Working from home sounds like a sweet deal. It has many advantages, to be sure. But it can come with a sneaky side of extra stress. Too much stress for too long leads to employee burnout, which is a problem for mental health and productivity. It’s one thing when people choose to work from home…
Read MoreEven when recruits are experts in their field, if their values and working style clash with the rest of the organization, conflict can derail productivity, no one will be happy, and course corrections will be costly. A cultural interview can literally prevent disaster. But before we get into how to conduct one, let’s clarify what…
Read MoreAre your employees engaged? Hopefully the answer is yes, but how can you tell? And what is the answer to the question of how to improve employee engagement? Organizations that have highly engaged employees are at least twice as likely to be top financial performers in their industries as ones with low engagement, according to…
Read MoreMillennials now outnumber all the other generations in the workplace. Their lack of loyalty to an employer is often viewed negatively, but in reality Millennial employees have adapted to function in a professional world dramatically different from that of their parents and grandparents. “It was once the case that the average American could find a…
Read MoreThe average tenure of an employee these days is 1.5 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. All of that churn is expensive. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars or even surpass an employee’s salary to replace them, according to HuffPost contributor Jack Altman, CEO of Lattice, a performance management software…
Read More“How can I tell if they’re really working?” Too often, this question nags at managers of remote workers. It indicates a deeper problem: lack of trust at the core of the working relationship. This dysfunction might crop up even when both parties are in the same space, but without care it can really blossom when…
Read MoreWe are experiencing a full employment economy. Unemployment is at a 50-year low, which is good news, obviously. However, talent shortages create a real challenge for companies seeking to add to their teams. An organization’s ability to meet growth opportunities in their industries is limited when openings go unfilled. Businesses that rise to the challenge…
Read MoreEmployees who don’t feel valued don’t stay. When the American Psychological Association studied the workplace back in 2012, half of respondents who said they did not feel valued at work also said they were actively looking for a different job. Conversely, 93 percent of those who felt valued said they were motivated to deliver their…
Read MoreWhat do you do when you have an employee who is a dream come true at his or her specialty, but a nightmare to coworkers and customers (a.k.a. a high-performing jerk)? Is it wise to tolerate bad behavior because the metrics are great? Or is the cost too high? You know the type. The bully….
Read MoreAn open door says, “Welcome. Come in. Let’s talk.” A closed door says, “I need my privacy. Please come back later.” When you’re a manager, you and your door (real or figurative) should communicate that you will lead well and maintain your own productivity. The trick is to keep both of these needs in balance…
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