It was a clarion call in 2002, but it went unheeded even in Ms Mair’s own country: Prussian virtues notwithstanding, the internet boom had left enough of a mark on German culture to make even old-economy firms want to offer their employees an enjoyable working environment. And even now, with market indices sliding down around our ears, who would want to deny that work should be fun? Certainly, überguru Tom Peters has been plugging the idea for more than a decade.

While the idea of an enjoyable workplace sounds worthy – praiseworthy, even – should employers pursue it? Does it make business sense, as well as emotional sense?

It turns out it does. Former Harvard Business School Professor David Maister studied 29 firms across more than 15 industries in 15 countries. He concluded that firms scoring in the top 20% of his sample for “commitment, enthusiasm and respect” financially outperformed the average of the other four-fifths by 63%. Firms in the top quintile for employee satisfaction outperformed the other quintiles by 42%; for empowerment, 32%. So getting the atmosphere right at work makes business sense: the soft stuff matters.

Google does not reveal the fate of Mair und Andere, the advertising agency which Ms Mair co-founded and where she worked (in a dark-blue uniform) at the time Schluss mit Lustig was released in 2002. But she published Fake for Real, a discussion about the social conflation of truth and fiction, in 2005. Two books in three years! Might Ms Mair’s diligent application of the pen imply that she is… enjoying herself?

ส่วนหนึ่งที่เราสามารถวิเคราะห์ได้จากเหคุการณ์นี้ คือการเพิ่มขึ้นของราคาหลักทรัพย์และราคาสินค้าโภคภัณฑ์ ไม่ได้เกิดขึ้นจากความต้องการที่แท้จริง แต่เกิดจากการเก็งกำไร ... ความโลภที่ต้องการกำไรสูงสุดตามหลักแนวคิดของเศรษฐศาสตร์ทุนนิยม ความโลภดังกล่าวทำให้ละเลยความเสี่ยงที่มีโอกาสเกิดขึ้น ... นี่คือสาเหตุหลักของการที่เศรษฐกิจโลกพังพินาศ

ประเทศไทยเองคงไม่สามารถที่จะหลีกเลี่ยงผลกระทบดังกล่าวได้ แต่เราต้องหันกลับมาพิจารณาว่าประเทศของเราจะดำเนินไปในทิศทางใด เรายังจะใช้อมเริกาเป็นต้นแบบทางเศรษฐกิจอยู่หรือไม่ เพราะความล้มเหลวครั้งนี้ได้บั่นทอนความเชื่อมั่นของเศรษฐกิจแบบทุนนิยมเสรี ... เราอาจจะต้องหันกลับมาใช้ทฤษฎีเศรษฐกิจพอเพียง ซึ่งเป็นเครื่องมือที่ดีที่สุดในการป้องกันวิกฤต ... พรุ่งนี้เรามาว่ากันต่อครับ

Die besten Kritiker von Jugendbüchern sind die jungen Leser selbst. Deshalb haben auf Initiative des Hessischen Rundfunks (hr) Schülerinnen und Schüler von fünf Schulen aus Offenbach, Rüsselsheim, Usingen, Wiesbaden und Marburg mehr als 130 Neuerscheinungen besprochen. Das Web-Portal „Literateens“ findet sich im großen Buchmessen-Special unter www.buchmesse.ARD.de. Die jeweils besten drei Rezensionen in den Altersgruppen 10 bis 13 und 14 bis 17 Jahre werden am Sonntag, 19. Oktober, auf der Buchmesse prämiert.

Nicole Rodriguez Cardenas von der hr-online-Redaktion hat in den fünf Schulen im Rhein-Main-Gebiet und in Marburg für das Projekt geworben und bekam eine positive Resonanz: „Die Schüler finden es klasse“, sagt sie, „und sind mit vollem Eifer dabei. Bemerkenswert ist der Einsatz der Lehrer, die sich für das Projekt Zeit nehmen.“ Die Schüler rezensieren nicht nur die Bücher, sondern stellen sich bei hr-online in Text und Bild, manchmal sogar in einem Video vor. Jeder Schüler hat den Buchinhalt zusammengefasst und meinungsfreudig kommentiert. Das Projekt ist interaktiv: Die Buchkritiken, die im Online-Portal nachzulesen sind, können von anderen Schülern kommentiert werden.

Außerdem in jugendlicher Hand: der Schüler-Reporter-Blog. Hier kann man die Buchmesse aus der Perspektive der Schüler Sebastian (18) und Laura (16) kennen lernen. Sebastian kommt aus Wetzlar und besucht dort das Oberstufengymnasium Goetheschule. Laura wohnt in Frankfurt und ist Schülerin des Beruflichen Gymnasiums mit medientechnischem Schwerpunkt August Bebel in Offenbach. Die beiden Schüler-Reporter sind sechs Tage lang mit Laptop, Mikro und Kamera unterwegs und machen sich ihre eigenen Gedanken zur Buchmesse. Sebastian und Laura sprechen unter anderem mit bekannten Jugendbuch-Autoren wie Jana Frey, Kevin Brooks und Christian Linker oder treffen auf prominente Fernsehgesichter. Sie werden auch über die Aktion „Fußball trifft Kultur“ berichten.

Bei dem Projekt der Buchmesse erhalten Kinder und Jugendliche aus sozial schwachen Familien Fußballtraining und Kulturunterricht. Die Schüler-Reporter begleiten die Party zur Aktion am Samstag, 18. Oktober, bei der unter anderem Nationaltrainer Joachim Löw und der Berliner Rapper Muhabbet zu Gast sein werden.

Quelle: hr-online.de

The list is bullshit, plain and simple. The article bothered me so much that I actually had to close my laptop, walk away from the computer, and come back to the computer several hours later.

The author, Jeffrey Strain, blames the reader for being stupid, spending too much money, and driving a fancy car. Here's an excerpt.

[You're not rich because...]

You feel entitlement: If you believe you deserve to live a certain lifestyle, have certain things and spend a certain amount before you have earned to live that way, you will have to borrow money. That large chunk of debt will keep you from building wealth.

You don't understand value: You buy things for any number of reasons besides the value that the purchase brings to you. This is not limited to those who feel the need to buy the most expensive items, but can also apply to those who always purchase the cheapest goods. Rarely are either the best value, and it's only when you learn to purchase good value that you have money left over to invest for your future.

Mr. Stain clearly states the obvious: you cannot get rich by spending money. Rich people know this, which is why they spend less than they earn. They also have savings accounts & mutual funds & financial schemes & tax shelters & advisers & friends & stock tips & hedge funds & advanced knowledge of stock market crashes.

*

The punk rock truth is that we are not rich because a higher percentage of our personal wealth -- which comes from our salaries -- is being spent on the basic goods & services needed to survive in America. Many of us are losing money because we spend more than we earn on food, medical expenses, daycare, and transportation.

*

Money doesn't trickle down in Amerca -- it pools in the personal bank accounts of wealthy people and corporations. When the economy goes sour, basic things happen: rich people stop spending money, corporations tighten their belts and hire fewer people, prices rise, credit dries up, and liquidity in the marketplace disappears.

When the economy goes sour, the dollar in your pocket doesn't go very far. In fact, you might not have a dollar. You might only have 50 cents in your pocket because your company only gave you a 3% increase, this year, and your daycare provider just raised her rates 10% because her personal expenses just went up.

It's a vicious cycle. But really, it's your fault.

*

Back to Jeffrey Strain. He's right: you might not be rich because you drive that super-fancy 2005 Mazda 6 Wagon with 45,000 miles on it and worn tires; however, I suspect that you aren't rich because you can barely keep your head above water.

I'm old enough to have watched Johnny Carson, and I remember how poorly NBC treated David Letterman in 1993. Now that Jay Leno is nearing the end of his contract, NBC is giving him the bum rush and paving the way for the future: Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon.

I'm all for succession planning and talent development, but if I were Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon, I'd watch my back. Corporate America is tough, and NBC -- which is owned by GE -- is known for managing employees like commodities.

I thought David Letterman's observations on the situation at NBC was classy and honest.

"Unless I'm misunderstanding something, I don't know why, after the job Jay has done for them, why they would relinquish that," the CBS Late Show host, 61, tells Rolling Stone in excerpts made available to the Associated Press and The New York Times."I guess they thought it was a less messy way to handle what happened to me at NBC. I don't know."

Asked what he feels for the 58-year-old Leno – when Jay landed the plum Tonight job as successor to Johnny Carson in 1993, Letterman set up shop at CBS – Dave answers, "I guess empathy is the right word. It's hard to know what he felt about it. I have to believe he was not happy about it."

Oh Dave, you are my kind of guy. Here's a clip from Letterman's show to make your Monday brighter.

1. กำหนดลูกค้ากลุ่มเป้าหมายให้ชัดเจน
2. สร้างความแตกต่างของสินค้า หรือการบริการ ซึ่งจะทำให้คู่แข่งไม่สามารถทดแทนสินค้าของเราได้
3. พัฒนาสินค้าให้มีความหลากหลาย เพื่อตอบสนองความต้องการของลูกค้าเฉพาะกลุ่ม
4. ลดสัดส่วนของต้นทุนคงที่ เมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับต้นทุนผันแปร ให้ได้มากที่สุด เท่าที่จะเป็นไปได้
5. สร้างกลุ่มลูกค้าประจำ "แฟนพันธุ์แท้" ให้ได้มากที่สุด อาทิ การจัดทำระบบสมาชิก การจัดให้มีทีมลูกค้าสัมพันธ์
6. การกระจายกลุ่มลูกค้าให้มีความหลากหลายมากที่สุด เพื่อลดผลกระทบจากการเปลี่ยนแปลงของลูกค้าบางกลุ่ม

Who is to blame for poor performance of employees and business? Ask line managers; they blame it on HR for poor hiring. Ask HR; they blame it on line managers for poor management skills. Ask me, I would say, the Axe???? Now you will ask what (the hell) an Axe has to do in performance management business? Let me tell you a small story…

Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job to a timber merchant, and he got it. The pay was good and so were the working conditions. For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees “Congratulations,” the boss said. “Carry on that way!”.

Very motivated with the boss’s words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could bring only 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but could bring 10 trees only. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees. “I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought.

He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. “When was the last time you sharpened your Axe?” the boss asked. “Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my Axe. I have been very busy trying to cut more trees for you.”

Yes, the ‘Axe’ has a lot to do in a performance management business. This “Axe” for better performance is an employee’s competencies and skills. In any organization the call to sharpen the Axe needs be taken by HR.
Ask yourself a question “Are employees working hard without proportionate results?”. If the answer is yes, then probably, it is time to examine your employee’s ‘Axe” and sharpen it. In highly competitive business environment, the gap between existing capabilities of employee and required capabilities to compete in the market place widens much faster. A business that cannot bridge these gaps gets wiped off (lot of examples are there).

What to do?

Step 1: Finding Blunt Areas
Like the supervisor in the story, you need to have an evaluation mechanism that can find the skill and competencies gaps in your workforce. This evaluation can be done by streamlining your performance management system so that it could provide better data on skill and competency gaps. These competency gaps extracted as output of Performance Management System should be used to design training and development programs.

Step 2: Sharpening Your Axe

Well-designed training programs (which are focused on developing skills and competencies necessary for a specific job) help you improve employees’ Performance significantly and relieve them from work pressure. You can be gin by identifying the training needs, managing course ware, co-coordinate with faculties, manage training facilities and obtain feed back from your trainees & their managers about the effectiveness of the program. For mid to large organizations, it is possible only if your HR is equipped with a Training Management tool that can keep the Axe sharpened all the while.

Next big question! Do you have an ‘Axe’ sharpener?

Regards,

Pinal Mehta

1. ประเทศอเมริกามีขนาดเศรษฐกิจใหญ่ที่สุด โดยมีขนาดเศรษฐกิจคิดเป็นประมาณ 1 ใน 3 ของโลก คิดง่ายๆ ก็คือ รายได้ในโลกนี้เกิดขึ้นทั้งหมดเท่าไร จะเป็นของประเทศอมเริกาเสีย 1 ส่วน เมื่อมีขนาดเศรษฐกิจที่ใหญ่เมื่อเกิดการเปลี่ยนแปลงย่อมส่งผลกระทบต่อเศรษฐกิจอย่างหลีกเลี่ยงไม่ได้
2. ประเทศอเมริกา เป็นประเทศผู้นำเข้ารายใหญ่ที่สุดของโลก เพราะฉะนั้นประเทศอื่นๆ ที่เจริญเติบโตโดยพึ่งพิงการส่งออกเป็นหลัก จะได้รับผลกระทบเมื่อเกิดการเปลี่ยนแปลงในเศรษฐกิจอเมริกา ซึ่งรวมถึงประเทศไทยของเราด้วย
3. การที่ประเทศมีการเปลี่ยนแปลงทางเศรษฐกิจ จะส่งผลกระทบโดยตรงกับรายได้ของประชาชนภายในประเทศ ซึ่งรายได้ก็จะมีผลเชื่อมโยงกับค่าใช้จ่าย เช่น ถ้าเศรษฐกิจถดถอย รายได้ของประชาชนจะลดลง ประชาชนก็จะลดการใช้จ่ายลง ซึ่งจะส่งผลให้การนำเข้าสินค้าจากต่าวประเทศลดลงด้วย ในทางกลับกันถ้าเศรษฐกิจดี ประชาชนจะนำเข้าสินค้าจากต่างประเทศมากขึ้น
4. ประเทศไทย ส่งออกสินค้าไปยังประเทศอเมริกามากที่สุด คิดเป็นประมาณ 20% ของปริมาณการส่งออกทั้งหมด ในขณะเดียงกันภาคการส่งออกของไทยคิดเป็นร้อยละ 60 ของรายได้ประชาชาติของประเทศ ดังนั้น หากการส่งออกของไทยลดลงย่อมส่งผลกระทบต่อเศรษฐกิจของประเทศไทย โดยรวม

จากผลของทั้ง 4 ข้อที่กล่าวมาข้างต้น จะให้ได้เศรษฐกิจไทยได้มีความเชื่อมโยงกับเศรษฐกิจของอเมริกาเป็นอย่างมาก ทำให้เมื่อมีการเปลี่ยนแปลงทางเศรษฐกิของอเมริกา ประเทศไทยจึงไม่สามารถหลีกเลี่ยงผลกระทบได้ ....

Din pacate, cand esti de cealalta parte (candidat) si vezi ca marea firma de recrutare X (sau headhunting) nu da nici un semn de viata dupa ce te-au alergat de nu au mai putut, e mai mult decat urat. Nici nu iti vine sa le bati obrazul pentru ca nu ai decat o stare de scarba si mila pentru ei. Ei care traiesc numai din vanzarea serviciilor si marketing-ul pe care il fac candidatii si firmele client, nu inteleg cum isi permit sa faca astfel de lucruri. Probabil ca tocmai numele din spate le da aceasta incredere prosteasca si nu realizeaza ca si firmele cu renume pot cadea si e mai rau pentru ei deoarece cad de sus.

Mentalitate romaneasca ii doboara si pe cei mai buni.

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報名表下載

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• 報名方式：高雄市人權城市促進會(高雄市苓雅區福德一路223號2樓之2)

• 聯絡電話：(07)723-5459

• e-mail: d946010004@student.nsysu.edu.tw

• 傳真報名：06-2094536 

There are issues common to all teams/groups within a company. However there are some distinct differences that make technology more challenging than most roles within an organization. Some quick points.

1. While the training, rules and knowledge that most positions in a company require to be successful are fairly standard, technology is a totally different beast. For example: a sales team is pretty much a sales team. Basic skills are transferable, and you're either good or you aren't. The same can be said of customer support, accounting and host of other positions common to business.
2. When hiring for one of these positions, good people can still be difficult to find. However, a sizeable pool of good people usually exists to pull from since basic training and qualifications are standard.
3. Technology requirements in organizations are always changing. While the basics usually apply across the board, each company has its unique application of technology for its business needs, executive quirks, funding and dozens of other factors. The tech professional must navigate all of these.

Serving basic technology needs for a small company is relatively easy since most company usually have common requirements to function when they are small. As the company grows, it gets much more interesting.

In the beginning, "generalist" skills are needed. This usually means the company hires "jack of all trades" people. A jack of all trades is very versatile and serves the company well early on since they are usually able to handle a multitude of varying requirements with an knack for learning different skills. Basic technology needs are met.

As the company grows, it begins to see the need for "specialists" meaning personnel that have a specific skillset and 80% of the time they are focused job functions that level that skillset. The strength of the specialist is they normally have a drive for excellence and a higher capacity in their specialty than a generalist. The drawback of a specialist is that while they have a high capacity for accomplishment within their field, they generally lack the ability to bridge the gap with other required skillsets to accomplish the company's goals. Hence the need for a generalist or project manager.

For example
Generalist duties: Programming, server management, ecommerce, email marketing, graphics.

Specialist 1: graphic/creatives
Specialist 2: programmers
Specialist 3: pay per click marketing
Specialist 4: analytics
etc.

This brings us to the the real challenge and the purpose of the post. Recruiting.

Good tech generalists and specialists can be difficult to find. Many companies follow a "butts in seat rule" and it amazes me how many people get hired after just one interview. I believe the number of interviews someone goes through before they are hired is reflective of the importance the company places on finding quality people and how protective they are of their company's culture. This model usually results in constant turnover caused by poor leadership lacking clear vision for how technology benefits the business. It is quite common for the executives in this setting to see technology as a "necessary evil" thereby ensuring that the company's technology needs and funding are never adequately met.

Company's that place a high value on protecting their company's culture leverage a heavy investment on finding and screening the best people into their organization. Here's a brief rundown of our interview process minus a few steps for length.

1. Application questionnaire (questions about basic company familiarty, basic culture, skillset overview)
2. Skillset survey
3. Code/portfolio submission
4. Phone interview - describe your typical week on a personal and professional level
5. In person interview with direct supervisor (includes meeting with co-workers/team)
6. Personality profile / budget (relative to our culture)
7. HR interview
8. VP/Department Leader Interview
9. References called
10. Executive VP Interview

Here's a quick overview of some of things we are doing to recruit.

• Employment listing on our website (primary driver of applications)
• Posting on various specialty websites...mixed results (authenticjobs.com, joelonsoftware.com, dice.com)
• Posting on common sites (monster.com, careerbuilder.com)
• Posting on craigslist.com (best results of websites)
• Listing in local special classifieds
• College/university relationships with department heads
• Specialty bi-fold business cards that contains: technology overview, company culture, free product offer to introduce people to our brand
• $250 referral bonus for employee

In addition to the above, we've implemented a few things to introduce the industry to our team.

• for the designers, a team portfolio of the work they've done including web, print, video media
• for the programmers: a team video with interviews from our team
• for the programmers: a team blog maintained by several of our programmers/tech leader
• make contacts with other industry professionals and arrange speaking opportunities for our internet leadership team

Upcoming things we will be trying

• Presence at large technology events like Adobe Max
• Open sourcing some of our code to build a reputation in the industry

Recruiting for a technology team is no easy task. Finding top talent is difficult. Finding top talent that fits your company's culture is even more challenging.

เมื่อไรจึงจะเริ่มการสอนงาน?
เมื่อผู้ปฏิบัติงานขาดทักษะ ความรู้ ทำงานไม่ได้ผล
เมื่อมีการเปลี่ยนงาน วิธีทำงานหรือเทคโนโลยีใหม่ ๆ
เมื่อทำงานผิดพลาด
เมื่อได้รับมอบหมายให้ทำหน้าที่ใหม่เพิ่มขึ้น
เมื่อมีกฎ ระเบียบ หรือข้อบังคับใหม่ๆ

การพูดเพื่อฝึกลูกน้อง
1. อธิบายอย่างละเอียดและตั้งใจ
2. ทำให้ดูเป็นตัวอย่าง
3. ให้ลูกน้องลองทำด้วยมือตนเอง
4. เฝ้าดูและจัดผลงาน
5. แลกเปลี่ยนคำถาม-คำตอบกัน

C Clear ชัดเจน แจ่มแจ้ง ประจักษ์ชัด
O Objective วัตถุประสงค์ จุดมุ่งหมาย
M Message design การออกแบบสาร(เนื้อหา-สาระ)
M Multi channel หลายช่องทาง
U Understanding check ตรวจสอบความเข้าใจ
N Nonformal&Formal ไม่เป็นทางการและเป็นทางการ
I Identify Audience วิเคราะห์ผู้รับสาร
C Cool & Comfort สะดวกสบาย
A Associate เกี่ยวข้องกับเชื่อมโยงกันได้
T Two ways Communication สื่อสาร 2 ทางไป-กลับ
I Interaction มีปฏิสัมพันธ์ที่ดีต่อกัน
O Obstruction อุปสรรค
N Notation มีการจดบันทึกเป็นลายลักษณ์อักษร

Strategic approach to HR in the recession

The recession is an opportunity for HR professionals to step and contribute strategically.  In the classical strategy paradigm, we begin by looking at the macro economic environment.  Then we look at the micro-environment - what affects us and our competitors.  Next, we establish which strategic factors HR influences directly. Finally, we drop down to our tactics.

Reach out beyond HR - think economics

HR Managers in large firms in today's business climate have to start at the very top of the strategic process.   We are on the cusp of the most dramatic shakeup in business conditions in 70 or 80 years.  And, unfortunately, we will be lucky if it is only a recession.

I picked up a very good video this morning explaining how the credit crunch came about.  It uses the example of a pyramid of champagne glasses.  One of the first practical things you can do, is keep this link to help people in your company understand why the credit crunch happened, and why it is so serious.

Think beyond defence.  Lead.

As I write, I feel like one of the gloom-and-doom merchants we are hearing in the media.  I don't feel the gloom-and-doom, as my previous posts on positive psychology and the best of Britain in this blog will show.

It does seem that business, and not just the banks, may have been dealing in classical pyramid schemes, and that major institutions, like the rating agencies, were utterly out of their depth.

But, we have another foundation to our society which is far more important than they.  I look to the creativity, the wit, the curiosity, and the plain initiative of the ordinary people of our country, and I look particularly to the spectactularly self-driven and honest Gen Y who are just coming into junior management positions.

Boomers and older Gen Xers should be showing clear leadership but I am not seeing a phalanx of senior executives coming together and providing a united front.  I am not hearing a clear cut strategy from politicians.  What I am seeing, or perhaps hearing as someone put it on the BBC, is a loud raspberry being blown at the bailout. The Icelandic prime minister talked of "each man for himself".

I think our role, as HR managers, is to reverse this attitude, and facilitate clear leadership in each and every one of our organizations.

So how do we support leadership in this climate?

This is what I would be doing.

a) Be in on the strategic meetings and facilitate full discussion.  Our job is to stop groupthink, and to keep the conversations grounded and positive.  Negative thought leads to tunnel vision.  Postive thought about collective action generates creativity and sustains morale.

b) Ask for clear commitments of what the company can guarantee employees in the worst case scenario.  People need a firm bedrock to push off against.

c) With or without these commitments, ask employees to engage in scenario planning on their own account.

I can hear the panic - employees think and talk?  Yes, this is the right time for employees to think and talk.

I would set up a closed social network on a platform like Ning, and open it up for employees to post videos and discuss ideas directly with each other.

By using a social media platform, the discussion is out in the open, and executives are able to monitor morale, and pick up ideas from the very smart Gen Yers who will use the network most.

Our role again is to facilitate:

Get Gen Y to teach Gen X and Boomers networking skills.

And moderate any uncouth language.

Net etiquette is pretty strong and some diplomatic coaching will smooth away any rough talk very quickly.

Is this too pink when we need strong task leadership?

Why will these actions help fill the leadership gap?  In a phrase, collective efficacy.  Self-efficacy predicts the staying power of individuals.  Collective efficacy predicts the capacity of a group to overcome adversity.

Collective efficacy is simply our belief in each other's competence.  Social networks reveal the strengths of individuals across the organization.  We get to know each other, beyond our immediate workgroup, and we begin to appreciate the depth of talent around us.  Experts begin to explain complex ideas.  Non-experts listen, and display talents in their own areas.  Dumbing up, I like to call it.

Above all, we tend to get that jaw-dropping experience of "I didn't know we are this good".  Such insight generates the energy for the extra mile, the extra idea, the extra five minutes of patience, and ultimately the thriving that we hadn't thought possible.

So how do we set up Ning?

It is easy (and free).  If you are unsure, or have never facilitated an online community before, there are experienced social media users the length and breadth of the UK.  For starters, contact SocialMediaMafia and ask them to direct you to a social media expert near you.  They will be happy to help.  This is the age and medium of the generous, the helpful, the connected.

And P.S.

If you are worried about talking about the economy and HR's role, please do feel free to talk to me too.  This is the worst economic crisis in UK in the last 70, years but other countries have been through this depth of shake-up on a local basis.  I've been here before.

Collective efficacy is possible, and we in HR, are the people to fill the leadership vacuum, both online and offline.

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Of course Human Resources poses some unique challenges and requirements for document storage, particularly when it comes to data security and separation of sensitive employee data (the compliance rule that I9s be stored separate from all other employee documents being a perfect example).  This might explain why, when some companies have embraced a document management strategy at the operational level, HR has been left in the dark (or should I say "in the paper"?) or at best left to fend for themselves.  The HRIS analyst challenged with identifying an HR document management strategy is well advised to evaluate systems from the perspectives of physical document separation, compliance and business rules enforcement, and long term maintenance of the system (yet another example of SaaS's value in HR).

Obviously though, a firm foundation of document storage doesn't implement a paperless process, as many a company has learned, and neither does it implement a paperless human resources environment.  The next step, then, is to stem the tide of incoming paper.  This is accomplished with changes to (i.e. automations of) HR business processes.  Identify your sources of paper and seek to automate the underlying processes.  In most HR environments, these sources are:

Employment Applications: If you haven't already, implement recruiting technology (aka an Applicant Tracking System).  There are literally dozens of web-based systems on the market, like one of our partners, iCIMS, practically all providing the ability to replace your paper applications with online applications.  Many take the process a step further and allow you to implement custom business process and workflow for subsequent handling of the application and facilitating matching the applicant to a job opening.  Evaluate your recruiting technology partner for flexibility and ability to meet your unique recruiting process.

Newhire Forms: The new employee forms package, whether only the 2 universal forms (federal W4 and I9), or dozens of tax forms, acknowledgement forms, policy statements, benefits forms, etc., is infamous in HR as a principle source of paper.  A lot is being written nowadays about onboarding systems as a tool for engaging and socializing an employee, and while this is an important aspect of onboarding, it's only a piece of the onboarding puzzle, one we (and some industry analysts) call acculturation onboarding.  While acculturation is an important and effective tool for many companies, transactional onboarding is an important tool for ALL companies (if you need more information on acculturation vs transactional onboarding, let me know: I can send you a great article).  Begin your evaluation and selection of an onboarding platform not by what vendors tell you is best practice, but instead on what your company's business rules, processes, and policies are and how flexibly your onboarding vendor can adapt to your unique requirements.  And of course if your needs include transactional onboarding (and they should), I humbly ask for the opportunity to show you our system :) or read about it for yourself at www.emeraldsoftwaregroup.com/onboarding.

Personnel Action Forms: This is the dreaded form that every organization has.  It goes by several different names: Personnel Change Form, Personnel Action Notice, Personnel Action Notification, Employee Status Change Form, Employee Change Request, etc.  HR invents it by necessity and distributes it to operational management with detail instructions on completing it for practically every task from requesting the creation of a new position to terminating an employee.  For large, distributed organizations with hundreds or thousands of managers, the deluge of paper necessitates an army of HR people to wade through, correct, review, approve, and facilitate change in the appropriate systems.  HRMS systems try to automate the process by introducing "application workflow", which makes it easier to submit and accomplish tasks within their systems, but what if the process must address requirements outside their system, such as approvals by people who aren't users of the HRMS system, or tasks assigned to people who aren't even employees of the company (like outsourced benefits administrators)?  Few products can address the complex requirements of employee change in a truly flexible business process (workflow) fashion, and in fact I know of only one: our own PAN (Personnel Action Notices) product.  PAN provides a user-friendly method of allowing field management to enter employee change requests over the web, while enforcing business rules, and implementing a completely flexible business process that can operate over and above not only the HRMS system, but all core business systems.  This approach is a truly practical way to eliminating, through automation, the personnel action form.

Staff Service Requests: Another common form is that form which field management uses to request stuff for their employees.  Also known as Requisitioning, managers use this form to request both tangible items (desks, computers, company cars) and intangible items (network access, email accounts).  All too often employee materials requisitioning is associated with onboarding; yes, there's a flurry of requisitioning around the time an employee comes onboard, but isn't requisitioning really an employee lifecycle process?  There are non-onboarding requisitioning systems on the market, but they don't inherently take into consideration the employer-employee relationship and enforce managers requesting materials for their immediate employees, and approval processes taking into consideration "chain of command".  Of course our SSR product (sorry, more shameless promotion here) does both of these, and also allows your managers to requisition certain materials the moment the position is open, perhaps months before a candidate has been extended an offer.

Automate these processes and you can actually implement a truly paperless HR environment, just like a bunch of our customers.  If I've left out a form or paper-based process, let me know about it so we can write a product for it.

Peak Pacific Limited, based in Hong Kong, is a newly incorporated business which has been formed through the spin-out of Cathay Pacific Airways' corporate eLearning business unit.

Peak Pacific will be led by CEO Kishor Mistry, former Corporate eLearning Manager at Cathay Pacific, who has over 25 years of experience in the aviation industry, 11 years of which were with Cathay Pacific.

Peak Pacific will primarily focus on aerospace, maritime, transportation and logistics business and will provide a one-stop eLearning company for customers to outsource their entire eLearning requirements, giving better economy of scale in terms of cost, quality, resources and flexibility depending on demand and business conditions.

NetDimensions has provided the eLearning technology platform to Cathay Pacific since 2001 and will work in partnership with Peak Pacific through a joint sales and marketing strategy to develop potential new clients.

Jay Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of NetDimensions, said:"The partnership with Peak Pacific strengthens our position within the aviation industry where companies are increasingly looking to reduce costs and meet compliance requirements by utilizing the kind of consultancy and outsourcing services that we will be offering in partnership with Peak Pacific."

"The deal will also help Peak Pacific achieve its goal of providing world- class eLearning solutions to the transportation and logistics sectors, bringing further long term benefits to NetDimensions as our eLearning technology platforms are used more and more across a wider range of industries."

About NetDimensions

Established in 1999 and listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM (NETD), NetDimensions is a global provider of performance, knowledge and learning management systems. The company's key products include the Enterprise Knowledge Platform (EKP), the Enterprise Assessment Platform (EAP) and the Enterprise Content Platform (ECP).

NetDimensions products and services help companies deliver and manage corporate training, career development, assessment and certification programs, and help clients around the world address growing regulatory compliance needs.

Recognized as one of the top-rated learning technology suppliers in overall customer satisfaction, NetDimensions has been chosen by multinational organizations worldwide including HSBC, ING and Cathay Pacific.

Enterprise Knowledge Platform and EKP are trademarks of NetDimensions Ltd.

About Peak Pacific Limited

Peak Pacific Limited is a professional eLearning Products, Solutions and Services Company, dedicated to becoming a globally recognized and market leading provider to the aerospace, maritime, transportation and logistics industry.

Peak Pacific designs and implements eLearning strategies that enable clients to unlock the power of its human resources by streamlining training processes and aligning them to business needs. Peak Pacific's mission is to develop long-term value for our customers, through people, industry knowledge, experience, research and understanding of their business values, needs and economic situation.

This will be achieved through a combination of in-house and outsourcing business models to ensure customers get value and quality that is cost effective, provides access to reliable professional services as long-term partners and manages customer needs based on environment and market conditions.

Read more: http://markets.on.nytimes.com/research/stocks/news/press_release.asp?docKey=600-200809250230PR_NEWS_USPR_____HKTH004-4KIJ266HLDDRVQ2MNITVKLGVOO&provider=PR%20Newswire&docDate=September%2025%2C%202008&press_symbol=undefined&scp=3&sq=elearning&st=cse

Okay, fine, Jen & Jesse had the baby. I just hung around Kalamazoo and shopped while Jen hauled ass for the past nine months.

I'm happy to report that the baby is adorable, Jen made it through the delivery with some unbelievable stories, and Jesse is a diaper-changing machine.

Me? I have a new love of my life -- Brontë.

She is delish. I should totally know because I nommed on her belly and gave her some sloppy kisses. I would eat her with a fork and spoon if it was possible. She is awesome.

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ถึงกับมีการแบ่งการใช้ชีวิตในแต่ละวันของคนเมืองเวลานี้ ออกเป็น 4 ช่วง คือ กิน พักผ่อน ทำงาน เวลาที่เหลือเป็นของ hi5

เพื่อนรุ่นน้องคนหนึ่งที่เล่น hi5 เป็นเพราะรู้สึกว่าไม่ได้อยู่คนเดียว มีเพื่อนอยู่ด้วยตลอดเวลา พอว่างก็เข้าไปโพสต์รูป เขียนทักทาย หรือคอมเมนต์เพื่อนๆ เป็นเครือข่ายที่กว้างขึ้นเรื่อยๆ มีเพื่อนใหม่ๆ มาให้รู้จัก และบางครั้งไปเจอเพื่อน หรือแฟนเก่าสมัยเรียนประถมหรือมัธยม ก็มาเจอกันใน hi5

ใช่จะมีเฉพาะวัยรุ่นเท่านั้นที่นิยม hi5 หลายคนที่เล่นเป็นคนทำงาน เป็นผู้บริหาร ดูอย่างคุณ "นพพร วิฑูรชาติ" ซีอีโอ สยามฟิวเจอร์ดีเวลลอปเม้นท์ ซึ่งได้ชื่อว่าเป็นเจ้าของไลฟ์สไตล์เซ็นเตอร์ ก็เล่น hi5 มา 3 ปี คุณนพพร เล่าว่า ส่วนใหญ่เล่นกับลูกน้องในที่ทำงาน และเพื่อนที่สนิทกันจริงๆ

ที่น่าสนใจก็ คือ อาการฮิตติด hi5 ไปโดนใจนักการตลาด นักโฆษณาเข้าอย่างจัง ด้วยโปรไฟล์ข้อมูล อายุ เพศ การศึกษา เป็นข้อมูลพื้นฐานชั้นดีให้กับสินค้าและบริการ และเครือข่ายสังคมแบบ hi5 สามารถสร้างความสัมพันธ์จากเพื่อนสู่เพื่อน เป็นพลังของเครือข่าย เกิดขึ้นกับโลกยุค Social Networking

เว็บไซต์ hi5 หรือ Facebook เป็นตัวอย่างของพลังเครือข่าย Social Networking ที่กำลัง