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This is the latest news and information for workers and managers from across the Web universe, brought to you by Monday Morning Manager writer Harvey Schachter. Follow us on Twitter @Globe_Careers or join our Linked In group.
The Thursday before a new employee starts, send a memo to staff introducing the newcomer and explaining why their role is important, consultant Donald Cooper says. Also, create a learning agenda for the recruit: What do they need to learn and who do they need to meet – and by when. The Donald Cooper Corp. Newsletter
Ask what you love and work from there
If you don't design your career, somebody else will, author Greg McKeown says. Ask: What would I do if I could do anything? Pick what you would love rather than seemingly more practical, secondary options. Write down six objectives for the next year and focus on the top one. GregMcKeown.com
Assign tasks an urgency score
Consultant John Maxwell suggests organizing your time by rating tasks in importance from critical, 5 points, to marginal, 1. Then determine task urgency: This month (5), next month (4), this quarter (3), next quarter (2), end of year (1). Multiply the importance and urgency scores to determine which to tackle first. John Maxwell.com
Boost productivity with a no-strings raise
A research experiment found paying higher wages does not have a discernible effect on productivity with one exception: Structuring a portion of the wage as a gift, by offering a raise with no conditions after the employee accepts a contract, leads to higher productivity for the job duration. Scholar.Harvard.edu
Get Firefox to run faster
If your Firefox is running slowly, clear the cache. Click Options, advanced, and then use the Network task to clean up. But not too often, says tech writer, Aseem Kishore, as that can slow browsing in itself, the items helping to load pages when hard drive has adequate space. Online-Tech-Tips
Harvey Schachter is a Battersea, Ont.-based writer specializing in management issues. He writes Monday Morning Manager and management book reviews for the print edition of Report on Business and an online work-life column Balance. E-mail Harvey Schachter
Harvey Schachter