I read this article today and enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it. My favorite part: “Autonomy means we don’t like being told what to do. Once we feel we’re being pushed around, we check out.” The article is brief, but has some excellent advice/reminders of the simplicity of actually engaging workers and creating a rewarding workplace. Click below if you’d like to read it. How To Be Motivated
More Is Less & Multi-Tasking Is A Lie
I can remember when multi-tasking was framed as the end all be all to solving heavy work loads. The premise of multi-tasking while antiquated still lurks and a large number of organizations. It does so to the detriment of those organizations. Not sure if my statement is accurate? The following is a great read with a quick exercise proving it. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creativity-without-borders/201405/the-myth-multitasking
Meditation, ROI
While meditation is definitely becoming more sexy as a topic of conversation than it was over twenty years ago when I started meditating there still seems to be a view of it as recreational rather than an investment with high returns. The following companies provide it for employees: Numerous Hospitals, Apple, Prentice Hall Publishing, Google, Nike, Procter & Gamble, HBO, etc. Why? Numerous studies have shown meditation, even ten minutes a day provides numerous positive employee impacts including decreasing stress, increasing productivity, increasing focus, etc. In addition Mayo Clinic shared: “…some research suggests that meditation may help people manage symptoms of conditions such as: Anxiety disorders Asthma Cancer Depression Heart disease High blood pressure Pain Sleep problems” Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858 When you consider the cost saving in healthcare to your business/company, the increase in productivity and engaged employees it is an easy investment. I can’t think of anything else with a higher return on investment.
Discretionary Effort
I had a discussion this past week with a manager for a firm that had a poor last quarter showing. He couldn’t quite put his finger on the slip in dynamic. It was a great conversation and a testament to paying attention to employee relations. It is important to remember positive or negative production/outcomes can be foreseen if you identify what your company employees’ discretionary efforts are. Or heaven forbid, determining if they exist. Discretionary effort is what determines your competitiveness as well as your profit within the marketplace. How do you determine if your employees contribute discretionary effort? Realistically evaluate if they are emotionally committed to the company. Lots of management folks mistake ‘happy’ employees with emotionally committed employees. A happy employee may show up daily and happily do their work, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are maximizing their own potential productivity level, and subsequently the company’s outcomes/results are negatively impacted. As Doug Conant, a one time CEO at Campbell’s said, “To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.” So when you have emotionally committed employees, you have the edge. Emotionally committed employees are the ones who will work late, do more, and create a positive impact through growth, connection and output without being asked. They are the ones creating a dynamic that leads to measurable growth, productivity and cost savings.
Giving Up The 80% For The 20%
An article from Inc. discusses at least 51% of employees are searching for new jobs at any given time. This brings to mind two things, one, why, and two, are they giving up 80% of the good for 20% of what they perceive to be better. Let’s face it, the 51% figure demonstrates a misalignment in perception, as it is representative that once employees jump to a new job they don’t stay content forever. How to address this employee loss and the cost it takes to hire and re-train is easy. Give employees the time and opportunity to be mindful of their true situation, not what they perceive work to be while under stress. How? Mindfulness and meditation opportunities and exercises. This will help employees tune into the 80% of what is good and make a metric, not emotional based decision on whether to stay or go. This will aid the company in retaining quality talent while the more emotionally immature will still move on. An inexpensive solution to a costly issue. If you’d like to read the article form Inc., visit http://www.inc.com/adam-vaccaro/your-employees-big-secret-theyre-looking-to-leave.html?cid=sf01001
Focus People, Focus!
“Meditation is as important as lifting weights and being out here on the field for practice,” -Russel Okung, offensive tackle, Seahawks. Meditation and mindfulness are at a distinct disadvantage as they often are linked to ‘hippy’ like behavior. If you look at the research and science on it, be it related to productivity or health, the facts are there. The practice of meditation pays off. It is the productivity equivalent to walking, inexpensive, easy and beneficial.
If You Want To Maximize Productivity, Don’t Minimize Sleep
An article in Inc. recently talked about the ten reasons working too much and sleeping too little is just plain wrong. It doesn’t matter who you are and what you believe, sleep matters. So whether it is you skipping sleep or your employees’ workload making them cut back, the bottom line is this. Lack of sleep, leads to lack of productivity. The biggest challenge of it all is you don’t realize it. While the article I just read doesn’t speak to health impacts (other than death), science has, another topic for another day. If you’d like to read the Inc. article, visit http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/10-reasons-you-have-to-stop-working-so-hard.html?cid=sf01001.
Happy Employees, It’s Not Easy
I had to read an article with the title of “5 Foolproof Steps to Happier Employees” because rarely is anything “foolproof.” But while reading it, there it was, the universal mis-belief… “Don’t ask about things you can’t or won’t change.” I’m not on board with the ‘don’t ask’ part, as ignorance in business is not bliss. And honestly, everyone is usually aware of those types of issues. Ignoring them fuels the fire. However, I am 100% all about not pretending to be able to change something you know you can not change. This requires active listening, honesty and the foresight to have a legitimate explanation on the ‘why’.
Working Smart
I came across this post and really enjoy its candor, http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/news/42931 . More than anything it is a brilliant reminder that it isn’t the number of hours you work, it is the productivity/output that counts. Be productive, not just busy.