Things have been quiet on the newsletter and site fronts since February. The reason for the lull is because I've been in the trenches getting a real-life look at the situations you're experiencing and gaining a sense of what you care about in your career, recruiting and management endeavors. There is a lot going on that's being driven by a myriad of dynamics. We'll talk about them as we move forward.

FEATURES

Challenging Times

Yes, we're shocked again with an event of global proportions. What could have been the cause of the Challenger's destruction was investigated. An official answer reached the public in due course.

But as the morning of February 1 peeled its way into midday, evening and crept into the next, reportage mounted of so many little things that were not right. They appeared to have little significance and the effects subsided innocuously. Because the little incidents ended with no apparent consequence, no further investigation was made.

In the end, will the official report tell us that the aggregation of those little things that subsided with no apparent consequence were warnings that issues needed attending in order to avoid a major event? Sometimes just the drip of some coffee onto electrical wires can cause the destruction of a very large entity. Likewise, little things that don't quite seem right on reports or transactions on ledgers can be rationalized and dismissed. But they do mount up. Although small, they are the harbingers of major issues. If left unattended, disaster will follow.

The revelations that hit the news at this time last year forced us to take notice of those little things here and there. Thousands are paying the cost of buying into the rationalization and jumping on the bandwagon of silent acceptance and buying into something that was inherently wrong.

Whether large or small, whether it subsides or not, attention to details is important. It affects good financial reporting, product liability, stock and balance sheet performance, professionalism and survival.

Yvonne LaRose
Viva Voce (February 13, 2003)

Building Loyalty with Ethical Practices

Employee loyalty is something that can't really be bought with dollars and cents. Management experts agree that salaries are "satisfiers," not incentives for doing more nor staying with the company once the initial buzz wears off. While the salary does not carry as much weight as the actual content and opportunities of the job, the salary that is offered does carry a lot of weight with regard to morale and loyalty.

Unfortunately, there are employers out there who try to capitalize on these times. Let a candidate sit before them who has incredible education, stellar experience and background, phenomenal intelligence and potential, but suffers from having been in the job market for a protracted period of time and you will find these employers resort to thinking that the candidate will take anything offered to them and be grateful, that they will do anything just so that they're pulling down a paycheck again.

Yes, people will take the opportunity to start pulling down a paycheck again. The specter of many of the undesirable consequences are squarely at the back of their minds. Make an offer with representations concerning what they will do. Stick firm to the wage offered that is 50% below what is merited. Couple that with then assigning the new employee with work that is not matched with their skills, is far beneath their abilities, refuse to offer anything better, and then top it all off with making disparging remarks about the employee to your clients or other managers. What you've just built is little to no notice when the employee takes the job and then continues to search for something that is a true opportunity.

It should be no news that people have some sense of their worth. Given their past salaries, their experience, and successes, they know when they're being offered less than the bottom of the barrel. Workers do take note of when they are being passed over for opportunities at more challenging work for which they are more than qualified. This type of person will take your ludicrous offer of employment and deliver an honest day's work at top quality delivery. Don't be surprised when they give notice a few months later. You've done nothing to develop their trust, respect or loyalty.

Adding insult to injury is when an employer makes denigrating comments to the client about the employee who is being abused. The client will not be impressed. In all likelihood, they will take their business elsewhere. If they have any future encounters with the employee, there is a strong likelihood that the employee with receive some signal that they are not working for the most ethical employer. In the end, you the employer will have lost a significant number of opportunity revenues.

Ethics encompasses quite a number of areas. Fair and equitable pay, working conditions, and opportunity for advancement are three of those areas.

WORTH A READ

If you'd like to gather some books on these subjects, why not visit the CERA Library Books link. You'll find several media choices ranging from Books on Tape and eBooks to Barnes & Noble and Amazon at your disposal, in addition to Allworth Books.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

You can also get hands-on practice at developing these skills by taking one of the courses offered by any of the fine online universities in the Education Center.

RECRUITING

Keep your options open, no matter what happens. Be certain to visit the Career Center to check on what's happening in the job market, post your opportunity (or your resume), or just to stay up to date on what salaries are in your specialty. Also be certain to stop in the Recruiter Tools section of the Library. There's bound to be something useful that's just a click away.

Also make certain you get your updated version of the McAfee Security Center so that whatever you send out and whatever you receive is virus free. No red face for you because of wasted down time or a document that unknowingly was sent containing a bug. Visit the Virus Alerts Center.

DATES

There are several conferences, onsite trainings, and calls for papers. To get the details, be certain to check the Entrances Calendar and the Entrances Forum Bulletins.

Until next time, please feel free to foward this newsletter to a friend -- or ask them to sign up for their own copy. I'm here to serve your needs. If there is a question you want answered, a particular issue you would like to see discussed, or a feature made available on the site, please feel free to send me a note to
ylarose@entrance-s.com

Thanks for reading.

May all of your endeavors be Entrances through the doors of opportunity, advancement and success!

Viva