Promote Use of Your EAP Now
Categories:
HR Mgmt
Categories: HR Mgmt
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We know that workers have been affected by the economy. ComPsych conducted a poll last year to find out just how much employees are affected. Ninety-two percent of participants reported "loosing sleep" over things like cost of living, credit card debt and mortgage payments. ComPsych, which is an Employee Assistance Provider or EAP, has experienced an increase in call volume as well.
As a project manager, you cannot really help much to solve workforce problems like this - unless you have a Wall Street bonus to pass out. But you can't stay out of it either, because apparently your workers are loosing sleep, distracted and simply not functioning as effectively as you need right now. If your company has an EAP, however, you can remind workers to use that service. Sure there are going to be those who will resist, but you want to create an environment where it easier for workers to make the decision to call for help. Simply remind workers about the number and how it was set up to call for just this kind of situation. Give them a link to where the services of the EAP are described. You can probably get more assistance by working with your HR rep.
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Posted on: February 04, 2009 09:08 PM
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Mentoring Now - Of All Times
Categories:
Learning
Categories: Learning
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With resources stretched pretty thin, it may seem goofy to think about starting or retaining a mentoring program. But think again: You're going to need your resources to be able to do as much as possible, to take on as many duties as they can.
One fast, effective and inexpensive tactic is to have mentors improve the skills of low- to high-level managers, and perhaps highly-skilled technical specialists as well. Mentors can help existing managers grow skills connected with
…You know, give them more flexibility. You'll need them to be flexible sooner or later in this global economic environment.
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Posted on: January 28, 2009 10:24 PM
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A Television Show for Worker Interaction Research?
Categories:
Communications Management
Categories: Communications Management
| The ability to "read" someone is important for any leader. You need to know who is telling you the truth and who is lying to you for one thing. How well do you think you can tell that someone is lying to you? OK, then, answer this question: Which of the following behaviors tell you that the person telling you something is lying?
According to a researcher on lying (we'll have to assume he is telling us the truth), neither of these behaviors is a clue. He says as much on a segment of NPR's show On The Media. The interesting thing is that a television show has been created based on his findings about lying. The show is called "Lie to Me". Perhaps we can all use it to help us read those individuals whose information we depend on.
What other shows can we learn from? |
Posted on: January 25, 2009 10:19 PM
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Your Role When Training Occurs Via Web 2.0 Techniques
Categories:
Learning
Categories: Learning
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The classic instructor-led training course is becoming more and more scarce. Asynchronous, web-based courses are much more predominant than they used to be. Now, Web 2.0-based solutions are growing quickly. And there is a great variety of alternatives than can be implemented quickly, for example:
What does this mean to you as a project manager? Web 2.0 requires new types of skills from the training group in order to ensure learning gets done. Maybe they have the skills in your organization, maybe they don't. It may also require extra work on their part. Maybe they have the time, maybe they don't. Either way, if these techniques or tools are used in your organization, monitor training planning and results so that you get what you expect.
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Posted on: January 21, 2009 09:45 PM
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Scientists Prove What Works in Security Training
Categories:
Learning
Categories: Learning
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Security would be much less of a problem if you could just eliminate users. We've got a team at gantthead Labs working on that right now, but until they find a solution, it's time to re-think how you train your workforce to keep your network safe from Evil Penetrators.
It's true, because crack scientists have been working on this for a while. Two recent studies show that you are probably taking the wrong tact in your workforce training, if you are training at all. In fact, if you are actually training you may still be wasting your time.
Social Engineering Study: Real scientists (published in a dissertation!) show that workers can be fooled by smart miscreants who use workers' better natures against them - despite standard training. An example of social engineering fraud is the caller who says he is from the IT department and convinces a worker to give out password using knowledge of human behavior. According to these guys, what is needed to stop abuse of good nature is to
Phishing Study: Real scientists show that too many people ignore or forget training when confronted "phishing" sites . However, users who are easily fooled by malicious fake web sites are the same users who are ready to benefit from - I love this - a trick phishing site, that leads the user to educational materials to teach them not to be patsies.
Bottom Line: Create high-impact training to improve security by using fictitious attacks, trick phishing sites and reality-based scenarios.
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Posted on: January 19, 2009 11:28 PM
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