How to stop excessive employee private cell phone use at work…..

Thanks to smart phone technology, it seems like everyone is “plugged in” to 24/7 web access, texting, and e-mail; not to mention phone conversations. In some cases, people have become so addicted to their phones that they’re texting constantly, even while driving, having dinner with their families or using the bathroom!

Clearly these devices can become a major distraction at work, causing major problems with productivity, especially if you want your staff to be focused on getting critical projects completed accurately and on time. But mandating a “no cell phone” policy may be too harsh. So where’s the balance? Here are a few tips:

1. Implement a personal cell phone usage policy in writing. Taking a personal call from the daycare about a sick child may be acceptable, but spending 3 hours plus organizing a wedding is not. This should include certain etiquette rules, such as turning the ringer off during meetings or speaking softly to avoid disrupting others. If possible, get your employees involved in creating the policy; explain why you are doing it and that you want to make it fair and reasonable. Usually there are only a small percentage of employees who truly abuse the system, so you’ll find most employees will be on board with the policy and happy to provide input.
2. Post this policy throughout the office as a reminder.
3. Review this policy with each employee and have them sign it.
4. Provide some flexibility for those in unusual circumstances, such as an employee with a sick child or with a recent death in the family.
5. Enforce the policy so everyone knows you are serious about it. One of the best ways for management to do this is by walking around. Since personal cell phones are not connected to the company’s network, you really won’t know if anyone is violating the policy unless you physically walk around to check on them from time to time.
6. Lead by example! Don’t expect your employees to stay off their cell phones if you are constantly texting and talking on yours.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Time to freshen up your web site……..?

When's the last time you read your own website? No, seriously -- the last time you looked at every page, clicked every link and read every word on it.

If it's been a while, it's probably time to refresh both your site's content and its look. Here is a seven-step program for giving your site a tune-up 

1.  Simplify. Do you have three sidebars crammed with different widgets? Look at each page of your site and ask yourself what one action you'd like visitors to take -- sign up on your email list? Pick up the phone and call you? Whatever it is, make that the only action to take on that page. Too many choices cause confusion and make prospects leave.
 

2.    Fix the problems. As websites get updated, things tend to get hinky in the design. One page uses a different color or font. Another has different margins or a different template. Links get broken. The next thing you know, the whole site looks chaotic or sloppy. Take the time to check each page, smooth out the bumps and make sure information is accurate and links are working.
 

3.    Get a makeover. If your site hasn't gotten a new look in several years, it's probably starting to look dated, Rusenko notes. Customers become bored and feel nothing new is happening at your company. Consider a redesign that reflects your company's current direction and attitude.

 

4.    Add news and stories. Want some free media coverage? Start putting out press releases and posting them on your site. When reporters visit, they'll scan those and get the sense that your business has a lot going on. Each of those releases might spark media interest on their own, too. For extra credit, post a specific media contact name, so reporters know just who to call.
 

5.    Refresh the About page. Your About page is usually the second-most visited page of any site, which means it's an important page that needs to put a friendly 'face' on the company. Rewrite it to include fresh company news -- awards won, new products introduced, offices opened or new team members who've joined.
 

6.    Blog -- or don't. If your business website has a blog that hasn't been updated in three months or more, it's time for a serious talk. Blogs can drive new prospects to your site, but a dusty, dated blog doesn't send a good message. Make a decision to either kick that blog back into gear -- posting at least once a week -- or get rid of it.
 

7.    Don't be mysterious. You wouldn't believe how many business websites I've scanned where the phone number, address, contact names, product prices and hours of operation are either hard to find or missing altogether. Check your site to see if your vital info can be easily found. Get those contacts in bigger fonts, up higher, and visible on every page of your site, not hidden under a 'contact' tab.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Human Resources: Long-Term Employee Retention Key to Business Success..........

Occasionally, we have the opportunity to have a prospective customer visit our manufacturing plant in Toronto. As we escort each visitor through our plant, the clean, organized facility with late-model automated equipment speaks for itself. Therefore, our focus of conversation always turns to our people. One stop we always make is at the photographs hanging on the wall of the hallway that leads into our manufacturing plant. We take great pride in sharing photographs and conversation about our 40 employees with more than 20 years of service to our company. This leads me to our secret of success for printers and manufacturers—do everything you can to retain and hold in high regard your long-term employees. This isn’t really a secret at all, because every general manager or plant manager at one time or another has been keenly aware of the value of knowledge available in their long-term employees. Today’s business world tends to make it easy for us to forget.

The following four benefits of retaining employees should be in the back of managers’ minds at all times.

1. Long-term employees have a strong knowledge base. As a custom manufacturer, employee longevity plays an important role in our products getting produced accurately and of the highest quality possible. Being an industry leader requires a structure of knowledge and directive that builds over time. Long-term employees have a wealth of knowledge in manufacturing techniques, materials and production procedures. When a manager strives to retain and put this valuable knowledge to use in their daily operations, productivity naturally increases. Success becomes routine and easily becomes part of day-to-day business.

2. Long-term employees pass down their skills to new employees, and operations run more smoothly. When problems arise, long-term employees most likely have seen those same problems in the past and know exactly how to overcome them quickly without slowing down production. In turn, waste, errors and spoilage is kept to a manageable level. Veteran employees skills are invaluable in a manufacturing environments, especially when they can use their knowledge gained over the years to benefit new employees who may still be green to the ways of the business.

3. Long-term employees create better productivity. Knowing the ropes, and showing them to co-workers, makes long-term employees invaluable in the production process. Long-term employees know that, for example, an order e-mailed to the production people is taken care of faster than one that is faxed. Years of experience in the company have shown them shortcuts that lessen the time it takes to get a myriad of things done. In addition, long-term employees have a better knowledge of how to reduce waste in the production process, and therefore increase productivity.

4. Long-term employees add stability to the workforce and build confidence and morale. An employee who has been with a company for a number of years shows newer employees that the company has a good working environment. If it didn’t, surely he or she would have found employment elsewhere. Confidence in one’s job not only provides an employee with a feeling of stability, but often times means they work harder for a company they know they will be with for the long haul. Happy long-term employees show co-workers that a job can turn into a career, and employees often have more of a vested interest in the company’s success.

What are you doing to ensure that your new employees turn into long-term employees? What kind of working environment are you creating for them? How can you build confidence with all employees, both new and seasoned? Addressing questions such as these with the goal of keeping employees as long as possible is one of the easiest ways to increase productivity, grow your business and raise confidence with your customers.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net