As a supervisor, you are the link between your employees and the organization. It is your ‘supervisory’ skills that will either help your employees succeed or fail in their roles. With so much at stake, have you been properly trained?

Employee conflict is common in all work environments but if left unmanaged it will have negative consequences on the workplace. Often we take the passive approach to managing conflict, and naively hope that the issues will somehow be resolved. Unfortunately, the issues typically become worse over time and the negativity spreads, resulting in poor employee morale, loss of productivity, absenteeism, staff turnover, and a ‘poisoned’ work environment.

What is legitimate leadership and what makes you an effective leader? Is leadership a position or an activity? There are formal and informal leaders in all organizations. What makes them stand out? Can leadership be learned? We say it can.

Progressive discipline, if used appropriately, is an effective management tool. For most employees, a disciplinary warning and the potential consequences of further discipline will act as a deterrent, and result in immediate and improved performance and behavioural change.

An organization’s viability is directly related to the performance of its employees. A well managed organization has an effective performance management system that aligns individual employee performance goals with the organization’s mission and vision. A comprehensive performance management system will link an employee’s performance to compensation, promotion opportunities, training and development, and discipline.

As a supervisor or manager, there are several laws that govern your fundamental obligations to your employer and your employees, and by law you must know these with precision. Ignorance will not protect you from your duties or the impending fines if you are found negligent.

Change can have a dramatic impact on you and your employees. If handled properly, change can sometimes result in opportunities for growth and development. At other times, change can destroy morale, motivation, and productivity. How you help your employees cope will determine the future success of your organization.

Absenteeism CAN BE managed in your organization but how you approach this issue will determine the long-term effectiveness of your program. Thoughtful employers understand that employees will occasionally be absent from work. However, when the circumstances surrounding the absence are questionable, or when the absences become patterned or excessive, then management needs to take action.

Poor employee behaviour can be a serious, even crippling, problem to an organization. It can range from employees who do not live up to their potential to not meeting minimum standards of acceptable behaviour. Despite your good intentions and best efforts, you may not be able to change the behaviours of some employees. Learn which group of employees you can coach and mentor and therefore should spend your efforts on to gain maximum results.

Your employees are your most important resource; this is often the only difference between you and your competitor. Learn to hire smart as this is your only insurance against poor employees. In this program, you will focus on the hiring process which begins with the art of resume reading. Resumes contain both golden nuggets and booby traps.

Poor employee wellness costs employers! High absenteeism, poor morale, low productivity and high turnover rates are just some of the negative outcomes that are attributed to poor employee wellness. Employers are being hit harder and harder with the resulting costs in terms of increasing disability, WCB premiums and prescription drug costs. Despite these challenges, major improvements are possible.

Creating a new performance management system is one of the most important yet most difficult jobs an organization can undertake. No other organizational system affects as many people in so many important ways as the performance appraisal system. The appraisal system can affect one’s salary, promotional opportunities, status within the organizational and relationship with his supervisor.

According to the World Health Organization, stress is now the No. 1 reason why employees are absent from work! When employees spend 8 or more hours a day in close contact, tension and stress inevitably arise. With increased workload, announcements of layoffs and other negative messages, disappointment and conflict can emerge, draining productivity and undermining morale.

As organizations become more diverse, employers are being challenged and are being placed at a higher level of accountability for ensuring a harassment-free workplace. But what does this really mean and how can an employer protect itself and its workplace? Most supervisors don’t really understand their rights or responsibilities.

Exceptional customer service is your competitive edge for success. As more companies are competing by cutting prices, and as customers are becoming more discerning, it is no longer enough to depend on good service, you must have ‘gold seal’ service to stay ahead of the competition.

Providing ‘gold seal’ customer service is the single most cost effective investment that you can make in your company. If you could grow your business significantly for a fraction of the cost of other traditional marketing investments, such as pricing and promotions, why wouldn’t you do this?