Should Salaries be Transparent in Your Company

Should Salaries be Transparent in Your Company When we talk about transparent salaries, we mean that salaries are common knowledge to everyone in a company or salaries are released publicly. Traditionally, how much an employee makes is meant to be kept in strict confidence for most private companies. However, some companies with salary transparency policies publish the salary data of its employees. This may be for compliance with tax reporting requirements (i.e., nonprofit organizations) or as a response to public companies’ shareholders who would like to know the earnings of their top executives.For some jobs in the public sector, salaries are determined strictly by their tenure and title. Thus, although a particular employee’s salary is not being published, the organization’s wage rates are still open to everyone. Moreover, salary transparency has become typical for high technology companies, particularly small startup companies that are trying to compete aggressively for talent in markets in Seattle, Silicon Valley, and New York City.Whatever the case may be, the trend towards transparency has been driven by a couple of variables, at least according to the Society for Human Resource Management. One is the rising availability of such data from sites like Salary.com, Glassdoor.com, as well as compensation benchmarking programs such as PayScale.com. Another is the ever more tightening labor market and the recognition of pay equality. The last is the effect of millenials, who are used to transparency and openness in social media. © Shutterstock | DooderThere are advantages and disadvantages to informing employees how much their fellow employees are making. At any rate, it is still a very tricky subject on whether a company should reveal how much their employees earn. This article will feature the advantages and disadvantages of companies making their salaries transparent. Moreover, it will discuss whether you as an employer should make salaries transparent in your company, given your circumstances.ADVANTAGES OF TRANSPARENT SALARIESAbility for Employee Negotiations. In knowing how much the range is for particular positions, employees and job candidates have the evidential support to negotiate for higher raises and higher starting salaries, respectively. This, of course, benefits the employee or would-be employee. In so doing, salary transparency can also help address any pay inequalities.Closes the Gender Gap. Based on a survey by Salary.com, 36% of men always negotiate their salaries when they receive a job offer, while only 26% of women do. This hesitance of women to request for more money is a main contributing variable to the existing gender gap. Furthermore, in a study conducted by the American Association of University Women, they found out that the full-time beginning salary of newly college graduates were 18% less for women, compared to their male counterparts.By being transparent with your salaries, it can aid in increasing your female applicants, since it lowers their uncertainty on working conditions and salaries for your company. Research shows that women are less likely to negotiate their pay compared to men. However, research has also shown that the transparency can aid in closing this negotiation gap in salaries among men and women. Encourages Trust. When a company is more transparent with something as sensitive as salaries, it shows that its employer and its management trust its employees sufficiently to allow them the information of other people’s salaries. This can l ead to more satisfaction in their jobs and hence, better productivity.Hires Applicants with Better Fit. Since applicants have more and understandable information about your company, this can better improve the job matching process. This means that even before they apply, they already know whether a job provides too low a salary range for their liking. In the long run, it would decrease unemployment periods.Holds Human Resources Accountable. By being transparent in your salaries, it would hold your human resources responsible and accountable for precisely gauging the salaries for the true value of a job. Think about it this way â€" in order to make someone accountable, you would need information. With the lack of information (or even valid data), actions made by individuals are difficult to ascertain and could be gravely misconstrued. The secrecy of information makes it challenging to hold organizations and individuals accountable for their actions and behavior. It also makes it prob lematic for those who are treated unjustly to establish a case for just treatment, in this case, in terms of salaries.Motivates Productivity. Transparent salaries can motivate employees who are paid higher to work even harder and in a productive manner. In a way, they are trying to demonstrate their higher value to their peers and management. According to research, employers that move from pay secrecy to pay transparency undergo big and permanent increases in their productivity levels. When pay information remains a secret, employees typically overestimate the salaries of others, leading to job dissatisfaction and lower productivity levels.[slideshare id=53170437doc=paytransparency-150924204252-lva1-app6891w=640h=330]Prequalifies Applicants. If a company does not disclose salary data, you as an employer and your human resources department could spend hours going through resumes and interviewing job candidates â€" only to find out eventually that your top choice is disinclined to wor k for the salary you are offering. In revealing your pay scale and its structure, you can avoid wasting time on applicants whom you cannot pay to their satisfaction. Moreover, you can draw in candidates of high value who would have assumed that the salary would be lower than what they had expected.DISADVANTAGES OF TRANSPARENT SALARIESApplicants Request for the Highest Salary Possible. Many employers choose not to post salary ranges or exact salaries on their job listings because they think that job candidates would be adamant that they receive the maximum amount indicated in the posting. This is even when they cannot meet the qualifications and competencies for that level of salary. The problem that employers have with transparent salaries is that it makes negotiation for them a bit more difficult.Employees Getting Upset. If you are a new business and if you published your salaries since your inception, that is good and well. However, if you already have existing employees and did n ot reveal the salaries previously or maybe did not consider the factors that composed their salary composition in detail â€" allowing access to payroll information to all may cause strain in the office. There would probably be a number of employees who would protest simply because they do not want people to know how much they are earning. In polite conversation, money is still a sensitive and private matter.In addition, misinterpreting salary information may create larger problems than those caused by not being transparent with salaries. Since employees do not know all of the facts that factored into a salary decision, employees can end up being upset and demoralized without reason, just because they failed to view the full picture or know the decision-making process behind the scenes.[slideshare id=59640768doc=1155salaryformula-abumpywaytotransparency-160316161742w=640h=330]Harder Determining Consistent Salary Formulas for Big Businesses. Transparency has proven that it can work fo r many startup companies. However, can this translate to bigger companies that have many kinds of roles? A policy of salary transparency can create huge hurdles in the instance of buyouts and mergers, case in point.Holding Difficult Conversations. There are some instances wherein management and human resources would have to hold difficult conversations with its employees concerning their salaries. If you have a company with hundreds of sales representatives with basically the same job title, description, and incentives, it is not so risky to be completely transparent with them. Actually, such data could be encouraging for them and can offer a roadmap on how to be successful in the business.It can be difficult to discuss, however, if you are dealing with different kinds of job families in a company. Moreover, what if you have someone who has particularly specialized skills that is truly unique, who needs a higher salary? This can begin to reveal significant differences in pay that ma y be difficult to explain to your regular employees.Case in point, what if you have an administrative assistant who has been with the company for more than 30 years who is making more money than your assistants are or even your employees who have several degrees? How can you explain this? If you choose to be completely transparent, you have to be ready to go through some difficult conversations. Employers have to have credible and new information, wherein they can share how they made job salary decisions for different instances.Increases Overall Salaries. You have to remember that once you publish your salary levels, this would increase overall salaries. Not only would new hires want to be offered the amount published on the job posting, but existing employees would want to have salary increases as well, depending on the current standards of their level. Thus, if your books are still somewhere between a loss and breaking even, you may have to rethink about being transparent with sal aries, as it would definitely increase your salaries across the board, affecting your costs.Infringes on Some Privacy Levels. By revealing salary information on existing and new job positions, it could infringe on some privacy levels of your employees. This is because of traditional thinking of salaries. There used to be the notion that releasing salary information could go against the privacy of an employee. However, if these are clearly stated in your policies, rules, and regulations and your employees agree to such, you can feel somewhat safe in this case. No Backing Out of Transparency Once Started. Transparency is not something you can turn on and then off again. Once you decide to be transparent with your salaries, you have to stick with it â€" there is no going back. Hence, what is important to take note of, is that besides making salaries transparent, you should also be clear on the technology and methodology you used to get to decisions on compensation.SHOULD YOU MAKE SALAR IES TRANSPARENT: VARIABLES TO CONSIDERThere is no clear right or wrong answer to making salary information transparent in a company. You should consider your company in order to determine whether it is suited for this kind of transparency.Communication of Rationale and StrategyIf you think your company will be able to communicate your rationale and strategy for salary transparency well, then consider making salaries transparent. Effective communication is important â€" otherwise, you run the risk of alienating your employees instead of making them feel in synchronicity with the company.Create a communications plan and equip your managers with the important information so that they can better handle challenging communications with employees on how their salaries were decided. Employees would feel the reassurance when they find some market data on compensation and are shown how each salary decision was devised.Company CultureDefinitely, the approach to being transparent about salaries is not the same for all companies. Companies that are smart should take a more introspective approach to salary transparency. Know your employee demographic first. Case in point â€" millenials may be alright with their salaries being made public because they are used to sharing personal information via social networks; however, baby boomers might react negatively as they see this as an invasion of privacy.Moreover, your choice in salary transparency depends on your culture. As soon as you have a viewpoint on your compensation, look at how you would communicate this message to your employees. Will they see the compensation as how the company values them or will they see it as the company not taking care of them? You should also factor in the size of your company. While you can accomplish these things when you are merely 35 persons, this could make no sense for a company with thousands of individuals. Outliers or Unique PositionsMake sure you know who your outliers are in your compan y. These are people who have unique backgrounds, professionally and/or academically. You have to be prepared to describe what it is about them and their positions that made them receive such high compensations.Of course, there should be reasons as to why they received higher salaries. It could be because of the different responsibilities they carry; the departments they are working for; the expertise they lend to a job; and their career paths. By being ready with your answers, you eliminate the possibility of employees getting upset. So determine whether you have one or two outliers or just too many. This could influence your decision on whether to open up your salary information to scrutiny.AT THE ENDAt the end of it all, keep in mind that if you would like to be transparent in your salaries, you can do it gradually. Some companies have simply disclosed pay grades or salary ranges for a couple of positions and at varying seniority levels. Sometimes they share past undisclosed detai ls, without providing particular salaries for specific employees. Thus, while this discloses some information, it still engages employees and encourages openness and trust but at the same time, you do not give up your negotiating and competitive advantages.Remember, when it comes to salary transparency, it does not mean you are completely good if you are transparent or completely bad if you are not transparent. While salary transparency can be wonderful for one organization, it could be disastrous for another. The important thing to note is what your whole company and employees can stand in terms of salary disclosure. Make sure you accommodate the needs of your employees but simultaneously keep your company’s mission and strategy also at the forefront.

Steven Hawking s Theory Of The Soul - 1474 Words

Even Neil deGrasse Tyson said that he puts the odds at 50, 50 † probability that we are â€Å"on someone else’s hard drive.†(Scientific America online) Where is the â€Å"Form† in this scenario? Plato’s abstract ideas of the Form of the soul are said to be unchanging. Steven Hawking’s theory to explain quantum mechanics and its paradoxes, deduced that all information is lost as it enters a black hole. How do people come up with these concepts? But there is a theory from Leonard Susskind called the Hologram Theory which has been used to help explain what happens to matter as it goes through the black hole, where information is not lost because knowledge can be in two places at the same time. Could this mean that form is out there along with its copy? Earthly forms will not remain the same, Earth will dye, the Sun will collapse, our universe will be swallowed by another and eventually we will perish. No matter what world we live on not even an abstract idea can continue to exist. Or can it? If we stop thinking of that form does it become nullified and cease to exist? With the allegory of the cave Socrates is assuming that what we see in the light and what we see in the dark, like that of a color is changing when we walk out of the cave. However, now that scientists know it is not the color that changes, but the wavelength we see the color in our brains not from our eyes. The Form would not change colors in our eyes only the light would change. I can imagine that was not a concept inShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturersRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 PagesUniversity of Minnesota and George Washington University. His MBA and Ph.D. are from the University of Minnesota, with a BBA from Drake University. Before coming into academia, he spent thirteen years in retailing with the predecessor of Kmart (S. S. Kresge), JCPenney, and Dayton-Hudson and its Target subsidiary. He held positions in store management, central buying, and merchandise management. His first textbook, Marketing: Management and Social Change, was published in 1972. It was ahead

The Impact Of Neoclassical Economics On The Economy Essay

Neoclassical Economics is an attempt to restore some of the principles that Adam Smith, a pioneer for capitalist markets, advocated for in his Classical Economic theory. Smith suggested that minimal intervention should be required regarding government policy as the laws of supply and demand will be self-correcting. John Maynard Keynes was an important figure that worked to apply fiscal policy that would remedy an economic depression. Keynes’s idea of fiscal policy is the means by which government adjusts its spending levels and tax rates to monitor and influence the economy. Further, Keynes is known as the father of â€Å"Mixed Economy†, in which both the private sector (households and privately owned businesses) and public sector (government) have an active and important role in the economy. He argued that in a capitalist economy, the government would have a direct response to where in a business cycle the economy was at any particular time—Borrow to spend in a Recession or Bust, and spend only to the level of revenue collected during a period of growth or Booms. Milton Friedman, an American economist, believed strongly in a neoclassical, one-directional approach to monetary policy, where the Federal Reserve should limit monetary policy to increasing M1 (primary money supply) at a consistent rate, slightly higher than the birth rate, in order to keep economic growth at effective levels. Moreover, he believed the federal government should tax minimally in order toShow MoreRelatedNeoclassical Economics Vs. Keynesian Economics1583 Words   |  7 Pagespost -Second World War growth period, which is called Golden Age of Capitalism, has a great influence in human economic history. 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Systematic Approach to Managing Ohs Free Essays

MODULE 1 SYTEMATIC APPROACH TO MANAGING OHS ASSESSMENT Module 1 PROJECT 1 Write a detailed report on the implementation of a systematic approach to managing OHS. Your report might be theoretical or based on your specific workplace. Ensure that you include the following: ?Requirements for record-keeping ?Sources of OHS information and data ?Consultative arrangements ?OHS action plans ?OHS specialists (internal or external) and technical advisors ? Other functional areas ?Proposed changes to the workplace Stakeholders Construction Australia is the company that I am employed by. We will write a custom essay sample on Systematic Approach to Managing Ohs or any similar topic only for you Order Now Our company offers services in refractory installation to all major industries. We are involved in the construction and maintenance of boilers, kilns, ovens, incinerators, etc. in power generation plants, heat treatment plants, chemical plants, steel mills, oil refineries and many more. We conduct high risk work such as demolition, confined space entry, working at heights, and work at extreme temperatures mainly in major hazard facilities. Due to the nature of our work it is vital that we have a system in place to manage Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). A systematic approach to managing OHS allows us to follow a structured framework that ensures primarily, we reduce the risks of injury or illness in the workplace or anyone affected by our activities and that we comply with all relevant laws and legislation. The main elements of an Occupational Health and safety management system (OHSMS) are: †¢Commitment and policy †¢Planning †¢Implementation †¢Measurement and evaluation Review and improvement These elements are incorporated into the system and involve consultation at all stages with stakeholders and key personnel of our organisation. The basis of this approach is a cycle of continuous improvement as illustrated below in fig. 1: When establishing a more systematic approach to managing safety, it is helpful to understand where your organisation is in terms of OHS maturity. Four levels of system maturity can be considered: †¢Immature (Troubled) †¢Reactive (Responsive) †¢Attentive (Managed) Mature (Value-Adding) Our company is at a mature level as we have established structures, systems and processes in place. We also have a shared belief that OHS is a critical aspect of personal and organisational performance and focus continually on improvement and ways to reduce risks. An effective OHSMS requires the participation of all parts of the organisation. To gain this commitment from people, senior management takes an active role in leadership, allocation of resources, consultative meetings and regular reviews of OHS. The first step in the systematic approach to OHS is to develop a comprehensive OHS policy that states the overall objectives and sets out the company’s commitment to health and safety. The policy should be sufficiently clear and be capable of being read by all relevant parties, internal and external. The policy should be endorsed by the most senior person, such as the CEO or managing director. Beroa’s OHS policy is attached to appendix A. Action plans are a vital part of the planning and implementation process. The organisation needs to determine the key regulatory requirements they must meet and also get an understanding of their major OHS risks and how they will be identified. Objectives, targets and key performance indicators (KPI’s) need to be set. These should incorporate both lead (e. g. number of safety audits conducted) and lag (e. g. number of lost time injuries) indicators. Lead indicators are commonly referred to as Positive Performance Indicators (PPI’s) that focus on assessing how successful an organisation is performing. Using a combination of both lead and lag indicators will provide the best outcomes. A plan is vital to ensure targets are reached in a systematic way and it should be linked to the organisation’s strategic plan. The plan should allocate resources and timelines and can be used to monitor development of the OHSMS. Appendix B is a Beroa action plan that we have in place. It outlines the systems that we use to ensure that we are compliant with legislation and we are fulfilling the objectives of our OHS policy. We use policies and procedures, inductions, meetings, toolbox meetings, consultation, pre-start checks and regular training and development to deliver all our processes. Our documented policies for hazard identification and hazard/risk assessment, make sure that we remain regulatory compliant through our business activities. Consultation with workplace personnel, OHS professionals, insurers and other relevant group is undertaken to ensure that we develop a safe workplace and mentality. We aim to translate legislation into a language that can be comprehended at all levels. This allows people to understand and participate with feeling unsure or confused. Beroa has an open door policy on all aspects especially OHS. Consultation is the best tool that we use in our workplace. The changing nature of our working conditions on a constant basis means that we need to know what is going on so we can make sure that we remain compliant and that our systems are working appropriately. Our consultation procedure (Appendix C) acts as an information highway between management and employees, so that if any changes are required they can be made, documented and then implemented into the system. We use the consultation processes with all stakeholders that are involved in our OHSMS, these include but are not limited to: †¢Management †¢Administration †¢Clients †¢Employees †¢Suppliers †¢Unions †¢Work cover and other relevant authorities †¢Insurers †¢Public †¢OHS and technical experts All information gathered from stakeholders is considered and used in the development of our systems, policies and procedures. The applied procedures that our company has in place allow us to constantly monitor and evaluate our performance. Daily toolbox discussions, training, weekly meetings, management meetings, safety audits and safety checklists (Appendix D) are some of the tools we use to monitor and evaluate. Major policies are reviewed every 2-3 years or as required. The nature of our work requires that we retain specific records for specified times in order to comply with legislation. These include: Confined space entry- we retain entry permits for 1 month, risk assessments/JSA for 5 years, training records for the term of employees employment plus 7 years and any notifiable incidents for 2 years after the incident occurs. Health monitoring records- these must be kept for 30 years after they are recorded and 40 years for asbestos related documents. These records must be kept confidential. Hazardous chemicals register- we keep registers of any chemicals that are stored. We list them and keep material safety data sheets, which are readily available to employees or anybody that could be affected by the chemical. We have two methods of record keeping, hard copy and electronic. All documents are kept on both. Within the electronic system we have a sub-system called Timberline. This system is passcode protected and has restricted access; all personal details and personal health records are kept in this system for confidentiality. Our OHS manager has access along with relevant management. Project files for each client are kept and updated after completion of each project. Documents included include attendance sheets, JSA’s, toolbox meetings, materials and equipment, inductions, training, client feedback, performance reports, safety audits and observations. Employee records such as inductions and qualifications are also kept and updated when needed. We also keep lists of OHS safety representatives and are readily accessible and up to date. OHS affects all aspects of an organisation. An effective OHS system allows other functional areas to thrive and exploit the benefits. The reduction and elimination of work place injuries will reduce the cost of workers comp premiums, limit sick days and reduce the money spent on rehabilitation, all this eases the strain of budgeting systems and also allows more resources for training and information of OHS. Public relations will find it easier representing our positive results in safety and compliance to existing and future clients, public and relevant authorities. It will also reduce the workload of administration allowing them time to work on other aspects of the business. Our OHS system allows our employees to take an active role in all aspects in relation to the system. This gives them a sense of ownership and the drive to make sure that we reach and outperform our goals and objectives. How to cite Systematic Approach to Managing Ohs, Papers

Personal Identify and Self

In the novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy explores the experiences of a person who has to re-evaluate his entire life and his relations with other people.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Personal Identify and Self-Reflection in The Death of Ivan Ilyich specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The protagonist is confronted the fact of his inevitable death, and this awareness prompts him to reflect on his identity as well his value for others. To a great extent, the narrative helps the author to portray the self-discovery of the main character. In particular, Ivan Ilyich cherishes an illusion that he is a successful person who has achieved happiness; however, his terminal illness makes him see his shallowness and lack of empathy which is critical for the happiness of a human being. These are the main questions that should be examined in greater detail. They can be viewed as the central themes examined by Tolstoy in this literary work. It should be noted that at the beginning of the novella, Leo Tolstoy describes people’s reaction to the death of the protagonist. For instance, Ivan Ilyich’s colleagues, who purport to be his friends, think only about their promotion, especially the opportunity to occupy the post held by the protagonist (Tolstoy unpaged). They have no concern for the wellbeing of his relatives. Furthermore, his wife feels relief because she was too tired of Ivan Ilyich’s screams. This is one of the details can attract the attention of the reader.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More By examining the behavior of various characters, the author demonstrates that other people were not emotionally attached to the protagonist. This is one of the main arguments that can be made. Later, the author looks directly at the experiences of the main character. He p erceives himself as an â€Å"intelligent polished, lively and agreeable man† (Tolstoy unpaged). On the whole, he believes that his life has been quite successful. It seems to him that he has fulfilled his talents. According to the social standards of the nineteenth century, Ivan Ilyich could even be perceived as a role model for others. This is one of the main issues that can be identified. On the whole, Tolstoy shows that up to a certain moment, the main character remains fully satisfied with his himself. Nevertheless, his terminal illness forces him to reassess his worldview. To a great extent, the narrative shows that the protagonist led a very shallow life; in particular, he only â€Å"amused himself pleasantly and decorously† (Tolstoy unpaged). Moreover, the protagonist understands that he never paid attention to the inner qualities of other people. For example, his wife proves to be an ill-tempered person who does not care about the needs of other people. The mai n character is astounded by her callousness at the time when he urgently needs her compassion. Similarly, his so-called friends pay little attention to his misfortunes. Overall, these details show how Ivan Ilyich looks at his past behavior as well as values which turn out to be false. This is one of the main details that should be considered.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Personal Identify and Self-Reflection in The Death of Ivan Ilyich specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, in the course of the story, Ivan Ilyich comes to the conclusion that his life has been artificial because it lacked such an element as empathy for other people. In the past, he did not feel the need for empathy and this is why he underestimated its value. However, he can better appreciate this quality when he notices that people, who surround him, lack this ability to put themselves in the position of others. There are only two excepti ons; in particular, one should speak about his servant Gerasim and his son who try to help Ivan Ilyich. In contrast, other people perceive his suffering as an inconvenience. This is one of the details produces an indelible impression on the main character who is firmly convinced that his wellbeing is vital for other people. Leo Tolstoy shows how a single event can prompt a person to look more closely at one’s self-identity. Ivan Ilyich perceives himself as a successful individual who has achieved every possible goal. Nevertheless, he eventually discovers that he has been a shallow person who failed to bring any value into the lives of others. Moreover, many of his beliefs prove to be erroneous, especially the conviction that he was a successful person. This is one of the reasons why he is so afraid of his mortality. So, Ivan Ilyich’s self-reflection makes him look at many things from a different perspective. Overall, the narrative of this novella is a powerful tool for describing the inner world of the protagonist and his subsequent transformation. The non-linear plot of the story helps Tolstoy to depict the way in which people respond to the death of Ivan Ilyich.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, this approach is important for describing the way in which the main character looks at his self-identity, his achievements, and values. The protagonist is forced to change his worldviews and values because he is put in a situation when his principles do not work. He discovers that compassion is vital for the wellbeing of a person, and this is one of the things that he lacks. Works Cited Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of Ivan Ilyich. n. d. Web. This essay on Personal Identify and Self-Reflection in The Death of Ivan Ilyich was written and submitted by user L1v1a to help you with your own studies. 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15 Quotes That Will Help You Identify Flattery and Praise

15 Quotes That Will Help You Identify Flattery and Praise Praise has a therapeutic effect on the receiver. It helps to restore a persons self-esteem. It gives hope. Praise is not flattery. There is a distinct difference between the two. Learn to Differentiate Between Praise and Flattery There is a popular Aesops tale about the foolish crow and the wily fox. A hungry crow finds a piece of cheese and sits on a branch of a tree to enjoy his meal. A fox who was equally hungry sees the crow with the piece of cheese. Since he badly wants the food, he decides to trick the crow with flattering words. He lavishes praise on the crow by calling him a beautiful bird. He says that he would like to hear the crows sweet voice, and asks the crow to sing. The foolish crow believes that the praise is genuine, and opens his mouth to sing. Only to realize that he had been fooled by the wily fox when the cheese was hungrily devoured by the fox. The difference lies in the intent of the words. You can praise someone for their actions, or the lack of it, while flattery can be vague, undefined, and even false. Here are some ways to spot the difference between praise and flattery. Praise Is Specific to an Action; Flattery Is Adulation Without a Cause Praise is an actionable device to encourage a positive outcome. For instance, a teacher could praise her student by saying, John, your handwriting has improved since last week. Good job! Now, such words of praise can help John to improve his handwriting further. He knows what his teacher likes, and he can work on his handwriting to produce better results. However, if the teacher says, John, youre good in class. I think youre the best! these words are unspecific, vague, and offer no direction for improvement to the receiver. John will, of course, feel good about the kind words from his teacher, but he wouldnt know how to be better in his class. Praise Intends to Encourage; Flattery Intends to Deceive Flattery is buttering up. With flattering words, someone hopes to get their job done without any concern for the person who receives the flattery. Flattery is based on an ulterior motive, that only benefits the flatterer. On the other hand, praise benefits the receiver, by encouraging the receiver to see the positive side of life. Praise helps others to recognize their talents, raise their self-esteem, restore hope, and give direction. Praise helps both the giver and the receiver.   Those Who Praise Are Immensely Self-Confident; Those Who Flatter Dont Have Confidence Since flattery is manipulative, flatterers are usually spineless, weak, and of poor character. They feed on others ego and hope to get scraps of goodies from egocentric megalomaniacs. Those who flatter dont have leadership qualities. They lack the personality to inspire and instill confidence. On the other hand, praise givers are usually self-confident and assume leadership positions. They are able to infuse positive energy in their team, and they know how to channel the energy of each member of the team through praise and encouragement. By giving praise, they can not just help others grow, but they also enjoy self-growth. Praise and appreciation go hand in hand. And so does flattery and adulation. Praise Fosters Trust; Flattery Fosters Mistrust Would you trust a person who tells you how wonderful you are, how kind you are, or how great you are? Or would you trust a person who tells you that you are a good co-worker, but you need to improve your social skills? It is tough to spot flattery if the flatterer is cunning enough to veil his words to sound like appreciation. A devious person could make flattery look like genuine praise. In the words of  Walter Raleigh:   But it is hard to know them from friends, they are so obsequious and full of protestations; for a wolf resembles a dog, so doth a flatterer a friend. You have to be careful when you receive compliments that amount to nothing. Flattery according to the Bible, is a form of hatred. Flattery can be used to manipulate, cheat, deceive, and hurt others. Beware of Flattery Because Flatterers Can Hurt You Words that are sweetened with honeyed words can fool the gullible. Dont let others sway you by their sweet words that mean nothing. If you meet someone who praises you without reason or charms you with honeyed words of appreciation, it is time to cock your ears and listen beyond the words. Ask yourself:   Is he or she trying to woo me? What are his/her intentions?  Are these words true or false?Can there be an ulterior motive behind these flattering words? Accept Praise With a Pinch of Salt Let praise or flattery not go into your head. While it is good to hear praise, accept it with a pinch of salt. Perhaps, the person who praised you is usually generous. Or perhaps, the person praising you wants something out of you. Flattery can be exhausting, even if they are generous. It is like eating too much sweet and feeling sick after a while. Praise, on the other hand, is measured, specific, and direct. Know Who Your Real Friends and Well Wishers Are Sometimes, those who criticize you more often than praise you have the best interest in their heart. They may be stingy when it comes to praise, but their words of appreciation are more genuine than compliments you gather from a stranger. Learn to spot your true friends, from those who are friends in good times. Shower praises and compliments wherever necessary, but not because you want to gain a fat favor. Be genuine and specific while praising someone, if you want to be accepted as a well-wisher. If someone flatters you, and you are unable to tell whether it is flattery or praise, double-check with a true friend, who can help you see the difference. A good friend will puncture your inflated ego, and bring you back to ground reality if the need arises. Here are 15 quotes that talk about praise and flattery. Follow the advice given in these 15 inspirational quotes on praise and flattery, and you will be able to tell the difference between praise and flattery every time. Minna Antrim: Between flattery and admiration there often flows a river of contempt.Baruch Spinoza: None are more taken in by flattery than the proud, who wish to be the first and are not.Samuel Johnson: Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present.Anne Bradstreet: Sweet words are like honey, a little may refresh, but too much gluts the stomach.Italian Proverb: He that flatters you more than you desire either has deceived you or wishes to deceive.Xenophon: The sweetest of all sounds is praise.Miguel de Cervantes: It is one thing to praise discipline, and another to submit to it.Marilyn Monroe: It is wonderful to have someone praise you, to be desired.John Wooden: You cant let praise or criticism get to you. Its a weakness to get caught up in either one.Leo Tolstoy: In the best, the friendliest and simplest relations flattery or praise is necessary, just as grease is necessary to keep wheels turning.Croft M. Pentz: Praise, like sunlight, helps all things to grow. Zig Ziglar: If youre sincere, praise is effective. If youre insincere, its manipulative.Norman Vincent Peale: The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.Orison Swett Marden: There is no investment you can make which will pay you so well as the effort to scatter sunshine and good cheer through your establishment.Charles Fillmore: We increase whatever we praise. The whole creation responds to praise and is glad.

Courses Recommended for Medical School Applicants

Courses Recommended for Medical School Applicants Perhaps it goes without saying that getting into medical school is challenging. With about 90,000 applicants each year and an acceptance rate of 44%, you cannot afford to slack on any entry requirements. It becomes even more challenging  gaining admission to medical school  when you are applying to the top 100 schools in the U.S., whose acceptance rate is a mere 6.9 percent in 2015.   One very simple prerequisite for entry to med school is completing all the required courses necessary to apply. These courses are nonnegotiable because they are required by the Association of American Medical Schools (AAMC), the organization that accredits medical schools. Make sure you have all of the following courses completed (or in the process of being completed) when you apply to medical school. Required Courses Since the medical field is heavy in sciences that concern the body and its environment, one would be right to assume a full year (two semesters) of biology and physics are needed to meet the AAMC prerequisites for applicants. Some schools may also require a semester of genetics and to ensure the applicant receives a well-rounded education and has the skills necessary to communicate well, a full year of English is also required.   Additionally, the AAMC requires applicants to complete one year each of organic and inorganic chemistry. These specific fields of study improve applicants understanding of the fundamentals of science as it relates to the medical field, be it for the chemicals needed in aesthetic treatment or for the chemical components of living matter.   Although thats all of the required courses specific to applying to medical schools, you also have to abide by your colleges curriculum  guidelines in order to earn your degree. Be sure to consult your counselor about which courses are required for your degree and how best to integrate the required courses into your schedule.   Recommended Courses You should also discuss courses that your counselor recommends that will give you a competitive advantage in your admission to medical school. Although these courses are not required, they could greatly help simplify your graduate-level studies. Taking Calculus- which many schools do require- could, for instance, lend to simplifying later chemistry equations youll need to use to pass advanced classes.   Many of the recommended courses also help prepare the potential med school student for being a doctor. Molecular biology, neuroscience, and upper-level psychology are often recommended to help the hopeful doctorate better understand more advanced lessons detailing the body and the brain. Statistics or epidemiology and ethics will help the doctor to understand the variety of patients and potential outcomes he or she may face in his or her career. These recommended courses illustrate the basic educational themes that med schools look for in applicants: the capacity and interest for understanding science, logical thinking,  good communication skills, and high ethical standards.  Ã‚  You don’t need to be a premed major  to complete these courses and meet the prerequisites for medical school, but make no mistake that a premed major certainly helps.