The simplest way to improve morale

Say thank you.

Sounds simple enough, right?

In most businesses across the country, numbers are down and stress levels are skyrocketing. It’s an unfortunate combination that doesn’t do much for employee morale.

Right now, you may not have the money to take your team out for lunch or the company can’t contribute to a recognition program. It’s times like these when you’ll find that sometimes it’s the simplest signs of appreciation that can do an even better job than the fancy stuff.

Showing honest appreciation for the people on your team can do wonders for morale. Whether you stop by their desk to say thanks for their help on that last project or leave a funny greeting card on their desk expressing how much you appreciate all the hard work they put in, simple recognition can go a long way.

I recently came across a great post at Pamela Slim’s Escape From Cubicle Nation where Slim shared a personal story about a day that began with a not-so-pleasant experience at the airport.

She was dropped off almost two hours before her 6:30 a.m. flight, well before Starbucks opened their doors, and had to navigate through a blockade of airport construction. The caffeine-less Slim decided to sit down and write a blog post, but the only topics that came to mind included why mean people suck and sleep deprivation.

Then, almost magically, she received a tweet from a fan of her book: “@pamslim Pam, your book really is an achievement. It’s the best book I have read on the topic and the one I will be recommending widely.”

The message changed her mood right there on the spot. So much of a change that she started thinking of ways to show the same kindness as her tweeting fan.

Now I will look for opportunities throughout my trip to show the same kindness as Daniel, by doing things like:

• Saying thank you often and sincerely
• Complimenting someone on a job well done
• Encouraging to my clients and students
  

Kindness is not a little thing. It is not fluffy, unicorn and rainbow coachy stuff.

Kindness heals.

I highly recommend it.

The next time someone on your team looks like they’re having a difficult day, use it as an opportunity to share some words of encouragement and appreciation. In the same way it turned Slim’s day around, your words have the power to change their day for the better.

Study: Online, blended learning better than face-to-face

Incorporating technology in classroom instruction can enhance learning, according to a U.S. Department of Education analysis of controlled studies comparing online and face-to-face instruction.

The Department of Education analyzed 46 studies comparing online learning to face-to-face education and concluded that “blended learning,” or program that utilize both online and face-to-face learning, is more effective than using one method alone.

From the Department of Education press release:

The meta analysis showed that “blended” instruction – combining elements of online and face-to-face instruction – had a larger advantage relative to purely face to face instruction or instruction conducted wholly online. The analysis also showed that the instruction conducted wholly on line was more effective in improving student achievement than the purely face to face instruction. In addition, the report noted that the blended conditions often included additional learning time and instructional elements not received by students in control conditions.

From the authors’ discussion section of the study:

That caution [not to assume that an effect is due to a given medium] applies well to the findings of this meta-analysis, which should not be construed as demonstrating that online learning is superior as a medium. Rather, it is the combination of elements in the treatment conditions, which are likely to include additional learning time and materials as well as additional opportunities for collaboration, that has proven effective. The meta-analysis findings do not support simply putting an existing course online, but they do support redesigning instruction to incorporate additional learning opportunities online.

Read Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies (2009).

The department noted that this new meta-analysis goes against previous studies, which generally found that online and face-to-face education methods were comparable in their learning effectiveness.

Are “lunch and learns” bad for business?

“Lunch and learn” programs are used by countless businesses to fit training and development into everyone’s busy day by turning employees’ lunchtime into informal training sessions.

While some feel that squeezing more learning into our jam-packed days with “lunch and learns” is a boon for business, others strongly believe that they can be quite a bother.

Nick Milton of Bath, UK, recently explained why he thinks “lunch and learns” are a bad idea in a post last week. While learning during lunchtime makes sense at first glance, it may be sending employees the wrong message. He writes:

But what message are you giving? You are giving the message that learning and knowledge sharing is not something that should be a priority during working hours, and should be fitted into spare lunchtimes. You are giving the message that learning is not real work, to be done during work time. You are giving the message that learning is something you can do while eating, and that you don't need to give it full attention. You are making the tacit assumption that people will not turn up to learn something unless you bribe them with cookies.

If learning is important, don’t relegate it to lunchtime. How many other business activities would you hold at lunchtime, so people could eat as they participated? Would you have "lunch and budgeting?" "lunch and project planning?" lunch and personal appraisal?" "lunch and recruitment interviewing?" No you wouldn't, so why relegate learning to lunchtime? (read the full post)

We’ve written before on the benefits of “lunch and learn” training, and how it can help businesses save money and improve employee productivity. But what works for one person or company may fail with another and it’s our job to learn from both sides of the equation.

So, we want to know what side you’re on. Have you tried “lunch and learn” seminars? Are you a fan? Why or why not?


Please leave a comment and tell us about it.

Gifts for the boss you loathe so much

They're mean, they're malicious and they're definitely nothing like Oprah. But somehow you've been forced into buying a gift for that boss or coworker you hate working with. What do you do?

Try the Ugly Flower Store where you can "Send virtual Ugly Flowers for free to anyone who deserves ugly flowers."

There are six beautifully ugly arrangements to choose from:

• 1 Dozen Dead Yellow Roses
• Dead Plant
• Dead Rose Bouquet
• Single Dead Rose
• Dead Flower Arrangement
• Dead Yellow Flowers

Choose the arrangement that fits your situation, fill out a quick form and the ugliest flower arrangement you've ever seen will be on its way (via email) to your unsuspecting recipient.

Show someone how much you don't care today.

And have a happy Friday!

Carnival of HR: Lions, tigers and bearded HR ladies?

The latest installment of the Carnival of HR is up over at the Inflexion Point Blog, hosted by Mark Stelzner.

Mark has put together quite a show, with freakishly interesting posts from some of the leading HR bloggers on the carnival circuit. Check out the wild side of HR at the HR Carnival today.

When cookie-cutter sexual harassment training just won’t cut it

The number of sexual harassment charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) are up 11% from last year and stand at the highest rate since 2002, according to EEOC data.

But as the statistics show, many of the cases don’t resemble the situations portrayed in most of the “cookie-cutter” sexual harassment training videos out there. Sexual harassment charges filed by men amount to 16% of total charges reported to the EEOC, up almost 5% from the late 1990s.

A recent case involving retail giant Dillard’s reveals just how important same-sex harassment training can be.

According to the EEOC, Dillard’s violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by permitting a sexually hostile work environment to exist for male employees at one of the company’s Florida locations. The charges against Dillard’s included verbal and sexual harassment of a male store associate and young dockworker by a male supervisor.

The male workers accused their supervisor of exposing himself to them, making sexual propositions, and making sexually explicit and derogatory comments. Managers continually ignored complaints made by the workers about the harasser.

After the store manager told the associate involved in the case to “get back to work” because he was being “hypersensitive” and “overreacting” to the situation, the associate quit.

It wasn’t until another employee reported similar offenses made by the same supervisor that the store manager decided to take action. The store manager notified the district office and fired the supervisor.

The EEOC filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Dillard’s in response to the two employees’ complaints. Dillard’s argued that it was not liable because the company had an anti-harassment policy and had fired the accused supervisor. The company also claimed that the supervisor’s actions did not create a hostile work environment.

The court rejected Dillard's argument and found that Dillard's anti-harassment policy could not absolve it of liability if the policy hadn’t been effectively implemented. The store manager’s failure to report Reed’s two claims was a violation of the company’s own reporting procedures.

The court noted that the store manager held one of three positions detailed in the anti-harassment policy’s reporting procedure. When he twice failed to escalate the complaints to the district office, he violated Dillard’s policy. (Business Management Daily)

Use this case as a reminder that even though harassment may not look exactly like what you saw in the training video, it’s still harassment. Male-on-female, male-on-male, female-on-female or female-on-male, sexual harassment is sexual harassment and should be treated as such.

Employees’ #1 summer wish: TIME

If employees had it their way this summer, they’d be given the chance to leave early on Fridays and would have more flextime to work with, according to a new survey.

OfficeTeam recently polled more than 450 workers and found that time is at the top of most employees’ summer benefits wish lists.

Workers were asked “Which of the following summer benefits would you most like to have?” Their top answers were:

• Flexible schedules - 38%
• Leave early on Fridays - 32%
• Activities (e.g. company picnic, potluck) - 6%
• More relaxed dress code - 5%

“Employees appreciate flexibility in their jobs because it gives them greater control and enables them to handle other commitments without sacrificing their work performance,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam.

Allowing employees to have more flexible schedules during the summer months and throughout the year can be an inexpensive way to improve motivation. Just like the “Leave the Office Earlier” holiday promoted earlier this month, most of us could use a break away from the office.

Employees are more stressed than ever, spending more time at work to complete increasingly heavier workloads. Allowing for workplace flexibility benefits both employees and employers by improving retention rates, productivity and reduces stress.

So, if you’re looking for a simple way to improve morale around the office, give employees more time away from it. Let them leave early on Friday or work from home for a few hours next week and make your employees’ wishes come true.

Does your office loosen up during the summer months to allow for more flextime? Is going home early on Fridays ever an option? Leave a comment and let us know.

Is Oprah the world’s greatest boss?

She’s No. 2 on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list, made an estimated $275 in 2008 and this year Oprah may have earned herself the title of world’s greatest boss.

At least that’s the title they give you these days when you take your entire staff and their families on a Mediterranean cruise.

From The Oprah blog at the Chicago Sun-Times:

For the second time in recent years, she's making a strong case for that title by taking her entire staff and their families on vacation. This time they're going on a lavish Mediterranean cruise.

Winfrey and her staff will leave Chicago on Saturday. The cruise ship will stop in Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece and Malta. She is covering transportation, food, drinks and activities at port stops.

In 2005, Winfrey celebrated the end of her "Wildest Dreams" season by surprising her staff with an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.

According to Chicago-based Best Travel, a cruise like the one Winfrey is taking her staff on costs about $5,400 a person.

So, most bosses don’t have the same kind of resources that Oprah does, but there are a ton of bosses out there that know how to recognize employees even on the most limited budget.

Have you ever had a boss do something so great that you wanted to nominate them for a world’s greatest boss award?

We’d love to hear the story. Tell us all about it in a comment below.

Look like a pro and keep your cool with the "New Ice Suit"

You can now keep up with dress code during the summer months without looking like a hot mess with the "New Ice Suit" out of Japan.

(Image via CrunchGear)

It's specially designed to alleviate the usual discomfort that comes with walking around a steamy downtown during the hottest months of the year. A few, strategically placed ice packs keep any suit-wearing businessperson comfortable and cool. Read more at CrunchGear.

What will they think of next?

Does your office change the dress code during the summer? Would you ever consider dropping $520 on the "Ice Suit" to keep cool, but still look like a pro?