In today's workplace, career success often depends on being a positive, contributing member of a like-minded group

The idea of employees working in a "team" has been with us since the early 1930s when the so-called Hawthorne experiments found that productivity increased when workers felt supported and involved. It was also during this time period that more attention was paid to the influence of organizational culture and the interaction between supervisors and employees. Over the years, the lessons learned from these early studies have continued to impact our work world to such an extent that "teamwork" is part of everyone's vocabulary. In fact, most organizations today look for reference to teamwork on new candidate resumés.

Female police officers sign of gains in workplace equality

It still amazes me that women were once shut out from public life; we couldn't vote, we were barred from advanced education and we couldn't enter into some professions such as medicine. In some provinces, women couldn't hold property and, in fact, women were not even defined as persons. Thanks to the hard work of a determined rights advocate named Nellie McClung, women in Manitoba gained the vote as early as 1916 while women in the rest of Canada had to wait four more years.

Employee performance appraisal and performance management has long been a core pillar in a manager's tool kit. However, I'm sure it isn't a surprise to learn that employee performance management is the most mismanaged functional area of human resource management. All kinds of complaints have surfaced such as inconsistency, subjectivity, lateness, a top-down approach and a failure to tie the process to organizational goals, to name only a few.

It's a skill that can be learned for problem solving

Albert Einstein, the world-renowned physicist made famous through his theory of relativity, was also known for his general skill in problem solving. In fact, he once stated that if he had one hour of his life left to save the world, he would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and only five minutes of time on the solution. In other words, his message is that there's a lot more power in asking questions and the "right" questions to define a problem rather than simply jumping in and trying to find a solution. But believe it or not, many of us continually jump right into a problem instead of stepping back and investing time in defining the problem.

Ensuring employees have positive approach a key job

While the last few years have found baby-boomer retirement issues holding top priority, the latest human resource surveys are showing that employee engagement is now taking over the primary lead. In fact, one survey reports that 94 per cent of survey participants indicated that employee engagement was the most important workforce challenge they were currently facing.

Find the right motivational mix for your employees

Employee motivation, an individual's internal drive to achieve a goal is now one of the most studied areas of human resource management. Over the years, multiple theories have been put forward.

For instance, the popular Maslow theory suggests that employees are motivated to first look after their physical need, then their safety and social needs and, finally, they are motivated to seek satisfaction for their own ego and self-gratification. The Skinner theory on the other hand, suggests that if an employee's behaviour is positively reinforced, this will lead to ongoing positive outcomes.

Too much lyin', cheatin' going on

I don't ever recall paying much attention to changes and growth in our English vocabulary, but I was surprised at how quickly new words were created after the Lance Armstrong confession spilled over to the news waves. These new words, doprah, liestrong and livewrong, will stay with us for some time and will continue to be a symbol of the deep corruption seemingly found in the area of cycling sports.

HR problems don't go away, they just get worse

Have you ever heard of the concept of a psychological game? This usually refers to a conscious or unconscious communication tactic that plays out like a game with real live winners and losers. It's really a type of psychological one upmanship that people engage in while trying to gain the upper hand in a situation. You can recognize you've been inadvertently involved in a psychological game because at the end of it, you'll probably feel angry, annoyed and/or simply exhausted from your efforts.

Small- and mid-sized businesses need to develop a workforce strategy

Recently, economic statistics have shown that the provincial economy showed modest growth in 2012, unemployment is down and salaries increased moderately. At the same time, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce small business survey suggests a clear increase in business confidence.

I know from watercooler conversations that many people -- employees and business leaders alike -- are indeed feeling a sense of optimism. In fact, I personally feel a great sense of excitement. However, I can guarantee that all this optimism will quickly fade for our small business leaders and employees alike if effective strategic and workforce planning fails to set corporations up for success.

Self-esteem, planning key to successful work life

Wow, what a way to start the year 2013! More full-time jobs. With the 5,200 new jobs created in December alone, it seems our province is finally on a roll. In fact, this type of stellar performance might lead us to becoming a "have" province once again, a thought that certainly creates a positive buzz in the minds of job seekers and employers alike.

It's the time of year when owners and organizational leaders are busy setting their own business resolutions for the year 2013. According to many surveys, these include goals such as placing a new or renewed focus on retaining employees, developing the next generation of leaders, developing a culture of engagement and training leaders to be coaches.

It's the most challenging time of the year... for business owners juggling their needs, staff hopes

How does one know the Christmas season is upon us? While it's easy to suggest the carols and decorations at the mall, I think the real evidence lies with the Black Friday shopping frenzy.

Congratulations, you've been appointed a new middle manager! That's quite an accomplishment and I'm sure you've worked hard for this special promotion. In fact, over the years, in preparation for your advancement, you've taken courses and professional development training to gain self-awareness, learn about your personality and communication style and learn to truly understand the concept of leadership versus management.

If you really stopped to think about it, you'd find that much of your life is simply a series of repetitive, unconscious habits. For instance, when you wake up, what you eat for breakfast, where you sit at the table, what you wear and what time you leave for work aren't just conscious decisions; they've become habits. In other words, over time, your behaviour becomes automatic; it's just the way you do things, good or bad.

Every workplace experiences some sort of drama, yet, believe it or not, I seem to receive more complaints about workplace conflicts in the winter months than at any other time of the year. I'm not sure of any reason other than the fact employees can't easily go outside to let off steam. Perhaps it's the stress of the upcoming Christmas season, or perhaps the stress of one's over-extended credit or perhaps the long, very foreboding cold days of January and February. Excuses, excuses!

When was the last time your company's job descriptions and organizational structure were reviewed?

Typically, these important organizational elements aren't seen as priority items unless new leaders join the organization and look at things from fresh eyes. The result is that years will go by before problems are recognized as serious enough to take action.

Well, fall is definitely here. The leaves have all but disappeared and the unexpected recent snowfall reminded us that winter isn't far behind. Signs of fall are also seen at the local farmers markets, as hundreds of families anxiously seek just the right pumpkin for their Halloween festivities. Other families are busy harvesting their remaining garden produce or attending those famous local fall harvest dinners.

Have you ever been accused of not listening? I suspect that most people have been the recipient of that type of criticism, yet I'm not sure most people realize just how important listening is to our daily life.

I'm always sad when I learn of staff reductions and layoffs and recently, that's what's caused me to generally reflect on employee career planning and how people handle their layoff situation. While we've certainly had our share of layoffs in Manitoba, the most recent notice of layoffs coming from two major retailers, suggests that shifts in our employment market are still occurring.

If you asked successful leaders what made them successful, I'm certain you'll find the answer to be good communication skills.

Let's face it, leaders spend most of their day engaging in communication of some kind or other. That's because leaders need to get things done through people. They use their communication tools to motivate and direct their teams; they set a vision and goals and use communication to attract followers. They also use communication to influence others, both within their corporations and external in the community.

According to a recent human resource survey, the level of stress among Canadian business professionals is rising, with approximately 63 per cent of survey participants blaming their work as the main source of stress. Survey participants also suggested that the continuing instability of the world economy was a contributing factor, as well as personal finances and customer relationships.

As you learned from one of my recent articles, occupational fraud is a growing phenomenon in Canada. In fact, the Certified General Accountants Association (CGA) recently reported that one-quarter of all small- and medium-sized enterprises were victims of at least one instance of workplace fraud in 2011.

With schools and universities opening for fall attendance, I find that at this time of year, one personal recollection of my school history always comes to mind.

I don't know if it's just me, but it seems that fraudulent and other questionable employee behaviour is on the rise as there isn't one week that goes by where a troubling incident isn't reported.

Employee motivation -- an individual's internal drive to achieve a goal -- is now one of the most studied areas of human resource management. Over the years, multiple theories have been put forward.

For instance, Maslow's popular hierarchy of needs theory suggests that employees are motivated to first look after their physical needs, then their safety and social needs and finally, they are motivated to seek satisfaction for their own ego and self-gratification.

A little thinking goes a long way to ensure reputations don't get destroyed on the Internet

Hiring an expert to coach executives benefits both individuals and their companies

Use sports, cultural events to build teamwork instead of grousing about your employees' 'theft'

As technology, market conditions and other factors evolve, it makes good business sense to redesign a company's structure

I remember a situation years ago when a parent asked for help with his daughter. Although she was a business school graduate with some university, she couldn't seem to get a job.

Every business and organization has at one time or another faced what it considers to be a crisis. Yet, few of us will ever experience the horrifying crisis being faced by a group of citizens as well as the employees and owners of a local Colorado movie theatre where a PhD university student allegedly went on a killing spree.

I'm confident it would be a rare situation to encounter a senior executive who hasn't had to deal with poor leadership within their ranks. Part of the problem is that the most challenging leaders often exhibit a Jekyll and Hyde personality-- they seem to have two conflicting personalities that show themselves at different times.

Life would certainly be a lot easier if our employees and colleagues agreed with everything we said or did.

However, true life intervenes and creates the many challenges we face when trying to influence others to come alongside with our ideas. These challenges are even more prevalent today as top-down, authoritative leadership continues to give way to widespread teamwork.

How often have you heard the phrase, "Oh sure, she/he got promoted because they're the manager's favourite."

Interestingly enough, recent research suggests that favouritism is much more widespread than initially believed. But what exactly is favouritism from a recruitment perspective?

I truly love Winnipeg's slogan -- "A great place to live, work and play" -- yet many of our workers would say they literally have no time to play! In fact, many would also say it was difficult to achieve good life/work balance.

The objective of a recent survey of human resource professionals was to identify the potential skills gaps that might occur as younger and older workers enter and exit the workforce. It was interesting to learn that 52 per cent of the HR professionals say their most serious concern is the lack of professionalism and work ethic.

When employers hear the term risk management, they more than likely think about identifying, assessing and prioritizing areas of financial risk arising out of such things as a business acquisition, major purchases, equipment failure and/or the crash of a major information technology support system.

The popular old saying, "why wait till Christmas?" is really a poke at someone who procrastinates in their decision making and/or is slow to act. While the comment might be directed to individuals, the same holds true for organizations, especially when it comes to adapting to changing business trends.

A recent United Nations study suggests that unfortunately, the disease of affluence is spreading worldwide. This so-called disease typically refers to high blood pressure.

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty recently sent many Canadians' blood pressure spiking by insinuating they're suffering from another "disease of affluence," one that prevents them from accepting just any job versus being unemployed.

According to Travel Manitoba, our province is on a roll.

The provincial tourism marketing agency suggests we need to shout from the rooftops that it's "Manitoba Time," and I agree. Manitoba has so much to offer our citizens as well as business visitors and tourists. Just look around; we have the luxury of beautiful parks and glistening blue lakes nearby, with plenty of opportunities for fun and adventure or just plain relaxation.

Policies, reinforcement help HR deal with employees wearing inappropriate attire

Spring is always a great time of year for newly released research papers and sure enough, the U.S.-based Society for Human Resource Management has just released its latest study on workforce planning.

So, should I be surprised to learn that only 40 per cent of organizations have conducted a strategic workforce planning assessment or identified their skills gaps? No, frankly, I am not surprised, but I am certainly disappointed. After all, as a human resource professional, I've been touting the message of succession planning for many years. However, as with other pending challenges, some organizations just don't seem to deal with things until a problem smacks them squarely in the head.

It's exciting and invigorating to be an entrepreneur in control of one's own destiny. However, we all know it's lonely at the top. After all, there are so few people, including family, who really understand the broader aspects of running a business and who can provide helpful, confidential and insightful advice.

There has certainly been a flurry of activity in the job market these past few months. We've heard announcements of new job-growth opportunities juxtaposed with announcements of significant budget cuts and employee layoffs.

While the history of several professions such as the legal and medical fields is well known and documented, the history of the administrative assistants and/or secretarial profession is much more obscure.

As the month of April rolls around, the buds of the leaves are starting to show and so we can say for certain that spring has finally arrived. Yet, along with spring comes university wrap-up, graduation and a whole flock of students seeking both first-career roles as well as summer jobs. And of course, not far behind are those high school seniors who will flood into the June market looking for their share of the summer jobs.

Why is it that when conflict erupts in the workplace, some managers immediately think about training or counselling? They organize a team-building session, send individuals to communication skills training or offer coaching on how to manage interpersonal conflicts.

As a woman reader, can you imagine not being able to vote?

Can you imagine not being considered a "person" by law? Can you imagine not being allowed to attend a college of medicine to become a doctor or to earn a degree of your choice? Can you imagine a married woman not being allowed to have her own bank account, but instead having to lump all of her resources under her husband's name? Can you envision a situation where you are not being promoted because you are a woman?

Q. I have accepted a new job; however, after only six months, I know this is not the right fit for me. Should I stick it out, or simply resign immediately?

As March arrives, I am always reminded of the term, Ides of March, which refers to the death of Julius Caesar. In case you don't recall this little bit of history, it's a story of how Caesar had been warned by a fortune teller that he would be harmed no later than March 15. Caesar scoffed at the prophecy but sure enough, he was killed by a group of conspirators on that specific day.

Although time has passed quickly, I'm sure you'll recall that Manitoba recently celebrated Louis Riel Day. For most people, Louis Riel Day is simply another statutory holiday while for others, it is recognition that the Métis people were the driving force behind Manitoba becoming Canada's fifth province.

When was the last time your human resource policy manual was reviewed?

Well, if you're like many organizations, I'll bet your HR policy manuals are out of date. For instance, have you updated the manual to include the new Manitoba flextime rules? Do you have a policy for armed forces reservist leave? Has an employee inquired about and/or requested use of the compassionate care leave provisions? These are just a few of the changes made over the past few years.

Have you ever been accused of not listening?

I suspect that most people have received that type of criticism, yet I'm not sure most people realize just how important listening is to our daily life. Listening is a communication tool; in fact, it can be considered the foundation of all of our communication. For instance, if you compare the elements of communication such as reading, talking, writing and listening, you'll find that listening takes up the greatest amount of your time -- anywhere from 40 to 50 per cent.

According to recent news, Winnipeg has scored No. 15 in the list of most romantic cities. This so-called accomplishment is based on an analysis of retail sales for romance novels, romantic comedy DVDs and CDs, as well as sex and relationship books.

Although February is the shortest month of the year, there are several days set aside to celebrate special events. For instance, we celebrate Black History Month, Louis Riel Day, Valentine's Day and Festival du Voyageur. As well, I recently learned that February has also been declared National Parent Leadership Month.

We've all heard the word alignment. It's a concept that is quite common we think about sports or dance. In this case, alignment refers to the synchronized movement of our body so that we are fast or graceful. If there is misalignment, people will try new strategies and practise, practise, practise. On the other hand, if the concept of alignment is applied to a car, it generally refers to the importance of the wheels and the suspension angles. If this is out of alignment it creates a safety issue that needs to be rectified right away.

Although as Canadians we sit on the sidelines of the U.S. presidential election primaries, it is interesting nonetheless to see how things unfold. One of the dynamics occurring is how contenders and news leaders alike are continually exposing the personal frailties of Newt Gingrich by raising the issue of his personal ethics and reputation for off the job behaviour. While the question recently posed by CNN threw Gingrich a little off balance, he quickly lashed back by saying his personal life is no one else's business. And now that the North Carolina primaries have put Gingrich in the lead, some voters might suggest this proves ethics indeed don't matter.

The 2011 employee satisfaction survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in the United States found that only 54 per cent of employees were concerned about their compensation. Although I haven't seen a 2012 survey, I am predicting this number will rise.

To be honest, I'm usually up on the various news in the business world, but it seems I may have been asleep at the switch. I didn't realize and don't ever recall learning that 2011 had been declared the year of the entrepreneur. Perhaps I was too busy working in and on my own business. However, I certainly agree that entrepreneurship is the backbone of our economy, especially in Manitoba.

Many of us have spent the traditional Christmas and New Year holiday season celebrating the accomplishments of our 2011 goals and looking forward to the many successes anticipated for 2012.

January is always considered a time for setting new personal and/or career goals. While some folks are more determined than others, more often than not, these goals quickly fall by the wayside. Perhaps its because the goals were really nothing more than wish lists. Or, perhaps an individuals expectations were simply unrealistic because they did not understand their real-world environment and the influence this may have on goal accomplishment.

Holidays a good time to take stock of career, skills, goals

The 99th Grey Cup game is over and another football season is at an end. During the game, coaches, media and fans alike were busy analyzing the game.

I don't mean to speak disparagingly about the concept of "Freedom 55", but the dream of working hard, sacrificing and saving for early retirement seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Without proper focus, planning events become worthless time-wasters

Anyone who regularly chairs a meeting has certainly heard about the well-known video called Meetings, Meetings, Bloody Meetings, starring the famous John Cleese.

Choosing the right career and being successful in it requires research, continuing education

Q: I have moved around a lot in my hospitality career and in an effort to be truthful, I list all of the jobs on my resume. However, during some recent interview feedback, the potential employer made a comment that suggested I was a "job hopper." What can I do to overcome this impression and create a more positive impression?

Congratulations, you've been promoted!

Questions and answers with Barbara Bowes.