finances is putting a serious strain on all aspects of business.  The slow, painful and uncertain crawl out of the longest downturn in living memory means there is less money available to invest in improvements and yet, there is an ongoing demand from staff to increase salaries as they feel the pinch in their personal lives.  But what are your staff and Managers really worth?  How do you go about estimating their value; their contribution to your…

As social media networks continue to rise in prominence and increase in users, we are increasingly seeing these channels affect every aspect of our lives – from helping us plan events, through to discussions forums on difficult topics. For the recruitment sector particularly, we continue to hear about the emergence of social networks as a means to reach potential employees – yet, whilst we are seeing a shift away…

With the lead up to the festive season there is always lots of talk about employers reminding their employees about the risks of sexual harassment, discrimination, general safety at Xmas Parties and even thanking them for their efforts.  What you don’t see a lot…

Tactics include the tactical management of an organisation. Tactical management is a plan for the deployment of resources and ways to achieve a particular goal. This plan should contribute to the strategy of an organisation. Strategy describes how the vision of an organisation will be achieved. A vision provides a visionary and ambitious view of what an organisation wants to be. This blog discusses the tactical management of human capital.…

There is still a lot of talk in HR circles about how the bonus culture that got the banks into a financial crisis is still alive and well.  But there is another aspect to motivation that no one has mentioned.  It lies beneath the surface and could even be damaging your organisation, business or team.  

Understanding motivation

Most people think of motivation as something that will get us to take action; to get “in motion” but this is not always the case.  Motivation is…

The potential for social media as a competitive marketing tool for businesses is unquestioned.  Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, amongst other sites, are increasingly being utilised by businesses in accordance with comprehensive marketing strategies designed to maximise brand awareness, target potential customers and employees,   and provide networking forums for professionals to connect, all at relatively low cost compared with other conventional forms of marketing.

However,…

To be honest, when the opportunity to work in Dubai first came up, I was in two minds about it.  On the one hand, it would be a great opportunity to get some international work experience, to learn more about the company I work for and what we do, to build relationships with my international colleagues, and to…

The ‘festive’ season is here again, and for many of us this means an opportunity to wind down and have a well-earned break.  Unfortunately, workplace health and safety sometimes takes a holiday too, which makes for a not-so-merry time for those affected.

Here are my top tips for keeping employees…

This week a friend of mine told me he quit his job after being head hunted for a new opportunity (closer to home, more money, leading a bigger team and better long-term career prospects). I was pleased for him and wondered why he didn’t seem that excited.  “What’s wrong?” I asked. “My current boss hasn’t spoken to me for over a week since I resigned”. Sorry? Your boss is ignoring…

The simpler a technique is, the more effective it can be. The innovation skill of 'magnification' while only being ranked as a 'one light bulb level difficulty' (meaning it's a simple skill), the impact of it can be massive. 

We use the…

The quality of your results is determined by the quality of your relationships. From customers and clients to staff and suppliers, if you don’t maintain good relationships your results will suffer.  In fact, good relationships are no longer enough.  As pressure and competition rise we need excellent relationships.  This will become even more important if we want to take advantage of the tender green shoots of recovery.  

But building relationships takes time and time is a resource few…

The recent change of Federal Government in Australia has been welcomed by many in the business community however one area of our economy is bracing itself for a very rough ride during the term of the first Abbott Coalition Government.

Much was made of the Coalition's first cabinet containing eighteen men and only one woman. However just as concerning was the absence of a Minister for Science. Of late, the conservative side of politics has not much been a fan of science or fact-based…

As an introvert, I’ve never been one for small talk. In fact I was at a barbeque recently with my partner and our host introduced us to one of his friends, Malcolm, who had recently returned from a trip overseas travelling mainly throughout Asia.

I did the polite thing and asked Malcolm about his trip: where did he go?, what was his favourite destination? And other relevant small talk conversation. I made sure I asked lots of open questions to get him talking and to find out about his…

Conferences bring people and ideas together, but you can also learn a lot pressing the flesh as a trade show exhibitor.

Onetest was the happy recipient of the Award for Most Popular Exhibitor at the recent Australian…

Most organizations do not effectively utilize the data collected, and this is a problem with surveys or reviews I come across fairly regularly. Although most organizations conduct annual surveys─usually online─the data collected is…

The concept of the formal appraisal is based on a power relationship; that is, the manager has the upper hand. He or she has a greater say in the appraisal of the staff member. The employee usually has a say, but it…

Right now, Gamification is hot.

It is the newest innovation organisations are exploring to attract and engage graduates, in particular. As Gamification is so new, there is still much debate over its role in the selection process, i.e. is it just a tool for attraction? and the validity of its assessment properties, i.e. how does this apply to the assessment of graduates? Last week we ran a webinar on gamification…