excellent proven ways to retain employees
353580
It is an excelllent detailed,relevant and useable information. Every leader must have a copy. I believe the information is relevant not only to retain best employees but to motivate all to be better employees as well. Thank you
674955
I am fortunate to have been able to work with Dr. Horton for some time. As the book came together, I had the opportunity to utilize these exercises with a new staff as we opened our Community Day School. The team building we were able to openly and honestly engage in has allowed us to build a strong collaborative culture that we are continuing to improve day by day. Dr. Horton's exercises are easy to implement and yield genuine and measurable results when you implement the lessons with fidelity. It's a solid read that will help you move your staff forward.
3913569
As someone who is constantly hiring the wrong people, and then losing the people I wanted to keep, I was thrilled to find and read this book!  I highly recommend and will surely read it more than once.  It contains 5 practical steps, but also many great tips and tidbits as well!
225355
Scott's guide is a perfect tool for starting conversations around retaining engaged employees and creating a culture for the new workforce. I've had the pleasure of working with him personally and appreciate his insight and experience with personal and organizational coaching strategies for success.
1680640
Slaps states that what every manager in every company has in common is that they are human.  When this humanity is denied by an anxious corporate organism, no one acts naturally.  Managers are expected to form stable, selfless, giving and forgiving relationships with companies that are ever-changing, selfish, greedy and unforgiving.  No one feels safe or trusts anyone else.  People detach to protect themselves. No one emotionally commits.  Part 1 and 2 of the book explain why it is important to achieve emotional commitment from managers because if you were able to do so, you are able to trigger "discretionary effort" which is worth more than financial, intellectual and physical commitment combined.  The source of emotional commitment is the ability for you to live your own deepest values in a relationship or work environment - in other words, make decisions based on what you most deeply believe is the right way to live.  You feel safe.  You trust.  Your personal values are aligned with your behavior and decisions.  The essence of leadership is that leaders are people who live their deepest personal values without compromise and they use these values to make life better for others - this is why people become leaders and why people follow leaders.  Part 3 of the book helps you with an exercise to find your values and influences among a laundry list of 50.  Part 4 assists you with personal and professional implementation.

My thoughts on the book:

- The core premise of this book is on point.  However taking the conceptual theory and applying it to day-to-day behavior feels like dieting or exercise.  Tough slog.  Inching up one day, back the next.  I believe implementation of the concepts would be far easier if you were at helm of a small or large company where you set cultural tone and manage behaviors - it is quite challenging to walk the talk in middle management given the relentless pressures from above.  However it is certainly aspirational.

- Slap is authentic and inspirational in his writing.  The book is well written and structured.  The book is written in 2-way conversational tone.  It is entertaining and departs from the grind of your normal 10 steps to success self-help book.

- Very engaging stories and not the tired old Southwest Airlines-type of examples you normally find.  This kept me attentive.

- The personal value finding and setting exercise was particularly valuable (and challenging).  Had several ah-ha moments here.

Slap's introduction states that managers who implemented concepts and methods included in this book realized a "Transformational experience, rattling their bones and homesteading in their souls" - the big question is whether it can be deployed in corporate America and if so, how long it all sticks.  That being said, this book is recommended reading for fellow managers.
177367
This book guides me to the experience of the author and each chapter gives me new insight. It is a must read for all business owners. It is a great manual for my business to keep good employees. It teaches me what kind of leader I must become. I recommend people to read this book and make their company as special place for their employee. Thanks to the author.
4273872
I am a Mission leader in a hospital with 900 employees.  We recently finished a 10 month long mission formation program of 20 employees. The Executives loved the responses from the employees so much that they are allowing me to have 40 employees for this second group.  The employees in this 10 month program will learn about our history, our mission, and whole person care.  The very first formation program I learned that our employees needed to learn about resiliency, and self-compassion, more than anything else.  For this next formation program we will be using the Resiliency Workbook, each employee will receive one and we will work on it together.  I used the workbook myself and found it an excellent tool for myself and to help my employees "bounce back stronger".
617422
If your job is on the line, Bulletproof Your Job, is the first book you want to reach for. The four simple strategies touted on the front cover actually organize fifty practical tactics you can employ to help increase your chances of being the last to go and decrease your chances of being next to go. Even if your job isn't on the line the author offers sound advice for anyone looking to make themselves a candidate for most valuable player in their company. In short, employing these tactics will help foster a positive work environment no matter what the economy or labor market look like.

Highlights:
* The Be Visible section offers practical heard before advice presented with an honesty and frankness that makes it less easy to take the information for granted.
* Mr. Viscusi gets points for advocating social networking. His own True Story on page 142 is a perfect example of how savvy professionals are successfully leveraging networking 2.0 strategies.

Low-lights:
If you've been questioning whether you want to stay in corporate America - this book is a nudge out the door. The bigger message of this book is that it's not enough to focus on being a doing a good job, there are all these other tactics you need to consider just to keep your spot in what for many is an increasingly draining rat race. A few of the tips he mentions remind me of this:

* Be the mini me of your boss: Definitely a turn off for those of us who enjoy being ourselves. I can't imagine anything more insufferable than spending forty plus hours a week purposely putting on a faade just so I won't be fired.
* I am also not a fan of his idea about stress at work. I agree about not complaining about it, but I am not a fan of just telling people to suck it up. It's true that every job has seasons or waves of stress, but if the stress is consistent and you have no means of managing it then it may just be time to find a new gig.

Final Call:
Despite his apparent disregard for career coaches and those who use them (see the final bullet on the back cover), Mr. Viscusi offers down to earth, easily implementable tactics for his readers. Minus the slant against career coaching, this is good resource which I highly recommend.
241406
In simple, straightforward prose, business authors Perry McIntosh and Richard A. Luecke define a clear, easily implemented program for gaining and keeping influence at work. This book, part of the Work Smart series, reads quickly. Its tactics and techniques are memorable and not difficult to put into practice. To maintain their rapid pace, the authors keep examples to a minimum, and those they include do a good job of illuminating their strategies. McIntosh and Luecke propose methods anyone can understand and retain, and even provide a moral primer to guide readers who might go astray in an overenthusiastic pursuit of influence. That the authors take great care to refer to readers and examples alike by both "he" and "she" proves how attuned they are to their own advice and to the exigencies of the modern workplace. Even though some introductory ideas reappear in similar form in the later chapters, getAbstract recommends this book to those who crave more power, influence and advancement at their jobs. And who doesn't?
3725487
For those who really want to own their career and align their greatest skills and talents with companies that need what you have to offer, this book is for you.

Janine does a great job of showing how some employees and companies are stuck in the old framework in which industrial careers were defined.  The old industrial concept of the 40-hour workweek and cradle-to-grave employment is being replaced by an economy that relies on innovation and constant learning.  Employees that don't know themselves well and cannot articulate how their strengths, talents and skills contribute to the financial health of the company won't remain employed for long because the 40-hour a week guarantee no longer exists in many places.  This is fast becoming a contract-to-contract world, and the contracts are not awarded to those with outdated and irrelevant skills and knowledge.

Janine's philosophy of Career Ownership means owning the responsibility for updating knowledge and skills by investing in your own continuing education and learning - not depending on a company to do it for you.  The author makes the analogy of owning your career similar to owning your home versus renting a home.  "As a renter, you use someone else's stuff and often treat it as expendable.  With your own stuff, you handle it differently, maintain or preserve it regularly, and are choosey about who you let borrow it.  When we own something, we have greater responsibility and more recognition of the long-term investment.  Career ownership is just that different."

So, what is your value to a company?  Janine walks you through an exploration of your foundation and fit.  You'll examine who you are, what you value, what energizes you, what your greatest skills and talents are, what possibilities fit you, what is your target direction and how to find your life themes.  This work takes time, but helps you clarify your talents and strengths so you can see more clearly what career paths are best for you.

Janine also expresses the importance of developing mentoring relationships and that the best mentoring relationships have goals, structure and expectations, follow up and follow through, as well as skills awareness.  She provides tools and templates to assist you in creating these relationships.

I believe that not only is this book important for individuals, this should be a MUST READ for managers, HR departments, high school instructors and colleges.  The power of aligning strengths and talents with company mission and direction means employee engagement.  Janine's definition of work is "something you do because it's your contribution, it's an expression of your talents, and it's your heart and soul. Your work is distinctly you and the contribution only you can make to your organization's mission."  An engaged employee is not just marking time doing whatever work is necessary to earn a paycheck, they are joyfully and effortlessly contributing their greatest gifts toward the organization's mission.

Whether you want to be a career owner or are a company that wants the benefits of hiring career owners, this book is filled with stories, tools and exercises to help you get there.
3335409
As a continual seeker of best practices, this book reveals several great ideas for hiring and onboarding the best.  I loved Alvarez and Marsal's process on mentoring the new hire.  Also, the case study approach was an excellent format for this book.
2624013
It's clear that this author has the wealth of experience to back up the advice! The techniques, tips and exercises in the book guide the reader to use reflection, persuasion and a multi-pronged approach to success in the workplace. The book essentially provides a great framework for women on how to succeed in their career by finding solutions to challenges while still staying authentic to who they are. In the short time since I've read this book, I have already found some of these techniques working in my favour.
35487
Shep Hyken, the "Chief Amazement Officer" at his strategy consultancy, demonstrates a customer service program your customers - and your employees - will appreciate. He explains that he did not develop his customer service orientation in training workshops, corporate seminars or business school marketing classes. Instead, he learned his service concepts from wise parents who had sensible, good-hearted ideas about how to treat others. Hyken began putting these straightforward concepts to work at a young age and refined them as he gained business experience. His prescriptions are rooted in treating others - including your staffers - as they, and you, would wish to be treated. Hyken explains his seven foundational ideas - which are highly useful though maybe not all highly original - so clearly that any manager can benefit from them. getAbstract recommends this well-researched book and its instructive case histories to anyone whose employees serve customers.
4553198
This is the book any strategic business leader needs to position his or her organization to attract, select, and keep the best people possible. As a consultant myself, I work on a daily basis with companies and organizations that struggle with finding and retaining excellent employees. In fact, human capital is so important that it can actually make or break strategy and other business plans.

Matuson has taken a great tack. Instead of just throwing money at the challenge of attraction and retention, she has created an entire framework of strategies and tactics for positioning a company or organization as an employer of choice. Think of how Apple, Google, and other global success stories have become a magnetic pole of attraction for top-flight talent around the world. The author shows business leaders how to do the same thing for themselves.

This book isn't just for HR types however. Senior executives, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other core business operators will want to read this book so they can start applying their business savvy not just to their customers, but also to their employees. The chapters on branding and leadership as key attraction factors are fascinating and go well beyond the usual bromides about happy work places. People want challenge, advancement, and -- YES -- great leadership!

I recommend this book to anyone struggling with building great teams and human capital. I will also be recommending it to my own clients who are looking at ways to raise their employer brand.
2323669
Once again, Anne Bruce has delivered a highly practical "must have" guide for managing employees--providing both drill-down tactics, as well as inspirational context, to infuse leaders with an unprecedented passion and skillset for improving the workplace. She addresses a wide range of very specific performance issues which managers regularly face, and delivers a very prescriptive solution for addressing these problems. She goes beyond addressing performance problems, however, and delivers tools for managers to proactively engage employees, leading to increased loyalty and retention rates (which have been shown to translate to improved customer service scores, sales revenue, and overall business success... not to mention a higher workplace morale). Anne shows how an internally engaged employee can improve an overall organization, and she shows how to create an environment that fosters this level of commitment and positive energy--thus preventing future performance issues. I have begun using her approaches as I manage remote staff, and have seen excellent results. Anne's approach and language is fresh yet ageless, as she delivers solid solutions for leading even the most difficult or insubordinate employee. As a side bonus, the book motivates managers themselves to live and work more positively!
4598427
Heather Younger's new book, "The Intuitive Laws of Employer Loyalty", is terrific !
It is moving, informative, valuable  for employer and employee alike,and is inspirational as well.
I wish I had read this book years ago,as it would have helped me considerably, in my job quests.
This book is very well written, and addresses important issues,from the employer and employee point of view,
such as  trust, loyalty,and communication,etc.,
I highly recommend this book, to anyone seeking harmonious working relationships.
Sincerely,
Hazzan Bernard Savitz,
(clergyman)
911538
"Healthy Employees, Healthy Business: Easy, Affordable Ways to Promote Workplace Wellness" by Ilona Bray and a team of experts is a good book that may go unnoticed by many businesses.  In these difficult economic times for many, starting a wellness program may not be on the forefront of many corporate and business leader's thoughts.  However, as pointed out in the first chapter, "Why You Need a Healthy Workplace," the incorporation of wellness programs and the encouragement and assistance with keeping employees healthy can significantly increase the bottom line.  The statistics in the book claim that most companies have a positive return on the investment of instituting wellness programs.  The book claims that only a small minority of companies fail to break even and that's often because their initial investment of time and money was too low.

The book then goes on with chapters on strategies for a successful wellness program; worksite evaluations and program launches; prevention and early detection to help employees stay well; very basics on healthy eating, nutrition, fitness and exercise; suggestions for lowering stress levels, working without tobacco, helping an addicted worker, reducing obesity, dealing with chronic illnesses, choosing health benefits, and finally drafting workplace policies that promote health.

The book also contains a CD-ROM that includes forms such as Wellness Plan Worksheet, Wellness Program Interest Survey, Treatment Center Evaluation Form, a Food and Exercise Diary among a few others.  Additionally, there are the audio MP3 files on Why Create a Wellness Program, Wellness Program Incentives, and Wellness Program - Walking.

Much of the information on health in this book can be found in greater detail in books specifically on the subject, but the short chapters here do provide the basics in a context of creating a wellness program for a work environment.  Each chapter was advised by an expert in the field so the advice is sound and accurate.

Like many Nolo books, there are many sidebars and boxes that provide additional resources on topics as well as success stories from business owners.  The credentials of the advising experts are also listed at the beginning of each chapter.

Health and fitness are extremely important and I'm a firm believer that preventing disease and keeping oneself fit will not only help people enjoy their lives more, but be happier and more productive workers.  Not to mention the lower cost of healthcare for medical problems that are preventable by living a healthier lifestyle.  I applaud businesses that take an interest in helping their employees become healthier by implementing wellness programs.  I think Bray's book "Healthy Employees, Healthy Business" can assist many businesses with encouraging employees to be healthier and starting programs to educate and assist them with their efforts.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer.