People Management

The topic of constructive feedback is widely discussed, but in practice, it’s rarely done right — if at all. It’s not surprising that negative feedback is often avoided. After all, throughout our lives we’ve been taught that if we have nothing nice to say, not to say it at all. Giving feedback challenges this idea […]

Empowering your employees to perform at their best is a key aspect of your role as a manager. It ensures that the company, with the collective effort of its employees, achieves its short-term and long-term goals. However, employee management is not as straightforward as it sounds. To be an effective leader, you’ll need to develop […]

In a recent report, Jim Clifton, Chairman and CEO of Gallup said, “The single best activity for any team leader to deliver is not employee satisfaction, but rather employee development.” The same report also found that for employees to be engaged at work, four needs must be met: Basic needs: “I have everything I need […]

The problem for small business owners isn’t finding talent — it’s finding the right type of talent. No matter which type of worker you choose, be sure not to misclassify them. The repercussions can be costly.

Collecting employee feedback is crucial for the growth of any organization as employees are the biggest asset of every organization. Knowing that their feedback is taken into serious consideration makes employees feel valued. On the flip side, receiving constructive feedback also helps decrease employee turnover rates. Here are 4 useful methods for gathering employee feedback. […]

As more businesses realize the importance of learning and development (L&D) for staying relevant in today’s competitive environment, small businesses are faced with a unique challenge. While larger enterprises have little restraint when it comes to investing in employee training, smaller businesses are tied by bootstrap budgets and infrastructure-related challenges if they want to deploy […]

Savvy business owners know it costs 5x – 6x the amount to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. This rings true for hiring and employee retention as well. A report by the Center of American Progress found the average cost to replace an employee varies from 16% up to 213% depending on […]

You’re faced with a challenging task. It feels like climbing Mount Everest, blindfolded. Meet Ashley — she’s an employee at B Players Inc., a classic case of underperformance. She’s neither reaching her goals nor getting the job done. Let’s be honest, with her poor performance she’s a time suck for you as a manager and […]

Transparency in the workplace is both a mantra and a model. While it’s true that transparency has become a bit of a buzzword, when actually put into practice it can have a real impact on your business’s bottom line. Namely better communication, ideation, engagement, and loyalty. We’re talking about real transparency here – not just […]

If you’re a growing small business, chances are you’ll have to hire an employee at some point. No matter what job they’ll be hired for, as an employer, you have to be prepared with a game plan to find and secure the best talent in the most efficient way. After all, hiring can be more […]

“Empowering” employees sounds like a phony recruitment tactic. How is a business supposed to make employees feel inspired? It doesn’t seem very realistic. But at its core, employee empowerment is simply the practice of giving employees the autonomy to make decisions on matters related to their work. The concept stems from the notion that when authority and […]

Nobody’s perfect. Especially where small businesses are concerned, even the best managers make mistakes. Today, we’re going to talk about the blunders that are made more often than any other — and how you can avoid making them yourself. You take a lot of pride in your management position. As you should — leadership isn’t […]

Your employees are stressed. And it has nothing to do with the work you’re giving them or the office politics or whose cubicle is 2 inches bigger than anyone else’s. Well, okay, that last one may be causing some additional stress… But the truth is financial stress is on the rise, and there’s no way […]

As a small business owner, you may not have an HR department. That’s not a problem, per se… But it does mean you occasionally need to wear the HR manager hat — among the many others you already wear. With that in mind, let’s review the basics of human resource management — simplified so even […]

Creating a culture of learning is stressed as important at the start of childhood development, but continued education is also vital to professionals — especially on a personal level. A culture of learning provides a rich and dynamic environment that affects employee happiness and productivity — how they innovate, create and why. When employees feel […]