MOTIVATING HIGH-CALIBRE STAFF

UNIT 1. EMPLOYMENT

START UP

1. In your opinion, which factors below are important for getting a job?

2. Choose the five most important. Can you add anything to the list?

Appearance

Intelligence

References

Blood group

Contacts and connections

Family background

Qualification

Personality

Astrological sign

Sex

Hobbies

Marital status

Age

Sickness record

Experience

Discuss these statements.

1. It is best to work for as few companies as possible.

2. Everybody should retire at 70.

3. At work appearance is more important than performance.

4.People change a lot during their working lives.

5.You should keep your private life totally separate from your work.

VOCABULARY

The recruitment process

Match the verbs (1 to 6 ) to the nouns (a to f) to make word partnerships.

1. to train a) a vacancy / post

2. to shortlist b) an interview panel

3. to advertise c) the candidates

4. to assemble d) references

5. to make e) new staff

6. to check f) a job offer

2. Work in pairs. Decide on a possible order for the events above from the employer’s point of view.

3. Complete the text using the following words or word combinations:

employer, psychometric test, curriculum vitae (CV), probationary period, interview, application form, covering letter, job, vacancy, reasoning skills

These days many applicants submit their ………. speculatively to companies they would like to work for. In other words, they do not apply for an advertised………. but hope the …….. will be interested enough to keep their CV on file and contact them when they have a……… When replying to an advertisement, candidates fill in a / an …….. and write a / an ………. The employer will then invite the best candidates to attend a / an ……. Sometimes candidates will take a / an ……… before the interview to assess their mental ability and ……… These days it is normal for successful candidates to have to work a / an ……. in a company. This is usually three or six months, after that they are offered a permanent post.

LISTENING

Listen to the interview with Dr Simon who works for the international executive search consultants Heidrick and Struggles. Fill in the gaps.

Methods for identifying candidates :

· ………..(1) in newspapers or ……….(2)

· Asking for ………..(3) from the organization

· Own original ……….(4):

- From our ……….(5)

- From talking to …….. ……….(6)

- From beginning to…….(7) the business ………(8)

These methods will cross-……….(9).

READING

Discuss these questions before you read the article.

1.The article is about high performers. What does this phrase mean? What sort of people are they?

2.What do you think motivates high performing people to stay with the same company?

MOTIVATING HIGH-CALIBRE STAFF

By Michael Douglas

An organization’s capacity to identify, attract and retain high-quality, high-performing people who can develop winning strategies has become decisive in ensuring competitive advantage.

High performers are easier to define than to find. They are people with apparently limitless energy and enthusiasm, qualities that shine through even on their bad days. They are full of ideas and get things done quickly and effectively. They inspire others not just by pep talks but also through the sheer force of their example. Such people can push their organisations to greater and greater heights.

The problem is that people of this quality are very attractive to rival companies and are likely to be headhunted. The finantial impact of such people leaving is great and includes the costs of expensive training and lost productivity and inspiration.

However, not high performers are stolen, some are lost. High performers generally leave because organisations do not know how to keep them. Too many employers are blind or indifferent to the agenda of would be high performers, especially those who are young.

Organisations should consider how such people are likely to regard important motivating factors. Money remains an important motivator but organisationsshould not imagine that it is the only one that matters. In practice, high performer stand to take for granted that they will get a good financial package. They seek motivation from their sources. Empowerment is a particularly important motivating force for new talent. A high performer will seek to feel that he or she ‘owns’ a project in a creative sense. Wise employers offer this opportunity. The challenge of the job is another essential motivator for high performers. Such people easily become demotivated if they sense that their organization has little or no sense of where it is going. A platform for self-development should be provided. High performers are very keen to develop their skills and their curriculum vitae. Offering time for regeneration is another crucial way for organisations to retain high performers. Work needs to be varied and time should be available for creative thinking and mastering new skills. The provision of a coach or mentor signals that the organization has a commitment to fast-tracking an individual’s development.

Individuals do well in an environment where they can depend on good administrative support. They will not want to feel that the success they are winning for the organisation is lost because of the inefficiency of others or by weaknesses in support areas.

Above all, high performers – especially if they young – want to feel that the organisation they work for regards them as special. If they find that it is not interested in them as people but only as high-performing commodities, it is hardly be surprising if their loyalty be minimal. On the other hand, if an organisaton does invest in its people, it is much more likely to win loyalty from them and to create a community of talent and high performance that will worry competitors.

From the Financial Times

COMPREHENTION

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 8985