“They work hard and aren’t afraid to put in extra hours, blood, sweat, and tears to accomplish their goals.” This is how many company leaders would describe their top employees. However, these extra, hard-worked hours actually become overwhelming and are…
Productivity
Boost Productivity With Fidget Spinners and These 4 Other Ideas
Are you looking to improve employee productivity in your organization? If so, you’ve probably done a lot of research and realized that this performance management consideration is a dynamic field. With every day that goes by, there appear new and…
We’re Spending More Time Online, But Doing What?
As I’ve written in the past, Mary Meeker’s annual Internet Trends report is a treasure trove of data that most HR professionals miss. That’s because the report isn’t about HR trends, it’s about internet trends. But almost any way you…
A 12-Step Program For Retaining Your Diverse Workforce
Most firms have no idea that they have a revolving door that is bleeding diversity talent, because unexplainably, they don’t measure and report diversity turnover and the cost. But what if your executives knew that diversity turnover was off the…
This Small Company Is Making “20% Time” Work
Founder Michael Dubakov noticed that his employees were bored, so he came up with an unusual plan of action. Back in 2013, the employees at TargetProcess, a project management software company located in New York, had a problem. It wasn’t…
Why Happiness Doesn’t Matter
Happy customers drive profits. There’s no doubt about that. But does the same apply to companies? Do happy employees matter as much as we like to think? With every passing day, we seem to be bombarded with more headlines saying…
Being a ‘Selfless Giver’ Can Be Bad for You
Recognize This! – Givers find energy when they give in self-protective and personally meaningful ways, and when they are recognized and reminded of how their contributions matter. It’s not just about giving and taking anymore. Recent research by Adam Grant…
Guess Who Wastes Time at Work
I’m not a big fan of over-generalizing the characteristics of the different generations in the workforce. It’s just too easy to say “Millennials are entitled;” “Baby Boomers aren’t good with social media;” or “Gen Xers are lazy.” Too easy, and…
Poor Admin is Costing You $4,600 Per Employee
The Workforce Institute at Kronos, where I am a member of the board, has an eye-opening report on the cost of wasted time at work. The $687 Billion Question, discusses the impact of what Kronos labels engagement and what others…
The Disappointing News About Employee Engagement
Last month I wrote about the new Gallup report, State of the American Workplace, and discussed some of its broader findings. This week, I’m digging in a little more specifically. Two of the chapters, “U.S. Workers: Increasingly Confident and Ready…
Stress Goes Down When Your Employees Don’t Bottle It Up
Every employer has their own idea of a dream team, but most will agree it would consist of employees who are passionate about their careers, put forth extreme effort, and hit their goals every month. While this deep passion creates…
Achieve Your Goals the Boom, Rip, Rapid Way
“When it is obvious that a goal cannot be reached, do not adjust the goal; adjust your course.” —attributed to Confucius When available, I enjoy watching the TV screens on the seat back in front of me, showing the plane’s…
3 Ways The ‘Best Places to Work’ Ignite Engagement
If business leaders refuse to settle for second best in consumer satisfaction, then it should also be unacceptable to hold back from becoming one of the best places to work. Fighting for the status of best places to work means…
A 5-Hour Day Works For This Company, Can It Work For You?
The American workforce has become lazy. I estimate, conservatively, that knowledge workers are four times as efficient as they were 20 years ago. That’s why I moved my company to a five-hour workday about a year-and-a-half ago. We work 8…
The Business Case For Improving Engagement In 15 Slides
Strong employee engagement is one of the most important assets of a successful company. Unfortunately, most businesses do not invest as much time and energy to make sure their employees are engaged. Typically, they will invest in other aspects of the…
What Are Doing About Your “Workplace Prisoners”?
Recognize This! – Motivating employees requires more than compensation, which can create “prisoners.” Instead, companies need to emphasize a richer employee experience. There is an interesting “iceberg” effect when it comes to employee motivation. Company leadership tends to focus on…
Work Martyrs Are Poisoning Your Culture
Work martyrs are popping up in all industries. When you’re in an industry already known to be demanding, like medical sales, these martyrs could be ruining your reputation. This could scare high quality candidates away due to a higher rate…
21 Slack Hacks For Fun and Productivity
Slack is an instant messaging app used by millions of daily users. Contrary to its verbiage, Slacking is actually the act of using the cloud-based collaboration tool, which stands for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge. But Slack is more than…
Technology Can Make Onboarding a Welcoming Experience
According to Aberdeen Group’s 2014 research, only 32% of companies have a formal onboarding process in place. With so much depending on the success of newcomers’ induction – work efficiency, job satisfaction, and ultimately, staff retention — why is the…
Multitasking Is a Productivity Suck. Here’s How to Slow It Down
Checking off your to-do list gives you a huge sense of accomplishment. So, it’s important for you to get as many tasks done in one day as possible. You’re on a sales call, writing an order, and drafting an email…