People Pulse :: January 2005

Dear HR managers and business owners,

Happy New Year!

With the holidays over, most of us are now moving on to the traditional January activities: dieting, paying bills, breaking resolutions, complaining about the weather, and wondering if we'll ever get the pine needles out of the carpet.

But that doesn't mean that we should once again put taking stock of things on hold until next December, particular when it comes to business. What you don't know about your business, and about what is and isn't working for your staff, can hurt you, and the more you do know, the better you'll be able to build on past success. And now that the seasonal distractions are out of the way, this in fact may be the best time of all to ask the questions you need to ask, with a professionally administered survey of your employees.

So it's no coincidence that in this month's People Pulse, you'll find an article and a poll on this very subject, and also an article about the tough questions that potential employees may ask you during the interview process.

All the best in 2005,

Paul Gibbons
Partner, People First Solutions

Poll Question: When was the last time you conducted an employee survey?

Article: Are You Ready for These Bone-Chilling Questions?

Article: Critical Success Practices for Employee Surveys

Success Stories: Sid Keay, Ocean Trailer

Demotivations: Demotivation

Which business sector hires the most people?

More Canadians work in retail sales than in any other field. The first, third, and fourth most-popular jobs in the country - sales clerks, retail trade managers, and cashiers - are all in the retail sector. Almost half of all young people, aged 15-24, are employed in sales and service, mostly as retail salespeople, cashiers, restaurant servers, bartenders, and the like.

- The Canadian Payroll Association

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


	Recruiting Are You Ready for These Bone-Chilling Questions? Trying to find the next super star for your organization is getting tougher as talent wars continue to heat up in North America. One way to know who the superstar candidates are is by the questions they ask. And some of them are asking questions that are not for the faint of heart. These are questions that take no prisoners. They are tough, specific, and leave interviewers little wiggle room. I call them "bone-chilling questions" because a number of the recruiters who first encountered them reported getting chills up their spines.			Retaining Critical Success Practices for Employee Surveys The New Year is often a time of renewal and fresh beginnings in organizations across the country. What better time is there to tap into the collective thoughts of the team propelling your company forward? On the premise that most organizations have at one time or another considered doing an employee opinion survey, and many who have done so have found the process less than fulfilling, this month's feature article offers some "do's and dont's" about for taking the pulse of your workforce.


	"Thanks to the experience and work of People First Solutions, Ocean Trailer now has a Performance Management System in place that will enable us to build on our past successes. I recommend People First to any business that wants to do the same." Sid Keay, Ocean Trailer


	© Copyright 2005, 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 2005, People First Solutions Inc. All logos, and names are the copyrights of the respective owners.