Opening a Dollar Store - Why Offer Employee Orientation?

By Bob Hamilton

Often in smaller retail companies there is a practice of bringing employees into the business without properly orienting them to the company, the workplace and the job. If you are opening a dollar store know that this is a mistake that will lead to lower levels of employee performance. It can also lead to higher undesired employee turnover.

If you are opening a dollar store develop a plan for bringing new employees into your company. The actual orientation doesn't need to take days. However it is important that key information is shared and that the new employee receive the information that is needed to excel in their new position.

Conducting employee orientation is a win for everyone involved. For the new employee there is the opportunity to gain valuable information about the company, the workplace, job expectations and their new position within the company. For the employer there is the opportunity to have higher performing new employees who immediately feel that they are part of the business. If you are opening a dollar store implement new employee orientation for every employee that is added to the payroll.

Start the orientation by completing required paperwork for payroll and benefits. Provide the employee with a quick walk through the store and backroom areas. Be sure that the new employee knows where to keep their personal belongings while at work, where the restrooms are located and also share break area options and rules. Present information about the specifics of the job and the work area. After opening a dollar store use orientation to review attendance expectations and call-in processes, as well as other job expectations.

If there are specialized tasks such as operating a cash register include training toward the end of the orientation period. After formal training has been completed move on to hands-on experience. Typically it works best to assign a buddy to help with problems and questions during this time. Working as a buddy is also a great way to continue to grow more experienced employees.

To Your Dollar Store Success!

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Self Employed Health Insurance - Save Money By Educating Yourself Before You Buy

By Joe Stewart

Self Employed Health Insurance can be expensive, especially if you have a family. There's no reason to "sugar coat" the facts. The fact of the matter though is that, unfortunately, it's something that you must have, especially if you have a family. You can save yourself money and give yourself peace of mind by knowing how the basic health insurance policies work and the coverage that they provide. This is generally the same, whether you're in need of self employed health insurance or not.

Basic Medical Policies

Basic health plans have low limits of coverage. Also, there are no deductibles or coinsurance used, which means that it pays first dollar coverage and pays only the usual and customary fees. These are standard fee rates that are set by your insurance company for each medical procedure. Even if the doctor or hospital you see charges more, your policy will only pay according to their own guidelines.

Basic medical can include any or all of the following policies.

Basic Hospital

Pays a stated daily amount only while you're in the hospital (confined). An example would be $500 per day for a limited number of days, like 30 or 60. This type of coverage can be issued by itself or in combination with Medical Expense policies.

Other miscellaneous ancillary expenses while in the hospital include; physical therapy, dressings, drugs, operating rooms, x-rays, recovery rooms and more, up to a specified limit, like $10,000. Your coverage could be based on a multiple of the daily benefit amount, like 30x. Example, we used $500 per day in the previous example so that multiplied by 30 would be $15,000.

Both of these are reimbursement contracts.

Surgery Expenses

Basic medical policies provide what's called a "schedule of benefits". This schedule shows the maximum amount payable for each covered procedure. This coverage is normally provided on what is called an "absolute" basis. This means that it will only pay a specific amount for a certain procedure.

Don't let this stuff intimidate you. Just like anything else in life it must be learned. Basically, my intent here is to give you a brief education on what you'll need to be discussing with an insurance agent when you're ready to buy your self employed health insurance policy. Wouldn't you want to know what was actually covered within your policy and for how much rather than find out later that you didn't have enough coverage? Of course you would. Educate yourself now and save in the long run.

Joe Stewart Is A Former Health Insurance Agent. He's Made Understanding Health Insurance Easy For Others. You Can Learn More About Health Insurance And Get Free Health Insurance Quotes For Individual And Family At His Website TheHealthInsuranceGuys.org or by clicking on Self Employed Health Insurance

Essential Business Communication of Your Strategic Plan Delivers Ongoing Employee Motivation

By Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Would you stop watching a national playoff were the teams were tied before the winner was declared? Would you stop watching a horse race before the winning horse crossed the finish line? Of course not! Yet, many business leaders expect their employees to continue the game or the race without knowing if and when the game or race was won, loss or even a near win.

After 30 years in business focusing on performance improvement, I am still at a loss when companies do not regularly communicate progress toward the business goals as identified within the strategic plan especially when these same business leaders tell me that employee motivation is a problem. This attitude and behavior of not communicating business results negatively and directly affects the performance of all involved and is truly counter productive to achieving the desired results.

When we look at professional sports, everyone usually waits until the game is over because they want to know who won unless the game is a runaway. Even when teams are down in the last inning or in the last quarter, faithful fans stay at the arena or tuned into the television because one never knows when that grand slam or a 80 yard punt return might happen.

Is your business game any different? To ensure consistent and constant execution of your strategic plan demands essential business communication planning and skills. Business communication should be planned so that your employees are continually motivated toward achieving those business goals that you are the business leader have established.

To what purpose does it serve by not communicating the results of the current team's efforts? Are you afraid that someone may say something and reveal proprietary information? As the business leader, you can share information in a general way or use percentages such as:

This month’s sales figures show that we are on course with our strategic plan and business goals.
First quarter productivity is 10% ahead of our business goals

Your current efforts have us ahead of our strategic projections by 5%.

Top down communication from you, as the business leader, will go a long way to executing your strategic plan and motivating your employees. And if you are still resisting this strategy, then turn off the television the next time your team is barely winning in the final minutes. How do you feel not knowing what happened? Do you think that your employees feel any differently?

P.S. Read the 7 Top Tips on How to Execute Your Strategic Plan

Are you experiencing repetitive challenges? Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S., an Indianapolis business coach and Chicago business coach, helps business people just like you to turn these challenges into measurable outcomes using results driven leadership skills for sustainable transformational change.

One quick question,Are you where youw ant to be? If you could improve the leadership skills of your business, increase customer loyalty, what would that mean to your bottom line, your daily productivity or sense of personal achievement? Then, take a risk and call 219.508.2859 for a FREE telephone consultation.

Visit http://www.processspecialist.com/ and explore everything from free articles to learning the "Secret of Success."

P.S. Leanne also speaks to help motivate individuals from keynotes to full days workshops. She can quickly customize her presentations to meet your needs.