Empowerment Questions

  • Do we agree that empowerment is a key ingredient in our continued success? If so, why? If not, why not?
  • Does our performance review process support or hinder participation and commitment of all staff?
  • Do we compensate and promote those who embody the values we espouse?
  • Do our communication channels promote or inhibit free exchange of information and ideas between individuals and departments?
  • What informal messages do

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Author: Rick Maurer
Source: Thoughts on Empowerment
Subject: Human Resources Questions

Employee Recognition / Motivation

Not sure how to individualize recognition? Just ask your employees questions like these:

  • By what name do you like to be called?
  • What are your “hot buttons” — hobbies or interests you like to talk about a lot?
  • What increases your positive emotion or “fills your bucket” the most?
  • From whom do you most like to receive recognition or praise?
  • What type of recognition or praise do you

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Author: Tom Rath
Source: The Best Ways to Recognize Employees
Subject: Human Resources Questions

Employee Performance

Executives need to take a fresh look at their businesses and realize that in the parts that are people intensive, capital-based measures may not provide the insights they need. The risks of not understanding employee performance and failing to set up differentiated rewards based on value creation are substantial. Executives can avoid such problems by asking some basic questions:

  • What kinds of business environments

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Authors: Felix Barber, Karsten Zimmermann
Source: Workonomics: Measuring the Importance of People
Subject: Human Resources Questions

Employee Involvement / Satisfaction

  • Do your employees have confidence in the job being done by senior management?
  • Do your employees believe the company conducts business with honesty and integrity?
  • Do your employees trust senior leaders at their company?
  • Do your employees believe the company effectively manages business changes such as downsizing, mergers, restructuring, and expansion?
  • Do your employees believe the company communicates effectively with employees?
  • Do your employees believe the company involves

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Author: Stephen Taub
Source: Dazed and Confused
Subject: Human Resources Questions

Choosing and Rewarding Managers

  • Did you choose people for managerial roles because they were the type of people who could get their fulfillment and satisfaction out of helping other people shine rather than having the ego-need to shine themselves?
  • Did you select them because they had a prior history of being able to give a critique to someone in such a way that the other person says: “Wow,

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Author: David Maister
Source: Why (Most) Training is Useless
Subject: Human Resources Questions

6 Questions CEOs Need to Ask Their HR Leaders

  1. Which segments of the workforce create the value for which we are most rewarded in the marketplace?
  2. Which areas of our business will be most impacted by impending waves of retirement? What are we doing to prepare successors? What impact will anticipated retirement have on the skills and productivity necessary to meet future demand?
  3. In what areas is the talent market heating up (i.e., demand will

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Author: Robin Athey
Source: It’s 2008: Do You Know Where Your Talent Is?
Subject: Human Resources Questions

10 Questions to Consider BEFORE You Select Your New Manager

  1. How will they fit into the environment?
  2. How well will they develop and treat the employees?
  3. How much do they really want to be responsible for getting things done through others?
  4. How well will they build relationships with customers and other business partners?
  5. How will they react under stress and when things get the most difficult?
  6. How much initiative will they take to assess barriers and make process

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Author: Lora J. Adrianse
Source: Disaster Prevention Tips for Hiring a New Manager
Subject: Human Resources Questions