Upgrade your status in work place

Upgrade your status in work place
Improving Workplace Habits: Developing good workplace habits bring positive results

You can improve your status in the workplace by mastering a few positive habits and improving workplace habits. According to Andrea Nierenberg, corporate training consultant, just a few modifications in your work habits and developing good work habits can bring better self-esteem, a more efficient workday, and maybe even a pay raise.

Here are some suggested workplace resolutions for improving workplace habits:

* Respond to everyone in a timely manner. Return all phone calls and e-mails within 24 hours. This applies to clients, co-workers, boss, etc.
* Say “thank you.” Be specific as you express sincere appreciation. Do something extra to let others know you value their assistance. Gratitude fosters workplace harmony.
* Improve your communication skills. Listen well when you’re spoken to. Repeat or paraphrase what was said. Let others know that they and their concerns are important to you.
* Appreciate uniqueness. Learn to enjoy the different personalities in your workplace. Take time to talk and deal with people in their own “language.” If someone prefers communicating by e-mail, send your message online. If another requires a paper memo, write it.
* Create and follow agendas. Meetings with agendas keep everyone on the “same page,” and meeting time to a minimum. Avoid the human tendency to deviate to irrelevant topics.

Don’t get discouraged as you take on some or all of these resolutions. Studies have shown that behavior becomes habit only after an average of 30 days of practice.

Focus on one modification at a time. Master it, and then add another. As you work towards improving workplace habits, even if the desired pay raise is slow in coming, you will find more joy and more opportunity in your current employment.

Source: Jaine Carter and James D. Carter, “Upgrade your position in workplace,” The Washington Times, HR News Wire.

Use Caution in Hiring and Firing: Avoid discrimination lawsuits

Use Caution in Hiring and Firing: Avoid discrimination lawsuits

Avoid discrimination lawsuits

One of the advantages of outsourcing to a Professional Employment Organization PEO or Administrative Service Organization ASO such as AmCheck, is the fact that your PEO/ASO’s Human Resource Department can help you decipher some of the legal technicalities that exist as a result of Federal Legislation regarding discrimination. This is part of the reason many PEOs may be involved in the process of hiring and firing at the worksite--it is one of many methods we use to protect you from risk of discrimination lawsuits.

Legal changes in recent years have made it more and more difficult to avoid legal tangles with prospective, existing, and former employees. Consider, for example the caution you must exercise with regard to employee relations as a result of sexual harassment litigation. What about the way you treat your older employees as a result of The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) to avoid age discrimination lawsuit, or the way you accommodate disabled employees because of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)?

In addition to these federal laws, there may be local or state laws with which an employer must comply. Each of these laws must also be taken into consideration when promoting, demoting, or transferring employees to other departments.

Always consult with our HR Department before taking employment action. The HR Fact Finder recommends that you protect your company from costly legal battles by avoiding impulsive hiring, termination, transfers, promotions, etc. A company whose decisions in these areas are carefully considered should be able to avoid most legal tangles involved in discrimination lawsuits.

A Case In Point:
A recent “Corporate Downsizing” in a large firm resulted in the decision to transfer 5 women (including one female manager with over 12 years of tenure) to another department and offer them reduced compensation. The female manager was to be replaced by a male with less experience. All five of the women hired attorneys, because in spite of the fact that this was probably a well-intentioned attempt to make the department more efficient, the move looked like it may have been prompted by an act of discrimination. This article brought to you by AmCheck. Visit us at www.amcheck.com.

Source: HR Fact Finder- This article excerpted from an article formerly entitled, “Human Resources: Some Cautions about Hiring and Firing”.