7 Halloween Tips For The Workplace

by EmiratesCommunityAdmin | Oct 30, 2018 | HR & Finance

1. Attract good spirits with treats.

If your office or cubicle is in a high traffic area, have a bowl of treats for passers-by. You may not have a sugar tooth yourself, but this small gesture will be appreciated by your neighbors—it’s also a simple way to strike up conversations.

2. If you’re buried, shut your door.

Not everyone has the time or the interest to participate in holiday festivities. If this is the case for you, shut the door to your office to let everyone know they’re walking past a social graveyard. If you are stuck in a cubicle, hang a tombstone with a do not disturb message.

3. Respect the dead.

If you know someone is buried with a project, don’t barge in and interrupt just because you want to show off your clown nose or T-shirt that reads “This is  my Halloween costume.” Of course if you must enter the graveyard you can soften the blow with treats.

4. Catch co-workers in your web.

Decorate your area to lure office traffic. With co-workers showing up, you might be able to highlight a new project you’re working on or resource they didn’t know was available. Just be sure not to make your area an obstacle course people purposely avoid.

5. Don’t rattle the chains too loud.

There’s a lot of creepy dolls and animatronic limbs that make noise when people walk by. If you grace your haunted cubicle with one of these, be sure the volume is turned down or only turned on in off-peak hours when your co-workers won’t be disturbed by screams and howls every 5 minutes.

6. Keep an eye on the little goblins.

If your kids are stopping by the office, don’t let them run rampant. Some companies allow kids to trick or treat from office to office before hitting the streets where the real action is at. If you have a family-friendly office be sure to escort your kids around—sometimes the bosses office can be scarier than a haunted house.

7. Dress like a clown.

Or a pirate. Or a ballplayer. Just be sure that your costume is work appropriate. That means nothing too sexy, offensive or violent. Also make sure your costume isn’t overly bulky, in that it effects your job or the work of those around you. It would be embarrassing to walk around the office inadvertently knocking things over. Lastly, keep it comfortable. Masks might get annoying after a few hours (or perhaps minutes), whereas a little makeup is likely more pleasant for most. Moreover, giant spider legs sticking out of your back would make it difficult to sit down too—maybe that’s why Spider-Man simply put the emblem on his chest.

Source : https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecooper/2012/10/31/7-halloween-tips-for-the-workplace/#375dc2a77c14

12 Ways To Boost Your HR’s Succession Planning Effectiveness

by EmiratesCommunityAdmin | Oct 28, 2018 | HR & Finance

Human resources is an important function of any company. One of its most critical jobs is hiring workers who fit the ethics and needs of the company. Beyond that, with an eye to the future, HR professionals are also usually in charge of succession planning, wherein employees are matched to potential future job openings, for which they will be trained to become a successor.

The ability to match the right person to the right future job is often difficult, due to constantly shifting variables such as employee outgoing-incoming flux. How can HR’s role in succession planning be made more effective? How can the succession planning process be improved to see better results?

Below, 12 members of Forbes Human Resources Council explain their role in succession planning and their most effective practices.

1. Mobilize Talent

HR’s role in succession planning is to mobilize talent. Succession plans enable companies to respond to gaps, reducing the risk of a loss of business continuity. HR should challenge leaders to identify and develop high-quality and diverse talent. However, go beyond the “normal” replacement approach — to gain the highest value, incorporate scenario planning. – Dr. Dale Albrecht, Alonos

2. Identify And Develop New Leaders

HR plays a vital role in succession planning. It’s our job to not only hire great talent, but also to identify and develop new leaders. Succession planning increases the readiness of experienced and capable employees who are prepared to assume leadership roles as they become available. One of our goals is to ensure there are no key positions open that we don’t have another employee prepared to go into. – Tania White, The Loretto Hospital

3. Focus On L&D Programming

To be more effective, HR professionals should focus on their L&D programming. What opportunities are in place to identify potential leaders? What programs are available to develop critical skills? More than moving a body, HR needs to prepare individuals to meet future challenges. With this approach, organizations can watch their talent rise when the time comes to fill key positions. – Dr. Kelly Lum, Highgate

4. Facilitate A Great Discussion

Succession planning is all about understanding your talent and anticipating future needs of the business. It’s a great opportunity to calibrate potential, risk and opportunities for development. Ask questions like who is at risk of leaving and what would the impact be, what could we do to retain them and how do we prepare them for their next role or to be more effective in their current one? – Molly Nuhring, Otis Elevator

5. Keep Succession Plans A Priority

HR’s role in succession planning should be to ensure it remains a top priority. A succession plan requires ongoing work from management, as well as prospects (who must agree to becoming successors). However, as employees move in and out of the company, training needs, schedules and potential successors change. Therefore, HR must ensure succession plans remain up to date. – John Feldmann, Insperity

6. Identify Business-Critical Roles

The HR team needs to ensure business-critical roles are identified based on business needs. They need to work with department heads to identify competencies and experience needed for each of these roles. They ensure employees can assess against these roles and managers can provide input on potential against current and future roles. Finally, a development plan can be prepared to close skills gaps. – Linda Ginac, TalentGuard

7. Identify Top Performers

Human resources should identify the organization’s top performers through analyzing competencies and potential roles. This practice is most effective when identifiers and measurements are well-interpreted. HR should use the appropriate instruments to provide the most accurate measurements and avoid overlooking potential.  – Tiffany Jensen, Pure Grips

8. Be A Development Partner

Be a strong advocate of people development. Have a strong process of talent identification and make sure proper training, including coaching and mentoring, is provided to those talented people to boost their careers. This process can make it easier for an organization to have a good selection of potential successors, while providing visible proof to employees of their career opportunities. – Grace Garcia, PDC Operations (Australia) Pty. Ltd – ROHQ

9. Facilitate A Lean Process

Succession planning can be overwhelming. It is best to have HR facilitate a simple process to prompt leaders to future-plan. This could mean creating quick profiles for executives that ask for each role, “Who is this person successor to?” “Who is a successor to them?” and “Who would cover in an emergency?” It’s that last question that gets people in motion, adding or grooming talent as needed. – Stacey Browning, Paycor

10. Put Success Back In Succession Planning

HR is responsible for driving the plan to fruition, while program accountability falls to the leaders who require the planning and the executive team owns plan sponsorship. To increase effectiveness, keep it simple. Align the plan to company goals and values, focus on targeted development or talent acquisition where skill gaps exist, balance performance versus potential and measure outcomes. – Dr. Timothy J. Giardino, Cantata Health, LLC

11. Capture Critical Knowledge

HR’s role must include a process to identify and capture critical knowledge. Succession planning tends to target leadership roles, but also consider those transitioning roles or retiring. What processes is the individual responsible for? Who is cross-trained? What are the obstacles? Identifying successors is important, but ensuring critical knowledge does not walk out the door is paramount. – Sandi Wilson, FinTek Consulting

12. Help Leaders Understand Individual Strengths

Losing star performers, giving up market advantage and incurring added costs — these are the risks companies face without ongoing succession planning. HR teams can facilitate the succession experience by helping leadership understand people’s strengths and potential. By having these imperative conversations with leadership early and often, you will secure the future of the company. – Lisa Sterling, Ceridian

Source : https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2018/10/22/12-ways-to-boost-your-hrs-succession-planning-effectiveness/#58ad74773e29

Weekly Market Summary – 28th October 2018

by EmiratesCommunityAdmin | Oct 28, 2018 | HR & Finance

Sean Burgess | PraxisIFM Asset Manager and Co-Founder Emirates HR

US INDICES DROP INTO CORRECTION TERRITORY

Classified by a 10 percent decline from recent highs, with only the Dow Jones Industrial Average avoiding this as large-cap utilities, real-estate and consumer staples held up better than other sectors. The tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped over 4 percent on Wednesday, whilst later in the week Google’s parent company Alphabet and online retail giant Amazon both fell after they missed revenue forecasts.

US ECONOMY GREW AT 3.5 PERCENT IN THE THIRD QUARTER

Measured at an annualised rate, which is a slow-down from the 4.2 percent pace in the second quarter but higher than economists had forecast. The slowdown had been expected as exports declined after companies had boosted shipments earlier in the year to beat tariffs, however strong government and consumer spending helped support the economy over the three months.

NO-DEAL BREXIT COULD COST UK GROWTH 1.6 PERCENT

According to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr), due to the impact of the UK reverting to the WTO’s most-favoured-nation status. In contrast, Niesr’s report forecast that leaving the EU with an agreement that maintained many of the current arrangements would help the economy grow 1.9 percent next year, up from the think tank’s earlier target of 1.7 percent.

CHINA’S YUAN NEARS 10-YEAR LOW

With one dollar reaching 6.982 midweek and coming close to the phycological barrier of 7 yuan which was last crossed during the financial crisis a decade ago. Whilst a weaker currency helped pushed equities higher, with the Shanghai Composite index up 1.2 percent for the week, it could lead to large capital outflows which could destabilise China as well as compound economic fears across Asia.

OIL PRICES FALL FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE WEEK

With WTI crude down 12 percent from the four-year high it hit earlier in the month, as bullish investors retreat. Earlier in the month prices had risen on forecasts that US sanctions on Iran would create a 1 million barrel a day hole in global output, however rising OPEC and Russia oil production, plus concerns of global growth and the US trade war, have led to fears of oversupply in the short-term.

In other financial news:

• Italy’s outlook cut to negative, with S&P Global Ratings citing market unease as the key factor, although the country’s credit rating escaped another downgrade.
• Brazilian stocks survive the global sell-of, with the Bovespa index rising over 1 percent, as markets priced in the victory of Jair Bolsonaro in the presidential election.
• South African assets decline, with stocks, bonds and the rand all falling, as investors anticipate that Moody’s will cut the country’s sovereign debt into junk status.
• China created two new billionaires a week, according to a report by UBS and PwC that analysed data from 2017, with the billionaires’ joint wealth reaching $1.12 trillion.

Weekly Market Summary – 21st October 2018

by EmiratesCommunityAdmin | Oct 21, 2018 | HR & Finance

Sean Burgess | PraxisIFM Asset Manager and Co-Founder Emirates HR

US LARGE-CAPS OUTPERFORM

With the S&P 500 and Dow Jones finishing the week marginally higher whilst the tech-heavy Nasdaq and small-cap Russell 2000 declined. The first week of corporate earnings reports for the third quarter were generally positive, with Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Netflix beatings analyst expectations, however investor confidence remains negative on global political and economic concerns.

NO-DEAL BREXIT BECOMING A REALITY

Forcing the pound lower against the greenback, after UK Prime Minister Teresa May suggested that she could extend the deadline and leave Britain under EU rules until at least 2021. The chance of a no-deal hit 50 percent in some camps, whilst other economists forecast a deal could be reached but it would come down to the wire. The pound closed at $1.3072, after being as high as $1.3233 midweek.

ITALY’S CREDIT RATING CUT TO BAA3

One level above junk, with Moody’s Investors Service citing concerns on the nation’s fiscal strength, stalled structural reforms and the new government’s planned budget deficit, as key factors in the cut. The 10-year government bond hit 3.73 percent last week, a 4-year high, after the EU reprimanded Italy’s government for breaking EU borrowing limits with their planned 2.4 percent budget deficit.

CHINA’S ECONOMY EXPANDED AT 6.5 PERCENT

Measured in the third quarter from a year earlier, the slowest rate of growth since 2009. The Shanghai index also fell to a 4-year low as the country faces higher debt levels and trade tensions with the US, although the full impact of the trade war will only become clear in the coming months. The currency hit its weakest level since 2016 and could break the 7 yuan per dollar psychological level.

OIL PRICES FELL FOR A SECOND CONSECUTIVE WEEK

With the international benchmark Brent crude down 0.3 percent, despite Friday’s recovery on strong demand from China. Oil imports to China, the world’s second largest importer, rose in September to a record 12.5 million barrels per day even whilst the economy slowed. The discount of US benchmark WTI to Brent crude hit $11 a barrel, the widest margin since June, on rising US inventory.

In other financial news:

• Eurozone inflation hit 2.1 percent in September, exceeding the ECB’s 2 percent target and supporting the central bank’s plans to start tightening monetary policy.
• UK inflation dropped to 2.4 percent in September, down from 2.7 percent the month before, whilst the unemployment rate remained at 4 percent – a 43-year low.
• Spanish banks must pay mortgage tax, rather than their clients, after a ruling by the Supreme Court that could lead to billions of euros in legal claims from borrowers.
• Saudi shares recover by Thursday, despite the slump in the Tadawul following the controversy caused by the disappearance of journalist Saudi Jamal Khashoggi.