Does quitting make me a loser? I don’t think so…

A friend posted this very informative article on his Facebook wall. Well, what can i say? The author is spot on!!!!

Top 10 Reasons Why Good Employees Quit
By Shel Myeroff

According to the US Department of Labor and Statistics, turnover can cost an organization 33% of an employee’s total compensation including both salary and benefits. But the impact is not only financial it also affects employee morale. Therefore, it would be prudent for hiring managers to focus on reducing turnover rates but in order to do that they must first understand the reasons why employees quit.

There have been many studies and articles written on why good employees leave their current positions. As a veteran search consultant, I have heard an infinite number of reasons first hand. Over the years, I have identified and compiled a list of what I feel are the “Top Ten” reasons why good employees quit:

1. The job was not as expected. All too often the job changes from the original description and what was promised during the interviewing stages. It becomes painfully clear to the new hire that their new company played the bait and switch game which ultimately leads to mistrust. The new hire is now thinking, “What else are they lying about?”

2. Work/Life imbalance. There are times when management demands that one person do the jobs of two or more people. This is especially true when a company downsizes or restructures resulting in longer hours and possible weekend work. Employees are often forced to choose between a personal life and a career.

3. Mismatch between job and new hire. No matter how much you love the candidate, don’t hire them unless they are truly qualified for the job and they mesh with your company culture. Too many times, I’ve seen hiring managers try to fit a square peg into a round hole especially when it comes to a sales position.

4. Management freezes raises and promotions. Money isn’t usually the first reason why people leave an organization but it does rank especially when an employee can find a job earning 20-25% more somewhere else. Make sure your wages are competitive and your benefits package is attractive. Resources like www.salary.com can provide accurate and appropriate information.

5. Feeling undervalued. It’s human nature to want to be recognized and praised for a job well done. And in business, recognizing employees is not simply a nice thing to do but an effective way to communicate your appreciation for their efforts and successes while also reinforcing those actions and behaviors that make a difference in your organization.

6. Lack of decision-making power. Too many managers micromanage down to the finest detail. Empower your employees and allow them the freedom make suggestions and decisions. I realize that Empowerment is a ‘catch-all’ term for many ideas on employee authority and responsibility; but as a broad definition it means giving employees latitude to do their jobs and placing trust in them.

7. Too little coaching & feedback. Many managers have no clue on how to help employees improve their performance. In addition, many managers put off giving feedback to employees even though they instinctively know that giving and getting honest feedback is essential for growth and in building successful teams and organizations. Your role as a manager is to help your people find the right behavior, not just tell them what to do.

8. Management lacks people skills. Remember that many managers were promoted because they did their first job well, but that doesn’t mean they know how to lead others. People skills can be learned and developed but it really helps if a manager has the natural ability to get along with people and motivate them.

9. Too few growth opportunities. One of the most common reasons employees express for leaving their jobs is lack of challenge and potential for career growth. The most successful employers find ways to help employees develop new skills and responsibilities in their current positions.

10. Loss of faith and confidence in corporate leaders. With employees being asked to do more and more, they see less evidence that they will share in the fruits of their successes. More often than not, when revenues and profits are up, employers are still thinking competitive wages but employees are thinking bonuses, stock options and creative development opportunities.

Coptic Egyptian Christians become victims of religious cleansing

More than a hundred thousand Coptic Egyptian Christians joined a peaceful protest just outside the Egyptian state television building Sunday, October 9 2011.

 

The sit-in was the culmination of a series of rallies that was staged by the Copts – a Christian minority composed of 15 million members – over the past week in Cairo to oppose the increasing attacks of Muslim mob on Christian Churches. Just recently, a newly built church in Almiranab, Aswan, south of Egypt has been burned to the ground by a Muslim mob who objected the construction of the Christian church in their neighborhood.

 

Prior to the church’s construction, all the required permits were already obtained. A compromise was even made – the bells and the cross were detached from the top of the church – yet the angry mob carried out their attack a few days later, after being incited by a Friday Muslim sermon. The attack lasted for several hours, but no state officials were present while the attack was taking place.

 

But the peaceful rally in front of the TV building was marred by the sudden aggression of plain-clothed thugs and the large forces of military and police that made use of live ammunition in attempting to disperse the crowd. Those who chose to stay were either shot or ran over by military tanks and police vehicles.

This massacre – just one of the many criminal acts against Christians in recent months – is a stark contrast to the protests made by Islamist groups where government officials didn’t use force in dispersing the crowd.

 

The Egyptian State Officials failed to intervene during the previous attacks against Christians. They didn’t even conduct an investigation nor prosecute the attackers. The lost of Christian lives in what was supposed to be a peaceful rally falls on the hands of state officials.

 

It is said that the top Muslim religious leaders like Sheikh of Al Azhar and the Grand Mufti cited in recent Islamic sanctions (fatwas that Christians are infidels, thus putting members of the Christian faith as well as their churches at risk of the religious cleansing conducted by Muslims.

 

The United Nations are asked to start conducting an international inquiry instead of the Egyptian authorities as many believe that any investigation conducted by the government will likely be biased and corrupted.

 

A rally will be held by the international Christian community on Sunday, October 16 at 2 p.m. in front of the Federal building in Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles to oppose the persecution of the Coptic Christians in Egypt.

Dead Sea Scrolls now available online

Internet users can now view online five of the Dead Sea Scrolls that for the past decades have been kept in a climate-controlled display at Jerusalem’s Israel Museum.

The website, which was developed by the museum in partnership with Google, features separate pages for the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Community Rule Scroll, the Commentary on the Habakkuk Scroll, the Temple Scroll, and the War Scroll. These web pages come with a magnifying feature that enables online guests to scrutinize the high-definition digital version of the scroll. Aside from the magnifying feature, the web pages also include brief videos and description notes.

The aforementioned scrolls were captured through the use of a cutting-edge digital photography with a resolution of up to 1,200 megapixels each. This makes it possible for viewers to see even the minute details that are invisible to the naked eye. To lessen the risk of damaging the light-sensitive scrolls, photographer Ardon Bar-hama used UV protected flash tubes with an exposure of 1/4000th of a second.

Discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near the Dead Sea, these scrolls dates back from the third century B.C. to the first century A.D.

“We have seen how people around the world can enhance their knowledge and understanding of key historical events by accessing documents and collections online,” stated Yossi Matias, the managing director of Google’s Israeli Research and Development Center owned.

“We hope to make all existing knowledge in historical archives and collections available to all, including helping to put additional Dead Sea Scroll documents online.”

Learning How to Say Sorry

It seems Elton John was right when he penned the song “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word”. Why do people find it hard to say sorry when the moment calls for it?

The other day I had an argument with a loved one about some simple things. Things got a little out of hand and before I knew it, we were not in talking terms for days.  I knew it was me who was at fault. But as much as wish I could turn back time and take back what I’ve said, the harm was done.

I made her cry. I wanted to console her, but I have too much pride in me to even approach her. Days have passed. I wanted to speak to her, but fail to do so every time I try…until this morning. It took all my courage to say “Mom, I’m sorry” through an SMS. A sigh of relief – and I didn’t even had to wait for her reply. The mere act of saying sorry has lifted a heavy burden in my heart.

So why is it hard to say sorry? I guess it’s because saying sorry means accepting your mistakes. It’s hard to admit to your mistakes, especially in a relationship. It’s not like our loved ones don’t have any—after all, humans are not perfect—but that is not the point. In most cases, failing to say sorry is just a matter of us wanting to keep our pride intact. But in the process, we are neglecting and hurting the people we love. Don’t wait till the water runs dry (borrowing the title of a Boys II Men song) because you’ll end up losing the people who really matter to you.

It’s either you say sorry or you’ll be sorry for yourself in the end.

So have you said sorry to someone lately?

 

Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis that is surprisingly affecting an increasing number of people around the world. But what is bipolar disorder? How doest it differ from clinical depression or schizophrenia? Can this condition be cured? Diagnosing bipolar disorder correctly is the first major step in the treatment of this condition. Unfortunately, treatments like these are not 100 percent successful.

Even mental health professionals find it difficult to diagnose bipolar disorder because its symptoms are quite similar to that of other mental disorders – particularly major depression and schizophrenia. Most of the time, the patient suffering from this condition experience elevated mood and cognition and, in a number of cases, abnormally depressive episodes that gravely affect or interfere the person’s functioning. Some patients even have mixed episodes, where elevated moods or “mania” and depression are experienced at the same time.

Just like other illnesses, bipolar disorder should be taken seriously. It is essential to get the right diagnosis and corresponding treatment as early as possible. But diagnosing bipolar disorder is quite difficult because the symptoms vary from one patient to another. There are some individuals who are mostly experiencing manic symptoms while others are feeling depressed in a number of occasions. Sadly, there is no simple physiological test to confirm this condition. Diagnosing bipolar disorder almost always require an in-depth analysis from an expert psychiatrist.

One of the main reasons why some mental health experts have inaccurate calculations in diagnosing bipolar disorder is the occurrence of either manic or hypomanic episodes. To diagnose a bipolar disorder, health experts would rely on the number of times the patient experienced these episodes. If there were none, the patient might initially be diagnosed as having major depression. This holds true among younger patients, whose symptoms are mostly depressive episodes.

After diagnosing bipolar disorder, the mental health professional can now opt for an efficient treatment for this condition which, in turn, can result to a good prognosis. There are many ways to treat bipolar disorder. One is psychotherapy, which aims to alleviate core symptoms and recognize episode triggers. Others require medications like lithium carbonate and lamotrigine, both of which are mood stabilizers.

People suffering from bipolar disorder can still live satisfying lives – especially in between periods of episodes. But still, treatment is needed. And in order to be successful, the treatment should be timely and competent. These can only be achieved if the diagnosis is accurate.

 

AOL to cut more than 900 jobs

Days after finalizing its acquisition of The Huffington Post, Internet giant AOL announces that it would cut over 900 jobs. The company is planning to reinvent itself to become one of the major players in online news.

About 700 of these employees — or close to 20 percent of the total workforce of AOL — are based in India. Unfortunately, only 300 of them will be absorbed by third-party companies like MindTree and Hewlett Packard, both providing services to AOL. The mass layoff is somewhat expected as Tim Armstrong, the chief executive of AOL, already hinted a week prior that the acquisition of The Huffington Post—a $315 million deal which was completed on March 7—would result to job cuts.

AOL is also planning to increase the number of personnel involved in content production from the current 50 percent to 70 percent, enabling the company to rely less on freelance journalists. Armstrong, who came from Google two years ago, envisioned AOL to be a “content-driven company” when it comes to the media side of the business. The acquisition of The Huffington Post only solidifies AOL’s position in the online news market. The company already purchased the technology blog TechCrunch in September and has invested in local community news site Patch as well as the citizen journalism project aptly called Seed, among other online investments. AOL is one of the top gateways to the Web, along with search engine giant Google,  operating  systems maker Microsoft and pioneering web portal  Yahoo!.

Despite AOL’s acquisition of her company, Arianna Huffington would still be in charge of the Huffington Post Media Group as editor-in-chief. She will also serve as president for AOL Media and AOL local properties.

Currently, The Huffington Post employs about 150 editors and writers. The online information source that was launched by Huffington in 2005 has been visited by more than 25 million people each month – thanks to its wide array of content that include news articles and blogs from known personalities.

The site gained phenomenal traffic growth at a time when readers started looking for free news online rather than on actual newspapers. This migration of readers from print to online contributed to the steep drop in print advertising and circulation of US newspapers. Tapping into the unlimited stream of online traffic, a number of big publications ventured into digital publishing – some of them even have subscription fees.

Fear of being lonely and single: Is it really time to panic?

Are you worried of being single for the rest of your life? Have you given up on finding the right man for you that you stopped going out? Are you engulfed in fear of being lonely and single? At a certain age, you start to think of the future. What it will bring depends on how you live your life now. But for some single women, the future poses a dilemma that they wish they could avoid – a life with no one to share it with. Here are some reasons why you should overcome the fear of being lonely and single.

Being single is not a curse

If the fear of being lonely and single always gets the better of you, then you are losing the battle. The next thing you’ll feel is self-pity. You start to wonder why life is so unfair, that most of your friends already have their partners and you are still living alone. Bear in mind that this is not some sort of punishment that is given to you. Don’t ever think that your life will be miserable just because you are single. In fact, some women think of it as a blessing because they can do whatever they want.

Single and lonely doesn’t always go together

Perhaps a big mistake that some women make is that they think a single woman would make a lonely person. This is a fallacy. You are a woman, an individual who can take care of yourself. You don’t need man just for the sake of having a man. You are better than that. Why would you have the fear of being lonely and single? Your friends and family will always be there to support you. You just have to be strong.

Be happy with what you have

People, in general, always try to look for the missing piece in their lives. And in doing so, they are taking for granted all the things they already have. If you could appreciate the things you have, you’ll be surprised to realize that your life is not as lonely as you think it was. It could be your career, the properties you bought, the car you are driving, your supportive family and friends, the pet that never left your side – all these could help you vanquish the fear of being lonely and single.

It is not the end

Even some people who think they’ll be single for the rest of their lives have found their partners later on. Do not give up on love, on life. You may be single now, but who knows, you might meet the right guy tomorrow. You never can tell so it’s better to keep your doors open. The key here is to have faith that everything will be alright – no matter what the future brings. It doesn’t matter if you waited for a long time. There is always a possibility that you will meet him someday. After all, love knows no boundaries – and that includes age. And you’ll just realize that you no longer have the fear of being lonely and single.

The thin line between love and hate

How can you draw the thin line between love and hate? These are two contrasting feelings, yet most of us who have felt love have also felt hate in our hearts. But does hate end where love begins? Or is it the other way around? Loving and loathing are truly complex feelings. And in the real world, one cannot exist without the other.

Somehow hate reveals the budding existence of love. Have you ever hated someone so bad that you almost want to slap this person in the face or run him or her over? But when you finally had the chance, you realized that you simply can’t act upon your hate because somehow it would hurt you more when you see this person suffer. That’s when it dawned on you that this person has occupied your thoughts for quite sometime. And before you knew, you are already falling in love.

The emotion of intense dislike towards a person manifests that we are in some ways affected by this person’s presence or actions. But why are we so affected? It is because we may have developed romantic feelings toward this person which we might not recognize at first.

Hate can also be evidence that love still exists. There are things that we hate about our partners. But when you think of it, some people do the same things to us yet we are not affected by them as much as our partners do. We care more about our partners’ thoughts and actions than other people. It is because we love them that we are gravely affected by whatever it is that they do. The ones we love can cut our deepest wounds. Yet they are also the ones that make us happy. So when things turn sour, we are either hurt by our loved ones or we hate them for it – or even both. But hating them does not necessarily mean we love them less. It only means that we want them to take action – for the mistakes they may have committed or wrong decisions they may have made. When we no longer care about what our partners say or do, then that’s the time we no longer care for them.

So where does one end and another begins? The love-hate cycle is a staple in a relationship. It reminds us that even though we are in a loving relationship, we have weaknesses that we should work on in order for the relationship to survive. And if we fail to recognize these weak aspects, this loving relationship could end with hatred and bad breakup.

 

What should I do?

Back in July, the world was shocked to hear that LeBron James has decided to “take his talents” to the Miami Heat. A lot of people have questioned his “Decision”—the career move itself and, especially, the way he has done it. I’ve been a fan of James since Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him in 2003. I must say that they’ve had a pretty good run in those seven years that he has been there (sans the Larry O’Brien trophy). But just like any other Cleveland fan, I was a bit disappointed to know that the man we all expected to bring the franchise to new heights left the ship before it sank.

Watching Michael Jordan playing for the Chicago Bulls as I was growing up, I had a vision that this young lad from Akron could be the next MJ of the NBA. Kobe Bryant has a much better sense of leadership, but I think James is the better overall player (stats considered). But this is not about who’s better individually because the game of basketball is a team game and we all know that Kobe has five rings to his name (thus adding five more championship banners to the Staples Center).

Having said that, I think that a lot of people has criticized James for what he had done—myself included. Even Dan Gilbert, the Cavaliers owner, lambasted James for purportedly turning his back on the Cavaliers even before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics ended. We called him traitor and selfish—among other things—and burned his jersey on national TV.

Let’s try to put ourselves in James’ shoes. He has taken less money when he moved to Miami and will be sharing the spotlight with other All Stars like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He mentioned a couple of times that this is still Wade’s team and that he is just here to help the franchise win championships. That is not something that falls under the “Selfish” category, at least not in my book. In Cleveland, he can have about $30 million more. But after “The Decision”, the hometown hero became the most hated villain in Ohio, particularly in Cleveland.

When we are put in a situation where we have to decide what’s best for us, should we worry about what other people say? In this case, I think we, the Cleveland Cavaliers fans, are much more selfish than he is, because we don’t want him to leave our team. The guy is not perfect, both on the court and in real life—but so are we. His new Nike commercial (deemed by some as Nike’s effort to salvage the image of James) says it all. At the end of the day, we are only spectators. It is the players who play the game.

Last night, Miami Heat’s big three faced the big three of the Celtics (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen). And while James and the Heat displayed some flashes of brilliance, the Celtics prevailed. Only time can tell if James’ decision was right. Until then, we will all be waiting.

Our true value

It’s been a while since I last posted anything on my blog. I’ve been rather busy these past few months (taking care of my three-month old daughter, managing my time between freelance work and my day job, etc.). But now I’m back, and hopefully, can update this blog on a regular basis.

A friend of mine posted this on his Facebook account. The words are simple yet the message is quite powerful.

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Author Unknown

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked. “Who would like this $20 bill?”

Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you – but first, let me do this.”

He proceeded to crumple the 20 dollar note up. He then asked. “Who still wants it?” Still the hands were up in the air.

“Well,” he replied, “what if I do this?” He dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. “Now, who still wants it?”

Still the hands went into the air.

“My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes, not in what we do or who we know, but by …WHO WE ARE.

You are special – don’t ever forget it.”