Employee reviews are an important part of improving productivity and morale, as well as being part of the corporate planning process, helping to guide staffing and goals.

More than three of every four workers found reviews either very or somewhat valuable, according to a recent survey by staffing firm OfficeTeam, of Menlo Park, Calif.

But it said there are some common pitfalls that employers should avoid. They are:

Saving feedback: A performance review is not the time to spring all your complaints and compliments on an employee.

Being secretive: Nothing in the review should be a surprise for an employee. Discuss ahead of time how each of you should prepare for this meeting and what topics will be covered.

Failing to consult others: If an employee interacts with others within the company, ask around. This information can provide insight for a more comprehensive review.

Not following through: The goals and ideas developed through the review need to be revisited, not filed away and forgotten.

R. Carnegie Associates, Inc. comment: Performance Management is something managers need to do on a regular basis, not just when it's review time. We strongly advocate a "No Surprises" approach to conducting the annual review by providing feedback, good or bad, whenever it's warranted. By the time a manager gets to the annual review, the employee should know already how and where she/he stands regarding performance.

The college class of 2005 should find an improving hiring climate, according to a survey by CollegeGrad.com, a Web site focused on helping point the way to entry-level jobs.

Its annual survey found that the top 500 companies plan to fill 130,000 entry-level positions, a 14 percent increase from last year.

"Entry-level hiring is continuing in a very positive growth trend in 2005," said Brian Krueger, president of CollegeGrad.com. "That upward trend began in 2004 and is accelerating. ... We are also seeing many similarities with the hiring growth trend that occurred in the mid-1990s."

Enterprise Rent-A-Car heads the list, expecting to fill 7,000 entry-level jobs this year. PricewaterhouseCoopers was second, with an estimated 3,200 jobs.
Last year's grads apparently represented themselves well, which could be one reason for more hiring this year. For instance, at Geico "our 2004 college hires have been so successful that we are increasing our 2005 entry-level hiring goal by nearly 25 percent," said Jyoti Cox, the insurance company's director of employment.

R. Carnegie Associates, Inc. comment: Even the smallest firm can benefit by hiring a recent college grad. Consider connecting with local colleges, universities, trade schools and technical institutes to find today’s entry level employees who may be your next "generation" of management talent. Cultivating an on-going relationship with area learning institutions also provides you with resources for internships, co-op employment, or special projects.

Although nearly two-thirds (69 percent) of U.S. workers rate their supervisors as excellent or good, over a quarter (27 percent) believe that they can perform their bosses' jobs better than their bosses. Workers aged 18-29 and those earning less than $20,000 annually were more likely to make that claim than their counterparts in higher age and income brackets, according to a national Hudson survey on managerial performance. Also, nearly a third of male workers say they could outperform their bosses, compared to a fifth of female workers. Nearly a third (31 percent) of U.S. workers work for supervisors who are about their same age, with one out of every six workers (16 percent) reporting to someone younger. Workers give almost identical performance ratings for both male and female bosses. Seventy-one percent of male employees rate their male bosses as good or excellent in comparison to 68 percent who rate their female bosses the same. Similarly, 69 percent of women employees rate their male bosses as excellent or good while 71 percent rate female bosses the same way.

R. Carnegie Associates, Inc. comment: How would your employees rate their bosses? Conducting your own survey (or having us do it) may provide valuable information for improving the boss-staff member relationship and increase retention at several levels.

Unclear objectives, lack of team communication, and ineffective meetings are among the top time wasters that workers around the world say make them feel unproductive for as much as one third of their workweek on average. The survey, conducted by Microsoft and which drew responses from more than 38,000 people in 200 countries, revealed that on average, American workers put in 45 hours a week at the office, 16 of which are considered unproductive. Other reported deterrents to productivity include procrastination and lack of team communication. Microsoft developed the survey as a way for workers to evaluate their work habits and receive tips on how to be more productive in their day-to-day activities. Dr. Larry Baker, president of the Dr. Larry Baker Management Center Inc. developed the survey questions. He stated, "In my three decades of studying what makes workers productive, I've found the most crucial skills are their ability to efficiently communicate across all kinds of boundaries, share important documents and manage the increasing volumes of information."

R. Carnegie Associates, Inc. comment: Wow, how productive are companies when there’s a Monday holiday? Please call us! We can train your staff in managing their time, setting achievable goals and functioning as a high performance team.

We've seen a definite upsurge in both training and recruiting, and here are the top ten training programs we conducted over the past year:

1. 21st Century Leadership Skills
2. Making the Right Choice: Interviewing & Selection Skills
3. Negotiation Skills and Conflict Management
4. Interviewing Skills for Auditors
5. Improving Customer Service Through Effective Communication
6. Making the Transition from Player to Coach: Management Skills for New Supervisors and Managers
7. Building A Productive Team
8. Presentation Skills
9. Performance Management: Coaching & Counseling to Improve Productivity
10. Where Did The Day Go? Effective Time Management Skills

And here are the top ten positions for which we recruited in 2004:

1. Manufacturing/Operations/Maintenance Management
2. Regional and Sr. Regional Directors (Non-Profit)
3. Special Events Directors (Non-Profit)
4. Sales/Service/Application Engineers
5. Insurance Sales
6. Customer Service
7. Engineers (Project, Manufacturing, Design, R&D)
8. Materials Management & Production Planning
9. Plant Operators, Electricians, Mechanics, and Instrumentation Technicians
10. Finance & Accounting

Whether you need outsourced recruiting assistance or participative workshops for new and current staff, please call us! We offer very competitive fees, excellent service, and "ready-to-go" senior level HR professionals to work with you and your team.

The year was 1985. The unemployment rate was a whopping 7.5%. The average cost of a new home was $100,800, a first class stamp was 20 cents, and a gallon of gas went for $1.20. "Born in the U.S.A." and the soundtrack to "Beverly Hills Cop" topped the music charts, with Michael Jackson's "We Are The World" capturing Best Record and Best Song at the Grammy Awards. The Cosby Show and Family Ties were the most popular TV shows, and Wrestlemania was introduced to the nation. On the sports scene, the Bears beat New England in the Super Bowl (ugh!), and the Lakers beat the Celtics for the NBA title, even though Larry Bird was NBA MVP. And R. Carnegie Associates (not "Inc." yet) started out with one very small training contract and one search assignment in our first three months of business. We still have that contract, and we filled the job in less than three weeks.

Twenty years later, we're pleased to say we still work with several of our earliest clients, but we"re delighted to be connecting to new clients every year! Our consultants continue to be "at the top of their game", and I'm most fortunate to work with four of the best HR professionals in the business. Teri, Jo, Mary Jane and Lisa have contributed enormously to the success of R. Carnegie Associates, Inc., and for that, I am very grateful. My thanks of course are also to all of our customers, who consistently keep us challenged to be our best, in training, recruiting, and all other areas of HR consulting. The past two decades have flown by, and we look forward to many more productive years to come!