With the recent passing of Steve Jobs, the world lost a technology pioneer. Love him or hate him, not only did the Apple co-founder create an iconic consumer brand with a cult-like following, he also created an employer brand for Apple which is surpassed by few companies.
In the recently released authorized biography, Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson, the Apple co-founder is quoted as saying, “We at Apple had forgotten who we were. One way to remember who you are is to remember who your heroes are.” Thus began one of the most memorable marketing campaigns of all time.
Originally intended to remind customers of the distinctiveness of the Apple brand, the “Think Different” campaign went beyond that. The “Think Different” commercial, one of our favourite videos of all-time, clearly communicates Apple’s employer brand as well.
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify them or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” Read the rest of this entry »
Business in Vancouver’s publication, Right Course Magazine, contacted Cissy Pau, principal consultant of Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting, for human resources expertise for their article on turning performance reviews into effective employee development tools.
Some of the expert tips that Cissy Pau discussed included:
Provide feedback on a regular and informal basis, and don’t limit it to an annual performance review;
Have a normal, relaxed conversation – it’s supposed to be a performance discussion, not an investigation;
Look forward, not just backward – set goals and targets for the upcoming review period (whether it be week, month, quarter or year);
Share your long-term vision with your staff, and explain to them the role they play in directly influencing the overall success of the organization.
For more human resources expertise on how to effectively turn performance reviews into employee development tools for your business, please contact Clear HR Consulting for more information.
The Globe and Mail contacted Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting for human resources expertise for an article on how to handle an employee whose work is good, but whose behaviour is a problem.
Cissy Pau, Clear HR Consulting’s principal consultant, offered some tips and suggestions on how to handle an employee with problem behaviour:
Ensure the employee’s manager is setting the proper example. Is the manager contributing to the problem by something they are doing or not doing?
Provide timely feedback. If the employee is late, tell them today, not two weeks later. Give them specific examples, and convey the consequences of what impact the behaviour has on co-workers, the project, and/or the client.
Use incentives to encourage the desired performance. Not everyone is motivated by the same things; different people could be motivated with money, time off, or even a trip.
Consider termination if the behaviour is impacting the company’s bottom line or morale. Once you’ve set the expectations, given the employee feedback, provided them with a reward or discipline, and the behaviour still isn’t changing, then the employee may not be a good fit.
For more information on how to handle an employee with problem behaviour that is impacting your small business, please contact Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting for human resources expertise and advice on how to manage staff effectively.
Fiona Collie from Investment Executive interviewed Cissy Pau of Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting Inc. for her human resources expertise for a series of articles on hiring staff.
In the first article, Cissy Pau shared 5 questions a small business owner should ask prior to hiring a new team member:
Do I have the cash flow?
Is there a sustainable workload?
What is the return on investment?
Do I have the time?
Do I have systems in place?
In the second article, Cissy Pau outlined the 7 step hiring process to follow, after determining that you’re ready to hire a new team member:
Some human resources expert advice that Cissy Pau shared on why and how employers should document their dealings with their employees included:
Documentation acts as an accountability for building the case for firing an employee, because without documentation, nothing can be proven;
When conducting a performance review, it is important to have a document to share with the employee, as it gives the employer something concrete to refer back to when they want to follow up on the employee’s progress in meeting their job expectations;
Review personnel files to ensure other employee’s information aren’t included in someone else’s file to maintain confidentiality and privacy.
For more information on how to properly document the case for firing an employee for your small business, please contact Clear HR Consulting for a complimentary initial consultation.
It’s been a very exciting time for Clear HR Consulting and we wanted to share with you our latest news. Read on for your chance to win a new Apple iPad 2.
Recent Media Appearances
We are contacted quite regularly by local and national media looking for HR expert comments for their stories. July has been, undoubtedly, our best month ever for media appearances. Just last week, we were interviewed for the Globe & Mail, the Canadian Employer, and CBC.
Cissy Pau made her first CKNW AM 980 appearance on The Mike Smyth Show talking about horrible bosses, in light of the new movie currently out with the same title. Cissy was also the featured guest on the David Berner Show, to be aired on Shaw TV this week. You can see, hear and read all our appearances on our Media page.
New Services
We are always looking at ways to improve the HR services we provide. Based on feedback received from our clients and partners, we have been actively developing a new online product offering targeted to small businesses, to be launched later this year.
If you have any suggestions, requests, or recommendations on services you would like to see added, please let us know.
New Roles
Andreas Hesse
In addition to his role as an HR Consultant with Clear HR, Andreas will now also be taking the lead on the Operations Management and Product Development side of our business. He will be focusing on streamlining our internal processes and will also be researching new products and services offerings.
Klaudia Williams, CHRP
Klaudia joins our consulting team as an HR Consultant with a strong HR generalist background and a speciality in emotional intelligence (EQ) assessment and leadership development coaching.
We also continue to expand alliances with subject matter experts in specialized HR areas to better serve our clients. These experts include:
recruitment specialists
immigration consultants
benefits advisors
executive and business coaches
outplacement and career counsellors
workplace efficiency consultants
employment lawyers
employee communication specialists
Referrals
We are very appreciative of the referrals we have received from our clients and business associates over our past 8 years in business. We highly value our business relationship with you and can assure you that we will treat your referrals with the same level of care, attention and professionalism that you have become accustomed to with us.
If you know of any owners of companies which would benefit from our HR services, please let us know.
Characteristics of our target clients include:
5 to 50 employees
In business at least 5 years
At least $1 million in revenues
HR challenges they may be dealing with include:
Wanting help with conducting performance reviews and giving performance feedback
Needing to downsize, eliminate or restructure positions
Struggling to find an effective way to hire the right candidates for their vacant positions
Looking to document policies and procedures in an employee handbook or policy manual
Win an iPad 2
Our business has been built on positive recommendations from our clients, colleagues and business associates. In recognition of our referral partners, anyone who refers a new client to Clear HR between now and September 30, 2011 will be entered into a draw for a new iPad 2.
Thank you very much for your confidence in us. We look forward to continuing to work with you.
It’s been a busy week of media appearances for Cissy Pau, principal consultant of Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting. Clear HR Consulting’s human resources expertise was sought after by:
In addition, The Canadian Employer and the Globe and Mail interviewed HR expert Cissy Pau this week for upcoming human resources articles being worked on. Once the articles are available, we’ll post them to Clear HR Consulting’s media & HR news page.
