How to Improve Your Business Writing

Intuit Small Business Blog published How to Improve Your Business Writing by Lee Polevoi. The advice given breaks down to the following points:

  1. Take a “Less is More” Approach
  2. Get to the Point
  3. Use Subject-Verb-Object Construction
  4. Avoid Formality and Business Jargon
  5. Know What You Want the Reader to Do
  6. Edit Ruthlessly

How to Retain Employees from Day One

The Intuit Small Business Blog published How to Retain Employees from Day One, citing the cost of replacing a trained employee makes it worth investing in keeping your existing employees.

  • Get Started Before Day One
  • Offer a Warm Welcome
  • Provide Information
  • Assign a Mentor
  • Take the New Employee to Lunch
  • Get Her Feet Wet
  • Check In and Set Expectations

Use Your Email Signature to Grow Your Business

The Intuit Small Business Blog published Use Your Email Signature to Grow Your Business, discussing what to put in and keep out of your email signature.

Some people get carried away “accessorizing” their email signatures. Avoid images (such as photos of yourself or your product); many email systems automatically strip these away, anyway or turn them into oddball attachments.

While were on the topic of email, The Art of the E-Mail Subject Line via Business Week is worth taking a look at.

Can I Use Arrest and Conviction Records When Hiring?

The Intuit Small Business Blog published Can I Use Arrest and Conviction Records When Hiring?. The answer is complicated, but here are 6 things to keep you within the rules:

  1. Identify the Essential Requirements of an Open Position
  2. Update Your Screening Process to Consider Factors that are Job-related and Consistent with Business Necessity
  3. Make Decisions More Heavily Weighted on Actual Convictions than Arrests
  4. Document the Reasons Why a Candidate’s Past Record Excludes Her From that Particular Position
  5. Keep the Information You Collect Confidential
  6. Train Employees Who Make Hiring Decisions

Helping Employees Cope with Non-Work Issues

Lee Polevoi published Helping Employees Cope with Non-Work Issues in the Intuit Small Business Blog. He points out it starts with the realization the employee is having non-work issues, then presents a couple steps to help:

  • Listen, But Don’t Try to Fix the Problem
  • Make Short-Term Changes
  • Implement Flex Time
  • Offer Resources to All Employees
  • Start an Employee Assistance Program