Welcome to PeopleTactics!
The small business owner's resource
for effective HR practices:
04/01/17 By Jennifer Brown
The employee handbook is a staple for any organization. It is the roadmap for your organization – identifying the unique aspects of your company while at the same time laying out important policies that specify employee conduct, guide management decisions and mitigate risk. The handbook is the “go-to document” for how to respond to employee… Read more »
03/18/17 By Jennifer Brown
Leadership continues to be a key focus of today’s management. Who are our leaders of tomorrow? How do we make sure they are ready to lead? Waiting to move a high-potential employee into a leadership role when “the time is right” may not be the best strategy. The traditional way of assessing each person’s potential… Read more »
03/04/17 By Jennifer Brown
In 1913, Henry Ford rolled out the first assembly line for mass production of automobiles. Organized, efficient, and revolutionary – there has been no looking back since. The same concept goes for teams. When everyone is responsible for a piece of the puzzle, the process flows smoothly. However, as workplace culture evolves and employees are… Read more »
02/18/17 By Jennifer Brown
Surprisingly, with the ease of technology at our fingertips, studies have shown that employee engagement levels have stagnated, productivity has not risen (even though we think we are more productive with all of our tech gadgets!), and employees today are taking less vacation days per year than they did a decade ago – not to… Read more »
02/04/17 By Jennifer Brown
When it comes to recruiting and retaining talent, the topic of culture is becoming a “deal breaker” for many – not just a “nice to have” anymore. There are many variables that define a culture and these include the environment, policies, attitudes, behaviors, and values that you see and feel in action each day. Related… Read more »
01/21/17 By Jennifer Brown
Technology has threaded itself into just about every aspect of our personal and professional lives. This is nothing new. However, the way in which we view and utilize technology is always changing. This holds true for the field of HR. In 2017, businesses everywhere will be challenged not to just “buy” digital products, but rather… Read more »
01/07/17 By Jennifer Brown
Whether you’re trying to improve your physical health or the health of your company’s bottom line, a little planning goes a long way. Strategic HR planning is a process that identifies current and future human resources needs in an effort to achieve organizational goals – ultimately linked to the company’s overall strategic plan. Your strategic… Read more »
12/10/16 By Jennifer Brown
For many of us, annual performance reviews may not evoke feelings of excitement. Perhaps the arbitrary questions and subjective ratings are seen as ineffective, having little impact to the business. Or maybe the fact that managers and employees do not communicate enough throughout the year makes it difficult to recall overall performance. Whatever it may… Read more »
11/26/16 By Jennifer Brown
New hire orientation and training is an important time in the lifecycle of an employee. A good experience can leave the employee feeling confident in her choice to join your company and excited about the future. On the other hand, a poor experience can leave the employee scratching her head thinking ‘What have I done?!’… Read more »
11/12/16 By Jennifer Brown
You are sitting across the table from a job applicant. His resume checks off all of the hard skills (e.g., technical knowledge, software skills, product knowledge, industry experience) for which you are looking. But does he bring the soft skills needed? A common mistake employers make is assuming that just because someone has all of… Read more »
10/29/16 By Jennifer Brown
As a manager, the time will come (if it hasn’t already) for you to let one of your employees go. Terminations are an inevitable part of business and leaders must make these tough decisions based on the good of the company. However, even for the most seasoned executive, telling someone they are being let go… Read more »
10/15/16 By Jennifer Brown
When an employee gives a glowing account of her experience with a company during an exit interview, the feedback is easy to take. However, when the feedback is not so warm and fuzzy, it can take the person conducting the exit interview off guard – causing him to react in ways that are detrimental to… Read more »
10/01/16 By Jennifer Brown
No one likes to watch someone struggle – especially in their work, which affects their livelihood and self-confidence. So why do we often see managers doing little to help their struggling employees – waiting until it is too late to act and then feel termination is the only option. Termination is not always the answer…. Read more »