Month: March 2017

How Healthier Employees Are More Productive and Efficient

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_25All employers want employees who are as productive and efficient as possible. Often, achieving those goals boils down to helping those employees obtain or maintain great health.

Regular Exercise Leads to Higher Job Performance

It is no secret that exercise is an important part of overall health and wellness. Employees who exercise regularly are doing their health a serious favor, and they are also likely to enjoy higher job performances overall. Employees who exercise for at least 30 minutes, three times a week, were 15 percent more likely to see an increase in job performance [1].

Happy Employees Can be 20 Percent More Productive

It is hard to be upbeat and happy if you’re struggling with your health. Conversely, healthy employees are far more likely to be happy. Why does happiness matter to employers concerned about their financial bottom line? Happiness can translate to increased productivity. Michal Addady, reporting for Fortune, wrote that through happiness, “Productivity increased by an average of 12 percent and reached as high as 20 percent above the control group. [2]”

Unhealthy Employees Absent More Often

In the United States, employees take an average of eight sick days off per year [3]. However, that number is often higher for those with chronic health conditions. It is natural to see why unhealthy employees are absent more often. Conversely, employees who are in good health take fewer sick days, naturally increasing their overall productivity.

Clearly, healthier employees are more productive as well as more efficient. Businesses that increase resources for the mental and physical health of employees may see a significant reward with increased employee output.

[1] http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3699-healthy-eating-worker-productivity.html

[2] http://fortune.com/2015/10/29/happy-productivity-work/

[3] https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/pubs/docs/presentation_508.pdf

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Conducting Team Interviews

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_04When you are interviewing qualified applicants for a position in your organization, more than one manager or human resources specialist may need to converse with the applicant. Team interviews provide an opportunity to involve everyone in your organization who wishes to participate in the interviewing process. Before you get everyone seated at the table, consider these advantages and disadvantages of conducting team interviews.

Advantage: Creates a Teamwork Atmosphere

If you want to show that a teamwork atmosphere is important in your organization, a team interview allows you to highlight this. Each person on your interview panel will be able to show how his or her department functions with the others. This will allow you to gauge how well the candidate will fit into your corporate culture. Another benefit with panel interviews, says Meisenhelter, is that by participating in the interview process, team members gain a vested interest in the hiring process and in seeing that new employees succeed [1].

Advantage: Allows for Natural, Honest Responses

During a team interview, you will be able to ask more unusual and varied questions than in a traditional interview setting. Some candidates find the situation a bit stressful, which allows you to see how they respond to stressful situations. According to the Gainesville Business Report, this may lead to a more natural and honest response from the candidate [2]. When faced with a panel of interviewers, candidates will be able to offer less-prepared answers. These answers will give you an accurate picture of the candidate’s qualifications, skills, and demeanor.

Disadvantage: Takes More Coordination and Time

The managers and human resources staff will need to coordinate their questions. Even so, if each person on the panel has two questions to ask the candidate, the interviewing process could take a few hours for a single applicant. If your organization plans to interview 10 or more people, this could consume a considerable amount of your valuable time.

Disadvantage: May Overwhelm Some Candidates

Introverted candidates may feel overwhelmed during a team interview. Candidates who work well in one-on-one situations may clam up when faced with a group of people firing off questions their way. A naturally shy but highly skilled and qualified candidate may not perform or showcase his or her skills as well during a team interview when compared to an individual or paired interview.

[1] http://hiring.monster.com/hr/hr-best-practices/recruiting-hiring-advice/interviewing-candidates/panel-interviews.aspx
[2] http://gainesvillebizreport.com/pros-and-cons-of-doing-group-interviews/

The Pros and Cons of Promoting from Within for Management Positions

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_03When your organization has a management position to fill, you may not have to look far to find the ideal candidate for the job. Promoting from within is an affordable solution and can also save time and resources. “By offering promotional roles to internal candidates, employers foster a sense of loyalty, engagement and long-term satisfaction by allowing growth from within [1].” While there are many great reasons to promote from within for managerial vacancies, there are also some disadvantages. Keep these pros and cons in mind if you are thinking of promoting from within your organization:

Pro: Seamless Transitions
Transitions can be a challenge when you’re bringing a person into a job. The time spent bringing an outside person up to speed about your corporate culture, policies, and day-to-day operations is considerable. A current employee is already familiar with what is required for success in your organization and understands the company’s goals, mission, and vision.

Pro: Proven Fit and Loyalty
An employee who has been in your organization long enough to be considered for promotion is proven to be loyal. The fact that the employee wants to stay rather than taking his or her skills elsewhere is a testament to the quality of the work environment. The employee is also known to be a good fit for your company and will likely have many strong working relationships within your organization and with your business partners and clients.

Con: Negative Emotions of Other Workers
When former coworkers see the employee moving up the ladder, these coworkers may feel jealous. Some may even become hostile and actively make the situation difficult. If more than one employee applied for the position, the candidates who did not get the job may feel disillusioned and unwilling to work with the person who was promoted. If the promoted employee will be managing his or her former coworkers, relationships could become tense and difficult.

Con: Same Skill Set
When retaining the same employee, your organization is not gaining any new skills, knowledge, or experience. If the management position requires a skill that your otherwise highly qualified employee is only moderately competent at, you could be missing out on an outside person who is well-developed in that particular area of expertise. As The Society for Human Resource Management explains, bringing in skilled external workers to meet the demands of a strategy shift or difficult corporate turnaround can be especially beneficial [2].

[1] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/recruitinginternallyandexternally.aspx

[2] http://www.careerprofiles.com/blog/hiring-innovative-talent/internal-vs-external-recruiting-knowing-when-to-search-for-outside-talent/