Business Up Front - August 2000

Business Up Front

Prepare for Emergencies Before They Arise

An emergency action plan for your business can protect your employees from injury and minimize property loss, according to The Compliance Science Newsletter. Government regulations dictate that the emergency action plan must be in writing and posted in a visible area. For businesses with less than 10 employees, the plan need not be in writing, but it must be communicated orally. Potential emergencies include fire, accidental releases of toxic gases, chemical spills, flash floods, bomb threats, robberies, explosions, and workplace violence. Training for emergencies should be an important part of each employee’s orientation to the workplace, and drills should be held at random intervals, at least once each year.

The following elements must be included in your action plan:

• Evacuation routes-use floor plans or workplace maps to clearly show escape routes and safe meeting areas.

• Emergency procedures for employees-each employee should know how to report an emergency, where manual pull box alarms and fire extinguishers are located and how to operate them, which key management personnel to notify and where to find their phone numbers.

• Designation of certain employees to administer first aid or handle fire extinguishers-these people will need special training.

• Detailed procedures for employees who must stay behind to care for essential operations (security, monitoring safety equipment) until their evacuation becomes absolutely necessary.

  

  

• A system for taking attendance once workers have been evacuated-remember to account for visitors or customers who were in the building.

Computers Screening Job Applicants

Dozens of big-name retailers including Target, Hollywood Video, Macy’s and Longs Drug Stores are replacing paper employment applications and in-person interviews with computer kiosks. Computer programs not only record job history and work habits, but may also include psychological tests that the firms say can help match job skills and personalities with openings. The director of management development for Home Depot reports the kiosks have resulted in an 11.4% reduction in turnover rate for new employees. Home Depot kiosks administer a 40- to 60-minute interview and also show videos giving applicants a clear idea of job demands. Most firms are using the computers as preliminary screening tools to sift through applications quickly, weed out unacceptable candidates and identify talent. Face-to-face interviews remain the deciding factor, but they come later in the hiring process.

Firm Finds Solution for Burning Issue

Are you a smoker forced to huddle outside your office building in the rain in order to enjoy a cigarette? Are you a non-smoker assaulted by second-hand smoke and cigarette butts whenever you step outside the building? Duo-Gard Industries of Canton, Michigan, has devised a solution to satisfy people from both sides of the controversy and eliminate sidewalk confrontations between smokers and non-smokers. They manufacture modular, prefabricated smoking shelters in 77 standard sizes plus custom styles. The basic model is designed as protection from weather and as added security, but deluxe models can be outfitted with lights, exhaust systems, heating, air conditioning, benches and other amenities. "Whether you call them butt huts, smoke shacks, or puff palaces," says Duo-Gard’s marketing director, "our smoking shelters provide a designated area for this activity and effectively address the concerns of all involved."

Financial Executives As Tech Gurus

In the future, technology projects will consume an even greater portion of a financial executive’s day, according to a recent survey by RHI Management Resources. When asked, "In which of the following areas do you foresee the role of CFO changing the most over the next five years?" their responses were:

Greater role in technology and information systems initiatives 39%

More strategic planning and decision-making 26%

Increased interaction with other departments 16%

Expanded leadership and management role 14%

Other/don’t know 5%

"Increasingly, CFO’s need to possess a solid understanding of information systems," according to Paul McDonald, RHI’s executive director. "In particular, finance executives are playing an integral role in the evaluation and implementation of Internet-based financial applications that link front- and back-office systems to the web."

The Lighter Side of Job Interviews

OfficeTeam, a staffing service for administrative professionals, recently surveyed its offices for the most unusual or unconventional job interviews they had encountered. Here are some of their responses:

When asked if she had any other questions, the job seeker replied, "What happens if I wake up in the morning and don’t feel like going to work?"

After arriving for an early morning interview, the job seeker asked to use the hiring manager’s phone. She proceeded to fake a coughing fit as she called in sick to her boss.

The applicant stated she didn’t like being confined to a building, but would consider taking the job if she could move her desk to the courtyard outside.

When asked about her greatest job skill, the candidate said she was proudest of her computer illiteracy.

When asked what he wanted to be doing in his next position, the applicant said, "I’ll tell you what I don’t want to be doing: sitting in boring meetings, doing grunt work and having to be nice to people all day long."

Banking Industry Increasingly Polarized

VERIBANC, a bank research and analysis firm, reported recently that the banking industry is continuing its division into two distinct segments, one comprised of several hundred mega-institutions and the other containing upward of 7,000 small banks. Large banks are increasingly characterized by standardized products, large scale and high profitability; small banks have more customized offerings and less pressure to meter each customer’s contribution to profitability. As these two segments define themselves further through merger, acquisition, consolidation, spinoff and start-up activity, large institutions seek customers commensurate with their size. Smaller banks often differentiate themselves as financial boutiques with financial products, services and fees tailored to individuals and small businesses.