Surviving Halloween at work: Tips and treats

Below we’ve compiled some of great advice for celebrating Halloween at work from the best human resource and workplace blogs on the Web. As you’re coming down from your candy corn sugar high this afternoon, take a minute to check out a couple posts:

This message may be too late for some, but Laurie Ruettimann at Punk Rock HR is warning everyone to refrain from wearing costumes to work. Read the comments for some great examples of what not to wear on Halloween.

Looking for an appropriate workplace Halloween costume? Again, it might be too late for this year, but jot down a few ideas for workplace costumes from The Work Buzz and maybe you’ll be a contender in the office costume contest next year.

Did you show up to work today in a costume, or are you refusing to participate in the workplace Halloween festivities? Are you anti-costume or an overzealous executive trying to get everyone hyped up? Read The 5 Types of Halloween Employees at Inflexion Advisors, who do you identify with?

Cool ergonomic computer chair, or scary death trap? Take a look at the product demo and you decide. (Thanks HR Web Cafe for bringing this one to our attention!)

Visit the HR Bartender, who’s serving up some special Halloween wishes, complete with a special treat - a clip from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Halloween is one of those holidays where too many people choose to do too many dumb things at work. A recent article on HRE Online examines one of the dumbest ideas - dressing up in inappropriate costumes that are “sexually provocative or mocking race or religion.” Read The Perils of Halloween at Work and take some notes for next year.

Distracted employees, tips on how to stay focused at work

More than 70 percent of human resource professionals in the Northeast believe that their employees are too distracted and overloaded at work, according to a recent e-survey by the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA).

The biggest distraction at work - e-mail.

While the survey found e-mail to be the most common off-task culprit, NEHRA also discovered that an overwhelming majority of companies (88%) have no policy for checking e-mail.

“You have to be able to establish some trust between your co-workers. Trails of e-mail filling everyone in on everything you are doing are often unnecessary,” Deborah Hicks, vice president of HR at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Chair of NEHRA, told SHRM Online. “Most of the time a 10-minute conference call to say what you want to say is more productive than shooting e-mails back and forth.”

Tim Ferriss, author of the 4-Hour Workweek and nominated one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People of 2007,” regularly shares no-nonsense advice on how to be more productive at work and in life.

In a blog post titled: “The Not-To-Do List: 9 Habits to Stop Now,” Ferriss outlines stressful and common habits office workers should eliminate to improve their work-day. Here are just three of his work-related productivity tips:

Stop checking e-mail constantly. Instead, “batch” and check during set times of the day. Most of the emails you receive do not require an immediate response. Ferriss suggests setting up a strategic auto-responder or sending out a mass e-mail to contacts explaining your motives. Here’s an example of an effective auto-response:

“Thank you for your email! Due to my current workload I am only checking email at 11am and 4pm. If you need anything immediately please call me on my cell so that I can address this important matter with you. Thank you and have a great day!”

Don’t make e-mail the first or last part of your day. “The former scrambles your priorities and plans for the day, and the latter just gives you insomnia.” Hold off on your morning e-mails until after finishing at least one critical to-do item.

Prioritize daily tasks. Without prioritizing your to-do list, everything may seem urgent and important, leaving you stressed about where to start. Start each day by defining the single most important task for each day. “The answer to overwhelm is not spinning more plates — or doing more — it’s defining the few things that can really fundamentally change your business and life.”

Check out Ferriss’ full “Not-To-Do List” for more ways to improve your productivity at work and in life.

“It’s hip to focus on getting things done, but it’s only possible once we remove the constant static and distraction. If you have trouble deciding what to do, just focus on not doing. Different means, same end.”

We want to know - what’s your biggest distraction at work and how do you stay focused?

Employee attendance problems? You’re not alone

One third (33%) of U.S. workers have “played hooky” from the office, calling in sick when they were well at least once this year, according to CareerBuilder.com’s annual absenteeism survey.

The majority of employers surveyed said they rarely question the reason for an employee’s absence, but 31% of employers admit to checking up on an employee who called in sick and 18% have fired someone for missing work without a legitimate excuse.

CareerBuilder.com surveyed more than 6,800 workers and 3,300 employers nationwide, revealing some interesting absenteeism statistics including the most frequent reasons for calling in sick:

• Almost one-in-ten workers (9%) admit to playing hooky because they wanted to miss a meeting, buy some time to work on a project that was due or to avoid the wrath of a boss or colleague.
• Nearly one-third (30%) called in sick because they just needed to relax and recharge.
• Others missed work to go to a doctor’s appointment (27%), catch up on sleep (22%), run personal errands (14%), catch up on housework (11%) or spend time with family and friends (11%).
• 34% of “sick” employees just didn’t feel like going to work that day.

"It’s in your best interest to be up-front with your employer and chances are you’ll get the time you need," said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com. "More companies today are moving toward a Paid Time Off system, giving employees more flexibility in how they categorize time away from the office. Employers are also expanding the definition of the sick day with 65 percent stating that they allow their team members to use sick days for mental health days."

If you’ve had problems with attendance tracking in the past and are looking for a way to simplify the process, we have an upcoming webinar that may help you out.

In one, 30-minute “lunch and learn” presentation you’ll learn how unscheduled absenteeism affects your business, the benefits of electronic recordkeeping and how to move from a paperwork-filled mess to a greener, electronic time-tracking system.

This free webinar, sponsored by Gradience, was created specifically for software beginners interested in reducing attendance paperwork and moving to an electronic solution, saving time and helping the environment.

Sign up today for Software Basics: Track Attendance Electronically Like a Pro on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at 1 p.m., ET.

View more upcoming webinars here.

Hilton customer service training: All fun and games

Studies have shown that playing video games at work benefits the workplace by decreasing employee stress and increasing productivity. While companies that embrace gaming for fun have seen positive results, what happens when video games are designed specifically to deliver employee training?

Last month, Hilton Garden Inn announced that it would be the first hotel chain to offer employee customer service training designed and created for use on Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP).

"Now when the Hilton Garden Inn team members are caught playing with a PSP system on the job, they are met with smiles and words of encouragement," according to a company press release.

With the use of this interactive, game-based employee training software Hilton Garden Inn is hoping to establish itself as the "hospitality leader in employee training." The software, called Ultimate Team Play trains employees to understand the special needs of hotel guests in a game setting.

“We’re thrilled to take our game-based employee training program to a whole new level, or, in this case, a whole new gaming platform that is also portable, to create some of the most advanced, realistic and interactive training anywhere,” said Adrian Kurre, senior vice president – brand management for Hilton Garden Inn.

“Ultimate Team Play is part of our ongoing commitment to making employee training compelling and relevant, which are our two most important criteria for ensuring long-term customer service success.”

The goal of Hilton's new employee training program is to show hotel employees how their actions have a direct impact on the hotel and on each guest's mood. The training game puts employees in a 3-D, virtual hotel where they must respond to a number of guest-related requests by a specific deadline. As employees respond to guests correctly, the simulated guest's satisfaction increases.

The power tool giant Black & Decker has been using technology in a similar way to deliver employee training materials to workers on the go. Through mobile learning (or m-learning) the company delivers training content to PDAs and cell phones, providing flexibility for workers who may not sit behind a computer everyday.

Companies like Black & Decker and Hilton are breaking new ground by using video games and cell phones to deliver employee training. As technology improves and opens up to a more mainstream market, we may one day see it become the standard in employee training across the country.

Does your company currently use mobile learning or online resources to deliver employee training? Have you seen any clear benefits from using technology over traditional methods?

Employee performance reviews, just say no?

One-sided, negative and intimidating are just a few words that come to mind when thinking about employee performance reviews. The corporate world should just get rid of it says UCLA professor Samuel Culbert in a recent Wall Street Journal article.

“To my way of thinking, a one-side-accountable, boss-administered review is little more than a dysfunctional pretense. It's a negative to corporate performance, an obstacle to straight-talk relationships, and a prime cause of low morale at work. Even the mere knowledge that such an event will take place damages daily communications and teamwork.”

Here are just a few of Culbert’s reasons why he finds performance reviews “ill-advised and bogus” (read all seven in the full WSJ article):

• Mind-sets are out of sync. Going into a performance review, bosses are generally concerned with improving performance while the subordinate is focused on small issues including compensation, job progression and career advancement. The disconnect puts the review participants at odds, “talking past each other.”
• Objectivity is “preposterous.” Despite popular belief, performance reviews are not objective. “Where you stand determines what you see,” according to Culbert. It is almost impossible for any assessment to be independent of the evaluator’s motives.
• “One size fits all” doesn’t fit. No two employees are the same, but performance reviews measure all employees on a predetermined checklist. Pleasing the boss becomes more important than doing a good job.
• Reviews undermine teamwork. Bosses have all the power during performance reviews. Instead of taking a team approach during the evaluation by asking the subordinate “How are we going to work together as a team?” It’s more like “How are you performing for me?”

The solution - performance previews.

Performance previews are a way to conduct performance reviews that are two-sided with shared accountability. According to Culbert:

“Previews are problem-solving, not problem-creating, discussions about how we, as teammates, are going to work together even more effectively and efficiently than we've done in the past. They feature descriptive conversations about how each person is inclined to operate, using past events for illustrative purposes, and how we worked well or did not work well individually and together.”

As opposed to an annual meeting, previews should be held each time the boss or team member feels the group is not working well together. Previews promote “straight-talk relationships” for those who are ready to step up to the challenge. Instead of using a method that focuses on flaws, previews can identify solutions on how teams can accomplish business goals together.

Culbert believes feedback and trust are essential to the success of performance previews:

“The best you can do for others is to develop a trusting relationship where they can ask for feedback and help when they see the need and feel sufficiently valued to take it.”

Convincing the corporate world to overhaul such a long-standing employee performance review system would take many years and many strong opinions to accomplish. With powerful ideas from scholars like Culbert, a new system focused on teamwork may not be that far off in the distance.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your employee performance reviews, read Culbert’s full WSJ article on how performance previews can improve the way your team works.

Office greeting cards: Lost for words?

We’ve all been there before - a manila folder containing a greeting card for a coworker lands on your desk and you’re struggling to find the best message to scribble in your 1 x 1 plot of card space.

There’s no need to struggle any longer. This week I ran across the Greetings Genie from Cube Farm, which promises to cure “writer’s block one office card at a time.”

The Genie helps you find the perfect response to almost any office greeting card. Just choose the occasion and tone of voice you’re looking for, and like magic you’ve got a list of sentiments to choose from.

Say it’s the boss’ birthday and you’re lost for a professional message to write, here’s what the Greetings Genie suggests:

• “To a great guy/gal - Cheers!”
• “Be sure to relax and enjoy the day.”
• “Enjoy your day! Well earned and well deserved!”

Other than providing the perfect message for corporate greeting cards, the Cube Farm has a great collection of funny office videos to watch when you have some downtime this Friday afternoon. Have fun and happy Friday!

Incentive programs: Where’s your follow-through?

You’ve determined a budget, put an employee incentive program in place and have taken your position, patiently waiting for the motivation to begin. Ready ... set ... hike!

While you may not associate employee incentives with college sports teams, there’s always someone out there like Paul Hebert at Fistful of Talent to make you think again.

Yesterday, Paul wrote an insightful post comparing the effort sports teams put into getting results (i.e., winning championships) to the effort organizations put into preparing their teams to hit the big goal (i.e., sales numbers).

“Too often, companies put a program in place, with the associated budget, in order to motivate the troops to hit their goals. But most of the time, the program is announced, the awards delineated and the “auto-pilot” button is pushed.

Everyone sits back and assumes because the reward is big the folks will do the job. Where’s the one-on-one coaching? Where is the daily practice on areas that need it? Who is watching from the tower and yelling instructions to the team below? In most cases, business is talking big money too. Lack of performance – whether that be your sales organization or your call center, can lead to either big wins or big losses. But we don’t want to put in the effort.

I spend my time talking to clients about the design of the incentive and reward system that helps align their audience to the goals for the organization – but I also ask what effort they will be putting into coaching, training and leadership.

The greatest incentive program in the world won’t get you to the results you want, unless you’re willing to put in the time with your audience to make sure they have the skills and the information needed to help achieve the goal.”

To all of the training professionals and managers in charge of training employees, we would like to know - where’s your follow-through?

What do you do to make sure your rewards and incentive program doesn’t get set on “auto-pilot” mode? Do you always put in time with employees to make sure they’re equipped with the training and skills needed to achieve the goal?

Employee wellness training: New guidelines

Even during a financial crisis, investing in human capital through employee wellness is good business, say industry experts.

Soaring employee health care costs are a clear risk to growth, profitability and competitiveness. For those reasons, organizations looking to cut costs should not start by eliminating employee wellness, according to Jay Seifert, LoneStart Wellness co-founder in a recent MarketWatch article.

"Tumultuous times call for stabilizing influences, and wellness is such an influence," says Seifert. "Now is not the time to put workplace wellness and employee health on the back burner. In fact, now is exactly the time to begin to realize the financial and other benefits of a sustainable workplace wellness program."

Depending on the size of your organization, employee wellness programs are relatively simple and cost-effective to set up. Studies show that for every dollar spent implementing an employee wellness program, employers see an average reduction of $2.45 in medical claims.

Along with group wellness activities, offer employee wellness training to educate workers on the importance of living healthy lives. Use the latest set of wellness guidelines from the government to help get your wellness training off the ground and running.

With two and a half hours each week of moderate aerobic physical activity adults can gain substantial health benefits, according to the new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This first-ever set of guidelines is designed so people can work physical fitness in their day-to-day routines with activities they enjoy.

"It's important for all Americans to be active, and the guidelines are a roadmap to include physical activity in their daily routine," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "The evidence is clear--regular physical activity over months and years produces long-term health benefits and reduces the risk of many diseases. The more physically active you are, the more health benefits you gain."

The guidelines advise adults to perform two and a half hours a week of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity, or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity. For more extensive health benefits, double the amount of activity performed each week.

Examples of moderate intensity aerobic activities include walking briskly, water aerobics, ballroom dancing and general gardening. Examples of vigorous intensity aerobic activities include racewalking, jogging or running, swimming laps, jumping rope and hiking uphill.

Incorporate these guidelines into your employee wellness training and educate employees on the importance of physical activity to offset rising health care costs with healthier, happier employees.

For the complete guidelines visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website.


Related posts:

New study: Positive work environments = healthy employees

De-stress at work and encourage innovation

Employee wellness programs gone wild

How to deal with negative coworkers

Every workplace has one, that “Negative Nancy” or “Ned” who never seems to have anything positive to talk about. Whenever you’re in a conversation with that person, it always seems to turn down a negative road no matter how hard you try to drive it back in a positive direction.

Unfortunately, there’s no magic button that will completely eliminate negativity in the office, but there are ways to deal with it. Dealing with negative people in the office takes a good mix of sensitivity, objectivity and defense tactics.

Use these tips to help you deal with negative people at work:

• Smile. Don’t feed into someone else’s negativity with more negativity from your side. Smile and say something that will make the other person smile too, like a simple compliment. With the way our brains are wired, it’s difficult to smile and be negative at the same time.


• Don’t take it personally. It seems like some people in our world were born angry, and some of those people have managed to find a way into your office. Whatever that negative person is angry about, you had nothing to do with it. Let their comments roll off your back and don’t let their attitude have an impact on your day.


• Avoid negativity. If possible, do your best to avoid negative coworkers by taking a different route to the printer or leave for lunch a few minutes earlier than usual. Avoiding negative people all together will eliminate the risk of falling prey to their negative ways.


• Let them vent. If you can’t avoid the person and smiling had no effect, try to just let the person vent their frustrations to you. Sometimes people keep repeating negative sentiments because they feel no one has truly heard them. Actively listen to their rant with an objective ear and ask questions to make sure they know you’re listening.


• Lend a hand. Sometimes people have a legitimate reason for being angry. If you agree with the reason for their anger and think you could help (and want to help) in their situation, lend a helping hand or at least some advice on how they could resolve the issue.


• Set limits. Whether you agree to listen to someone’s complaints or agree to help them out, set personal limits to the extent of your involvement. If you sit and listen to someone vent for hours and hours one day, expect that person to come searching for you the next time they need to let out their frustrations.

There will always be negative people at work. It’s your decision whether to let those people affect your own outlook. Learning how to deal with negativity is an ongoing process, but just remember to keep smiling.

What is the best way you’ve found to deal with negative coworkers?

Incentives and rewards: Now is the time to act

When is the best time to launch an employee incentive and reward program?

Now.

At least that’s what they think over at Incentive Intelligence and we agree. Here's a clip from a recent post on incentive and reward programs:

The one thing every company needs right now is an initiative that clearly spells out what you want your employees and your channel partners to do to ensure success in the future.

You need to establish an influence initiative that clearly delineates the things that you want your business to accomplish and outlines the behaviors that will get you there.

Creating a program that clearly outlines your organization’s goals and the actions that will get you there creates certainty and eliminates poor decision making. Sitting back and doing nothing is not an option, you can only “act your way out” of a business issue, according to those at Incentive Intelligence.

Implementing an employee reward and incentive program will help you show everyone, from top executives to sales callers, what you think needs to be done to ensure success in your business’ future.

With that said, here are some tips and employee incentive ideas to get your program off the ground:

• Identify goals. What business goals do you wish to accomplish and how will and employee incentive program help you get there? Set goals that are realistic and measurable.


• Determine appropriate incentives. Incentives that work for one business may not be right for another. It all depends on the nature of your business and the size of your budget. Incentives and rewards don’t have to be expensive to be effective, explore our list of employee incentive ideas on a budget and also take a look at how key motivators differ across generations at work.


• Communicate objectives clearly. If employees don’t know what is expected of them, how will they know what to do? Clearly outline objectives for your employee rewards program, the correct actions employees should take and how they will be rewarded for quality work. Effective communication is essential to the success of your program. Remember to give employees feedback on their progress at every step of the program.


• Measure results. How is your business performing after implementing the rewards program compared to before? Identify what worked and what failed to help tweak your program in the future.

An effective employee incentive program will help your organization reach business goals by engaging and motivating employees. Only with clear goals, effective communication and constant feedback can your program be a success.

How does your organization use employee incentive programs to create results?

Funny employee training videos that work

We all get a kick out of watching those safety and sexual harassment training videos during corporate meetings. As the HR manager goes to press play on the VCR, everyone is usually prepared to watch another outdated, cheesy corporate training video.

Well, this employee safety training video from JCPenney’s uses the expected “cheese-factor” in a way that works. I’ll just let Safety Dude show you ...

Employee training ideas for Generation Y

Generation Y, Millenials, or however you like to refer to the latest generation to move into the workforce ... they’re here, and now we must train them.

More than past generations, today’s college grads rely heavily on technology and social interaction. They can send instant messages while reading an article online and text a friend on their phone, all at the same time. Training Gen Y employees requires a mix of technology, social networking and entertainment in order to drive the message home.

Gen Y at work

If they can’t read the employee handbook in 140 characters or less, they’re not even going to turn the first page. Long-term employment translates to anything over two years and the thought of working 30 years for one company is absurd. They want to learn everything possible from their current employer to help them advance in their job.

They feel entitled to work when and where they want. They want to telecommute and play video games at work. They want to be measured on the quality of their work, not just because they sit in a chair looking busy from nine to five. They want freedom, creativity and a pair of jeans. Don’t forget Facebook, MySpace and Twitter at work.

So, how to we train this group of casual social butterflies now that they’re part of our workforce?

Training Gen Y

Here are some tips and employee training ideas for Generation Y to get you started:

Implement ongoing training. When Millennials start a job, they expect ongoing education and challenges. They’re eager to learn anything new and expect to use what they learn at this job to help them later in their career. If you don’t have the time or resources to offer ongoing training, supplement a static training program with simulations or online training courses to keep employees engaged.

Keep it short. Gen Y learns best from information delivered in short bites, rather than one giant, lengthy chunk of information. Break up long training courses into multiple, shorter sessions to help employees better consume the information. If it’s impossible to break up a large training session, create documents reviewing sections of information and make them available on the company network or online.

Make training entertaining. Gen Y grew up on computers and video games, with constant audio-visual stimulation. Explore training options that incorporate computer simulation, online courses and social media applications. Entertaining audio and video will hold their attention, ensuring Gen Y employees retain the message.

Allow freedom. If possible, give employees the option to attend training at a time that is suitable with their schedule. Online courses and podcasts may provide the most flexibility, allowing students to participate in courses at their leisure. Digital options also give Gen Y the freedom to review materials that were taught in a previous training session on their own time.

Explore mobile learning (m-learning). If you have the resources available, provide on-demand training experiences using mobile devices. Facilitate m-learning by offering e-learning courses, chapter reviews from training courses and share expert videos on the training topic.

Encourage teamwork. Millennial employees generally flourish and enjoy working in team environments. Develop team activities led by senior employees or managers during and after training courses to foster teamwork and reinforce training points.


When training any generational group, your goal is to provide valuable learning experiences that give employees the tools to develop in their careers. Training is a gift employers give to their workforce that keeps employees engaged, happy and productive. Knowing how younger generations learn best will help you develop the next great leaders in our organizations.

Friendly reminder: Tomorrow is National Boss Day

In case you forgot ... tomorrow, October 16, is National Boss Day.

With our crammed schedules in and outside of the office, sometimes we forget to say “thank you” to the important people in our lives. National Boss Day gives employees an opportunity to thank a boss who (among other great qualities) has shown positive leadership, treats their employees with respect and promotes development with regular employee training.

However, the holiday may cause a slight dilemma: What if you’re the only one to buy the boss a gift? Will everyone think you’re a suck-up? Or worse, what if everyone brings a gift and you forget? What if you don’t think your boss deserves a gift?

If you sort out the dilemma and decide to give, the most popular ways to say “thanks” to a great boss include greeting cards, lunch outings, chocolate and flowers.

Or you could find an “out of the box” gift idea, like Dan McCarthy at Great Leadership who dedicated the latest Leadership Development Carnival to Boss Day. He suggests that a gift of leadership development is far better than any Hallmark card.

Discuss it with your coworkers today and whether you decide to shower your boss with gifts or not, try to have some fun with it.

From the Happy Worker, here are some “bossy” facts about bosses and Boss Day:

• There are 6.7 million managers in the U.S. (about 5% of the workforce).
• Around 7,500 people in the U.S. answer to Mr. or Mrs. Boss.
• Bossiest town - Boss, Missouri (population 609).
• The word “boss” comes from the Dutch word “baas” (meaning “a master”), a standard title for a ship’s captain.
• “Boss” was used for the first time in English in 1625.
• In the barnyard, “boss” can be used as another name for a cow or calf.

Visit the Happy Worker for more fun and game ideas for Boss Day including classic boss quotes, posters and the ever-popular BossMan Action Figure.

Corporate team building hot from the oven

Company picnics step aside, there’s a new player heating up the corporate team building scene taking companies out of the office and into the kitchen to create unforgettable company events.

Parties That Cook uses hands-on team building cooking classes to encourage teamwork, boost morale, build culinary confidence and foster camaraderie.

From MSNBC:

“Food is a universal language and it just brings people together. It’s a great thing to do for corporate team building”, said Bibby Gignilliat, founder of Parties that Cook, which is feeding the need for corporate team building.

Gignilliat says bringing colleagues together and having them prepare a meal together spices up competition between co-workers. The result? Dinner garnished with camaraderie, served with a side of competitive edge.

“Building consensus, communicating is really important, goal setting, meeting deadlines," said Gignilliat. "All that can go back to the office."

Whether teams are creating delicious appetizers, four-course sit-down dinners, or battling each other in Iron Chef inspired cooking competitions, the events encourage teamwork in an exciting, creative atmosphere.

Parties That Cook proves that with some creativity, corporate team building can be exciting and fun. While Parties That Cook is currently limited to San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles, you could look into private cooking classes in your area or find a local chef to host an event at a coworkers house.

Look for the top qualities of a great team building event:

• Goal oriented. The event is organized and structured in such a way that you will achieve your team building goals.
• Cost effective. Can you reach your team building goals while staying within your budget?
• Practical. The activities during the event should directly relate to the objectives you set out with.
• Fun. Make sure every participant is able to enjoy themselves during the event.
• Cross-generational. Ensure that employees from every age group can participate and have fun at the event.
• Memorable. Choose an event where employees will remember the great time they had and bring the lessons they learned back to the office.

Corporate team building events don’t have to be expensive or outlandish. With some imagination and a little bit of fun, you can create a company team building event that strengthens bonds and encourages teamwork.

Have you ever been a part of an “out of the box” corporate team building event like Parties That Cook? Do you think it was more effective than more traditional events?

Reminder: Corporate training in a recession, free webinar

For everyone who caught our first announcement and to those who may have missed it, we would like to send out a friendly reminder that this Wednesday, October 15, Training Time will be holding a free webinar - Squeezing the Most Out of Your Training Budget: Corporate Training in a Recession.

Experienced training professionals will share:

• The typical corporate response to recession and its impact on training
• The priceless value of training during tough economic times
• How to find better training resources at less cost
• How to identify the specific training needs of your company

Whether you’re a supervisor responsible for training your team, an HR professional who regularly presents seminars and classes, or head of training for your company, we encourage you to attend.

Get the most benefit out of every training dollar and join us on Wednesday October 15, 2008 at 1 p.m. EST for Squeezing the Most Out of Your Training Budget: Corporate Training in a Recession. Space is limited, so please reserve your seat now.

Friday office humor: Ergonomically-correct chairs

Is your desk ergonomically correct? Sure, you may have a fancy keyboard wrist pad and the craziest-looking mouse in your department, but how great is your chair?

The Kneelsit is the latest in ergonomically-correct office chairs, with unique features designed to reduce back pain associated with most desk chairs.

The chair is customized to fit each users body type and the unique design helps take pressure off the spine and lower back, alleviating back pain by correcting posture.

Though OSHA requires employers to distribute information on ergonomics in the workplace and identifies musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) as a workplace hazard, I don’t see too many bosses jumping on board with this idea.

Even if you do get past the look of the chair when pitching the idea to the boss, there’s still the price to worry about - $499 per chair.

Is your company proactive when it comes to ergonomics in the workplace? Would anyone out there buy a chair like this?

On a side note ... does this bring back any memories of the Hula Chair?

Training the trainer: A lesson from the trail

Today, Michelle Sterling from The Break Room shares a lesson on on-the-job training (OJT) learned during a recent hike: “Very often the most effective learning takes place in the field.”

I encourage you to read the story as Sterling tells it, but here’s a rough summary:

Shortly into her hike, Sterling encounters two teenage boys on mountain bikes, one instructing the other on how to bike to the bottom of a 10-foot hill. The novice biker is worried, but his experienced friend tells him to not worry, do as he was instructed and is promised safety at the bottom of the hill.

Both bikers make it safely down the hill, exhilarated by their accomplishment. The experienced biker continues his instruction, giving the novice biker some constructive criticism on what he could do differently next time.

After watching the interaction between the bikers, Sterling thinks it’s about time to blaze a new trail in corporate training:

If this is what engaged learning looks like, perhaps we have been focusing our training efforts on the wrong audience. Could it be that if we really want to impact the corporate learner’s experience, we need to stop focusing so much time and energy on the end-user/learner, and start spending a little more time teaching the learners’ leaders how to deliver engaging OJT?

... perhaps by spending more of our time helping managers become better teachers, we could ultimately end up with a better ROI all the way around. If we recognize that impactful learning takes place in the field and on the job, and that not everyone is a natural teacher, shouldn’t we do everything we can to develop a management team with a skill set that supports effective OJT?

Especially during tough times, a well-trained employee is your best asset in business, but not every manager is a natural teacher. Many need help learning how to be a leader and an effective trainer.

Train the trainer -- employees will benefit more from training delivered by a confident manager they trust is qualified. By giving managers the tools they need to improve their own skill set and boost self-confidence, the entire team will come out on top.

Telecommuting = Productivity, healthy employees, more money

If you’re noticing more of your coworkers coming to work angry everyday or heightened tensions around the office then the latest survey results from the American Psychological Association may not surprise you:

More than 8 out of 10 Americans are significantly more stressed about their personal finances and the economy than ever before.

“Half of the respondents in the survey said they are increasingly stressed about their ability to provide for their family's basic needs. More than half, 56 percent, expressed concerns about job stability. This has translated into less productivity at work, because of anxieties about salary, heavy workload and job security,” as reported on CNN.

With money woes in most employees’ lives and businesses trying to save money, you would think more would be using telecommuting programs to save money on both sides.

Companies who offer employees telecommuting options find greater employee productivity, lower operating costs, improved employee health and higher retention rates, according to recently released telecommuting statistics from the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

The latest telecommuting statistics from CompTIA’s research show:

• 67% of companies polled said employees were more productive, mainly because they spent less time commuting.
• 59% reported having saved money from reduced use of office-related supplies and resources.
• 39% reported easier access to a more qualified staff located in other regions.
• 37% said telecommuting improved employee retention.
• 25% reported better employee health, citing lower stress levels by eliminating commuting.
• Companies cited other benefits including promotion of safety through reduced highway use (18%) and environmental benefits (17%).

Whether your company offers telecommuting as a part-time or full-time option, you now have evidence that it protects the bottom line while lightening employees’ financial burdens. It’s a win-win situation.

Here are some resources to help get your telecommuting program off the ground:

Top 5 reasons to let employees telecommute - The Chief Happiness Officer

5 most common telecommuting mistakes - HR Tech News

Telecommuting: Getting bosses on board - BusinessWeek

Managing Telecommuters - Chapter 573.2 - The Future of Work Weblog

eTools, online training saves time and money

The latest Hospital eTool, designed to help workers avoid common hazards in the healthcare industry, was posted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Web site last week.

The new sonography and surgical modules featured in the Hospital eTool aim to keep employers and employees in the health care industry safe from injury or illness. This interactive eTool enable users to answer questions and receive reliable advice on how OSHA regulations would apply to their workplace.

OSHA’s eTools are stand-alone, Web-based training tools on occupational safety and health topics including:

• Construction
• Lockout/Tagout
• Computer Workstations
• Scaffolding
• Teen Worker Safety in Restaurants

Depending on the nature of your business, blending computer and Web-based training with traditional methods can boost training ROI. Especially when budgets are strapped, online training may prove to be the most cost-effective and time-saving instruction method.

Take a look at some older posts on how to get the most out of e-learning:

E-Learning Best Practices: Bridging the generational gap

Training for training sake? Improve training ROI

Mobile learning: Fast and thrifty employee training

Using Second Life for virtual corporate training and communication

Lacking training, workers feel unqualified for jobs

Top managers across the globe agree that training and development is an integral part of their organization’s strategy, but many of their employees feel unqualified to get the job done.

Whether you’re talking about Vice Presidential candidates or a new manager in the office, it turns out that a lack of experience and training is common in the workforce.

Nearly seven out of 10 workers have been asked to complete tasks without receiving appropriate training beforehand, according to a recent SkillSoft global survey.

“The survey also found that regardless of location and job title, the majority of workers think ongoing training and development, and the flexibility to take the training when necessary, are essential, no matter what the employee's position.”

Of North American workers, 68% said that training would have helped them before beginning certain tasks in their jobs.

The top 5 tasks managers are asked to do without adequate training:

1. Project management
2. Technical tasks
3. Managing people
4. Leadership
5. Compliance related tasks

The top functions within an organization where ongoing training and development is most important:

1. Supervisors (70%)
2. Customer Service Team (54%)
3. IT Team (52%)
4. Operations Team (52%)
5. Senior Managers (52%)

It is time that companies give employees the training and development they need to do their jobs correctly. Especially during tough times, where people are taking on more tasks as a result of layoffs and downsizing, employee training is essential to the success of your business.

Have you ever been put in a position where you felt unqualified? Do you feel people in your company lack the experience to excel in their jobs?

Is talking politics in the office avoidable?

With the Vice Presidential debate last night and the Presidential election entering its final weeks, it may be hard to find an office free of political discussion these days.

Half of workers openly discuss politics in the office, according to a 2008 survey of U.S. employees conducted by human resources firm Adecco USA. A staggering 61% of Millenials and Generation Y employees think it’s acceptable to talk politics at work.

While it may be acceptable in some workplaces, if political discussion turns into a heated political debate you may have a serious problem on your hands.

From ABC News:

“Reveal which candidate you’re backing to a boss with opposing views, and you risk being penalized on the job by a petty partisan.

... But addressing the election in the workplace is sometimes unavoidable, especially if you work in an ultra-casual small office, or your manager is politically, shall we say, exuberant. So, what should you do if you find yourself staring down a political debate with your boss or another colleague?”

So, is it possible to avoid talking politics at work? Some may think so, but here are some tips to handle situations where it may be completely unavoidable:

• Ask questions. Buy yourself some time by asking the other person questions like, “So, you’ve made your decision?” and “What convinced you to make up your mind?”


• Plead the fifth. If the other person insists on hearing your opinion, simply explain that you like to keep your political opinions to yourself.


• Say something funny. If a coworker or boss continues asking your political opinion, say something to diffuse the situation like, “Will my answer show up in my quarterly review?”


• Agree to disagree. Stay calm and explain to the other person that you respect their opinion, but would rather not talk about it at work.


• Discuss rather than debate. Again, stay calm. Do your best to have a political discussion, not debate. If things start to get heated, tell the other person you’re late for a meeting and leave the room.

Free webinar: Corporate training in a recession

As our economy continues to suffer, corporate budgets are stretched tighter and tighter. Right now it is more important than ever to get the most bang for your buck in every area of your business - including training and development.

In response to a recession, many companies turn to downsizing, eliminating training opportunities and consolidating multiple jobs into one position. Instead of taking the "easy" way out, find creative ways to stretch your training dollar in our free webinar: Squeezing the Most Out of Your Training Budget: Corporate Training in a Recession.

Why training is invaluable during tough times:

• Workers who perform more efficiently with less errors and delays
• Training fosters employee loyalty and encourages development
• Employees taking on extra work can get up to speed more quickly with the proper training
• Training improves morale and employee confidence
• A well trained employee is your best asset

If you are a manager responsible for training your team, an HR professional who regularly presents seminars and classes, or the director of training for your company, this webinar is for you.

Experienced training professionals will share tips and ideas to find better, more cost-effective training opportunities including the pros and cons of in-house versus outside training, the benefits of group versus individualized training, virtual training and tapping into expert talent within your company.

Times may be tough, but good training doesn’t have to be expensive. Now is the worst time to cut back on employee development, according to Management experts like Ram Charan:

“Sacrificing your future for a slightly more comfortable present is not worth it. If you keep building, you can come back strong,” said Charan in Fortune.

Join us on Wednesday, October 15, 2008, at 1 p.m. EST for our free webinar - Squeezing the Most Out of Your Training Budget: Corporate Training in a Recession. Space is limited, so reserve your seat now.

New study: Positive work environments = healthy employees

Though it may sound obvious, we now have scientific research proving that happy employees are healthier and miss less work. Positive, trusting work environments where employees utilize their strengths are instrumental to a sense of well-being, according to results from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

“In the first six months of 2008, 56 percent of workers in high-quality jobs (those who express satisfaction with their work, use their strengths daily, work in a culture of trust and have an employee-boss partnership) were classified as thriving, while only 39 percent of workers in low-quality jobs (those with two or less of the above attributes) were thriving,” according to poll results.

People in “high-quality jobs” said the way they feel on weekends is similar to how they feel on weekdays when it comes to respect, happiness, and feelings of anger or stress. People in “low-quality jobs” feel significantly worse on weekdays than on weekends and are less likely to feel happiness, experience learning or feel respected.

On average, people in negative work environments stay home 1.25 days each month, 15 days a year more than those in more “pleasant” work environments.

Factors contributing to a negative work environment include job dissatisfaction, an authoritative boss, lack of trust and lack of focus on individual strengths.

A strong worker well-being is determined by engaging work with opportunity for career development, social time with family and friends, regular exercise (30 minutes/day), frequent laughter and job satisfaction.

We have the proof that positive work environments promote employee health and well-being, now what are we going to do with it?

For starters, you could:

• Explore some of our past ideas to reduce stress at work.
• Help improve employee health, loyalty and engagement by starting a wellness program.
• Play video games at work.
• Or, just break stuff.