Bring employee to work on Saturday and Sunday

Alison's Contribution:

First I'd like to clarify, Does the new week-end port arrival increase your traffic or is it just shifting traffic from week-days to the week-end? If it is simply a shift of arrival dates rather than increasing traffic, you'll need to readjust M-F staffing levels.

Have you considered advertising for new positions? Perhaps people looking for a 2nd job would consider it.
Is there anyway of getting documentation from vessels arriving over the week-end ahead of time - eg faxed on Thursday, Friday morning?

Obviously, you'd want experienced management to deal with special situations which arose over the week-end - perhaps putting them "on call" on an as needed basis.

The challenge to move from a 5 day work week to a 7 day schedule may seem a big leap. My suggestions are to ask for volunteers first. Perhaps some recognition - shift leadership, etc could be offered.

In the current economic climate, I'm sure you could find staff who would jump at the chance of keeping their job if they felt their hours were under threat. So, take a look at the total staffing requirements and determine how best to fill it.

In one client I was at a few years ago, their overnight requirement was simply to fax the arriving documentation to a clearing service overseas - something which easily trainable and could be done by a part time employee without upsetting the work force.

Hope this helps,

Alison
posted 5 days ago
x

I have an employee who wants to stay working for me, but she's moving... What advice do you have for me about how to manage this.

Alison's Contribution:

I've worked on project spanning the globe, so I know a little bit about this area.

My main concern would be to maximise the effectiveness of her time interacting with internal staff and your suppliers.

As an owner, you will need to keep her abreast of your vision for the company, priorities, challenges and decision making. Obviously, she'll be updating you on projects, decisions required, etc.

She'll then need to rally the troops - which can present challenges if her position is not respected. However, managing virtual meetings effectively remotely can be learned. It's a bit more difficult if you can't see the whites of their eyes, so I'd invest in video conferencing facilities - I believe they are much more effective than a simple phone call or webex presentation because the present the holistic personal touch.

As long as you trust her, then I don't see any issues which cannot be overcome with the right attitude and perseverance.

When a company has been merged with one of its competitors, what techniques work best for gathering technical knowledge? I want to align the content e

Alison's Contribution:

I agree with Kathleen that setting up a wiki is the way to go with this one.

By all means set up a structure for obtaining the same categories of information so that users will get used to using it like a dictionary/thesaurus/encyclopedia.

Branding it as a new identity could be used to engender participation if credit is given to thought leaders, distillers and disseminators of information. The objective is to build a collegiate culture, so reward those types of behaviours... even if it's only a mention in a weekly round up of what's new in each section.

Hope this helps.... I faced a similar situation many years ago when I joined a firm which had just merged... I was fascinating to obverse and navigate through through the mind sets, approaches and operating preferences of people who had been on board before the merger.

All the best,

Alison
posted 8 days ago

Natural Language Processing or Online Data Classification - Findin People

Alison's Contribution:

One recommendation is to search the internet. Here are some strings I prepared earlier.. LOL Use Google - then it's the hard slog of trawling through them.

~"natural language processing" ~inurl:cv|resume -inurl:job
~ContextWeb inurl:cv|resume

Then of course, you could mine LinkedIn - again use Google

~ContextWeb site:linkedin.com -inurl/dir/

Hope this helps. If you have trouble, come back to me.

All the best,

Alison
posted 9 days ago

I have an employee whose attitude has taken a significant turn to the negative

Alison's Contribution:

I'd take the direct approach. Simply state the fact that you have observed a change in his performance. You'd like to understand what is causing it. Let him state his reason. Use open questions. Listen, playback, clarify.

"Anything else affecting your performance?" or simply "Anything else?", "What else?" is a useful question to ask. Sometimes its only after you ask the question 5 times that you get to the heart of the issue.

Summarise your understanding along the say. So, I hear that you are x and y because a and c.

"What can we do about it?" - operative word WE - not me not you.

Tell him you need to see an improvement in performance. Be specific - keep it objective. Make it quantifiable so you can measure it.

Notice the effort being made - 4 parts praise to 1 part constructive criticism is the recommended daily allowance for developing staff (operative word Constructive).

Make it clear what you can and can't provide - eg at this time, there is no pay raise on offer; you are keeping a note of the individuals who make a real contribution and intend to reward them when the market picks up. - but only if that is the case - and make sure you record the evidence.

Hope this helps.

All the best,

Alison
posted 9 days ago

Sharing employed resources

Alison's Contribution:


I don't know enough about this area to provide a professional opinion. As a layman, I think do so would need to involve a few things including:

1. A rewrite of all the employee contracts - eg a change in their terms of service, location, etc
2. Professional insurances - including public liability and indemnity as well as individual death in service provisions
3. Equipment - mobiles, laptops, networking (security), cars
4. Expenses - additional processes for chargeable expenses
5. Management - additional processes for managing client engagements, marketing, business development, etc

I'm sure there is a lot more...

Hope this gives you some food for thought.

All the best,

Alison
posted 9 days ago

How do you inspire others (employees, coworkers, clients, etc.) to stay positive and focused?

Alison's Contribution:

As Cleve says, set the example...

Humour & Inspirational Quotes - if possible, combined - here's today's one:

Everyone is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes. Edgard Varese (1883 - 1965)

Praise - 4 parts praise to 1 part constructive criticism - and I mean Constructive!

All the best,

Alison
posted 9 days ago

Who would you recommend for a qualitatitve research agency in UK and also US?

Alison's Contribution:

I recommend Kelley Hurst, an independent who can get this done for you.

She has years of experience and is dedicated to doing the best job possible.

I should add that I'm slightly biased as Kelley is my cousin. That should not deter her from being considered.

Good luck with it
Alison K Murray also suggests this expert on this topic:
Kelley Hurst
Clarification added 9 days ago:
Lisa, I should have written - that you not deter you from considering her... at the time I was slightly distracted...

LOL.

All the best,

Alison
posted 9 days ago

How can I find a 3d Studio Max or Maya designer / freelancer ?

Alison's Contribution:

Craig's List, Facebook marketplace

Search on the internet - http://internetresearchtechniques.blogspot.com/ for techniques.

Let me know if you need help find

Where are all the "so called" affordable, unemployed talent that I've been hearing about all over the news?

Alison's Contribution:

I suspect you're going to have to look a bit harder to find someone looking for work. Try the following or a variant Google string to find people who have their cv online - doesn't necessarily mean their looking, but they might very well know someone.

~"software engineer" + "Los Angeles" -inurl:job inurl:cv | resume

you could also try

unemployed + "los angeles" + "software engineer" site:linkedin.com -inurl:/dir/ | /companies/

Hope this helps.... and if you need any further help, I have a bit of time on my hand whilst I secure my next PMO contract... LOL

All the best,

Alison K Murray
posted 6 days agox

What are the three best ways to motivate Dull , Lazy and Uninspired Sales resources ?

Alison's Contribution:

Dull, Lazy, Uninspired.... problem - how to motivate!

This could be my son on any school day - and I know from experience it is difficult to see the wood for the trees. Here are some of my thoughts - hope they are useful.

Dull, uninspired - what is making them dull? why are they uninspired? - Can you build a sense of camaraderie around a take off of a current event, tv programme (Who wants to be a millionaire)? Is there something you can change in the incentive programme? What can you bring to inspire them?

Lazy? What does lazy mean? Are they not showing up for working hours? Not making quotas of calls? Not cultivating client relationships? Not closing deals? If it is a question of boundaries - set your expectations and put in a system to monitor the QUANTATIVE expectations (for my son it could be how many times did he show up for school on time this week)... If it is a matter of skills/technique improvement - gear up to use this unique opportunity to build the skills - and give praise to reinforce. May want to do some of the skills training in a one to one - eg listening in on calls, role playing, etc.

I've heard that the right proportion is 4 parts praise to 1 part constructive criticism - emphasis on constructive please. No buts (yes, I mean no buts - just eliminate it from your vocabulary), no back handed compliments. Just praise - even if it's "that's better" or "good try, have another go."

The other thing which might be of some use is scripting - and I mean the exact words in the exact order which they can use to control a conversation. This might feel like you're being asked to tell someone how to crack eggs to make an omelette - to which I would respond, how messy do you want your kitchen to be when the omelette is done? Seriously, you will probably find that that there are ways of eliciting interests from clients which will create the urgency to do the deal today - read any of the NLP sales books - I know a few which I can dig out for you.

I sincerely hope this is of some help to you. If you'd like to stay in touch, just let me know.

Alison
posted 24 days ago

What are innovative practices for Call Center agent hiring & retention?

Alison's Contribution:

Have you thought about distributed call centres - ulitmately for those who can do this work from home. It strikes me that with the technology we have today that companies can use all the "in the office together" with "connecting remote users" techniques to come up with radical solutions. I believe that the place to start is to ensure that you have a compelling business case to redesign the processes so that you can take advantage of the huge wealth of talent who would otherwise not be able to work at your call centres.

Hope this is food for thought for you.

Alison Murray
posted October 21, 2007

Women in leadership roles - what activities or outlets do you utilise as a release from the pressures of your role?

Alison's Contribution:

Great Question!

TM, Yoga and Bridge/Super Sudokus are my solutions. TM helps me get the extra "rest" I need to focus and recharge. Yoga builds strength and flexibility. Bridge/Sudokus give me a mental break - I like puzzles.

Other women I know have different solutions ranging from community participation, church involvement, Pilates, etc. For others, a session at a health/hair/nail salon seems to do them a world of good.

As Regina has mentioned, the shift in balance is something you need to recognise. I think many women forget to make time for themselves and suffer from a lack of identity separate from the "me at work" / "me as a mother/wife".

Hope this helps.

Alison Murray
posted July 29, 2007

What can be done to improve the number of women in Technology sector?

Alison's Contribution:

This is a complex and challenging area and I deal with "diversity" issues for companies seeking to redress the balance. Some of the technologists I've spoken with have said they are the only female in the entire department or the only female on their floor.

I don't think I have all the answers, but I think it starts at a very early age. For instance, girls in the west are not rewarded for doing well at Maths and Science - they are probably more rewarded for having a "cool" outfit or doing their hair nicely in terms of the compliments they get. Having had to search for top female talent, I know that education wise, even doing an MBA, that the numbers are far lower - in my class there were 15/65 females.

The next area is more difficult - as I've written elsewhere, good technologists do one of two things (in general) - 1) If they want to stay as a developer or engineer, they tend to contract - why? simple maths, they can take the contracts when they can, earn twice to four times as much money for the same job. OR 2) get promoted out of their technical expertise - brains and the ability to organise get turned into team leading and project management skills for male and females alike. The result is that after 5 years or so, many of the technical skills are falling by the way side.

Having set the scene, back to the question: What can be done to improve the number of women in the Technology sector? First instill in every child that they are a creative genius who can build anything they want. Secondly in primary, secondary education ensure that the teaching mechanisms allow everyone the opportunity to learn (eg NLP in the class room with a wide mix of theoretical and practical work which builds confidence and self-esteem). Third, create the competitions for all female teams to design the gadgets of the future - after all it's the women who think the mobile phone is an essential gadget which they could not do without (far more than the men). Once young females get the notion that gadgets can keep/build relationships there's no telling where their application centred desires will take them.

University and beyond: ensure that technologists are not viewed as the lowest level team member on projects or "the last to know" about changes in project design and priorities. Create "career" management paths to ensure that skills are kept up to date. Ensure that as life changes - eg having kids - is not seen as a detriment to producing good work - after all, with technology advances anyone should be able to work at home and be in communication with the office.

I'm afraid I've added nothing new to the pot, though I hope the perspective is one which when added to others will help move everyone forward.

Alison Murray
posted July 11, 2007

How real is the shortage of talented software engineers, build / release engineer, UI designers?

Alison's Contribution:

There have certainly been many good responses. I'm currently one of those "middle-men" trying to match the talent with the career opportunities at clients. I have a slightly different perspective based on a few years of project experience as well.

1. Career Developers are very bright people and many have noticed that they can double or treble their income by working on contract on projects.
2. Young developers quickly noticed or are encouraged to take on other project responsibilities so that their development skills become less than 50% of the time they spend on the job.

Combine this with the fact that many companies want 2 years commercial experience (by which time, young developers are looking to move away from development to earn more money) and you'll always have a skill shortage.

From my perspective, it is more than the skills which make the match though - and the match making is not easy.

What do I do with my troubled genius?

Alison's Contribution:

I don't know if this will help you, but Rob Goffee from London Business School just did a seminar on Leading Clever People. Although tangental to your problem, it might give you some ideas. I believe the Power Point presentation of the talk is available from the www.london.edu site.

How can a HR manager prevent an employee from leaving another firm ?

Alison's Contribution:

Could you clarify please. I read this as you want the employee to stay with their other employer and not join your firm. If this is the case, then there's not a lot you can do. 

If it's a case of not having them leave your firm, money is not the usual motivating factor - many have already been offered. Here are some others I didn't spot: Lack of a challenge, better career prospects / training programming, better working environment/telecommuting, etc. Again, not a lot you can do if their mind is made up. 

My plan: Stack the odds on my side. Graciously accept the resignation, wish them well and let them know they are always welcome back if it turns out to be a wrong move or it becomes the right time to return. (Stats show that more than half of those that stay for the pay rise leave withing 18 months AND that more than 10% quit/are fired in the first week.) 

I am trying to get a staff volunteer benefit started. Does your company offer employee time off to volunteer, or do you do staff group volunteer proje

Alison's contribution:

I don't know the Armerican equivalet, but you might like to find inspiration from Business in the Community which has been running for 25 years... KPMG was one of the early adopters with the Head Teacher Mentoring Programme

What to do when a star employee tries to quit?

Alison's contribution:

I believe there's a piece of research on the web which shows that even when an employee decides to stay, over half leave within a year.

2009 Addendum:

The best you can do is to wish them well and look to work with them again in the future.

How can we grow our hourly staff quickly to match volume growth?

Alison's contribution:

Interesting challenge - You've had some good suggestions so far. Need to have more information about critical skill shortages to make any more valuable contributions. Here are some general ones: 

A. Attracting candidates: 
1. Make it easy for part timers/seasonal workers/2nd jobbers to get on board - Moms/Dads with kids in school, University students who want to work around classes. Reward them for coming back the following year (as well as the bring a friend idea)! If you want parents with young children, you might see about linking up with child care providers. Likewise with 2nd jobbers (eg holding a second job in addition to a full-time job). 

2. Start earlier - and aim to retain. Where possible, "pre-hire"/interview/ hire over the late summer and if possible, include the new recruits in the process of hiring the next batch of seasonal workers. 

3. Ask those that don't come on board (at least those you wanted) what stopped them from joining... there may be something you could fix easily which would make it a more attractive employer. 

I don't know about your compensation, benefits or "perks" but you might try asking what your seasonal workers would value. For instance, a New Tax Year's bonus if they stay with you until 15th April. 

B: How to ramp up 100+ hourly employees in a week: 

I think you are going to need a "boot camp"/"kick start" approach - literally and hour by hour schedule to induct, train and retain the best talent you can find. To me, it's like ramping up a large project... 

1. Prepare 
Get existing employees to download their knowledge (that valuable how things get done) in your slack periods, and make the information available to new recruits - whether it is a set of laminated "how tos" a company hand book, an on-line wiki help system, etc. 

Ask your existing seasonal workers what would have made their early days more productive, what would get them to come back next year, etc.. 

Follow the "teach a man to fish" approach with practical work/team work. Interspere with Belbin, team working techniques and fun/recognition. Happy to suggest some games privately.... 

Use NLP techniques to make the information most rememberable to all participants (eg reinforce in different language sets). Test knowledge to ensure that learning is actually happening. Ensure there is a fair amount of fun involved. 

2. Practice 

Run through the programme with existing seasonal workers and ask them to critique it, improve it. Offer them the job to help train the next batch if appropriate. 

3. Execute 

You've mentioned one week 100 workers on boarded and trained. I just want to check the numbers and timing - is it really 100 one off or more like 50 plus 50 plus 25 (allowing for ones who quit/don't work out). 

If it really is 100 in a week, I suggest you have four groups of 25 and arrange some friendly competition....