People Pulse :: August 2004

Dear HR managers and business owners,

Fahrenheit 9/11: A decent title for a movie, but even better as a description of the weather lately. So thanks to all of you for taking time out of the heatwave to read our last issue of People Pulse, and to participate in our July poll on workplace communication. If we knew how to ship Slurpees electronically, you'd all have one on your desks right now.

In lieu of that, our latest issue. This month's articles discuss two important subjects: the usefulness of psychometric assessment as a recruitment tool, and the effectiveness of retention measures other than pay raises. And, in addition to your responses to last month's communication question, a fresh People Poll asking you to decide what's most important to you in terms of your happiness with your job. Those of you with retention responsibilities will definitely want to check out the results to this one!

And once again we ask for your help in keeping the Pulse interesting. If you have any suggestions for articles, poll questions or new features you'd like to see added, please let us know.

Cheers,

Bob Murray
Partner, People First Solutions

Poll Question: What's most important to you?

Article: One Last Thing

Article: When Cash Isn't Enough

Success Stories: Ledcor Construction Ltd.

Demotivations: Change

Average Unemployment: How Do They Stack Up?

Production Managers: 1%
HR Managers: 3%
University Professors: 2%
Air Pilots: 4%

- Job Futures

Once you vote, you will see current poll results.
Final poll results will be posted in next month's issue.


	Recruiting One Last Thing For recruiters, job interviews are a lot like first dates. You meet with someone in a formal setting, and try to learn as much as you can about them while they do their best to charm you. The crucial difference here is, of course, the hiring deadline. Just how much detail can you go into before time constraints force you to make a commitment? Quite a lot, actually, if you combine interviewing and background checks with one last tool: psychometric testing.			Retaining When Cash Isn't Enough Pink Floyd put it this way: "Get a good job with good pay and you're okay." That was back in 1973, in a song called "Money," so the band can be forgiven for focusing on the second term of this equation at the expense of the first. For businesses in 2004, however, such a lopsided approach will likely result in significant turnover, particularly when it comes to staff with skills and qualifications that are highly in demand. The substantial cash incentive remains a powerful retention tool, but it often isn't enough.

Our project was a challenging one. We were very pleased with the quality of the candidates made available to us. The sorting, screening and interviewing of the candidates was done promptly and professionally. It was a pleasure to work with a knowledgeable consulting firm that really took the time to understand out needs while respecting our timelines.

Len Robinson
President and COO
Ledcor Construction Ltd.


	© Copyright 2003, Despair Inc.


	People First Solutions Inc. #220 - 1075 West Georgia St. Vancouver, BC CANADA V6E 3C9 Telephone: 604.684.2288 Facsimile: 604.684.2265 info@peoplefirstsolutions.com		People Pulse :: Subscription Information Click Here to forward this issue to a friend. Not currently a subscriber? Register now to receive future issues. We respect your privacy. © Copyright 2004, People First Solutions Inc. All logos, and names are the copyrights of the respective owners.