Another year, another office Christmas party. You book the office function room, pull out last year’s dusty decorations in the storeroom, flip through buffet catering catalogues and end up ordering everyone’s favourite platter of sausages and roast prime ribs. One word? Boring. This is not to say that being traditional is not a bad thing, but why not switch things up and do something a little different this year? Here are 8 fun alternative Christmas party ideas for your offic

The festive season is upon us. Christmas shopping, hosting and travelling are just some of the activities that are distracting us from putting in a 100 percent at work. Many of us look forward to spending more time with family and getting some well-deserved rest, away from the demands of work. Although it may be tempting to give a “motivational talk” to your employees to remain focused on work, the key is to have realistic expectations while ensuring a consistent level of out

Is there a perfect way of evaluating performance? Rating systems, ranking systems and objective based systems are just some of the common approaches to performance appraisal. Each of them has their advantages and limitations, hence it is important for managers to recognise the shortcomings of each system and know how to work around the limitations in evaluating their employees. What are rating systems? Rating systems are common and is popular in assessing performance in many

Most appraisals consist of an annual meeting between the manager and the direct report. In recent years, organisations have attempted to enhance the performance management system by incorporating feedback from various sources. One of these is called peer appraisal. Peer appraisal is the assessment of the individual by people working in the same job function and is considered as part of the 360 degree performance appraisal. There is evidence to suggest that peer assessments ar

Would you give a candid review of your boss for appraisal purposes? Managers are used to delivering feedback to employees during performance appraisal but what happens when the role is reversed? Giving feedback to your managers can be a daunting experience for many of us who are accustomed to the receiving end of feedback. In reality, great managers seek feedback and are open to change. Giving your manager feedback can help them improve. However, given the top-down culture of

It is year end at RST Company. Managers and employees are going through their annual routine of performance appraisal. Malcolm the Manager manages a team of 10 employees. He sure has a lot on his plate, having to meet with direct reports and filling out forms as Human Resources (HR) department needs the performance appraisal to be completed by the end of the month. Malcolm figures that the fastest way to do it would be to email a copy of the appraisal form to each employee he

How do you identify employees with potential? How do you know if someone is capable of taking on more responsibility or move on to leadership positions? Some companies may have formal programmes to select certain employees and observing their progress over a period of time while other companies wait till a crisis - such as a serious illness or sudden loss of key personnel to find the right people to fill the gaps. Here are some possibilities to consider to help you assess pot

How will your organisation cope if there is a loss of one or two key personnel due to sudden death or perhaps striking lottery and leaving a gap in the organisational chart? Replacement planning is about implementing backups for all important positions in the organisation. As the saying goes, “The show must go on”, hence both short-term and long-term planning is crucial to ensure business continuity. Here are 5 common mistakes to avoid when identifying replacements: 1. The “

Social relationship succession planning refers to the process of introducing successors to the professional contacts of individuals who are retiring from the organisation. Social relationships are crucial for preserving contacts between the organisation and its customers, suppliers and other 3rd party vendors whom the organisation work with for business success. If companies do not make the effort to pass on these relationships, business and productivity may suffer. Here are

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, organisations must continuously adapt to stay competitive. A learning organisation fosters an environment where continuous improvement, knowledge sharing, and adaptability are ingrained in its culture. Drawing from extensive research and industry expertise, here are the five key features that define a successful learning organisation. 1. Continuous Learning Culture A cornerstone of any learning organisation is a culture that pr

According to a research by CompTIA, 58% of employees said that professional development contributes to job satisfaction and this percentage grew even higher for Generation X and Millennials employees. In a world that is ever-changing, on-going learning is no longer optional but a necessity. As a manager, how can you get your employees to love training? Here are 7 ways to get started: 1.Choose the right format Most of us, at some point of time, have been to workshops or trai

Learning is an important aspect of any training programme. However, equally important is encouraging your employees to use what they have learnt and apply to their jobs. A 24X7 Learning survey revealed that only 12% of learners say they apply the skills from the training they receive to their job. For transfer of learning to happen, there is a need to have a supportive climate for transfer, managerial support, opportunity to apply new knowledge, peer support and technologica

Most high potential employees can benefit from a well-designed stretch assignment. However, there are some concerns and downsides that has to be carefully planned for. Here are some concerns and how to overcome them: 1. Putting inexperienced employees in an important role may put your business at risk Concern: Employees who are given tasks that require them to stretch their skills may not perform as well as those who are already in their role. Work done may not be error-f

Job rotations and stretch assignments allow employees to grow and learn within the organisation and exposes them to new aspects of the new environment. Here are 5 factors to consider in providing support and resources to make it work: 1. Tools of the trade Before embarking on the new role, ensure that employees have the relevant tools and materials. For instance, ensure that there is a work desk allocated to the employee if it is a desk job so that they will have a place

A job rotation programme moves employees through various positions within the company. It is not just a tool for employee development, but it helps to improve employee morale and retention as it promotes career growth opportunities within the organisation. Here are 5 tips to follow if you are new to job rotation: 1. Define the objectives for the job rotation The first step in any job rotation will be to define what is the purpose for the programme. What does the organi

Knowledge transfer is the process of transferring specialised knowledge from one person or group to others. For instance, when an experienced medical researcher retires, he brings valuable information acquired over the years with him. While it may be relatively easy to replace him with a younger successor, the knowledge he possesses cannot be easily replaced by others. Therefore, managers and companies have to take steps to actively transfer knowledge from mature, experienced

First Posted: September 4, 2017 Employee development is critical for both the employee and organisation’s growth. Creating an individual learning plan will boost your job performance using a structured approach. Here are the 5 steps to developing an individual learning plan. 1. Develop learning goals An individual learning plan may achieve one or several learning goals. Examples of such goals may be to develop or enhance capabilities in the current role or to plan for car

Team building activities are a good way to build up rapport and cohesiveness among the employees in your organisation. "Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people." --Steve Jobs Click here for our module on the 6 steps to follow to run a successful team building activity: http://noodlefactory.com.sg/course/6-steps-to-conduct-a-successful-team-building-activity

While team members are usually friendly and accommodating at the initial stages, there is bound to be conflict sooner or later. How you handle conflict among your employees demonstrates your ability to engage with employees. 1. Take every grievance seriously. If your employee is upset to the point that he or she has to come to you with the problem, that is reason enough for you to hear them out. He or she may be looking for someone to vent their frustrations on and look for a

Teambuilding with your employees can be fun, rewarding and productive. However, there are some challenges you may encounter during the teambuilding process. Here are some ways to tackle them: Employees do not understand the instructions Sometimes you may see employees asking one another what to do, nothing happens when the activity begins or them not doing what is expected. This could be due to poorly explained instructions, too lengthy or too fast. To prevent this from happ