Talent Tips: Organizational Success

Talent Tip #41: Work-Life Balance Policies, Part II: A Key to Attracting and Retaining Talent

January 22, 2013

As the fog of Auld Lang Syne and bubbly lifts, you may remember that last month in this space we offered up valuable advice about work-life balance from the good folks at Illinois Policy Institute. The underlying idea was that work-life balance policies help organizations attract and retain their most valuable asset – people.

This month we’re sharing eight more policies an organization should consider if it wants to maximize staff happiness and performance.

Once again, special thanks to Kristina Rasmussen, Executive Vice President of Illinois Policy…

Talent Tip #40: Work-Life Balance Policies: A Key to Attracting and Retaining Talent

December 18, 2012

Great news – turns out you’re on Santa’s “Nice” list this year! That means instead of coal, you’re getting something very special: valuable advice about work-life balance from my good friends at Illinois Policy Institute.

At the Institute, they value work-life balance and are always experimenting with new approaches and policies to attract and retain their most important asset – people. Kristina Rasmussen, the organization’s Executive Vice President, recently polled staff about what matters to them when it comes to work-life balance. She distilled the…

Talent Tip #34: “I’ll Call You”: Rejecting Candidates After the Interview

June 19, 2012

Picture this sad scenario: a sweet, impressionable girl waits by the phone for a boy to call. They went on a date the week before, and he ended their date with these prophetic words: I’ll call you.

Of course, the boy never intended to call. It’s just that saying “I’ll call you” is a cleaner finale than “You’re a nice girl, but I’m not looking to get serious. I’d rather the fleas of a thousand camels infest my armpits than…

Talent Tip #33: Lessons From My Parents’ Marriage: It Pays to Court Candidates

May 15, 2012

After 43 years of marriage, my father still opens the door for my mother and my mother still packs my father’s lunch before he heads to work. With all this time behind them, you’d think they might be tempted to knock off the niceties. After all, at 70+, is either really going to walk out? I mean, if I think dating’s bad at my age, can you imagine the dating market they would face?

Yeah, yeah, Claire. That’s nice about…

Talent Tip #30: Dear Valentine, Your Reputation Stinks

February 14, 2012

So here you are on Valentine’s Day, sitting alone in tears watching The Notebook. Why? Because you’re a nonprofit manager who has had difficulty filling key positions in your organization.

Nonprofits regularly ask me why they are having problems hiring for a role. Often, it’s because the opening is a challenging one to fill (i.e. fundraising!); but sometimes it’s due to reputational issues. In this market, candidates are skittish about joining an organization with anything less than a solid character.

Candidates…

Talent Tip #28: No Raise or Bonus? You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch!

December 13, 2011

With the holiday season comes annual reviews. Therefore, I’ve been getting many calls lately about raises and bonuses. Some calls have come from employees wondering what to expect under the tree, and other calls have come from employers questioning what appropriate gifts will look like this season.

Well, let’s start with the obvious: thanks to the Grinch (aka the Government), the market still stinks. Donors continue to limit giving; thus, we have to keep our Santa belts tightened. Given that, here…