Links You Can Use: December 3-7

This week, we watch as big companies like Netflix struggle with unprecedented issues when using social media. In other news, learn how to conduct more productive meetings, how to get people to do things they don't want to do, and survive the holiday season.

And to end on a bright note: if divorced spouses can run a business together, then there's hope for the rest of us who work and interact together!

It's often a great idea to promote public awareness of company milestones and achievements using a strong business social media strategy. However, it's not so great if the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) views it as a violation of public disclosure regulations. In July, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings boasted on the company's Facebook page that "Netflix monthly viewing exceeded 1 billion hours for the first time ever in June." The SEC issued their warning just this week. (CNBC)

Links You Can Use: November 26-30

In this week's Links You Can Use, see how smoke-free environments have impacted the workplace, and how to deal with stress at work, especially at the onset of the busy holiday season. And in other news: do conflicts involving English-speaking ability and foreign accents constitute a diversity issue?

About 23 states (roughly half of the U.S. population) have smoke-free workplace laws, which some attribute to the recent decline in heart attacks. But some experts are saying it's not enough. (FOX News)

The economy is still undergoing some hardship, and the holiday season has just begun. So chances are many businesses are working harder with fewer resources. Check out these organizational tips to keep stress levels down among your workers. (Forbes)

Links You Can Use: November 12-16

Find out how to establish a cohesive work culture, how to "manage up" when a supervisor seems difficult, and why it's best to have zero expectations about privacy when using work email. All this, and more, in this week's Links You Can Use.

What's the most important thing in establishing a culture at work? One expert says it is the people you choose to hire and offers tips on selecting candidates. (Chicago Tribune)

A clinical psychologist offers advice on how to "manage up," especially when dealing with difficult bosses. (American Psychological Association)

Plugging the Brain Drain

The statistics are breathtaking: according to the Pew Research center,  every day from now until 2030, ten thousand Baby Boomers will turn 65. (1) Every day.

In other words, hordes of working people are retiring, planning to retire, or thinking about retiring.

Who are these people? Very often, they’re the people in your organization who best know the whys and wherefores of your projects and procedures. They’re the ones who have so internalized tasks and deliverables that they’ve never even written the steps down. They’re the ones who remember why a certain project succeeded and why another failed and how that affected the company’s direction. In short, they are the holders of what’s known as organizational memory.

And they’re retiring.

What can you do to capture their knowledge? How can you make sure they don’t take the organizational memory with them?

Emergency Preparedness in the Workplace

Last week the East Coast was rammed by Hurricane Sandy, which is now the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, as well as the second costliest (following only 2005’s Hurricane Katrina). In its wake, over a hundred people have been killed, thousands of homes have been destroyed, and millions have been left without power.

A firm that performs catastrophe risk modeling “estimates… $20 billion in insured losses and $50 billion in economic losses in the United States.” These losses cannot be calculated just by property damage, but also by reduced productivity. Many workers lost hours or days of work due to power outages, mass transit suspensions, bridge and tunnel closings, evacuations, and other city- and state-wide measures implemented to protect citizens.

Cases like Sandy prove that it’s imperative for businesses to plan ahead—both for emergencies and for operational continuity in case of building closings, power cutoffs, and transportation shutdowns.

Links You Can Use: October 15-19

In this week's "Links You Can Use," we discover some companies are allowing employees to bring their children to work every day (without a daycare facility on the premises). BusinessWeek interviews some workers about their reactions to this innovative arrangement. In other news, research shows that having six or fewer hours of sleep could lead to weight gain and the development of diseases like diabetes. And CNN features the financial situations and strategies of individuals and couples who plan to retire within 10 years.

An emerging trend that attempts to resolve the work-life balance issues parents face... bring your child to work—every day. (BusinessWeek)

We all know that exercise and a balanced, nutritious diet are key to avoiding chronic conditions and excess weight. But a new study highlights the important relationship between poor sleep and body fat storage. (NPR)

CNN features eight profiles across the U.S.—individuals and couples who vary in age, occupation, and retirement goal date—on how they plan to retire. (CNN)

* The opinions expressed at these linked websites do not reflect the opinions of Harris, Rothenberg International, Inc. (HRI). HRI is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information reflected on these sites.

Links You Can Use: October 8-12

With the ongoing presidential debates, conversations about politics may come up at work--but we would all like to avoid open conflict if possible. Below are some ways to prevent heated arguments in the workplace. Also, find out how to be more efficient, start conversations (even if you're a bit shy), and deal with co-workers who just aren't picking up the slack in this week's Links You Can Use.

With Election Day just a few weeks away, people can get emotional about their beliefs and ideologies, but here are four ways to preemptively address any potential political conflicts in the workplace. (Memphis Business Journal)

How to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft & Corporate Hacking

During the month of June, the professional networking site LinkedIn got hacked. The website has over 161 million users, and a hacker published over six million passwords without usernames to prove his technological prowess. And what were the most common passwords? Confounding, obscure words such as “link,” “1234,” “princess,” and… “monkey.” Obviously, some LinkedIn users are not NSA-level security experts.

But it’s a problem that trickles up to the executive level. Less than a year ago, the hacker group Anonymous broke into the data of “global-security consulting firm Stratfor” and a follow-up investigation revealed that even the top leaders of a global intelligence company used weak passwords! Anonymous got a hold of information like credit card details and private email addresses from Statfor’s clients including Bank of America, Wells-Fargo, Sony, Google, the United Nations, and the U.S. military.

Links You Can Use: October 1-5

Is "a few weeks" too short a time for maternity leave? Does the convenience of mobile devices outweigh their possible security risks? When it comes to violent workplace incidents, are there always warning signs or do people "just snap?" All these questions—plus more—get addressed in this week's Links You Can Use.

Yahoo's CEO Marissa Mayer announced she would take only a few weeks of maternity leave, and one blogger weighs in on whether this level of commitment would set unrealistic expectations for working mothers. (Slate Blog)

Employees bringing their own mobile devices to work may be convenient, but the practice comes with certain security risks. This article outlines the pros and cons. (BusinessWeek)

The average number of doctor visits per year has gone down in the past decade, which can be attributed to population trends and access to health insurance. (New York Times)

Workplace violence has become a growing concern due to a recent flurry of incidents involving disgruntled employees. Check out this interview with a psychiatrist on the subject, as well as our own expert opinion about identifying early warning signs for disturbing or inappropriate behavior at work. (CBS News)

Interested in improving your communication skills? Here are three great tips for "managing transactions, developing relationships, and handling crises." (Sustainable Business Forum)

* The opinions expressed at these linked websites do not reflect the opinions of Harris, Rothenberg International, Inc. (HRI). HRI is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information reflected on these sites.

Effective Email Marketing: How to Avoid the Trash Bin & Get What You Want

Email marketing campaigns are a great way to let people know about a new product, service, or event; to have them sign up for a newsletter; donate money, etc. However, not all organizations make the best use of this method and execution is poor.

People have various reasons for not reading emails. To prevent your email from getting discarded without a glance, here are some tips to maximize the number of conversions.

(In case you don’t know, a conversion is when an email recipient heeds your call-to-action; it is distinct from the response to the offering itself. In other words, the conversion rate tells you how well people reacted to the campaign, and the sales or number of sign-ups tells you how many people responded to the offering.)

To increase your conversion rate, just follow these steps: 

Links You Can Use: September 24-28

Sometimes, even with a fancy smartphone or tablet lying around, nothing beats a pen and pad of paper. But advances in technology are definitely causing some office items to get phased out. LinkedIn has a fun infographic showing survey participants' opinions of which common workplace objects they think are becoming extinct.

Speaking of LinkedIn, check out a great slideshow below about 12 underrated features that are available on the business networking site and app. In other news, discover whether there is a certain time of day where people are most productive, how reading hand signals can help you understand a speaker's state of mind, and some essential email marketing tips. All this and more in this week's Links You Can Use.

Are tape recorders and rolodexes becoming extinct in the office? Will they be replaced by more technologically advanced tools like cloud storage? (LinkedIn)

LinkedIn has over 33 million members, so chances are you're on it. But did you know about these 12 cool features available from the website and app? (CIO)

Study: Communicating Benefits to Employees? Better Do It in Person

We've already shared with you that employees have trouble understanding their benefits. But has there been research done to reveal solutions to the problem?

Gallagher Benefit Services recently released its 2012 Benefit Plan Report, which includes information based on a survey of 264 regional employers employing over 135,000 people.

Many interesting topics were discussed; this post focuses on one in particular: Methods used by employers to communicate benefits to employees and their perceived levels of effectiveness.

The methods used are not surprising. Email tops the list with 95.4% of respondents utilizing it to tell employees about their benefits; group employee meetings follow at 81.8%; and webcasts come in last at 40.5%. But what is surprising, at least to this blogger, is how little faith the respondents have in any of the mediums used.

Only one method received a “very effective” response of over 25%: one-on-one employee meetings, at 42.1%. In terms of combined “very effective” and “effective” responses, only one method received over 80%—again, one-on-one employee meetings. These are the methods that received a combined total of over 50%:

Links You Can Use: September 17-21

This week's Links You Can Use focuses on handling constantly complaining coworkers, impactful and impressive introductions, and dealing with down days.

The perpetual whiner. There's one in every workplace. Unfortunately, nodding and smiling to their rants may actually hurt you in the end, according to experts, so here are some alternative ways to handle grumps and bellyachers at work. (Wall Street Journal)

Making a good first impression is an important skill in business, so check out four solid tips on how to introduce yourself. (Inc.)

Slow day at work? Here are five suggestions on what to do when your workload is low. (The Daily Muse)

* The opinions expressed at these linked websites do not reflect the opinions of Harris, Rothenberg International, Inc. (HRI). HRI is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information reflected on these sites.

Short & Tweet: (Mostly) Managerial Advice Under 144 Characters

Twitter didn’t invent the brief message; people have been saying important, useful, and even inspiring things in under 144 characters since humans started talking. Most, though not all, of these quotations are relevant to being a manager.

Abraham Lincoln: I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.

Albert Einstein: Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Albert Szent-Gyorgi: Discovery is seeing what everybody else has seen, and thinking what nobody else has thought.

Annie Lennox: Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your daily modus operandi and change your world.

Darrell Royal: I try not to make the same mistakes today that I made yesterday.

The One Big Secret to Changing Your Habits

Pursuing a goal like losing weight or putting an end to procrastination can start off great but then fall apart as time goes by. Usually, the big challenge is overcoming a bad habit and turning it into a good one. Easier said than done.

Fortunately for us, one journalist, Charles Duhigg, wrote a book on how to do just this. In The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, Duhigg uses real-life examples from past business strategies and his own life on how to permanently change behavior.

According to Duhigg, “some habits are more important than others.” You start major changes in your life by concentrating on an important habit, known as a keystone habit, which will go on to influence other behaviors.

So far, so good. So what is a keystone habit?

Links You Can Use: September 3-7

In recent years, news stories of fraud, insider trading, and other dishonest business activities have prompted the question: are we doing enough to teach business students about ethics? In other news, human resource staff are struggling with filling in the gaps left behind by retiring Baby Boomers, and a worker survey reveals that job retention is largely the result of very personal preferences. All this and more, in this week's Links You Can Use.

Are business schools effectively teaching ethics to their students? Experts are saying no, but there are some ways to improve business ethics training. (Slate)

According to the Workforce Retention Survey, "Work-Life Fit" and "Enjoying What I Do" were two of the top reasons why people chose to stay with a job. These findings echo some of the points from our post about the requirements for job satisfaction. (American Psychological Association)

How to Make Your Work-Life Balance Program Successful

The New York Times recently ran an article about how some work-life balance programs, like flextime, become a “zero-sum game.” Many organizations have strived to improve the work-life balance of their workers, mainly by allowing parents to have more flexible schedules to attend to the needs of their children.

Unfortunately, this kind of flexibility has often resulted in more work for others. Even though it’s easier than ever to get things done outside of the office, workers still have to cover for their colleagues in meeting deadlines and making valuable face time with clients or customers. One flextime expert cites “colleague resentment” as a “reason that some work-life balance programs fail.” In these instances, the workload at least appears to go in only one direction—to workers without children.

Despite the best intentions, these programs might not be as successful as they can be, because those organizations fail to acknowledge the following realities:

Links You Can Use: August 27-31

In this week’s Links You Can Use, experts talk about how general population trends are impacting the workplace. For example, do caregivers of older adults have sufficient legal protection against employee discrimination? How will Generation Y affect the way we work in the year 2020? In other news, is PowerPoint becoming PowerPointless? And a leaked company document reveals that Apple’s sales team may indeed be a group of geniuses—in psychology! Finally, a 30-year study makes a startling discovery about the health of full-time working mothers.

Is there a workplace discrimination problem against employees who are caregivers of older adults? According to a study done by AARP, there are few laws that protect against this type of employee discrimination, despite the fact that care for older adults is increasing in the U.S. (AARP)

In just eight years, Generation Y workers will comprise 40% of the U.S. workforce. How will this affect the way business is done? (Wall Street Journal)

Improve Your Productivity a Million Percent in Just One Step

Okay, maybe not a million percent. But a lot.

In fact, a high-powered executive once paid an efficiency expert $25,000 in thanks for making him aware of this one step.

There are many versions of the story, and they cite a range of sources. But they all seem to agree that the efficiency expert was a man named Ivy Lee, that the executive was Charles Schwab, who was the president of Bethlehem Steel at the time, and that this happened in the 1910s or 1920s.

But the details don’t matter. Here’s what matters:

Friending Colleagues on Facebook: Pros and Cons

With over 900 million people on Facebook, chances are your coworkers are on the popular social networking site.

Is it ever OK to friend a colleague? That’s a tricky question. People you friend on Facebook will be able to see your information, photos, and life updates. If you have anything personal or potentially embarrassing on your profile, it could affect your professional image.

But Facebook has been around since 2004, and many users now know how to control what others see by tweaking their privacy settings. And it could be beneficial for your career to be friendly with the people you work with.

So what to do? Let’s go over the pros and cons.

Links You Can Use: August 20-24

Yet another horrifying shooting has rocked the nation today, this time in a work-related incident. For this week’s Links You Can Use, we are focusing on this urgent and serious subject, providing a link to the news story and information on preventing workplace violence and other types of disturbing behavior:

Today, a workplace shooting has occurred at the Empire State Building in New York City. Read our post about spotting warning signs for troubling workplace behavior. (New York Times)

* The opinions expressed at these linked websites do not reflect the opinions of Harris, Rothenberg International, Inc. (HRI). HRI is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information reflected on these sites.

5 Reasons Why People Ignore Emails

“Didn’t you read the email?”

We’ve all been there, whether we’re the one who didn’t read the message or the one who got ignored by colleagues. However, if people frequently disregard your emails, the problem may have something to do with the way you are communicating.

Have you committed blunders that make co-workers tune you out? Here are some reasons why others might be giving your emails the cold shoulder:

1. You write too many emails.
Email is an amazingly convenient medium, but it might not be appropriate for all situations. If you needlessly email colleagues, they will soon learn to ignore you. The same can occur if you CC too many people. Those individuals who do not need to be kept in the loop may also start skipping your messages altogether.

Links You Can Use: August 13-17

This week's Links You Can Use includes a few tips for managers and organizations interested in enhancing the workplace.

Staying productive at work during the late summer season can be tough, so here are some guidelines for managers to help keep their teams focused. (Forbes)

This article provides insight on managing workers from different generations. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Here are some helpful tips to spot signs of stress in your work life. (MSNBC)

The Three Requirements for Job Satisfaction

Companies sometimes lose excellent workers and don't know why.

If you ask people what makes a job continually satisfying, you may hear answers like salary, benefits, or job titles. These are, of course, important to an employee, but what about less concrete considerations?

Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers: The Story of Success is about the rarely discussed factors that play into professional success. In one chapter, he discusses the three requirements for job satisfaction. And guess what—they have nothing to do with money or status.

According to Gladwell, the three magical ingredients are:

Links You Can Use: August 6-10

It's all about the numbers (lists of easy tips, interesting stats, and money management) in this week's "links you can use."

You don't have to earn a degree in organizational psychology to improve employee morale and engagement. Here are five quick ways to bring positive psychology to the workplace. (Forbes)

A growing trend? A survey of 2,000 employers (with a total of over 20 million workers) revealed that over half offer wellness incentives to improve employees' health and to control healthcare costs. (HR.BLR.com)

A professor from the Harvard Extension School lays down six principles of business ethics. (Huffington Post)

How to Develop Professionally With This One Tool

Full-time employees spend hundreds and hundreds of hours at work each year. Understandably, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of the day-to-day and see whether you are reaching your long-term goals, or figuring out how a crisis began or developed.

Let’s say you kept running into the same problem that held up your productivity. Or during a busy time of the year, you were struggling to remember things to write down for your yearly self-evaluation, even though you know you have a lot to say.

Your workplace may provide a system for tracking billable hours or shifts—but do they record your milestones or special achievements? That responsibility is ultimately up to you. Fortunately, there is an easy way to monitor and work on your personal and professional growth.

Links You Can Use: July 30-August 3

Whether you're looking for easy ways to enhance your health or your wardrobe, or you're wondering how to troubleshoot customer service problems, we've got links you can use.

Lifehacker has 10 suggestions for reinvesting your health insurance rebate check, but really, it's a top 10 list for things you can do right now to improve your health and well-being. (Lifehacker)

One encouraging sign of how diversity helps companies: a study suggests that public companies do better with female board members than companies that do not have them. (LA Times)

How to Spot and Respond to Disturbing Behavior at Work

In the wake of the horrifying Aurora, Colorado shooting, the media has been on the lookout for any possible copycat crimes—and at least two alleged incidents involving the workplace have been reported.

In Brooklyn, a Department of Education employee was taken into custody after confessing to an obsession with the alleged shooter, James Holmes. The man also mentioned that he “didn’t like his co-workers.” Police received complaints that the individual had pictures of Holmes all over his workspace.

Only a couple of days later, a Maryland man was arrested after threatening a former supervisor. The man told the police that he was a “joker” (allegedly the Aurora shooter said the same when he was arrested).

These types of stories are disturbing but not completely uncommon in the workplace. We highlight these two real-life examples to point out that it’s wise to pay attention to any troubling behavior, whether it’s violent or non-violent and regardless of the employee’s gender. An awareness of warning signs and appropriate responses for disruptive and inappropriate conduct can help prevent unwanted incidents at work. Below are two checklists you can use for some guidance on how to handle these sensitive issues.

Why So Tongue-Tied at Meetings? Neuroscience Might Have the Answer

Ever had a lot of ideas before walking into a meeting, and then effectively becoming a mute when it was time to contribute?

There might be a physiological basis for clamming up. Neuroscientists have a term, “expression of IQ,” which is an outward display of intelligence. The Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute conducted a study to see whether small group settings had any effect on people’s expressions of IQ.[1] And, boy, did they ever.

The methodology was simple. A standard intelligence test was given to 70 people individually. Then the test takers were put into groups of five, and were given the same questions in a different sequence. This time, however, participants saw how well they did in relation to others in the group, by being given a “ranking score.”

Initially everyone did worse than before. After a while, though, about half of the participants got the hang of it and eventually scored roughly the same as the first time. But the other half never bounced back.

Links You Can Use: July 23-27

This week's Links You Can Use features resources and news about employee health and wellness, preparing for retirement, saving money on taxes, emotional well-being, and how offices are changing their space to improve collaboration and efficiency.

The City of Phoenix rolled out an incentive-based weight loss program for its employees as part of a comprehensive workplace wellness strategy. (Phoenix Business Journal)

A must-read for anyone wondering about retirement savings: retirement policy insider Teresa Ghilarducci doesn't mince words when it comes to the challenges of saving up for the golden years. (New York Times)

Workplace Etiquette: Making Sense About Scents

We’ve talked about how to deal with employees with poor hygiene and unpleasant smells, but what about colleagues who spritz on cologne or perfume in the office?

Many nurses’ organizations view fragrances as a health hazard. As the Massachusetts Nurse Newsletter writes,

At present one in five people in the U.S. experience adverse health effects from fragrance exposure. These effects range from mild to serious with fatalities reported in a very small number of cases.

On the Job Accommodation Network, Elisabeth Simpson, MS, discusses obligations of the employer when it comes to workplace fragrances. Guidelines generally depend on the circumstances, including whether the employee with fragrance sensitivity is sufficiently incapacitated to trigger the Americans with Disabilities Act and who’s responsible for the fragrance (e.g., another employee or a machine necessary to the business).

Why Employers Should Care About Employees Who Are Caregivers (Part 2)

In our previous blog post, we talked about why some workers caring for children with special needs may require more health care and lose time and focus at work. But demanding caregiving needs are not just limited to parents of children with special needs.

An increasing number of employees are now also caring for older adults. In fact, nearly 55 million Americans care for an older adult, and 42% of workers reported caring for an older loved one within the last five years. (1)

Research from the MetLife Mature Market Institute and National Alliance for Caregiving (2) revealed the following:

• Each year, employers lose up to $33.6 billion in lost productivity as a result of full-time workers having to provide care to older adults.
• Employers lose an average of $2,110 annually per each full-time employed caregiver.
• The costs are due to employee replacement, absenteeism, partial absenteeism (coming in late, leaving work early), workday interruptions, eldercare crises, supervisor time (supervisors spending more time at work), unpaid leave*, and workers going from full-time to part-time.

*The Family and Medical Leave Act entitles eligible employees to job-protected, unpaid leave for a certain number of days per year. However, employers still have to pay for temporary employees and reassignments.

General population trends show that the aging Baby Boomer generation will continue to require care from loved ones, including those who work full-time or part-time. And many workers experience a knowledge gap when it comes to managing and paying for care.

Links You Can Use: July 16-20

Happy Friday! Here is your week's Links You Can Use.

Unsure about a grammar rule or the correct use of a phrase? Grammar Girl gives you great writing advice via blog posts and podcasts. (Quick and Dirty Tips)

A study on job benefits reveals that employees may need to be educated more about 401(k)s and other types of employer-sponsored savings benefits. (Employee Benefit News)

Why Employers Should Care About Employees Who Are Caregivers (Part 1)

What could be causing millions of people to be called away from work, decrease their work hours, or force them to leave the workforce altogether? Research shows that it’s caregiving for children with special needs or older adults.

Today, caregiving needs have become more demanding, and the costs to businesses come in the form of higher healthcare claims and lost productivity.

In this special two-part post about caregiving, we’ll talk about employees’ caregiving challenges, costs to employers, and what employers can do about it. Part 1 will focus on the challenges unique to caring for children with special needs.

Caregiving for Children With Special Needs

Almost 14% of all children under age 18 in the United States have a special healthcare need (a chronic or severe health or mental health problem that requires more intensive or specialized care than children normally require), according to a 2008 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1)
 

One Easy Way to Influence Other People

Why is it that certain people always seem to get what they want? Do they have a natural talent or can anyone do it?

There is, in fact, a science to influencing others. However, the problem is that, as discussed in Influencer (by Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan and Switzler), most of us are better copers than influencers.

They write that we have become entangled in the “Serenity Trap,” courtesy of Alcoholics Anonymous’ serenity prayer (“Accept the things I cannot change”), to the point where we forget that we actually can make a difference.

Links You Can Use: July 9-13

Every week, we’ll pass on bits of wisdom and food for thought* concerning today’s workplace, the economy, productivity, work/life balance, and many more related issues—all from around the web. Bookmark us to get a weekly dose of up-to-date news stories and online tips and advice. Here are some Links You Can Use:

It can be challenging to get started on saving up money for emergencies and long-term goals like retirement. Fortunately, Feed the Pig offers simple, interactive tools that makes personal finances, well, kind of fun. The website features financial calculators, free savings tips, and a talking pig, naturally. (Feed the Pig)

Reduce stress and enhance your emotional well-being with some of these suggestions for improving your work-life balance. (SavvySugar)

USA.gov: A Rich Resource of Free Information

Do you find government news and policies to be long-winded and confusing? Need to get a passport or check the status of your tax refund? Wondering about how to start your own small business, where to find a local farmer’s market, or what to do in the wake of a natural disaster? Believe it or not, you can find the answers on one website: www.usa.gov.

Having It All? What Is “All” Anyway?

Anne-Marie Slaughter’s article in the Atlantic, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” has set off dozens of debates. (For example, see here and here and here and here.) Slaughter, who is the former director of policy planning at the State Department, makes many interesting points.

But what is all? Does it have to be complete and total success in every aspect of life? Is perfection the only possible goal? Do many of us compare ourselves to some nonexistent “Goddess of Having It All”? Do we see ourselves as solo performers with way too many things to juggle?

Bias Against Older Workers Decreases Engagement—In Younger Workers!

While most employers are aware of the legal ramifications of ageism, are they aware of the other ramifications? What are the other ramifications?

Jacquelyn B. James, PhD, Sharon McKechnie, PhD, and Elyssa Besen surveyed over 4,000 retail employees aged 18 to 94 about whether older workers are as likely to be promoted as younger workers; whether older workers are able to adapt to new technology; and so on.

They categorized any bias they found as (1) perceived by interviewees as fair; or (2) perceived by interviewees as unfair. In a discussion of their research on the website Aging&Work: AGEnda, they explained,

Our hypothesis did not prepare us for the finding that the perception of [unfair] discrimination was actually more strongly related to lower employee engagement among younger workers than older workers.

Planning for Difficult Conversations: No Reason to Go It Alone

Having difficult conversations can be anxiety producing, so it can be helpful to plan in advance—and even more helpful to have the guidance of an objective, knowledgeable person. A great place to get this guidance is from your Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

As an EAP, we offer solutions for many complex management and HR issues, including communicating with employees regarding work performance standards.

Here’s an example. Of course, due to confidentiality concerns, we can’t provide an actual case study, but this represents a not-unusual phone call.

Sam, an HR manager, called the EAP because he had to provide difficult feedback to an employee, Jessica, on her work performance. When working on more than one project at a time, Jessica became stressed and snapped at co-workers and even Sam.

Sam wanted assistance in preparing for the performance discussion. The EAP counselor, Julie, helped Sam to structure the upcoming discussion into three parts:

Voluntary Benefits: The Next Big Thing?

The always-interesting MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends just hit its tenth anniversary and includes a “Then and Now” section discussing what a difference a decade makes—and doesn’t make.

One of the most interesting findings is this:

Ten years ago employees expected benefits, but were far less engaged in their true value. Today, new economic realities are driving employees to more fully appreciate the coverages that their employers provide – even if they have to pay more of the costs themselves. [Emphasis mine.]

In addition: Younger workers entered the workforce at a time when employers were starting to shift both cost and risk to employees. Perhaps because of this experience, younger generations do not appear to have the same sense of entitlement for employer-paid benefits as older workers. As a result, almost two-thirds (62%) of younger workers are willing to bear more of the cost of their benefits rather than lose them.

Guidelines for Basic Digital Etiquette

While no one necessarily expects you to leave your phone at home or at your desk in this increasingly connected world, it’s not unreasonable that your colleagues expect that it will be set to silent and you won’t spend the entire meeting updating your Facebook status, texting, and tweeting.

It’s true that technology has drastically changed the rules for the workplace, but that doesn’t mean there are no rules—expectations about common courtesy still exist.

Guidelines for Basic Etiquette

Respect screen privacy. When approaching someone’s cubicle, stand to the side until they acknowledge you. Or come back if they seem busy. Avoid standing behind them—or hovering while they finish phone calls.

When NOT to Use Email

Despite the nearly effortless flow of electronic communication, there are times when email is not the best method for exchanging information and ideas—especially at work.

Emails being seen by eyes other than ones we intended can happen all too easily, at work and in our private lives: we are all familiar with the “oops” moment when we “replied-all” and didn’t mean to, or the forwarding we wished hadn’t happened. And there are other times when it’s just not the most effective way to communicate: even in this world of constant electronic connectedness, some interactions require a more personal approach.

When is email not the right medium?

Earbuds at Work: Generational Difference or Bad Form?

In the debate about whether listening to music with headphones or earbuds at work is a good idea, people’s opinions tend to fall into generational categories.

Graphic Designer Dana, in her mid-20s, likes to wear just one earbud. She says, “Listening to music helps me to zone in on what I’m doing,” and keeping one ear free allows her to hear what is going on around her. When asked how she responds if she sees that someone else has an earbud in, Dana says, “I’m afraid I’m interrupting.”

Talking to an Employee About Hygiene Issues

Have you ever worked with a colleague who has poor hygiene, foul-smelling clothes, or bad breath? What if you are the person who needs to address the issue with the employee? Here are some helpful and practical steps you can take to handle this situation.

First things first! Consult with your manager. Hygiene issues should be brought to management’s attention and handled by management. If you are the manager, consult with HR and legal. Inform them of your intentions and get information about your company’s current policies and procedures as well as ADA information. HR will guide you on how to approach the situation, and the employee.

Next, familiarize yourself with some of the possible causes of body odor:

• Excessive perspiration
• Medical conditions such as diabetes
• Diet
• Environmental issues such as inadequate ventilation

Here’s how to address the issue:

Preparing Your Co-Workers for Your Vacation

You’ve booked the tickets and the hotel, mapped your road trip, or planned how you’re going to spend your staycation. Whatever you may be doing, one thing is certain: you’re going on vacation!

Ideally, things should proceed smoothly at work while you’re gone, with few, if any, interruptions to your time away. But if you leave tasks unfinished or if your colleagues are unclear what to do in your absence, you may find yourself fielding phone calls and answering emails when you want to be lounging poolside or hiking through the woods. Here are some simple things you can do to help everyone prepare for your time away:

It Pays to Be Extremely Cautious

On the Inc.com website, Eliza Browning, vice president of Crane Digital, recently wrote “Business Etiquette: 5 Rules That Matter Now.” I was particularly struck by number 3, “Observe the 'Elevator Rule,'” in which she wrote:

When meeting with clients or potential business partners off-site, don't discuss your impressions of the meeting with your colleagues until the elevator has reached the bottom floor and you're walking out of the building. That's true even if you're the only ones in the elevator.

Call it superstitious or call it polite—but either way, don't risk damaging your reputation by rehashing the conversation as soon as you walk away.

She makes a very good point, but she could have taken it even further. It pays to be extremely cautious. It pays to assume people are listening. It pays to believe that walls are thin. It pays to treat all of your gossip and criticisms as highly classified material. And here’s why...

Managing an Older Workforce

Retire at 65? These days that’s doubtful! People now enjoy better health as they age and, as a result, are able to remain in the labor force longer. Also, economic factors—an uncertain economy and an increase in the Social Security eligibility age, for example—create incentives for people to keep working. But it’s not just about economics—many older adults love their jobs! They work not because they have to, but because they want to.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 1977 and 2007, employment of workers 65 and older increased 101%, compared to a much smaller increase of 59% for all employees. The number of employed men 65 and older rose 75%, but employment of women 65 and older increased by nearly twice as much, climbing 147%. While the number of employed people 75 and older is relatively small (0.8% of the employed in 2007), this group had the most dramatic gain, increasing 172% between 1977 and 2007.

So what are the implications for your workplace? Do older workers add value? Do they require special considerations?

The answers are “Yes” and “Sometimes.”

Tips for Building an Online Personal Brand

Do you have a Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube account? Do you blog? Have you ever “Liked” an article on a news or media site or commented on an article using your real name?

If you have, you have an online personal brand. Your virtual footprint gives people a picture of who you are, what you care about, and what your values are—that is, your brand. It includes anything that might show up in a search, including where you went to school, articles you may have published, clubs you may have joined, and so on.

And your personal brand may have quite a lengthy history. Take a minute to type your name into a search engine. Those results are your brand’s first impression. Would you want a potential employer to judge you by it?

Bullying in the Workplace: A Problem With Many Costs

When you think of the word “bullying,” what image comes to mind? Chances are it's your school-age children. However, a remarkable 35% of working Americans have been bullied in their jobs. That’s over 53 million people. In addition, about 15% of workers have witnessed others being bullied. The impact on an organization’s bottom line can be significant, including stress-related medical and disability claims, increased absenteeism, decreased morale, and loss of key talent.

Workplace bullying can include obvious behaviors such as raised voices, cursing, insulting, and ridiculing, but it also comes in more subtle forms, such as spreading malicious gossip, making invalid criticisms, micromanaging, stealing credit for accomplishments, placing unreasonable work demands, threatening job loss, and/or excluding employees from social events.  

I think we all know that bullying has a very negative impact on the target, including decreased morale, increased stress, loss of sleep, depression, shame, and embarrassment. However, what we may forget is that bullying has serious effects that go beyond the victim.