Getting On Well With People You Work With The Most Fulfilling Part of a Job

"Positive working relationships and feeling good while at work are really important when looking at overall employee health and well being."

Good Morning Folks,

Just under half (42%) of workers felt positive relationships helped them to feel good at work, compared with a mere 14% for hitting their targets.

In the survey of more than 1,400 workers by HR Magazine in the UK, "having a good work/life balance was the second (40%) most common reason for feeling good at work, followed by receiving praise (26%) and earning the trust (16%) of their boss."

The survey also revealed only 4% of workers felt team activities including 'away-days' made them feel good at work.

Organizations with healthy, happy employees can find they see improvements in productivity and results. The survey results demonstrate how looking out for each other's well being and having a good work / life balance is essential."

Ar FSO, It’s to the credit of our fast-paced and results-oriented environment. Our team members are all energized by our growth, leadership position in the marketplace and the integral role they play in our success. At FSO, every team member matters. In fact, due to the very nature of our business, without our people and their unique skill sets and perspective, FSO would not be the leader that it is today.

The FSO culture celebrates the differences of our people and what we all collectively bring to the table. One of our most important characteristics is the diversity of our team members… our backgrounds… the way we think… the way we see the world. All of these different perspectives are critical to our success and speak directly to the culture here.

Clients also say that our company excels at attracting people with a great work ethic and an upbeat attitude. “They are very positive and incredibly helpful, considerate and kind,” said the COO of New York-based media giant, who uses FSO to staff the mailroom and front desk and fill administrative posts. “The first candidate they send me usually nails the criteria I’m looking for, so my time isn’t wasted meeting five people in order to hire the right one.”

This is what underlies the difference between the happiest jobs and the most hated jobs. One set of jobs feels worthwhile, while in the other jobs, people can’t see the point.

The problems in the most hated jobs can’t be solved by job redesign or clearer career paths. Instead the organizations must undertake fundamental change to manage themselves in a radically different way with a focus on delighting the customer through continuous innovation and all the consequent changes that are needed to accomplish that.

We believe in lavishing praise, giving sincere thanks, looking for the best in everyone, never criticizing and catch ‘em being good! We set the precedent, telling people what they are doing right, and specifically why they are of value— raising the bar to a higher level.

The result of this philosophy is happy customers, workers who can see meaning in their contributions and soaring profits for those clients who place their trust in us.

In the spirit of the season.... CHEERS!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"Not happy with their job? Then let me have it. I just want to work."

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Giving Thanks, With Love and Warmth, From Your Friends at FSO

ERIC HOFFER once said: 

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."

Good Morning Folks,

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

These words remind us that this Thanksgiving we have lots to be thankful for.

In the spirit of the season.... CHEERS!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"Kindness it is that brings forth kindness always."
-- Sophocles (447 BC)

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Link Up Thursday: "How Would You Motivate Employees"

"You've now seen all these people. Which one would you fire?"

Good Morning Folks,

Today I am sharing some great articles I stumbled up in social media this week.

LinkedIN in keeping their influencer series fresh, relevant and exciting, is asking each superstar influencer to write a short essay on what is their favorite interview questions. In one piece linked below, there is a story about the forgotten demographic working in the hotel service industry, and a brilliant interview question posed to a management candidate, "How Would You Motivate Employees like the Dishwasher. Fascinating read.

In a second piece below Wall Street "corporate raiders" share their favorite question: 

"Let's say you're interviewing for a big job. You've talked with a bevy of senior executives. You've made your high-level strategy proposals.

Everyone seems to like you.

Then, you sit down with the final decision maker, who throws out this curve ball: "You've now seen all these people. Which one would you fire?"

How do you respond? Well, it helps to be prepared and that's the benefit I promise you from checking out some of the links below.

Corporate Raiders Reveal Their Favorite Interview Questions

Why millennials still live at home (short video)

The Best Job Interview Question Ever 

Lou Adler's Interview Questions Part One (Brilliant)

Five Ways To Be Amazing At Work

Building Middle-Manager Morale

Great Expectations for Female Lawyers

Behold the power of the Internet. Those of us on the senior leadership team were thinking about how life would have changed had we had this type of access to mentorship back in the day.

Have a GREAT day. Love LIFE!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"Nothing stops an organization faster than people who believe that 
the way you worked yesterday is the best way to work tomorrow"
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LinkUP Thursday: New on LinkedIn Influencers’ “How I Hire” Series

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail"

~~George Bernard Shaw

Good Morning Folks,

The secret to our success at FSO is that we zig while all of our competitors are out zagging. 

We don't do things because "that's the way it's always been done" nor listen to people who laugh off new ideas with a 'that will never work." 

At FSO, integral to our core values is "Believe It. Deliver It." (re)IMAGINE it! WE (re)IMAGINE possibilities and be ahead of the curve. We embrace change and innovation with open arms. We never accept the status quo and take pride in out-of-the-box thinking and execution. And in that spirit we hope you take up on some of today's advice.

So while others "throw back" Thursday, we move forward by Linking you up to future success.

With that in mind, his week is chock-full of knowledge you won’t find anywhere else! LinkedIn has curated a one of a kind feed for you: "How I Hire", featuring stories from over 80 CEOs, thought leaders and more on how they choose their next team member. 

From LinkedIn Today Editor Francesca Levy: “For those seeking a job, the rigorous application and interview process can be harrowing. But spare some sympathy for the hiring managers. Sifting through resumes and coaxing out revealing insights in interviews is its own exhausting grind. And what’s at stake is a company’s most important asset: its talent. More than 80 of LinkedIn’s Influencers — thought leaders and experts across industries who write original content for LinkedIn — had lots to say about this topic.”  Some of my favorites:

How I Hire: You Can't Build a Team With All Point Guards 

How I Hire: Sell Me a Pen. Now

How I Hire: There Is No Lone Genius; Hire a Team With these Four Types

How I Hire: You're Not Interviewing For the Job You Think You Are

How I Hire: 6 Ways I Find and Hire Hardworking Millennials

Visit LinkedIn for access to the whole series.

Behold the power of the Internet. Those of us on the senior leadership team were thinking about how life would have changed had we had this type of access to mentorship back in the day.

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner Chief Happiness Officer ..................................................................................... " If you want to change who you are, change what you do" ......................................................................................

Very Special LinkUP Thursday: It's Career Day At LinkUP

"More than 11 million Americans are unemployed, yet 4 million job openings remain unfilled. These companies want to hire, but are struggling to find the right people."

Good Morning Folks,


What skills are the hottest with employers and what forces are driving those career trends? What courses in college are the ones with the best change of landing a high-paying job?Unemployed or underemployed, what websites can I turn to see jobs not advertised anywhere else?

We spanned the world of web to find industry experts to help out. One way to increase your brand to employers is to learn new skills. But choosing the ones that offer the most bang for the buck is challenging. Below we share the story of seven recent college grads bucked employment trends and landed great jobs after graduation. 

To help you better understand the market, we hope you check out the advice linked below and see how they did it:

10 Jobs to Do at Home

16 IT Skills in High Demand in 2013


World’s Top Employers for New Grads

10 hard-to-fill jobs

How I found a job after graduation

5 steps to find (and keep) young stars


The Top 100 Websites For Your Career

Our goal was to assemble a comprehensive guide to smart and engaging sites. We hope we’ve come up with a thorough list of online destinations for interns, job seekers, business owners, established professionals, retirees, and anyone else looking to launch, improve, advance, or change his or her career. 

Of course you may want to start your job search right here. FSO is always looking for Personal, Passionate and Productive professionals who are experts in their field. We continue to grow by leaps and bounds and are actively hiring today and welcome your interest in joining us.

Our onsite outsourcing staff love what they do and come to work with a twinkle in their eye, fire to their belly and skip to their step! JOIN US

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner Chief Happiness Officer ..................................................................................... " If you want to change who you are, change what you do" ......................................................................................

If It Costs Up To 5x A Person’s Salary To Replace Them, Are You Doing All You Can To Retain Talent?

"Companies and management need to get back to some proactive, progressive, solution based-value added thinking that is truly focused on long term and ongoing training and development of their talent. You'll never find and or maintain true jewels or even diamonds in the rough, when you treat your talent like 
"A Dime A Dozen!"

~~Chas L. Perry II 

Good Morning Friends,

The Bizcouch is where thought leaders put their feet up and share their challenges in pursuit of profitable progress and growth. Now Bizcouch has have prepared an insightful video about the cost of talent.

If it costs up to 5x a person’s salary to replace them, are we doing all we can to retain talent?

According to one of my LinkedIn influencers, Josh Bersin, Principal and Founder, Bersin by Deloitte, "I can tell the economy is recovering: we're suddenly seeing companies tell us that "employee retention" has become a critical issue. Let me give you some research-based perspectives on this critically important topic."

Many studies show that the total cost of losing an employee can range from tens of thousands of dollars to 1.5-5X annual salary.

Consider the real "total cost" of losing an employee:

• Cost of hiring a new person (advertising, interviewing, screening, hiring)
• Cost of onboarding a new person (training, management time)
• Lost productivity (a new person may take 1-2 years to reach the productivity of an existing person)
• Lost engagement (other employees who see high turnover disengage and lose productivity)
• Customer service and errors (new employees take longer and are often less adept at solving problems). In healthcare this may result in much higher error rates, illness, and other very expensive costs (which are not seen by HR)
• Training cost (over 2-3 years you likely invest 10-20% of an employee's salary or more in training, that is gone)
• Cultural impact (whenever someone leaves others take time to ask "why?").

And most importantly of all, we have to remember that people are what we call an "appreciating asset." The longer we stay with an organization the more productive we get - we learn the systems, we learn the products, and we learn how to work together.

That's why we are so meticulous about who we even consider for employment here at FSO.

If there's one thing that FSO lives and breathes everyday – it's the employee experience. We focus on motivating and driving the hourly employee to deliver great service with a skip to their step, twinkle in the eye and fire in the belly. We do this in so many different ways:

• Providing an unlimited career path not just a "job"
• Inspire Greatness coaching sessions
• Employee Experience Luncheons to show our appreciation for their hard work and efforts
• Regular Off-site parties to celebrate their great achievements
• Wall of greatness dedicated to onsite staff at each location (photos, certifications, awards etc.)
• Unlimited opportunities for on the spot recognition
• Monthly rewards, incentives and recognition
• Constant communications and motivating messaging from Mitchell Weiner
• Clear succession planning
• The most comprehensive training, awards and recognition programs in the industry, keep our staff happy and WANTING to come to work on a daily basis; resulting in exceptional service delivery to the customer.

We believe people make or break the success of an organization. FSO hires for character, desire and attitude and then takes better care of that individual than one could ever imagine. We take care of our people and in turn, they take care of you.

If you think you have what it takes to be part of the hardest working, fastest growing and more abundant with opportunity outsourcing provider on the planet, JOIN US!

Now get out the popcorn and enjoy this brief but informative film. Then head over to Bizcouch on Facebook and join the conversation.
 

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"There are no traffic jams along the extra mile"
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Inspire ME Friday: Be A Rock Star

 “Every employer is out to find the 'achiever' - 'the one who can get the job done', 'the superstar who can make a difference'.

Good Morning Folks,

Hiring people and evaluating talent is one my most challenging responsibilities as a leader. Finding rock stars among them is even trickier.

People always present their best selves in an interview and resume. Often times, I've found someone may look great on paper but if they lack the intangibles, they will be doomed for failure. I like people who can communicate, can verbalize or put to paper their thoughts, and see things from the customer's perspective.

That in mind, to inspire you this Friday and to usher in the weekend on a high note, I am sharing Lou Adler’s excellent performance / leadership article “12 Ways to Spot a High Achiever” that should be a litmus test for "employees you should keep".

Every employer is out to find the 'achiever' - 'the one who can get the job done', 'the superstar who can make a difference'. 

Rock stars in their discipline will float to the top and create their own opportunities by their capacities and their drive. Amazing people like rock stars always look to improve, streamline and make things better and more efficient. That's what gives organizations efficient, building competitive advantage and market share.

But, you can be a high achiever until the cows come home. However, if you work for a company that doesn't recognize high achievement and is unable/unwilling to allow a high achiever to progress and move up, it doesn't matter. At that point, the high achiever moves on.  

And that’s exactly how FSO is finding rock stars and building teams that will forever shine above the rest. Because here we DO care about the training and motivation that’s required to offer an employee a sustainable, fulfilling career. Where going to work is fun whereas previously employed by our competitors, it has been the other way around.

Now over to Lou:

As part of my day job, I run a company that trains recruiters and hiring managers on how to attract, assess and hire top performers using Performance-based Hiring. 

Being pretty cynical and somewhat analytical, the following is how I go about spotting a high achiever. (Note: job-seekers can use this information to make sure the Achiever Pattern is easy to spot on both your resume and LinkedIn profile if you have it. If you’re not quite there yet, use these tips to find a job that offers you the chance to get into this elite 25%. See point 6 below for the importance of this.)

==>They've been assigned difficult challenges ahead of their peers. 

The best people, including engineers, accountants, and sales reps, plus everyone else, are typically assigned tasks, clients and projects that are normally given to more senior people. If it happens regularly, especially during the first year of each new job, you’ve found tangible evidence of the Achiever Pattern.

==>They volunteer or ask to be assigned to projects over their heads. 

A person needs a lot of confidence to take on a task where they have little or no experience. If they’re successful at it multiple times, the person deserves double bonus points.

==>They’re put on important multifunctional teams. 

Managers assign their strongest staff members to critical team projects. Look for a consistent pattern, including teams growing in size, importance and impact over time. This is great evidence of strong team skills, as well as the Achiever Pattern.

==>They get a chance to demonstrate their abilities to more senior executives. 

Managers put their subordinates in front of a company exec to both demonstrate the manager’s good judgment, and to help the subordinate get more exposure.

==>They get promoted more rapidly. 

Look for promotions due to exceptional performance. More proof: a consistent track record of increasing responsibility at different companies.

==>The reason they change jobs is long-term career focused. 

For each job change, ask the person how they got their new job, why they changed jobs, and if these objectives were met. Changing and accepting jobs is one of the most important decisions a person can make. Make sure you hire people who have made them wisely.

==>They’ve established and achieved major goals. 

Rather than asking about a person's goals, ask first about the biggest goal they’ve already achieved. Then ask how they’re going about achieving their next one.

==>They’ve been rehired by a former manager. 

Top managers tend to rehire their best subordinates from previous companies.

==>They rehire their former subordinates. 

Ask more seasoned managers if they’ve ever hired someone they’ve worked with in the past. Top people follow other top people.

==>They’re the “go to” person inside their department. 

Find out where the person has been recognized for outstanding work and where they’ve coached others. Map this to what you need done.

==>They’ve received formal recognition outside of their department. 

The best people have reputations beyond their department and function. It could be a company award, a white paper, a fellowship, speaking at a conference, or assigned for special training.

==>They were mentored and /or mentored others. 

Just ask, and look for a continuous pattern. Then find out why, and the results.

Many times candidates overlook these important factors, so it’s up to the interviewer to seek them out. Once you hire a few top people this way, you’ll realize it’s worth the extra effort.

Love Life!

Have a Happy, Healthy and COOLER Weekend,





Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  


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"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get."
-- Dale Carnegie
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Lou Adler (@LouA) is the creator of Performance-based Hiring and the author of the Amazon Top 10 business best-seller, Hire With Your Head (Wiley, 2007). His new book, The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired, (Workbench, 2013) has just been published.

(re)IMAGINE & Reboot Your Career: Putting People Back To Work

"When You Don't Ask, 

The Answer Is Always No" 

Good Morning Folks,

As we go back to work after a long holiday, and with our Onsite Insights giving you plenty to read (catch it here if you missed it in your mailbox), let us not forget those who are left behind: the unemployed, recent graduates just entering the workplace, or mature workers trying to reboot their careers.

So today our special about job search LinkUP will be dedicated to them -- offering career guidance, peer support, and inspiration to help change or (re)IMAGINE your career. All guaranteed to bring happiness, smiles and "can do" spirit to brighten their outlook this Monday.

Job-hunting is a selling process, and you need to use the right selling process the right way, whether you’re looking for another job or want to make a career move. As the expression goes "when you don't ask, the answer is alway's no."  These articles will help you learn how:

Class of 2013: Try the Unexpected
Class of 2013, you’re heading out into the world, and as with any new journey, it can be scary. I know some of you are worried about graduating into a tough economy. Some of you are...

High-Tech Jobs That Do Not Require a College Degree
When people think of high-tech jobs, they typically think of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and Ivy League Ph.D.s. But according to a new definition of STEM jobs — those requiring skills in science, technology, engineering or math...

How to Answer ‘Why Do You Want This Job?’ in an Interview
So how do you give them that compelling reason? By treating this question as an opportunity for your sales pitch.

11 Reasons Graduates Lose Out on Jobs
With over 20 years of experience, Mark O'toole has outlined 11 reasons why graduates will lose out on jobs in this set of slides. Takeaways: Don't make...

Are You A Job Hopper? 3 Reasons Why You Can’t Stick It Out
If you’re a serial job hopper, don’t worry: I’m not here to pick on you. This article isn’t about placing blame; it’s about exploring motivation.

The Interview Question That Stumped Me
I've had many interviews over the course of my career, but one is particularly memorable because of the interview question that completely

How to Get a Job Past the Age of 50 

How to be an 'A' job candidate

Is It My Resume Or My Age?

Interviews: Learn to Bite Your Tongue!

How To Find A Job With A Criminal Record

Why Are So Many College Graduates Driving Taxis

Cultural Fit in An Interview May Matter More than Qualifications or Skills

Number Of Older Workers (55 And Over) Rises To New Record High

Good luck in your search and have a GREAT day,

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

LinkUP Thursday: Are You A Manager Or A Leader?

"Managers are people who do things right; Leaders are the people who do the right things." 

Good Morning Folks,

I heard a story that I’d like to share with you:

There is a group of people lost in rain forest. They are cutting the path through brushwood. There is a man shouting: "cut faster, cut wider, cut ...". Obviously a manager.

But where is a leader?

High atop the tree shouting down: "We are heading the wrong direction!"

The prototypical leader of the future will shift from the steely-eyed command-and-control type to one who is more open to feedback….one who specializes in communication, collaboration and coordination.

Thus, the most successful CEOs of their future will view customers not in a paternalistic way (at best) or as sales targets, but instead as partners… whose buy-in to a course of action will be the key component of their success.

Akin to this theory, researchers are actively examining the impact of the construct Psychological Capital (PsyCap) in the workplace. PsyCap is comprised of a number of key "state like" psychological resources. (The "HERO" resources; Hope, Efficacy, Resilience and Optimism). The HERO resources:
Hope. 
A belief in the ability to persevere toward goals and find paths to reach them.

==> Efficacy. 
The confidence that one can put forth the effort to affect outcomes.

==> Resilience. 
The ability to bounce back in the face of adversity or failure.

==> Optimism. 
A generally positive view of work and the potential of success.

Leadership involves and requires that a leader uses all possible and available resources people, equipment, and information in a way that seeks out the solutions, resolutions or the just the advantage and does it in the most efficient, or effective way.

A lot of people have the skills and knowledge to become managers but not all can be leaders. It takes special attributes, skills and knowledge and more importantly they are community builders, serve as role models, liberate and enable people, opportunists, facilitators who have a clear vision and steer the ship to it's destination.

A Manager can step up to be a Leader in four simple ways;

a) Start looking at the strengths of his or her coworkers and begin giving positive strokes to each one of them.

b) Start listening to your coworkers and their ideas

c) Start by seeing the "Big Hairy Audacious Goals" of the organization (the Big picture).

d) Start focusing on what is 'Right ' and what is the 'Right' thing to do rather than focusing on 'Fixing' mistakes or defects.

Leaders must have the "power support" to lead.  Their leadership status cannot be questioned. 

Managers must be able to develop clear-cut objectives, plan, organize, manage and control. 

In an ideal situation managers may also be good leaders and leaders be good managers.

A leader must also have the following competencies: network, interpersonal relationship and drive, in order to make it happen.

And now here’s today’s personally selected, hand-curated articles on leadership for you to change or reboot your career.  And your life.

Barry Moltz: 10 Simple Ways To Motivate Your Best People

How to Create a Winning Team

Hiring Managers: Don’t Try to Find the Perfect Employee!

5 Leadership Lessons An MBA Can’t Provide 

Note to Managers: Positivity Matters

5 Reasons Why Optimists Make Better Leader

Bill Marriott: The Four Most Important Words Employees Need To Hear From Their Boss

Have A GREAT Day!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer

LinkUP With ME!

I am now microblogging in between posts here so be sure to connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter for up-to-the-minute news, information and career opportunities. (BTW, these are NEW accounts so if you have already subscribed on other pages the company has published, you'll need to reapply for my "personal" VIP list.)