Does your supervisor scream? Does your boss badger? According to a recent study, “6 in 10 employees say they’ve felt bruised by their managers’ words or actions.” Leslie Kwoh reports in the WSJ that while proficient in business strategy, most managers lack basic interpersonal skills, which can hurt productivity. Let’s play nice, people. CLICK TO READ ARTICLE
Eating alone may eat away at your office effectiveness. Phyllis Korkki of The NY Times reports on a Wharton School study of 650 employees that connected loneliness with reduced productivity. Tips for helping colleagues fight the perception of isolation include “taking the time to chat, asking for input on a project, or offering an invitation to coffee or lunch.” In other words, acting human might just make the office a bit more humane. CLICK TO READ ARTICLE
The to-do list: progenitor of productivity or procrastination? Sue Shellenbarger’s WSJ article references a 2006 online survey that found, “23% of list-makers spend more time making the lists than doing the tasks on them.” Don’t despair, to-do devotees. Sue shares tips and apps to make your to-do list do more. As a start, be sure to identify specific, time-checked tasks instead of broad goals and consider software that sizes-up those tasks against broader career objectives. CLICK TO READ ARTICLE
Sitting in your swivel chair may cause a coronary. Research points to long periods of inactivity causing “back strain, slower metabolism and increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.” So reports Eric Copage in his NY Times article. Progressive employers are responding with walking meetings, treadmill conference rooms, balance ball chairs and 10-minute recess with structured group activity breaks. Tag you’re it, IT guy! CLICK TO READ ARTICLE
A new Columbia Business School study appears to confirm the “C” in C suite refers to cocky. Leslie Kwoh covered the study in her WSJ article, which cited “male test-takers mistakenly inflated their scores by an average of 30.5%, compared to 14.4% for the female test-takers – even though both genders performed similarly.” Male overconfidence about past achievement may help explain why guys dominate the corner office. Ladies, it’s time to infuse a little creative writing in your resumes. CLICK [...]
Notice a drop in workplace productivity on the Monday following Thanksgiving? Don’t blame indigestion, blame Amazon. According to ComScore, Americans spent a record $1.3 Billion across all e-commerce sites on Cyber Monday. And while many a mouse clicked “Buy”, many more clicked to read the riotous product reviews that have become a new literary form. Thank Adam Penenberg, NYU Journalism Professor and Fast Company contributing writer, for collecting 10 of the best Amazon reviews as a follow-up to his previous [...]
Giving your company the finger on Facebook might be protected by the National Labor Relations Act of 1935. Melanie Trottman covers this sticky social media situation in her WSJ article citing 113 employee complaints during the month of May alone. In one instance, a paramedic logged onto her home computer and posted on Facebook that her supervisor is a “scumbag.” The paramedic was fired, but her case was settled before trial. Better practice career CPR before flaming your department head. [...]
If you’re happy and you know it, you’re probably not in your 30s. A new study from the Center on Aging and Work at Boston College found workers aged 30-39 reported the lowest job satisfaction levels (4.33) relative to their under-30 (4.66) and 50+ colleagues (4.55). Lauren Weber highlighted the study in her Wall Street Journal article, which referenced a prevalent Gen X concern with Baby Boomer reluctance to retire and give up plum managerial positions. Try dropping a little [...]
A groundbreaking Cisco study confirms companies need more than complimentary hard candy at reception desks to attract millennial professionals. Austin Carr covered Cisco’s second annual Connected World Technology Report in his Fast Company article. The study found “More than two of five would accept a lower-paying job that had more flexibility with regard to device choice, social media access, and mobility than a higher-paying job with less flexibility.” A word of advice to recruiters: lose the stress balls and pass out [...]
LOL OMG : ) Emoticons have made the evolutionary jump from the dorm room to the board room. Judith Newman reports on the communication conundrum that results when playful meets professional in her NY Times article. Fans of the frownie face maintain such emoticons help avoid misunderstandings and strengthen relationships. However, smiley face critics bemoan illegible images that don’t translate between operating systems as was the case when a Blackberry ‘big hug’ appeared on a recipient’s iPhone as ({}), something [...]
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