Check out your Company Bowl for anonymous work chats.
The struggle is real, folks. Employee engagement is on the decline, and it’s something every employer – and employee – needs to take seriously. According to Office Vibe’s Global & Real-Time State of Employee Engagement (November, 2017): 60% of employees notice that their job is taking a toll on their personal life. 63% of employees feel like they don’t get enough praise. 57% of employees wouldn’t recommend their organization as a good place to work. 56% of employees believe that they don’t have any career advancement opportunities. Pick a company, any company. On some level, they most likely measure employee satisfaction. This may be through net promoter scores or something similar. But what do these measurements tell our employers about true employee engagement? When you really delve into employee engagement, you find that satisfaction and happiness are certainly an essential piece of employee engagement; but alone, they’re not enough.
We've all been there - you walk into work and the first thing you see is a chaotic desk full of important papers, sticky notes, yesterday's coffee mug and a cluttered email inbox. How can anyone be productive in this type of workspace? Ready to say goodbye to the mess piling up on your desk? Check out these four easy tips to achieving workspace organization and improving performance at work.
We’ve all done it – set a goal, mentally promising ourselves that this time we will really do it. Depending on where you are in life, the ‘it’ may vary. It could be losing ten pounds, going to the gym weekly, saving more money or finally earning that promotion. Point is, we all set goals, only to abandon them later. For example, studies have shown that less than 10 percent of us manage to actually keep our New Year’s resolutions and over 90 percent of us fail to keep the promises we made to ourselves! But why are bad habits so hard to break? Most of us know that we would be healthier, happier and better off reaching our goals. We sincerely want to change, so why do we fail over and over? Is it a lack of willpower? Yes and no. Willpower and commitment to a goal are necessary components, but the reason you fail may be something simpler. You're not so much failing as being sabotaged. The saboteur is hiding in plain sight – your brain.
Due to the nature of my job, I have high levels of access to mission-critical systems. To protect data and satisfy my own unreasonable level of paranoia, I take every precaution and use every possible trick and trap to stop the bad guys. I take security very seriously, so when I woke to an email from Microsoft that said the PIN to my account had been changed it was a full-blown red alert. The email was eight hours old, giving the hacker plenty of time to wreak havoc – that account was tied to enough devices and systems to make my personal life miserable. I had to act fast.
The holiday season brings lists galore: shopping lists, grocery lists, party lists and the often-dreaded New Year’s resolution list. Even though it may seem pointless to implement a New Year’s resolution (a measly 8 percent of people only stick with them), these goals should be taken seriously. A resolution allows you to look back at what you did wrong the last year, so you can steer clear of those mistakes in the year ahead. Perhaps you want to focus your resolution on your career and not so much on your personal life. So how can you reprioritize goals, plans, dreams and directions to fuel your thoughts? Here are a few suggestions to make 2018 your year at work.
2017 was one for the record books – that’s for sure! We experienced the first total solar eclipse for the US in the 21st century, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, millions of people worldwide joined in for the Women’s March, computers around the world were hit by large-scale ransomware cyberattacks, and Wall Street celebrated numerous milestones with the Dow up nearly 6,000 points. Closer to home and not to be outdone by world events, the TSP Blog grew by 42% with respect to individual sessions, and more than tripled with respect to subscribers. We hope you enjoyed the 2017 content and we can’t wait to show you what we have in store for 2018. Check out our top 10 blog posts of 2017.
Finally – the holidays are here! Christmas and New Years are right around the corner, family and loved ones are heading into town and good times await. While adults typically don’t have the luxury of a formal break, we do get some time off to enjoy the celebration. However, with this anticipation comes an extra amount of stress in the office. Coworkers are rushing around trying to tie up loose ends and you’re racing to get everything done before the clock strikes five. To avoid the chaos and go into your time off with some peace, here are some simple tips to put into play before you head out the door.
You may be stuck in the same position you’ve been in for years, and you aren’t sure how to diversify your skills. You may be right out of college trying to find a job, but have been unsuccessful so far. The way to remain relevant is by keeping up. If we consistently research and implement new ways to do our jobs better than we did yesterday, who says we can’t move forward? So, how do you keep your skills relevant in an ever-changing workplace? Here are some tips to on remaining relevant and successful.
Just as Thanksgiving signals it's time to put up the tree and hang stockings, it also serves as the unofficial start of the holiday season, and with it brings the dawn of company holiday parties. These parties provide a time for employees to enjoy each other’s company outside of the office and get to know one another in a more social setting. While a company party may be the last thing you want to attend, it's an event that shouldn't be missed. Yes, the term party implies you should have a good time, but it is key to not get too caught up in the fun. Here are some things not to do at this year’s holiday party.
The two words no employee wants to hear: “You’re fired.” In the first quarter of 2016, over 250,000 working Americans heard a version of this phrase. The social contract between employer and employee guaranteeing long term employment simply does not exist anymore. Unfortunately, most Americans are “at will” and can be laid off at any time, sometimes with little or no notice. No matter how content you are in your job or how secure you may feel, it’s important to be prepared for your next search to help weather the storm of a surprise layoff. Here are some strategies for taking control of your career – whether you’re expecting a layoff or not.
