Why, in my opinion, human relationships are important in business? Because they are the key for success: an organization that takes in consideration not only technical and conceptual skills, but also interpersonal skills, since the moment of recruitment and selection, will count with productive collaborators.

These kinds of organizations usually don’t face interpersonal conflicts, and their attendance index is high. In addition they also record fewer accidents at work and their turnover is lower. These organizations have a great commitment to maintaining high quality standards and high productivity, just because of the fact of having a highly motivated team.

It is obvious that in order to count with good human relationships within organizations, it is critical to identify and select candidates with excellent interpersonal skills. But also companies must acknowledge the value of their personnel and strive to treat them fairly and with equity. They should provide their employees with a good working environment, fair compensation, recognition, open communication, empowerment, and opportunities for training and development.  All this will allow both sides to achieve their objectives and goals.

For sure, good human relations help companies to increase efficiency and to achieve their goals with greater determination. They also make it easier to adjust to existing changes of the business world.

Are there good relations in your organization?

Have you been in similar situations before?

You have lots of things to do at work for the next day, at the same time you have meetings and conference calls that don’t allow you to sit in your desk and progress with all the work that you have over. These circumstances make you think that you might have to stay an extra hour trying to get everything done. Of course, your family is waiting for you at home. Suddenly a co-worker come in to your office and tells you: “Please can you help me with this report? I can’t stay longer finishing it because I need to go and buy a gift for my son’s birthday.”

Are you the kind of person who answers “Oh well, I’ll do it”, and then stay another extra hour doing your friend’s job even though you are irritated about it? , or, are you the kind of person who knows how and when to say “no”?

In this kind of situations, don’t say yes if you want to say no. Be always respectful, and clearly explain your reasons for saying “no”. There are many ways to say “no” in a polite way. For example, in this case mentioned at the beginning of the article, you can say “Oh I am so sorry, but I am very busy and I can’t help you today. My boss needs three reports for tomorrow and he needs them with urgency”. I am pretty sure your co-worker will understand.

I can comprehend that it’s hard saying no, especially if you are the kind of person who likes to help others. But unfortunately some times you have to say “no, I can’t”. Not because you don’t want to help others, but because you can’t do something for others when you have other important responsibilities that are priority.

 There are ways of saying no with out being offensive. Believe me, If you are diplomatic, if you learn how to negotiate and to explain your reasons, it is possible to say “I am sorry but I can’t this time” with out creating a drama.

 Some basic principles for successful change management are:

 Start from the top: Leaders are the ones who must  take the new approaches in the company. Furthermore, leaders have to convey assurance to their team even in times of stress. They must also motivate,, train and align all employees with the new vision of the company.

 Develop a consistent message: It is important to develop and communicate clear guidelines describing the vision of the company. It is also important to communicate to all employees the need for the change, where the organization is going with such change, what to expect and the benefits that changes will bring.

 Generate commitment:  When organizations are changing it is required much more than a passive agreement. A commitment from leaders is required to make change happen and that employees get involved in the process.

Communicate the message: In times of change, leaders most communicate the right information, to the right employees at the right moment. In addition, the communication method must provide the opportunity for feedbacks and  sharing new ideas. A two-way communication must be allowed to take place.

Analyze the culture of the organization: It is important to know which are the main values, opinions, perceptions and behaviours to consider in order to achieve success through change.

Define the organizational culture: It is important to consider that change programs involve: the creation of a new culture, a combination of cultures and / or reinforcement of the existing culture.

Talk with employees: Talking with employees about change is important because change is not only for the company, but also for those who work in it. Employees need to know how their responsibilities and tasks will evolve and what their managers are expecting from them. In addition, it is important to mention that leaders always must be honest and clear with their staff.

Don’t you think that if you apply these principles in your change process you will be successful? What other ideas you suggest  to adequately manage change? Let me know.

Lots of companies are currently having a week of breathing exercises and meditation, which is used by employees every day to restore calm. In fact, some organizations offer free Yoga sessions to provide physical and mental benefits that refresh and rejuvenate their personell.

Also, to diminish stress among employees, organizations are offering them the opportunity to work from home one or two days a week, as well as  providing them with a space where they can relax during the day.

Furthermore, companies are making employees resistant to stress. The best way to achieve this is to clearly communicate what goals are expected from them and provide feedback for improvement. In this way, they will work better and with less stress. When leaders communicate with their team, they will diminish anxiety, and promote better performance.

Are you feeling with stress at work? Is your organization taking any action to make you feel better?

I’ll love to hear your comments.

There are several ways that a company can evaluate the performance of their employees. The way how they measure it depends on the type of organization, but the most common style of evaluation is 360 degree feedback.

As the time of performance evaluation gets closer it is not uncommon to hear employees making comments such as “Oh no! I have to evaluate my co-workers and my boss!” or “I am nervous”, “I am not sure if I reached all my objectives”.  Is this your case? Today I’ll share a few personal thoughts about why you shouldn’t be afraid of either evaluating others or being evaluated.

There is no reason why to be afraid of being honest when you are evaluating others, especially your managers. The results of this kind of feedback are truly confidential. In this way, opinions will be less biased and the results of the feedback will be more positive for all employees and, furthermore, for the company. 

Do not feel nervous about being part of a “360 degrees” or being evaluated by others, because, at the end of the day you will win. With the results a 360 evaluation your manager, in conjunction with the Human Resources Department, will be able to build up an individual plan tailored to develop and improve your professional career.

In my opinion it is essential that employees understand the importance and benefits of a 360 evaluation. They must understand that feedback coming from their managers, co-workers and even from people they supervise is a great tool to easily identify their strengths and weaknesses. They will soon realize how such results will help improving their performance. Understanding what a 360 evaluation is all about will increase their motivation to participate.

I hope that after reading this short article you will be more comfortable the next time you have to be part of a performance evaluation at your job.

Let me know what do you think about these retention techniques!

I find this event very relevant as social media is being used increasingly by Human Resources practitioners to recruit personnel. The event is being held tomorrow (Nov, 17 2009) at the Intercontinental Hotel. 220 Bloor St. West (West of University) from 5:00pm to 8:00pm.

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.thrpa.com/

I’ll love to hear your comments. Enjoy it!

Currently Human Resources departments of many companies are using LinkedIn as an important recruiting tool. In my opinion, being part of this professional network will bring benefits to your career, especially if you are trying to find a job during these tough times of crisis.

Bellow I will share the most important points of an article by Dustin Brewer, called  Top 10 reasons you should be using LinkedIn which shows some of the benefits of joining the Network:

-          LinkedIn can provide you with business and / or jobs opportunities 

-          LinkedIn allows you to keep in touch with leaders of your field

-          You can be in touch with other professionals

-          Other professionals and companies can find your profile

-          LinkedIn can be use as a tool to provide professional references required for job applications

-          LinkedIn can be used as an on-line forum-like tool to post questions about your field and share information of a topic of interest with other professionals

-          You can use your profile of LinkedIn as your online CV

-          At the end of the day, having a complete profile in LinkedIn is like having your own professional website

-          You can include a profile picture to make your face recognizable to others in case they forgot your name

What do you think about LinkedIn? Are you in it? Let me know!

 If you are not in LinkedIn yet, I invite you to join this amazing social network and to enjoy all its professional advantages:

http://www.linkedin.com/

Tip #1 Make a commitment with your self and don’t break it! Set a goal and commit to accomplish it as soon as possible. If you want to be more disciplined you must start by strengthening your willpower. Usually when we are forced to engage in something we get the maximum benefit.

Tip # 2 Start with tasks that have immediate results. It is difficult to engage yourself in a huge task when you think in the amount of work that you have to face to accomplish it. In my opinion disciplining yourself to take action is like exercising: you should start where you’re comfortable and go from there.  Stay motivated and become progressively more productive by accomplishing tasks that can immediately benefit you.

It takes determination and perseverance to make self-discipline an integral part of your regular life. After a while, you’ll become stronger, and insuperable tasks will become routine.

Don’t forget to take conscious actions, and believe me, soon you will spend more time tackling bigger challenges and getting the rewards of greater success.