For larger organizations or smaller businesses faced with high turnover or seasonal jobs, Total APS is also available for annual unlimited use licenses (based on number of positions and number of employees).

Follow this link to learn more about how Total APS(tm) can help you automate your recruitment process and save your hiring managers time and money. Then contact us for an online demonstration of the system.

Study Reveals Performance Management Grows Net Income 756%
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As recently as 1982, sixty-two percent of the value of an organization was measured by its tangible assets. By 2002, nearly eighty percent of its value shifted to intangible assets, Yes the human capital of any organization now accounts for eighty percent of its values.

Maybe that is why smart organizations seem to be interested in optimizing the way these precious assets are managed. Establishing an effective performance management system is an organization's way of doing just that.

In an 11-year study that included more than 200 companies from 22 industries, the financial and operational performance measure of companies who "lived" performance management and those organizations who did not were compared. The economic impact was enough to give any executive chills up and down their spine - or just want to throw up his/her hands and cry.

The revenue growth for organizations with performance enhancing culture was 682%; for those without, these organizations grew by 166%.

While many organizations might be happy with 166% growth. You'll probably want to read more. When you take a look at the bottom line of these two groups, the net income growth (the bottom line) of the performance enhancing organizations grew by 756% while their counterparts grew by a measly 1%!

Just last week, we hosted front-line supervisors from four local businesses. Each of these businesses "sent" several front-line supervisors to "learn to be learn some people skills". This particular session focused on Appraising People and Performance.

Not surprisingly, no one in the group raised their hands when we asked," how many people look forward to performance reviews?" When asked why, we heard that performance reviews could end up being confrontational or they had too many people to review and not enough time. Not a single participant had ever been trained how to evaluate an employee and they "didn't know what to say or do".

With only two exceptions, these same supervisors who were being "trained" on how to evaluate performance, are not being evaluated themselves. We asked them how that made them feel. Here is what we heard:

To be effective on the job, all employees need to know what they are expected to do. Performance management includes the process of identifying employees' goals, merging them with the organization's goals and setting performance standards.

And yet you can ask any manager what he hates most about his or her job and you'll likely hear "performance reviews". For many reasons, these periodic evaluations have been done poorly if at all in the past but that practice has got to stop.

I've collected from front-line supervisors and managers over the course of the past few weeks 21 Reasons (or Excuses) Why Performance Reviews Fail. Read the list further down in this newsletter - how many have you heard the reasons listed below, or even maybe said cited them yourself? Now ask yourself, "what am I going to do to change the way I supervise and manage by employees in the future.

I've said this before before - and it is a good time to repeat it. "Employees have feet and feet are made for walking."

It makes good economic sense to take care of your employees and that starts with ongoing feedback and performance management.

Performance Management starts with Competency ID - The next CriteriaOne: Competency ID Train-the-Trainer starts April 21-23, 2004. Follow this link to learn more.

Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #106 to #110
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fact #106

Fact #107

Fact #108

Fact #109

Fact #110

Order your copy of The Perfect Labor Storm Fact Book today!

What Is It That Employees Really Value?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6 Proven Motivators are revealed in Understanding Business and Values.

Order your copy of "Understanding Business Values and Motivators". (Yes, Understanding Business Values and Motivators is finally here.)

Understanding Business Values and Motivators is an introduction to understanding the six business values and motivators that drives human performance. In this book, Ira Wolfe describes how each of the motivators affects peoples' behavior in the workplace and how managers can tap into those motivators to increase productivity and improve performance.

Order your copy today - only $12.95. Want a copy of all your managers - call us for volume discounts.

Attention Consultants - call us about affiliate and re-seller programs.

Preview Understanding Business Values and Motivators today. To view a sample chapter online, follow this link.

21 Reasons Why Performance Reviews Fail
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. The reviewer and employee have a personal friendship outside of work and both individuals can't differentiate their manager-employee role from their friend-friend relationship.

2. The reviewer and the employee see themselves as part of a team. Team members are supposed to encourage one another, be supportive in good and bad times. But when the manager has to provide negative feedback or discipline the employee, these actions are viewed as divisive.

3. When not provided regularly, annual (or even less periodic) reviews can be based on most recent performance, not performance over the course of the year. The results go both ways. Employees who put on their best behavior around review time get favorable ratings and the employee who has a bad couple of weeks gets punished.

4. Performance reviews are only scheduled when an employee is not performing up to expectations or a company needs to terminate/lay-off the employee.

5. "You know nobody's perfect and there is always room for improvement." The manager doesn't believe in rewarding an employee with a "10" (out of 10) even when he/she deserves it. Some employers actually use a rating scale of 1 to 9 because no employee deserves a 10 in their minds.

To read more, follow the link below.

Source: Ira S. Wolfe.

To read the rest of 21 Reasons Why Performance Reviews Fail, follow this link.

Have you ever avoided an employee's review and hoped they would quit first?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Or have you ever -

To learn more about the Pathfinder, follow this link. Type "Pathfinder" in the comment box and we will set up on online demo with you.

How Often Do You Find Yourself Saying, "What Questions Should I Ask During An Interview?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ask no more with Interview Generator(r). Interviewers need to know what to look for in a candidate's response. Online Interview Generator(r) pairs specific "target behaviors" to over 60 competency based interview questions.

Online Interview Generator(r) (IG) allows users to create company and job specific customized behavioral interview guides in minutes. Satisfied IG users include hiring managers, employers, human resources professionals, and consultants.

As an IG user, you can choose an already developed interview guide from our Job Library of over 40 standard job titles (from Administrative Assistant to COO), then quickly and easily edit to fit your open job. Or, you can choose to design your own interview guide from "scratch" using our extensive database of 65 competencies, and over 1,500 different target behaviors (interview "answers"), and corresponding interview questions.

IG is extremely versatile and flexible - it can be used for selection in every industry, business and organizational environment. IG is inexpensive and cost- effective; clients can purchase interview units separately, or through a site license.

Interested in a no-obligation online demo? Email us to Schedule a Virtual Tour Of Interview Generator. Ask about Performance (Review) Facilitator, too. In the comments box, type "Interview Generator".

View a sample Interview Guide created with Interview Generator.

Just the facts: The Kings of Cards
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history.