Jan
3
LSC – Wrong to close?
Filed Under Management Training, Staff Training | Leave a Comment
In 2001, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) was formed as a non-departmental public body to be responsible for the funding and planning of adult (post 16) education in England. In March last year (2008), it was announced that it was to be closed.
However, since there has been much research and calls from businesses leaders [...]
Dec
30
The Christmas De-Motivators
Filed Under Management Training | Leave a Comment
It’s a funny time of year for businesses when it comes to handling their staff festivities. Everyone knows in theory that morale boosting and motivation are important in getting the best out of their employees; it’s a topic that comes up regularly on many management training courses.
However, most companies still totally get it wrong and [...]
Dec
27
Modern day management gurus don’t come much bigger than Stephen R Covey, who has an MBA from Harvard University. He is a best selling author of management must have books including ‘First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership’ and ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’, the latter having sold several million copies worldwide and was on [...]
Dec
26
Don’t Bother Having Meetings
Filed Under Employee Workshops, General, Management Training | Leave a Comment
It seems to some that much of management’s time is spent in meetings. Meeting for this and that seems to be a popular management activity. Organisations tend to perceive management meetings as vital for everyone to get together and talk. But how much productivity occurs during and as a result of these meetings? Some regard [...]
Dec
25
Rewarding your Employees
Filed Under Employee Workshops, General, Management Training | Leave a Comment
Employee motivation is a hot topic on many management training courses today. The skills and attributes that have led individuals to climb up the corporate ladder, are not necessarily the same skills and attributes needed to get the best out of their teams.
Some managers are afraid of actually rewarding their subordinates, rather than just not [...]
Dec
24
We live in an informational and technological age. Teenagers are growing up texting, instant messaging and VOIP chatting with their siblings in the next room. We don’t go to book shops anymore, we shop at Amazon, and even that’s getting old hat. If it’s not blogged or Facebook’ed, nobody knows what’s going on in the [...]
Dec
23
Sure, everyone’s had their good and bad experiences when it comes to meetings; some have been transformational, good/bad/indifferent or just downright boring. Thousand of people hours are spent every year in conference rooms and offices when colleagues sit down together and chew the fat. Yes, they can be inefficient, yes they can be time consuming, [...]
Dec
22
Work / Life Balance
Filed Under Employee Workshops, Management Training | Leave a Comment
Any successful manager, entrepreneur or business person works hard. Workers in Great Britain put in an average of 1652 hours per year, compared to 1309 hours in The Netherlands, but less than the average of 1777 hours by workers in the United States (Source: OECD).
And it’s no wonder these figures are growing; as the thirst [...]
Dec
22
Healthy Values for a Work / Life Balance
Filed Under Employee Workshops, Management Training | Leave a Comment
Working long hours and spending little time outside of the office might be good for the company in the short term, but in the long term can have disastrous effects on stress levels, general health, relationships and ultimately productivity.
That’s why managers and employees alike should consider it an essential part of their personal development to [...]
Dec
21
Some businesses feel that they need to squeeze every drop of productivity out of their employees to survive and remain competitive – particularly in this current economic climate. However, all too often, peak productivity is confused with time spent on the job. Though it is rarely openly expressed, employees are almost expected to put in [...]