Talent Connection Blog

The potential increase of minimum wage and the aftereffects it brings has companies of all sizes in its grasp. Regardless of size, companies will find it necessary to minimize their front-facing workforce, often running understaffed to be able to compensate for the rising cost of keeping employees on the clock. And with entry-level employees making comparable paychecks to those who have invested much of their time and effort into the company, retaining and motivating high performers will become a challenge.  With the increase in the cost of the workforce, companies will have to be more discerning when hiring new employees

Emotional intelligence consists of one’s ability to express and control emotions, read the emotions of others, and respond to others empathetically. Knowing this, it makes sense that emotional intelligence would have its place in sales performance.  A typical sales role calls for connecting with and communicating with total strangers—a task far easier for those with high EI. We’ll look at some sales aspects that are most affected by emotional intelligence, and how they can potentially improve sales performance.  Building Rapport. Very few salespeople would claim that the same sales tactic works on every individual. Tailoring a sales tactic based on

Research shows that it can take as much as 10 to 18 minutes to regain the same level of attention back that you had before getting distracted. Whether you are the type to get distracted by the slightest interruption or the type who easily tunes out distractions, no one is completely attentive 100% of the time. That’s why we can all benefit from some tips for avoiding workplace distractions.   To start, you can help yourself by tackling visual distractions. Organize your workspace and limit technology interruptions—only check calls, emails, and messages when necessary, and keep any distracting clutter off your

Remote employees are becoming a more common occurrence for companies everywhere. This working remote trend can be highly beneficial to both the employee and the employer when done correctly. But oftentimes, the cons outweigh the pros if you don’t know how to efficiently and effectively set yourself or your coworkers up for remote work. It’s important to be aware of typical working-from-home hurdles in order to be prepared with solutions for those setbacks. The following descriptions highlight what to avoid and what to be aware of so you can maximize the effectiveness of working from home. The biggest—and probably most

Where you work has quite an effect on how you work. Cluttered and disorganized spaces can bring on a feeling of lack of control and competence, which has a negative effect on productivity. In order to focus your attention on what really matters, you have to make your workspace a tool, not a distraction. If you want your workspace to help with productivity, then you need to organize—and we’re not talking about rearranging the same old piles of paperwork. If you work in an office, you probably spend a lot of time staring at a computer screen, making it a

Humans have a unique ability to memorize a task and performing it in the future from a sort of autopilot mode; once we are comfortable with a task, we tend to use our muscle memory more often and our brainless often to accomplish it. This passive autopilot state leads to boredom, a lack of engagement, and sometimes even laziness. It is important that you keep a sharp mind, not only for health purposes but also because it is an effective way to ramp up your workday, as well as your work performance. Coming up with a couple of daily activities

Leadership is such a powerful and influential trait to express. Another way to experience that power and influence is through the wise words by leaders, for leaders. Here are some leadership quotes to give you a boost today: “Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.” – Margaret Thatcher “The task of the leader is to get their people from where they are to where they have not been.” – Henry Kissinger “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people. – Mahatma Gandhi “Do what you feel in your heart to

The true definition of employee relations is concerned with the contractual, emotional, physical, and practical relationship between employee and employer. This also includes efforts to constantly manage the relationships between managers and employees. As a variable with a strong influence on employee engagement, it is important that employee relations are effectively handled in the workplace. There are some commonplace employee relations issues that most companies have experienced. These tend to be the biggest hindrances on employee relations—therefore, the most crucial to handle. Conflict Management – Effective communication among team members is a necessary tool to reduce and manage workplace conflicts.

Leadership competencies—not to be confused with leadership qualities—are the skills and behaviors that contribute to superior leadership performance. In a leadership role, there are 3 aspects of leadership: leading the organization, leading others, and leading the self. It is crucial to be aware of these 3 aspects, and of which competencies fall under each category. Listed below are leadership competencies for leading the organization, others, and self. Leading the organization Managing change Risk taking and innovation Problem solving and decision making Managing politics and influencing others Establishing vision and strategy Leading others Effective communication Building and maintaining relationships Managing teams

In the long run, the purpose of employee motivation is to boost engagement and improve performance. But what happens when employee motivation practices don’t work? Take a look at these Gallup findings regarding a lack of effective motivation. 30 percent of employees agree that their manager involves them in goal setting processes 26 percent of employees agree that the feedback they receive helps them do their work better 21 percent of employees agree that they have performance metrics within their control 14 percent agree that they are inspired to improve by the performance reviews they receive Only 2 in 10