blog

Home » blog » Page 3
Promote employee engagement with HR titles that align with the job description. Highlight the positive outcomes of the role.

5 New HR Titles that Promote Employee Engagement

Looks like they’ve done it again. Often the first to innovate, the technology sector has taken up the task of rebranding HR by giving it trendier titles. Here are our top five picks for names that we’ve seen some of the leading tech firms use to improve employee engagement and what they are really saying. 1.     Person: Andrea Weber at IBM Title: Chief Happiness Officer Translation: “I’m your advocate.” While at some workplaces they are esteemed, HR people are commonly seen as [...]

blog
Read more...

How Google Makes Their Employee Surveys Fun (and how you can too).

Surveys give workers a say in what happens to them, often they are viewed as burdensome homework assignments from HR. Google has found a way to transform their internal employee surveys from a mundane task into something that motivates employees, increase self-awareness, and inspires positive action. Their method can be utilized by companies around the globe – here is how. Google and Employee Surveys Big Data and Artificial Intelligence play a key part in Google’s “gDNA” initiative, the organization’s self-study of [...]

blog
Read more...

After the Election: The American Workforce – Are we Still a Team?

As the American President-elect was announced in the early morning hours, many predictions followed. Few are exploring the impact on the workplace. The line between work and life, blurring for the past 20 years, allow for the strong emotions we feel at home to impact who we are at work. Like many workplaces around the world, we have a diverse workforce at Retensa, including American and International colleagues who exist across the political spectrum. Our assumptions about the next [...]

blog
Read more...

If aliens are 1480 light years away, their employees are very happy

In case you have not heard, there is a star behaving oddly in a nearby chunk of our milky way. Let’s call it an “odd star,” since it’s known by twelve people as KIC 8462852, and may or may not be a “god star,” or one with highly intelligent life around it. The intelligent life debate and details of the situation are well covered by the Royal Astronomical Society, or reviewed by Time Magazine, and are not the focus in this [...]

blog
Read more...

Work-Life Balance: The Bottom Line

Today’s work force is riding a tidal wave of work-life trends as concepts like “mindfulness” and “nap rooms” become main stream. Many companies are redefining parental leave (for Dad’s, adopters, or non-birth parents), and volunteer days become the norm. The pattern here is making room for what happens in life, but 3 questions linger:

blog
Read more...
The cost of replacing your top talent exceeds the cost of retention. Read for insights for what to do when your top talent leaves.

What to Do When Your Star Salesperson Quits

A company’s sales force is the most difficult to replace.  Most devastating is when your salesperson leaves you for the competition. Your best employee will quit.  Maybe not this week, or next month, but someday he or she will leave.  The impact on your customers and staff and the financial cost of turnover are substantial. Studies show that employee turnover can cost a company up to 200% of annual employee compensation1. The cost of replacement has exceeded the cost of [...]

blog
Read more...
How to fire someone for poor performance? Consider these employee questions before terminating the poor performer.

Five Questions to Ask Before Terminating a Poor Performer

Its 2 AM, you are up, you cannot sleep.  Your mind is swirling with thoughts of your company’s performance and that one person who is not carrying his weight. What should you do? Begin by taking time to reflect on the following – Is there still value in this work relationship?  Five questions to consider when formulating the answer: Do I think this person can improve their performance?  If not… do I have a quantifiable and objective reason for terminating them?  Unless [...]

blog
Read more...
Consider other methods for employee motivation instead of employee promotions to promote growth in the organization.

Fact or Fiction: Star Employees Want Promotions

A common concern among prospective employees is whether there are opportunities to grow within a company. A company’s star employees are not necessarily those who try to climb the corporate ladder.  Those who focus on their existing responsibilities, proving themselves as assets, are most likely the employees a company cannot afford to lose. Organizations that reward primarily through promotion may spur unhealthy competition between co-workers, and one-track mindedness.  Instead of competing over resources to get ahead, employers should encourage [...]

blog
Read more...

How to Make an Offer They Can’t Refuse

“Candidates are not just looking for extrinsic rewards… They are also looking for intrinsic rewards.  They want to enjoy what they do and feel good about it when they tell others.” – Chason Hecht, President, Retensa In September 2006, New York Enterprise Report published an excerpt from this article.  The full version of that article is provided here. “Thanks, but no thanks.” Maybe the candidate did not reject your offer so blatantly, but even the most polite rejection may make you wonder, “What happened?” Good [...]

blog
Read more...