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If you know a child who might enjoy meeting a blind fish, seeing an underground lake or helping in the conservation of bats, consider introducing him to the sport of spelunking. These are all experiences kids might encounter as they explore a cave with members of an experienced grotto club. This scientific exploration of caves is called speleology, and kids can be a part of it.
Good communication requires an understanding of grammar. Students learn to put sentence parts together correctly to make a comprehensive whole and become fluent commanders of language. An effective way to teach grammar is through the dissection of sentences, which your English teacher calls "sentence diagramming."
The CAF box on a W-2 form refers to an employees cafeteria plan. Find out about a CAF on the W-2 form with help from a business and finance professional in this free video clip.
In-house referrals for new employees may simplify things, but there are also some very clear disadvantages that you need to be aware of. Find out about disadvantages of in-house referrals for new employees with help from an accomplished attorney, author and speaker in this free video clip.
Writing performance self-appraisals is actually a very valuable way to learn information - if they're written properly in the first place. Write performance self-appraisals with help from an accomplished attorney, author and speaker in this free video clip.
Checking the brakes in your car is one thing - checking them properly can be something else entirely. Check to make sure the brakes in your car are working properly with help from an expert in the automotive industry in this free video clip.
Self-evaluation in the workplace is necessary for a wide variety of different reasons. Learn about the reasons for self-evaluation in the workplace with help from an investment banker and business owner in this free video clip.
The refactoring of code refers to a process by which the internal structure of a program's code is altered to improve its performance. What makes code refactoring so powerful, is that it avoids changing the functional requirements or basic behaviorisms of the code. Basically, the program still performs the same tasks, but quicker and more effectively. Plus, the code becomes more easily maintainable and simpler to understand.
Despite being an older video card, Diamond's 256MB Radeon X1650 Pro PCI-E still holds some appeal for PC users on a budget or those looking to play older video games. Despite its temptingly low price, however, the card isn't supported by Windows 7 and may not provide as much power as you need.
Good marketing managers typically have a number of key traits in common with one another. Learn what it takes to be a good marketing manager with help from a business consultant and marketing expert in this free video clip.
A fiscal analyst has a very important job. Find out about the purpose of a fiscal analyst with help from an employee recruiter and trainer in this free video clip.
Cohorts play a very important role in the world of marketing. Learn about what cohorts are in relation to marketing with help from an employee recruiter and trainer in this free video clip.
Many programs, such as browsers and email management suites, rely on a constant Internet connection to run correctly. These programs, including Microsoft Outlook and Internet Explorer on Windows operating systems, often include Work Offline settings. These settings are designed to prevent the program from trying to connect to the Internet when you know it is not available. When the computer constantly uses this setting, it interferes with your access to the Internet.
No matter how diligently you construct your business budget, you must acknowledge that it is based on forecasts. When actual numbers come in for sales, expenses, revenues and payroll, you may discover that your budget will need to be realigned. Current numbers are not the only criteria for changing your budget. You must adjust to new forecasts. This can help you set new objectives and realign your budget to meet those objectives.
As a warehouse receiving manager, your chief responsibility is to keep all of your employees heading in the right direction for the company. This means each employee needs to feel a sense of pride in what he is doing. You need to have a good idea about what is going on in each department of the warehouse and be sure that every part of the shipping and receiving team is working to make your overall goals a reality.
When hiring new employees it is always important to introduce them to your existing clients. Write a letter to a client introducing a new employee with help from the manager at a Fortune 500 company in this free video clip.
Terminating an exempt employee in New Jersey can be tricky. Unlike non-exempt employees, exempt employees have more rights and usually cannot be fired on an employer's whim. Following provisions in the employment contract and keeping a thorough personnel file can save New Jersey employers time, energy and exorbitant court and attorneys fees that result from having to defend a wrongful termination action.
After building a brick wall yourself or contracting a brick wall be built, you want to make sure the brick work is straight. This is to ensure the work was done properly and that there is an even distribution of weight throughout the brick structure. One of the nice components of using brick is that if forms straight lines that can easily be measured and compared. Using these straight lines and a level will help you determine whether the brick work is straight.
In "Chris Sawyer's Locomotion," a simulation computer video game, players must build a railway company from scratch by selecting routes and buying locomotives. In the game, the performance index, a numerical value expressed as a percentage, allows you to know how efficient your company is. You can check your performance index and improve it by following a few guidelines.
With more than 500,000 applications in the App Store, iPhone users can significantly increase the functionality of their phones. If you have an idea for an iPhone application, you could potentially get your app listed on the App Store for sale. When developing an application for the iPhone, developers must follow the rules set forth by Apple.
Properly inducting an employee into his job and your company's culture can improve worker productivity and lead to higher retention rates. A new employee orientation does more than show the worker legally required items, such as where the fire escape is, and it doesn't happen overnight. You will also need to employ current workers to help integrate a new worker into your business.
What we call a transportation reimbursement in the United States, other countries refer to as a conveyance allowance. Terminology aside, the basic concept is the same—the cost of transportation is reduced or eliminated by paying the traveler's or operator's transport fees in full or in part. Understanding what a conveyance is and how an allowance might be used in conjunction with a conveyance helps define the term as it is used outside of the United States.
Behind every successful restaurant is a good chef manager. Quality food may not be enough to sustain a thriving food establishment. Management of the kitchen is essential to producing an operation that delivers consistently excellent food in a timely manner to customers. A good chef manager understands the components needed for success. This includes catering to the customer, managing the team responsible for specific areas of the kitchen, sharing knowledge with staff, bringing together various teams within the restaurant and maintaining high safety and sanitary standards.
Handling employment reference checks concerning former employees may require a great deal of care and professionalism. Providing the prospective employer with inappropriate or irrelevant negative information may pose a significant legal liability for you. Establishing a concise companywide procedure for providing references information over the phone will reduce the likelihood of personal and legal conflicts between your company former employees.
Performance reviews can be an opportunity to discuss past successes and challenges for your administrative assistant. It also can be a time of great stress and anxiety if the review process is not handled appropriately. Your performance review should be thorough yet easy to understand. It should be crafted to improve performance and also identity areas of strength. Your goal for the performance review is to accurately assess performance and also identify areas that can be developed during the coming year.
Many people use webcams for communication, often with a chat program of some kind. Older and inexpensive models often have a low picture quality, but you can usually adjust some parameters as well as the source to improve the quality of picture for any webcam. In order to get the best picture, you should use it in a bright, controlled environment while making sure that you have provided the lens with the proper subject matter and light sources for the optimal picture quality.
It is important for you, as an employee, to annually assess and highlight your accomplishments made on the job. This reminds your employer of your contributions and reinforces the company’s need for you to be there. It is also an opportunity to justify a request for a pay raise. Preparing for your self evaluation involves taking time to reflect. It is important to be honest when filling out your evaluation. There is always room for improvement -- even for the best workers.
Performance reviews provide the ideal forum to talk with your boss about how you can progress in the company. Don't be caught off-guard with your chance to discuss your career aspirations. Approach the performance review, and the discussion of your career aspirations, with the appropriate mindset. Remember that your boss wants to provide you feedback on how you can serve the company better. It's your job to bring up the topic of how your improvement will move you up the company ladder. Prepare your aspirations beforehand and be ready to discuss them intelligently and in detail.
Leaders are principal performers with commanding authority and considerable influence in a group. In the book “Executive Leadership Attributes Relating to Transformed Organizational HR Services,” the author suggests that human resources leaders champion employee commitment and participation, shape business strategies and lead and synergize change. Leaders are assets to any group or organization to which they belong, and can inspire and motivate other members of the group. They use their integrity and confidence to earn respect and admiration from their colleagues.
Distinctiveness in the workplace is a component of a larger process management teams use to evaluate worker performance and determine consistency in behavior. The mood and attitude of a workplace can change depending on high or low distinctiveness. Management personnel can measure distinctiveness levels for each employee as well as for the workplace as a whole in determining performance levels and adaptability.
Peer reviews of job performance can have both positive and negative implications. Sometimes referred to as 360-degree feedback, this system of assessing job performance was used by over 90 percent of those companies classified as Fortune 500 companies, as of 2002, according to the "Australian Financial Review." The pros and cons of this type of assessment are often debated by those within business organizations, government and educational circles.
Selection of a future employee may require checks of the applicant's references. Understandably, a prospective employer might want to know more about the applicant's performance in a prior position or confirm details included on the applicant's resume. Minnesota employers must know the relevant state laws regarding reference checks and employer immunity from lawsuits. In addition, job applicants must understand their rights under the same laws.
Nonpayment of wages is a serious matter for both employees and employers. The employee can't meet her financial obligations or continue her lifestyle. The employer risks owing even more than the amount of the employee's unpaid salary, plus endures the publicity of being labeled an employer that doesn't compensate its employees. Employers who don't pay employees are added to the list of Non-Compliant Labor Standards Employers, an official list maintained by the New York State Labor Standards division.
Employees can experience a wide range of emotions during different phases of employment at a company or corporation. These feelings may include anxiety, fulfillment and resentment, and can affect not only how employees view their place of work, but also how long employees stay with their company and why. During the labor arc of an employee's position, there are three phases of employment that he may experience.
Vendor play a major role in the success of your wedding day, whether a photographer, caterer or DJ. Doing your homework on wedding vendors can help ensure you make the correct choice in hiring one. Requesting references from prospective vendors is a typical practice, however, keep in mind that they will likely only provide you with the contact information for people and places that will give provide positive reviews. You may need to use his provided references as a starting point for contacting other clients, which may give you more accurate evaluations of their services.
Unemployment benefits aren’t for just for those who are totally unemployed. In states like New Jersey, an employee whose hours are reduced can apply for benefits to the Labor and Workforce Department, or LWD.
New Jersey private-sector employers may exercise their rights under the employment at-will doctrine, meaning they can end the employment relationship at any time, with or without reason and with or without notice. However, many New Jersey employers adopt the practice of providing a discharged employee with a dismissal or termination letter that states the reason for which the employee was dismissed from his job, but New Jersey statutes don't require such a letter.
Performance evaluations serve several purposes. Many workplaces use evaluations to make decisions about raises and give feedback on job performance, both positive and negative. Some employers give their employees an opportunity to evaluate themselves as part of the performance evaluation process. This is followed by a meeting to review both the self-evaluation and the manager's evaluation of the employee.
A New Jersey employer may ask you to work an extra day per week, but depending on your salary classification as an exempt or nonexempt salaried employee, as well as other factors, your employer may be required to compensate you beyond your regular rate of pay for the extra time. If you are eligible to receive overtime pay for the extra day of services you provide, your employer must determine your rate of pay and provide the extra cash on your regular paycheck.
When you apply for most jobs, it is the norm to expect the company to perform a reference check to examine your previous work history. Some perform these checks to do due diligence in finding the right employee, while others at least partially check references to protect themselves from lawsuit from hiring dangerous employees. Even though it is the norm to ask for your permission to check your references, in many cases the company is not bound by law to do so.
In concert with manager evaluations, many companies choose to implement self-evaluations as part of the appraisal process. Self-evaluations promote a two-way dialogue, allowing employees to speak about their experiences and receive feedback from managers. Self-evaluations allow employees to speak honestly and objectively about their performances. Completing a self-evaluation is a daunting task for some employees who may not know the right things to say. Understanding what employers look for during self-evaluations can help you provide the right information and make the best impression.
All employees have weaknesses, even a company’s best performing employees. A company’s goal is to turn those weaknesses into strengths by identifying in what area an employee struggles and helping him overcoming his weak points. To identify an employee’s weaknesses, managers typically review an employee’s performance, meet with him one-on-one to discuss and look for weaknesses and test him in various areas.
It is likely that writing up an employee is not something you look forward to. However, disciplining employees for bad behavior in the workplace prevents future occurrences and lets the employee know the consequences of his acts. Prepare an employee write-up after gathering all of the facts regarding the situation and then discuss the write-up in a private meeting.
An employee with several degrees and an impressive work history may still fall short in some performance area.The ability to acknowledge perceived weaknesses and work to improve shows a healthy self-image and a willingness to learn. Performance appraisals generally cover performance categories such as quality of work, quantity of work, organization, time management and problem solving. Depending on the job and level within the organization, some defining performance weaknesses may have a greater impact on overall performance rating than others.
Neither federal nor state law specifically requires employers to offer breaks to adult workers. The state does require that workers younger than 18 get a 30-minute break for every five straight hours of work. Failing to give breaks, even when not legally required to do so, could breach health and safety standards.
Most employers maintain a formal job performance review process. The supervisor evaluates how well his employee is performing at his job and shares this information with the employee. For the employee seeking a promotion or salary increase, an "exceeds standard" job performance review provides an opportunity to pursue promotions or pay raises, with various degrees of success. Many employers tie performance review scores to pay increases.
Conducting reference checks in a consistent way during the hiring process keeps a company out of legal liability and provides a check on a candidate's resume. The period of the hiring process during which reference checks are conducted will vary from employer to employer. When developing a policy for checking references, a business must consult its state's labor code to determine any regulations concerning the hiring process.
Music critics may review music for traditional print publications as well as musically-oriented websites and other forums in which they can voice their opinions. This type of journalism generally requires some kind of formal education, so music critics can learn what to listen for in respect to different genres and how to articulate their opinions for the readership.
In times of high unemployment and a position becomes available, there are often dozens if not hundreds of applicants vying for the spot. Human resources professionals must quickly sort through the applications to find a pool of candidates to interview. As part of the screening process, one option to investigate the merits of an employee is to call his references for a check.
In New York, employers can terminate their employees without notice or cause, according to the New York Department of Labor. As long as employers terminate their employees for no reason or for nondiscriminatory reasons, they can do so without notice. Employers must comply with the state's last paycheck regulations governing when terminated employees must receive their final paychecks and what types of wages are payable.
