HessRayyHessRayyMONDAY, MAY 21, 2007
Compensable Factors
I have often been asked what is this thing called ‘compensable factors’
Compensable factor are basically factors for which you want to pay a person for. It is the factors that effect the amount a person is paid or even in an extreme cases it decides if or not a potential candidate gets a job. These factors therefore are chosen carefully by the company and in a strange way also decides the thinking and the direction that the company is having for it s human resources.
Needless to say there can be numerous different types of factors available for a company to choose from; ie should the company feel that it want to be a company which is highly progressive and should be able to embrace the latest in knowledge and technology, it may want to impose a ‘condition’ that all its employees must have a degree (at the very least). This than is translated into ‘action’ in which the company will look for candidates that fulfill this requirement in particular. Notice therefore that the company is now knowledge/education biased.
A smaller company may be looking for staff who are highly skilled in the way they handle machinery and manual labour (in a company that is so manufacturing based) – it is therefore clear that this company may have as its factors, dexterity or even complexity. In a cruel way this company may not hire physically challenged candidates.
POSTED BY HESSRAYY CONSULTANTS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 09, 2007
Superior Service
Fly over Rising Expectations
Consistent, dependable and reliable service used to be good enough to keep customers happy. But it is not good enough any more. Your customers’ expectations are rising!
Rising expectations can jump between industries, between companies and even between counties. Once a customers experience a new level of service in any organization or location, they carry a desire for that level of service everywhere they go.
The level of service you provide must continue to go up, at least as high as customers’ rising expectations. You must focus to innovate, change and commit your organization to Fly over rising expectations!
Are you fully aware of how your customer’s expectations are rising?
Do you know what your customers expect from you today in terms of
i. Quality
ii. Variety
iii. Flexibility
iv. Speed
v. Customization
vi. Value for money
vii. Frequency of receiving new information, or assistance with improvements, upgrades and future planning?
What are you doing to keep in close touch with yours customers’ raising expectations?
i. Do you survey your customers on a regular basis?
ii. Are comments and feedback forms easily available to the customers?
Do you consistently monitor customers’ compliments, and complaints
POSTED BY HESSRAYY CONSULTANTS
MONDAY, MAY 07, 2007
Motivation
What we Know About Motivation
Based on all the theories of motivation (and a little about personality), we can summarise the following:
12 WAYS TO MOTIVATE A WORKER
1. Keep them continually informed as to what is happening in the organisation.
2. Explain to them what their authority is, its limit and why they are being assigned certain tasks.
3. Let them know what their relationships with other personnel are – both inter and inter-departmental.
4. Explain to them what constitutes a job well done in terms of results and the accomplishment of agreed objectives.
5. They should be told when and what they are doing exceptionally well.
6. They should know when and where they are falling short of their objectives.
7. When their work is satisfactory, they should be made aware of this and a plan set up to correct unsatisfactory results.
8. They must feel that their contribution to the organisation, to the department and the work they are doing is a valuable use of time.
9. They must be shown specific and concrete evidence that there are just rewards for work well done and for work exceptionally well done.
10. They must feel that you have a personal interest in them as individuals.
11. They must know how their efforts contribute to the organisation and how to improve these efforts.
12. They must feel that you believe in them, are anxious for them to succeed and progress, and will do everything in your power to help them obtain their work and personal goals.
POSTED BY HESSRAYY CONSULTANT
FRIDAY, MAY 04, 2007
Managing Change
hessrayy@yahoo.com
In viewing or approaching change, any form, be it that of personal or work related the following challenges are faced. It is good for us to be aware of these challenges so as to be able to approach this subject sensibly
Change challenges
Common approach to change is designed around four change challenges:
· Challenge 1: change must be driven – by market and customer necessity, by the construction and communication of an overwhelming ‘must do’ case for the change, by our desire to help the client exceed expectations and by the momentum for change we establish within their organisation
· Challenge 2: risks must be controlled – by a sophisticated and broad approach to the management of risk within the change initiative – covering all internal and external stakeholders, systems, processes and technologies. A continuous re-evaluation of the changing dynamics of risk throughout the project’s duration, which focuses on risk to the business rather than the project
· Challenge 3: energy must be released – by the quality and communication of the ‘vision’, by capturing the enthusiasm and commitment of a critical mass of staff, by the processes leading to implementation and by the integration and alignment of other key initiatives
· Challenge 4: opportunity must be realised – by enabling the client to go further and faster than their experience of change has so far achieved, by the development of original market leading solutions, by our ability to create change which sticks and by our absolute commitment to help the client deliver the full benefits of the change programme.
POSTED BY HESSRAYY CONSULTANT
THURSDAY, MAY 03, 2007
Hi Fellow HRian
email: hessrayy@yahoo.com
Competencies
A lot has been said about competencies and what it means for a HR person, here I wish to qoute from a book entitled ‘Competence at Work’ by the husband and wife team of Lyle and Signne Spencer, both of whom worked as research Assistants to David McClelland (regarded as the father of Competencies) – It is the best defination of competency yet
A competency is an underlying characteristic of an individual that is causally related to criterion-referenced effective and/or superior performance in a job situation.
Underlying characteristic means the competency is a fairly deep and enduring part of a person’s personality and can predict behavior in a wide variety of situations and job tasks.
Causally related means that a competency causes or predicts behavior and performance.
Criterion-referenced means that the competency actually predicts who does something well or poorly, as measured on a specific criterion or standard. Examples of criteria are the dollar volume of sales for salespeople or the number of clients who stay “dry” for alcohol-abuse counselors.
The following sections discuss each part of this definition: underlying characteristic, causally related, criterion-referenced.
UNDERLYING CHARACTERISTICS
Competencies are underlying characteristics of people and indicate “ways of behaving or thinking, generalizing across situations, and enduring for a reasonable long period of time.”
Five Types of Competency Characteristics
1. Motives : The things a person consistently thinks about or wants that causes action. Motives “drive, direct and select” behavior toward certain actions or goals and away from others.
Example: Achievement-motivated people consistently set challenging goals for themselves, take personal responsibility for accomplishing them, and use feedback to do better.
2. Traits : Physical characteristics and consistent responses to situations of information.
Example: reaction time and good eyesight are physical trait competencies of combat pilot.
Emotional self-control and initiative are more complex “consistent responses to situations.” Some people don’t “blow up” at others and do act “above and beyond the call of duty” to solve problems under stress. These trait competencies are characteristic of successful managers.
Motives and competencies are intrinsic operant or self-starting “master traits” that predict what people will do on their jobs long term, without close supervision.
3. Self Concept : A person’s attitudes, values or self-image
Example: Self-confidence, a person’s belief that he or she can be effective in almost any situation is part of that person’s concept of self.
A person’s values are respondent or reactive motives that predict what he or she will do in the short term and in situations where others are in charge. For example, someone who values being a leader is more likely to exhibit leadership behavior if he or she is told a task or job will be ‘a test of leadership ability. “People who value being “in management” but do not intrinsically like or spontaneously think about influencing others at the motive level often attain management positions but then fail.
4. Knowledge : Information a person has in specific content areas.
Example: A surgeon’s knowledge of nerves and muscles in the human body.
Knowledge is a complex competency. Scores on knowledge tests often fail to predict work performance because they fail to measure knowledge and skills in the way they are actually used on the job. First, many knowledge tests measure rote memory, when what is really important is the ability to find information. Memory of specific facts is less important than knowing which facts exist that are relevant to a specific problem, and where to find them when needed. Second, knowledge tests are “respondent.” They measure test takers’ ability to choose which of several options is the right response, but not whether a person can act on the basis of knowledge. For example, the ability to choose which of five items is an effective argument is very different from the ability to stand up in a conflict situation and argue persuasively. Finally, knowledge at best predicts what someone can do, not what he or she will do.
5. Skill : The ability to perform a certain physical or mental task.
Example: A dentist’s physical skill to fill a tooth without damaging the nerve; a computer programmer’s ability to organize 30,000 lines of code in logical sequential order.
Mental or cognitive skill competencies include analytical thinking (processing knowledge and data, determining cause and effect, organizing data and plans) and conceptual thinking (recognizing patterns in complex data).
POSTED BY HESSRAYY CONSULTANT