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March 2006 CONTENTS
Make Time Work for You Part Six: Who are the Expeditors? Building a Better Workforce Part Two: Tips on Boosting Morale, Productivity and Job Satisfaction
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The Online Newsletter for Clients of Express Services, Inc. Establishing a Healthy, Happy Workforce – Mind, Body and Funny Bone Two of the top concerns for employers these days are retention and healthcare. The costs of each of these areas can be immense if not properly managed, and the issue can be serious for both large and small employers. But instead of getting stressed out or becoming heavy-handed, employers are well advised to lighten up and even laugh a little. And in doing so, they might just help solve both of these problems one joke at a time. Though much of our history teaches us that work should be a serious place where jokes and laughter are out of place, HR experts are realizing that a little lighthearted fun can do employees – and employers – good. In fact, research shows that humor in the workplace has many benefits such as increasing retention, fostering positive relationships, reducing stress levels and improving health. A work environment that is open to humor, laughter and moments of hilarity is simply a fun, enjoyable place to work. With deadlines, tasks and projects pushing and tugging on employees, it is refreshing for employees to know that they can look forward to good-natured humor without fearing repercussion or a harsh reprimand from a superior. Further, humor frequently serves to spark creativity and productivity. Some may think that time spent on humor is wasted and that it takes time away from projects or work. But in actuality, jokes and laughable moments can positively impact the bottom line and increase productivity by helping unite a team and fostering communication. Not to mention that a workplace where people feel connected to their supervisors and co-workers through humorous exchanges has a much better chance of retaining workers. The results are in: a little laughter goes a long way in making your workforce happier and healthier. Studies have shown that laughter works similarly to exercise to promote a healthy cardiovascular and respiratory system. It also relieves stress and pain, boosts the immune system, promotes relaxation, and may help prevent heart attacks. In fact, a Mayo Clinic study showed that people who are pessimistic have worse mental and physical health than those who are positive or humorous. When embracing humor in the workplace, it is important to establish ground rules and guidelines to keep a good thing from turning bad. Humor that discriminates, offends or is belittling has no place in the workplace and can cause more harm than good. Furthermore, the health benefits of humor go south when humor isn’t uplifting or positive. In fact, research shows that positive humor, that which enhances relationships or helps you cheer yourself up, is good for you. Negative humor, that which is self- defeating or harmful to others, is actually unhealthy for you. A study by Swinburne University in Canada showed that people engaging in positive humor benefited from better psychological and physical wellbeing while those who used negative humor were more likely to suffer from symptoms such as poor sleep, headaches and indigestion as well as psychological ailments than their counterparts with positive humor. Appreciating the advantages of humor in the workplace and striving to make sure employees know the types of humor that are appropriate at work can help employers reap the benefits of a healthy, happy workforce. Part Six: Who are the Expeditors? Do you find yourself wandering the halls of your workplace looking for adventure and excitement? Are lists, organizers or planners simply nuisances that seem to tie you down because they stifle your innate spontaneity? Do you find yourself procrastinating so you can enjoy the rush of last-minute pressure? Is your desk an unorganized pile of projects and papers, a place you rarely frequent unless there is nothing more interesting to do? If these tendencies describe you, you are probably an Expeditor, and if they don’t describe you, chances are you know someone they do. Driven by action and reaction, Expeditors are sensitive to the needs of the moment and seek to be involved in creating practical, immediate solutions for top-of-mind problems. Often characterized as impulsive risk-takers, they view time as something to be experienced rather than managed, and each moment carries its own significance in their minds. Though Expeditors are often seen as people who often waste time, their time management skills shine when a crisis or emergency hits because of their ability to focus completely on the needs at hand. Expeditors are wonderful observers because they are focused on what is happening at any particular time. Planning and scheduling can prove not only to be difficult, but to be stifling to this creative, fun-loving time temperament. Time management also proves difficult for Expeditors when they are expected to follow traditional ways of approaching their work and when they are in an environment that only rewards performance that conforms to standard procedures. Above all, an “all work, no play” work environment can make managing time difficult for Expeditors. Expeditors should focus on their strengths and establish best-practices for themselves rather than trying to force their work habits into a clearly defined mold. They should keep up with their routine tasks to ensure that they have time to jump in and handle an unexpected event or crisis. Also, this time temperament should make co-workers aware that they are a good source of help for immediate problem-solving. Keeping their schedule and availability open so they can assist when their help is needed will help Expeditors feel they are contributing to the organization as a whole and motivate them to try their best to manage their time. When working with Expeditors, employers should approach people of this time temperament with a flexible attitude that acknowledges their strengths and praises their efforts, especially when they help the team through a crisis. Seeking out the insight and perceptive skills of Expeditors near the start of a project can prove to be beneficial for the entire team. Be mindful not to bore them in long discussions about abstract plans or long-term goals, because they will often mentally check-out and their creative abilities will be zapped. Try establishing fun activities and surprises as a part of your workflow to keep Expeditors motivated and feeling that they are a valuable part of the team, Check out next month’s edition of e-Xchange to learn more about managing time. Building a Better Workforce Part Two: Tips on Boosting Morale, Productivity and Job Satisfaction “It’s time for an attitude-check.” These words may be a lurking reminder of clashes with your mother during childhood, but in today’s workforce, Mom’s not the only one paying attention to your attitude. As an employer, your attitudes may be the difference between high productivity and damaging turnover rates. Your attitude reflects how you ultimately feel about your situations and may reveal unintended messages to your coworkers. Pessimism, lack of motivation and discontentment about your life events and self-esteem may transfer easily to your workers, making the opportunity for them to adopt similar thought patterns and beliefs about life. According to the book How Full Is Your Bucket, a project linked to the Gallup Organization, nearly 22 million workers in the U.S. reported to having negative work environments in recent years. From the same data, last year 65 per cent of workers claimed they had not received any sort of recognition for doing good work by employers. Employee’s feelings of inadequacy, disrespect and a lack of appreciation may be a catalyst to producing such an environment. The most important step into resolving this issue is to recognize whether the problem stems from you or from other sources. Most negative attitudes come from exaggerated responses to personal situations. Such thoughts may be characterized as over-generalizations, personal biases, self-pity and the tendency to over-analyze others. Ask yourself if you display any of these bad habits, and figure out what aspect of these situations has truly bothered you. Do you feel attacked? Unappreciated? Misunderstood? Once you have identified why you responded in that manner, you can begin to move past the issue. Remember, only you can decide how you will respond the next time a similar situation arises. If the issue is something deeper, take time out to find counseling and time for reflection. You will find there are many options to becoming a more positive person, with the most obvious being your choice to do so. A good step is to learn to be creative in how you handle difficulties. If you can, divert your attention to a positive aspect of your day. Get alone and listen to your favorite song, take a break and go jogging, or go to lunch with a trusted friend. By doing this you are allowing yourself to cool off so you can reevaluate the situation when you are more capable of doing it positively. An emotionally healthy leader is imperative for a healthy staff. Realize that your staff members are most likely dealing with difficult life situations as well, and be sensitive to that. According to the Gallup Organization, we receive around 20,000 chances a day for positive human interaction; will you use these chances to make new relationships? Take the time to change the focus from your own problems and invest in the lives of your workers. You will soon find that empathy and concern for others will result in their willingness to view you differently as well. Although it may be difficult at first, plan times to celebrate with the successes of your workers. Perhaps you could set up a rewards program for excellent accomplishments, or kindly acknowledge their good work in front of others. Learn to recognize their strengths and they will learn to feel appreciated. When your workers have no doubt that they have value and worth to you, it will be easy for them to enjoy their jobs, and easy for you to enjoy your staff.
United States Non-farm employment rose by 193,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.7%. Major Industry Employment for January 2006 • Construction: + 46,000 • Manufacturing: + 7,000 • Professional & Business Services: + 24,000 • Educational & Health Services: + 39,000 • Leisure & Hospitality: + 26,000 • Government: - 1,000
Canada Employment increased by 26,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate rose to 6.6%.
Major Industry Employment for January 2006 • Agriculture: - 7,000 • Public Administration: + 15,000 • Health Care & Social Assistance: + 2,000 |
e-Xchange is a publication of Express Services,
Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2006.