Key Employee Retention Programme

These days, one of the hottest commodities in business is a skilled staff. Employee retention is key to continued success for any company, regardless of size. The following suggested points (which I learnt from one article) are good for consideration as positive inputs for your strategy to retain your key staff/team member.

Step One
Determine what motivates your individual employees. For most employees, money is not the key issue; relationships, fulfillment and recognition are.

Step Two
Notice how much recognition an employee needs. Some employees can go years without praise, whereas others will leave after six months.

Step Three
Understand that many employees are motivated by their social network at work. Encourage activities that make your employees feel like valued members of a team.

Step Four
Realize that incentives don't have to be huge. A surprise gift certificate for the local ice cream parlor in the weekly paycheck will generate positive feelings.

Step Five
Make benefits more accessible. If your company reimburses tuition for college courses, have a college administrator come to your company so employees can find out about classes and programs.

Step Six
Consider telecommuting, job sharing and other flexible working arrangements.

Step Seven
Offer profit sharing incentives to encourage longevity.

Step Eight
Create clear career paths at the company.

Puzzle of Integrity

A statement from Stanford Encyclopedia on Integrity :

Integrity is one of the most important and oft-cited of virtue terms. It is also perhaps the most puzzling. For example, while it is sometimes used virtually synonymously with ‘moral,’ we also at times distinguish acting morally from acting with integrity. Persons of integrity may in fact act immorally—though they would usually not know they are acting immorally. Thus one may acknowledge a person to have integrity even though that person may hold importantly mistaken moral views.

Just like "telling a lie". A lie is a lie..reflect your integrity and sincerity. Sometime, people says they need to lie for good reasons...do you agree ?

Yes...it is definitely wrong...and it is a sin to lie whether it is good or bad...therefore we must confess and ask for forgiveness.

One must have the courage to stand up truly, sincerely and face with whatsoever consequence...

Little children are pure, direct and sincere...and that is why Jesus says...to enter heaven, we must be like the children...pure in heart and mind...and it is easier for an elephant to grow through the needle head than a rich person to go through heaven doors..

The next time we lie (whether for good or bad)...please remember the consequences.....the crumbling down of our integrity walls....

Have blessed days ahead.

Keeping Silence

Lately I have noticed that one of my staff would normally keep his silence whenever we are having discussion and occassionaly noting heads. This can be an art of communication that one must not ignore. However, such act of silent is golden can really piss your mind off and I do not mind to admit from my own perspective. As a proactive person, I totally discourage such approach and it seems that this act could be viewed as intelligently ignorant approach to stay silent and ignorant.

When a person is asked to comment or share, it is very disrespectful when one chosen to be silent. Nevertheless, I would also try to understand from the person's view that he may be just without any ideas to say. Thus, the silence ! This is further translated to his below par performance for the past 6 months. However, I am hopeful that one could take positive approach in whatever cisrcumstances and transform the situation in order to have a fruitful two ways communication.

Teamwork

I am still struggling to finish my slides on TEAMWORK. Talking about it is easy but as you want to put in as presentation slides and share with your team members...that is where the challenges rises.

Many of us would think that teamwork is really important...but do not know where to start...always thought that the other party should be a better team player. The real fact is that we must start with our ownself and how we could be a better team member to others. Of course as we progress about teamwork...almost everyone would like to be the leader...as thinking that being the leader...you get less tasks but getting members to move around.

Is it true ? I do not think so...as being a good and dynamic leader, it is harder than expected...a lot of self sacrifice needed here. You would need to work our a good plan and then work that plan out properly. You need stay later than the rest and motivate the rest of the team member to work smarter. Of course if you have a strong team member...every task will be made easier..but then again, when having a strong team member, you must be able to manage the expectation as if not...they will change the leader..

So...one must be prepared to be a strong, dynamic, energtic and committed leader orelse you shall meet the end of the road soon..

Hai...now continuing preparing good presentation for my team members...

Dr. SMS

The local Borneo Port has cleverly summarised our Malaysian 1st astronaut as DR.SMS a short name for Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. I guess he will have the glamour of it for the rest of his life like Niel Armstrong, the first US astronaut to step foot on the moon. I believe by his return he will be graced a "Datuk" like other athletes who has scored the 1st in their field.

However, my post today is not on Dr. SMS but I would like to share about the responses of SMS (Short Messaging System) whereby we have been using it to text our messages to our loved ones, friends, colleagues and all those who have a handphone.

Many times, I have been sending a lot of SMS-es to my friends/colleagues on certain motivational or life sharing texts and each time, I have only received handfuls of reply...says 20% (for new year/festive messages, it is more at 80-90%). I must say that in sales, that is still a remarkable achievement as normally in bulk mailing sales approach, we are only expecting less that 5% responses. Nevertheless, I am curious to know why the other 80% does not respond, I list down my own reasons;

a) Take such messages for granted
b) Save money as reply need to pay charges
c) Don't like my messages
d) Don't know how to respond
e) I don't know the reason

This morning I have sent another message, 2 out of 13 responded and I observe that normally these are proactive and positive persons.

Whatever the result, I am still happy to send my SMSes to friends/family or acquataince as I believe I could probably able to motivate, light up or give new idea to them when they need most.

What do you think ? If you do not believe, you may want try it and find out yourself.

Take Care of Our Words

In my past 12 years working life (of course not counted my time in primary, secondary or tertiary school), I have learnt, unlearnt and relearn a lot on this simple subject...but still learning to master the effect of this action...I was reminded when I came to learn the following comforting message yesterday and would like to share with you as follow;

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage & anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice" @ Ephesians 4:29-31.

In our competitive job, we are always exposed to a lot of slandering, sarcastic or negative words. It takes a real good person to be able to withstand such temptation of not reacting but responding with kindness and love.

I believe in Jesus' message that repay evil with kindness/love, it will bring more kindness/love. Repay evil with evil will only increase evil. It is definitely tough to be like Jesus...as he has also gone through tremendous sufferings but with His love for us, we could withstand such obstacles and be like all His Disciples/saints/holy men/women.

Jesus also reminded us....It is not important for what goes in to the mouth of a person but what comes out from the mouth from him...thus, we must be careful on what we speak...as the tongue can be sharper than the knife...killing with no blood.

I will always remember this message and may we all be reminded to speak good and righteous...

Handphone versus Annual Leave

When you are on leave, do you still switch off your handphone ? If no, why ? Are the following the possible reasons ?

1. No other handphone or number can be used
2. Afraid customers cannot reach you...so lose business
3. Boss told you not to switch off handphone and must be 24-hours on call (but he himself switch off)
4. Cannot let go of responsibility...
5. A corporate culture that has been embedded in your mind since day one..
6. In case your girlfriend cannot reach you...

Is it wrong to switch off handphone on your leave days ? I do not think is wrong but I myself have been suffering this since the day one I have handphone back in April 1997 (Nokia 232)...

Then, how to manage expectation especially from customer and big boss... TURN into silent mode...:) then screen your calls and call back...or practice..."The number that you have dialed is out of reach at this moment, please do not call back as he will not answer your calls anymore until he is back on work" ....hehehe..try it...