In some sectors, such as technology and public relations, using web-based tools such as social networking sites (LinkedIn, Facebook and Bebo) as part of your job hunt has become very popular over the past couple of years. Twitter is the latest online bug to catch on and is currently in vogue, but if you have not heard of it don’t worry, there are (only) an estimated 30 million users of Twitter worldwide at present, compared with approximately 150 million people who are on Facebook, so it is still a nascent application.
Twitter is a free service that allows users to publish short messages of 140 characters or less, so it is similar to the average text message on a mobile phone in size. These messages are read (usually on a computer or a mobile phone) by "followers" — people who make a conscious decision to subscribe to your messages and have them delivered to their own Twitter home page or PDA. Each message you post is known as a "Tweet". The easiest way to understand it is to go to www.twitter.com, click on the "Join the Conversation" button in middle of the page and get twittering by following a well-known celebrity (we recommend Stephen Fry’s, which is one of the more popular and active ones). Joining Twitter has value for many people.
From a job-seeker perspective, however, Twitter is just another tool that can help employers and employees to connect, alongside snail mail, email and telephones. It can also be a big waste of time if people in your sector or your function do not use it. Even if they do, you need to understand how the medium works and how best to utilize it.
People in a particular industry (say engineering or software development) often use Twitter to keep up with news, opinion and happenings in their field, but job searching is ‘on the fringe’ of what Twitter is really about. So you have to be careful about what you do, when you do it and who you do it to. Twitter has swiftly developed its own twitiquette!
If you do want someone to think about you when a job opening arises, you need to get that person to follow your tweets. When you first join Twitter, you will be prompted to look for friends in your Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail or AOL accounts so you can begin following them if they are already on the service. This means that your existing network of contacts can be used right from the start and you can invite people to follow you.
Another way to get going is to identify the key people in your industry who are twittering and watch their updates closely to see what types of topics and projects interest them the most. You can use a search facility to identify those who have similar interests to your own, and can scan their public profiles to see if you should be following them. Start following others, and then invite them to follow you.
You have to build your follower list on Twitter before you need them and one Twitter expert advised us that those in Silicon Valley who have used it for job purposes claim you need to build a database of up to 500 twitter followers before you can even attempt to start using it for job search purposes. One Irish politician we know tried to use Twitter to attract votes in the recent elections, but found that only 12 people (mostly journalists) followed them! Not only was it ineffective, it was also embarrassing.
If you do decide to follow people in your industry and you'd like them to follow you back, make thoughtful replies to their tweets and supply them with valuable content and insights. Avoid messages like “I’m going to a meeting or conference on …”. A good way to show mutual respect is to share links to useful content you read on websites, blogs (including your own) and other sites that might be of interest to the person you are following e.g. “interesting article on PR in the technology sector on Ireland.com business pages today”.
So much for the do’s, what about the don’ts? Do not, as one of our clients did recently, overtly use the network to try to set up lunches, meetings and interviews at the start. Another sound piece of advice is to avoid bad mouthing previous (or current) employers.
Above all, do not become a bird-dog. A bird-dog is someone who is singular in their approach to others on twitter - the online stalker. Being on the receiving end of a bird-dog is equivalent of being cornered by someone you do not want to talk to at a networking meeting, or having a job-seeker constantly nagging you on the phone. Twitter carefully!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
How are you performing?
A recent study by Mercer highlighted the fact that managers in the public service have been rewarding civil servants with positive performance appraisals and rewards that are well above average. While this is costing the tax-payer a substantial sum, poor practices in employee reviews are not restricted to the public sector: many employers end up over-paying because managers and supervisors are simply not trained in how to run performance reviews or how to use them for positive effect.
One of the outputs of the Government Benchmarking process of recent years has been the introduction of the PMDS (Performance Management Development System). Put simply, the system uses a combination of interviews and a written questionnaire to evaluate the performance of workers in the civil service and other public sector bodies. Workers are then given an overall rating on a five point scale, with a score of one allocated to the worst performers and five to the highest performers. Critics of the Public Service’s PMDS highlight what goes wrong in many performance management processes: Of 19,000 workers’ performances reviewed in its initial operation, only 18 scored a one, and just 285 scored a two, on the five point scale. Those who score a one do not normally receive a pay increment, but those who score a two receive a pay rise and are only denied the opportunity for a promotion for a year. This leaves the vast majority of civil and public servants (those rated 3 – 5) earning increments of between 500 Euro and 6,000 Euro on top of the five per cent pay award given under the social partnership agreement this year.
A review by the designers of the Irish government’s PMDS found that the main reason for this over-payment was simply that the system was not being implemented properly. As designed, between 20 and 30 per cent of employees were expect to be graded a four, for example, whereas in practice more than 50 per cent of civil servants were assessed at that level. In one government department, 40 per cent of staff were awarded a score of five! Although these figures relate to the public sector, similar patterns have been found on similar schemes in the private sector. Part of the problem is that those conducting the appraisals are unable to give bad news to workers, and that is not surprising as workers on the receiving end also give appraisals a bad review: ETS HR consultants did a survey which found that with 38 per cent of workers are generally dissatisfied appraisal processes carried out by their employers (rising to 53 per cent in the manufacturing sector).
Anecdotal evidence suggests that many managers in both the public and private sectors have not being properly trained in how to use performance management systems. Many feel embarrassed and unprepared when carrying out performance interviews. Often, they score performance low in confidential written statements, but then give positive reviews during face to face interviews and appraisals. Usually, if an employee ‘deserves’ a lower grade, the manager awards a three or four and counter-balances this by sending the employee on a training course to ‘upskill’ in the area they are performing badly in, so that they can claim to have done the right thing. The net result is sometimes a confused and unmotivated workforce, and a significant over spend on rewards.
So how can you avoid this happening with your performance management system? ETS suggests that companies need firstly to automate some parts of performance management – anything from setting objectives to rewarding high performance could do away with paperwork and meetings, leading to a greater focus on results, more quantitative measures and fewer qualitative grades. Employers also need to invest in performance management and staff appraisal training.
An important first step is to get managers and supervisors to explore staff appraisal, its benefits and the types of systems available. These managers and supervisors then need to take control of the performance management and appraisal meetings by knowing the steps to take before, during and after the meeting. This leads to identifying which results really need to be focused on, what really motivates staff to perform, and what is involved in learning how to recognize that there are different personality types who can be managed in different ways.
Where staff are underperforming managers need to learn how to close the performance gap through coaching using counseling models. They also need to equip themselves with appropriate communication techniques for positive performance management including active listening, appropriate questioning, constructive feedback and positive body language. Allied to the review process is the importance of recognising when appraisal and positive performance management is not enough, and knowing when to activate the disciplinary process.
One of the outputs of the Government Benchmarking process of recent years has been the introduction of the PMDS (Performance Management Development System). Put simply, the system uses a combination of interviews and a written questionnaire to evaluate the performance of workers in the civil service and other public sector bodies. Workers are then given an overall rating on a five point scale, with a score of one allocated to the worst performers and five to the highest performers. Critics of the Public Service’s PMDS highlight what goes wrong in many performance management processes: Of 19,000 workers’ performances reviewed in its initial operation, only 18 scored a one, and just 285 scored a two, on the five point scale. Those who score a one do not normally receive a pay increment, but those who score a two receive a pay rise and are only denied the opportunity for a promotion for a year. This leaves the vast majority of civil and public servants (those rated 3 – 5) earning increments of between 500 Euro and 6,000 Euro on top of the five per cent pay award given under the social partnership agreement this year.
A review by the designers of the Irish government’s PMDS found that the main reason for this over-payment was simply that the system was not being implemented properly. As designed, between 20 and 30 per cent of employees were expect to be graded a four, for example, whereas in practice more than 50 per cent of civil servants were assessed at that level. In one government department, 40 per cent of staff were awarded a score of five! Although these figures relate to the public sector, similar patterns have been found on similar schemes in the private sector. Part of the problem is that those conducting the appraisals are unable to give bad news to workers, and that is not surprising as workers on the receiving end also give appraisals a bad review: ETS HR consultants did a survey which found that with 38 per cent of workers are generally dissatisfied appraisal processes carried out by their employers (rising to 53 per cent in the manufacturing sector).
Anecdotal evidence suggests that many managers in both the public and private sectors have not being properly trained in how to use performance management systems. Many feel embarrassed and unprepared when carrying out performance interviews. Often, they score performance low in confidential written statements, but then give positive reviews during face to face interviews and appraisals. Usually, if an employee ‘deserves’ a lower grade, the manager awards a three or four and counter-balances this by sending the employee on a training course to ‘upskill’ in the area they are performing badly in, so that they can claim to have done the right thing. The net result is sometimes a confused and unmotivated workforce, and a significant over spend on rewards.
So how can you avoid this happening with your performance management system? ETS suggests that companies need firstly to automate some parts of performance management – anything from setting objectives to rewarding high performance could do away with paperwork and meetings, leading to a greater focus on results, more quantitative measures and fewer qualitative grades. Employers also need to invest in performance management and staff appraisal training.
An important first step is to get managers and supervisors to explore staff appraisal, its benefits and the types of systems available. These managers and supervisors then need to take control of the performance management and appraisal meetings by knowing the steps to take before, during and after the meeting. This leads to identifying which results really need to be focused on, what really motivates staff to perform, and what is involved in learning how to recognize that there are different personality types who can be managed in different ways.
Where staff are underperforming managers need to learn how to close the performance gap through coaching using counseling models. They also need to equip themselves with appropriate communication techniques for positive performance management including active listening, appropriate questioning, constructive feedback and positive body language. Allied to the review process is the importance of recognising when appraisal and positive performance management is not enough, and knowing when to activate the disciplinary process.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
I have been made redundant, what should I do next?
The first and most important thing to say is that you are not alone. Large numbers of people are unemployed or underemployed at present, and for some there are few prospects of full employment in the short term. There is an old saying that ‘what you resist persists’ and sometimes denying what is happening around you prevents you from moving on. For some, the current economic crisis can be turned into an opportunity to do things that they would not normally attempt at this stage of their lives. Here are some suggestions we have made to those in this position recently:
Work for free: Do you know anyone who works for a charity or an under-funded social agency that could do with some help? Do any of your neighbours run a small businesses who might appreciate a few days of your time to help with things like planning, administration, telesales or even cleaning? Offer your services for a few days here and there, particularly to people who work in your area of interest. It will get you motivated, will help you to fill in the days while you continue with your job-search, and may even lead to other opportunities.
Go back to school: Take this opportunity to reskill or upskill. There are plenty of courses out there that you could take, and for once you have the time to do them. Look at online courses as well as evening classes and weekend workshops as you can attend these without it interfering with your job search and you can continue with them when you start working again. Even if you do not want to go on a formal course go online and study something for free or get a good self-learning book from the library.
Consider setting up your own business: Buy a good guidebook or go on a course with your local enterprise board. Even if nothing comes of it will be an invaluable experience and a good way to learn whether or not you are cut out for going it alone.Set aside a year to try a different job: You have time on your hands so why not have a go at something you have always wanted to try but could not find the time to do? Avoid ‘pie-in-the-sky jobs’ and focus on something you already have an interest in e.g. a hobby or sport.
Work for free: Do you know anyone who works for a charity or an under-funded social agency that could do with some help? Do any of your neighbours run a small businesses who might appreciate a few days of your time to help with things like planning, administration, telesales or even cleaning? Offer your services for a few days here and there, particularly to people who work in your area of interest. It will get you motivated, will help you to fill in the days while you continue with your job-search, and may even lead to other opportunities.
Go back to school: Take this opportunity to reskill or upskill. There are plenty of courses out there that you could take, and for once you have the time to do them. Look at online courses as well as evening classes and weekend workshops as you can attend these without it interfering with your job search and you can continue with them when you start working again. Even if you do not want to go on a formal course go online and study something for free or get a good self-learning book from the library.
Consider setting up your own business: Buy a good guidebook or go on a course with your local enterprise board. Even if nothing comes of it will be an invaluable experience and a good way to learn whether or not you are cut out for going it alone.Set aside a year to try a different job: You have time on your hands so why not have a go at something you have always wanted to try but could not find the time to do? Avoid ‘pie-in-the-sky jobs’ and focus on something you already have an interest in e.g. a hobby or sport.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Drink and Drug Abuse - What can employers do?
Employer groups estimate that the employment costs related to drink and drug use are rising at about 10 per cent per annum. The main reason for this is that drink and drug consumption have increased dramatically in Ireland during the Celtic Tiger years: Alcohol consumption increased by 17 per cent over the past decade according to the Health Research Board, and there was an even bigger increase in drug abuse – estimated at 30.5 per cent over the last 10 years by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs. Although alcohol sales have fallen off in recent months for financial reasons the rate of drinks-related incidents at work has remained high as, literally, increased stress is driving more and more workers to drink and drug abuse.
The biggest problem and cost for employers is absenteeism: According to one survey 63 per cent of workers have phoned in sick after getting drunk the night before (Portman). More worryingly, 80 per cent admit to having been hung-over while at work in safety critical industries such as agribusiness. In high risk industries, such as construction, up to two thirds of workers say that they have turned up late at work after drinking the evening before, while 40 per cent say they have been physically drunk while at work (NUIG). In a recent pre-employment test 50 per cent of recruits were found to have taken intoxicants (EAP Institute). So the problem of drink and drug related absenteeism is widespread.
The other significant issues is that problem drinkers and drug users:
Generally perform worse at work (50 per cent of those in the NUIG survey said their drink and drug use led them to perform poorly).
Change jobs more frequently.
Are more prone to injury.
Are more likely to have depression.
While it may appear at first to be a trifling piece of legislation to introduce, failure to proceed with a Ministerial Order allowing employers to fully test for drink and drugs in the workplace, is costing the Irish economy an estimated 500 million Euro each year. The main reason for the delay in its implementation is that the Government agreed to further discussions on planned regulations with the unions prior to introducing the regulations. Clearly other events on the social partnership agenda have overtaken the need to introduce these at present and the Order is unlikely to be introduced this year.
Despite reservations expressed by civil organizations about workers’ rights many companies are now taking matters into their own hands. Alcohol and drug testing have become particularly prominent in safety-critical sectors, amongst American-owned companies and in the transport sector. In the absence of a formal Ministerial Order, however, employers cannot automatically assume that drink and drug testing will work in their favour. Recently, the Labour Court found for an employee who took an unfair dismissal case after he had been laid off, despite him failing a random drugs test. Although he tested positive for a cannabis-related substance the employee, and his union, argued that the level was low (not critical) and the employer did not have a code of practice in place on drug and alcohol testing.
Action on the Ministerial Order does need to be taken soon as apart from the direct financial cost to employers, where death or serious injury occurs as a result of actions or inactions by employees under the influence of drink or drugs, employers could face jail sentences or fines of up to three million Euro.
Employers need to have a clear drug and alcohol policy and a code of practice in place and this should be communicated to all employees.
The biggest problem and cost for employers is absenteeism: According to one survey 63 per cent of workers have phoned in sick after getting drunk the night before (Portman). More worryingly, 80 per cent admit to having been hung-over while at work in safety critical industries such as agribusiness. In high risk industries, such as construction, up to two thirds of workers say that they have turned up late at work after drinking the evening before, while 40 per cent say they have been physically drunk while at work (NUIG). In a recent pre-employment test 50 per cent of recruits were found to have taken intoxicants (EAP Institute). So the problem of drink and drug related absenteeism is widespread.
The other significant issues is that problem drinkers and drug users:
Generally perform worse at work (50 per cent of those in the NUIG survey said their drink and drug use led them to perform poorly).
Change jobs more frequently.
Are more prone to injury.
Are more likely to have depression.
While it may appear at first to be a trifling piece of legislation to introduce, failure to proceed with a Ministerial Order allowing employers to fully test for drink and drugs in the workplace, is costing the Irish economy an estimated 500 million Euro each year. The main reason for the delay in its implementation is that the Government agreed to further discussions on planned regulations with the unions prior to introducing the regulations. Clearly other events on the social partnership agenda have overtaken the need to introduce these at present and the Order is unlikely to be introduced this year.
Despite reservations expressed by civil organizations about workers’ rights many companies are now taking matters into their own hands. Alcohol and drug testing have become particularly prominent in safety-critical sectors, amongst American-owned companies and in the transport sector. In the absence of a formal Ministerial Order, however, employers cannot automatically assume that drink and drug testing will work in their favour. Recently, the Labour Court found for an employee who took an unfair dismissal case after he had been laid off, despite him failing a random drugs test. Although he tested positive for a cannabis-related substance the employee, and his union, argued that the level was low (not critical) and the employer did not have a code of practice in place on drug and alcohol testing.
Action on the Ministerial Order does need to be taken soon as apart from the direct financial cost to employers, where death or serious injury occurs as a result of actions or inactions by employees under the influence of drink or drugs, employers could face jail sentences or fines of up to three million Euro.
Employers need to have a clear drug and alcohol policy and a code of practice in place and this should be communicated to all employees.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Which personality do you show at interview?
A desire for employer approval drives over half the workers in Europe to adopt a different personality at work than in their home lives (according to a recent survey by psychology consultants OPP). The research highlights the fact that many of us, perhaps rightly, lie about our personality, our strengths and our weaknesses at interview. Are we right to do so, or should we be more open and honest about our failings when asked?
Picture the scene: You are at an interview and you are asked if we have any weaknesses? “Oh no”, you say, “if I do have a weakness, it is that sometimes I am too tenacious and do not know when to give up”. Does this type of answer sound familiar? Many people tell ‘white lies’ about their personality at interview, only to find that when they get the job there is a significant mismatch between what they are expected to do and what they are willing to do. Nearly half those polled in a recent OPP study (49 per cent) claimed that they have adopted a different personality to their normal one during an interview. The trait is more prevalent among Irish workers than other European workers, with 61 per cent of Irish employees saying that they lead a double life.
The reasons why workers wear personality masks at interview and at work are varied, but chief among them are that they feel it makes them more appealing at interview; positions them as being more effective in their jobs; helps give the impression that they will fit in better with their future team; and enables them to project and image that fits in with the organization’s culture.
While the advantages of adopting a different persona are obvious, it can also lead to a great amount of stress: Imagine you a naturally introverted, shy and reserved person, but convince someone at interview that you are an outgoing, gregarious person who loves nothing better than selling and driving a bargain. You subsequently get a job offer for a sales position, with an attractive base salary and a new company car. Then, during the first three months of the job you spend the day driving around, under-performing in sales presentations, losing out on commission, and coming bottom of the office league when monthly sales targets are released. Would you be happy in this situation? Probably not, so the obvious answer is to balance selling your strengths with over-selling your potential at interview.
Research indicates that the trait most Irish employees suppress is their fun-loving side while the trait that is most accentuated is their decisive side. Interestingly, studies of why Irish people are hired internationally often show that interviewers consider our fun-loving side to be our key advantage over other nationalities, which suggests we may be selling ourselves short!
Candidates who lie about their personalities can pose a problem to potential employers: The cost of hiring a person with an inappropriate personality can be as much as three times annual salary, so recruiters and interviewers need to be aware of masks skewing the interview results. Psychometric and other tests can help, but many of those who can wear personality masks at interview can usually adapt to other tests too.
The important thing, for interviewers and interviewees alike is to be honest in their dealings with each other when it comes to describing the personality traits they are seeking and which they can provide.
Picture the scene: You are at an interview and you are asked if we have any weaknesses? “Oh no”, you say, “if I do have a weakness, it is that sometimes I am too tenacious and do not know when to give up”. Does this type of answer sound familiar? Many people tell ‘white lies’ about their personality at interview, only to find that when they get the job there is a significant mismatch between what they are expected to do and what they are willing to do. Nearly half those polled in a recent OPP study (49 per cent) claimed that they have adopted a different personality to their normal one during an interview. The trait is more prevalent among Irish workers than other European workers, with 61 per cent of Irish employees saying that they lead a double life.
The reasons why workers wear personality masks at interview and at work are varied, but chief among them are that they feel it makes them more appealing at interview; positions them as being more effective in their jobs; helps give the impression that they will fit in better with their future team; and enables them to project and image that fits in with the organization’s culture.
While the advantages of adopting a different persona are obvious, it can also lead to a great amount of stress: Imagine you a naturally introverted, shy and reserved person, but convince someone at interview that you are an outgoing, gregarious person who loves nothing better than selling and driving a bargain. You subsequently get a job offer for a sales position, with an attractive base salary and a new company car. Then, during the first three months of the job you spend the day driving around, under-performing in sales presentations, losing out on commission, and coming bottom of the office league when monthly sales targets are released. Would you be happy in this situation? Probably not, so the obvious answer is to balance selling your strengths with over-selling your potential at interview.
Research indicates that the trait most Irish employees suppress is their fun-loving side while the trait that is most accentuated is their decisive side. Interestingly, studies of why Irish people are hired internationally often show that interviewers consider our fun-loving side to be our key advantage over other nationalities, which suggests we may be selling ourselves short!
Candidates who lie about their personalities can pose a problem to potential employers: The cost of hiring a person with an inappropriate personality can be as much as three times annual salary, so recruiters and interviewers need to be aware of masks skewing the interview results. Psychometric and other tests can help, but many of those who can wear personality masks at interview can usually adapt to other tests too.
The important thing, for interviewers and interviewees alike is to be honest in their dealings with each other when it comes to describing the personality traits they are seeking and which they can provide.
Friday, March 13, 2009
How can I recession-proof my CV?
The short answer to your question is that a CV should always contain the same types of basic information (contact details, work experience, education and personal) but you should also tailor your CV to reflect the context in which it is being sent. More importantly, you should prepare a different CV appropriate to every job to which you apply. Think for a moment about the direct mail that gets posted to you or the leaflets that come through your letter box at present. The products and services they offer are the same as they always were, but you will probably find that the mail highlights low price, value-for-money, cost-savings, etc. Your CV should do the same. Of course, it is not just your CV that should change, but your whole approach to job search as well. Here are 10 things you can do to stand out from the crowd:
Become more creative about your job search: Do not restrict yourself to positions advertised in newspapers and on recruitment websites. There has been a marked reduction in the number of these in recent months – partly because there are fewer jobs (a 20 per cent reduction in the past quarter alone), but also because companies do not need to advertise when demand for jobs outstrips supply. Recruitment agencies say that even when their clients have positions available they are not approving spend on advertising at present. This means many have jobs that are not appearing in the press or on websites.
The first thing to do is cast your search net wider and deeper: Read the newspapers and search the Internet to find out which industries and companies are planning to expand and which remain the most profitable (over 800 new jobs were announced last week alone). Find out what roles they are filling. Network with your contacts – both directly and via social networking websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Bebo. Attend industry conferences, breakfast briefings, meetings, training events, etc. Be seen and heard.
Customize your application process: With email, people have fallen into the habit of writing one-line cover notes that just say ‘my CV is attached’, but a well written cover e-mail or letter will make your job application stand out from the rest. Instead of writing an email, consider if you could telephone the employer and tell them why you should be invited in for an interview, then follow up your call by sending in your CV. Few people do this and much of getting a job is about doing what the masses aren’t.
Aim to get your CV on a maximum of two pages: All managers, and particularly HR managers, have less time to read CV’s at present, so don’t waste it for them. Remember to emphasize what you can do for them, rather than what they can do for you. Don’t bother listing useless facts such as ‘I was head of the debating team at school’ if that was 20 years ago. Use the KISS principle – Keep It Simple Stupid.
Keep the contact information (your name, postal address, phone numbers and email address) to a minimum. Save space by, for example, putting your postal address on one line (rather than three or four) and your home/mobile phone numbers on one line. Do not add any other personal details such as hobbies to your first page – keep them for page two.
Provide a summary of your key achievements, skills and qualifications at the start: Make it easy for the reader to assess whether or not they need to read your entire CV as quickly as you can. Begin the CV with a short description or some bullet points that summarise what you have to offer: Begin with a statement about your current or most recent role e.g. ‘Experienced Production Manager with 15 year track record of successfully coordinating operational teams’. Ensure that you also highlight your key skills in the summary e.g. ‘A person who has excellent negotiation, influencing and selling skills’. Add any significant or recent qualifications to the summary e.g. ‘Holds FETAC Level 7 Award for Tourism Management’.
List each job you have done in reverse chronological order: Make the Job Title, Employer Name and Dates of Employment clear e.g. ‘Marketing Manager, XYZ Ltd., 2002 – 2009’.
Do not try to tell them about everything you did for each organization: Selectively describe key areas where you have achieved or made a difference e.g. ‘Introduced team working in place of piece working in order to save costs and increase output’. Emphasize areas where you have grown revenue or reduced costs e.g. ‘Grew sales by 12 per cent per annum over the last three years’. Show evidence of success where you can e.g. ‘Reduced production finishing costs by 18%, benchmarked against German plant which reduced costs by only 11% during the same period’. Use quantitative as well as qualitative information where possible.
Include both formal and informal education in your CV: Often it is a long time since we were awarded a degree or diploma, but we have updated our skills with short one-day courses that should be included. List these in a simple to read format e.g. College, Dates, Award or Training, without giving too many details.
Show that you take responsibility for your own, on-going education: We recommend that anyone in a redundancy situation considers doing a short-term course that keeps themselves busy and helps them update/upgrade their skills. Employers like to see an on-going commitment to learning, and it also gives you an appropriate answer at interview when you are asked: What have you been doing since you left XYZ Ltd.? If you are an avid reader of business books, for example, tell your potential employer that you have been self-educating.
In your personal information section show that you are a rounded person: If you are unemployed for a significant period of time consider volunteering to help fill the gaps in your CV. Above all, make sure that you have some information that gives the impression that you are a good all rounder.
People Matters provides one-to-one coaching to those who have been made redundant and are seeking advice on job search. Each coaching session includes discussions on career direction, writing a winning CV and preparing for interview success. A half-day (four hour), one-to-one coaching session costs only 250 Euro! Employers often pay for coaching sessions on behalf of those whose roles are being made redundant and full and half day training events can be organised with us. To book a session or find out more call us on 01-296-1578 or email admin@peoplematters.ie.
Become more creative about your job search: Do not restrict yourself to positions advertised in newspapers and on recruitment websites. There has been a marked reduction in the number of these in recent months – partly because there are fewer jobs (a 20 per cent reduction in the past quarter alone), but also because companies do not need to advertise when demand for jobs outstrips supply. Recruitment agencies say that even when their clients have positions available they are not approving spend on advertising at present. This means many have jobs that are not appearing in the press or on websites.
The first thing to do is cast your search net wider and deeper: Read the newspapers and search the Internet to find out which industries and companies are planning to expand and which remain the most profitable (over 800 new jobs were announced last week alone). Find out what roles they are filling. Network with your contacts – both directly and via social networking websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Bebo. Attend industry conferences, breakfast briefings, meetings, training events, etc. Be seen and heard.
Customize your application process: With email, people have fallen into the habit of writing one-line cover notes that just say ‘my CV is attached’, but a well written cover e-mail or letter will make your job application stand out from the rest. Instead of writing an email, consider if you could telephone the employer and tell them why you should be invited in for an interview, then follow up your call by sending in your CV. Few people do this and much of getting a job is about doing what the masses aren’t.
Aim to get your CV on a maximum of two pages: All managers, and particularly HR managers, have less time to read CV’s at present, so don’t waste it for them. Remember to emphasize what you can do for them, rather than what they can do for you. Don’t bother listing useless facts such as ‘I was head of the debating team at school’ if that was 20 years ago. Use the KISS principle – Keep It Simple Stupid.
Keep the contact information (your name, postal address, phone numbers and email address) to a minimum. Save space by, for example, putting your postal address on one line (rather than three or four) and your home/mobile phone numbers on one line. Do not add any other personal details such as hobbies to your first page – keep them for page two.
Provide a summary of your key achievements, skills and qualifications at the start: Make it easy for the reader to assess whether or not they need to read your entire CV as quickly as you can. Begin the CV with a short description or some bullet points that summarise what you have to offer: Begin with a statement about your current or most recent role e.g. ‘Experienced Production Manager with 15 year track record of successfully coordinating operational teams’. Ensure that you also highlight your key skills in the summary e.g. ‘A person who has excellent negotiation, influencing and selling skills’. Add any significant or recent qualifications to the summary e.g. ‘Holds FETAC Level 7 Award for Tourism Management’.
List each job you have done in reverse chronological order: Make the Job Title, Employer Name and Dates of Employment clear e.g. ‘Marketing Manager, XYZ Ltd., 2002 – 2009’.
Do not try to tell them about everything you did for each organization: Selectively describe key areas where you have achieved or made a difference e.g. ‘Introduced team working in place of piece working in order to save costs and increase output’. Emphasize areas where you have grown revenue or reduced costs e.g. ‘Grew sales by 12 per cent per annum over the last three years’. Show evidence of success where you can e.g. ‘Reduced production finishing costs by 18%, benchmarked against German plant which reduced costs by only 11% during the same period’. Use quantitative as well as qualitative information where possible.
Include both formal and informal education in your CV: Often it is a long time since we were awarded a degree or diploma, but we have updated our skills with short one-day courses that should be included. List these in a simple to read format e.g. College, Dates, Award or Training, without giving too many details.
Show that you take responsibility for your own, on-going education: We recommend that anyone in a redundancy situation considers doing a short-term course that keeps themselves busy and helps them update/upgrade their skills. Employers like to see an on-going commitment to learning, and it also gives you an appropriate answer at interview when you are asked: What have you been doing since you left XYZ Ltd.? If you are an avid reader of business books, for example, tell your potential employer that you have been self-educating.
In your personal information section show that you are a rounded person: If you are unemployed for a significant period of time consider volunteering to help fill the gaps in your CV. Above all, make sure that you have some information that gives the impression that you are a good all rounder.
People Matters provides one-to-one coaching to those who have been made redundant and are seeking advice on job search. Each coaching session includes discussions on career direction, writing a winning CV and preparing for interview success. A half-day (four hour), one-to-one coaching session costs only 250 Euro! Employers often pay for coaching sessions on behalf of those whose roles are being made redundant and full and half day training events can be organised with us. To book a session or find out more call us on 01-296-1578 or email admin@peoplematters.ie.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Flexible Time Working
One of the buzzes in human resources at the moment is the concept of flexible work-time. While the concept is not new, the way that it is being applied is different in these recessionary times. Here we explain what it is and why employers and employees should consider it as an alternative to pay cuts and redundancies.
What does the phrase ‘flexible work-time’ mean? Put simply, it is where the employer asks both the owners/directors/managers and employees in a business to voluntarily change their terms and conditions of employment for a specified period of time.
What does it involve? New employment contracts are drawn up or, more likely, a letter of agreement is signed between both parties. These specify that terms and conditions are changed for a specified period of time, after which the ‘normal’ contract terms and conditions are returned to.
What terms and conditions are changed? Those that are modified are usually to do with hours/days worked with a pro-rata change in pay. The new terms allow the firm to ask volunteers to work additional hours when required e.g. working on a Saturday for those who normally work a five-day week; and to reduce hours worked when not needed e.g. working a four-day or three day week; using their leave in a particular week or month; or taking unpaid holidays on particular days when they are not required e.g. Good Friday. In non-busy periods e.g. during the Summer school holidays, staff can take long periods of leave (up to 12 weeks) at 25 – 50 per cent of their normal pay. Usually there are clauses about how much advance notice must be given by both parties.
How long should the period of time the flexible time contract be? That depends on the organization and the industry it is operating in. We are hearing of cases where flexible futures are specified for 6, 12, 18 or even 24 months. It does not really make any sense to go beyond a short time-scale as the main reason for adopting a flexible time contract is to reduce costs, flex costs and create short-term certainty.
What are the benefits to the employer? The main benefits to employers are cost savings, and perhaps more importantly, flex-costing. Flexible work time allows employers to optimize their use of the workforce by having ‘all hands on deck’ when they are needed, but not having a surplus of people underutilized when the business is not busy. For this reason, flexible work-time is generally more appropriate for service industries where the rate of work is not constant, but is usually predictable over the short term. A good example is St. Patrick’s Day which falls on a Tuesday. Many employees with families would also like to take the Monday off, and many employers may prefer to close their business on that day as there will be fewer customers. Another significant benefit is that the company retains top talent who might otherwise leave if pay cuts alone are made. This means it is poised to ‘get back to work’ when the upturn comes.
Are there any benefits to employees? The most obvious benefit is job security in these uncertain times. Recent research has shown that many employees would prefer to take a cut in pay or reduction in terms and conditions in preference to losing their job. The most important aspect, for most employees, is trust. It is usual, for example, to include a ‘maximum salary loss’ condition in a flexible work-time contract e.g. the maximum salary reduction is capped at 20% for each calendar year the agreement is in place. It is important to ensure that the revised contract relates to changed conditions for a specified period of time (usually no more than a year) and that it does not preclude any nationally agreed pay increases (or decreases) agreed by the social partners. In most cases the same benefits continue to be provided e.g. use of a company car, commuter ticket tax saving scheme, paid gym membership as these cost the same regardless of when they are used. In organizations where flexible schemes have already been introduced many employees have commented positively on the fact that it is allowing them to spend more time with their families or to use the time off to return to studies.
What is the People Matters verdict? The economic outlook for 2009 and 2010 is very uncertain and firms need to be as flexible as possible in order to respond. It is important to reduce costs in the short-term, but not risk losing talented staff who will be difficult to replace in the medium term. A voluntary flexible work-time contract or agreement to cover the next year or so is a pragmatic approach to adopt.
What does the phrase ‘flexible work-time’ mean? Put simply, it is where the employer asks both the owners/directors/managers and employees in a business to voluntarily change their terms and conditions of employment for a specified period of time.
What does it involve? New employment contracts are drawn up or, more likely, a letter of agreement is signed between both parties. These specify that terms and conditions are changed for a specified period of time, after which the ‘normal’ contract terms and conditions are returned to.
What terms and conditions are changed? Those that are modified are usually to do with hours/days worked with a pro-rata change in pay. The new terms allow the firm to ask volunteers to work additional hours when required e.g. working on a Saturday for those who normally work a five-day week; and to reduce hours worked when not needed e.g. working a four-day or three day week; using their leave in a particular week or month; or taking unpaid holidays on particular days when they are not required e.g. Good Friday. In non-busy periods e.g. during the Summer school holidays, staff can take long periods of leave (up to 12 weeks) at 25 – 50 per cent of their normal pay. Usually there are clauses about how much advance notice must be given by both parties.
How long should the period of time the flexible time contract be? That depends on the organization and the industry it is operating in. We are hearing of cases where flexible futures are specified for 6, 12, 18 or even 24 months. It does not really make any sense to go beyond a short time-scale as the main reason for adopting a flexible time contract is to reduce costs, flex costs and create short-term certainty.
What are the benefits to the employer? The main benefits to employers are cost savings, and perhaps more importantly, flex-costing. Flexible work time allows employers to optimize their use of the workforce by having ‘all hands on deck’ when they are needed, but not having a surplus of people underutilized when the business is not busy. For this reason, flexible work-time is generally more appropriate for service industries where the rate of work is not constant, but is usually predictable over the short term. A good example is St. Patrick’s Day which falls on a Tuesday. Many employees with families would also like to take the Monday off, and many employers may prefer to close their business on that day as there will be fewer customers. Another significant benefit is that the company retains top talent who might otherwise leave if pay cuts alone are made. This means it is poised to ‘get back to work’ when the upturn comes.
Are there any benefits to employees? The most obvious benefit is job security in these uncertain times. Recent research has shown that many employees would prefer to take a cut in pay or reduction in terms and conditions in preference to losing their job. The most important aspect, for most employees, is trust. It is usual, for example, to include a ‘maximum salary loss’ condition in a flexible work-time contract e.g. the maximum salary reduction is capped at 20% for each calendar year the agreement is in place. It is important to ensure that the revised contract relates to changed conditions for a specified period of time (usually no more than a year) and that it does not preclude any nationally agreed pay increases (or decreases) agreed by the social partners. In most cases the same benefits continue to be provided e.g. use of a company car, commuter ticket tax saving scheme, paid gym membership as these cost the same regardless of when they are used. In organizations where flexible schemes have already been introduced many employees have commented positively on the fact that it is allowing them to spend more time with their families or to use the time off to return to studies.
What is the People Matters verdict? The economic outlook for 2009 and 2010 is very uncertain and firms need to be as flexible as possible in order to respond. It is important to reduce costs in the short-term, but not risk losing talented staff who will be difficult to replace in the medium term. A voluntary flexible work-time contract or agreement to cover the next year or so is a pragmatic approach to adopt.
Monday, February 2, 2009
The True Cost of Redundancies
Last week the CIPD called for employers to delay making people redundant. They suggested that companies need to hold their nerve in the current downturn and make redundancies only as a last resort. The reason: Employers are not calculating the true cost of redundancy. We examine their advice and ask: Should you lay off making redundancies?
Businesses should be making more careful decisions about redundancy and taking into account plans for recovery by calculating the cost of retaining staff against laying them off according to John Philpott, the CIPD’s chief economist. With the cost of making an employee redundant averaging 18,000 Euro senior management should be asking themselves, what else could we be doing with that money? There is a need to balance the cost of redundancies against the potential benefits of retaining staff in the current environment.
Surely keeping employees on gives rise to a cost in itself? Of course it does. There is the cost of salary to start with, and also ‘hidden’ costs such as training, providing parking spaces, light and heat, etc.
But that is also where companies need to think creatively. They need to ask: What are the costs of letting staff go? These include making redundancy payments and ‘golden handshakes’, but should also (according to economists) include the costs of re-employing those same workers or others on the upturn.
Creative companies are offering staff sabbaticals instead. Permanent TSB, for example, gave some of its employees a two year ‘holiday’ and guaranteed jobs for workers on their return. This is a win-win situation, as the employer saves money in terms of redundancy and recruitment costs, and the employee has a chance to travel or do something alternative with their time secure in the knowledge that their job remains open to them on their return. The cost of making the average employee in an Irish bank redundant, and then hiring someone to replace them in two years time is approximately 50,000 Euro. By offering a sabbatical both parties can benefit.
Another option is to introduce short-time working or reduced hours. One professional services firm People Matters works with has reduced the number of hours their staff work in the week. Many of their employees are using their increased free time to study and learn new skills using facilities at the employer’s premises. The company is also using the opportunity to carry out maintenance of the office premises. Honda, Toyota and Nissan plan to halt production at their plants later this year and use the time for overhaul of their plants. HP has asked employees to take holidays in March and April (when their plant is less busy) and avoid the Summer shortfall in employees. This also avoids them having to employ part-time staff as replacements. Pay freezes and wage cuts, while unpopular, offer a better alternative to losing a job or losing a valuable staff member. One fashion retailer has asked employees to take a 10 per cent pay cut and most staff have shown a willingness to take the cut in preference to being made redundant.
According to the CIPD’s Philpott companies need to work out the real cost of redundancy before making any hard decisions. He has suggested a formula for calculating the RCoR (Real Cost of Redundancy). Before deciding on any redundancies People Matters recommends using his formula as a way to calculate the true cost:
RCoR = (N x R) + (X x H) + (X x T) + ny(H + T) + Wz(P-N)
Where:
N = number of people potentially being made redundant
R = cost of redundancy payments (circa 18,000 Euros)
X = number of people who will need to be hired in future
H = hiring costs (circa 16,500 Euros)
T = induction/training cost (average 3,500 Euros)
Y = percentage quitting post redundancy
W = average monthly staff salary
Z = percentage reduction in output among remaining employees due to low morale
P = number of people employed prior to redundancies
Businesses should be making more careful decisions about redundancy and taking into account plans for recovery by calculating the cost of retaining staff against laying them off according to John Philpott, the CIPD’s chief economist. With the cost of making an employee redundant averaging 18,000 Euro senior management should be asking themselves, what else could we be doing with that money? There is a need to balance the cost of redundancies against the potential benefits of retaining staff in the current environment.
Surely keeping employees on gives rise to a cost in itself? Of course it does. There is the cost of salary to start with, and also ‘hidden’ costs such as training, providing parking spaces, light and heat, etc.
But that is also where companies need to think creatively. They need to ask: What are the costs of letting staff go? These include making redundancy payments and ‘golden handshakes’, but should also (according to economists) include the costs of re-employing those same workers or others on the upturn.
Creative companies are offering staff sabbaticals instead. Permanent TSB, for example, gave some of its employees a two year ‘holiday’ and guaranteed jobs for workers on their return. This is a win-win situation, as the employer saves money in terms of redundancy and recruitment costs, and the employee has a chance to travel or do something alternative with their time secure in the knowledge that their job remains open to them on their return. The cost of making the average employee in an Irish bank redundant, and then hiring someone to replace them in two years time is approximately 50,000 Euro. By offering a sabbatical both parties can benefit.
Another option is to introduce short-time working or reduced hours. One professional services firm People Matters works with has reduced the number of hours their staff work in the week. Many of their employees are using their increased free time to study and learn new skills using facilities at the employer’s premises. The company is also using the opportunity to carry out maintenance of the office premises. Honda, Toyota and Nissan plan to halt production at their plants later this year and use the time for overhaul of their plants. HP has asked employees to take holidays in March and April (when their plant is less busy) and avoid the Summer shortfall in employees. This also avoids them having to employ part-time staff as replacements. Pay freezes and wage cuts, while unpopular, offer a better alternative to losing a job or losing a valuable staff member. One fashion retailer has asked employees to take a 10 per cent pay cut and most staff have shown a willingness to take the cut in preference to being made redundant.
According to the CIPD’s Philpott companies need to work out the real cost of redundancy before making any hard decisions. He has suggested a formula for calculating the RCoR (Real Cost of Redundancy). Before deciding on any redundancies People Matters recommends using his formula as a way to calculate the true cost:
RCoR = (N x R) + (X x H) + (X x T) + ny(H + T) + Wz(P-N)
Where:
N = number of people potentially being made redundant
R = cost of redundancy payments (circa 18,000 Euros)
X = number of people who will need to be hired in future
H = hiring costs (circa 16,500 Euros)
T = induction/training cost (average 3,500 Euros)
Y = percentage quitting post redundancy
W = average monthly staff salary
Z = percentage reduction in output among remaining employees due to low morale
P = number of people employed prior to redundancies
Advice for Lone Parents
My wife passed away last year and I am now a lone parent. Since last September I have been responsible for looking after our two children (aged 5 and 7). I had to give up my fulltime job in the bank and financially things are tight. I realise that the two Children will grow up fast and when they both in fulltime education I may have the opportunity to do more work. Have you any advice?
According to the CSO, there are over 189,000 lone parent families (including widowers) in Ireland, and of these 85,000 are in receipt of social welfare support through the One Parent Family payment (OPF). Just 2 per cent are male, and 12 per cent are separated – so you fall into a ‘category’ that is often the least informed about supports. The first thing to do, in the short term, is make sure that you are receiving the Child Allowance and One Parent Family payment even if you are working. You may also be eligible for certain other allowances such as a family income supplement, the early childcare benefit for your five year old, a back to school allowance for books and clothing for your seven year old, as well as rent/mortgage interest supplements, etc.
In many countries governments make financial payments to one parent families, but this stops and recipients are obliged to return to work when their youngest child is anywhere between three months of age (in the USA) or five years old (in the case of Australia). Ireland has one of the best systems in place: One Parent Family support is made from the time a child is born until the age of 18 or 22 years of age, if in full time education. There are no conditions set regarding working while receiving this payment. It is a means tested payment and a lone parent can earn up to €146.50 per week without loss of the benefit. Income between that and €425 assessed at 50% and a reduced rate of OPF is payable. Contact the Department of Social Welfare - www.welfare.ie - and arrange to have yourself means-tested for the benefit. Incidentally, a campaign to combat fraud with one parent families last year realised almost EUR 142million.
Research has shown that there is little active engagement by government departments and voluntary help groups with recipients of OPF supports, unless they seek it themselves. This is particularly true among men. Yet there are some excellent on-line supports available. Four good sources of information are the Department of Social Welfare website - www.welfare.ie, the One Parent website – www.oneparent.ie, the website of One Family – www.onefamily.ie, and an independent website – Solo.ie. Visit these sites and get your hands on a new information booklet detailing family supports and services across a range of Government Departments and agencies.
A new research report, Lone Parents and Employment: what are the real issues? was recently published by One Family. Another useful report was written by UCD. They contain useful, general advice. One of the key results of these reviews is that two-thirds of those in receipt of the OPF are working, but in low paid, part time work.
The Family and Community Services Resource Centre Programme commenced in 1994 and since then 107 Family Resource Centres have been established nationwide. The activities supported by the Resource Centres are designed to meet the needs of the local community and include the provision of: information, advice, training and practical assistance to community groups including child-care facilities for those attending courses provided by the project and after-school clubs. Visit your local Resource Centre and find out what they have to offer.
Lastly, as you say, you need to think about the medium-longer term. Your youngest child will be going to school fulltime in September 2009, and now is a good opportunity for you to consider returning to fulltime work. An obvious first place to start looking is with the financial sector, but with the current economic situation, you may want to look to other industries where you can utilize the same skills. Career direction coaching may help you to establish what your strengths are, where your motivations lie and how to set goals for yourself in the coming year.
According to the CSO, there are over 189,000 lone parent families (including widowers) in Ireland, and of these 85,000 are in receipt of social welfare support through the One Parent Family payment (OPF). Just 2 per cent are male, and 12 per cent are separated – so you fall into a ‘category’ that is often the least informed about supports. The first thing to do, in the short term, is make sure that you are receiving the Child Allowance and One Parent Family payment even if you are working. You may also be eligible for certain other allowances such as a family income supplement, the early childcare benefit for your five year old, a back to school allowance for books and clothing for your seven year old, as well as rent/mortgage interest supplements, etc.
In many countries governments make financial payments to one parent families, but this stops and recipients are obliged to return to work when their youngest child is anywhere between three months of age (in the USA) or five years old (in the case of Australia). Ireland has one of the best systems in place: One Parent Family support is made from the time a child is born until the age of 18 or 22 years of age, if in full time education. There are no conditions set regarding working while receiving this payment. It is a means tested payment and a lone parent can earn up to €146.50 per week without loss of the benefit. Income between that and €425 assessed at 50% and a reduced rate of OPF is payable. Contact the Department of Social Welfare - www.welfare.ie - and arrange to have yourself means-tested for the benefit. Incidentally, a campaign to combat fraud with one parent families last year realised almost EUR 142million.
Research has shown that there is little active engagement by government departments and voluntary help groups with recipients of OPF supports, unless they seek it themselves. This is particularly true among men. Yet there are some excellent on-line supports available. Four good sources of information are the Department of Social Welfare website - www.welfare.ie, the One Parent website – www.oneparent.ie, the website of One Family – www.onefamily.ie, and an independent website – Solo.ie. Visit these sites and get your hands on a new information booklet detailing family supports and services across a range of Government Departments and agencies.
A new research report, Lone Parents and Employment: what are the real issues? was recently published by One Family. Another useful report was written by UCD. They contain useful, general advice. One of the key results of these reviews is that two-thirds of those in receipt of the OPF are working, but in low paid, part time work.
The Family and Community Services Resource Centre Programme commenced in 1994 and since then 107 Family Resource Centres have been established nationwide. The activities supported by the Resource Centres are designed to meet the needs of the local community and include the provision of: information, advice, training and practical assistance to community groups including child-care facilities for those attending courses provided by the project and after-school clubs. Visit your local Resource Centre and find out what they have to offer.
Lastly, as you say, you need to think about the medium-longer term. Your youngest child will be going to school fulltime in September 2009, and now is a good opportunity for you to consider returning to fulltime work. An obvious first place to start looking is with the financial sector, but with the current economic situation, you may want to look to other industries where you can utilize the same skills. Career direction coaching may help you to establish what your strengths are, where your motivations lie and how to set goals for yourself in the coming year.
Have you still got the January blues?
Well there is an explanation. Dr. Cliff Arnall, a health psychologist at Cardiff University, has devised a formula to work out the worst day of the year and according to his formula, Wednesday, 21 January is the blues day for 2009. His calculation is based on the expected poor weather, debts owed for seasonal spending, the time since Christmas, the period of time before you abandon New Year's resolutions, the dates when motivation levels seems to be at their lowest and the timing for the need for action to escape the blues. In other words, today!
So to cheer you up, in this issue, our Career Doctor answers an interesting career query from a parent on employment and benefits and in our Research and Resources section we provide you with some interesting snippets of information that you may find useful in the workplace.
So to cheer you up, in this issue, our Career Doctor answers an interesting career query from a parent on employment and benefits and in our Research and Resources section we provide you with some interesting snippets of information that you may find useful in the workplace.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Decluttering your worklife
Over the Christmas and New Year holidays many people take time out to consider if their career is going in the right direction and vow to make a change. Then they return to work, find their ‘inbox’ is full and just get on with the old job! So how can you avoid making the same mistake again this year?
In Kensington High Street, London serious and minor traffic injuries dropped by 60% in one year. “Wow” you might think, “that is some improvement: what miraculous road safety improvements did they install”? In fact, what they did was remove the previously installed road safety improvements, including 95% of the traffic signs and the guard rails along the pavement. The fall in injuries was due to drivers being less distracted and paying more attention to other road users, whilst pedestrians were more cautious before charging across the road. In other words, by decluttering their world, drivers and pedestrians alike had become more focused on the real risks and concentrate on key issues . Is there a parallel for this in our work lives?
Hans Monderman, a Dutch traffic engineer was famous for his hatred of traffic signs. Referring to a traffic sign that indicated a bridge ahead on a flat road, Monderman asked why it was needed , “…when you treat people like idiots, they’ll behave like that,” he said. Are we in danger of letting distractions turn us into idiots? Often, we make the same type of mistake at work – we create ‘messy’ environments that distract us from the important tasks.
Management thinkers around the world are noticing that some businesses and some business people are thriving in the recession, while others are merely striving. Why? In many cases the ‘thrivers’ are ridding themselves of all the paraphernalia of distraction and focusing on what matters. Managers need to focus on the job that needs to be done, not on the clutter.
At Birmingham Airport recently I was observing a salesman I knew well. He was what some people call a “a Blackberry Tart” i.e. someone who is a slave to their mobile technology. He arrived into the departures lounge where he immediately took out his Blackberry and fiddled with it for five minutes, trying to make a connection. Then, agonizingly, he worked his way through reading long e-mail messages and ‘typing’ replies using a stylus, before rushing to switch everything off in time to board the plane. Had he not been so distracted by this gadget he might have noticed that one of the biggest buyers in his industry was sitting right next to him in the lounge – a unique networking opportunity to say hello to a large customer had been missed and, what is more, the customer had noticed. Perhaps the man would have been better off if he decluttered his briefcase, left his Blackberry alone and focused on the real task of winning customers.
In the current economic downturn many clients haves asked us to advise them on how they can declutter not just their job, but their whole career. A significant number of people are changing from fast-track to slow-track careers; others are taking a year’s sabbatical; yet more are taking a year off to travel. Several of our clients are returning to full-time or part-time study. With little prospect of a growth in the economy in the short-term this may be a good time to consider taking a year out to redirect your career. The important thing is, not to declutter too much, to hold on to the important things and build on them while letting go of the excess baggage.
In Kensington High Street, London serious and minor traffic injuries dropped by 60% in one year. “Wow” you might think, “that is some improvement: what miraculous road safety improvements did they install”? In fact, what they did was remove the previously installed road safety improvements, including 95% of the traffic signs and the guard rails along the pavement. The fall in injuries was due to drivers being less distracted and paying more attention to other road users, whilst pedestrians were more cautious before charging across the road. In other words, by decluttering their world, drivers and pedestrians alike had become more focused on the real risks and concentrate on key issues . Is there a parallel for this in our work lives?
Hans Monderman, a Dutch traffic engineer was famous for his hatred of traffic signs. Referring to a traffic sign that indicated a bridge ahead on a flat road, Monderman asked why it was needed , “…when you treat people like idiots, they’ll behave like that,” he said. Are we in danger of letting distractions turn us into idiots? Often, we make the same type of mistake at work – we create ‘messy’ environments that distract us from the important tasks.
Management thinkers around the world are noticing that some businesses and some business people are thriving in the recession, while others are merely striving. Why? In many cases the ‘thrivers’ are ridding themselves of all the paraphernalia of distraction and focusing on what matters. Managers need to focus on the job that needs to be done, not on the clutter.
At Birmingham Airport recently I was observing a salesman I knew well. He was what some people call a “a Blackberry Tart” i.e. someone who is a slave to their mobile technology. He arrived into the departures lounge where he immediately took out his Blackberry and fiddled with it for five minutes, trying to make a connection. Then, agonizingly, he worked his way through reading long e-mail messages and ‘typing’ replies using a stylus, before rushing to switch everything off in time to board the plane. Had he not been so distracted by this gadget he might have noticed that one of the biggest buyers in his industry was sitting right next to him in the lounge – a unique networking opportunity to say hello to a large customer had been missed and, what is more, the customer had noticed. Perhaps the man would have been better off if he decluttered his briefcase, left his Blackberry alone and focused on the real task of winning customers.
In the current economic downturn many clients haves asked us to advise them on how they can declutter not just their job, but their whole career. A significant number of people are changing from fast-track to slow-track careers; others are taking a year’s sabbatical; yet more are taking a year off to travel. Several of our clients are returning to full-time or part-time study. With little prospect of a growth in the economy in the short-term this may be a good time to consider taking a year out to redirect your career. The important thing is, not to declutter too much, to hold on to the important things and build on them while letting go of the excess baggage.
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