The title of this article comes from a conversation with a senior-level HR professional who demonstrated a level of awareness that many employers seem to lack about their onboarding process. We were talking about their need to upgrade their onboarding, and she was describing her concerns about the effects of a poorly executed process. While... [full article »]

While talking about customer service on a radio program, I shared a customer service nightmare story last week that also happens to be a perfect analogy for the mistake so many employers make. More specifically, the way the business allocated resources to advertising vs. customer service mirrored the costly mistake employers make when it comes... [full article »]

Do you have Gen Y, or Millennial, employees who, in your opinion, think they are more proficient than they are or think they should advance faster than you believe is realistic? If so, join the club. This is one of the biggest frustrations I hear from managers. While it may be frustrating, how you handle... [full article »]

Someone asked me a question out of nowhere yesterday — in a restroom of all places — that took me aback. It got me thinking about a very different — and more important — question you need to ask if you’re a manager. “I Beg Your Pardon?” As I approached the hotel restroom sink to... [full article »]

“Most partnerships don’t end up in court. Most friendships don’t end in a fight. Most customers don’t leave in a huff. Instead, when one party feels underappreciated, or perhaps taken advantage of, she stops showing up as often. Stops investing. Begins to move on. No, I’m not going to sue you. Yes, I’ll probably put... [full article »]

“Your website and application process is the absolute worst I’ve ever encountered. Hopefully your company is not as disorganized as this site makes you appear.” “…I was completely disappointed in the lack of professionalism and consideration. If this is how potential new employees are treated I can only surmise that existing employees are treated poorly,... [full article »]

Wouldn’t it be great to have access to an off-the-shelf, easy-to-execute morale-boosting program, one that includes two “employee engagement killer apps”? Given how challenging—and important—it is these days to keep employee morale high, wouldn’t it be great to have this morale boosting program, and not pay a fortune for it? Well you can. It’s called: [full article »]

Yesterday, I read one of those “10 Tips for…” type of articles on how to manage the Millennial or Gen Y employee. They included recommendations such as: Provide leadership and guidance. Listen to the Millennial employee. Provide challenge and change. Provide structure (i.e. clear expectations, goals, assessment of progress, etc). One of the website’s readers... [full article »]

In my last article on onboarding, titled “Your Onboarding Program Needs A Pair Of Fresh Eyes,” I shared a rather humbling personal experience. In the article, I described the mistake I made that was analogous to the one many employers make in their employee orientation and onboarding processes: They forget to examine their orientation and... [full article »]

Do you know the impact your onboarding program has on your new employees, moment-of-truth by moment-of-truth? Do you know what it’s like to experience your company as an employee on the first day of work? The first week? What about the week prior to that first day? [full article »]

At the recent onboarding conference I spoke at in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to listen to some great examples of companies that get concepts such as “It’s About the Experience” and “What’s The Emotional Take Away?” At the conference, Diana Oreck, vice president of Ritz-Carlton’s Global Learning & Leadership Center, shared how their employee... [full article »]

  Employer branding is quite the rage these days. Yet, I’m still amazed at what many people think it means to “create” an employer brand. Let me give you an analogy for what I see as a common and very misguided approach to employer branding. Engaging in this mistake doesn’t just hamstring your ability to... [full article »]

If you’re serious about upgrading your new-hire orientation program and onboarding process as a whole, here are 13 questions you need to ask. Ask them of yourself, your HR department, your management team, your frontline supervisors, and most important, your new employees. [full article »]

If you want a successful onboarding process, one that quickly engages new employees and helps them succeed — rather than leaving them with “new hire’s remorse” — there’s a mantra you must remember. More importantly, you need everyone on your management team to remember this mantra. It comes from a lesson that branding guru Scott... [full article »]

An investment in effective onboarding is an investment in employee retention, morale, and productivity. Research at Corning Glass Works revealed that employees who attended a structured orientation program were 69% more likely to remain with the company after three years than those who did not go through such a program. Another study conducted at Texas... [full article »]

Imagine the following scenario: You go to an all-inclusive resort where you’re treated to mediocre service, meals, and accommodations. When you check out, the desk clerks pushes a package across the counter in your direction. On the way to the airport, you open it to find two items and a note from the property manager... [full article »]

In Part 1 of this series, we examined the ill-conceived and irrational hope that you can improve employee morale with just a program. Whether “program” means a half-day seminar on morale, a company picnic, or a process for handing out goodies like t-shirts and mugs with your company logo on them, such approaches are not... [full article »]

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is, “How can we improve morale?” Whether it’s because employees are heading for the exits at an alarming rate or because employee relations issues are becoming increasingly problematic, the question usually arises because someone in senior management asks HR to see what it can do to improve... [full article »]

In Part 3 of this article series on building a magnetic employer brand, we explored how to: Analyze your default brand for strengths and weaknesses [full article »]

In the first part of this article series, we explored five essential components of effective employer branding: Putting together a team that understands, influences, and experiences all facets of employer branding and your employer brand [full article »]