January 08 Newsletter

Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

Time Management tips for the New Year

After a good break over the Festive Season, we all come back to work with good intentions to keep on top of our work in the New Year- our desks will be tidy; there will be no last minute panic to meet deadlines; time will be found to exercise and keep healthy… we’ve all made the same promises!

So before things start their downward spiral, what better time to try and put some good time management habits into practice. In a recent article found on Ninemsn, Sarah Reid outlines some practical tips to manage your time:

Make a to-do list
This is a critical step in managing your time. Rather than relying on your ability to remember what you need to do, make it visual. Use detail and break tasks up so that they don’t seem as daunting.

Plan
Remember to plan tasks in advance so that there isn’t a last minute rush to meet deadlines.

Avoid distractions
According to Sarah Reid’s article, “research has shown email and sms interruptions can cause a temporary drop-off in IQ by as much as 10 points”. If you need to concentrate on your work or meet a deadline, put your phone on silent, turn off your email alerts and don’t open your Internet Explorer until you have finished it.

Avoid distracters
In Sarah Reid’s article, she also mentions that “research has shown that, on average, office workers are distracted every 11 minutes and after each distraction it takes them 25 minutes to get back in the zone”. If you have an urgent deadline to meet, let your colleagues know not to disturb you for a certain amount of time and set time aside to assist them with any queries later in the day.

Delegate
It’s important not to forget that your work colleagues are there to help you out if needs be. Don’t only pass across the tasks that no one enjoys- give them some of the fun stuff too and you’ll find your list diminishes with less effort. This is only a successful tool if you are willing to let go of the task you have delegated.

Take a break
Research has shown that people who exercise and take a break at work are more productive than the person who doesn’t. So go for a walk; grab a bite to eat; catch up with a friend for coffee- you’ll be back in the office more refreshed and focused and find you’ll get far more done!

Selling Yourself Short???

When taking feedback from candidates who have attended more than one interview, a common factor used in comparison is “How keen are they to have me work for them?”

From an employer’s perspective, often a first interview is an excellent opportunity to not only test a candidate’s skill and knowledge base but also their passion and determination to succeed (a top 3 priority for most), which can be a significant influence when making the final decision.

However, we can sometimes overlook the fact that candidates are doing exactly the same thing and testing an employer’s passion and determination to help them succeed.

We may feel our organisation sell's itself (branding, market presence etc…) and the candidate should want to work there; and this maybe the case, but with the best candidates facing more opportunities and ultimately more interviews than ever, interviewers should be proactively highlighting the benefits of the role and your company throughout the interview process. Remember - first impressions really count.

Be sure you get the right person who can commit to you by showing that you can commit to them!

A New Way to Measure Employee Satisfaction? Stay Interviews versus Exit Interviews

Whilst there is no doubt Exit Interviews are a useful tool in measuring employees’ overall job satisfaction, surely in the current labour climate Exit Interviews identify too late reasons why a particular team or organisation may be experiencing unusually high attrition.

It is time for a new approach?

‘Stay Interviews’ offer a more proactive solution, allowing organisations to carry out a regular ‘workplace health check’. Instead of relying on the usual annual satisfaction survey which does not allow for employers to be able to evaluate their performance in time to avoid ‘crisis point’, the ‘Stay Interview’ is designed to identify issues and problems before they become a major burden within an organisation, according to David Reynolds in a recent Shortlist article (June 2007).

Conducted correctly, ideally not by Line Managers, and regularly enough, ‘Stay Interviews’ should be able to offer insights into levels of staff satisfaction, employees particularly at risk, evaluate organisational performance and follow-through, and help to address issues affecting staff morale and retention to name but a few. This, Reynolds says, is not designed to replace the more traditional Exit Interview and he suggests there is room for both as “the two serve different yet complementary purposes, with stay interviews proactively focusing on the individual and staff retention and exit interviews focusing on the organisation and the issues causing staff turnover."

With some highly innovative organisations said to be already trialling this concept, perhaps it is time for us to embrace the ‘Stay Interview’ on a wider scale as a new tool to help combat the constant battle to recruit and retain quality staff members. God knows, as the labour market continues to squeeze into 2008 and beyond, we need all the help we can get!

Whats on this month in Sydney

Sydney Festival

If you didn’t catch the Festival First Night last Saturday, there is still plenty to do and see in the Sydney festival, which is running all through January. From theatre to dance, family activities and visual arts, the festival promises something for everyone! There is also a host of free events. To find out more, visit www.sydneyfestival.org.au

Australia Day in the Park and Great Australian BBQ

26th January, 10.00am - 8.30pm, Hyde Park North, Main Promenade between Macquarie St & Park St
For information on more events in Sydney on Australia Day, visit http://www.australiaday.com.au

St.George OpenAir Cinema

Mrs Macquaries Point, adjacent to Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
11 January - 16 February (excluding 12, 19 January & 2 February)

For further information, visit www.stgeorge.com.au/openair

Moonlight Cinema

Nissan Moonlight Cinema is an open air cinema screening latest release, contemporary, cult and classic movies on the lawns of the picturesque Belvedere Amphitheatre, Centennial Park.
Runs until 6th March 2008. To see what’s on, visit www.moonlight.com.au