Author: Mel Kleiman

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Mel Kleiman

Mel Kleiman is the author is the founder of Humetrics. He helps companies build high-quality, frontline, hourly workforces. Reach him at mkleiman@humetrics.com.

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How to hire winning hourly employees

Few people understand the daily pressures faced by landscape management business owners and managers. And fewer still realize that it’s people—both clients and employees—who are usually the source of these stresses. A mower may malfunction, but you can fix it and count on it to be there every day and on time, too. The handheld […]

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How to be a ‘magnetic’ employer

Unemployment is at record lows, and there are more jobs available than there are people to fill them. Given this scenario, it’s no surprise that the most pressing concern for business owners and managers nationwide right now is how to find the new hires they need and keep the good people they have. So, how […]

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10 commandments of preshift huddles

It’s been relatively recently that the huddle has made its way from the playing field to the business workplace, but it has proven to be just as effective in settings as diverse as the military, healthcare and restaurants as it always has been in sports. No matter the industry, employers who consistently use daily huddles […]

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The power of stay conversations

Although departing employees often will tell you they’re leaving for “more money,” research studies repeatedly confirm the No. 1 reason great employees leave is because of their managers. In HR circles, there’s even a saying for it: “People join companies and leave managers.” This does not mean, however, that managers who lose good people are […]

ABCs of hire tough, manage easy

Managers who hire tough know exactly who they’re looking for and refuse to lower their standards. They cover all the bases—from A to Z—and create a win/win situation for the new hire and employer alike. Here’s what they do. Attitude. Hire for attitude, train for skills. The main reason clients leave is an indifferent attitude […]

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The power of the five firsts

First impressions are lasting; hourly employees are not. Before they’ve been on the job six months, more than half of them are gone. Some were probably not a good fit for the job in the first place, but some productive, dependable, hard-to-replace employees bolt, too. And contrary to what they may tell you, they didn’t […]

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4 interview questions you must ask

Life is all about choices. In every moment, we make choices. Do this or do that. Go here or go there. It’s endless. And every choice produces a logical outcome, a result. The most important choice we make in business is who gets hired. When you hire the right people, you create a win/win/win situation. […]

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10 ways to guarantee your best workers quit

1. Don’t make new hires feel welcome and valued. Employees are most impressionable during the first 60 days on the job. Every bit of information gathered during this time will either reinforce a new hire’s “buying decision” (to take the job) or lead to “new hire’s remorse”—especially if he or she is shunted to menial, […]

Don’t hire the best applicants, hire the best employees

Before I make a presentation, I survey the attendees to find out their challenges when it comes to recruiting, interviewing, selecting and retaining employees. This year, the three biggest challenges reported across all industries are: Not enough qualified applicants; The ability to identify the applicants with the highest potential of becoming stars; and Keeping stars […]

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How to engage employees

Other than a paycheck, do you give your employees any good reasons to come to work each day? If your answer is “not really,” here are a few ideas to help you pump up employee engagement, which has a direct correlation to retention and makes recruiting new hires easier, too. 1. Differentiate yourself. What do […]

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10 commandments of hiring & retention

Thou shalt commit thyself to hiring and retaining only the best. Great companies are great employers, in turn, who are able to hire great people. Mediocre employees breed mediocrity, so make sure you recruit and select only the best. If a position goes unfilled for a while, you’re better off than if you settle for […]

ABCs of employee retention

Employers added 271,000 jobs in October, far exceeding economists’ forecasts. The unemployment rate slipped a tenth of a point to 5 percent and average hourly earnings moved up 0.4 percent, doubling economists’ expectations. So, how are you ensuring your best team members don’t jump ship? Employee retention efforts don’t have to be elaborate. You just […]

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Good isn’t good enough

As the economy expands and the labor pool contracts, the No. 1 concern of many North American business owners 
and managers is how to recruit and retain a quality workforce. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that, while the total population of those 65-plus will increase by about 38 percent over the next 10 years, the […]

Avoid getting sued

Let’s take a quiz. The results may save you from being embroiled in a costly lawsuit. Check off the boxes next to the questions you can legally ask job applicants either on your employment application form or in an interview: How many days were you sick last year? Have you ever been arrested? Have you […]

If you don’t know…

If you were asked to come up with a list of the top 10 reasons excellent employees should want to work for you, could you do it? Would the first five reasons come easily and then you’d have to dig a little, or are all 10 self-evident? I’ve found most business owners and managers can […]

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