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An employee recognition ceremony can be a big, elaborate gala or a small company picnic. An employee recognition ceremony can even be a surprise team meeting where the team leader is recognized by the team and his or her supervisor. It’s not really the employee recognition ceremony that counts, it’s the fact that the employee is being recognized that matters the most.

When planning an employee recognition ceremony the first thing you should do is look at your budget. How much do you have to spend on this ceremony and how many people do you need to accommodate? Your budget will have the biggest impact on the venue and theme of your employee recognition ceremony.

When looking at your budget, you will need to know how many employees are being recognized. Are you planning an employee recognition ceremony for the CEO of the company to be recognized by all of his employees, or is the employee recognition ceremony for a group of employees to be recognized by the CEO?

What kind of gifts will you hand out at the employee recognition ceremony? Expensive gifts will reduce your venue budget. Do you think the employees being recognized will appreciate a gala event with smaller gifts or will they get more satisfaction from a company picnic with more expensive gifts? These decisions are probably going to be determined by the size and type of company you have.

Some of the things that can be recognized at an employee recognition ceremony are outstanding performance, excellent evaluation, high safety standards, meeting productivity goals, and much more. Sometimes an employee recognition ceremony will be held just for the purpose of improving the attitude of the employees when they seem to begin to go sour.

A fun attitude improving employee recognition ceremony is an employee roast. Find some funny gifts or recognition certificates that are meant to tease the employees for things like: the messiest desk or most likely to marry a co-worker or the employee who needs the most frequent evaluations. You get the idea. This kind of employee recognition ceremony will lift the spirits of employees in a rut and improve morale. Be sure to roast someone in upper management in order for the employees to have the most fun.

For the most part, an employee recognition ceremony is one of the best ways to hand out recognition awards and gifts to deserving employees. There are times when an employee recognition ceremony is inappropriate, too. You probably won’t want to host an employee recognition ceremony when handing out compensation awards. An employee’s compensation, even bonus amounts, are a very private matter and should not be discussed or displayed among their peers.

Other than that, the benefits of planning and hosting an employee recognition ceremony are improved morale, an invigorated team, higher creativity, better attendance, and better retention of good employees. Heck, even the bad employees will want to stay around longer in hopes of earning recognition at your next employee recognition ceremony. The ceremony might just be enough to turn your bad employees into good ones.

Patricia Stevens owns and operates http://www.employeerecognitionpoint.com Employee Recognition

A small business is like a child that over time will grow up and mature. It will have its troubles. Its growing pains and growth spurts. But hopefully over time it will grow up and become something that everyone can be proud of!

Most small businesses though will have employees. Whether it will be one, twenty, or a hundred these people will become the caretakers of the business. They’ll be responsible for helping to nourish and guide it. And hopefully they’ll take as much responsibility for it as you do. Some of your employees may actually be your own family members.

Now not all employees are going to feel the same about your business as you do but you might be surprised at how many actually do care. A small business is a chance for a lot of people to stretch their wings in a way. It can provide more opportunities and chances to try new things than most people would normally get in a larger organization. You will be forced at some point or another to give others more responsibility whether you want to or not. Otherwise you’ll have to handle every decision that needs to be made. Over time your employees will feel that they have been empowered and are responsible for the welfare of the business.

The longer your business survives and thrives the longer you and your employees will be together. Some will come and some will go but many could be with you for years to come. You’ll not only get to know your employees well but you may even get to know their families. Employee gatherings might become quite common. BBQ’s may be held, holidays and birthdays will be celebrated. The accomplishments of your employees and those of the business as a whole will be cherished by all. And even the setbacks will be dealt with together.

Every one you employ will have a hand in the rise and maybe even the fall of your business. Some people will be only bit players and others will be costars in the saga of your small business. But all of them should be recognized for the role they play. Because your small business will come to play a large part in their lives and the lives of their families as well. Father’s, son’s, mother’s, daughter’s, and many more people will come to depend on your small business whether they work for you on a daily basis or not.

The sheer number of people that may come to depend on your business whether directly or indirectly is often overlooked. Many business owners fail to realize when they hire employees how many other people may be affected. Or if they do know how many people depend on the business they will soon take it for granted or worse yet they simply may not care.

Often in small business the employees come to see themselves as a family. They share many things just as a family does. You as an owner need to recognize that and appreciate it for what it is. It’s that family that can make your small business a success. And it’s a success that everyone should be allowed to enjoy.

Cash Miller is an experienced entrepreneur and speaker who has spent over a decade as a small business owner. His years of experience in small business cover a variety of topics. If you are looking for more small business help please check out http://www.smallbusinessdelivered.com

The booming Asian economy is drawing an increasing amount of business process outsourcing. Many US companies are seeking help to improve communications and team efficiency through intercultural management training. It may confuse you to realize that the challenges you counter are not unique to your team and the offshore group.

Avoidable misunderstandings over the significance of deadlines and relationship building are blown up not only by distance and time zone; they are also embedded in the core values of our different societies. Building an understanding of the core values via cross-cultural training assists to escape from problems before they culminate into project-defeating disasters. This is where cross-cultural senior management finds significance. This article will provide you with some much needed guidance regarding this.

Asian economy is an amalgam of various cultures. As is the case cross-cultural senior management is an indispensable part of the management sector in Asia. Unlike technical knowledge, intercultural understanding and skill are not something you can attain just by going through a “how-to” manual or getting familiar with a simple formula.

How people’s cultural backgrounds affect their character and way of thinking is quite clear in some ways and quite subtle in others. Appearance, names, language, accents, artifacts and shared worlds of reference are displayed at once. However, Intangibles - approaches towards time, commitments, success, status, authority, accountability, planning, negotiation, rewards, teamwork, personal boundaries and social interactions - are not visible all of a sudden.

To be efficient as a global IT manager, you need to be informed of the major underlying cultural values that have direct or indirect impact on business relations and organizational functioning. The skills you require are those “soft” skills, which are, in fact, considerably tougher to attain than the “hard” technical skills. Some managers are lucky to have innate strength in these fields, most require education and training, a few are so adamant that it would be better to exclude them of major global management responsibilities.

Cross-cultural senior management focuses on utilizing one’s ability to triumph in global management. If you are contemplating to appoint someone to a key position cross cultural training is a must. This kind of training is required to make your multicultural teams combine more effectively or when you are seeking to configure an appropriate management style for your global company.

Cross-cultural senior management defines some crucial skills for successful management in a culturally diverse environment. You must pay close attention to developing and sustaining these winning skills.

First of all you must have a good understanding of your own cultural values and how they influence your attitudes and behaviors. You must try to always stay aware on global trends and events. Acquiring a fair knowledge about cultural behaviors in a non-judgmental way will be a definite help.

You have to acclimatize appreciably to a wide spectrum of operational practices, business styles, and social ambiences. Making people of distinct backgrounds feel at ease, recognized and valued for their perspectives will be very good idea.

For successful cross-cultural senior management, it is necessary to make a sincere effort to get people from contrasting backgrounds to work together effectively as unified teams. Expressing yourself persuasively while genuinely listening what others are conveying to you is another advisable skill.

You have to lead in ways that trigger employees to embrace responsibility and initiative, collaborate, and contribute the creativity of their differences. You have to show integrity, openness, reliable behavior, and candor in all your interpersonal exchanges.

You should be inclined to work with other people’s requirements and timetables, keeping your attention on long-term goals, and not spoiling your goodwill capital on achieving immediate results. Always remember that cross-cultural senior management and success are two sides of the same coin.

Hunt Partners is a high end Executive Search firm providing search and human capital solutions for global and regional clients who require discreet search of top management and board level positions.

Would you like to reduce employee turnover? Who wouldn’t? Do an internet search of “reduce employee turnover” and you will get lots of technical and complicated advice. Actually reducing turnover is a lot simpler than what many of the articles prescribe. The solution is simple, place the right people in the right job, recognize their performance, reward them occasionally, and treat them with respect. Yes money and benefits are important but study after study proves that they aren’t the most important factors in employee retention.

So why do companies not focus on this issue? There are lots of reasons I hear but frankly they all amount to weak excuses. Take a look at the companies in any industry and you will find a number with high turnover and some with low turnover. The difference is caused by just subtle, but very effective, differences in their hiring and retention strategies. Of course the first step is to have a strategy! Here is a simple four step process to get your employee turnover lower.

First, use a validated and legal pre employment test to screen out people with a poor work ethic and bad attitude that make it through normal hiring processes. They typically take about 20 minutes and they reveal more about that candidate then you will ever get in an interview, job app or background check. Average cost $20. Let someone else hire the riff raff.

Second, use a job fit assessment to match the right people to the right job. A person may interview well, have the right education and background, but doesn’t mean they fit the job. Find out if they have the same profile as your top performers. To do this is very simple with the employee assessment tools available. They are easy to use and understand, and will help you determine if the candidate fits the job. Average time is about 30 minutes with a cost under $100.

Third, do employee evaluations regularly. People need feedback, good or bad. How can we expect change if we don’t communicate? Use a simple online system, so administration is a snap and there are no excuses for not getting them done. Remember, people leave supervisors, not companies. They take about an hour to prepare and about the same to present, with a cost of about $25.

Finally, implement an employee recognition program. Reward employees with gifts on service anniversaries or to recognize significant achievements. People need this recognition and, once again, there are all sorts of online employee recognition programs that are easy to implement. You control the budget but a nice $25 gift says a lot and only takes a few minutes to do. Most importantly, say thank you. It’s free and it goes a long way to making people feel happy and appreciated.

So for a modest investment and very little time, you can reduce employee turnover significantly. That will give you a substantial return, given the high cost of turnover. If you are a company suffering from high turnover, take a look at these four easy steps and get on the road to improvement.

For information on the solutions to handle this issue, contact Robert A. Cameron. He helps employers improve the effectiveness of employee selection, hiring and development. They can be reached at 954-385-8701 or visit their website at http://www.racameron.com

So you are hiring new employees and have narrowed your stack of resumes to the 10 or so top candidates, now it’s time to start setting up interviews. If you dread this portion of the process, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are some ways to put both yourself and the candidates at ease - and make sure you get all the information you need to make a smart decision. Start by preparing a list of basic interview questions in advance. While you won’t read off this list like a robot, having it in front of you will ensure you cover all the bases and also make sure you ask all the candidates the same questions.

The initial few moments of an interview are the most crucial. As you meet the candidate and shake his or her hand, you will gain a strong impression of his or her poise, confidence and enthusiasm (or lack thereof). Qualities to look for include good communication skills, a neat and clean appearance, and a friendly and enthusiastic manner.

Put the interviewee at ease with a bit of small talk on neutral topics. A good way to break the ice is by explaining the job and describing the company - its business, history and future plans. Then move on to the heart of the interview. You will want to ask about several general areas, such as related experience, skills, educational training or background, and unrelated jobs. Open each area with a general, open-ended question, such as “Tell me about your last job.” Avoid questions that can be answered with a “yes” or “no” or that prompt obvious responses, such as “Are you detail-oriented?” Instead ask questions that force the candidate to go into detail. The best questions are follow-up questions such as “How did that situation come about?” or “Why did you do that?” These queries force applicants to abandon preplanned responses and dig deeper.

Here are some suggestions to get you started:

-If you could design the perfect job for yourself, what would you do? Why?
-What kind of supervisor gets the best work out of you?
-How would you describe your current supervisor?
-How do you structure your time?
-What are three things you like about your current job?
-What were your three biggest accomplishments in your last job? In your career?
-What can you do for our company that no one else can?
-What are your biggest strengths/weaknesses?
-How far do you think you can go in this company? Why?
-What do you expect to be doing in five years?
-What interests you most about this company? This position?
-Describe three situations in which your work was criticized.
-Have you hired people before? If So, what did you look for?

Your candidate’s responses will give you a window into his or her knowledge, attitude and sense of humor. Watch for signs of “sour grapes” about former employers. Also be alert for areas people seem reluctant to talk about. Probe a little deeper without sounding judgmental.

Pay attention to the candidate’s nonverbal cues, too. Does she seem alert and interested, or does she slouch and yawn? Are his clothes wrinkled and stained, or clean and neat? A person who can’t make an effort for the interview certainly won’t make one on the job if hired.

Finally, leave time at the end of the interview for the applicant to ask questions - and pay attention to what he or she asks. This is the time when applicants can really show they have done their homework and researched your company, or rather, that all they care about is what they can get out of the job. Obviously, there is a big difference between the one who says, “I notice that your biggest competitor’s sales have doubled since launching their Web site in January. Do you have any plans to develop a Web site of your own?” and the person who asks, “How long is the lunch break?” Also, candidates who can’t come up with even one question may be demonstrating that they can’t think on their feet.

End the interview by letting the candidate know what to expect next. How much longer will you be interviewing? When can they expect to hear from you? You are dealing with other people’s livelihoods, so the week that you take to finish your interviews can seem like an eternity to them. Show some consideration by keeping them informed. During the interview, jot down notes (without being obvious about it). After the interview, allow five or 10 minutes to write down the applicant’s outstanding qualities and evaluate his or her personality and skills against your job description and specifications.

Jeff Casmer is an internet marketing consultant with career sales over $25,000,000. His “Top Ranked” Earn Money at Home Directory gives you all the information you need to start and prosper with your own Internet Home Based Business.

We humans are creatures of habit. That is why 90% of all businesses are not growing or improving. The obvious conclusion is that if we get out of our habits we also get out of the 90% and get into the 10%. Skill is one of the ways we can accomplish this.

I am prejudiced, biased and narrow-minded when it comes to skill. Nothing can replace it. Drive, ambition, experience, motivation, and all the other positive attributes cannot replace skill. These positive human traits can help reduce the effects of no skills but they cannot replace skill.

I like a little broader definition of skill — skill is the set of knowledge and abilities that produce a desired result. The results are the critical point. Skill is useless unless it brings results.

Here are some key points when considering the skill level in your company:

1.Sort out the differences between skill and work ethic. Work ethic is the desire. Skill is the result.

2.Skill might be cheaper. Supervision and management costs may offset any perceived labor savings. Look first to production and performance levels and work backward to estimate actual costs.

3.Skill produces higher quality. This means fewer rejects, comebacks and dissatisfied customers.

4.When the skilled supervise the unskilled, the skilled production level drops. This can sometimes make a substantial difference.

5.The skilled often prefer not to work with the unskilled. The skilled prefer to work with peers so they can stay sharp and continually learn.

6.Skill allows for the possibilities of providing different or improved value to your customers or clients. Skill promotes diversification and diversification can bring additional revenue streams.

7.The skilled feel they often are wasting their potential. This can make them very unhappy. They are most unhappy when feeling they are in a dead end position and that management does not care. No one cares. Except for the competitor that sees this type of employee as a breakthrough employee and strives to create opportunities to attract and keep such an employee.

8.Skilled employees project a more competent and positive image in the marketplace.

9.Skilled employees create fewer internal disruptions. The skilled find disruptions annoying, distracting and costly. Continual disruptions eventually drive away the skilled.

10.Skill allows increased capacity without corresponding overhead. Skill should usually be viewed as a variable cost.

11.The skilled are the only employees that will realistically reach high levels of performance.

12.Assessing skill level should be a weekly process. Each employee should be tracked and the business’ needs assessed. The best question I have found is “What does the company really need?”

13.Reward skill with compensation, benefits and status. I find it very easy to look skill in the eye and say ‘thank you.’ And mean it from the heart.

14.Skilled employees love to be appreciated. Yes you have to do all the compensation/benefits things to stay competitive. Skilled employees appreciate and admire those that acknowledge their value.

15.Skilled employees did not get that way by chance. They search out ways to learn and improve. In today’s business environment skilled employees are demanding learning opportunities. Companies that ignore this point will attract fewer skilled employees and become less competitive. Companies that understand the learning/skill relationship will be the profitable companies of the future.

16.The value of skill in the workplace is increasing. Skill and knowledge have all but replaced bulk, strength and volume. Very few industries will be able to ignore skill in the workplace. Skill as a business dynamic will continue to be an increasingly competitive dynamic.

Value follows skill and revenue streams follow value. Skill is the critical compone nt in the value formula.

If all things are equal,always side with skill.

Jack D. Deal is the owner of Deal Business Consulting. aRelated articlesmay be found at http://www.jddeal.com and http://www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com