Thursday, January 31, 2008
Is hiring women all that much more profitable than men ?
Company experts feel that it is so. In fact, with many successful businesses, the female-male employee ratio is as now as much 30-70, with numbers only increasing. Behavioural researches concluded that the fair sex was better in socializing and interacting effectively with people. Women were found to have more commitment in their careers, and were focused on developing and maintaining a long-term career. With this find coupled together with the 2008 expectation of attrition rates increasing dramatically, it is no wonder that companies are now hiring more female employees.One company commented that women were more 'transparent' and trustworthy and as a result established confidence in clients. Is hiring women all that much more profitable than men? Growth-oriented company experts say it is a fact that just cannot be ignored.IT companies have begun to cash in on the largely untapped female-employee benefits. They are now hiring and training many new female employees. Experts add that although there are many benefits to hiring women, no 'one size fits all'.As for corporate trends and changes, gone are the days when being a woman attempting a career was yet another hurdle to cross.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Emotional Intelligence and Life Success
Which do you think is a more accurate predictor of life success: A person's emotional intelligence or a person's IQ? If you're like most of us, you'd probably guess that IQ—a person's mental intelligence—is more important. However, you'd be surprised to learn that a person's emotional intelligence is actually more closely tied to life success. Why? While IQ determines a person's memory, reasoning ability, and fluency with language and math, emotional intelligence is linked with a person's moods, attitudes, empathy, and motivation. And these are powerful forces that can result in an individual's success in business or social settings.
The elements of IQ - IQ measures a person's intellectual ability and generally remains steady throughout a person's life. Interestingly, it contributes to only about 20 percent of the factors that determine a person's life success. Traits exhibited by a person with a high IQ include a wide intellectual capacity and range of interests, confidence and fluency in expressing thoughts and opinions, a tendency to be anxious and to worry, and a critical nature. IQ is linked with the following mental abilities:
> Verbal comprehension, which is the ability to understand and define words
> Word fluency, which is the ability to think of words rapidly
> Number facility, or the ability to do mathematical problems
> Spatial ability, the ability to visualize objects and draw them from memory
> Memory, which is the ability to memorize and recall information
> Perception, the ability to notice details and detect similarities and differences
> Reasoning, the ability to follow general rules.
The elements of emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is comprised of a broad range of abilities, including awareness of one's own emotions, the ability to regulate moods, the recognition of emotions in others, the ability to motivate oneself in the face of frustration, the ability to control impulses and delay gratification, and the ability to empathize. Emotional intelligence contributes to about 80 percent of the factors that predict life success. Individuals with high emotional intelligence are poised, outgoing, and cheerful. They have empathy for others, express their feelings directly but appropriately, and have a capacity for developing relationships. Therefore, emotional intelligence is a more accurate predictor of life success than IQ is. Fortunately, emotional intelligence is a skill that can be developed more readily than pure intellectual abilities. To be more successful in your job and in your personal life, strive to be aware of your emotional intelligence and to improve the emotional aspects of your life.
The elements of IQ - IQ measures a person's intellectual ability and generally remains steady throughout a person's life. Interestingly, it contributes to only about 20 percent of the factors that determine a person's life success. Traits exhibited by a person with a high IQ include a wide intellectual capacity and range of interests, confidence and fluency in expressing thoughts and opinions, a tendency to be anxious and to worry, and a critical nature. IQ is linked with the following mental abilities:
> Verbal comprehension, which is the ability to understand and define words
> Word fluency, which is the ability to think of words rapidly
> Number facility, or the ability to do mathematical problems
> Spatial ability, the ability to visualize objects and draw them from memory
> Memory, which is the ability to memorize and recall information
> Perception, the ability to notice details and detect similarities and differences
> Reasoning, the ability to follow general rules.
The elements of emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is comprised of a broad range of abilities, including awareness of one's own emotions, the ability to regulate moods, the recognition of emotions in others, the ability to motivate oneself in the face of frustration, the ability to control impulses and delay gratification, and the ability to empathize. Emotional intelligence contributes to about 80 percent of the factors that predict life success. Individuals with high emotional intelligence are poised, outgoing, and cheerful. They have empathy for others, express their feelings directly but appropriately, and have a capacity for developing relationships. Therefore, emotional intelligence is a more accurate predictor of life success than IQ is. Fortunately, emotional intelligence is a skill that can be developed more readily than pure intellectual abilities. To be more successful in your job and in your personal life, strive to be aware of your emotional intelligence and to improve the emotional aspects of your life.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Working with Managers to Improve Retention
Companies don't cause employees to leave—people in companies cause employees to leave. Employees often leave companies because of conflicts with people, usually people in authority.
Employees are more likely to stay with a company when they enjoy their co-workers, feel respected, and know they're valued by their managers—in other words, when they feel connected to the people in their company.
Managers can improve retention by applying strategies for developing strong connections with employees. As a human resources professional, you can work with your managers to help improve employee retention. Specifically, you can help managers build and maintain employee connections in the following ways.
1. Encourage managers to ask employees for honest feedback.
The first way managers can build and maintain employee connections is to ask employees for honest feedback about work situations. Managers need to find out if their employees are happy with the company and with their jobs. They should take the time to ask pointed questions and listen to the answers. This may require some prodding on the part of the manager. Employees aren't likely to be forthcoming with criticism or negative feedback at first. Managers should be patient but persistent. Eventually, employees will feel comfortable confiding in their manager if their manager works to build relationships with them.
2. Encourage managers to be straightforward and honest with employees.
Another strategy managers can use to build and maintain employee connections is to be straightforward and honest with employees when communicating company information. Managers should keep staff members informed about what's going on in the company and should tell employees good and bad news in a sincere and straightforward way. Otherwise, employees may hear rumors and jump to their own conclusions.
Have you ever had a manager who didn't keep you informed about company business decisions? Did you find out about decisions that affected you from your co-workers, or worse, from an outside source? How did that make you feel about your manager? Managers can build trust with employees by keeping them informed. Employees are loyal to their managers when they feel connected to their managers. Managers earn respect when they communicate information in an open and honest way.
3. Encourage managers to align work assignments with employee interests and skills.
The third strategy managers can use to build and maintain employee connections is to align work assignments with employee interests and skills. When managers get to know their employees' interests, strengths, and weaknesses, they are better able to assign work in such a way that employees will be engaged and successful. In addition, they should try to give employees options that coincide with the company's demands and the employees' interests.
Managers can help retain valuable employees by developing strong connections with their employees. Are managers in your company trained well to do that? If not, work with them to help them apply the strategies for developing strong connections with employees, which in turn can help your company's retention efforts.
Employees are more likely to stay with a company when they enjoy their co-workers, feel respected, and know they're valued by their managers—in other words, when they feel connected to the people in their company.
Managers can improve retention by applying strategies for developing strong connections with employees. As a human resources professional, you can work with your managers to help improve employee retention. Specifically, you can help managers build and maintain employee connections in the following ways.
1. Encourage managers to ask employees for honest feedback.
The first way managers can build and maintain employee connections is to ask employees for honest feedback about work situations. Managers need to find out if their employees are happy with the company and with their jobs. They should take the time to ask pointed questions and listen to the answers. This may require some prodding on the part of the manager. Employees aren't likely to be forthcoming with criticism or negative feedback at first. Managers should be patient but persistent. Eventually, employees will feel comfortable confiding in their manager if their manager works to build relationships with them.
2. Encourage managers to be straightforward and honest with employees.
Another strategy managers can use to build and maintain employee connections is to be straightforward and honest with employees when communicating company information. Managers should keep staff members informed about what's going on in the company and should tell employees good and bad news in a sincere and straightforward way. Otherwise, employees may hear rumors and jump to their own conclusions.
Have you ever had a manager who didn't keep you informed about company business decisions? Did you find out about decisions that affected you from your co-workers, or worse, from an outside source? How did that make you feel about your manager? Managers can build trust with employees by keeping them informed. Employees are loyal to their managers when they feel connected to their managers. Managers earn respect when they communicate information in an open and honest way.
3. Encourage managers to align work assignments with employee interests and skills.
The third strategy managers can use to build and maintain employee connections is to align work assignments with employee interests and skills. When managers get to know their employees' interests, strengths, and weaknesses, they are better able to assign work in such a way that employees will be engaged and successful. In addition, they should try to give employees options that coincide with the company's demands and the employees' interests.
Managers can help retain valuable employees by developing strong connections with their employees. Are managers in your company trained well to do that? If not, work with them to help them apply the strategies for developing strong connections with employees, which in turn can help your company's retention efforts.
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