Make a holiday countdown.

Post or mark your calendars and make sure that details for each single date are tracked. Have your whiteboard summary chart ready before celebrating a White Christmas. Measure each of your team member’s progress and don’t forget to reward top performers.

Plan precise goals

Make sure that your staff knows about the company targeted total sales, number of transactions per item, and conversion rate by discussing your plan and enabling an open communication. Busy days should leave no room for a breakdown in communication.

Say no to stress

Holiday anxiety is inevitable when working in a stressful environment. Consider some tips on managing stress by first managing your team. Free your working area from clutter and maintain a positive working attitude with a clean desk. Give your staff a little piece of entertainment by placing a portable DVD player in your working area for viewing videos in their free time.

Don’t forget to play Santa to your employees.

Give credits to the nice and goodie-goodie. They too need to celebrate Christmas even when your business operation goes on. Poor performers should be guided accordingly. Remember that the success of your team depends on the participation of each member.

Where I work there are only a handful of employees. We have to work side by side and get along fairly well in order for the day to be productive. For the most part it is one of the better places where I have ever worked because we would all rather get along than fight, however some issues, and differences of opinions, come to the front at social events such as the "Staff Christmas Party".

For a few days following these events some feathers remain ruffled but we go back to getting along very shortly. I am well aware, however that in some work places the staff are not so tolerant of each others beliefs. In fact in some places they form up into sides based on political opinion or religion.

If people work together, they will be more productive if they want to help each other, rather than harbor any feeling of hatred or wanting the other person to look bad.

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What are your employees talking about or fighting over when they gather at the water cooler?

Not everyone is passionate about politics or has strong political views, but for those that do, their opinions are more than just political ones. If you support a party that is high on supporting environmental causes, chances are you are too. Therefore you are not going to want to be working with a bunch of people who drive Hummers two blocks to work, and who are generally wasteful people. If you support a political party that believes wealth should be shared equally among the people, you are not going to want to work with people who think that rich people deserve more or are more important than everyone else. You get the picture.

People cannot help the way they believe, or how they feel on certain issues pertaining to everyday life. Those issues are then put forth into our political views. This goes hand in hand with how we think in our daily lives. Most of us have friends with similar views.

Again, having co-workers who get along is very important to the running of any business, particularly a small business where people are often working along side of one another in, what should be, a co-operative manner.

While maybe it is illegal to ask a person what there political views are, and illegal to hire based on this, it might be something we should be aware of when staffing. Similar minded people will get along better. People of opposing views might just try to sabotage each other, and thereby hurt the company in the long run.

No one wants to work for a boss who spends their management time being negative about staff, even if they're being negative about someone else. All staff like to feel as though they're important, and that they're doing a worthwhile job. Don't prefer one staff member over another; it only causes friction.

A Boss Who Listens Will Be Listened To

There's nothing more frustrating to staff than to feel that the boss never listens. Make sure you give people your full (not distracted) attention, and don't brush them off. Whether they have a good idea or only a passable one, at least give them the privilege of being heard.

Sometimes the Employee will Be Better Suited for a Different Job

My own boss has a good theory: he employs staff on the basis of their talent rather than their aptitude for a particular job. He lets them grow into their work, and lets the job evolve around them. This may mean shifting how the job was initially visualised, but it will be profitable in the long run.

Don't Insist that Employees Work Through their Breaks

Sometimes whether an employee gets their break at the right time or not makes all the difference to the rest of their day. Certainly there are jobs where flexibility on the part of staff is necessary, but even in such jobs, remember it's essential for staff to have time to themselves away from the job at regular intervals.

Keep in Touch With the Staff

Make sure staff are really sure where a project is going. Don't assume. It's better to have, or give, more feedback early in the piece than to have disasters through lack of communication later on. And never berate staff in front of others. It makes them feel like a pupil bawled out in front of the class.

Be Honest About Where Things are At

If staff hear rumours, have to listen to gossip, get misinformation, stresses will arise. Better to keep staff informed as much as possible rather than have them acting on the basis of hearsay. And always be honest to an employee's face.

Hard Work Deserves Rewards

One employer of a large breakfast cereal firm in New Zealand took all his Pacific Island employees home to their native island for a holiday as a reward for a good year's work. While that might seem extreme, there are plenty of other opportunities to give employees a treat, such as taking them out for a meal, or giving them tickets to a game.

Don't Stint on Technology

Employees should be able to expect up-to-date equipment in an office: laptops, notebooks, broadband and the like. They can work faster and more smoothly if they have the right equipment. Stinting on technology will not only make you seem miserly, if will produce poor performance on behalf of the staff.

Carrots aren't Just for Donkeys

Everybody likes to have a reward for achieving. Employee of the Month awards, small bonuses (and large) and other motivations might sometimes seem like bribes, but they work. People enjoy working towards something, and there's nothing better than having your face up on the notice board as best employee, or seeing an email go round the office saying you've just achieved the best stats for a quarter.

Praise Never Goes Amiss

While you should never demean people in front of others, you should frequently praise them in front of their fellow-employees. It doesn't have to be over-the-top, and it always should be genuine. Praise is one of the great encouragements employees can receive.

These ten points seem obvious and even well-known, but it's surprising how many employers forget them in the day-to-day running of a business.

I'm going to list ten attitude problems that employees can bring to work, and offer some suggestions as to what you can do about them.

1. Those with an antagonistic attitude. This one affects not only employers, but other staff, and even more importantly, the customers. One woman I worked with delighted in biting everyone's head off, answering the phone in an abrupt manner as though she was being interrupted at her "real" work, and playing favourites, so that only those who were really part of her clique got good treatment.
2. The person who'll never take any blame for any mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes in a work situation, but the person who always has an excuse and never offers an apology is bad news.
3. The person who complains whenever they're asked to do anything different. As a whining child gets on his or her parents' nerves, these workers get on the nerves of the responsible workers around them.
4. The one who's never motivated to pick up work when they've finished what they're doing. They either lack initiative, or don't care to use it. I remember one man I worked with who would get to the end of his particular tasks around 1 pm, and then would sit there for the rest of the day literally doing nothing.
5. The person who challenges you, not just to your face, but in front of everyone else. The sort of person who's forever trying to get other people on his or her side, who rolls their eyes at anything the boss says, or who drags other workers in for a gossip session about the boss or the management.
6. Those who are never there when the clock hits 8.30. Or who just don't turn up, and require someone to waste time calling them to see where they are. They're particularly irritating when they're not there on a day when they're specifically required. In the end these ones can never be relied on, and consequently they can duck any responsibilities, such as opening up the shop, or coming in early to get special tasks done.
7. Their opposite number is the person who's there on time, but who always insists on leaving on the dot, both at lunchtime or in the evening. They never have time for any last minute jobs, and can never be persuaded to give a minute or two more of their time.
8. The one who has to be supervised at all times - just in case they do something wrong. You know they probably won't but they're "afraid" that they might, and they need you virtually to hold their hand. These are the sort of people whom you sometimes have to teach a task to over and over.
9. The people who are so looking forward to their retirement that they start acting as though they've already retired - while they're still being paid to work. They'll just slip out to do a personal errand, or they'll sit reading the newspaper, or take extra coffee breaks, or make long phone calls - usually about things related to what they're going to do when they're finished in your employ.
10. The ones who bring all their worries to work. Sometimes personal issues do take over, but when it's basic matters that don't affect the job in any way, or things that need to be kept out of the work scene, then these people can be a real time-waster. I worked with someone who was studying at University part-time. She would come to work in tears, because she wasn't sure whether she'd done well in her latest assignment or test. It would take a half an hour or more to calm her down.

What do you do with any of these kinds of employees?

Once it was possible to sack people on the spot in the hope that you'd get someone better to replace them. This is no longer an option for most employers, and dismissing someone can be a time-consuming and stressful task. Badly handled, it can also be expensive.

So what to do?

• Firstly, keep your eyes and ears open. Some employers overlook warning signs until too late, and by then other good staff are handing in their notice.
• Don't get so involved in your own work that you don't keep an eye on what your staff are up to. I worked for a man last year who was filling in until a new supervisor was hired. He chose to ignore the rudeness of one staff member when she contradicted anything he would say, and even though he was aware of the tensions in the office, he failed to act.
• If staff members are expressing concern about any particular person on a regular basis, be proactive. You have to be deaf and blind to miss bad attitudes; most often the fault becomes that of the boss if nothing changes. In the situation mentioned above, it was only when the new supervisor arrived that anything was done, and because the bad situation had been left so long, it took another six months before changes could be made. In the meantime at least two good staff had left, and the office was an extremely unpleasant place to work in.
• Don't react in negative situations. But do act. Don't let staff bully you, or cajole you, or seduce you into their poor attitudes. You're the boss. Act like it.
• In some situations, constructive feedback is required. Start off with the positives, and then bring in the matter that's causing concern. Even staff with poor attitudes often work well in certain areas. Don't forget these when giving feedback.
• Sometimes counselling is appropriate. Sometimes people with bad attitudes need someone to express themselves to, such as a workplace chaplain. Sometimes their behaviour is a way of saying something they can't otherwise say.
• But don't think that's the only approach. In some cases formal disciplinary measures will need to take place. Always, always do this in the presence of an objective witness. When I was first a manager, I chose to try and discuss an employee's work attitudes in private. She turned on me and accused me of all manner of poor behaviours. A few of these were justified; most were not, but neither of us had a witness to the conversation.
• Sometimes an employee needs coaching in a different way of behaving. As the boss you may be the best person to do this, but not necessarily. It may be appropriate to bring in an outsider to do some attitude coaching, or to send the employee off to a related course. Often a person outside the situation can get the message across more clearly.
• Set measurable performance standards amongst your staff. Do this in discussion with them, but don't let them reduce your requirements to their level. Insist, however gently, on improvements.
• Sometimes the only option is to move an employee sideways. This isn't easy, and will require a good deal of negotiation in order not to make it look as though you're getting rid of them, and dumping them on someone else. But the advantage is that in new surroundings they may find their attitude isn't tolerated, they may enjoy the new job more than what they'd been doing (and will get on with it more readily), and the mere fact of being in new surroundings, where they're no longer required to hold the attitudinal position they formally had, may work wonders.
• The worst case scenario is to look at dismissal. This is too complex a matter to go into here, but unless there is no other option, it's something to avoided. Training new staff is always costly, the dismissal process is time-consuming, and it can often leave bruises and scars that will take considerable time to heal. Try alternatives first.

Fear Based Management:

This method of management has its roots in two of the most heinous aspects of humanity. Control through fear exists in slavery and the military mindset that accompanies war. Employees are controlled through witnessing poor treatment of their co-workers and a fear of the same occurring to them if they complain or step out of line.
This disallows honesty in the workplace for fear of the whip, firing squad,or in modern times - firing, loss of a job. Employers and Employees in this system can never truly be honest with each other. This system allows the manipulation and resentment that comes about through the practice of "Brown Nosing". This system promotes the employees who sabotage one another, and at times their employer. In this system a business can not reach it's best potential because the egos of employers and management who use fear based management simply will not allow them to hear complaints or suggestions . Employees are either afraid to make suggestions for improvement, or punished when they do make suggestions for improvements ,or point out overlooked errors , thus hurting the employers ego.

Fear based employers do not want to hear complaints or dissatisfaction remarks from their staff. They only want to hear good things. Only hearing good things does not allow improvements to be made or errors to be amended.

You may think you know your employees when you run this system, but you really don't. Fear based Management means that you will never know anyone truly, and no one will ever know you. This leads to all manner of social and personal ills. Slavery in most of the world has been abolished and the militaries are of the world can only hold their power with the threat of death or court marshal. Do you really want to run your company this way?

Fear Based Management leads to higher employee turnover and thus loss of capital, investment, time and resources. Higher turn over of staff increases training expenses of new staff. Also it creates resentment of the employer and may lead to staff theft and disloyalty. Production is lower because employees really don't care if you succeed or not, and may actually want you (personally) to fail.

Management and Parenting are not the same thing. Whomever came up with that notion was an idiot. If you treat your employees like children and they will not respect you and they will resent you. No one likes to be treated like a child except an actual child (IE anyone under the age of 10).

Respect Based Management:

There are very few companies or employers who have enough self esteem to follow this method. A respect based employer is decent and correct in character and behavior. A respect based employer willingly listens to the complaints of their employees and recognizes that not everything is always perfect.

Very few people in the world are totatly honest. People hate honesty as it is a hard pill to shallow. If an employer wants their business to reach it's best potential then they must be willing to hire people who will tell them the truth. "YES-Men" or Women should be sent packing. A good employer needs to be able to see through the brownnosing. Employers must be willing to listen to employees that will tell them "No, this can not be done like that", "This is not working right", or "Customers don't like this" without taking it personally. If management takes on a "God-Complex" they will lose respect and foster resentment.

If you want every thing "simple and to the point" and everything "sunshine and roses", then management most likely is not the ideal position for you. Simply because somethings are not "simple and to the point". "Bottom lines" are not always concrete or accurate. If you are a person that just wants the "bottom line", let's hope you have a lot of money already and all those above that bottom line have personal integrity. Because the "Bottom Line" can be deceptive and often is.

Management should always remember that brown nosers and workplace saboteurs will stab them in the back just as quickly as they will their fellow employees. Management should, just as Judges, never except gifts, cards, or anything to that effect from individual employees.

If something is not an employees job and is passed off on to do, then don't get mad at them for not doing it correctly, or not at all. Get mad at the person who passed it off on them. Be clear in what each departments responsibility is and why that distinction is important. This is one of the biggest reasons for workplace trauma and drama.

Respect is a two way street, set by the example of the employer.
An employer who respects their staff does not talk down to them and does not "micro-manage" them. An employer who respects their staff allows their staff to have input on how the business is run.
An employer who respects their staff willingly admits sometimes an employee may know more than they do.

Employees who respect their employer will be harder working, more loyal, and will stick around longer.

Personality profiles have become an essential tool for employers who want accurate assessments of potential employees. “Nearly three quarters of UK companies now rely on psychometric profiling when recruiting.” States the British Market Research Bureau in a recent article in the Times. It is standard for employers to use profiling to understand, enhance and improve personal and team performance.

But which one do you choose? There are so many psychometric tools from which to choose it helps if you are clear about exactly what it is you wish to measure. Based on a recent on line poll the most popular uses of Personality Profiles falls into three distinct areas:

Recruitment and Candidate Selection

Mainly to provide insight and reduce risk.

Employee Growth and Development

To ensure employers retain and make the most of key staff.

Temperament and Team Building - significantly improve interpersonal communication and productivity both internally and externally.

There is no doubt that personality profiles can provide insight in these areas and generate measurable improvements. Yet this trend is not a modern phenomenon as the basics of personality profiling has been around for a long time. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator was developed in the 1950's and is still popular now even though this was based on the work of Carl Jung in the 1920's. The lineage of personality profiling can be traced back through the centuries, right back to Plato around three hundred and forty years before the birth of Christ.

Surprisingly the basic nature of all personality profiles has remained surprisingly static in all that time. They measure an individual's psychological attributes using one of two different styles or instruments:

Aptitude Tests: These mainly consist of "right" (like me) or "wrong" (not like me) answers. They are constructed to measure a person's ability or aptitude. Some tests gauge someone's verbal or numerical skills and are used when a particular skill or aptitude is required to do a job. So, aptitude tests tend to be used to measure “hard” skills.

Open Ended Questionnaires: Typically there are no right or wrong answers because questionnaires consider someone's characteristics or how they prefer to behave. Open Ended Questionnaires tend to be used to measure “soft” skills.

So whilst it is true that a psychometric profile may provide some rigor to the process of recruiting, give confidence in making the right decision and perhaps help to appoint the right person. They are not always an objective mechanism to short list candidates or eliminate those individuals without the right temperament.

When Profiles Go Bad

The issue is not the process but the nature of how the information is gathered. Both test and questionnaire based profiles use a linguistic base to drive the profile. And these questions, or variations of them, have been around for a long time. People who are exposed to them are becoming used to the style, pattern and content. Cheating is common place, in fact you can by books and attend courses in how to answer the questions in a way that changes the profile.

Results are easy to manipulate, even without any detailed "inside knowledge". For example the question below was taken at random from a widely used and popular test. Does interacting with strangers (a) energise you or (b) tax your reserves?

Frankly, it doesn't take much understanding of psychometric profiles to realise that this question is measuring your preference for social interaction. Most popular profiles would define this trait as Introversion or Extroversion. If you have a basic understanding of personality profiles you could predict the employer's requirements, modify your answers and alter your profile. As familiarity with the questions and interview coaching increase the effectiveness of profiles increasingly diminishes. This is a growing concern for employers and the profiling industry.

To combat this trend modern psychometric tests are emerging that record the subject's response to non-verbal stimuli. The techniques used work at a deeper more unconscious level, which makes them much harder to predict or second guess. There is even a suggestion that the answers given are more accurate, eliminating the other issue with traditional profiles which is the number of questions that need to be asked. Instead of spending ten, fifteen or thirty minutes often a visually based psychometric profile can often be completed in less than a minute. You can try an example of this style of test at personaliteye.com. Another advantage of this "non-verbal" style is that the applicant's language skills are less of an influence on the result.

If words and questions are being replaced by images and preferences, perhaps this will make psychometric profiling not only faster, fun and more accurate.

When we got there, other than the screaming alarm, there were no obvious signs of break-in so my husband turned the alarm off and we very cautiously and quietly walked inside where we found the cleaner calmly vacuuming the floor.

On seeing us he explained that he had, in fact, set the alarm off, but as he had been unable to disarm it, and “couldn't hear on the phone at the best of times”, had decided that his best option was to turn off his hearing aids and just go on with his work.

Isn't it great when you can find staff who, by using their own discretion and problem solving skills, are able to take some of the pressure of you!!