Distractions come at us all day in the workplace. It is no secret that distractions can stop productivity in its tracks. To combat the distractions, you might try turning your phone to “do not disturb”, prioritizing projects, or closing your office door. But have you ever tried putting on some headphones? In their Music at Work Survey, Accountemps found that 85% of employees like to listen to music at work, and 71% think they are more productive at work...
Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over, we are left with cold days and too little sunshine. This gives most of us the winter blahs which causes us to feel more tired, and motivation to get work done can be a challenge. Our year-end results depend a lot on our successes early in the year. So how can we stay motivated at work, especially when we don’t get enough sunshine and for many of us, it is dark when we come to work and dark when we go home?
In the U.S., full-time employees generally work 40+ hours per week. We work more than most first world nations including Germany, France, and England. But are we as productive?
According to Global Workforce Analytics 4.3 million employees now work from home at least half the time. In addition, Gallup reports that 43% of U.S. workers say they have telecommuted at some point in their career. With the growing population of telecommuters, are these workers feeling less connected and isolated or happier and more engaged?
It’s hard to believe that we are already in the midst of the 2018 holiday season. One question that frequently comes up this time of year is whether employers should consider giving their employees a holiday gift. Hawk Incentives recently conducted a survey on employee attitudes and preferences toward specific workplace reward programs and how they keep employees engaged at work. One of the key findings is that the majority of respondents indicated that holiday...
It’s that time of year when many employers are deep in the middle of their benefits open enrollment period. With unemployment at record lows, employee retention and engagement remain the two most pressing issues in HR today. In order to differentiate themselves from their competitors, many employers are finding it imperative to utilize their benefit packages and employee perks as another tool in their arsenal to help promote loyalty and retention. Recent data indicates...
Celebrating Halloween in America has become a huge holiday. In 2018 Halloween retail spending will be $9 billion which is only slightly less than 2017’s all-time record high of $9.1 billion. Approximately 175 million will celebrate Halloween spending on average $86.79 per person. As Halloween has become the 2nd biggest commercial holiday in America, Halloween parties at work are also on the rise. Recent studies have shown that celebrating Halloween is a great...
Retaining talent is number one on the list for many, if not most, organizations. Today’s employees can change jobs with much more ease than even five years ago. You can google “employee retention” and find hundreds of how to’s, but why not learn from those who are already winning the war for talent.
The same qualities that describe a good listener, describe a good leader: respect, concern, an openness to new ideas, empathy, compassion, curiosity, trust, loyalty, and receptivity. However, one of the lowest rated behaviors in 360-feedback surveys for managers is listening.
The number of job openings continues to exceed the number of job seekers in the U.S., forcing employers to reexamine their strategies for hiring and retaining top employees. Employee wellbeing is a key aspect that employers need to pay attention to when looking at retention strategies.
According to a study from the University of Amsterdam published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 90% of office conversations qualify as gossip. That means we all have probably been guilty at one point or another of either participating in or being an enabler of workplace gossip. When we think of workplace gossip, most of us imagine hallway or watercooler type conversations, but surprisingly research at the Georgia Institute of Technology concluded that gossip even makes up...
Although cross functioning teams are the rage, and at times rightly so, it appears that too many bosses are like the adage too many cooks. According to a Gartner survey, more than two-thirds of employees around the world say they have to consult with more than one boss to get their jobs done. What does that mean? It means that these employees waste significant amounts of time waiting for guidance from senior leaders.
A recent study published by Binghamton University, State University at New York revealed that showing compassion to employees improves workers’ performance. On the other hand, authoritarianism leadership has the exact opposite effect – negatively affecting work performance.
Organizations with high levels of employee engagement experience higher revenue, less employee stress and absences, higher customer satisfaction, and higher quality and safety. It affects every aspect of the company. According to research from Willis Towers Watson, effective internal communications can have a significant impact on employee engagement.
Toxic employees continue to wreak havoc on the workplace. However, instead of confronting them, other employees tend to do little to address them directly, according to a 2017 survey by Fierce, Inc., leadership development and conversation experts.