Become the Boss they Love
Seven Ways to Brighten Up your Employees’ Days
The malls and department stores are decked in pink and red hearts. Television commercials are full of images of love and messages claiming just the right gift to make your sweetheart happy. But all this emphasis on passion and romance leaves many feeling down in the dumps.
No wonder February can be a tense month around the office. Some of your employees may talk about romantic plans and outings or receive lavish gifts or massive bouquets. Others may watch and listen uncomfortably, enduring the hype until they can get back to life as usual. To make matters worse, Seasonal Affective Disorder, caused by shorter hours of sunlight and increased time spent indoors, is often at its peak during February. Even a mild case adds to the dismal feelings many experience. If you’ve noticed the fervently celebrated month of love being shaded over in blue at your workplace, a few tips can help you brighten up the days of each of your employees.
• Bring breakfast. An easy and inexpensive gesture to get your employees’ days started right is to bring in breakfast items like biscuits or cinnamon rolls. Your employees will appreciate the gesture and that you went out of your way early in the morning.
• Have a morning movie moment. Bring a classic movie or television program to the office, and show it on a large screen to liven the mood before a staff meeting or as a break from the norm.
• Bring the outdoors in. If your employees are staying cooped up to avoid the cold, throw a small luau party with leis and Hawaiian cuisine during an afternoon or lunch hour. A themed party can help boost moods and break the routine of a normal week.
• Organize a ‘secret pal’ week. Have each employee draw the name of a co-worker to discreetly give small gifts to during the week. Employees can try to guess the identity of their secret co-worker as the mystery builds. This is an easy way to have employees feel noticed and appreciated, and can build camaraderie and rapport among your team members.
• Take time for fun and games. Extend a lunch hour and bring board games, cards, snacks and drinks for your employees to enjoy. Creating a time for your workers to unwind and get to know each other better can lift spirits and increase goodwill.
• Let your silly side out. Remember recess? Revive it by announcing a game of “Follow the Leader” or “Red Rover” during a long afternoon. This will get your employees moving and add a smile to their faces as they laugh with co-workers.
• Recognize everyone’s best. Create an award for each of your employees, recognizing something unique you appreciate about them. What employee tells the funniest knock-knock jokes and which one always wears the most outlandish ties? Recognizing these details in a lighthearted “award ceremony” can be a memorable moment of fun and will let your employees know you appreciate them individually for who they are.
Investing time into brightening your employees’ workday is well worth the effort. You may notice brighter spirits in your team members as they reap the rewards of increased morale. And, you might just that notice someone who’d been blue finds a new spring in the step because their boss took the time to show they care.
Pardon the Interruption
Tips for Managing Workplace Distractions
Everyone can agree that distractions and interruptions take away from productivity. From constant e-mails to talkative co-workers, interruptions are unavoidable and as much a part of the everyday work life as actual work. But you may not realize just how much small interruptions add up. Research shows that interruptions to workers cost U.S. business about $588 billion each year, according to Basex, a business consulting firm.
February is National Time Management Month, and focusing on how you handle interruptions is a great way to start winning the battle against the clock. With a few adjustments, you will be able to salvage precious time and boost productivity.
Prepare for interruptions.
On average, a worker in any industry can be interrupted every 11 minutes, according to studies by the University of California. Realizing that interruptions are inescapable is the first step to gaining some control over them. Planning for interruptions is a simple place to start. Break tasks up into small chunks so you can finish them between interruptions.
To increase efficiency and organization, designate specific times throughout the day to respond to e-mails, return phone calls and socialize so you can devote specific hours to actual work. It is important to remember that when time is up, you should get back to work.
Cope during crunch time.
Replying to every single e-mail and returning every call immediately may make you feel on top of things, but it isn’t efficient all the time. When deadlines approach, turn off instant e-mail notification to stay focused. Also consider using a “green time/red time” flag system. Place a green card somewhere easily visible to signal when you have moments to spare. A red card will signal that you cannot afford to be interrupted.
Body language is a major form of communication and can unknowingly invite interruptions. If your desk if facing a door or an open walkway, you probably lift your head up every time someone walks by. By making eye-contact, you break concentration and give permission to interrupt. Try positioning your desk so that you are not tempted to look up when someone passes by. If someone sees you with your head down, working hard, they will get the message not to bother you.
Don’t be the distraction.
As much as you dread interruptions when swamped with work, chances are your co-workers feel the same way. But often, as soon as work slows down, you become someone else’s distraction. Whether you are striking up a conversation, talking loudly on the phone or e-mailing a funny message, it is as easy to distract as it is to be distracted. And often, when you seek distractions as a break from your own workload, you interrupt others. It is never safe to assume someone is free just because you are. When you need to speak with someone, ask if they have time to spare first.
Interruptions not only come from external sources, but workers interrupt themselves as much as others do. Many spend hours surfing the Internet, sending instant messages or sending personal e-mails to fill a need for instant communication. But overuse of these tools can become its own distraction. When work needs to be finished, it is up to you to have enough self-discipline to complete it.
However, interruptions aren’t all bad. Studies have shown that because people change their pattern of thinking when interrupted, they often experience a surge of productivity when returning to work. That’s why the way you respond to interruptions is the key to getting the most out of your day. With some discipline, you can increase your productivity and satisfaction from a good day’s work.
The Secret to Establishing Trust in the Workplace
How to Be the One Employees Trust
A crucial part of building a solid reputation as a preferred place to work is trust. Anyone can see how trust is beneficial in the workplace. Employees who trust their bosses are more confident following their leadership. No one wants to work under leaders they are suspicious of, and workers won’t stay long in an environment that lacks trust.
But, trust isn’t something that is automatic. In the workplace, establishing trust can be complicated. Workers may have been burned by supervisors in the past or may simply never have experienced trust at work before. On top of that, secrecy, rumors and fear abound in many companies, threatening the development of trust. They spread like a virus through organizations, knocking down years’ worth of good relationships and attacking productive, engaged employees.
But there’s good news. Employers can utilize a secret weapon to establish trust with employees: communication. Communication is the antidote to a workplace without trust.
So how can you communicate with your workforce in a way that builds trust? Focusing on communicating with openness, honesty and integrity will unlock the door to a world where trust flows freely between workers and bosses. In turn, the goodwill this trust creates will ensure your employees are productive, active and proud to work for you.
Be open.
Being open means communicating with employees consistently, no matter what. It also means that you listen when employees offer comments and feedback, instead of simply acting on your own impulses. Openness is especially important during times of change. Openly communicating change to your workers can save you from having to deal with nasty secrets that often divide the workplace.
Sadly, this tip is not always well received. Many organizations fear that openness leads to vulnerability that they believe will weaken the company. But what most don’t realize is that when the lines of communication between management and the workforce are down, defensive walls arise and get in the way of trust.
Be honest.
Openness is a good place to start, but it can’t stand alone. Simply telling employees that changes are coming isn’t enough. You must be honest about what these changes will be. Lack of honesty fuels the rumor mill because it forces employees rely on hearsay and gossip.
For example, if you tell employees that budget cuts are coming but neglect to tell them details about issues like layoffs, employees will fear the worst. Speculation will run wild, causing drastic damage to your workforce. Communicating honestly can be challenging, but in the end, it pays off as your employees learn they can trust you to tell them the truth, whatever it is.
Have integrity.
Communicating is about more than the words you say. Your actions also communicate a great deal to your employees. That’s why acting with integrity is a crucial part of establishing trust through communication.
Simply stated, acting with integrity means that you treat people the way you want to be treated, no matter what. This means keeping promises, being consistent in how you treat your employees and acting ethically in your business decisions. For them to trust you, your people need to know you have their best interests at heart and not just the bottom line. Those who treat their workers with integrity will find that they are paving the groundwork of trust.
Employment Situation Summary
United States
Non-farm employment rose by 167,000 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate remained at 4.5%.
Major Industry Employment for December 2006
• Construction: - 3,000
• Manufacturing: - 12,000
• Retail Trade: - 9,000
• Professional & Business Services: + 50,000
• Educational & Health Services: + 43,000
• Leisure & Hospitality: + 31,000
• Government: + 17,000
Canada
Employment increased by 62,000 in December, and the unemployment rate dropped to 6.1%. Overall, employment grew by 2.1% in 2006, adding 345,000 jobs, making this the fourteenth consecutive year of employment increases.
Major Industry Employment for December 2006
• Construction: + 3,000
• Manufacturing: + 10,000
• Trade: + 1,000
• Transportation & Warehousing: + 500
• Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing: + 8,000
• Professional, Scientific & Technical Services: - 12,000
• Business, Building & Support Services: 12,000
• Educational Services: + 12,000
• Information, Culture & Recreation: - 6,000
•
Accommodation
and Food Services: - 1,000
• Public Administration: - 6,000
e-Xchange is a publication of Express Services, Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2007.