Entertain Your Staff For Larger Profits

Today’s employees, particularly those involved with corporate finance and other major business sectors, are leaning more towards corporate event management and corporate entertainment as a key source of contentment and happiness at work. This reflects the emergence of what has become defined as corporate culture - one that recognizes the need to keep staff happy through team games, special event days and other activities that help build camaraderie and teamwork.

1. Happy W...

Keywords:

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Today’s employees, particularly those involved with corporate finance and other major business sectors, are leaning more towards corporate event management and corporate entertainment as a key source of contentment and happiness at work. This reflects the emergence of what has become defined as corporate culture - one that recognizes the need to keep staff happy through team games, special event days and other activities that help build camaraderie and teamwork.

1. Happy Workers Work Harder

Such episodes come as a welcome break for most rank and file, and usually end up energizing staff and renewing their interest in work. Moving out of the office to have a bowling tournament, an overnight stay at a beach resort or similar activities are nearly fail-safe steps that would help employees de-stress themselves.

2. Build Comradarie

Corporate entertainment also gives workers an opportunity to know members of their own unit or department more, and also allows interaction with members of other units or groups that is not always possible at work. The activity also helps reveal strengths of certain employees that are not apparent in the workplace, while also exposing possible weaknesses or difficulties in others. Thus, the typically quiet type who just report to work and follows his or her routine everyday could turn out to be someone with other skills beneficial to related jobs in other areas. In the same way, someone in the office who is generally not well-liked could turn out to be someone bearing a personal or family issue who just needs an outlet for his or her emotional turmoil.

3. Providers Of Corporate Entertainment

This focus on promoting employee wellbeing has spawned the corporate event management business - corporate entertainment providers that coordinate with companies on themes preferred for what essentially are team-building activities. Such activities would include, but are not limited to: company parties, theme park visits, a concert, or even a night of food and drinks at a favorite restaurant.

4. Extend Corporate Entertainment To Suppliers And Partners

Keith Prowse, a 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry, notes that entertainment provided to clients at sports and similar events builds and strengthens business ties. Corporate entertainment also eases the exchange of ideas during negotiations or discussions, as both sides would be able to look back to enjoyable and shared experiences - enabling a relaxed atmosphere that increases the likelihood of a profitable relationship or the completion of a multimillion-dollar agreement.

5. Ideas

- Rent audio-visual equipment and AV production services
- Tap photographers and photography services
- Caterers
- Décor specialists
- Hire impersonators
- DJs, musicians
- Other performers
- Rent a limousine or luxury car
- Prizes such as mobile phones, gift certificates

6. Record The Event

The resulting videos, pictures and related multimedia content from recording such events would be ideal for corporate learning, particularly for top executives and senior managers, and serve as a storage of ideas for future use. Some of this media will undoubtedly prove useful to entice people to join your corporation.

7. Don't Go Too Overboard

Some companies are choosing more unorthodox strategies to woo new clients and maintain the interest of current ones. One firm has been enticing potential partners with driving lessons - using armored vehicles, while another offers flights using a jet fighter. One trade-off though is that such unusual approaches are generally more costly than traditional entertainment forms. Unusually extravagant spending could also expose a company to questions in the media and even regulatory scrutiny.

Despite the logical rationale and integral role it plays in business, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has come up with measures to discourage corporate entertainment. Thus, the seemingly harmless round of golf, ski vacations, a ticket to Wimbledon and cruises for clients are now being probed by the agency. The tighter scrutiny follows a string of scandals that has rocked the country’s prominent companies and raised questions related to corporate governance.

One such case involves Adelphia Communications Corp. founder John Rigas. The executive and his family allegedly used funds of the sixth-largest cable operator in the US for their personal interests, including the acquisition of luxury condominiums, golf clubs and other perks. Jurors eventually decided that Mr Rigas and Timothy Rigas were guilty, rejecting counsel for the defendants that they intended to return everything they had loaned.

Can't get the staff? Part One

Tips and techniques for finding and hiring great people for your business, even in a tight market of almost full employment. Find your way through red tape and legislation to employ the best people and get them involved in your business success.

Keywords:

recruitment, employment, small business, hiring and firing, customer service, staffing, employees, job ads, job description, employment tribunals, management

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Hiring reliable, motivated staff to add to your success is becoming harder for employers. Employment Legislation, Data Protection Laws and EU Directives have all created a web in which the average small business owner can easily feel trapped and ensnared. I have trained hundreds of managers to find their way through, and these are some of the ideas I can offer to help you.

IT'S NOT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM. In this article I will show you how you can shift the odds in your favour without spending a fortune on recruitment advertising. This is part one of a series, so look out for updates or contact me for more details.

1 – Designing and advertising the job
Most managers and business owners have been stuck at some point in our careers with the employee from hell, a difficult person who brings havoc to work with them. They take up time, they can sabotage work (and cost you money), and they can affect team morale, dragging their performance down and causing good staff to get fed up and leave.

Some bosses have classified their problem people and among the worst are:
· Moaners – if you want to give great customer service how will this person help?
· Liars – can you trust them with your property?
· Bullies – they don’t just scare the staff: customers will run a mile from them. Sometimes the boss is even scared
· Addicts - drink, drugs, gambling – take your pick. Whatever their weakness, they are Trouble with a capital T
· Lovers – they use the workplace as a free dating agency. It can be fine while romance is blossoming but when the honeymoon’s over the fallout will spill over at work, sometimes with violent results
· Hypochondriacs – never there when you need them
· Gossips – can cause backbiting in the most harmonious team. Good people will get tired of them and leave.

Do these ring any bells? Are you worried about employing the next member of staff? Well read on and you will find out what you can do……

There are lots of things you can do to improve the odds of getting an effective person to fill your next vacancy. A sound job specification is particularly important, and that’s not just HR-speak. It will help avoid complaints of discrimination and helps you select suitable people who can develop into valuable assets for the organisation rather than difficult employees. Write a short job specification – this describes the skills and experience needed to do the job well. Write this up for the job and you will have a set of requirements against which you can filter the applications and decide who to interview. You can include anything that relates to the job – for example Experience, Training, Special Knowledge, Adaptability, Disposition.

For example: you need someone to produce client contracts using Word and Excel. Sounds simple? Fine: let’s ask candidates to do that in a short test, using a simple draft as a starting point. Now we start to find out who can walk their talk. And on the subject of walking, if that’s part of the job, put it in the specification, then they can’t say they didn’t expect to be on their feet all day!

You can recruit without spending a fortune. Before you run into the arms of a recruitment agency, try and compare notes with another local employer. Has anyone found a really good, loyal agency? If so, grab them! Lots of companies use employment agencies to do the work for them, with varying results. They can charge a month’s salary for finding the employee, and once they place them with you they can be ready to tempt them away with the next vacancy – and there’s often nothing you can do about this!

So how do you find the right person? Just be practical – put a small ad in the right advertising medium: often one of the local papers. But also offer it to the local Jobcentre, and tell all your staff that the job is open. There’s no reason not to interview a friend or relative of an existing member of staff, if they meet the basic job requirements. Are there any other free outlets to advertise the job? Set a closing date and interview date(s) when you advertise. This lets the applicant know when they might be asked to an interview, and can save a lot of time in dealing with enquiries.

So you’ve designed a clear, simple job spec, you’ve told everyone that you’re looking for someone good, and now just wait for that flood of applicants to beat a path to your door.

Part Two coming soon, but if you can’t wait that long you can contact me – see my details below.

Building Positive Relationships with your Custodial Staff

The custodial and maintenance staff isn’t just around to sweep the floors, empty the wastebaskets, and clean up messes. They play an important role in the school environment.

Keywords:

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The custodial and maintenance staff isn’t just around to sweep the floors, empty the wastebaskets, and clean up messes. They play an important role in the school environment. These people are not only essential to keeping the building and grounds in top shape and presentable to the public, but also keep the various physical systems in the school in working order. These may include heating & cooling, water, plumbing, and electrical systems, and sometimes even technology. They may also put up walls, plow the snow, line the football field, repair the drinking fountains, and put together classroom furniture.

Your custodial and maintenance workers can help you in a number of ways. They certainly can keep your room and hallway in tip-top shape. Many times, custodians will pick up and collect pencils and pens from the halls, and will drop them off in your room if they know you need them.

And they will often help you out if you have requests. In many schools, their contracts and union will dictate what physical jobs can be done by school personnel other than maintenance/custodial workers. So if you’re having trouble with your room heating unit, your clock is not synchronized with those around the school, or your door is squeaky, you can usually get prompt service if they know you and know you appreciate their time and efforts. If you are well liked by the maintenance staff, your requests may often move up the priority list. And if you want those extra ‘little touches’, such as a shelf put up in your room, or document frames mounted on your walls, such favors are often the reward of your time spent building positive relationships.

Appreciation for their work can be as simple as an honest and genuine ‘thank you’. Often times, including the custodial and maintenance staff in get-togethers and school celebrations goes a long way. Some groups will purchase donuts or treats for the custodians during the year. Other groups put on dinners or cook-outs. If your students bring in any extra treats, be sure to send some down to the maintenance staff.

If you take the time to get to know these hard-working people, and build positive relationships with them, you will definitely reap the rewards. Not only will you have handy people willing to help you out when you need it, but you may even find pleasant, friendly faces in and around your school.



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For this article, and more on teaching and education, be sure to check out our website:
http://www.starteaching.com

Frank Holes, Jr. is the editor of the StarTeaching website and the bi-monthly newsletter, Features for Teachers. Check out our latest issue at:
http://www.starteaching.com/Features_for_Teachers_jan1.htm

You can contact Frank at:
editor@starteaching.com

Do You Let Your Staff Daydream?

What do you do if you catch someone at work daydreaming? If your answer is to take them to task, stop and think. That person could be the saviour of your business. Find out why in this article.

Keywords:

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How much time do you let your staff think? I mean “think” in all shapes and forms. Such as planning and reviewing, brainstorming and creativity, decision-taking and problem-solving, logical thinking and free-flow thinking.

And, yes, daydreaming, too.

Well, if it’s not up to a quarter of their time, then maybe they’re not doing enough.

There’s a rather good story told about the first Henry Ford, founder of the Ford motor company.

Ford, wanting more and more productivity from his workers, decided to hire a consultant to identify areas of improvement in one of his factories.

The consultant went round the site and returned with a list of names of people who he thought weren’t up to scratch.

Ford took one look at the list and exclaimed in horror when he saw the name at the top. “You can’t fire him!”

“Why not?” said the consultant. “Every time I observed him he was sitting doing nothing.”

“I know,” replied Ford. “But he’s the most productive guy in the plant. I pay him to think.”

For all we know, this was the guy who ensured the phenomenal survivability of the Ford empire.

The fact remains that thought has much greater power than anything else that people do. It’s much more powerful than words or actions. Thoughts inspire. Thoughts motivate. Thoughts lead. Thoughts will take your business much further than any other commodity you possess.

That’s why, when Mike Pedler and Tom Boydell carried out a study of top managers, over half of the top 10 qualities they possessed related to thinking skills, such as mental agility, creativity, learning and analytical skills.

So, if you want your team and your business to shoot ahead, give them some daily thinking time. And don’t worry if you find them daydreaming for some of it. It could be to your advantage!