Article Abstract:
Interpersonal skills should be assessed as part of employee performance evaluations to promote high employee morale and job satisfaction. At South Bend, Indiana's Memorial Hospital, a personnel program originally designed to ensure the comfort of patients, known as the "guest relations" program, has been expanded to apply to employee relations. The key to the program is recognizing that interpersonal skills are part of an employee's competence rating. Guest relations criteria that can be quantifiably evaluated are identified, including: answering telephone calls within three rings; greeting people in a friendly matter before discussing business; wearing name badges; and knocking before entering a room. These courtesy criteria are supported by personnel policies that stress: explaining the guest relations program to job applicants; emphasizing guest relations in employee orientation programs; developing training courses to teach guest relations skills; ensuring that managers conform to guest relations standards; and positively reinforcing guest relations behavior with employee recognition programs. The benefits of the guest relations personnel policies are also discussed.
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Article Abstract:
Supervisors should spend as much time as possible with new employees on their first day of employment. Conversational techniques to use to put the new employee at ease are suggested, as are activities to pursue during the first day of employment, such as introducing the employee to coworkers, showing the new employee the physical (and hierarchical) lay-out of the office, and taking the new employee to lunch. Ten items to help orient the new employee are: (1) showing the employee his workstation, (2) informing the employee where supplies are kept, (3) giving the employee an office directory, (4) explaining the telephone system, (5) noting the location of rest rooms, (6) informing the employee of coffee-break regulations, (7) demonstrating the use of photocopying equipment, (8) showing the employee where files are kept, (9) giving the employee a tour of the cafeteria, and (10) showing the employee the lounge.
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Article Abstract:
Fran Tarkenton, former quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings and current chief executive of the consulting firm of Tarkenton & Co., believes that team work and people skills are more important management attributes than technical expertise and business knowledge. Tarkenton's firm counts among its clients such industry giants as General Motors, Exxon, and American Express. Team building relies upon defining a goal for the team, soliciting ideas from team members and avoiding dictating to the team, while maintaining some supervisory control. Teams work best when all team members are unconcerned as to who gets credit for the team's success. It is also vital to the success of the team for leaders to concentrate on solving conflicts between team members.
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