Author: Site Staff

Below is a checklist for choosing potential e-learning vendors and also for creating an effective RFP.
 

A Checklist for Potential Vendors

1. Has an established track record.

2. E-learning development is their main business (not a sideline).

3. Gathers all the information before recommending specific media recommendations for the project. Demonstrates state-of-the-art technology in current projects (even though it might not be appropriate for yours).

4. Works with a variety of authoring/development products.

5. Uses the current releases of the development products they recommend.

6. Provided demos to illustrate sound principles of instructional design.

7. Their definitions of terms such as “interactive” and “engaging” agree with yours.

8. Their idea of what constitutes great material agrees with yours.

9. Recommends nonproprietary technology that is commercially available.

10. Development team possesses all of the skills required for the project.

11. The team members that will be assigned to the project have worked together before.

12. Provides good customer support (from your own pre-project experience and from the experience of the vendor’s references that you interview).

13. Can convince you that they know all of the proper steps to complete your project to your satisfaction.

14. Pricing is in line with other quotations (Be careful of the ultra-low bid to get the foot in the door or the ultra-high bid that accompanies claims of a superior deliverable).

15. Is in the custom e-learning development business where each project’s design is unique to achieve specific objectives (as opposed to being a commercial developer where a “generic” design is applied to all projects).

16. The vendor is flexible. They are willing to do just some of the work (e.g., you do the storyboard design and content development and they do the programming).

17. The physical location of the development personnel is not an issue. Remember, you are developing written communication and graphics. All are easily transmitted as e-mail attachments or via overnight delivery of a CD, regardless of where the vendor is located.

18. The vendor is willing to work at or near your facility, if necessary. If you insist on the vendor being on-site, consider the occasional on-site meeting. Even with travel costs factored in, a “right-priced” vendor can still be more cost-effective than a local provider.

19. Has or has access to video- or Web-conferencing facilities if a “face to face” is required over a distance.

20. The vendor does not insist on retaining any rights to the program. If they do, look elsewhere. Future “rights” entanglements can be costly.

21. The vendor is willing to provide maintenance services for the program.

22. The vendor is willing to design the program and use development tools that will minimize maintenance charges.

23. If subsequent translation to additional languages is anticipated, the same vendor can at least design the project to minimize the effort required for translation. Ideally the vendor can also provide the translation services if required.

Creating an Effective RFP

Your RFP needs to include the following information:

1. The size, geographical distribution and makeup of the intended audience.

2. Estimated e-learning course duration based on estimated traditional training.

3. Intended purpose of the training (product launch, ongoing training, classroom supplement, etc.).

4. The intended platforms (LAN, Web, dialup, CD-based, both Web and CD, existing standards or requirements, etc.).

5. CD quantities required (if applicable).

6. Packaging design needs if a CD is required (artwork and content creation for the CD, mailing envelope, etc.).

7. Identify if high-bandwidth elements are required via a slow dialup connection (indicating a need for a hybrid CD solution).

8. If an Internet implementation is required, indicate that IT has been contacted to insure necessary bandwidth availability, willingness to support plug-ins and/or external hosting (if necessary).

9. Indicate the desired course completion timeframe.

10. Indicate the degree of desired on-site presence of the vendor (initial meeting only, periodic review meetings, all development on-site, etc.).

11. Need for a “pay and play” Web-based solution (do you want to sell per-student access to the course via the Internet)?

12. Desired outputs (tracking and reporting). Do you just want completion information or full tracking of responses by date and time?

13. Identify what resource materials already exist (user guides, system specifications, product literature, etc.).

14. Describe the e-learning experience level of the group issuing the RFP (no prior experience, some experience, etc.).

15. Indicate the perceived needs for graphics, photographs, animations, audio and video. Do any of these elements already exist?

16. Will the product initially or eventually need to be translated into other languages?

17. What are acceptable timeframes for client reviews (three days, two weeks, etc.)? This is a significant factor in meeting the desired development timeframe.

18. Will vendor assistance be needed with implementation (technical startup, course administration, promotion, etc.)?

19. Who will be maintaining the program (you or the vendor)? An “easier” but “less powerful” tool may be appropriate depending on the situation.

From THE AMA HANDBOOK OF E-LEARNING: Effective Design, Implementation, and Technology Solutions. ©2003 AMACOM, Published byAMACOM Books Division of American Management Association. 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Dear Searching for Benchmarks:



Traditionally, accounting departments have defined themselves in terms of theadministrative and transactional activities they perform for the organization.The bases for measuring the department’s business contribution are typicallycommon activities such as financial reporting and budgeting. Consequently, theprimary indicators of department effectiveness are meeting report deadlines andreporting data accurately.

Arguably, these activities are necessary for making decisions to run thebusiness, but they demonstrate little direct impact on marketplacecompetitiveness. As a result, accounting staff bonuses are generally paid on nonvalue-added activities rather than on their impact to the business.

If you use a more contemporary approach to measure the effectiveness of youraccounting department, you will be better able to directly connect departmentinitiatives to bottom-line business requirements. This will create a morepowerful awards program because activities that solve core business problemslend themselves to meaningful and easily quantified performance measures.

In simple terms, there are three primary elements of this approach. One, youraccountants need to be clear about how they can use their skills, knowledge, andexperience to help the business be more competitive. They must define themselvesnot in terms of activities, but in terms of expertise that can be used to solveproblems that directly impact business results.

Two, the staff must identify major barriers to business success, and look forways to leverage their abilities in the interest of the business. To do thiswell, accounting staff members should meet with those in the manufacturingoperations to learn the issues most negatively impacting key business results.

Three, your accountants should develop a plan of action with those inmanufacturing to tackle some of the most meaningful challenges. An example ofhow this may work is as follows: Your accountants probably have expertise thatcould be used to help those in operations understand the financial impact ofcertain high-cost activities. They can further use this expertise to analyzethese activities, along with their root causes. Your accounting staff can thenidentify and collaborate on possible alternatives that would reduce costs to thebusiness. Successfully achieving such business-related outcomes then becomes the basis for awarding bonuses.

An accounting department that uses its staff expertise to solve core businessproblems directly impacting product or service quality, cost, delivery to thecustomer, or other business success indicators can easily demonstrate value fromwhich to determine appropriate bonus awards.

SOURCE: Kevin Herring, president, Ascent Management Consulting, Tucson,Arizona, Nov. 12, 2002.

LEARN MORE: Read Can Pay for Performance ReallyWork?

The information contained in this article is intended to provide usefulinformation on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice ora legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

Phantom stock is usually used when a company wants to give stock-like incentives to some employees–without providing actual stock, and usually without providing voting rights. Here’s sample verbiage from one such agreement.

Sample Phantom Stock Agreement

Employer, Inc.

Phantom Stock Agreement

AGREEMENT made and entered into as of the ___, day of _______, 200_, by and between Employer, Inc., hereinafter called the Company, and ___________, hereinafter called the Employee.

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Long-term Incentive Plan, hereinafter called the Plan, the Company having determined that its interests will be advanced by providing an incentive to the Employee to increase the performance of the Company and to retain high quality talent, has awarded to the Employee a phantom stock award conditioned upon the execution by the Company and the Employee of a Phantom Stock Agreement.

THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promise(s) and covenant(s) contained herein, the parties hereby agree as follows:

SECTION ONE

GRANT
The Company hereby grants to the Employee phantom stock shares as a matter of separate agreement and not in lieu of salary or any other compensation, an award covering __________ shares of phantom stock subject to the terms, conditions, and restrictions set forth in this Agreement.

SECTION TWO

PHANTOM STOCK VALUE
A phantom stock share is an unfunded bookkeeping unit, entitling the Employee to payment of the appreciation in value of the phantom stock share. Each phantom stock shall have an initial value of _______ as of the Effective Date of this Agreement, and a value at any time thereafter equal to the increase in book value of stock over the five-year period.

SECTION THREE

WHEN EXERCISABLE
The Employee’s right to begin the receipt of payment in respect of phantom stock shares shall become vested and non-forfeitable at the last day of the Performance Period, ______, 200__.

SECTION FOUR

PAYMENT
The Company shall pay to each Employee, in respect of phantom stock shares awarded to the Participant and not previously forfeited, the amount, if any, by which the value of the Phantom Stock Shares on the last day of the Performance Period exceeds the value of the Phantom Stock Shares on the first day of the Performance Period (the spread). Payment shall be made over three years with the first payment being made as soon after the end of the Performance Period as the amount of the payment can be practicably determined. Therefore, at the end of the fifth year the participants will receive 33 percent of their award with the remaining 67 percent being received at the end of the sixth and seventh years.

SECTION FIVE

DIVIDEND RIGHTS
Each Participant shall be entitled to the equivalent of any dividend payable on a share of common stock of the Company for each phantom stock share granted to the Participant. Such equivalent dividend shall be accrued in the Employee’s Dividend Account on the date any common stock dividend is paid on and after the date phantom stock shares are granted to the Employee up to _______, 200__. Such dividends shall be paid directly to the Employee at the end of the Performance Period and shall be deemed additional compensation when paid. In the event an employee ceases to qualify as an Employee of the Company under Section 6, no further payments shall be made under this paragraph.

SECTION SIX

TERMINATION OF AWARDS
If the Employee terminates employment with the Company due to death, disability or retirement during the performance period, that phantom stock award, to the extend not already vested, may, according to the Company’s discretion, vest in full as of the date of such termination. Termination of the Employee’s employment with the Company for any other reason (i.e., “for cause”) shall result in forfeiture of the phantom stock shares award on the date of termination to the extent not already vested. The Employee may designate a beneficiary(ies) to receive the phantom share payouts upon death. The Employee has the right to change such beneficiary designation at will.

SECTION SEVEN

IMPACT ON OTHER BENEFITS
The value of the phantom stock shares (either on the Award Date or at the time the shares are vested) shall not be includable as compensation or earnings for purposes of any other benefit plan offered by the Company.

SECTION EIGHT

ADMINISTRATION
The Committee shall have full authority and discretion (subject only to the express provisions of the Long-Term Incentive Plan) to decide all matters relating to the administration and interpretation of the Plan and this Agreement. All such Committee determinations shall be final, conclusive, and binding upon the Company, the Employee, and any and all interested parties.

SECTION NINE

AGREEMENT TO CONTINUE IN EMPLOYMENT
Nothing in the Plan or this Agreement shall confer on an Employee any right to continue in the employ of the Company or interfere in any way with the right of the Company to terminate the Employee’s employment at anytime.

SECTION TEN

NONALIENATION
An Employee shall have no right to pledge, hypothecate, anticipate or in any way create a lien upon any amounts payable under this Plan, and no benefits payable hereunder shall be assignable in anticipation of payment either by voluntary or involuntary acts, or by operation of law.

SECTION ELEVEN

NATURE OF PHANTOM STOCK
This Plan is solely an arrangement to pay compensation. All benefits due under this Plan are unfunded and unsecured and are payable out of the general assets of the Company. The Participant’s right to receive payments under this Plan shall be no greater than the right of an unsecured general creditor of Bank in the event of its insolvency.

SECTION TWELVE

AMENDMENT(S)
This Agreement shall be subject to the terms of the Plan as amended except that the phantom stock shares that are the subject of this Agreement may not in any way be restricted or limited by any Plan amendment or termination approved after the date of the award without the Employee’s written consent.

SECTION THIRTEEN

FORCE AND EFFECT
The various provisions of this Agreement are severable in their entirety. Any determination of invalidity or unenforceability of any one provision shall have no effect on the continuing force and effect of the remaining provisions.

SECTION FOURTEEN

GOVERNING LAWS
This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Illinois.

IN WITNESS THEREOF, the parties have signed this Agreement as of the date hereof.

by: ______________________ (title) __________________________

Attest: ________________________
    Secretary

Attest: __________________________
    Employee

Reprinted from “Stock Option Alternatives, A Strategic and Technical Guide to Long-Term Incentives” by Brent M. Longnecker, CCP, CBP with permission from WorldatWork, 14040 N. Northsight Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260; phone: (877) 951-9191; fax: 480 483-8352; www.worldatwork.org. ©2003 WorldatWork. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is strictly prohibited.

Name: Marie Artim, corporate HR manager, recruiting, has been with Enterprise for 11 ½ years and in workforce management for about nine.

Company: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, a large private company based in St. Louis, was named after the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. The company has about 600,000 vehicles in its fleet, more than 50,000 employees and over 5,400 locations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland.

Inside story: Enterprise hires about 6,000 college graduates each year–perhaps more than any other employer in America. Most are management trainees

Recruiting function: Enterprise employs 200 company recruiters nationwide. Artim oversees the recruiting function and reports to the senior vice president of human resources.

Philosophy: Enterprise says that it promotes from within, and it does. Management trainees can become branch managers. After that, they could move into higher management positions, or into areas of the business such as sales, recruiting or operations. Eventually, they could be VP/general managers. Almost all of the company’s vice presidents started out as management trainees. It’s part of the company’s promise to employees that if they come to work there, they have a chance to move up at a rate based on performance, not seniority. Says Artim: “You take care of your people–employees and customers–and everything else kind of falls into place.”

Technology: The back-end of Enterprise’s recruiting is powered by a company called SHL, which also handles other aspects of Enterprise’s recruiting management, such as providing interview guides to recruiters.

Favorite source: Artim says the company’s employee-referral programs are her best source of candidates. The reward for a referral varies by location, but employees generally get recognition, a bonus and often a chance to enter a contest for a trip or other prize.

Next-favorite source: It’s a tie between schools and the Internet. Enterprise’s 200 recruiters work closely with colleges and universities; each recruiter usually focuses on four or five schools. The company networks with professors, career centers and others in a university, and works closely with student organizations like Students in Free Enterprise. Students involved in theSIFE organization, Artim says, are usually the kind they’re looking for. “These students are very entrepreneurial, very dedicated and driven.” Online, the company posts ads on a variety of sites, including the three biggest career sites, and tries to bring candidates to the Enterprise site. It has also recently started working with the site DirectEmployers.

Diversity recruiting: To make sure its applicant pool is diverse, Enterprise works with community organizations like the National Urban League. It also finds candidates through Web sites such as IMDiversity, BlackPlanet, AsianAvenue, MiGente and iVillage.

Who Enterprise wants to hire: Enterprise wants people who are interested in business operations, sales and customer service. It looks for candidates with strong leadership skills, a customer-service orientation, a good work ethic and flexibility. An Enterprise job, Artim says, “is kind of your personal enterprise, and you can make it what you want, based on what you put into the job. There’s so much opportunity.” Enterprise uses behavior-based interviews, which include questions about applicants’ past experiences and times that they’ve displayed the Enterprise competencies–like a strong work ethic and customer service–on the job. A typical question from a hiring manager to a candidate: “Tell me about a time when you’ve dealt with a difficult customer.”

Workforce Online, July 2003 — Register Now!

The underlying assumptions about health plans that promote consumerism are worth a critical look. Some questions include the following:

To what extent do these “consumer-driven health plans” actually save money? Because these plans are relatively new and preliminary financial analyses are just emerging, it’s difficult to accurately predict the financial impact on a given group. There’s anecdotal evidence of lower utilization among employees who chose the consumer-driven health plan option, at least in its early years. However, it’s too soon to reach any definitive conclusions about potential long-term savings and their magnitude.

Might these new plan designs increase employer costs? If a consumer-driven plan is offered as an option beside existing health plans, traditional coverage options could experience adverse selection if healthier employees select the consumer-driven option. Proper design, pricing, and actuarial techniques must be applied to mitigate the risk of anti-selection.

Further, it’s advisable that all plan options sponsored by the employer belong to a single (usually self-insured) risk pool to avert the impact of a downward spiral in one plan if a healthier population migrates from it to another. Certainly, extensive study of individual group utilization will determine further employer strategies for reducing risk.

Do employees really want the responsibility for making decisions about purchasing health care coverage–and are they prepared to assume that responsibility? Some Americans who are frustrated by many of the restrictions associated with managed care (e.g., gatekeepers, reduced networks, mandatory pre-certification, and drug formularies) have been clamoring for unrestricted access to health services and providers for years. Surveys indicated that many individuals want to be responsible for their own health care decisions, and want immediate access to reliable information to support those decisions.

In the current system, employees tend to be passive plan participants until a health issue is vital to them. In the new models, the theory is that employees will become engaged and educated, as they are provided with tools to navigate the system that they can trust–and not just at the point of care. Some analysts warn that even with these tools, employees are likely to lack the discipline and sophistication to master an increasingly complex system. Critics also point out that even the best-intentioned employees may not have sufficient time to become more informed about health care treatment options and purchases, especially if they have child care and/or eldercare responsibilities and may be working at two or more jobs.

Is enough information available to help employees make decisions about care with confidence? Under these plans, employees should have a greater incentive to do more research on available treatment options, their efficacy, and potential costs. Whether sufficient information is available–in user-friendly format–to meet this demand is debatable in the current environment. To help employees make more informed decisions regarding treatment, the health care industry must expand this intelligence to help employers make reliable medical information Web sites/telephone services readily accessible.

Reprinted by permission. Copyright © 2003 by The Segal Group, Inc., the parent of The Segal Company. All rights reserved.

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Dear Needing Write Answers:



Most appraisal software will allow various levels of narrative comment.However, the main advantage of these systems is the ability to provide aquicker, easier way for managers to do appraisals. Hence the canned phrases.

Depending on the size of your management staff, I would suggest bringing in abusiness-writing expert, either from a consulting firm or from an area collegeor university to conduct a one-day seminar on how to write concise and accuratecomments on performance appraisals.

You may also want to have a reputable HR attorney in your area provide anoverview of the legalities of performance appraisals, such as safe phrases touse that get the point across while holding legal muster.

Another approach, which depends on the kind of work the employee does, is torequire more frequent, but shorter, evaluations throughout the year. These canbe done on a quarterly basis, or could be tied to the end of a project ordeliverable. People often respond to shorter assignments more often rather thanone big project occasionally.

Although it sounds like you want to stay away from canned phrases, a good book to use as a resource is”Effective Phrases for PerformanceAppraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluation,” by James E. Neal. This book can at give least a starting resource for managers to develop their narrative evaluations.

SOURCE: Bill Dickmeyer, CEBS, Madison Human ResourcesConsulting, LLC,Madison, Wisconsin

LEARN MORE: Read Six Steps to Successful PerformanceAppraisals.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide usefulinformation on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice ora legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

Dear Desperate:



Am I missing something? You’re looking for an Internet shopper and notusing the Internet. Come on. Here’s what to do.

Write a creative ad and put it on Monster.com or another site, like a localjob board. Newspaper ads are pretty useless if you’re trying to attract a GenY person. A creative ad must have an outrageous title and compelling copy.

Hereare some ideas for the outrageous title.

• Yeah, Baby, Yeah — This Job is Shagadelic.
  
• The Secret’s Out — We’re Looking for a Secret Shopper (list incustomer service)
  
• This Secret Shopper Job is Wicked (for Boston)
  

The key is to make the title fun, long, and tie it into a theme that appealsto the target audience. The theme could be a movie, song, or even local slang.It needs to be long and different in order to be noticed on the job boards. Mostad titles are too traditional, and don’t get the response of a great title.

Next, make sure that the copy focuses on what the person will do, learn, andbecome. Don’t emphasize the skills. Instead describe what the person will dowith the skills.

Here is an example of copy:

Use your analytical andreport writing skills to prepare in-depth price comparisons of our competitors’product line. You’ll become our ace detective and product expert in weeks. Ifyou’ve got a marketing bent all the better. You’ll need to figure out howweb positioning, product placement and pricing all affect the customerexperience. Before you know it you’ll be helping our marketing and designgroup to create award winning advertising programs that sizzle.

Add some fun stuff about the company and culture to round out the ad. Here’s an example:

We’re a hot local retailer that wants to grow its Internet business. Wehave a great reputation in our local market because we deliver price, value, andextra special performance. We’re moving our Internet business to the samelevel, so here’s a chance to help create something new, big and bold. We’lltrade off skills and experience with heart and desire. We long ago recognizedthis is how to build an all-star team. Send your resume to us. We’d like togive you a tryout.

If you want to attract the best, no matter what the job, it’s important todesign your advertising programs around their needs.

SOURCE: Lou Adler, president and CEO, POWER Hiring Inc., Tustin, California,Oct. 16, 2002.

LEARN MORE: Read Internet Recruiting: Better, Cheaper,Faster.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide usefulinformation on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice ora legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

Dear Not a Guru:

In the computer age, Decision Support Systems (DSS) have worked to providemany industries with ways of using existing data to solve current or futureproblems. For instance, financial planners may use a DSS to determine theeffects of a quarter-point drop in the Federal Funds Rate on the ultimate valueof a client’s portfolio, using both historical data andother user-defined information. Many corporations today use DSS to helpconsolidate and organize organizational data to quickly and efficiently getanswers to crucial questions. For example, during the budget process, afinancial analyst wants to determine the impact on a division’s profitabilityif new staff were added.

Executive Information Systems (EIS) are a newer twist on DSS and evolved fromits technology. This niche-type of system is geared towards the upper-levelmanagement of a company and was designed to provide these executives withhigh-level reporting that would impact strategic planning. It was often builtoff of information contained in the underlying DSS, butnot reported at such a detailed level.

Today, with the advent of newer, faster technologies in data searching andmore user-friendly databases, DSS and EIS have become almost one-in-the-same.Soon there will be little distinction between them.

SOURCE: Bill Dickmeyer, CEBS, Madison Human ResourcesConsulting, LLC,Madison, Wisconsin, Sept. 30, 2002.

LEARN MORE: Mine Company Data with Decision-SupportTools.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide usefulinformation on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice ora legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

Dear Where to Begin:

We believe communication that explains the business rationale, and thepersonal impact the change will have on employees, is a requirement. Hopefullythe impact is not all negative to those who will be earning less, and hopefullyyou have devised a solution to increase pay opportunities based on developingmore skills, achieving higher level results, or other factors. It sounds likeyour organization had significant inequities in the past that are beingaddressed today. I would make these points as explicit as possible. Goodcommunication in such cases is not only good business practice, but necessary toensure legal defensibility of actions.

The major changes relate to introducing differences in pay based on two added criteria: 1) Job complexity and content (not just performanceagainst same expectations, year in and year out) and 2) Competencies (e.g.learning orientation, initiative, etc.).

The constructs for getting ahead are apparently changing at your workplace.No longer can an employee simply perform well at the same job year after year.Other skills, both technical and competencies, must be developed, and outputsmust be increased against rising expectations. It sounds like you are developinga more complete performance orientation.

The best way to communicate this is in stages:

• Communication to all employees from CEO/HR indicating reason for change,impact of change, and implementation process.
  
• Management training on the changes and how to manage them (preferably before the all-employee communication).
  
• All-employee meetings–either en masse with senior management or insubgroups, jointly run by HR and line management. Q and A and examples of “WIFFM”(what’s in it for me) should be provided.
  

It is important in these meetings and communications to show the businesscase, and how this can be a positive for those who perform, learn, grow, anddevelop.

SOURCE: Jim Bowers, consultant, The Hay Group, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,Sept. 23, 2002.

LEARN MORE: Read CanPay for Performance Really Work?

The information contained in this article is intended to provide usefulinformation on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice ora legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.