Greater competition and the dynamic pace of global businesses have made selecting, developing and retaining key talent a make or break issue for companies that hope to achieve or maintain a competitive edge. The solution is a talent management strategy that identifies the key talent and core competencies needed to meet current and future business goals and a strategy that nurtures the talent into profit for the company.

What then is talent management?

This is all about increasing the organization's return on its human resource investment. Moreso, understanding what Talent Management means or trying to give a clear definition for it will always be a challenge. This becomes more significant when we consider thefact that any initiative, no matter how sound, could over time assume the status of a cliché.

In simple terms, Talent Management is the management of the talent within an organization. There cannot be another simpler definition otherwise we run the risk of abstraction. Talent encompasses employees' skills, knowledge, cognitive abilities, potentials, values and work habits amongst others. This list is exhaustive. It is difficult to contemplate that there is a possibility that any activity, in the context of the organization, relating to the employee is not in form or the other related to Talent Management. In reality, even in the most rudimentary form, every organization practices some form of Talent Management.

In as much as an organization is involved in recruiting, selecting, placement, promotion, rewarding as well as training and development activities, regardless of how informal, talent management is being practiced. When Talent Management is, however, being referred to, it is in the formal sense of having method and structure relating to organizational practices.

Unfortunately, many organizations in the developing countries and in some more developed parts of the world still do not have any formal structure and processes. In reality, in a formal, structures sense, those organizations do not actually practice Talent Management.

The essential features of a successful Talent Management programme are as follows:

1. Recruiting

Does the Organization have a formal process of identifying and sourcing talent? In competitive international and local labour markets, there are a number of challenges in attracting and recruiting talent with high professional, technical and leadership potential.

2. Career Management

How are careers managed? Do employees joining the organization have some degree of clarity of what comes next at every stage of their career in the organization? In today's world, with all the fierce war for talent we see in all parts of the world, organizations that are unable to come up with a clear career proposition will loose out. For the new employee, the question is: what is in it for me? Organization must have the ability to answer this question in a transparent and consistent manner. This question can be answered by ensuring that the organizational structure has clarity, reporting lines and relationships are clear. The days of central planning are long gone. Organization must also ensure that employees feel empowered.

3. Succession Planning

In reality what is done in succession planning is matching current supply with potential future demand. It also drives the movement of talent in the organization. Who moves? Who stays? And in a multi and transnational organization, who gets transferred out of the country? There is always the need to exercise caution not to under build or overbuild. Overbuilding leads to redundancy and waste of talent. Finding the right balance is in itself an art of some sort. Only few organizations achieve this. The other issue to consider is quantity and quality. There could be quantity but no quality. Even when there is no talent pool, organizations can go out to hire on a continuous basis. The downside is that no culture is built in the process and inevitably the organization continues to sub optimize.

In Succession Planning, it is very critical to identify the human resources needed to meet the business plans of the organization and where to source for them, and develop strategies to retain and motivate them. It also involves understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the current employees in order to avert making costly assumptions about their abilities. Many employers make the mistake of promoting staff beyond their level of competence, for example, someone who has been an excellent operational officer gets promoted to a managerial role that calls for strategic leadership, but because he/she has little experience or aptitude for developing strategy, he/she fails miserably.

4. Performance Management

As far as performance management goes, many organizations stop at the form filling stage. The real challenge in performance management is what you do with the data you have on employees. Some performance management systems look at current performance with no input for potential assessment. Other performance management systems have no linkage or are working at cross-purposes with learning and development.

Performance management and learning and development should have a symbiotic relationship. One should lead to or feed the other. It then becomes imperative that efforts in pursuit of learning and development interventions, should be aimed at addressing the actual needs of employees.

5. Mentoring and Coaching Programmes

There can be no effective talent management if the organization does not have a structured mentoring and coaching programme. Many Organizations may be carrying out mentoring and coaching on a continuous or adhoc basis but if there is no structure, it may be impossible to evaluate their effectiveness. Talent Management seeks to bring structure, discipline and an element of measurement to that process.

6. Creation of Talent Pool

When considering an effective Talent Management programme, creating a talent pool becomes inevitable. Many Organizations have a Management Trainee program. But then, working in consonance with this will be a high potential pool or what other organizations call a fast track or development list. This way, very early in the careers of the employees, some quick differentiations is done and career paths are clearly mapped out to reflect this. This can be done in a not too structure way with good results. The important thing is to have a tracking mechanism. For example, how many of those on the fast track list remain after 3, 5 and 7 years? Are we able to keep our high performers? If we are struggling with this, what should we do?

7. Reward Management

There is no way talent management will succeed without a system that clearly differentiates between average, superior and outstanding performers. The inability to design reward schemes that differentiates clearly is one of the indicators of a weak organization.

The traditional approach to securing key talents is to offer an attractive compensation package. While this can be useful, if it is not part of an integrated, broader talent management strategy, it amounts to throwing away money at a problem. All you may be left with is increasing recruitment and payroll costs, which eat into resources available for training and other initiatives critical to managing talents.

Talent management is not simply about offering good pay but about structuring compensation packages to reward the talented few above their peers. Companies need to develop flexible compensation schemes that allow exceptional payment for exceptional performance and top talents should be put to work on special projects that attract bonus rewards.

The Role of Human Resources Practitioners in Talent Management

With the above highlights of Talent Management, it is appropriate to look at the process required to put in place and actually institutionalize it. Unless it becomes part of the Organization's culture, the wrong results will persist and, in contrast, the right results will elude the organization.

The most critical requirement for an effective Talent Management process in the organization is a Human Resource team that is professionally resourced. Experience bears out the fact that most organizations have now realized that they cannot cut corners when it comes to establishing a professional HR team. The results are obvious: High attrition - the organization becomes more or less a revolving door, poor image as an employer of choice in the labour market and ultimately mediocre performance by the organization.

The link between organizational performance and poor HR practices has been a continued focus on Human Capital Management. Employees are now seen as the real assets of the organization. Other assets cannot be properly deployed unless the right people are in place to manage them.

The existence of a HR department or function in any guise does not suggest that the issue of Talent Management is of prime importance to the organization. One has to look at the quality of the team that has been put in place to drive the initiatives.

HR professional must design, plan, implement and develop successful Talent Management programmes. This is where structure and process come into play. What many organizations do is to abandon the process of talent management to the HR function. The HR team then erroneously believes that it is able to execute this without inputs from the senior management and line management, and it is for this reason that most talent management initiatives do not get off the ground.

Significantly, Senior and Line management must champion the process of talent management in organizations bearing in mind that in the fast paced world of today, changing demographics, globalization and high mobility of labour, with the rapidly emerging technologies and constant change, any organization without an aggressive Talent management process would soon face liquidation and become irrelevant in the business environment.

What is an equality policy?

An equality policy is a business document that outlines a company's position on equality in the workplace. This is important - discrimination at work on grounds of age, race, gender, sexual orientation and religion are all illegal, and if your employees or the company as a whole acts in a discriminatory manner, you could be vulnerable to expensive litigation.

Why should my company have one?

The first reason to have a business document outlining your company's stance on equality is simple - it's good for your employees. Discrimination, bullying, maternity leave, and so on are areas that workers frequently feel hesitant talking about, and unclear about what their legal rights are. Having a clearly defined equality policy gives your employees something to refer to if they have any queries and gives them a clear process to follow.

From a manager's point of view, it is of even greater importance that you have good quality policy documents to refer to in case of a dispute. Bullying and discrimination litigation can be costly, time consuming and very damaging for a business. A clear equality policy will help reduce the incidence of such problems. Established guidelines concerning what kind of behaviour is unacceptable and outlining a disciplinary procedure are essential, and you should be aware that if any of your employees acts in a discriminatory manner, you can be held responsible for their actions. A comprehensive equality policy can be invaluable in demonstrating that an employee has breached company regulations, and can direct any legal consequences towards the employee who has erred rather than the company as a whole.

What does it need to say?

The equality policy needs to:

* State your company's commitment to equality and diversity in the workplace
* State the kinds of discrimination that are covered by your policy
* Outline a clear plan of action for encouraging equality in the workplace

Kinds of discrimination that should be covered in the equality policy include:

* Ageism - Note that it isn't always older people who complain of age discrimination - there are many cases of younger workers complaining that their older peers are paid more for doing the same job.
* Sexism - This includes discrimination in hiring and pay, and also harassment in the workplace.
* Racism
* Sexual Orientation
* Religious Discrimination
* Disability Discrimination

What can go wrong?

If writing a comprehensive equality policy sounds daunting, consider getting a template document - many companies can provide you with a business document template to make sure that the policy is correctly worded. Of course, the most important thing to bear in mind is that once you have this policy in place, you have to follow it! You should also hold regular training days to make sure your employees know what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

You also need to make sure that the document is kept up to date - equality laws change all the time, and you do not want to be caught out by a new development that renders your existing policy ineffective.

Managing a staffing company can feel a bit like running a three ring circus. You're constantly searching for qualified employees, selling your services to employers and juggling the proper amount of cash to keep the whole thing running smoothly.

Add all the administrative functions of dealing with payroll and insurance- and you're a certified ringmaster.

Many staffing companies are discovering the benefits of working with an employee leasing company/PEO (Professional Employer Organization). Why? Because employee leasing companies manage the hassles associated with payroll, workers' compensation, human resource and claims issues, so that you can focus on increasing your company's bottom line.

An employee leasing company provides online access to reports and employee information. In addition, the employee leasing company administers your quarterly tax reports and handles all of your payroll deposits and W-2's. One of the biggest reasons staffing companies are using this service is the drastic reduction they receive on their workers' compensation rates. Having no up front premium deposits or surprise audits, along with having their employees properly classified, is saving business owners thousands of dollars each year.

The employee leasing company becomes your administrative partner, handling all the aspects of your business that take up your time. You maintain control of the day-to-day operations of your company. The PEO is simply the administrative arm handling the annoying paperwork.

Can you save money by using employee leasing services? Yes! You'll save time and money. A PEO will allow you to concentrate on building and expanding your staffing business while controlling your administrative costs. How much your company saves depends on your current situation.

Whether your goals are to reduce the high costs of workers' comp insurance, simplify payroll administration, or attain a stronger benefits package for your employees - we can help! With over 1000 PEO/employee leasing companies that service different markets, states and industries, there may be only a handful that truly fit the needs of your staffing business. Let us help you find your proper fit.

Over the years, Employee Leasing Quotes.com has helped thousands of business owners - including staffing companies, gain access to the right employee leasing/PEO provider.

NHS Connecting for Health hired an Interim Human Resources Director to provide professional senior management support for the organisation delivering the national programme for IT.

The National Programme for IT (NPfIT), which is key to modernizing the NHS, is one of the largest civil IT projects in the world. Its mission is, through the use of new technology, to put in place information systems that give patients more choice and healthcare professionals more efficient access to information, thereby ensuring delivery of better patient care.

In April 2005, the NPfIT joined with the technology arm of services from the NHS Information Authority (NHSIA) to form a single new organisation, NHS Connecting for Health (NHS CFH), an agency of the Department of Health. The role of the new organisation is to harness new technology to connect patients and healthcare professionals in the delivery of safer, cost-effective healthcare in England.

NHS CFH comprises a mixed economy of permanent NHS staff, civil servants, secondments and external specialist contractors. Together they create a rich tapestry of skills and expertise drawn from a wealth of professional backgrounds. However, the structure also provides a number of organisational challenges. The diverse mixture of talent has had to be managed and a common culture and terms and conditions established, while continuing to deliver the programme to the NHS.

"There were many different HR and recruitment activities going on," says Director of Corporate Services Andrew Griffiths. "We were looking locally, nationally and globally to find highly skilled IT professionals to fill vacancies on business-critical work. We were also establishing ourselves as a new organisation, managing issues around the closure of the NHSIA, dealing with the integration of staff and their work and handling the acquisition of a large number of legacy IT systems."

In the midst of all this, the then HR Director was headhunted. "I knew we had to plug the gap with a highly-experienced HR professional to lead at the most senior level," says Griffiths. "They would have to relate to everyone from the chief executive to the doorman, and would need lots of skill, presence and authority in order to command respect. They would also have to deliver rather than just hold the fort. Last, but not least, they had to develop the HR function."

Griffiths interviewed several interim managers for this critical role before appointing Impact Executives interim manager Susan Bush as interim HR Director.

One of the first things Bush did was to start to harmonise objectives, cultures and terms and conditions by introducing common policies and procedures. "Because NHS CFH was a very mixed economy, everyone had different perspectives and was focused on different objectives, and we needed to rectify that if we were going to perform as one organisation," she says.

All they had were legacy policies of the NHSIA - but these were highly structured and many were inappropriate for a fast moving project-based organisation that placed a high premium on performance. So Bush and her team redrafted 40 key people procedures, and harmonized terms and conditions. "We had about 460 different job descriptions, which we have rationalised into a more compact structure as part of Agenda for Change (AfC), the most radical shake-up of pay
within the NHS since the NHS began," she explains.

A proportion of the 1400 staff in NHS CFH are IT consultants and contractors, who are deployed within the organisation for varying lengths of time. So a further HR challenge has been to integrate these people with permanent employees in order to deliver seamless high-level professional services.

The HR team also worked hard to implement more flexible working, in keeping with the NHS's Improving Working Lives initiative, which seeks to redress the traditional long-hours culture by providing a better work-life balance for its staff.

They also worked quickly to establish a formal working relationship with the unions. Bush's 30 years' experience of working in highly-unionised organisations stood her in good stead. She set up a joint negotiation and consultation committee to discuss and agree all changes to terms and conditions.

She also got the green light to set up a non-unionised Staff Partnership Forum, to help ascertain staff views on issues of concern to management and to address problems arising between staff and management.

But Bush thinks her most significant contribution to NHS CFH was restructuring and refocusing the HR department. "It was very internally focused and reactive, and had little direct involvement with either the management or the workforce," she says. "I helped to create a more responsive and proactive team who now act as HR business partners and work closely with managers to help them get the most out of their teams. This is critical to sustaining the performance of NHS CFH at a high level - particularly when the recruitment rate is running at around 25 people every month."

One of the key things the new restructured team is now able to do is proper inductions. "NHS CFH is a complex organisation and a well structured induction process is vital to helping new people become effective much more quickly," she says.

Restructuring and refocusing the HR team involved bringing in six or seven new people with different perspectives from both the public and private sectors. The administration was devolved to more junior people, allowing the more senior people to become more strategic by working alongside the managers. This change unleashed talent that had previously been under-utilised, says Bush.

There is now a well-established team of HR professionals, including organisational development and training experts, and when Bush left at the end of January the team had just started to determine the kind of culture needed by the new delivery-focused NHS CFH.

Bush's legacy to her permanent successor, Paul Dowie, who joined the organisation at the beginning of the year from ITN News, is a well structured, proactive and professional HR department that is focused on business activities and delivery. She also implemented a number of activities that NHS CFH can build on in the future.

Griffiths knew that Bush would contribute high-quality professional talent to back-fill a permanent role at a critical point in the organisation's development. But he discovered that the value she brought during her six-month assignment exceeded his expectations.

"The mix of skills, competencies and experience Sue brought made the six months it took us to find a permanent HR Director a great deal less stressful than they would undoubtedly otherwise have been," Griffiths concludes.

Most recruiting firm owners struggle to find, attract, and PROCURE great recruiters. As a matter of fact, in an informal survey I have conducted, it is the number one frustration they have. This article is the second in a series on attracting future big billers into your contingency search firm.

If you offer a draw, call it a salary and alter your comp plan accordingly.

This one change had a significant impact on our ability to hire great talent. I am not necessarily encouraging you to offer more on a guaranteed basis, just change what you call it. For example, if you pay 30% on the AE's first $120,000 per year against a $2,000 per month draw, you could change your comp plan to say you earn 10% on the first $10,000 cash-in per month and XX% above that with a base salary of $24,000. Do the math, the payouts are nearly identical.

The term draw has an outdated and incredibly negative connotation, so DROP IT!

Why bother? One word; perception. The term draw has a negative perception and paints a picture of the worst type of sales people. Now, I am not condoning that statement, simply acknowledging it.

Early on in my tenure as an owner when the discussion of compensation came up and the word draw out of my mouth the look in the face of the candidate on the other side of the desk mirrored my childrens' when I told them we were not going to get a puppy! This changed completely when I converted our draw to a salary.

Additionally, when your great candidate leaves the interview it is expected they will talk with friends and family and the term draw will inevevitably come up. Do you think their families and friends are more or less likely to encourage that person to take your opportunity?

Organizations face a tough challenge when key employees exhibit disruptive behavior. Also known as topcontributors, these employees possess specialized knowledge or skills that are critical to the success of the business or manage important clients or large accounts that might be lost if they left.

The actions of key employees often have a direct impact on the bottom line. In some cases, particularly in small and medium-sized firms, they can lead to resounding success or business closure.

Disruptive behavior generally falls into two categories: excessive control and disrespectful behavior. Excessive control often manifests as micromanaging or a need to be enmeshed in the minutest detail of delegated work. This behavior disempowers co-workers, stifles creativity and creates an unsatisfactory work environment. Yelling, tantrums, bullying, dereliction of duty and insubordination are examples of disrespectful behavior. Such behavior induces stress, lowers morale, alienates co-workers and customers, increases turnover, and renders teams dysfunctional.

The Wishful Approach
How do managers in your organization respond when they are told the broker managing your largest portfolio cannot keep support staff longer than three months because her constant hovering suffocates them; that your wiz programmer, the person you are depending on to lead the effort in designing your next big product, threw his team into a tizzy when he smashed his blackberry in a fit of fury; or that your world-class, prodigiously talented surgeon has, again, unleashed a profanity-laden tirade on his secretary? The potential impact of workers of this genus exiting the organization sometimes entices management to ignore or make excuses for the inappropriate behavior of top contributors. However, inaction, evasion or wishing poor behavior would resolve itself has a high price tag.

Testifying before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), William L. Bransford, partner in the Washington, D.C., based law firm of Shaw, Bransford, Veilleux & Roth, noted that "inaction is the worst course because future actions to deal with a continuing problem will be more difficult, and avoidance contributes to the workplace and public perception that problem employees are tolerated" (September 7, 2006).

Perceptions of avoidance, or preferential or disparate treatment, detract from management's credibility. They erode trust, fracture teams, foment disloyalty and can lead to charges of unlawful discrimination. Meanwhile, disruptors continue to plough down the path of destructive behavior.

The Beaten Path
Clear, concise and timely feedback is the starting point in effecting behavior change. HR pros play a germane role in ensuring that management does not fall prey to the aforementioned approach, and when it does, to help extricate itself from its grip. In addition, HR practitioners assist in identifying appropriate corrective or disciplinary measures to achieve the desired results.

A feedback session can be a collegial, sometimes informal, communication of the offensive or inappropriate behavior or action of one employee and the impact it has on others. The offended party or a supervisor can provide the feedback. If done correctly, both parties will leave the meeting with a clear understanding of what would constitute acceptable behavior in the future. If the offender modifies his or her behavior as a result of this initial intervention, you should not call him or her disruptive. This designation is reserved for those with whom supervisors have had a number of unproductive feedback sessions and those your other employees dread to confront.

To resolve the ethical dilemma and morale degradation that overlooked problematic conduct can engender, many courageous managers eventually initiate formal counseling. Verbal and written warnings, as well as a corrective plan that outlines expected behavior and the timeline to achieve it, are common steps in this level of intervention. Sanctions such as demotion, salary reduction, mandatory transfer, removal of privileges, suspension and termination of employment may be necessary in keeping with applicable laws and regulations.

Counseling draws a line in the sand. It sends an unequivocal message to the disruptive employee that the organization will no longer tolerate unacceptable behavior. These employees can be exceptionally frustrating to management and co-workers; therefore, treating them on the basis of lex talionis (the law of retribution) evokes a sense of justice in fellow employees. Whether they change or leave the organization, forcing such disruptors to experience how it feels to have other people bear down on them can be gratifying to their victims and to worn-down management.

On the flip side, the adversarial, threatening, punitive and coercive nature of disciplinary measures may adversely impact many of the very attributes that make your top producers unique and optimally effective. Relentless drive, unwavering commitment, curiosity, passion and courage--the qualities that enable them to harvest their genius--can be quelled by an adversarial relationship with management. This would not pose much of a concern if you were dealing with your average employee. But the organization suffers when top contributors are demotivated. In worst cases, the aforementioned qualities morph into a counterfeit force that is actively directed against the establishment.

Whatever the underlying cause of disruptive behavior might be, ego plays a role in its emergence and over time, dominance. In the right amount, ego enables us to achieve a healthy level of confidence and self-awareness. Too little of it produces indifference, fear and insecurity. Too much gives rise to arrogance, over-ambition and a bloated sense of superiority. In the words of David Marcum and Steven Smith, partners at the management consulting firm MarcumSmith, LC, and authors of Egonomics, "Ego's power is pervasive and relentless, but never neutral in how it affects our performance" (Marcum & Smith, 2007). According to this breakthrough work, ego is the unseen profit-and-loss line item that influences individual and organizational success the most. Therefore, managing its intense power and balancing it with humility, veracity and curiosity should be a priority for workers and their employers (Marcum & Smith, 2006).

Discipline can be an effective ego buster, but because of the nature of excessive ego, the counselee is unlikely to listen and cooperate, let alone deal effectively with an inflated sense of humiliation. Since insecurity and low self-esteem can also lead to disruptive behavior (e.g., difficulty letting go), punishment is unlikely to instill confidence.

The Road Less Traveled
Formal counseling (being loosely used to refer to an organization's formal, progressive disciplinary process) in the workplace works. But in many cases, it works like the antibiotic that kills good bacteria along with the bad or the cancer treatment that destroys ailing and healthy cells alike. What if there was a more targeted approach? An approach that achieves the desired result without the threat, fear and humiliation that counseling connotes? An approach that provides benefits that serve employees both in their professional and personal lives?

Coaching is a remarkably under-tapped personal and professional development and behaviormodification process. Done properly, it is an effective, nonthreatening, nonpunitive way of enabling individuals to discover and develop their strengths, come to grips with their opportunity areas or weaknesses, and take carefully outlined steps to address the weaknesses.

Coaching is less encumbered by the ego factor in that the coach provides guidance and support in a collegial relationship. It nurtures and preserves the flourishing rose (i.e., the strengths of the coachee) as it seeks out buds and prunes thorns and overgrowths. This process promotes self-awareness and selfleadership while preserving the self-esteem of the coachee. For this reason, coaching is usually better received than counseling.

In a milestone research on the impact of coaching in organizations, authors found average returns of 5.7 times the initial investment (McGovern et al, 2001). This study of 100 executives in the United States between 1996 and 2000 found additional "intangible" benefits to the business. They include: 77 percent improvement in working relationships with direct reports. 71 percent improvement in relationships with immediate supervisors. 67 percent improvement in teamwork. 63 percent improvement in working relationships with peers. 61 percent improvement in job satisfaction.

The evolution of HR provides an insight into the limited use of this approach in today’s workplace. For decades, the function was essentially nonstrategic and reactive. Problem-solving took precedence over prevention. In contrast with the preponderance of employee-relations expertise, only a few organizations offered, mostly through third-party consultants, personalized coaching to employees. Even so, coachingwas primarily reserved for executives, particularly those with identified performance or behavioral deficits. This trend is slowly changing. HR can enhance the effectiveness of coaching by increasing the pace ofthis change. We can start by ensuring that in managing disruptive key employees, coaching precedes counseling. We should capture and share successes to demonstrate potential benefits to all levels of employees. We must deflect the notion that the purpose of coaching is only or primarily remedial. In fact, coaching is one of the most effective ways to improve performance and productivity.

In one of the early empirical studies of the effectiveness of coaching, three Baruch College researchers found that while training alone produced a 22 percent increase in productivity, the addition of post-training coaching increased productivity 88 percent (Olivero, Bane & Kopelman, 1997). One reason coaching is reserved for leadership is that it is relatively expensive. This is largely because most organizations lack the capacity to offer the service internally. While an external resource is perceived to be neutral, this does not mean properly equipped internal coaches will be less objective or untrustworthy.

Internal coaches will have to prove their mettle by demonstrating that they can offer the same level of support, insight and confidentiality as their external counterparts. HR should lead the way in building this capacity. Though employees from sundry backgrounds can become effective coaches, not everyone is cut out for the job. A thorough screening process that includes an interview and a role-play can help identify the right candidates. Subsequently, selected candidates should be appropriately trained. A few reputable colleges and consultancies offer certification programs. Take advantage of the program that is right for your organization. Because business and personal life affect each other and are in many ways inseparable, seek out programs that offer training in whole-life coaching. HR should not wait for things to go awry before offering coaching. The service should be established in the organization as a way to develop talent, enhance leadership skills, identify, acknowledge and resolve weaknesses, and ultimately, enable employees to be optimally successful.

Be All and End All
Coaching is not the panacea for all disruptive key employees. Indeed, you will likely encounter employees who reject the intervention or refuse to cooperate in the coaching process. These same employees are unlikely to accept discipline. Establishing coaching as a developmental and positive intervention in your organization, and carefully explaining the pros and cons of coaching and counseling, might help manage their doubt or obstinacy.

Even in organizations where coaching becomes the preferred crucible for effecting behavior change, there will still be those rare occasions when discipline is appropriate and inescapable. Assault is one example.

Coaching tools do not resolve psychological disorders, mental disabilities and physiological impairments that might have behavioral implications. Those should be referred to experts on the subjects. However, because coaching typically involves a thorough assessment of the coachee's strengths and opportunity areas, or at least an assessment of the focal behavior being developed or modified, it can be useful in determining when clinical or psychological intervention should be sought.

Conclusion
Managing disruptive employees is an onerous responsibility. The task takes on a higher degree of complexity when the employees involved are critical to the success of your organization. While managers might be tempted to look the other way, doing so will hurt co-workers, customers and, ultimately, the bottom line.

HR leaders play a vital role in establishing clear and legally compliant disciplinary processes. These measures are typically progressive, with consequences ranging from verbal warning to termination of employment. However, in situations where key employees have blind spots that might contribute to their behavioral problem or have difficulty balancing ego with humility, the threat or execution of disciplinary measures might exacerbate their behavior or cause them to react in other ways that negatively affect their effectiveness. This is particularly true when they possess highly sought-after skills.

Coaching is a personal and professional development process. If the primary goal of counseling or discipline is to modify behavior, coaching aims for the same result without the threat of punishment. A coachee has the opportunity to uncover blind spots, learn the impact of his or her behavior on others and discover the root cause of the disruptive behavior in a nonpunitive, nonjudgmental, dignified manner.

Coaching is also effective in identifying and developing latent skill sets. In many companies, it is the preferred method for developing future leaders. As HR professionals, we are strategically positioned to assist our organizations to explore the power of coaching. The next time a manager approaches you to discuss formal counseling for a disruptive key employee, try coaching.

Businesses hire new employees everyday. However, employers do not realize how important it is to run a criminal background check on every worker they may consider. They do not want to take the time or money to look into the employees past, even though it could harm the company. These simple reasons explain how criminal background checks can benefit any company.

1. Criminal background checks can help save your company.
According to the Sue Weaver CAUSE (consumer awareness of unsafe service employment), employee fraud is the number one reason that small businesses fail. Background checks can prevent profits from being stolen by your new employees.

2. Criminal Background checks create a safer work environment for employees. Violence in the workplace is constantly on the rise. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that an estimated one million workers are victims of non-fatal assault each year. You do not want to let your trusted employees become victims.

3. Criminal background checks help protect your customers. Customers trust their companies with the information they share. It is very easy to loose a client due to employee crimes or fraud.

4. Criminal background checks make your company appear more professional and trustworthy. Background checks can be used in your company's advertising, making you look more proficient and helping you get more business.

5. Background checks can help keep your insurance premiums low. While checking an employee's driving record, you may find DWIs or other traffic offenses. If your position requires driving, an unsafe driver could raise your company's insurance premium.

Employee appreciation day was March 7th this year but if you missed it don't you have to wait a year to let your staff know you are proud of them. Just like a family member doesn't wait for a birthday to make a nice gesture, likewise at work you can let co-workers and staff know that you are grateful for the jobs they perform

There are many ways to demonstrate this. Listening is a very important skill and something that is not always practiced due to all the multi-tasking. Try to read people's expressions and see if it looks like someone who works for you is having a hard day and may wish to speak with you about it or take a break.

Many employees enjoy being rewarded by receiving some flex time. Depending on your work deadlines, you may want to institute a little bit of flexibility in terms of someone arriving fifteen minutes later if they wish to stay an extra fifteen minutes at the end of the day.

Ask employees what they might want to make work less routine. It could involve some continuing ed courses, having a yoga or exercise class on site a few times a week or some informal speakers that present on tai chi or other forms of exercise that energize and create inner peace.

Don't make your office atmosphere like the movie "Office Space". Having an atmosphere of general communication, humor, empathy and real dialog makes a job much more humanizing and alienating. To introduce Hawaiian Shirt day and superficialities as shown in the movie really creates no enjoyment or connection amongst people. Instead, try to find out what people want and ways to bridge any of the tensions that are present. Don't create competitive situations that make people feel insecure.

Surprise gifts are always nice treats for employees and they don't have to be expensive to be valuable. Show them you think about their needs and this will build your business as a family.

Introduction

As a small business owner selecting qualified individuals to fill positions is of great importance and a continual challenge. Higher quality candidates are the ones typically in demand and highly sought after by other business owners and staffing professionals. Time pressures to fill the position coupled with the war for talent require a selection system that is accurate, fair to all candidates and one where both interviewers and candidates believe in the value of the selection system. This second article in the series of the selection process for the small business owner will help ensure making the right choice of that top candidate by following five simple recruiting and selection program steps.

Step one-The job Analysis and job Description

In brief, the job analysis is the study of jobs to determine what activities and responsibilities are included, their relative importance in comparison with other jobs, the qualifications necessary for job performance, and the conditions under which the work is performed. An easy way to start is to collect information already in existence like job titles, job descriptions, major duties, task dimensions, and work flow information. Prepare a preliminary list of job duties and conduct interviews with job holders and supervisors who are considered the subject matter experts. You should view the job in action in comparison with the data collected then consolidate your information in a written job description. The last step in this phase is to verify the job description with all stakeholders involved in the process to verify the description is accurate and complete.

Step two-Identify job Competencies

Once the job description is complete, the next step is to identify the requirements of the job also known as competencies. The competencies are the knowledge, behaviors, and motivations associated with the success or failure in a job. These competencies will help guide the interview by focusing on the information about the candidate that is most predictive of the required performance in the job.

Technical knowledge is the specialized information a candidate must possess to be successful in a position. This could be knowledge of accounting, a software program, or engineering. The behaviors of the job are what a candidate should do in the job to be successful. For example, this could be planning and organizing, delegating, decision making, or customer service. Last but not least, the motivations of the job should be identified as the characteristics of the job that a candidate will find satisfying. This would include the job itself such as opportunities for visibility, interaction, and recognition to name a few. The elements of the organizational culture and the physical location must be taken into consideration as all of these aspects determine the best fit for the candidate and the company.

Step Three-Develop Behavioral Questions

Now that the competencies have been identified, it is time to develop behavioral questions to ask the candidate during the interview. You should write at least three questions for each competency that focus on the most important aspects of the competency. Develop a guide that contains planned questions for each competency you and others can use in the interview process. Remember, the key to predicting how a candidate will perform in a job is to collect and examine how the candidate has performed in similar jobs in the past. For example, a question to ask regarding a candidate's decision making ability would be "give me an example of a time where you had to make a decision with little or no information." In the design of the question keep in mind that you will be seeking from the candidate the situation or task, what the person did or how they did it, and the result.

Step Four-Conduct the Interview

Save the time consuming and in depth method of face to face interviews for the most qualified candidates following resume screening and phone screening. Several interviewers can be utilized in the process by assigning them different competencies in your interviewing guide. The key aspects of the interview are to ask all your planned behavioral questions, gather complete examples from the candidate (the situation, action they took, and the result), build rapport with the candidate, take good notes, and manage the interview process to stay on schedule. The behavioral information collected from the candidate will allow you to make accurate predictions on how the candidate will perform on the job, what motivates them, and how well they will fit in the organization including the physical location of the job.

Step Five-Evaluate Interview Data and Make Your Decision

In this step it is important to evaluate and organize the data collected for each competency and provide an overall rating for each competency. Base your rating on a scale of one to five with three being meets the standard of the competency, and anything below three would not meet the competency, and anything above three exceeds the requirements of the competency. What you should look for in making this determination is complete answers to each question, recent examples, similarity to the target job, and the impact of the result. If an interview team was involved in the process all parties should meet and discuss their results and ratings, and reach consensus on a rating for each competency. The end result is making a yes or no decision on each candidate selected for an interview.

Conclusion

When the wrong applicant appears to have made it through the hiring process, or turnover and absenteeism levels are higher than expected, people are sometimes quick to attribute these problems to bad judgment during the interview process. However, these issues may actually be reflective of a more serious systemic problem with the hiring process. If properly implemented, the system of job analysis, job competency development, behavioral interviewing, and data evaluation can ensure that a solid foundation is established in matching the right people to the right jobs ensuring an accurate, equitable, and legally defensible selection system.