Articles
An Issue Of Trust

In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash

All You Ever Really Need To Know About Trust You Learned In Kindergarten

Furnishing Trust And Empowerment

Eight Organizational Strategies That Build Trust

Brief Cases
Business News Briefs

Pageturners
Book Review

Whining Can Be Healthy For Frustrated Employees
Change is the most common catalyst that creates whining. Unhappy employees can find whining therapeutic, if it’s conducted with maturity, in moderation and within acceptable parameters. The problems begin when co-workers group together and jump on the bandwagon. According to Joe Rosse, an associate professor of management at the University of Colorado in Boulder, there are four options for unhappy employees: exit the job; loyalty to the point of just continuing along, making no waves; neglect–staying with the job because that is all the employee has; and trying to make changes, which sometimes results in the appearance of whining or complaining.

“Acceptable” Just Isn’t Good Enough Anymore
In today’s marketplace, acceptable customer service simply means that the customer hasn’t been mistreated, but that doesn’t guarantee a memorable experience, according to research done by EBI Consulting, Westport, Mass. Where’s the loyalty? That customer will not hesitate if another business offers a lower price for the same service or product. Heavy investment in technology doesn’t ensure the human factor will be there. Finding and retaining customers is the business of business, not selling. Seventy percent of customers leave a company because the human side is missing.

Should You Stay Or Should You Go?
A study conducted in late April by The Hay Group, Philadelphia, Penn., compared committed employees, those who would stay with their organization for more than five years, and those employees that planned on leaving within the next year. The results found that those that were committed to their current job were so because of the type of work that they did, the respectful treatment received and coaching and feedback from their boss. The reasons cited for leaving were pay, opportunity to learn new skills and lack of respect. Some broad conclusions are that due to the tight labor force and high turnover rate, companies can work on retention by monitoring and checking their workforce more frequently and implementing programs that address employee concerns.

Employers Who Invest In Their Employees Reap The Rewards
Corporate financial performance can be predicted by investing in training and learning, according to a recent study by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). Comparisons were taken of companies’ expenditures on workplace learning during 1996 with that in the first half of 1997. Two sub-samples were established–those that invested an average of $900 per employee on learning and those who spent $275 on average. The results showed that the more money employers invest in their employees, the more successful and profitable the overall company becomes. This study, for the first time, provides the metrics for measuring the human value of investing a company’s money in their employees.