The Internet is THE large global computer network that peopl

Oh, Behave -- 10 Tips to Resolve Employee Conflicts
Put many different people together in one place, day after day after day, and conflicts are bound to happen. Most people work them out on their own, but what happens when the conflict doesn't go away and threatens the productivity of your entire staff or team?We've all seen it – Mary isn't speaking to Susan; Ted and Tom can't be put on the same project; Bill goes behind Karen's back and "forgets" to include her in project discussions. Some days, it's like working in a kindergarten. As the manager, what is your role in resolving workplace conflicts?The knee-jerk response of most managers is to overlook the conflict, in the hopes that it will go away. After all, we think, these people are adults; I shouldn't have to tell them how to behave.Unfortunately, left alone, a workplace conflict can fester and grow out of proportion until it takes on a life of its own and all-out war is declared. Other employees take sides and the conflict becomes more important that getting the job done.Here are some tips to control potentially damaging conflicts before they escalate.1. Set standards. Make sure you have a written set of standards for workplace behavior and conduct. That way, employees know what's expected of them right up front.2. Don't ignore rule-breakers. If workers continue to bicker, argue and backstab, call them on it immediately. Discuss it privately, but make sure the transgressors know that their conduct is unacceptable. Get a commitment from them to not engage in the behavior in the future.3. Be the boss, not the therapist. You're right – these people are adults. Resist the temptation to solve their issues for them and throw it right back in their laps. Tell them they're responsible for working out their own problems. Offer some tips or suggestions when appropriate, but make it clear that you expect them to fix the problem themselves.4. Walk the walk. Your employees will take their cues from you. If you refrain from getting all heated up over small issues, and you maintain your good humor and reasonable attitude at all times, your employees will follow your lead.5. Sweeten the pot. Reward team performance and watch the other team members ride herd on the miscreants. There's nothing like a bonus to make normally combative workers band together to reach a special goal.6. The final solution. If the fighting continues, draw a line in the sand. Make it clear to all parties involved that the work is suffering and you won't tolerate that. Their options are clear: they need to work it out, let it go, or their job is going to be in jeopardy.The bottom line is, you're the boss. You don't have the time to spend settling employee spats. If the combatants refuse to play nice,

ugs in their computer and views webpages and sends e-mail. That's a very human-centric viewpoint, but if we're to truly understand the Internet, we need to be more exact:

The Internet is THE large global computer network that peop

Effective Meetings by Phone - Part 2, How to Hold a Teleconference
Even a well-planned teleconference can go poorly. Some people treat any meeting as a casual social activity instead of as a serious business project. And a teleconference brings special challenges because people attend them in the privacy of their office without being able to see or be seen by the other participants.Use these techniques to hold a more effective meeting by phone.1) Begin with a quick round of self introductions so that everyone can find out who is present and hear everyone else's voice.2) Enforce the rule of "one speaker at a time." Multiple conversations ruin a teleconference.3) Insist that people announce when they join or leave the conference.4) If people must leave during the meeting, gain closure on any issues that they participated in before they leave. For example, "Pat agreed to prepare a cost estimate by next Monday. Is that correct, Pat?" Make adjustments in the agenda (if appropriate) based on the remaining participants.5) Keep everyone focused on the issue being discussed. If someone introduces an idea that seems unrelated, say, "That sounds interesting. How does that relate to the issue?"6) Record the conference. First, this will help you prepare minutes. And second, it encourages people to make meaningful comments. Of course, you should announce that you are recording the meeting before you start.7) State your name each time that you speak. This helps everyone know that you are speaking.8) If you are speaking on your desk phone, use the handset instead of the speakerphone. A speakerphone, while useful, distorts your voice, picks up background sounds (like office equipment), and makes a poor impression on the listener. If you must have both hands free while you talk, obtain a headset. Note: It is more courteous to speak to people through the handset (instead of the speakerphone) on any phone call.9) Speak clearly to make sure that you are understood. Take the extra effort to enunciate carefully and speak slowly. Of course, you want to sound natural.10) When stating numbers, write them out while you speak because that defines the rate at which everyone else is capturing them.11) Then ask the receiving party to confirm numbers (or other critical data) by repeating them. Although this may seem awkward, it prevents misunderstandings. Better yet, send written copies of all critical information.12) When possible, plan your statements by jotting down an outline of your key ideas before speaking. This contributes to a more efficient meeting, helps you appear more thoughtful, and avoids the embarrassment of making a verbal gaff.13) Use your best, most focused listening skill

t's a very human-centric viewpoint, but if we're to truly understand the Internet, we need to be more exact:

The Internet is THE large global computer network that peop

Why You Need a Fire-Resistant Safe for Your Business
If you think a fire can’t happen to your business, think again. All it takes is some faulty wiring and a few moments of inattention for your business to go up in flames. Losing the site of your business can be devastating…but even more so, you’ll lose the documents and software that made your business possible. If you lose your important business documents in a fire, the best that can happen is that your credit rating will be damaged. The worst that can happen is that you’ll lose your business entirely—and many do.If you aren’t using a fire-resistant safe to store important documents, you’re taking a gamble with your business. Fire-resistant safes are graded based on the amount of time they can protect your documents from fire—most provide 60 to 120 minutes of protection. Following are some crucial documents that you should take care to protect from fire.Tax documents. How will you fare during tax time if all your financial records go up in smoke? Saving your tax documents in a fire-resistant safe is essential to the survival of your business after the fire.Invoices. If you lost your paperwork in a fire, how would you know who owed you money? A fire can not only lose you money on future transactions—it can also make it impossible to collect fees for transactions in the recent past. A fire-resistant safe can protect your income in the event of a fire.Financial records. Records of your payment of various debts. Documents that prove your business’s income and credit. Accounting records for the past few years. You’ll need a record of your business’s financial footprints if you want to secure a loan to buy new buildings and equipment, or generally take your business to the next level. If you lose all the traces of your business’s financial existence in a fire, you’ll have trouble moving forward.Contracts. Every business relies on contracts to keep operating legally, and to protect their rights in court. If you lose your contracts in a fire, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll suffer the loss. Don’t put yourself in a position where you have to go back to your clients, your landlord, or anyone else you have a contract with to ask for a copy—it could put you at a disadvantage.Employee salary and debt records. Who do you owe money to? After a fire, these people, understandably, get a bit nervous that you won’t be able to furnish the money you owe—and they could come to collect. If there’s a dispute, you’ll need to furnish the documents that prove your side. If you lose all your documents in a fire, you’ll have a harder time winning in court if there are any payment disputes.Many people believe that if they back up paper documents on computer files, their business will be

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The Internet is THE large global computer network that peop

Presentation Paranoia
“The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.” (Sir George Jessel)Have you had this feeling before? Rest assured you are not alone. You might be one of the many who would rate your fear of public speaking alongside or ahead of death! Your fear may translate itself to “FEAR” – Forget Everything And Run!!Having the ability to present yourself and your message to an audience, whether internal or external, is a necessary skill for a good manager and leader. By following some simple steps you can improve your skills in this area, reduce your fear and build your confidence. As you have more success in making presentations you may well find yourself actually looking forward to doing more of them. Clients, colleagues and other staff will be more responsive and supportive. You will realise the principles apply to groups of 2 – 200 and above, and whether sitting across a desk or in a conference hall.Why do you want to improve your skills in this area? It might be to reduce the feelings of the nerves – or even panic. Maybe to reduce the risk of making yourself look a fool in front of the audience? Or you may want to be able to present yourself and your message with more confidence and conviction to win people over. Perhaps you want to be able to look forward to making presentations? Whatever your reasons, the principles we will cover here will help you.The biggest challenge for most people when asked to make a presentation is the way their imaginations start to operate. All sorts of thoughts begin to swirl around – and how many are to do with things going wrong, fluffing the words, audience reactions etc. etc. and compared with it going successfully and being enjoyable? One way to change this initial response is to follow the basic ideas covered below. Also, accept that it is not a bad thing to have some nerves. They trigger a chemical reaction which, harnessed properly, will help to make your presentation a success.The secret is to remember that when you see good presenters, you are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. A great deal has gone on beneath the surface to enable them to be the person you see. For those who have a real fear of presenting, they make the problem worse. They go into denial of the presentation, use this to keep putting off doing the things beneath the surface with all sorts of excuses and reasons – so that when they come to the actual presentation it does not go well. Then they can say, “Told you so! See, I’m no good at presentations!” The art of self-fulfilling prophecy continues.To prevent the paranoia – make time to do the fundamentals! Plan and prepare

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