human-resource-guide

The job of managers and executives is to get things done through the efforts of others. To do this successfully, effective leaders must be able to motivate their employees. Although this may seem obvious, it is often easier said than done.

The theory and practice of improving productivity through employee motivation is a challenging subject, touching on several disciplines ranging from human psychology to the organizational environment and structure. This subject is usually not clearly understood and is very often poorly practiced in the workplace, but the fact remains that job performance is clearly a function of ability and motivation.

An employee’s ability is dependent on a mix of education, experience, training and intelligence (or “street smarts”). Improving ability is typically a long and slow process, requiring significant investments of time and capital. Motivation, however, can be improved relatively quickly and without significant investments of time and capital. To understand the relationship between job performance and employee motivation, one must consider the impact of several drivers, including:

Employee rewards

Informal group dynamics

Job design

Leadership

Ergonomics

Communications

The final mix and weighting would vary from one situation to another, but these are basic strategies a manager should employ when developing a plan to improve motivation. Motivation, therefore, is a means to manipulate job performance by inducing employees towards the goals and objectives set by the motivator.

Among the various drivers of motivation, numerous studies (and basic intuition) state that monetary employee rewards are clearly the most effective driver of motivation. Although monetary rewards can offset deficiencies in other drivers of motivation such as human relations, no amount of human relations can substitute insufficient monetary rewards. The challenge for leaders and human resources managers then becomes one of identifying the financial mechanisms that maximize economic benefit for employees, while minimizing costs to employers.

Managed employee discount programs have emerged as a popular and effective means of enhancing monetary financial rewards for employees. Employee discount programs allow employers to extend real financial benefits to employees; essentially increasing overall compensation through indirect means.

Based on studies conducted by consultants at EmployeeHelper, companies of all sizes are embracing employee discount programs as a means to reward and motivate employees and ultimately increase job and corporate performance.

Author Bio:

Stephanie Marks is the Vice President of Employer Relations at EmployeeHelper.com (http://www.employeehelper.com), responsible for developing world-class employee discount solutions for leading companies. With over 15 years of senior human resources management experience, Stephanie provides key insight into the employee benefit needs of employers and their employees. For more information, visit http://www.employeehelper.com.

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Three highly respected names in Human Resources have joined forces to provide companies with a revolutionary blend of services that make the hiring process more efficient and effective. The partnership joins three companies: NAS Recruitment Communications, a recognized leader in the specialized field of human resource communications, Hannibal, Inc., a software development firm specializing in recruiting automation solutions, and InfoLink Screening Services, Inc., a nationwide leader in employment background screening, drug testing and physical exam services.

The three companies’ services, each of which may be utilized separately, are now available through NAS’s new web-based recruiting tool called “Max.” Max makes it easier for HR departments to source, match, screen and hire quality employees. One of the primary benefits of Max is the ease with which recruitment ads can be placed and tracked.

“Companies of every size can count on Max for the simplest and most efficient recruiting assistance in the industry,” stated Don Sabatino, Vice President of NAS Recruitment Communications. “Max is not a typical applicant tracking system (ATS). Unlike the traditional ATS approach, which can take months to fully set-up and integrate, Max will be up and running in a matter of days.”

Max installs easily, is updated automatically and provides a full range of sourcing, screening, and organizational functions that are ideally suited to the needs of today’s modern Human Resources executives. Max is also available in a tiered format to fit the exact requirements and budgetary commitments of every HR department. Key components include the following:

• An innovative interface for selecting and posting recruitment ads to print publications, job boards, career sites and internal referral sites

• A customized library of job descriptions

• Powerful filtering and ranking technology

• Resume pool management, candidate tracking and reporting

• Seamless Integration with InfoLink Screening Services for background checks

A strategic partner in the release of Max is InfoLink Screening Services, a leading provider of background screening, drug testing and physical exams of job applicants and employees. InfoLink has a strong reputation for providing exceptional service and fast turnaround of information, as well as ensuring its clients screening practices are legally compliant.

“InfoLink’s Integrated Background Screening (TM) and easy-to-use web-based solution enable Max users to eliminate duplicate data entry and data entry errors, increase efficiency, and reduce cost and time-to-hire,” stated Barry Nadell, President and Co-Founder of InfoLink Screening Services. “Our combined strengths give HR departments total control in recruiting and background screening their job applicants.”

NAS Recruitment Communications

NAS Recruitment Communications is recognized as a leader in the specialized field of human resource solutions. As part of the McCann Worldgroup, we offer a network with global, national and local-market expertise. HR departments are able to benefit from our proprietary Demand Chain, a process map that creates the foundation and traction to lead superbly talented people to our Employer of Choice clients. For more information, please call NAS Los Angeles at (818 906-3313 or visit www.nasrecruitment.com.

Hannibal, Inc.

Pioneering numerous advancements in electronic recruiting, Hannibal, Inc. emerged as an industry leader by developing HR technology that provides valuable, cost effective and efficient services at the touch of a button. Hannibal’s continued goal is the development of products that anyone can use, regardless of computer literacy level, Internet skills or knowledge of recruiting laws and practices. For more information, please email info@hannibalinc.com or visit www.hannibalinc.com.

InfoLink Screening Services, Inc.

InfoLink Screening Services is a leading provider of employment background checks, drug testing and physical exams. Thousands of companies nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 500’s, rely on InfoLink’s exceptional service, fast turnaround, legal compliance and accurate reports.

InfoLink’s easy-to-use web-based solution enables easy order entry, status tracking, hit notification and secure archiving. Its drug screening and physical exam programs include a nationwide network of thousands of collection sites and clinics, secure online reporting and consolidated billing. InfoLink’s comprehensive employee screening services and seamless integration with Human Resource software increase efficiency and enable businesses to Hire with Confidence

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SEE INTO THE FUTURE CREATIVELY AND PRACTICALITY: Planning day-to-day is obviously important, but a good leader must be able to see the long-range picture, to know the history of the organization and have a sense of the direction in which it is traveling. Effective leaders always have the long-range picture in mind as they plan laterally.

RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF STAFF TRAINING: Like a convoy, you are only as fast as your slowest ship. Unless your slowest team members are brought up to speed, you run the risk of losing them, along with the momentum of your group. Therefore, sharing the whole picture with team members and providing them with whatever training, supervision, and support they require pays off in the long run. High initial input pays high returns with human investment. A successful manager makes sure that the team members have the tools they need to handle a job most efficiently and with a minimum of stress.

BE A HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT PERSON: Show a commitment to your team member’s personal and professional development. It pays to care and to be supportive of the human needs of a team. Work is not accomplished through task orientation alone. A good leader fosters esprit de corps, which keep employees motivated. Team members are happy when they feel that their leader appreciates them as individuals, and when team members are happy, work goes smoothly. As an additional benefit, loyal team members become very protective of a leader or an organization over a hump.

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

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