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Can You Train Leaders? Or Are They 'Born'?

We often think of leadership as an inherent trait, something you either have or you don’t. The phrase “born leader” comes to mind. At the same time organizations, from businesses to political entities to sports teams, are often lacking in leadership.

Should You Cross-Train? Here Are the Benefits

Cross-training is a technique employed by some organizations in which an employee spends some time doing—or at least trains to do—work in a different business function. For example, a marketing employee might spend some time working in the operations group. A finance employee might spend time with the sales unit. The same process can be […]

Pros and Cons of Prerecorded Training

Regardless of the industry or the employee, training is a key component of employee growth. And yet, training is something so many companies struggle with. It’s rarely the case that the most experienced and knowledgeable employees are the employees with the most time to spend giving live training sessions to employees. You need them doing […]

Have You Considered Hiring an Ex-Convict?

Many employers are realizing that it’s probably inappropriate and even counter-productive to have a blanket ban on hiring anyone who has ever been convicted of a crime. After all, many crimes have nothing to do with someone’s ability to perform the job at hand. And by default, having a blanket policy will exclude anyone who […]

Tech Worker Shortage Not Confined to United States

Recruiting Daily Advisor recently reported on tech hiring in the United States, citing a survey that finds companies nationwide except to increase staff during the first half of 2018, creating increased competition for tech talent. In Europe, employers are also confronting tech talent challenges.

morale

Tips for Empowering Employees

Ensuring that your employees feel empowered can help them not only to be able to successfully handle everyday quandaries that arise, but also to feel they’re more trusted and valued in the workplace.

Encouraging Informational Interviews

Career coaches often recommend that job seekers set up informational interviews, in order to explore career paths and employment opportunities. Although typically initiated by job seekers, informational interviews have advantages for employers as well.

mentoring

How HR Can Impact Business Outcomes 100% of the Time

The industry focus on engagement as a cure-all for organizational woes continues to be misguided. Instead, human resource (HR) departments need to focus on employee experiences. Bold? Yes. Backed by data? Absolutely. Two recent studies (2016 and 2017) found that the top drivers of 30+ organizations’ outcomes were management, job fit, and senior leadership—with management […]