Updated your computer and e-mail policies lately? These policies are designed for all staff to review and agree to prior to using any of the information technology (IT) resources of the firm.
Most of the time, these policies come down to:
- We, the company, own the resources.
- We’re giving you the right to use them for work purposes.
- We may log and analyze activities to ensure proper use of the resources.
- If you abuse the resources, you’ll be put on notice, suspended, or dismissed.
The policies have varying degrees of legalese. "Abuse" is defined differently and follows a "would you talk to your mother that way" paradigm. Some also allow employees to use the IT resources for personal use — progressive firms — since they realize you probably need to pay your bills, check on your kids, etc online.
So, I got that call and a few days later, I’m reading Network Computing. It has a nice article out about using new media (wikis, blogs, podcasting, etc) and its associated risks. Part of the article deals with updating your computer use policies to address employees posting comments on the company on public blogs, in podcasts, and wikis.
This issue came up years ago when the personal web pages started to become popular. Now, its so easy to post your thoughts online, the risk is greater than in the 1990’s.
I suggest you read the article and start searching online for your company name and look for places where your domain name is used. You may be surprised by the results!
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk to a client about a new business opportunity he has. When discussing the potential project, no one in the company believes they will be able to define a specific set of deliverables that will remain constant through the project. They believe that the client will agree to them at the outset, then add more deliverables as the project progresses.
If I was not in the same room while my client explained this, I would have thought, “Sounds good. Change Orders mean more business.” The body language, tone, and ensuing conversation helped me understand the pain this potential project could be. For this client, Change Orders are a constant.
After some discussion, I determined that they should pass on the project. They will not pass on it though. It means revenue and a good deal of it. I hope the revenue (and profit) is enough to deal with the client.
Have you ever worked with a client when you knew he/she would be difficult to deal with? Did you accept the business already slightly cringing from the first anticipated problem?
Life is too short. Unless you are in an extreme revenue drought and the profit potential is high, skip the trouble.
Whether its a new client or a new project, make sure you clearly know what will allow you and the client/project to succeed. Stick with the agreed upon expectations and execute.
When scope creep or a project change occurs, bring out the project plan and review the deliverables and scope. If its not in the scope, write up a Change Order and get everyone involved to sign off on it.
I’m hiring people for a few clients. Some of the hires are in the business development (sales) area and others are in the executive ranks. Two of the companies used Careerbuilder.com to find resumes and another used it at my suggestion. We received a great deal of responses for all of the positions. My problem: I only knew a few of the applicants and that’s only for one of my clients.
Hiring people is tough. We all want trusted referrals to interview. This means that if I know you and trust your opinion about the position I’m hiring for please send me people who you think would fit.
LinkedIn, the online networking site, has uncovered a great opportunity for incremental revenue while providing a great benefit to its members. When I post an open position on the site and receive responses, I can see who each applicant knows in their network. This may eventually lead back to how they know someone in my network.
The connection of multiple social and business networks allows me to ask people I know about someone’s capabilities. Calling people you know to get the truth is a heck of a lot better than calling an applicant’s hand-picked references.
One of the other great things about this system is that you are prompted to tell people in your network about the open position. This allows for immediate responses from people you know about people they know. I netted three potential hires within 15 minutes of sending out my position description. Sure, you could do this with a broadcast e-mail, but LinkedIn helps me combine the two and reach a huge audience at the same time.
At $95/posting, the system is also less expensive than Monster or CareerBuilder. Give it a shot. At this rate, it can’t hurt!
