MgmtWatchSM Helping you manage If you are having difficulty seeing this mail or images in it, you can view it in your Web browser. Volume 8, Issue 5      In This Issue:   The wackiest interview blunders   Presenting smart: What's the worst presentation advice?   What employees want   Management score card: Rating your supervisor   Are you 'overcomplying'? 7 laws you might be able to ignore   10 steps to conducting stress-free, lawsuit-free termination meetings   New managers need to learn assertiveness   Tough times? Don't cut the coffee; perks matter   Corporate Blogging: Getting Past 'No' If You're Not the CEO   The mega-hirers   World's healthiest countries   Back pain: What works The wackiest interview blunders What's the most unusual thing a candidate ever did in a job interview? Fall asleep? Disappear? Bring his/her mom? CareerBuilder.com released its annual survey of the most outrageous interview mistakes candidates have made, as related by more than 3,000 hiring managers and HR professionals nationwide. Among this year's top 10 dubious occurrences:... Read the article.  Back to top Presenting smart: What's the worst presentation advice? John Windsor, an online columnist for Sales & Marketing Management, and president of Creating Thunder, a Boulder, Colo.-based communications training and consulting company. As author of the popular YouBlog, John offers a unique mix of innovation, communications, sales and marketing ideas. An award-winning marketer, John has held vice president positions in marketing, sales, and business development and has worked with companies like American Express, Reuters, Staples, and Knight-Ridder. Countless books, seminars and gurus preach how to give an effective presentation. Some of the advice is outstanding, but some of it is less so. But what is really shocking is that the most common piece of advice is perhaps the worst piece of advice: Tell them what you're going to tell them Tell them Tell them what you just told them Now, this approach is not without value. It helps presenters be clear about their message so the audience won't leave thinking, "What was that about?" And repetition and reinforcement can aid retention, provided the repetition is not simplistic. But the potential for mediocre-to-poor results from following this formula is HUGE. It's much more a recipe for disaster than a clear path to success. Why is it so bad? What Do We Do Instead?... Read the article.  Back to top What employees want Brady Wilson is a co-founder of Juice Inc., a Guelph, Canada-based solution provider for leaders who want to boost their organizational energy level and employee engagement. It's not money or flex hours. Rather, employees want to feel they are a good fit in the organization, are clear about their job, are supported in their role, are valued, and are inspired. Getting the very best from employees has become the holy grail of the training and human resources industries. Millions of training dollars are spent to determine how to achieve a state of "flow" where workers are functioning at a high level of productivity, efficiency, and engagement. But can this be sustained for more than a few days? And is it even possible? The answers to both questions are a resounding "Yes." And the benefits lead to bottom-line results. We've seen organizations boost their employee engagement and report a year-over-year doubling of their sales growth; reduce their returns and credits by 50 percent; set new safety, productivity, and customer service records; and save millions on their bottom line through increased efficiencies. In fact, when employee research and consulting firm Towers Perrin-ISR conducted a 2006 study of 664,000 employees worldwide, it found a 52 percent gap in the one-year performance improvement in operating income between companies with highly engaged employees versus those with low engagement. However, the path to getting there is not the one most of us would think of taking because it's right in front of our eyes. Stairway to Engaggement. The first step is to know... Read the article.  Back to top Management score card: Rating your supervisor The best manager feedback often comes from the people they supervise. Use this score card to gain insight into the strengths and weaknesses of your organization's supervisors, at least in the eyes of their employees. If you're really daring, ask your direct reports to rate you!... Read the article.  Back to top Are you 'overcomplying'? 7 laws you might be able to ignore Revise confidentiality policy to omit any hint it covers wages It’s considered impolite in many circles to discuss money, but don’t try to stop employees from talking about their pay. Setting a policy that prohibits employees from sharing information about hourly rates, salaries, bonuses or the terms of their employment could violate the National Labor Relations Act—even if your employees do not belong to a union... Businesses must stay abreast of an alphabet soup of federal laws—ADA, ADEA, FMLA and so forth—each with its own requirements. Some apply only to employers with more than 50 employees. Others come into play if you have only one. If you have federal contracts, your threshold may be based not on how many workers you have but the value of your contracts. Further complicating matters, most states have their own laws that override the federal requirements. To comply, you first must know which laws apply to your business, based on the number of people you employ. Number of employees [you currently have]: Who counts [and who doesn't]?... Read the article.  Back to top 10 steps to conducting stress-free, lawsuit-free termination meetings Responding to background checks Q. Our HR department recently received an inquiry from another employer concerning one of our former employees who was applying for a job. The inquiry contained an authorization and release signed by the employee indicating we could share the information without liability. Should we share it?... Terminations are the hardest things HR professionals and supervisors have to do. Print and save this 10-step course of action for your next termination, or distribute it to supervisors. It’ll help you avoid the hazardous legal mistakes that are easy to make... Read the article.  Back to top New managers need to learn assertiveness In another installment from the True Story files, Joanne was listening to a manager from another department getting snippy with her over the phone. "What's wrong with you people?" he said, his voice rising in anger. "You pretty much do nothing all day long! All I'm asking is that you do your jobs. Why can't you get my simple request processed?"As a new supervisor, Joanne was unaccustomed to such brash confrontations. But it was just this morning his request for work came in - and without all the proper paperwork. Moreover, other work had been flagged as higher priority. To make matters worse, the manager on the other end of the phone had a lot of seniority, and he was famous for yelling without anyone challenging him. Getting on his bad side was not something she really wanted to do. Perhaps you've been in Joanne's position. When you're not experienced, such heated conversations can be tough. A good skill for new supervisors to acquire early on is tactful assertiveness. Notice I didn't say "sugarcoat the truth" or "roll over." Nor did I say "be demanding." Maintaining a professional demeanor is an extremely valuable skill, but it doesn't come easy. Getting there requires a lot of reasoned thinking. According to the book Asserting Yourself, you can teach yourself ways to remain professional when the pressure is on, but it takes practice.The book also teaches that when disagreements occur, it doesn't mean one person has to win and the other person has to lose. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive. A main tenet in assertiveness is not simply to "win," but to find a way for both parties to have a win. There is no perfect, magical way to do this, but letting the other person know you understand his/her position usually sets a good foundation. The real trick is avoiding the bait of any personal jabs while identifying the real issue. Key In on the Real Issues. So lets' review what the manager said to Joanne [and how she should respond]... Read the article.  Back to top Tough times? Don't cut the coffee; perks matter Though the tiniest perks might seem expendable during tough economic times, when they get taken away it’s ‘like throwing salt in the wound.’ Little perks make people feel like they want to go the extra mile to get the job done. Aaron Andersen still remembers the bitter day the Starbucks disappeared. Andersen, 30, now a budget manager at a Chicago nonprofit, recalls when the mermaid-logoed brew in the break room of his former office was switched to a random offering of whatever could be purchased cheaply in bulk or on sale. It was, says Andersen, "really, really bad coffee."A seemingly small thing, yes. But grumbling ensued as employees read the muddy coffee grounds like tea leaves and didn’t like what they saw. When the technology and environmental services company lost contracts, which led to further cutbacks, the subpar coffee came to symbolize larger problems. As the cuts grew to include tougher scrutiny of expense reports and stingier rules for business meals and travel, experienced people started leaving the company. "People felt undervalued," he says. Though the tiniest perks might seem expendable during tough economic times, when they get taken away it’s "like throwing salt in the wound," says Phil Wallner, president of Glen Ellyn, Illinois-based Provident Link Ltd., an information technology recruiting firm. Wallner says he sees firsthand the damage done: Disenchanted employees "are more likely to take a call from a recruiter," he says."The little perks make people feel like they want to go the extra mile to get the job done," he says. "When you remove those perks and you’re asking someone to still go above and beyond, you’re setting yourself up for some turnover problems."... Read the article.  Back to top Corporate Blogging: Getting Past 'No' If You're Not the CEO When Bob Lutz of GM or Jonathan Schwartz of Sun set up their blogs, they probably didn't worry too much about the review with Legal. After all, they "outrank" the senior legal counsel. But how does, say, a midlevel corporate marketer or product manager set out to create an "official" blog with the blessing and sanction of Legal? It turns out, despite the prevalence of corporate blogging today, that there is still a fair amount of trepidation over the legal-review process. Bloggers need to recognize that "sanctioned corporate" blogging is different from publishing a brochure or issuing a press release. Those documents go through a review process before being set in stone, and sometimes do undergo legal review. Blogs should never go though a "sanitization" step (or they aren't really blogs and you shouldn't bother doing them), and a successful blog will usually include largely unmoderated or semi-moderated comments from the public. [It's not easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission...] Read the article.  Back to top The mega-hirers In Pictures: Who's Hiring? The first problem: Finding that many qualified people. Infosys received 1.3 million résumés last year. "In peak seasons we receive around 6,000-10,000 resumes in a day," says Nandita Gurjar, vice president of human resources development at Infosys. Despite that magnitude, managers say the percentage of qualified candidates is disappointing. The story is the same at German software company SAP, which needs to find 4,000 new employees for positions in programming, development, solution management, engineering and sales... Dell: 8,800 jobs. Chrysler: 12,000 jobs. Bristol-Myers: 4,300 jobs. Companies are slashing payrolls left and right. But over at Accenture, an international consulting, technology and outsourcing company, managers plan to hire 60,000 new employees this year. That's a 34% increase in its staff. The outlook is similar at the Indian technology services company Infosys, which is looking for 31,000 employees internationally, a 35% growth in its workforce. When an employer brings in so many new hires--Infosys welcomed 1,000 people one day in June 2006--getting them integrated into the company and its culture is a massive operation. It's especially important for global companies, since operations should be the same if you're in Bangalore or London... Read the article.  Back to top World's healthiest countries In Depth: The World's 15 Healthiest Countries There are lots of reasons to envy residents of Northern Europe. Each day they get to take in raw, dramatic landscapes, stunning architecture and world-class shopping.But, more important, they know a thing or two about health and wellness. Forbes.com has found that the region is home to some of the world's healthiest countries, including top-ranking Iceland, Sweden and Finland. Others that fared well include... Read the article.  Back to top Back pain: What works Simple treatments may help as much as high-tech gadgets or surgery. James Weinstein, an expert in back pain at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, was bending down two years ago when his back went out. The pain was so bad he could hardly breathe. For ten minutes "my hands were on my knees and I couldn't stand," the renowned orthopedic surgeon says. He hoped none of his patients would happen by and see him. It took him ten minutes to struggle out to his car. As he lay on his back at home, his wife politely reminded him of the advice he gives his patients: Take some aspirin, get out of bed and get back to a normal routine as soon as it's tolerable. The next day he forced himself to take a jog. The first steps were excruciating, but by the end he felt a little better. He recovered a week later. Back pain hits tens of millions of Americans every year. The cost of treating it was $86 billion in 2005, up 65% (in real terms) from 1997, a recent University of Washington study estimated. Where did the money go? Brand-name narcotics and all sorts of new gadgets. But the same study found that patients aren't feeling any better than they did a decade ago. "A lot of the things we are doing aren't offering much benefit," says Richard Deyo, of Oregon Health & Science University, one of the study's coauthors. The good news is that according to recent studies, several low-tech approaches do appear to help. Here are some pointers... Read the article.  Back to top Forward to a Friend: Do you have a friend that would like to receive MgmtWatchsm? Perhaps you know a peer within your organization, or associate at a partner company that would benefit from applying to receive this publication. Inviting a friend to experience the benefits of joining the BusinessWatch Network is easy! Just FW: this newsletter to the person you know who may have an interest and ask them to click here http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com Your friend will be glad you did! If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from MgmtWatchsm simply change your status, or send a letter requesting opt-off to: The BusinessWatch Network Privacy Mailbox, 1321, Marblehead, MA. 01945 DISCLAIMER: MgmtWatchsm and the BusinessWatch Networksm are service marks of DMS. All other trademarks or service marks contained in this email are the property of their respective owners. At the time of publication, all links in this e-mail functioned properly. However, since many links point to sites other than businesswatchnetwork.com, some links may become invalid as time passes. DMS Inc. supports the DMA Privacy Promise and Guidelines for Ethical Business Practice. We are committed to the proper use of email and to protecting consumers from fraudulent or inappropriate offers. Privacy Policy