Take Those Numeric Ratings and - Make Them Motivational

about.com: "Do numeric ratings make a contribution in the workplace? Done well, I believe numeric ratings can motivate excellent work performance; done poorly, numeric ratings undermine your positive work environment... these six recommendations set the stage for what makes an appraisal rating system, for employees or non-employees, sound, and potentially - motivational...

1. should be objective rather than subjective;
2. should be job-related or based on job analysis;
3. should be based on behaviors rather than traits;
4. should be within the control of the ratee;
5. should relate to specific functions, not global assessments,
6. should be communicated to the employee."

As the article states "Numeric ratings can have a positive impact on your company". Read the entire article to see other guidelines, as well as common things to avoid.

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How Well Does Your IT Shop Welcome New Hires? Ask Them

cio.com: "Want to find out what new employees think of your IT department? Just ask them, says Direct Energy CIO Kumud Kalia... This kind of information has a short shelf life; employees forget their early experiences once they're settled. New employees obviously won't want to be too harsh, "but it is possible to get at the truth without overt criticism of coworkers [or] the company..."

Ongoing, unbiased, requested feedback - now that's something we certainly 'get'.

Tip: Fight Your Way to Breakthroughs

behance.com: "Many creative teams believe that their greatest mistakes are made when nobody argues. When you really care about an idea, you are likely to develop an opinion; when multiple people have a strong opinion, you’re bound to disagree - and clash. Your approach to managing the impassioned "fighting" that ensues is a critical factor in your ability to find the best solution. While some people shy away from confrontation, we have found that a healthy dose of tension helps ideas thrive...

In poorly run teams, the person with the most power or experience just makes the call. Or, sometimes people openly disagree and eventually some people become apathetic and give up... Rather than focus on the discomforts of fighting, consider the benefits from opposite perspectives duking it out!" Read on...

This is an interesting perspective. It's important to consider the effectiveness of disagreeing, when balanced against a genuine effort to move an idea forward toward success.

New Feature: Coworkers.com Adds Personal Avatar & Multiple Picture Upload Support

Coworkers.com has added picture-uploading tools for registered users! Users can upload multiple images to share with others. In addition to having a picture library, users can upload a default photo to use as their avatar (personal icon), which will be displayed on their Coworkers.com profile page.

We feel that it is a good opportunity for our users to share images related to their professional identity. This can be as standard as a great portrait photograph to display on their profile page, to screen-shots or project images from their business portfolio. Pictures speak volumes, and a handful of impressive images coupled with our other features such as unbiased reviews, and work experience, can help project a balanced representation.

Supported image formats are jpg, gif, and png with a maximum individual file size of 3 MB. Animations are not supported.