"Managing People: Toddi Gutner" Group

Welcome to a community of savvy business people and ideas. Make new connections with other business owners to share advice, experiences and information.

You Must Be a Member to Participate

Join the Business on Main Community today. Meet other small-business owners, share information and ideas, and watch your business grow. Click the register button to sign up.

Join the Community:

Managing People: Toddi Gutner

Group info:

All

Other Industries

Share how you lead, from recruiting and hiring to motivating and retaining.

Join Group

Group Updates:

Mena330 has posted a comment to How would you handle this scenario?

Mena330 has posted a comment to Wondering what your employees are thinking?

Mena330 has posted a comment to Employees come FIRST??????

AngleBush-Consulting has joined this group

ItalianInvestor has posted a comment to How would you handle this scenario?

berein has joined this group

Merlin has posted a comment to How would you handle this scenario?

momto2screeminmimis has posted a comment to How would you handle this scenario?

Silverwolf has posted a comment to Wondering what your employees are thinking?

cathyknits2 has posted a comment to How would you handle this scenario?

Group Members:

32 members

Group Discussions:

TOPIC: How would you handle this scenario?

NAME: ItalianInvestor Jan 6, 04:44 PM GMT 2010
I'm going to give you a specific situation that has been ongoing in my office for the last 4 or 5 months. I have seen our most important staff member grow increasingly frustrated. He is an integral part in the business of the 5 advisors in our office. He processes all of the investment paperwork we submit. He handles client calls, prepares our investment paperwork, makes trades when needed and is a solid employee. One advisor in particular has been giving him a ton of work, a lot of it could be done by him but he has our assistant do it, the worst part of all is that it's given to him right before 5pm. I've gotten to a point where I apologize to him for giving him work. His quality of work has slipped too as a result of all the stress and rushing to get stuff done. I know the advisor causing him most of the stress is a problem, but he's also the most productive. He says that part of his agreement is having the assistant and by paying for the office space, he needs the service. We can't lose either one of these guys, so if you were the manager in this situation what would you do? We have all discussed this multiple times but nothing is changing. I'd like to bring up any suggestions in our next board meeting. Thank you in advance for your thoughts!
	Report Abuse

TOPIC: Wondering what your employees are thinking?

NAME: cathyknits2 Nov 6, 12:23 AM GMT 2009
Employees groan at the thought of performance reviews, we all realize that. But a proactive and positive way to view those reviews is to ask each employee to evaluate themselves on some of your regular points: attendance, team building, teamwork, employee persona, etc. (rank 1 -- 5, 1 = lowest and 5 = highest). This will give you a beginning point in the interview and will also give you a peek at how the employee feels he/she is performing on the job. Job descriptions should be examined and re-evaluated during this time together. Often an employee has a better view of his/her job in the business on the day to day workings. Also, each employee should be asked to develop 5 goals for their upcoming year (or until the next review), reminding them that goals should be measurable. This is another great way to see how the employee looks at his/her job. Of course all the above should be discussed and agreed upon before the interview is over. But having been a part of this sort of performance review, I believe that it is worth the extra effort on both the employee and employer.
	Report Abuse

TOPIC: Employees come FIRST??????

NAME: cathyknits2 Nov 13, 08:18 PM GMT 2009
Well Dixon Schwabl thinks so. Lauren Dixon, firm CEO says: "We don't make our clients No. 1, we make our employees No. 1". Shocking? Maybe not. Happy and content employees exude that feeling and clients feel it. Ice cream Thursdays? Loaded squirt guns? An air hockey room? Room for primal screaming? AND BEST OF ALL - total work-from-home flexibility??? Now I realize that all companies are not able to offer these perks, but when was the last time management asked their employees what might make their workday easier? And better still, what would you answer if you were asked the same question? Read Toddi Gutner's article: "Best Companies to Work for in 2009" http://businessonmain.msn.com/knowledgeexchange/articles/expert.aspx?cp-documentid=22462433 and if you are management, consider a poll (devised by yourself, if you are afraid your employees will come up with something that wouldn't work for your company). Share it with your employees and see what they have to say. Perhaps, they will opt for something very workable for you and your business. Then implement their top poll request and step back and watch their productivity increase! Whatdoyouthink...........do you see this happening in your company? Why or why not?
	Report Abuse

TOPIC: Best types of evaluation systems?

NAME: Merlin Nov 16, 02:47 AM GMT 2009
Does anyone have any experience with various types of employee evaluation systems? Did your organization ever begin with one type and switch due to implementation issues?
	Report Abuse

TOPIC: OUCH! That family member has got to GO!

NAME: cathyknits2 Nov 6, 08:20 PM GMT 2009
"How to Fire a Family Member", an informative article written by Jeff Wuorio. This is NOT a subject that anyone wants to address and I think we all hope that we will never be faced with this issue. Just imagine all the family dynamics that will be encountered, both to your face and behind your back. This employee is not going to disappear and you will be running into her/him forever. So what to do? Read Jeff's article and see if you can find some good info there. And I would suggest that you print it out and save it for that day (hopefully never) that you might be faced with this issue. http://businessonmain.msn.com/knowledgeexchange/articles/managingpeople.aspx?cp-documentid=19049646 One piece of information that we all know but often overlook is to document, document, document. Here's hoping that we will be informed in this area but never have to use the information.
	Report Abuse

TOPIC: Looking for solid business leadership.

NAME: MODERATOR3 Jul 8, 09:28 PM GMT 2009
From user Tasky, from previous message boards: In these crazy times it's more essential than ever to have the right "cabinet" to help run a business. I'm thinking of getting a business going and want to know how to find superstars to help me start my business? What are some tips for finding the right leaders? Can anyone recommend some good books on leadership too?
	Report Abuse

TOPIC: Would you take her back???

NAME: Beadqueen Oct 14, 11:27 PM GMT 2009
About a year ago, a lady that worked for me for some time went out to start her own business (same line as mine), as of Monday her business went belly up and now she called to see if I would give her her a job, back with my small company. My question is, should I take her back , she was a great worker and did her job well, but left without telling me she was opening her own shop, selling the same items I am, in the neighboring village?? What would you do???
	Report Abuse

TOPIC: Legal Disputes with Independent Contractors

NAME: EXPERT: Toddi Gutner Oct 22, 03:41 PM GMT 2009
An article in the WSJ on Oct. 19th reported that the IRS will audit 6,000 random US employers beginning in February in an attempt to quantify how many employers misclassify workers as independent contractors. In this recession, many employers laid off workers, only to hire them back as independent contractors in an effort to save on benefit costs and taxes. There is an exhaustive list the IRS puts out to determine whether an employee is an independent contractor or not. Have you or any business owners you know used independent contractors? Have you seen the IRS independent contractor checklist yet?
	Report Abuse

TOPIC: Retirement Benefits: New article

NAME: EXPERT: Toddi Gutner Oct 8, 02:37 PM GMT 2009
The latest column discusses different types of retirement plans. It is likely that during this current recession, offering or maintaining a retirement plan has been challenging for many small businesses. It is important to remember that depending on the structure an employer chooses, retirement plans don't have to be a huge cost burden. Remembering that employees are a company's greatest asset will go a long way in keeping up morale during this recession. Try to think twice before deciding to cut back on benefits like a retirement or health plan or not providing one at all. http://businessonmain.msn.com/knowledgeexchange/articles/expert.aspx?cp-documentid=22074439
	Report Abuse

TOPIC: New article from Toddi

NAME: MODERATOR3 Oct 13, 05:13 PM GMT 2009
Understanding Retirement Plans: Defined Contribution vs. Defined Benefit? http://businessonmain.msn.com/knowledgeexchange/articles/expert.aspx?cp-documentid=22074439
	Report Abuse

Start a New Discussion

Get answers on the most pressing business issues.

Submit your questions to our community and experts.

You'll receive advice, tips and ideas from a variety of trusted resources to help you take care of business.

Play Episode

Watch original Web-only series