How many times have you heard or uttered this phrase in the last 5 years or so. As a “reformed accountant” this phrase makes me cringe more than any other business euphemism being espoused today.
What exactly is an asset? The dictionary defines an asset as “A valuable item that is owned”. From an accounting standpoint an asset might be a desk, building, computer, or a truck. The one thing almost all assets have in common is that they are depreciated, or used up by the company until they are worthless. Then they are discarded.
Now you can understand why that phrase makes me cringe. Certainly there are exceptions to the “use and discard” rule. Land, securities, or even artwork are examples of assets that appreciate in value and are worth more over time than they were when they were first acquired. But is that how you are treating your employees?
Many companies today seem to be using employees up. Employees are hired, placed in service, perform at maximum capacity for as long as possible, and then when they are no longer viable, they are discarded and replaced.
Just like a disposable asset.
Oddly enough, it seems to me that there really is a correlation between how companies treat their equipment and how they treat their employees. When times are going well, companies spend money on their equipment. They run routine maintenance; they keep the equipment well oiled; they buy upgrades and add-ons; and they do their best to ensure that the equipment is in the best working order possible.
Then market conditions change and the company suddenly finds itself in more difficult times. What do they do? They try to control expenses by reducing or eliminating any expense that does not show an immediate payback. Instead of getting preventive maintenance on their equipment every 30 days, it is stretched out to 90 days. Instead of upgrading the equipment with new add-ons companies try to make due without the enhancements. Instead of keeping the equipment well oiled, they cut the staff that performed the job, just to save the dollars. The result of these cost cutting initiatives is fairly clear as well. In the short term the expenses are reduced and profits preserved. But after a few months, the cost containment process begins to show it’s true impact as equipment shows wear and tear, breaks down, or does not have the capability to perform the job as now required.
Similarly with employees we see the same pattern. When times are good companies spend money to hire the right employees through careful screening processes. They spend money to train employees on both technical and soft skills to improve their performance. And they reward employee performance through pay increases and fringe benefits. When the business gets more difficult the cutting starts with training, followed quickly by pay and benefits, and eventually manpower itself. In the short term, profits are preserved, but after a few months, the employees find themselves without training on new products. Process enhancements that would improve long-term productivity are set aside due to the short term costs of implementation. Companies begin to work their employees harder, without the grease and preventive maintenance required to ensure their productivity. Managers push harder for production with less staff. More coercion is used because managers know that employees have few choices but to put up with the demands being made on them. Bad bosses use bad economic conditions as an excuse to treat their people shabbily.
Just like with equipment, the costs are contained in the short term at the expense of the long-term value of the “asset”. Employees are used up and then discarded just like equipment that was not properly maintained.
And who suffers the most in the long term from this shortsighted policy?
Oddly enough, it’s not the employees that suffer the most, but the company itself.
Why?
Because when the economy turns again, employees remember how they were treated. They remember the lack of compassion, understanding, and leadership from their company. They quickly begin to focus their efforts on new jobs with a new company, leaving the old indignities behind.
Indeed, the company really does lose its most important assets -its’ people.
So, what is the answer, you ask? How does a leadership team maintain its most important asset when finances are tough?
The answer lies in keeping your management and leadership focused on their people. And by providing leadership training for the team that includes how to maintain morale and provide inspirational leadership without spending a lot of dollars.
If you really expect your people to be your most important asset, then it’s important to invest in their future, by investing in them and in the people that lead them. Spend those dollars wisely and watch the payback as your most important assets, your people, grow in value.
David Meyer, owner of Coaching for Tomorrow, has more than 25 years of management and leadership experience, having worked for companies such as Nobil Shoes, McDonough, Allied Stores, MCI and Nextel Communications. His mantra, “You Win With People” is based on the deep-seated belief that hiring, developing, and promoting the right people can lead to organizational and financial success. As a management and leadership coach, David works to instill that same passion in his clients by helping them understand the importance of strong leadership, strong teamwork, and strong players.
David has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Elmhurst College and has been certified by both ACTION International as a Business Coach and the Coach Training Alliance. He also has received his CTM from Toastmasters. He is an Officer in the Denver Coach Federation and a facilitator/trainer for the Coach Training Alliance and ACTION International of Colorado. He is also a co-author of the book Creating Workplace Community: Motivation.
Married with two adult daughters, David is active in his local Kiwanis club and Crossroads Community Church. He enjoys reading, golf, scuba diving, and Civil War reenacting. www.coachingfortomorrow.com
Yaws, a tropical infection of the skin, bones and joints is
usually caused by the bacterium spirochete. Yaws is easily and
quickly transmitted by skin contact with infected individuals.
The Bacteria enters through an existing cut or similar damage to
the skin. Usually less than a month but within ninety days of
infection with Yaws a painless but vivid “Parent Yaw”, an
ulcerous papule appears on the surface of the skin at the point
of entry. This Ulcer is described to have the color of a
rasberry and is about 15-45mm in diameter. This initial Ulcer
can last for up to nine months and other ulcers will appear on
skin as the previous one heals.
If left untreated a secondary stage of Yaws will occur after up
to four months. This second stage is marked by more ulcers
similar to the first one in appearance, although much smaller.
These growths can combine together into a thick fissured plaque.
These fissured plaques can occur on the feet and induce a
distinctive gait. Secondary growths of Yaws are irreversible.
In approximately 10-20% cases of yaws the disease can progress
for over a decade or more to a tertiary stage. This tertiary
stage will have destructive lesions to the skin and to the
bones. The largest group afflicted by yaws are
children aged 5 to 11 years in Latin America, the Caribbean
Islands, India, West Africa, Oceania and Southeast Asia. Numbers
of Yaws outbreaks have been increasing over the past years
since, the World Health Organization (WHO) funded campaigns
against yaws in 1954 to 1963.
Yaws is easily identified from blood tests or by a microscopic
examination of a lesion. Treatment for Yaws is by a single dose
of penicillin, erythromycin or tetracycline. It is very oncommon
for a victim to have recurrence or a relapse.
Internet Bingo has become popular and a lot of people whether young or old all over the world have internet bingo as their pastime. Some though play in the hope of winning money especially because the said game is easy to play with its simple rules.
To start playing internet bingo, you have to buy a bingo card which you can select from around 50,000 cards available on online gambling sites. Some bingo sites though offer random card selection using their software so it is up to you whether you would want to choose your own or use the random selection method. Sometimes, bingo sites present random selection of the cards with the help of special software.
In some sites, you may buy as many bingo cards as you want though most of the sites only allow every player to purchase 32-50 bingo cards. There are also some bingo sites that require that each player has the same number of bingo cards to be fair.
The winning pattern for every internet bingo game appears on screen and could be patterned horizontally, diagonally or vertically. If you are playing the Blackout or Coverall game, all numbers on your bingo card should match the ones on screen for you to win. In normal bingo games though, only 5 matched numbers are needed in the specified pattern to win in Internet bingo.
Internet bingo offers you the convenience you want because you may choose to play it at anytime you want. You have the choice to play fun games that are for free or the real online bingo games wherein you would have to pay cash to play and get the chance to win real money. Take note that online bingo can offer its players huge jackpots, making the winner’s dreams come true.
Do you need help in deciding which satellite company is better? Dish Network and Direct TV are the most popular satellite tv systems in the USA. WE have set out and compared Dish Network vs. Direct TV to help you decide on what satellite provider is best for you..
Dish Network 1. You get more digital channels for the same price, you get all the free features such as TiVo, up to 4 tv connections, free installation, and more.
Dish 2. Dish Network will offers NO Equipment to Buy, FREE Home Protection Plan, 100% Digital Programming, FREE DVR Equipment Options, FREE HD Equipment Options, LIFETIME Equipment Warranty.
Dish 3. Dish Networks packages start out from $29.95 a month, big savings vs. cable or other satellite providers.
Advantages of Direct tv
Direct tv 1. Get a DIRECTV® System in up to 5 rooms free, with standard install & free delivery.
Direct tv 2. Direct tv offers 1 DIRECTV® DVR Receiver Powered by TiVO, 70 Hour Recorder Advanced Program Guide®, On-Screen Caller-ID Capable, Auto-Tune Timers, Parental Controls, 1 UHF Remote, Triple LNB Dish.
Direct tv 3. You can get up to 125 channels at their basic package which includes local channels from $39.99 a month. They run satellite promotions from time to time that allows you to get HBO or Cinemax free for up to 3 months as well.
About The Author
Research your choices
Make sure to do you due dilligence in order to make a wise choice in choosing your Satellite tv service. We hope this advice is helpful for you in making a sound choice on your home satellite service.
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When you are trying to improve your tennis skill therefore an advanced quality tennis racket will be surely one of the tennis items on the peak of your listing. Nonetheless, prior to buying a tennis racket there are a substantial amount of influences that require to be weighed-up. These contain: the tennis rackets mass, solidity, head dimension and a significant number of other factors. By recognizing what advantages and disadvantages the varying kind of racquets can award will help aid you to choose a more informed and judged assessment at some point in the procurement course.
Power Level:
The power excised by the most recent tennis racket fluctuates considerably and all level gives amazing success depending on your individual tennis method. The 3 types of power levels in a tennis racket comprise of; ?Power Racquets?, ?Tweener Racquets’ & ?Control Racquets?.
Power racquets provides a hefty quantity of power & is aimed for tennis people to take shorter & relaxed tennis movements. Tweener racquets are for tennis players that are longing for a balance between power and control and are so constructed for persons that employ an intermediate to long racket swing speeds, and moreover take an intermediate to long cuts at the ball. These are ideal for kids who are moving to adult length tennis rackets.
Last, but positively not least, control rackets are designed for tennis people that have extended and quick tennis swings when they play. The foremost rationale for this is that control tennis racquets want the player to fashion the power. This form of tennis racquet should be kept away from junior tennis players unless they are capable to get to grips with the weight. Find Tennis Racquets reviewed at VTennis.co.uk