December 2011

Newsletter

Randisi & Associates, Inc.

Helping Employers Protect Clients, Workforce and Reputation Through Employment Screening, Drug Testing & Skills/Behavioral Assessments

December 1, 2011

100 West Road, Suite 300 Towson MD 21204

410.494.0232 or Toll Free: 888.494.4050

Email: jim@preemploymentscreen.com

www.preemploymentscreen.com

Quotes That Inspire

"Motivation is simple. You eliminate those who are not motivated.”

Lou Holtz/

Quotes That Make You Think

“ The most educational product is Imagination.”

G. K Chesterton in The True Victorian Hypocrisy

Common Employer Mistake in Employment Screening  - Doing Nothing to Screen Applicants

 

A Farmington, Missouri family received a $7 million verdict in their trucking accident lawsuit against a timber company and its truck driver. Langdon & Emison attorney J. Kent Emison, served as lead counsel on behalf of the family at trial.

 

The case, tried in the Federal District Court for the Western District of Arkansas primarily involved the individual’s  qualifications to drive a commercial vehicle and the timber company’s failure to appropriately screen its drivers. At trial, Emison introduced evidence that the individual had lied on his application and had received two license revocations.

 

http://www.langdonemison.com/newsroom/langdon--emison-obtains-7-million-verdict-in-trial-over-trucking-accident

 

101 Ways to have a Great Day at Work by Stephanie Goddad Davidson

 

" Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference.” – Joel Backer

 

Always plan with the end result in mind. Don’t start anything till you have visualized what you want. If you think this step isn’t necessary, bear in mind that everything you do is a result of the mental picture you have of the end result.  

 

 

 

 

This free eNewsletter contains news and ideas to help you in your business life and is brought to you by Randisi & Associates, Inc.  If you wish to unsubscribe at any time, please reply to this message with Unsubscribe in the subject line.

This month we highlight articles that save you money, get all your employees working in the same direction and sharpen your listening skills as follows:

 

  1. Want to Improve Productivity, Reduce Absenteeism & Reduce Worker Compensation Costs? Results are in and this process provides significant return on investment. Read this article to discover what works.
  2. Answering these three questions about your business and communicating the answers to your workforce can help you achieve synergy and profits. This is a must read.  
  3. Do the people with whom you are conversing think you are really listening to them? Are you guilty of some of the actions in the article? Read what you can do to increase your listening skills.

 

Information in this newsletter is not intended as legal advice. Please consult legal counsel before taking any actions. I hope you find this month's newsletter beneficial.

 

Jim Randisi

410.494.0232

 

 

 

 Want to Improve Productivity, Reduce Absenteeism & Reduce Worker Compensation Costs?

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA) recently polled 1,058 randomly selected Human Resources Professionals and found that drug testing helped to improve productivity, reduce absenteeism and reduce worker compensation costs.

A summary of key findings:

  • In organizations with high employee absenteeism rates (more than 15%); the implementation of a drug testing program appears to have an impact. Nine percent of organizations reported high absenteeism rates (>15%) prior to a drug testing program, whereas only 4% of organizations reported high absenteeism rates after the implementation of a drug testing program, a decrease of approximately 50%.
  • In organizations with high workers’ compensation incidence rates (>6%), the implementation of a drug testing program appears to have an impact. Fourteen percent of organizations reported high workers’ compensation incidence rates prior to a drug testing program, whereas only 6% of organizations reported similar rates of workers’ comp after the implementation of a drug testing program, a decrease of approximately 50%.
  • Nearly one-fifth of organizations experienced an increase in productivity after the implementation of a drug testing program
  • Employee turnover rates decreased nearly one-fifth in organizations after the implementation of drug testing programs.

Key Findings are located at

http://www.datia.org/eNews/2011/SHRM_DATIA_DrugTesting_Poll_SHRM_WEB_FINAL.pdf

Three Questions

Summary of an article by Sheila L. Margolis

Employees typically focus on daily tasks without an understanding of the big picture—the core principles and goals that should unite and guide everyone. When employees have a passion for the “why,” live by the “how” and focus on accomplishing the “what” of the organization, then they see the big picture. Employees don’t need to be micromanaged. Motivated by “why,” guided by “how” and targeted to achieve “what,” they can evaluate their daily activities to determine what they should be doing and how they should be doing it.

  1. The Why

The “why” of an organization defines it purpose. Businesses exist to make a profit, but they also exist to make a difference or to provide a service or product that meets a need.

Ask yourself and your employees, “Why does the organization exist? Why is the work important?” After asking the second question several times, you will uncover the collective contribution of the organization—its purpose.

Employees must understand how their daily activities help to achieve the purpose. Once you and your employees have identified the “why,” communicate the purpose and live by it. Do the people who work for you genuinely care about the cause? Are their daily activities contributing to that purpose?

  1. The How

The “how” is the collection of values that inspire and guide behavior—the organization’s guiding principles. The three layers of principles are the organization’s distinctive, strategic and engaging values. Consider what makes your organization distinct from other organizations doing similar work. Strategic values guide how employees must behave to achieve the organization’s vision and goals. Engaging values are the universal themes that contribute to building a culture of highly engaged and motivated employees. Universal priorities consist of the following six values:

  • Fit. Am I a fit with the organization and its culture? Is the purpose of the organization meaningful to me? Are the values of the company in harmony with my values? Am I a fit with my job? Is my work significant, challenging and the best use of my abilities?
  • Trust. Do I have a trusting workplace where leaders have integrity and are honest, respected and fair?
  • Caring. Do I have a caring workplace where my peers and managers feel like family, and do they encourage collaboration and teamwork? Do I have friends at work?
  • Openness. Am I informed, and does my manager listen?
  • Development. Does the company support individual development? Am I developing and growing in ways that nurture achievement and mastery?
  • Ownership. Do I feel like an owner? Do I have autonomy where I participate in decision-making, have responsibilities and have flexibility in how I achieve my goals?

Ask employees to rate themselves on these six priorities and discuss with them how you can help improve areas of weakness.

  1. The What

The final ingredient of the big picture is the “what” of the organization—its vision and goals. Employees must align their actions with the vision and goals. A clear picture of the vision and goals establishes desired results. Employees must understand what actions will support the health of the organization.

The “what” provides quantifiable measures to gauge results. Employees must be able to make smart choices in how they spend their time. With a clear vision and goals—the “what”—expressed in ways that are descriptive and quantifiable, employees can construct individual objectives and gauge how well they are making a difference through their work.

Sheila L. Margolis is president of Workplace Culture Institute, a change management consulting firm in Atlanta, www.sheilamargolis.com.

Can You Hear Me Now?

 

by: Eddy Mayen

 

Want to show people you are LISTENING? Try this:

 

1. Always turn and face the person who is speaking to you. It will force you to make eye contact and let them know that you are paying attention.  There is nothing worse than talking to the side of someone's face while the other person stares at something else.

 

2. Never take a call or text when you are speaking. It's simple, but it amazes me how many people do this.

 

3. Concentrate on "listening" instead of just "hearing" when meeting. Hearing is a passive activity -- you rarely pay attention to every sound you hear throughout the day. However, listening requires action and it implies mental, physical, and emotional involvement.

 

4. Practice "listening" a little each day. A fun way to practice is listening to music. Pick a different song each day and go beyond the beat. Listen for all the lyrics and different instruments used. You will quickly develop a keen ear for listening.

 

Feel free to email me other examples you have...I'm LISTENING.

 

Eddy Mayen is a Gitomer Certified Speaker who delivers Jeffrey's content in both English and Spanish to companies worldwide. To book Eddy Mayen for your next event, visit http://www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112.