Effective employee management is critical to the success of any business. Our consultants will work closely with owners/managers to give advice in the area of Human Resources. We contract with our Human Resources consultants to offer services in these areas: Human Resources Planning Policies and Procedures Position Descriptions Performance Management Systems Employee Benefits Pension Administration Organizational Effectiveness Employment Equity Program Employee Handbooks Collective Bargaining Salary Administration

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Channels is a unique system designed to provide multi-channel communication within an organization. This system allows individuals to personally evaluate their own strengths and challenges in the workplace, and assess their managers or supervisors in confidence. This upward and two-way evaluation process creates an environment of openness and trust.

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A focus group is a free flowing discussion with 8-12 individuals with a purpose of discussing a selected topic of interest. This session is informal and is designed to give feedback about the individuals' opinions, perceptions and ideas relating to a specific topic. It is also used to generate new ideas. A client may choose to have a focus group facilitated with a group of clients or customers. The information retrieved may assist in making future plans for the business, or it may also be used to identify employees' needs. A group of employees may provide feedback anonymously to the focus group facilitator. This is an effective means of communication within an organization. Focus groups are conducted in a two to three hour period. The facilitator develops a series of questions which are approved by the client prior to facilitating the discussion. This ensures there is agreement on the objectives of the session(s). Focus groups are designed to compliment quantitative studies. They have many applications and benefits.

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We have developed needs assessments to aid in identifying your training and consulting needs. Our instruments are designed to ask specific questions about your businesses. The analysis includes General Business Planning, Marketing, Human Resources and Finance. Needs Assessments may be used as a means to identify training and consulting needs. Alternatively, needs assessments may be conducted prior to facilitating a specific seminar to ensure the seminar content is tailored to your needs.

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To minimize time spent in informing all employees of business policies and procedures, we can develop a guide specifically oriented to the business. This guide may include information on the history of the business, employee benefits, standards for conduct, wages and salaries, safety, security and health considerations, employee relations, and general business practices. Policies may be included for specific operational needs.

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Our experienced consultants have designed an operational review process which includes an overall business assessment. Areas examined and included in a written report include management skills, labor force issues, operational layout, production process, facilities and equipment requirements, analysis of gross margins, and customer-supplier relationship concerns. Also included are comments on general financial issues including cost overruns, delinquent accounts, working capital shortage, general record keeping, brief financial ratio analysis, inventory and system controls. The written report summarizes the business' strengths, weaknesses and recommendations for improvement.

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To secure financing for a business start-up or expansion, many creditors will require a detailed business plan. One of The Learning Edge's consultants will be selected to assist in completing the business plan which includes information regarding marketing, operations, management and financial forecasting.

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The Strategic Planning process enables one to consider their business' strengths and weaknesses to analyze the competition and to identify opportunities for growth and diversification. A skilled strategic planning facilitator will guide a management team from the evaluation stage through to a final action plan. It is a guide to establishing goals and objectives and is used as a practical tool to assist in future decision-making.

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Our marketing consultants will assist in developing and implementing a Marketing Plan for your business. The plan will consider how the business can best utilize Human Resources, money and time. As a valuable tool, the marketing plan will be important for achieving goals for planning strategically, for investigating market research techniques (such as surveys and focus groups) and for analyzing successful pricing, advertising and promotion techniques.

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Succession planning is important for business owners and managers. Because of the demands and changes required from today's managers, we must examine closely the managerial position requirements, as well as, the techniques for identifying and assessing management, candidates, and the activities that are necessary for effective development of managerial talent in an organization. With the assistance of one of our experienced consultants, you will realize the importance and value of succession planning for your business or organization.

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We have experienced professional consultants who have proven success in designing and executing customer and employee surveys. It is critical to obtain feedback from customers and employees. We will design a survey which will provide information that can be used to assess the level of customer and employee satisfaction, as well as assist in future decision-making.

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Many organizations have come to realize training is vital to the success of their operation. How can an organization be sure they are choosing the best training? A training audit will review the approach to training selection, training design and development, assessment training, development needs, and constructing evaluative instruments. Writing training objectives, choosing a training delivery system, validating training materials, selecting professional trainers, producing training documents, identifying trainees, evaluating the trainer and the training program and developing a follow-up system are also included in an audit. These are several of the areas to address when auditing the training in an effort to determine if the organization's training is a valuable investment.

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Understanding yourself, others and realizing the impact of your personal behavior in your workplace can create a foundation of personal and professional success. Effective communication with productive relationships can be a result of the application of the DiSC-based Personal Profile System. The areas explored by the DiSC instrument will research four primary dimensions: Dominance: Direct and Decisive, or "D's" are people who are strong-willed, strong-minded, accepting challenges, taking actions, and getting immediate results. Influence: Optimistic and Outgoing, or "I's" are people who are team participants, energizers, entertainers, and love to share ideas. Steadiness: Sympathetic and Cooperative, or "S's" are people who are attentive, consistent in predictable ways working behind the scenes. Conscientiousness: Concerned and Correct, or "C's" are people who are sticklers regarding quality, planning ahead, systematic approach with checking and rechecking for accuracy.

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