How to Keep Employees Happy in the Age of Longer Workweeks

jessica.mattsson By jessica.mattsson1 min read288 views

The article How to Keep Employees Happy in the Age of Longer Workweeks, published on American Express Open Forum brings up an important subject. The one of increasing working hours. The feeling that we are spending more and more time at work is confirmed by a recent study made by EY. Prevent negative effects such as demotivation and burn out has become a major challenge.

The author of the article, Julie Bawden Davis, gives concrete advice on how to keep a healthy work-life balance when working overtime has become a necessity to stay competitive in the market.

Managers, especially the business owner, tend to work long hours. Employees might think that the same is expected from them – even in times when actually not necessary. This can result in demotivation and a negative impact on productivity. Make sure that team members know exactly what is expected from them as regards working hours.

Hold debriefing meetings once a week to analyze and discuss stress increasing situations and how to avoid them.

Implementing flexibility is an appreciated method. As an employee, it is gold worth knowing that when the workflow lightens, you can take an afternoon off to spend with your kids.

Last, make sure employees know that you are aware of their working hard. Show your gratitude, if possible money-wise with a bonus. It is equally important to thank people individually. Take the time to stop by their office to say a nice, encouraging word.

The Missing Links in Leadership

jessica.mattsson By jessica.mattsson1 min read305 views

Being a leader in our profit-driven world is not easy. We are constantly under pressure of performing and also increasing our team’s performance.

The article The Missing Links in Leadership, published by the Australian Institute of Management, reminds us of two characteristics necessary to maintain a healthy environment in a busy workplace. Those are compassion and empathy.

As Kerry Anne Cassidy explains in this article, being compassionate everyday “is about ensuring you have the right intention in approaching a situation or person”. That is making sure you first get a grip of the situation (or the other person’s feelings) rather than making suppositions before handling.

Further, Cassidy defines empathy as recognizing and acknowledging an other person’s feelings – even if you do not agree with them. She gives some great examples on how true empathy works. When a team member comes to you with a problem, there is a huge difference between saying “I understand how you feel” and “You are feeling hurt because…”.

Knowing how to be compassionate as well as understand and practice empathy is an important part of emotional intelligence.

How the Best Managers Create a Culture of Peer Accountability

jessica.mattsson By jessica.mattsson1 min read283 views

As a manager, the goal is to have a team that performs greatly in a conflict-free environment. How is that possible? Joseph Grenny explains how in his article How the Best Managers Create Culture Peer Accountability posted on LinkedIn.

That is by applying the Peer Principle, which basically means concentrating less on vertical performance management and more on peer accountability. Team members are encouraged to handle assessment among themselves, including issues of conflict. By being responsibilized, problem-solving mainly happens directly in the group with minimal involvement of the manager.

The article further describes how to implement such culture. The baseline is of course to be a model yourself – confront your concerns directly with the persons involved rather than complain to others. Further, new expectations, together with useful skills, should be explained and taught to the team using positive, speaking examples.

Investing in the Peer Principle takes time up front” explains Joseph Grenny, “but the return on investment happens fast as you regain lost time and see problems solved both better and faster.”

Signs of a Weak Manager

jessica.mattsson By jessica.mattsson1 min read269 views

The article Seven Signs Your Boss is a Weak Manager is aimed for employees. But what if you considered it from a manager’s point of view?

With subjects ranging from a lack of self-confidence with a fear of competent co-workers to a refusal of accepting tips to improve work, there are a lot of interesting questions in there. How do you react as manager? What about taking it as a quiz?

The article is written by Liz Ryan and published on Forbes.

Man in the mirror: two principles for better leadership

jessica.mattsson By jessica.mattsson1 min read271 views
The article Man in the mirror: two principles for better leadership, from the Australian Institute of Management does not handle leadership from an innovative angle but as a reminder of two basic pillars which probably make the difference between a leader and a successful leader. The first is about the importance of leading and listening to yourself. If you don´t, chances are that no one else does either. The second is about your behaviour. As the leader you are the example. By acting the way you would like your team to act, they will because they are affected by their leader´s conduct.

The Halo Effect: The Trap That Makes You Hire the Wrong Person

jessica.mattsson By jessica.mattsson1 min read173 views

A team full of good people is an admirable goal for any leader. But there’s a common trap on the road to a goal like this that has snared many a well-meaning hiring manager.

This article by Ben Baldwin and Donald Cowper not only explains the Halo effect but also comes up with three concrete solutions on how to neutralize it.

The article The Halo Effect: The Trap That Makes You Hire the Wrong Person is published on AllBusiness.com.


Wikipedia says: “The halo effect is a cognitive bias in which an observer’s overall impression of a person, company, brand, or product influences the observer’s feelings and thoughts about that entity’s character or properties.