The ‘IT’ issue these days, global warming, triggers off a little known debate in limited circles, which is mercury poisoning due to fish consumption. The unawareness of the subject makes fish consumption even more risky. Alarmingly, even die hard health freaks are unaware of the risks associated with certain kinds of fish. To complicate things even further, it is true that in most cases the benefits of fish consumption outweigh the risks. Threats related to fish consumption are not to be taken lightly. But some people have stopped eating all sorts of fish altogether, which is needless.

And of course, there are those minor problems, but problems nevertheless, associated with buying fish. River fish or ocean fish, farmed or wild, which fish is healthier, what tastes better, what’s the proper way to cook. Fish buying is a surprisingly murky area.

A vendor in a fish market doesn’t tell you the health benefits or risks, or where does the fish come from. But farm2market.com makes this all trouble free with the help of live greeters. These LiveAdmins give the customers a comprehensive guide on buying fish, and volunteer information and suggestions to suit the customer’s special needs so that they can make informed decisions. Moreover, the site also offers free delivery.

These Live Greeters initiate conversations with customers on the site, ask various questions, give alternate solutions regarding the kind of fish the customers should buy. The first step for these greeters is to understand their customers. Is the customer middle aged, pregnant or a nursing mother, is there a growing child in the family, what’s the customer’s health requirements. They let you know which fish tastes better, can be cooked faster, and which comes from a reputable source, i.e., one that does not violate international law.

If the customer is a pregnant woman, or a woman of child bearing age, or a nursing mother, the greeter can advise the customer to lay off certain kinds of fish due to threats of mercury poisoning. Mercury poisoning can have devastating health effects and it can prove even more dangerous for pregnant and nursing woman since fetuses are exposed to mercury and it can also be transferred through milk. In a child, this can cause permanent brain damage. But the fact remains that pregnant and nursing women can derive the greatest benefit from eating fish if they undertake certain precautions. So in this case a greeter can advise these women to limit their consumption of fish to 12 ounces per week, and not to eat tuna, shark, swordfish etc, since they contain higher levels of mercury.

The greeters also let you know the source of the fish, whether it’s a river, ocean or farmed fish. They can also give recommendations, e.g., an assurance that wild and farmed salmon are both safe since wild salmon comes from Alaska which has cleaner water. Or that ocean fish should not be eaten raw because of the bacteria. They also let you know which fish should be frozen for how long, or how to kill the bacteria.

These greeters know their job and direct their customers to the end of their shopping.

Webgreeter (Liveadmins LLC, Chicago) introduces a new and novel concept to make the visitor’s stay even more fruitful than before. Their latest brainchild, the greeter on greeter model, is as simple as its name.

Basically, a junior greeter first greets the visitor. It’s the junior greeter’s job to qualify the visitor, ask about his requirements. The junior greeter then refers the visitor to a suitable senior greeter in accordance with the visitor’s requirements. Now this senior greeter is someone who specializes in the area that the visitor wants information about. All the information that the junior greeter has obtain is relayed to the senior greeter, and, hence, the job is made simpler and the senior greeter knows what to deal with.

For example, if a visitor wants information about mortgage rates, the junior greeter refers him to a greeter who has adequate information about the aforementioned subject. Likewise, if the visitor wants information related to income tax, he can be referred to a greeter who has commendable knowledge on the subject and can be trusted to deal with it competently. The advantages of this method are manifold, both to the visitors and the site owners.

This new model makes the site more convivial and user friendly. Navigating the Internet for information can be complex and futile in many cases. Either the information is too scarce or way too much which makes it all the more difficult to get the required information. With tree like answers provided by the greeters, visitors can make informed decisions more easily.

Visitors get just what they are looking for since greeters who specialize in a specific subject provide information. This method is also time saving since the greeter now knows what the visitor is looking for and takes on from there, as opposed to first having an introduction then ensuring what the visitor is looking for.

For the site, its work made easy since work is more divided. Also, it’s easier to train a greeter in a specific subject as opposed to training a greeter on all subjects. Work is done faster with the introduction of this model since a greeter does not have to search for information.

It adds a personalized touch to the site since greeters become more involved with the visitors to solve a problem. They can also develop long term relationships with visitors and become their trusted advisor’s. These greeters, who undergo extensive training, also assist in navigating visitors through tricky websites. They guide the visitors and try to generate leads. They also aid the visitors in their decision making process if they are unable to decide. The greeters are friendly and genuinely interested to see that the visitors get exactly what they are looking for.

Team building events are meant to make the work place a home away from home, and this is what webgreeter aims at through such events. Webgreeter regularly demonstrates its commitment to building team unity and positive morale among their employees in their daily workplace. In the absence of this commitment, negative effects can result from formal team building sessions, but many companies do not realize this.

Poorly planned team building sessions bring disillusionment and low morale, even more so if they are not followed up with worthwhile activities. Employees tend to become cynical and jaded. But incorporating such events into the overall structure of the organization can yield long term positive results.

The people at webgreeters take all these considerations into account when planning team building events. There are monthly barbecues and the much anticipated musical nights, which are a huge hit with everyone. Then there are those bonfire nights held on a quarterly basis. Almost everyone voluntarily attends these events and participates in their planning, which says much about the team spirit at webgreeters. Everyone does a salutary job of it and these events have promoted a strong sense of belonging in the company.

Events such as these give people a strong sense of direction, increases their communication with each other and they come to know more about their peers, which is just what webgreeters desires to create a healthy work atmosphere.

In lieu of simply presenting bonuses, webgreeter will now link bonuses directly to their employees’ performances. According to the bonus plan, employees would be judged on these qualities: punctuality; quality of work done, of course; attitude; and lastly, the initiative to learn, the willingness to go the extra mile. At the end of the month an employee of the month is selected, and, instead of the customary and unrewarding prize given in most organizations, is handed a bonus.

What’s more, employees are encouraged to ask for advice on how to get the now coveted employee of the month bonus. The intention is to drive home the point for the employees that they are doing a worthwhile job, and the higher-ups pay heed to their efforts.

As regards being punctual, it shows your responsibility, the fact that you give importance to other people’s time. Punctuality means more than just arriving twenty minutes before the day starts. Employers are real suckers for workers who have a knack for working under stress and time sensitive conditions, and that is what web greeters are looking for.

The problem with judging productivity and quality of work is that every employee thinks he has out performed the others. It’s more about the competency level, i.e., the ability to perform the tasks assigned. For instance, there is always a difference between a good greeter and a bad greeter. A greeter who greets with a cordial ‘Good afternoon, how may I help you?’ is infinitely more preferable than a greeter who begins with a curt ‘May I help you?’

A classic employee does the most with the least. Apart from the somewhat elementary aforementioned qualities, an employee also needs to be resourceful and agreeably business savvy. To survive in the dot.com world, it’s a must for employees to keep themselves up to date with current affairs. And an employee who capitalizes on the resources available, no matter how limited, is money in the pocket for his boss.

An employee can be all theses things, but can never be called a true professional if he is not a team player.

Everyone desires a healthy working relationship at a work place. And an employee who has an affable disposition and great social skills makes things all the more easier. Asking your peers for advice, giving credit when it’s called for, is all part of this. But having a healthy attitude also requires flexibility and the willingness to accept new responsibilities. When a superior entrusts a worker with more functions outside of their job descriptions, it means they consider that particular worker capable of this responsibility. Therefore, workers should accept these extra responsibilities.

Although it may seem like extra effort, employers really do need workers who take the initiative to go the extra mile, who have the urge to learn more. Someone who constantly proposes new ideas and new approaches is seen as a dedicated employee. In a typical example, Deborah, a greeter, simply tells a customer the price of a car he desires, but Maverick volunteers more information suggesting different hues of color the car comes in and a store where he can get a bargain.
A salary pays an employee to do his job, but a bonus pays him to do more.

Webgreeter (Liveadmins LLC, Chicago) employs a simple but smart incentive pay plan for its employees. In the event of an employee’s absence, a fellow employee who takes on the work of that employee is paid accordingly for that extra work.

This plan has had a dramatic effect in the daily routine of the company. As expected, more people are willing to cover for their peers and are even more willing to take on extra work. It has also been seen that employees are taking less time off work. As a result, the overall productivity has surged to a notable level.

Most incentive pay plans fail to deliver the results that are expected because of lack of communication. They are poorly explained and are confusing. Webgreeter does not face any of these problems since the plan is pretty straightforward and simple to understand. Furthermore, many feel that it is entirely appropriate and, in fact, the perfect thing to do.

However, most employees at webgreeter do not feel the need for such a plan. But the company knows better that workers need to be paid for the extra work they do.

WebGreeter