New telecommuting statistics show environmental benefits

Sure, telecommuting helps the environment, but where’s the proof? Thanks to Sun Microsystems, we have it.

Sun Microsystems’ Open Work Energy Measurement Project is an internal study comparing energy use at home, in the office and during commuting of more than 100 participants in its flexible work program.

More than half (56%) of Sun Microsystems’ employees around the world work from home or in a flexible office arrangement. The nearly 19,000 employees are part of Sun’s Open Work platform, a program that has been recognized by the Environmental Defense Fund as an innovative example of eco responsibility.

The study found that by reducing time spent in the office to only 2.5 days a week, employees can significantly cut their energy usage and carbon footprint on the environment. Analysts tried to answer the question: “Does Open Work really save energy, or just transfer energy cost and load to employees?”

Here are some key findings:

• Sun employees saved more than $1,700 per year in gas and vehicle deterioration by working at home an average of 2.5 days a week.
• Office equipment energy consumption is double that of home office consumption. Only 64 watts per hour of energy consumption is needed at home, compared to 130 watts at the office.
• Commuting was 98% of each employee’s carbon footprint for work, compared to less than 1.7% of total carbon emissions to power office equipment.
• Eliminating commuting to just 2.5 days per week, employees reduce energy used for work by the equivalent of 5,400 Kilowatt hours/year.
• Working from home 2.5 days per week saved the employees in the study an average of 2.5 weeks of commute time (8 hours/day, 5 days/week).

Well, there’s the proof, take it or leave it.

The Form I-9 Hokey Pokey

Yesterday we reported on an urgent change with I-9 forms issued by the DHS. Today the same government website has withdrawn the statement that the existing form is no longer acceptable. In neither case was any information given beyond those single lines. No press release, no instructions, no details.

You put your right form in, you take your right form out....

So today we wait. Will it be the new form? Will it be the old form? Companies like GNeil who are scrambling to keep their clients in compliance are searching the Federal wires for a definitive answer. Should they keep their old inventory or scrap it? Should they tell clients to throw away the old forms, or encourage them to hold on to them, just in case the new detail (when and if it's finally released) includes a grace period.

You throw your old forms out, you keep you old forms in...

And companies like ours who act as a channel for training materials and information wait to see where the chips fall. Will this micro-announcement be followed by some major changes? Are there going to be training needs in here somewhere? I mean, getting in wrong when it comes to mindless forms can cost an employer thousands of very minded dollars.

You put your whole self in, you pull your whole self out,
You do the hokey pokey while the government turns us round
That's what it's all about.

Watch here or at the GNeil blog for more information as soon as DHS makes up its collective mind.

Friday office humor: Employee communication problems

Think your office has communication problems? Watch this ...



Happy Friday!

Changes to the I-9 form -- new training needed?

Today's statement on the USCIS government website indicated that the current I-9 form is no longer valid, effective immediately.

But before you start reading over the new form, looking for the changes, planning the new I-9 directions in the handbook, and the new verification process for new hires, take a deep breath.

I am going to walk you through the changes. Now. Here.

1) At the top of the I-9 form and its accompanying instruction form is a date. Your copy probably says "Expires 06/30/08." The new form says (are you ready?) "Expires 06/30/09"

2) At the bottom of the two forms, yours most likely says " Rev. 06-05-07." The new form says "Rev. 06/16/08."

That's it.

There are no other changes. According to the government's web site, the only new training you will need to do is to train someone to throw away the old forms immediately, and order new forms right away. The old otherwise identical forms are no longer valid.

This kind of reads like a Friday Funny. The saddest part is, it's not.

Interview etiquette: Have we all lost it?

Vault recently released results from an employer/employee survey about interview etiquette. Some of their results show that in some cases we may have lost some of our interview etiquette, while other findings hint that interview norms may be changing.

Some interesting survey results:

• 26% of job candidates have answered their cell phone during an interview
• 87% of job candidates were dressed inappropriately for an interview
• 98% of employers say it is acceptable to send a thank you note via email
• 59% of employers say job candidates’ manners during interviews have deteriorated over the years

You can find the full list of results at Vault, along with the results of how interviewees answered the same questions.

What do you think, have we all lost it? Has interview etiquette deteriorated over the years and in what ways?

Employee safety training: Ten tips for working in the summer heat

Long summer days have arrived and they’re hotter than ever. Without the proper safety training, your employees may not know how to work safely in the summer heat. Overexposure to heat may cause serious illness and even death.

During the summer months, employees should be trained on how to prevent heat-related illness when temperatures and humidity are high. Workers should know how to identify and respond to the onset of heat stress.

When someone is not able to cool off by sweating, heat-induced illness may creep in and can be severe enough to cause death. Exposure to heat may cause heat cramps, rashes, heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Symptoms of dangerous heat exposure include confusion, irrational behavior, loss of consciousness, hot/dry skin, and abnormally high body temperature.

Here are ten quick tips for employees working in the summer heat:

1. Drink plenty of cool water before working outdoors and drink small amounts of water frequently while you work.
2. Reduce physical activity when you start to feel lightheaded or overheated.
3. Take regular breaks in cool, shaded areas.
4. Wear light-colored, lightweight, and loose-fitting clothing. Cotton is usually a safe bet.
5. The sun is at its hottest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., so try to reschedule outdoor jobs outside of that time frame.
6. Wear sunscreen to protect against ultraviolet (UV) rays.
7. Wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect your face and neck from the sun.
8. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and too much sugar before and during work activities. Eat small meals before working outdoors.
9. Try to keep work in shaded areas.
10. Ask your doctor if any medications you’re taking can be dangerous in the sun.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created two free fact sheets on how to protect employees from the dangers of working in hot outdoor environments: Protecting Workers from the Effects of Heat explains heat stress and how to prevent it; Working Outdoors in Warm Climates recommends ways to protect employees from overexposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV) and offers information on insect-caused illnesses such as West Nile Virus and Lyme disease.

What moving can teach you about project management

Moving, especially when downsizing, can teach you valuable lessons in planning and project management. No matter how perfectly or smooth you imagine the move will be, something will inevitably go wrong and you'll have to improvise until you get it right.

Those over at Three Star Leadership wrote an interesting newsletter article sharing how an out-of-state move can teach us valuable lessons in project management.

Planning helps, but it still won't be perfect. "It's far easier to move digital representations of furniture than it is to move furniture." Planning will help you create an overview of how you think it is going to work, but there should be room for adjustment.

Some things you won't find out until you get there. Plan as much as you can, but you may have to adjust your plans after you get to the site or start a project. "No amount of planning can replace actually seeing how that sofa looks across from the fireplace."

It won't be perfect on the first try. "No matter how thoroughly you think things through, you're going to wind up with something different than the original plan." The more you plan, the more things can veer away from the plan. Like we said above in the first lesson, plan for adjustment.

"Sometimes 'good enough' is good enough." So, one painting hangs slightly lower than another, you'll get it right next time. The world is not perfect and anything you plan will probably turn out different than how you imagined it. Try again next time and maybe you're paintings will line up.

When something comes up and throws a wrench in your plans, it's how well you improvise and adjust your plans that will determine if the project (or move) was a success.

Friday office humor: What employees want

Our thanks goes out to Laurie Ruettimann at Punk Rock Human Resources (the blog formerly known as Team Building is for Suckers) for finding this insightful graph on GraphJam.

Turns out, some people don’t want to work on Fridays and would much rather “bang on the drum” all day. Graph Jam, “Pop Culture for People in Cubicles,” houses hundreds of user-submitted graphs that all take a humorous look at pop culture. A site worth checking out.

Video games at work increase employee productivity

Video games are making their way out of living rooms and into the office, but don’t be nervous. New evidence suggests gaming at work may benefit the workplace by decreasing worker stress and increasing productivity.

Rather than forbidding gaming, some U.S. companies are embracing gaming by replacing traditional coffee-fueled break rooms with areas specifically created for employees to play video games, according to a recent article from Entrepreneur.com. Companies that have created such rooms have seen a boost in employee morale and productivity, and gaming in the office has also helped attract younger employees.

“According to a recent survey by WorldWinner, a subsidiary of FUN Technologies Inc., more than 80 percent of online gamers who play on and off throughout the workday said they are able to better focus on work after playing. A reported 72 percent actually rely on game breaks to help them deal with job-related stress.”

Of the companies interviewed for the Entrepreneur.com article, none have had to set up rules or regulations for the game rooms. Some employees who have trouble regulating themselves may take advantage of the environment, but the companies agree that the positive results far outweigh any negatives.

While many companies have not embraced gaming as a positive way to reduce stress at work, it turns out employees will play anyway. Whether it’s on their phone or company computer, almost one in four workers game on the job.

Its estimated that as many as 80 million “white collar” workers in the U.S. play casual games, according to a survey by PopCap, the leading developer and publisher of casual games. Of those white collar workers surveyed, almost a quarter (24%) said they play at work along with 35% of CEOs, CFOs and other senior executives.

“It's natural that some business executives would also look to casual video games that they can play on their PC, mobile phone or BlackBerry during a work break, as a way to quickly relax and recharge their batteries,” said Carla Drum, a recognized expert on workplace issues, in a PopCap press release.

Those who play casual games at work acknowledged the following effects after taking a short game break at work:

• 84% said they felt "more relaxed and less stressed out."
• 52% said they felt more confident, more energetic, more productive and/or more mentally focused.

When asked to choose the single most important reason for playing casual games, 72% chose a reason related to improving their mental state.

Whether it’s taking a short break to chat on the phone or grab a cup of coffee, we all need to unwind every once in a while to refresh and regroup. Loading up a quick game may have the same effect, and without all the caffeine-jitters.

Six reasons why employees hate their first day and how you can make it better

First day at the new job - You show up, wait in the lobby until someone recognizes you’re the “newbie,” human resources walks you through a presentation on the company, helps you fill out the necessary forms, gives you a tour of the building, and drops you off at your desk just in time for lunch, which will most likely be alone. The first task on your to-do list is finding the bathroom that was somehow left out of that extensive company tour.

It’s no wonder why many new hires hate their first day on the job. After such an awkward and stressful day, it may take all they have not to run for the door to never be seen or heard from again.

Remember that first impressions go both ways and your company should be making the same effort to welcome a new hire, as they try to show you that hiring them was a good decision.

Here are the top reasons why people usually hate their first day on the job and some ways you can make it a better experience.

1. The company tour skipped a room or two. It may seem like a small thing for someone who has been working in the same building for five years, but the bathroom may be a tough find for a newbie. Don’t forget to show new employees where little, but important things are such as the supply closet, break rooms and bathrooms.

2. Their manager was missing in action all day. Busy days and deadlines are inevitable. As a manager, do your best to block out time to spend with the new hire. If that can’t happen, pair the new employee up with someone who can. It can help ease any first day anxiety and possibly kick start a new office friendship.

3. They were overloaded with lists of rules. Signing the employee handbook is an important step during any onboarding process, but telling someone all the reasons they could be fired may not be the best introduction to the company. Give an employee some time to get a feel for the office culture before throwing the rulebook in front of them.

4. They’re confused as to what their job is and how they’ll be doing it. Sometimes a first day is so full of paperwork and legalities that no one seems to mention why the employee was hired. Talk about the new employee’s responsibilities, show them a little of what they’ll be working on and the tools they’ll be using to get their job done.

5. They were starving all day. Even when it’s not your first day, eating lunch alone is sad. Look at an employee’s first day as an excuse for everyone to go out to lunch. It will help the new employee get a feel for the company culture and turn strangers in the hall into friendly faces.

6. They had a serious case of information overload by the end of the day. The first day at a new job can be a nerve-wracking experience for anyone. Don’t overwhelm a new person with too much information, or too many people to remember. Try to spread out the information and introductions over the first few weeks.

The best way to know how to handle onboarding new employees is to look back at your personal experiences. Try to remember all of the things you didn’t like about your first day and make an effort to change that for the new employee.

If you’re one of the extremely lucky ones and can’t remember any bad moments, do a quick survey of your coworkers to find out what they hated about their first day and what could have been done to fix it.

Employees want to know they made the right decision by taking the new job. Don’t let a bad first day have the new hire rethinking their decision. Do your best to make them feel like a part of the team as soon as possible.

Video: Training in Second Life

If you find yourself lost when people start talking about Second Life or don’t think you could ever use it as an employee learning tool, there’s help.

Tony Karrer at eLearning Technology compiled a great little collection of Second Life learning videos to give you a sense of what it looks like and how it works. Take a look for some ideas on how it could be used as an effective employee training and development tool.

Here’s one video on some of the educational uses of Second Life, but you can find the full list at eLearning Technology.



For more videos with essential information for trainers, the HR Creations channel on YouTube is another convenient resource. HR Creations shares their personal expertise and has compiled playlists full of videos on topics such as training, employee issues and leadership.

The one thing young employees want at work

No, it’s not a Xbox or Wii in the office - they just want their opinion heard and valued.

During a webinar on the recently released report, Ready to Lead? Next Generation Leaders Speak Out, one older caller asked “What is one thing Millennials want, to feel better at work?” The first thing that popped into my head was “Ask for my opinion, and when you do at least consider it.”

The above quote is from Social Citizen, a blog by Tera Wozniak, a self-defined Millenial and nonprofit professional who offers great insight into the mind of the young professional.

Recently the editor of the Harvard Business Review asked the same question - “Are You Underutilizing Younger Employees?”

At a post-conference cocktail party, the HBR editor realized he may be too quick to overlook or dismiss smart young professionals. After listening to the opinions of young professionals from a variety of fields, they all shared the same desire - to be heard.

Allowing younger employees to enter conversations and have their comments validated can do wonders for their career confidence. With more confidence in their ideas, a Generation Y employee will feel more inclined to share their opinion in other areas of their work. It also allows the employee to learn valuable problem solving techniques of experienced employees.

So, adding to the list of what Gen Y wants from their employers, add “being heard” to the list. Along with ongoing recognition and flexibility, being a part of workplace conversations is a top priority.

Friday office humor: Take Your Dog to Work Day

First we were taking our daughters to work, then it was expanded to every kid, now there’s a movement to bring our pooches to the office.

Next Friday, June 20, 2008 is Take Your Dog to Work Day, sponsored by Pet Sitters International. They even have a theme song.

Take Your Dog to Work Day (TYDTWDay), first celebrated 10 years ago, was created to “celebrate the great companions dogs make and to encourage their adoption from humane societies, animal shelters and breed rescue clubs.”

“This annual event encourages employers to experience the value of pets in their
workplace for this one special day to promote pet adoptions.”

Pets in the workplace give a boost to employee morale, productivity and sales, according to Pet Sitters. A 2006 APPMA survey indicated that one in five companies allow pets in the workplace and that millions of employees felt that pets in the workplace led to a more creative environment, decreased absenteeism, improved productivity and helped co-workers bond.

Whether you want to encourage employee wellness or just want to hang out with your dog at work, give Take Your Dog to Work Day a try and let us know how it goes.

No creativity in the office? Buy some paint

More small businesses are using creative design to boost employee creativity. From electronic dance mats to white board covered walls, offices are implementing new creative tools into office design.

A recent article titled “Small businesses say no to a dull office” from the UK Times Online, examines small businesses that are drawing inspiration right off the walls of their workplace.

Shokk, a youth fitness firm that owns a number of youth-only, maintains a corporate environment that mirrors what their company does for the public. Employees are encouraged to use skateboards to travel around the office and relax by flying remote-control planes above their desks.

“It’s so easy these days to hide behind a PC and send out e-mails. Getting everyone onto the dance mat for 15 minutes followed by a brain-storming session has proved extremely effective,” said Kieran Murphy, Shokk managing director.

Along with fostering creativity in the office, the rapidly growing company hopes that its dynamic office environment will help attract fitting employees.

The Chief Happiness Officer (CHO) also thinks physical office space matters to enhance employee productivity, creativity and happiness.

“Many companies have buildings that are sleek, modern, architectural glass-steel-and-cement sculptures on the outside – and cubicle wastelands on the inside. These companies need to remember that most employees tend to work inside the building.”

Check out the CHO’s post on some “seeeeeriously” cool workplaces for some visual inspiration.

Gray cube walls do little to help foster employee creativity and do even less in reflecting the company culture you strive to achieve. It doesn’t mean you have to go out today and revamp your entire office. It could take as little as a can of paint or an interesting piece of art to start inspiring creativity at your office.

The CHO also shares some cool ways to “pimp” your workplace and add a little color to your workday. Here are a few favorites:

Softwalls – walls made from paper and felt that can be twisted into almost any shape you want.

Bean bags – you know what they are. Pick some bright colors, throw in a coffee table and you’ve got a super comfortable meeting room.

The Conference Bike – 1 steers, 7 pedal. Looks a little clownish, but also a lot of fun.

Art table – find a cool table in a cool shape or color and let the creativity flow.

Mobile learning: Fast and thrifty employee training

Employee training is taking more steps outside the office, even out from behind computer screens, and is making its way into your pocket.

Mobile learning, commonly used in Europe and Asia, is a tool that is just beginning to gain ground in the United States. Large companies across the country have adopted the method as a way to deliver employee training materials to employees on the go.

Mobile learning, sometimes called m-learning, delivers content to PDAs and cell phones, providing flexibility for workers who may not be behind a computer everyday.

Black & Decker has been using mobile learning content as a way to cut down on waste, speed up delivery time and gain better quality control over the training for its 300 field reps, according to a recent article in Workforce Management.

Before mobile learning, Black & Decker was sending each field rep manuals, photographs and other paper materials to guide them in a list of activities including setting up retail displays, educating store staff on new products, shelf placement and inventory control.

“But there was no way to track whether they were reading or following the guidelines, or whether they’d even received them,” said Cesar Saavedra, field sales analyst for Black & Decker. “You get bombarded with so many communications when you work in the field, there is so much waste and no accountability. A lot of it never even gets looked at.”

The company now uses a mobile learning system that delivers quick two- to three-minute information segments directly to reps’ PDAs. The short clips deliver the same information they would have received in paper, but enhanced with product videos, task lists and quizzes.

Mobile learning has helped Black & Decker save money and creates more accountability, because they are able to track who opens and reads files.

“While the idea of replacing paper-based training with multimedia content may sound expensive, it actually costs less and takes less time.”

Cost savings come from the elimination of printing and mailing learning materials, which take time and money to produce and deliver.

Merrill Lynch was recently recognized for its innovation in mobile learning at the 2008 Wireless Enterprise Symposium for its GoLearn project. The project enables employees to access learning materials during down time, including daily commutes and business travel.

Mobile learning using BlackBerry smartphones has produced measurable results for Merrill Lynch in gained time and productivity.

“Using BlackBerry smartphones to deliver learning has been so effective that participants now take their courses in about 45% less time, saving about four to six hours in lost productivity per annum. These employees have also scored hire on competency exams than their colleagues studying in a traditional online format,” said Kristofor Swanson, global HR mobile strategy lead at Merrill Lynch.

As mobile device technology improves and connections gain speed, mobile learning may start to gain more ground as and effective employee training method.

Tips to plan an effective and memorable team building event

Team building events outside of the office can help strengthen the bonds between coworkers in ways that can’t be done inside the four walls of a building.

Those left back in the office may look at your outing as an excuse to have fun and get out of the office for a day or two. The folks on the trip may see it that way, too.

Before you take a group on an adventurous outing, thoroughly plan ahead and follow up back at the office to make sure your team building goals are achieved and the day doesn’t turn into just another fun day out.

TrainingZONE, an organizational learning and development community from the UK, recently published an article on the topic and came up with a few points to help employees transfer their experience back to the office. Here are some of the best tips:

Develop clear and simple outcomes. Don’t make it complicated and try to achieve too many things in one day. People will only take away about three messages, according to the author, so keep your message simple.

Involve the team in planning. Take a quick survey of what worked and failed on the last outing and determine what they would like to get out of this trip. Managers should still have control and set clear parameters for the outing, but employees can help come up with new ideas.

Plan with the trainers. Bring the trainers into the planning process early to ensure they know your goals and budget. They may have suggestions on how to achieve team building goals more effectively and for less money.

Create a memorable event. Remember that your goal is for employees to bring what they learned back to the office and implement it into their daily activities. Plan on follow up activities in the office to drive the team building message home.

Make the event relevant and be consistent. No matter what the activity, make sure it stays relevant to the real world at work. “If the connection to work is lost altogether the event becomes fairly meaningless ‘play.’” Also remember to keep the event consistent with your company values and make it fit with your company culture.

A little bit of planning ahead can go a long way to help employees retain what they learned at the team building event. In ever step of the planning process remember that your goal is to have employees implement the lessons they learned at the event back in the office. Without proper planning and follow up, your goal may be lost and buried under the day everyone had outside.

Don't forget about our newsletter

Hopefully you all have taken some time to sign up for Training Trends - TrainingTime.com's informative monthly newsletter. If you haven't done so yet, it only takes a second and you will be all set to receive all the tantalizing tidbits of training information available in July's edition of Training Trends.

For those of you who haven't subscribed to Training Trends yet, here is a snippet from June's edition - Effective Training Solutions for National Safety Month.

The 5 keys to improving safety in your office

More than 4 million workplace injuries and illnesses were reported in 2006, and nearly a third of them involved days away from work. Not only is this a drain on employee morale and productivity, but it also hits your company’s pocketbook through increased workers’ comp claims and insurance rates.

Every employee has a right to a safe and healthy workplace. For this to happen, managers and supervisors need to identify and eliminate risks, properly train employees on safe work habits and reinforce these habits on a daily basis.

Since June is Safety Month, now is the ideal time to get your health and safety program on firm footing. Start with these steps:

1) Conduct thorough safety inspections

Walk through your business and check all chemical container labels, fuse boxes, fire extinguishers and obstructed views, as well as taking note of noise and air quality levels. Make sure that desk chairs and computer workstations are ergonomically compliant. And check that tornado, fire, flood and earthquake procedures and evacuation routes or shelters are clearly posted.

Read More

For all you HR and training experts out there, if you are interested in writing content for Training Trends or TrainingTime.com's Learning Library, check out this page for information on how to write for us.

Presentation and public speaking tips: A lesson from Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is used to speaking in front of an audience of thousands, make that hundreds of thousands when you factor in YouTube. His skill as a presenter is envied by many and attained by few.

No matter how big or small your audience may be, you can deliver a speech or presentation like the great Steve Jobs. Earlier this year, Carmine Gallo, a BusinessWeek communications coach, broke down Jobs’ Macworld Conference & Expo keynote into a 10-part framework anyone can follow.

Set a theme. Jobs opened the conference, and set the overall theme by saying “There’s something in the air today.” He later hinted at the release of the MacBook Air laptop. Once you’ve determined your theme, Gallo advises repeating that theme a few times throughout your presentation.

Be enthusiastic. “Remember your audience wants to be wowed, not put to sleep.” Inject your own personality into a presentation and don’t skip the fun. If you don’t have enthusiasm for the subject, how can your audience have any?

Create an outline and share it. Let your audience know what you will be talking about and in the order they can expect it. “There are four things I want to talk about today ...” Keep your audience posted throughout the presentation as to where you are and how much they should expect to follow.

Try creating an unforgettable moment. Jobs used a demonstration of how the MacBook Air can fit inside a manila envelope, what can you build up to in your presentation?

Create visual slides. Leave out the data, text and charts. Instead, use meaningful images. “Inspiring presenters are short on bullet points and big on graphics.”

Show, don’t tell. Multimedia, product demonstrations, role playing and guest speakers can all enhance your presentation to help keep everyone engaged and awake.

Plan for mistakes. No matter how much you prepare, something can always go wrong. Try to make light of a minor mishap and move on.

Focus on benefits. Instead of focusing on product features, Jobs keeps the focus on benefits. “Your listeners are always asking themselves, ‘What’s in it for me?” Answer the question directly.

Practice makes perfect. If Steve Jobs has to practice, so do you. He makes his presentations look effortless because of the time he puts into rehearsing the material.

While none of us claim to be as skilled as Steve Jobs, everyone can learn a little something from his presentations. You can read Gallo’s full article and more from his weekly columns at BusinessWeek.

It pays to quit at Zappos

Getting paid to quit? What kind of nonsense is that?

If you’re counting down the hours on the clock until the end of this fine Friday, and you’ve been counting down the hours to each day this week, getting paid to quit may sound like a fantastic idea to you. And, if you work for Zappos, the billion dollar shoe retailer, you would get some cash when handing in your resignation.

At Zappos, it pays to quit, exactly $1,000.

They call it “The Offer.” Every new hire is give the offer - “If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount of time you’ve worked, plus a $1,000 bonus.” Quite a generous bribe.

Why would such a successful company do such a thing? They want to hang onto employees who are fully committed to the company, not one who will take some fast cash and run when given the chance. About 10% of new call-center employees take Zappos up on the offer.

The company would rather get rid of the bad apples sooner than later, and they’re willing to pay for employees to jump ship. Over the years the bribe amount has gone from $100 to $500, and now is at the $1,000 mark. As the company grows, that figure may grow along with it.

Seven ways to reduce stress at work

Many employers today are focused on fostering a healthy workplace, even with all the campaigning for employees to eat right and exercise, there’s still one factor that might be working against you – job stress.

Stress on-the-job poses a health risk to individual employees as well as the company as a whole. A recent daily tip from BusinessWeek, focused on ways we can all reduce stress in the workplace.

When stress lingers through an extended period of time, “the body is kept in a constant state of activation, creating increased wear and tear to biological systems.”

Common causes of job stress: corporate culture, interpersonal relationships, roles and responsibilities on the job, how work tasks are designed, career concerns and environmental conditions.

Seven ways to combat employee stress at work:

1. Ensure that an employee’s workload fits their capabilities and they have the resources to complete their tasks.
2. Design jobs and tasks that give meaning, stimulation and opportunities for employees to demonstrate their skills.
3. Make sure employees’ job responsibilities are clearly defined.
4. Allow workers to participate in decisions and actions that affect their jobs.
5. Provide opportunities for social interaction.
6. Be sensitive to employees’ demands and responsibilities outside of work and mold work schedules to fit those demands.
7. Pay attention to your employees’ state of mind from day to day. Recognize symptoms of stress and encourage employees to take a break from time to time.

Five effective safety training tips for teen employees

The new Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) passed on May 21, 2008, included provisions that increase penalties for child labor violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The increased fines apply to death or serious injury to children and went into effect the same day GINA was signed. Employers now face a maximum penalty of $50,000 for each violation with the possibility of up to $100,000 in penalties for cases involving repeated or willful employer violations.

Properly training employees is the number one defense to warding off workplace injuries. Especially during the summer months when more teenagers are employed, it is crucial to have all employees fully trained in safety procedures.

The increased FLSA fines come just as the Department of Labor (DOL) kicks off National Safety Month, an annual campaign to save lives through awareness of injury prevention and the leading causes of unintentional injury and death.

Even though June has already started, it’s not too late to kick off your own safety month to make sure all of your employees have the proper safety training, including those young summer hires. Here are five tips for effective safety training for teen employees:

1. Use a computer-based/online training program. Teens today do everything on the Internet from talking to their friends to buying a new T-shirt.
2. Define your expectations. Young employees want to know exactly what you want from them and how safety training will benefit their lives.
3. Report on employee progress. Let young employees know how they’re progressing through the training program. They want to be sure they’re on the right track to meeting your expectations.
4. Reward their achievements. However small or large the achievement may be, teen and Gen Y employees need constant feedback on their progress. Be honest, direct and fair in your communication.
5. Ask for feedback. Gen Y, sometimes called Gen “Why?” always think there is a better way to do something and want you to hear what they have to say. Be open to new ideas, they may benefit your training program in ways you never thought before.
   

Read the full article “Targeting Employees Under 30 – Effective Safety Training Methods for a New Generation of Worker” from our TrainingTime Learning Library.

Connect new employees with Web 2.0

New employees can feel out of place and lonely during their first few weeks of work and are on the outside of an intricate social network that will take time to become a part of.

Studies have shown that in about 85% of companies, new hire passion and morale dramatically declines after the first six months.

Some organizations are keeping the passion alive by connecting new employees with others in the organization through social networking tools. It involves a lot of trust in your employees to use the tools for strictly work purposes, but the benefits may heavily outweigh the risk.

Thanks to the HR Capitalist for finding this insightful mini-presentation by Sacha Chua, complete with superbly drawn stick figures, on how Web 2.0 can help connect new hires faster than before.

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Using Second Life for virtual corporate training and communication

Companies, universities and conference planners are using Second Life technology to connect and train employees and students across the globe. If your company is trying to spice up dull meetings or cut remote employee training costs, Second Life may hold a solution for you.

Jenna Sweeney, author of the Corporate Training & e-Learning Blog, reviewed a Forrester Research report stating that “within five years the 3D Internet will become as important to companies as the Web is today.” While she holds a “wait-and-see attitude” toward that statement, she still believes the technology holds true benefits in the corporate world.

While we still don’t know the depth of the impact Second Life and virtual worlds will have on corporate life, it provides a glimpse into the possibilities of corporate communication in the future.

Right now, the opportunities seem endless – from remote collaboration and employee training to 3D projects and models. Companies like Sun Microsystems, Best Buy and IBM have are a few companies ahead of the game.

Sun Microsystems has been developing real estate in Second Life since 2006. The computer server and software maker owns exactly seven islands, two of which are reserved for the general public. The other five islands are used for corporate training sessions and meetings.

At one corporate event in April, Sun Microsystems corporate executives socialized with hundreds of employees, enjoying Alpine skiing, car racing and jazz music.

Sun held the event after acquiring a software company in order to introduce new employees to existing employees at their home office. Second Life was the best solution.

Sun only has one rule: Employees should show up looking like humans. It doesn’t worry many other companies if employees take the form of animals or other beings while on the clock. (LA Times)

“Corporate America is still learning to embrace Second Life, where creative
self-expression is expected.”

IBM, with almost 387,000 employees in 170 countries, uses Second Life and other virtual communities to conduct meetings, train new employees and hold orientation sessions.

Second Life is helping IBM learn how to hold more efficient meetings. If someone wanders off track during a meeting, colleagues can send messages telling that person to get back on track. Salespeople use Second Life to test sales pitches on colleagues, with immediate feedback.

As the IBM spokesperson said in a recent LA Times article, overseeing a virtual workplace can be much more difficult than tracking a real one. When IBM first started using the technology, employees would show up to virtual meetings wearing inappropriate attire or as bizarre creatures. As time went on, the virtual world evolved just as a real community would – after laying down some ground rules, professionalism returned.

If and how the rest of the corporate world will adopt virtual worlds is still up in the air. We would like to hear from you - Does your company use any kind of Second Life or virtual communication tools to foster employee communication?