Management Blog

Testing times for new staff?

Pre-employment medical testing is a useful risk management tool where a job involves certain physical or mental activities, Smart Manager argues.

It's claimed medical testing can reduce the possibility of legal, insurance and OH&S issues by assessing whether potential staff members are capable of the tasks ahead of them.

However, all testing must relate to physical and metal attributes that relate to the job candidate's role. In addition, testing can only evaluate at an individual's current abilities.

According to the story, companies should "forget about crystal ball-gazing and making assumptions about a candidate's propensity to perform in the future".

One in three AWA workers unhappy

A new survey has found one in every three workers on Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) don't trust their employers, AAP reports.

The Monash University study also suggests around a quarter of lower paid workers on AWAs felt their bosses stood in the way of meeting family commitments.

Researchers note that while most Australians are positive about their working lives, there is a deep dissatisfaction amongst lower paid AWA workers.

As a result, it's claimed these people are unlikely to be completely committed to their jobs or particularly loyal to their employer.

Is the Kindle the next iPod?

Online retailer Amazon has released the Kindle – a digital reader that aims to challenge the dominance of the humble book, The Times reports.

The Kindle is around the size of a paperback and looks like 'a clunky old electronic calculator', according to the article.

Selling for US$399, the Kindle connects users to over 90,000 books and 11 daily newspapers; getting your hands on a best seller will cost around US$9.99 with classics selling for US$1.99.

In addition, the Kindle gives users the ability to access Wikipedia and hundreds of blogs. And if you're after an auditory experience, the device will play MP3s.

Lawyers embrace webcasting

A growing number of law firms are embracing new media by providing clients with webcasts of staff testimonials, briefings and law related news, smartcompany reports.

British firm Allen & Overy currently has around 200 webcasts on its site; locally, Australian legal eagles Gadens and Clayton Utz have put a toe in the water with a combined total of 12 webcasts.

While Gadens and Clayton Utz both use in-house staff to present their webcasts, Brisbane's Carter Newell Lawyers are reported to have recruited a newsreader to present scripts written by lawyers.

Prepare yourself for giving criticism

Criticising an employee after they make a mistake is never an easy process, but it can be a less confronting experience if the manager involved takes a strategic approach.

To guide you through the process Career Journal offers the following tips:

1. Self examine – before criticising think about your own state of mind; if you're annoyed by the mistake cool down first
2. One on one – offer criticism in private to reduce any emotional fallout
3. Ask questions – look beyond the effect of the problem and consider the cause
4. Don't get personal – criticise the behaviour not the individual and close the conversation with positive statement
5. Big picture – stay focused on the end result of your criticism not the immediate reaction

Disabled workers overlooked

Hiring people with disabilities could alleviate skills shortages, however employers are avoiding these workers because of ingrained prejudices, a recent Career One article argues.

According to the Disability Discrimination Commission people with disabilities are underemployed because employers often jump to negative assumptions about what they can and cannot do.

But rather than being a workplace liability, research shows disabled employees are less likely to be injured at work and prone to stay with a company for longer.

December 3 is International Day of Disabled Persons. The theme for 2007 is 'decent work for persons with disabilities'.

Do good... sleep well

Having trouble nodding off at night? Being able to answer 'yes' to five questions about your personal ethics could help you achieve a better night's sleep, the BusinessWeek ethics blog suggests.

The theory is that patting yourself on the back each night for acting with integrity is the key to a peaceful night's slumber. The five questions are:

1. Did I avoid causing harm?
2. Did I make things better?
3. Did I respect others?
4. Was I fair?
5. Was I compassionate?

More is more for SME websites

What sort of information should a small business put on their website? Everything that doesn't get you into trouble, advises allbusiness.com's Smart Marketing blog.

The post argues that the less you put in the web, the less you'll be in a position to attract new customers and keep existing ones by providing the information they need embrace your product.

This information must, of course, be relevant and written specifically for the web. So it pays to think about all the possible content options a customer might want and how best to provide it.

If you're not sure whether to put particular information your site, ask staff and customers for their opinions. And don't forget to follow the golden rule of successful sites: update often.

Bring in the clowns

Humour has the potential to enhance productivity, reduce conflict and facilitate meaningful change… no joke, according to academic and Funny Business author John Morreall.

Speaking to Fast Company Morreall says humour is a particularly important workplace ingredient when it comes to innovation.

He suggests always including a joker in brainstorming sessions as funny people tend to come up with preposterous ideas that often stimulate others to imagine workable new ideas.

Morreall contends humour can also be used to create positive workplaces: "Humour is the opposite of fight-or-flight emotions – especially fear and anger. I can't be laughing with you and angry or afraid at you at the same time."

Family businesses do better

New research suggests publicly listed family-run businesses perform better than companies under the control of a hired executive team, the ABC reports.

The RMIT University study indicates family businesses outperform non-family enterprises in the areas of market capitalisation, return on assets and compound returns.

Long-term management direction, strong connections between management and shareholder interests, and a focus on core activities are identified as reasons behind family company success.

Harvey Norman founder Gerry Harvey concurs with the study's findings. Pointing out that the average stay of a hired CEO is usually between three and five years, Harvey says his business has prospered because of his family's long term view.