Workforce Development News – Jan. 24, 2011

New Podcast Now Online – Lean Drives Engagement and Engagement Drives Retail Sales

What drove the dehumanization of work that occurred early in the Twentieth Century? Legions of experts developed work processes with little or no regard for individual workers’ insights and creativity. The result was “experts know, managers and supervisors tell, and workers do.” The early twentieth century mass production operations based on this approach worked, but were also self-limiting as they created dehumanized workplaces, filled with workers who took little pride in craftsmanship.
Lean thinking and Lean work processes can transform “mass production” workplaces into environments where employees take high degrees of pride in the work they do. They are also workplaces with high degrees of employee engagement. When this happens, the payback to the company is significant. Companies with the highest percentage of engaged employees increased operating income 19% and earnings per share 28%, year-to-year. During the same time frame, companies with less engaged employees experienced declines of 33% year-to-year and 11% in earnings. Here are six steps that a company can take to drive engagement and increase productivity and profitability. (George Friesen, 13:09 MP3).
http://www.stlcc.edu/Podcasts/business-training/Lean-Drives-Engagement-Retail-Sales.html

Six Keys to Changing Almost Anything

“Human beings are creatures of habit. Fully 95 percent of our behaviors are habitual, or occur in response to a strong external stimulus. Only 5 percent of our choices are consciously self-selected. The more behaviors are ritualized and routinized — in the form of a deliberate practice — the less energy they require to launch, and the more they recur automatically. Here are six key steps to making change that lasts:”
http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2011/01/six-keys-to-changing-almost-an.html

4 Secrets to Sending Better E-mail

“You can increase your chances of getting what you need if you write your email so that it’s super-easy for people to pay attention to it – instead of everyone else’s.”
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-experts-4_secrets_to_sending_better_email-142

20 Avoidable Job Search Mistakes

“The phrase ‘shoot yourself in the foot’ didn’t create itself. In fact, job seekers probably coined it. Every day, thousands of people look for a job – and almost every single one of them makes at least one mistake (or 10) in the process. The worst part is, many if not all of these blunders are completely avoidable.”
http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/01/21/cb.avoidable.job.search.mistakes/index.html

Managing and Motivating Employees in Their Twenties

“While that formative decade is long and dynamic for each person, there are some consistencies in how best to manage and motivate excellent twenty-somethings.”
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/01/managing_employees_in_their_tw.html

Still Out of the Job Market? What Now?

“Being out of work for an extended period of time can be very difficult.  Some job candidates let the pressure get the best of them.  Whether it has six months, a year, or longer, use these ten tips to help yourself get back on track.”
http://www.careerrocketeer.com/2011/01/still-out-of-the-job-market-what-now.html

IRS Tax Tip: Seven Things You Should Know About Checking the Status of Your Refund

“Are you expecting a tax refund from the Internal Revenue Service this year? If so, here are seven things you should know about checking the status of your refund once you have filed your federal tax return.”
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=107704,00.html

A Model of Consistency in Communication

“There’s power in consistency of communication. How we communicate, and how consistently we communicate, becomes a part of our reputation as leaders.”
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/01/a_model_of_consistency_in_comm.html

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” – Jack London

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