Being able to staff critical positions is important to maintaining an IT departments level of service. Vacations, sick days, family emergencies and medical leaves are but a few of the normal threats to staffing critical positions. How are these normal absences a threat to an IT department? In the same manner that retirements are a threat by having all of those skills walk out the door, see “IT … [Read more...]
How a Proactive IT Manager Can Handle Any Crisis
Today many IT professionals are expected to do more with less. This means there more pressure with less time, more work with fewer staff members, and more control with less tolerance for mistakes. All of these can put the business at risk unless processes, plans and monitoring are put in place to handle potential problems. The solution to the problem lies in using a proactive management style … [Read more...]
Management Tool – Employee Performance Log (PLog) System
There are many times when a manager needs to recall facts and information about an employee. During performance reviews and dealing with disciplinary issues top the list. As a manager one tool I have found to be very useful for this task is keeping an employee performance log (PLog) for each of my reports. An employee performance log is a written record of performance issues, kudos and any … [Read more...]
Dealing With Harassment and Discrimination in the Workplace
Anywhere people work together conflict is inevitable. As a manager you must work to promote healthy associate relationships and deal with conflict in a constructive manner. Harassment in the workplace is a serious issue every manager should educate themselves on. Sooner or later you will deal with it. Sometimes what starts as poking fun or seemingly innocent banter between associates can grow … [Read more...]
The Gemba Walk – A Tool For IT Management and Leadership
A management technique known as “The Gemba Walk” is about getting managers and leadership out of their offices and into the workplace. An Information Technology department by nature is in a constant state of change. For this reason a Gemba walk is a good way for IT managers and leaders to stay in touch with everything that goes on in the workplace. The idea behind the post “The Keys to … [Read more...]
Survey Finds Workplace Technology Etiquette Blurred Between Generations
A national survey of legal professionals found that while technology is widely embraced among attorneys, significant gaps exist among generations regarding its use and application in the workplace. The newly released Technology Gap Survey found generational differences in the effect of technology on workplace etiquette, the blurring boundaries between personal and professional tasks, and the … [Read more...]
New Study Shows Many Companies Falling Short on Succession Management
Surviving the economic downturn and thriving in a post-recession world will require strong and well-developed pools of talent. But most companies are still using succession management plans that are decades old, too rigid and too focused on top jobs, says a new report co-authored by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®), a top-ranked, global provider of executive education, and Bersin & … [Read more...]
ExecTweets – Find and Follow To Business Execs on Twitter
Twitter and Federated Media have teamed up to create ExecTweets, a Microsoft sponsored site featuring Twitter feeds from “top business execs”. So far response has been mixed. Since this is an effort to make money off of Twitter some are bashing it for that reason alone. I think like any new service it will take some time to build. A lot will depend on the quality of the tweets as most … [Read more...]