VIDEO - SourceCon 2008 - Getting to know you
Jim Stroud works the crowd at SourceCon 2008. These interviews occur the day before the actual event begins. Good times. And oh, be sure to watch it to the very end. (wink)
SourceCon 2008 - Getting to know you from Jim Stroud on Vimeo.
SourceCon 2008 - A few photos
Here are a few shots from SourceCon 2008.
I networked with a lot of cool people and made some new friends.
One of my most favorite things to do at SourceCon was give out money to people who answered my questions. Between myself and those “Secret Agents” in the various presentations, SourceCon gave away over $1,000.00 in cash and prizes to those in attendance. Wow! What other conference does that?
Much respect also to those who participated in the Grandmaster Sourcing Challenge. As I commented on the ONLY sporting event for Sourcers (anywhere), it was amazing to watch what tools and tricks were used to meet the objective of the contest as the clock ticked. No amount of distraction broke their concentration (and we tried). These guys were all hard core users of the internet.
And of course, Dave Copps was a blast. Can’t wait to post the video so you can hear the only rock song dedicated to the Sourcing industry. (Very, very cool) I’m sure you’ll love it. Hey, with Jeremy Langhans as one of your back-up singers, how can you go wrong?
SourceCon - Michael Marlatt, a star is born…
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SourceCon is known for dynamic speakers and this year was no exception! As predicted, Gerry Crispin, Otis Collier and well… all the speakers in attendance rocked the house. Well, I suppose that was to be expected. I mean, who invites you to speak if you can’t deliver? Well, I want to shine some light on someone I think is an up and coming star - Michael Marlatt.
I don’t know how many speaking engagements Michael has had prior to SourceCon (not many as I understand it), but he presented himself as an old pro. The way he described and analyzed Cloud Computing and related it to Recruiting was funny, electrifying and an unexpected breath of fresh air. I heard rumors that Michael’s speech was going to pleasantly surprise me and it did! I hope Michael becomes a regular on the speakers circuit so that you can see him for yourself. (If you were not at SourceCon, you missed out - big time.)
Check out the online buzz Michael received during and after his presentation. Again, good stuff.
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VirtualRecruit: @researchgoddess Yes, Michael Marlatt should be the keynote address speaker at ANY recruiting or sourcing event in the nation.
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chrisjgould: #sourcecom Michael Marlatt equals sharp. might be my favorite all week
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amieernst: I am completely speachless by Michael Marlatt. nuf said.
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researchgoddess: michael marlatt showing the “here comes another bubble” video.. classic! #sourcecon
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ABOUT MICHAEL MARLATT:
Michael Marlatt is a recruiting professional with 10+ years of full life-cycle experience, including expertise and passion around internet research & sourcing, training, and Web2.0 technologies. He is presently employed by Microsoft as a Recruiting Consultant and is primarily responsible for prospecting consulting talent for Microsoft’s U.S. Enterprise Services within the East Region.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Michael served in many recruiting lead roles for top-tier organizations such as Ernst & Young-LLP, Capgemini, Deloitte Consulting, and Amdocs Consulting. Michael’s diverse talents have allowed him to take on a variety of positions to include lead recruiter, sourcer, trainer, and mentor. As a former AIRS Certified Internet Recruiter, Michael has designed and delivered recruiting training for many of his previous employers. He has addressed a broad range of training topics, trends, and sourcing “best-practice” methodologies.
Michael started his recruiting career back in 1997 with a national agency out of Atlanta, GA. He remained within the agency environment for three years where he performed full life-cycle recruiting, as well as managed key accounts across multiple industries such as telecom, high-tech, retail, and consumer products. He quickly rose through the recruiting ranks and became a “top-producer”. By mid-2000, he was recruited by the former Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (now Capgemini) and remained there for close to four years. During that time, Michael held several national recruiting roles and was responsible for hiring ERP-(SAP, Oracle, & JDE), CRM-(Siebel & Clarify), and Telecom consultants.
Michael is very passionate about the evolution of Web2.0 technologies, particularly as it relates to “best-of-breed” social-bookmarking tools, the impact of social-networks, Lifestreaming Aggregators, Open Standards, Dataportability, as well as predictions around the emergence of Web3.0.
Michael currently resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and 2.5 year old son.
Nothing says "Thanks for posting this Jim!" like Starbucks Coffee. Click here to buy me a cup (or two).VIDEO - SourceCon 2008 - Day 1
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The following photos were taken on Day 1 of the SourceCon 2008 event. Enjoy…
SourceCon 2008 - Day 1 from Jim Stroud on Vimeo.
VIDEO - Twas the night after SourceCon…
Wow. I am sleeeepeee, but I wanted to get this special shout-out to everyone I met at SourceCon. More (lots more) SourceCon info coming up next week. And oh! For those who asked about the t-shirt I was wearing during the cocktail reception, here is the link. (Click here for even more t-shirts.)
Georgia Workers’ Compensation Benefits - What Employees Are Entitled To Benefits?
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Georgia Workers’ Compensation Benefits - What Employees Are Entitled To Benefits?
by: Aaron Walter
This article is made available for educational purposes only, to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. This should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.
What is Workers’ Compensation?
In Georgia, Workers’ Compensation operates as a “no fault” system for compensating injured workers for time missed from work and for costs of necessary medical treatment. The system presents trade-offs for Georgia workers. While it bars claims against an employer for personal injury, it also bars some of the defenses an employer could use against a workers’ claim such as “assumption of the risk” or that the injury was caused by a fellow employee.
This system means you cannot sue your employer in State/Superior court for your injuries, like you would in other instances. Instead, an injured employee is compensated according to a schedule set out by the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Sadly, this means you will not be able to sue your employer for such things as pain and suffering from your injuries.
Exactly who is allowed to make a Georgia Workers’ Comp claim?
The foundation of workers’ compensation law is in defining who is an employer and an employee for workers’ compensation purposes. Unfortunately, it is not always as simple as “I work for Company X, therefore Company X is my employer and I am his employee.”
The basic rule as to whether an employee/employer relationship exists involves two seemingly simple criteria; 1) a person in the service of another, who is 2) under contract of hire.
There is no requirement that a work contract be written. Actual pay may not be necessary (ex. Volunteer firefighters or police, elected officials). Minors can still benefit from workers’ compensation even if they are working in violation of child labor laws. Also, unlike many states, migrant workers and temporary employees are covered.
However, many types of employment or employers are not subject to workers’ compensation. Types of employment not covered by Georgia Workers’ Compensation include Domestic servants, Farm laborers, Railroad common carriers, Sports officials (umpire, judge, linesman, scorekeeper, timekeeper, etc.), Licensed real estate salespersons with independent contractor agreements, Partners in a business, and Independent Contractors.
Georgia Workers Compensation does NOT apply to employers that do not have at least three employees operating in the same business within Georgia. These minimum three employees must be “regularly in service” within the state. The term “regularly” does not mean constantly or continuously, only that there is a routine practice by the employer to utilize three or more employees, even if that many employees are working on the date of an accident. In most situations your boss will count towards the three employee requirement.
Independent Contractors
Employers often do everything they can to classify their employees as independent contractors to protect themselves from having to pay workers’ compensation to their injured employees. There may be a debate as to whether you are in fact an independent contractor, but if you one, you are not entitled to workers’ compensation. While it can be complicated determining whether you are an employee or an independent contractor, below are some of the factors to look at in determining your status:
CONTRACT - Existence of an independent contractor agreement signed by the worker
PAY - An hourly or salaried worker is likely an employee. When a worker is paid on a per-job basis he may be viewed as an independent contractor.
TAXES - If an employer withholds taxes, the worker is more likely an employee. However, just because your wages are reported on 1099 tax form instead of a W-2, your employer has not automatically made you an independent contractor.
TYPE OF WORK - If the workers’ job is part of the regular business of the employer, rather than some additional service to the business, it would favor the employer/employee relationship.
JOB “TOOLS” - Who supplies the tools, supplies, or materials of the job? If the worker supplies all their own tools and materials it likely indicates an independent contractor relationship.
HOURS - If the employer controls a workers’ hours, it likely indicates an employment relationship.
OVERALL CONTROL - If the employer controls how a worker does their job, as opposed to simply requiring certain results, the worker is likely an employee. These “how” factors focus on the hours, manner, methods, and means of performing the work.
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About The Author
Aaron Walter is an attorney in Marietta, Georgia. He specializes in Workers’ Compensation and cases involving injured Iraq contractors under the Defense Base Act. He is also an author of The Defense Base Act Blog http://defensebaseactblog.com. View his firm’s website at http://www.chestnutlegal.com
Nothing says "Thanks for posting this Jim!" like Starbucks Coffee. Click here to buy me a cup (or two).Retaining the New Employee
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Retaining the New Employee
Copyright (c) 2008 Pat Brill
Keeping your talent is one of your main responsibilities as a manager…you are measured by your ability to handle this important function within the company. Losing people doesn’t have to be inevitable even for positions that traditionally have large turnover.
This is such a broad subject because each person has different needs within the work environment. So how do you as their manager satisfy all those needs in order to meet your business objectives?
I hope you have followed strong recruiting methods and have located the right talent for the job. Now you want to incorporate your new team member quickly and most efficiently.
Here are some guidelines to help you create a strong working relationship with your new hire.
All Employees Need:
- Respectful work environment - treated fairly
- Tools to do their job –Strong manager who creates high standards and gives clear directions
- Fair market pay
- Opportunities for learning and performing, and
- A big one….recognition
How to Build a Strong Working Relationship with Your New Hire
This is your prime time…time to make the best impression you can on your new employee. The first 45 days are critical to the overall success of you as their manager and their performance within your team. It’s not to say you can’t change an employee’s perception or performance, though setting up the foundation correctly makes your life so much easier. Don’t you have enough challenges?
Having said that…here are some ideas you may want to use when integrating a new employees.
- Before the new hire starts, send them the policies and procedures manual that your company has…if not, create a document that you can give to your new hire. Why?
- The new hire has no surprises on the new day. –The new hire feels already connected with you and your company…they have invested time reading the material. –They have received an impression that this is a well run organization.
- If your company has a new hire orientation, follow it…and add some specifics that work for your department.
- Early intervention works all the time…schedule daily or weekly meetings to insure that the talents and experience of the individual matches up correctly with their responsibilities. If you see any weak connections, it’s a good time to bridge the gaps.
- Buddy: Select a seasoned member on your team to be their buddy for the first few weeks. The buddy will help you quickly integrate the new employee into the department.
- They will: Introduce the new hire to everyone on the team, show them where the basics are like the copier, bathrooms, kitchen, etc., be their “go to” person for most of the every day operations within the department, take the new employee out to lunch on their first day.
- They can email the person before they start, letting them know they are their buddy and are looking forward to working with them. First impressions have lasting results with new employees.
Some warm and fuzzy ideas:
- Create a new hire board: Put up a picture of the new employee and their role within the company.
- Have a 4:30 gathering, bringing together your whole team. Have each person introducing himself or herself to the new person and share a fun fact about themselves. The new person also shares something about themselves
- Come up with your own ideas that work within your department
- On the new employee’s first day, during your initial meeting, schedule a meeting 45 days out as a follow up. This meeting is an important time to check in with the new employee to see how they are doing, what their perceptions are about the company and their role, how satisfied are they in their job, and what do they need.
Give them some basic questions ahead of time to prepare themselves for the meeting. Scheduling the 45-day follow up meeting on the first day tells them that you are serious that they be satisfied in their role within the company. Strong and talented employees will perform because they can. They also want to know that your first priority is to build a strong working relationship with them. If you satisfy this requirement with all of your employees, you will build a strong team. Some questions for them to think about:
- How do you like your job? What do you like most about it? Least?
- How are your relationships with the other members of the team?
- Are you working the hours you expected to work? –How can I support you better in your role? –Did you make the right decision about taking the job?
- If there is a problem for you, come prepared with some potential solutions. They may be new but still have appropriate solutions to their issues. This 45-day following up meeting is a perfect time to brainstorm solutions.
Set the foundation of “respect” in your interactions with everyone on your team…as it is the key to building a strong working relationship.
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About the Author
Pat Brill is the author of the blog “Managing Employees” http://www.ManagingEmployees.net . You can reach her at pat@managingemployees.net.
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