Business Solutions Blog

Workplace Mental Health

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

arly next year Canada will be the first country in the world to release a national set of best practices regarding workplace mental health. Damages awarded for workplace mental health injury have increased 700% in the past 5 years and workplace losses cost employers an estimated $20 billion/year. Although adhering to the new standards will be voluntary, this is a huge incentive for employers to pay attention to the mental health needs of their employees.

Click here to read more about the new psychological health and safety standard for Canadian workplaces.

-Rhonda Thiessen

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Early next year Canada will be the first country in the world to release a national set of best practices regarding workplace mental health. Damages awarded for workplace mental health injury have increased 700% in the past 5 years and workplace losses cost employers an estimated $20 billion/year. Although adhering to the new standards will be voluntary, this is a huge incentive for employers to pay attention to the mental health needs of their employees.
Click here to read more about the new psychological health and safety standard for Canadian workplaces.
-Rhonda Thiessen
Celebrex
Seroquel
Path:

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Employee Engagement: Presentation

Friday, June 17th, 2011

To succeed in today’s competitive environment you need to fully engage your people. There are 3 proven necessities to engage: AUTONOMY (the ability to have some control over what we do) MASTERY (the need to get

better) and PURPOSE (the need to know we are contributing to a “greater good”).

I recently presented an educational forum for our clients on these principles including practical approaches on how to implement programs to address Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose.

If you would like to have a copy of this presentation please let me know.

-John Ferris online pharmacy viagra

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Benefits of a Business Plan

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

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t=”225″ />You wouldn’t set out on a road trip without a map, similarly, conducting business without a formalized plan would seem out of the question. Many organizations, however, operate with either a business plan that collects dust or operate without a formalized business plan completely. The following outlines the benefits to a properly developed and thorough business plan for your organization.

Develop a Road Map
A thorough business plan will set the direction to reach your business goals as well as how the goals will be achieved. In many organizations the road map is assumed and not formalized or documented. This may suffice with straightforward operations – just as you wouldn’t write out the turns on your tomorrow morning commute – however running your business is rarely as uneventful as your commute, and often requires a more formal map to proceed effectively.

Demonstrate to Lenders, Suppliers, Investors and Others
A properly developed business plan is not only an asset to your organization in the form of a road map, but also a tool to attract potential business partners. Many loan and grant offerings and even patent applications require, outright if not implied, a thoroughly developed business plan. Once developed, an effectively implemented business plan can also demonstrate solidity to both suppliers and customers, communicating your plan for success.

A Framework for Action
A thorough and clear business plan can communicate responsibilities to everyone involved in the functioning of your business, outlining how their actions contribute to the overall goals of the organization. The clear communication of responsibilities can assist in motivation, prioritizing and performance to achieve the outlined goals.

Evaluate and Anticipate
Although hindsight is usually 20:20, foresight doesn’t have to be a 50/50 gamble. A thorough business plan will assist you in evaluating potential options and alternatives, allowing you to not only position yourself for success but also recognize and prevent possible future setbacks by planning for them in advance. A business plan can also allow you to identify the make or break issues for your organization and assess your risks.

Does your organization have a formalized business plan or strategy, or do you operate without one? Leave your comments below:

Assessing the Right Fit: Applicant Testing

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

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ight=”300″ />Pre-employment testing can allow organizations to evaluate an applicant’s abilities prior to the actual hire, rather than realizing inadequacies after the employee has begun work. This can avoid costly early turnover, can ensure that the available talent applying for the position is brought on board, and can also evaluate the fit of the applicant within your organization. Pre-employment testing can be done legally, provided that the tests are both valid to the job being filled as well as not being used to discriminate against applicants. The aspect of applicant testing is an extremely useful utility, with multiple variations and testing types to fit the specific position and organization, as explored below:

Aptitude Tests

The first thought that may come to mind when thinking of ‘aptitude’ is an IQ test. While this is a commonly used form of aptitude test, it may not be the most applicable for the position to be filled. Aptitude tests typically indicate how quickly an applicant could be expected to perform to a satisfactory level, measuring thought process and cognitive ability for a variety of aspects. Aptitude tests can also take a hands-on approach, giving the applicant a job-related puzzle of sorts to perform, typically used for very technical and skilled positions.

Core Competencies and Skills Testing

Likely the most common type of pre-employment testing are tests involving the demonstration of skills and abilities the candidate will require to perform their job once hired. Directly related to the requirements of the position, these tests can take on a variety of forms including multiple choice, physical demonstration and even role-playing scenarios. Such tests could take the form of testing knowledge of circuitry for an electrician position, testing typing speed for an administrative job, or even problem solving and customer relations ability for a customer service position. AT&T has a highly developed skills testing system, even publishing study guides for tests that may be given when you are applying for each different position.

Behavioural Assessments

Behavioural Assessments for applicants can indicate the valuable asset of organizational fit and indicators of the potential employee’s performance once hired. Most behavioural tests rely on the applicant rating themselves on a variety of statements and characteristics, and have developed systems to detect fake responses. Behavioural Assessments can indicate if an applicant will mesh well with the organizational culture, an integral aspect to a successful hire. They are a strong indication of how an employee may perform under pressure, as well as outline the best way to manage the employee once hired.

Tips for Applicant Testing:

Test Within – profile a leader within your organization and run the applicant testing on them. Not only does this allow you to develop a standard for measurement, it allows you to better determine a fit for your organization based on the results from current employees.

Ensure Fit – ensure that the testing you perform will attain results that will indicate abilities for the job in question as well as necessary core competencies for your organization. The testing process must fit your organization specifically.

Remain Objective – throughout the applicant testing process, it is critical that you remain objective in your testing and analysis to ensure you are able to properly assess each candidate

While applicant testing may be viewed as a costly and intimidating process, there are alternatives to develop systems that both fit your organization as well as your budget, delivering useful results and input to the selection process. The inclusion of applicant testing is an important aspect of any solid selection and reference process.

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