Workplace communication: Using the right words

When you tell someone, “remember the meeting time” or “don’t forget the meeting time,” you’re saying the same thing, right?

Not at all, according to Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace. The statements are different, because our brains fail to register negatives.

When you use a negative sentence like, “Don’t forget the meeting time,” your brain ignores the “don’t” and only hears “forget the meeting time.”

If you get rid of the negativity and start using the positive alternative, saying “Remember the meeting time,” your coworkers will be more likely to show up on time.

The mind wants direction, not a sense of "lack." That's why it's important to pay attention to how you say things. If I tell you that something is "not very expensive" you'll focus on "expensive."

This is how improvement efforts often get bogged down: "I want us to make fewer mistakes" translates differently than "I want to increase the accuracy of our customer service solutions by 30% before November 30."

So, instead of telling you “Don’t forget to have a Happy Thanksgiving.” I’ll simply say, “have a Happy Thanksgiving!”

Top rewards of hiring veterans

The training and long hours spent preparing for the battlefield has proven to pay off for veterans when leaving the military and entering the civilian workforce. In hiring veterans, employers report added rewards after onboarding these employees including responsibility, teamwork and the ability to work under pressure.

Almost four in 10 (38%) of human resource professionals nationwide have hired a war veteran in the past three years, according to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

The study also found that hiring veterans is even more popular in government entities, with 67% hiring a veteran. Half of publicly owned, for-profit companies report hiring a returning combat veteran.

Among employers who reported hiring veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars:

• 95% said the benefit of hiring vets is they have a “strong sense of responsibility.”
• 94% said they have the ability to “work as part of a team.”
• 93% said they “see a task through to completion.”
• 92% said veterans have the ability to “work under pressure.”

The situations soldiers are put in during training and deployment required them to “grow up fast,” according to Bryan Zawikowski, vice president of the military transition division at the Lucas Group, in a recent Human Resource Executive Online article.

As they complete their enlistment time, "a young officer at the age of 30 can have responsibilities greater than most [workers] in the private sector," said Zawikowski.

While veterans entering the workforce may need help transitioning and will have to adapt their skills to new tasks, their active-duty experiences have equipped them to meet those challenges, he added.

"By the time they come out of the military, they are used to learning new things, used to training and used to being held accountable for their performance and the performance of their team," said Zawikowski.

For employers looking to hire veterans and advice for transitioning soldiers, check out the following online resources:

• RecruitMilitary.com
• HireVetsFirst.gov
• VetJobs.com
• MilitaryHire.com
• Military.com
• TAOnline.com

Employee feedback: 5 cent experiment

How much should you spend delivering quality feedback to your team each week?

According to the Slacker Manager, “5 cents can be the best investment you’ll ever make in your team.”

Last week, he outlined a great experiment in employee feedback that every manager should try. Anyone with pockets and some loose change can participate.

Instructions:

Every day this week, put 5 cents in one pocket, in the form of 5 pennies. Each time you give someone specific positive feedback, move a penny to the other pocket. Each time you use all 5 of your pennies, start over and move them to the other pocket.

Try to give at least 5 cents worth of specific positive feedback to your team each day.

Repeat this exercise for the next 30 days. If you like to keep score, add up how many cents you’ve shared with your team, and donate the change you’ve made to a worthy cause, or to an office fund that your employees can benefit from.

Not only is it an awesome idea, but it’s a great way to recognize employees on the cheap and takes just a few minutes out of your day. Invest 5 cents in your team this week and let us know how it goes.

More Friday training fun: Turkey Bowl 2008

Think you know everything there is to know about Thanksgiving? Test your Thanksgiving Trivia knowledge in the Turkey Bowl 2008, the latest training game from C3 Visuals.

Top scores will be entered in a contest to win BRAVO!, a new software suite that helps you create engaging and fun training games that make users feel like they’re in the middle of an online quiz show.

For more training quiz shows or to learn how to make your own visit the C3 Visuals profile at TrainingTime.com.

Friday office humor: Worst employees of the year

The candidates were chosen, the votes were tallied and we finally have the results of the Top 10 Worst Employees of 2008. Was there another election more important this year?

If you thought that your manager was the meanest or no one could possibly have more annoying coworkers, Career Builder’s list of this year’s worst employees may prove you wrong.

Take worst employee No. 1, Marie Cooley, for example. Her story:

After seeing an ad in the paper for job that sounded like hers, Cooley thought her company was planning to fire her. For revenge, she attempted to sabotage the business by destroying $2.5 million worth of computer files. Cooley told investigators she went into work over the weekend, got angry, disconnected internal power cables and deleted files from the server. She was arrested and charged with damaging computer equipment.

Or worst employee No. 4, Judge Robert Restaino:

Restaino was hearing domestic violence cases when a cell phone rang in court. After no one owned up to the phone, Restaino "snapped" and jailed all 46 people who were in the courtroom. New York's top court removed him as a city court judge, saying punishing innocent people is "inexcusable."

Or even worst employee No. 7, Robert Irvine:

Irvine embellished and fabricated the more impressive parts of his résumé, including claiming to have cooked for the British royal family; catering to four U.S. presidents; and helping to make Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cake. His contract with the Food Network was terminated.

See? Your coworkers aren’t as bad as you thought. Enjoy your Friday!

How to improve morale during the holidays

Maybe it’s because of the canceled company holiday party or low year-end sales numbers, but it seems like this holiday season is lacking the same excitement surrounding past years.

Even when the economy was doing great, the holidays always have a way of distracting us from the things we need to get done around the office. With everything going on in employees’ lives outside of work, it can be tough to find the motivation to tackle that to-do list by the time New Year’s rolls around.

Here are a few tips to motivate employees and boost morale during the holidays:

• Food. Throughout the year, especially during the holidays, food has magical way of bringing people together. Hold a bake sale, coordinate a luncheon or bring in a bag of bagels for your coworkers. It’s a quick way to lift everyone’s spirits without anyone having to spend a lot of money.


• Compliments. Encourage supervisors to hand out compliments to employees when they notice positive work or achievements. Compliments are also an immediate way to lift spirits and make employees feel confident in their work. And, they’re free. Simply saying “thank you” can do wonders for employee morale.


• Holiday cards. Business holiday cards are just a small way businesses can show their appreciation for all of the hard work employees have put in throughout the year. Take a few minutes to write a hand-written message on the inside of the card to add a personal touch.


• Fun. Find simple ways to improve morale at work every day. Hold contests, bring in pizza for lunch or make up a nonsense holiday, like “Funny Hat Day.” Decorate the office with winter decorations to brighten up the office and encourage teamwork. Keep it simple, just focus on getting everyone involved and having a great time.


• Humor. Hold an event that brings some laughter into the office. Organize an office-wide activity where supervisors hand out funny awards to employees. Not every employee views formal awards as fair, or feel left out. Funny awards get everyone laughing, whether they receive an award or not. You don’t have to spend a dime on this one either. Use supplies in the office to create awards that everyone will love. A word of caution - keep awards focused on what people did well, not on something they failed to do.

Don’t wait until January 2 to start improving employee morale around the office, get going now. With simple ideas and some creativity, a little bit of effort on your part can go a long way.

New FMLA rules: What you need to know

On Monday, November 17, the U.S. Department of Labor released the first set of revisions to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The new regulations implement the new military leave law and make several changes to existing FMLA rules.

Regarding military leave, the new FMLA rule:

• Expands FMLA protections for family members caring for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness incurred in the line of duty. These family members may take up to 26 workweeks of leave in a 12-month period.


• Employees may also take up to 12 weeks of FMLA job-protected leave for a “qualifying exigency” related to a family member in the military to manage their affairs. “Qualifying exigencies” include for example, short-notice deployments, military events, counseling, childcare and post-deployment activities.

Other notable changes:

• Serious health condition. To qualify for FMLA leave for a “serious health condition,” an employee or family member bust be incapacitated for more than three consecutive days and make at least two visits to a health care provider. The two health care visits must occur within 30 days of the period of incapacity. The new rules also clarify that “periodic visits to a health care provider” for chronic serious health conditions is at least two visits to a health care provider each year.


• Medical certification process. Employers have up to five business days to request medical certification after receiving an employees FMLA leave notice. Employees must provide medical certification within 15 days after requesting FMLA leave, including foreseeable leave.


• Employer notice requirements. Employers must provide employees with four different notices: general, eligibility, rights and responsibilities, and designation.

The new FMLA regulations will take effect on January 16, 2009. As an employer, you will be required to post a new federal Family and Medical Leave poster and update your FMLA forms to include several new forms contained within the latest regulations.

Before the new FMLA rules go into effect, you should inform your staff about the recent changes and revise your current FMLA policies, procedures and forms to reflect the latest regulations. Remember to post an updated FMLA poster as soon as one becomes available.

For more information, read this FMLA changes Q & A. If you would like to flip through the 700+ pages of the FMLA changes as they appear in the Federal Register, you can read the official document.

Employee recognition ideas on the cheap, it’s easier than you think

Actually, the best employee recognition ideas don’t have to cost anything at all. Forget about big bonuses and expensive gifts, all you have to do is say “thank you” ... and say it often.

According to Bob Nelson, the “guru of thank you” and author of the bestselling 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, organizations must do more to thank employees and show their appreciation often.

“The number one reason people leave their jobs today is that they don’t feel recognized for the job they’re doing,” Bob said in an interview about a year ago with The Power of Goodwill.

Bob, who has worked with such companies as FedEx, Time Warner and IBM, believes that paychecks alone don’t make people happy.

“Peter Drucker, who’s the father of modern management, once said that money is always used initially to reward performance, but in no time at all it becomes an expectation and eventually it becomes an entitlement. People expect to get a raise just for sticking around another year. And in the typical organization, only three per cent of the base pay separates average from outstanding performers; there’s no alignment of compensation around performance. But not everyone gets recognition, and that’s partly why it means so much.”

“You get what you reward,” says Janet Smith from The Power of Goodwill. She expands on the basic management principal, explaining that if you want more outstanding work from an employee “say thank you the very next time that employee performs an iota of outstanding work.”

Do whatever feels right the next time you want to recognize employees and demonstrate appreciation, Janet said. It can be as simple as writing the employee a note, taking them to lunch or acknowledging their work in a staff meeting.

Even when times are tough, employee recognition does not have to suffer along with your budget. According to Bob, it’s usually the times when we need to recognize employees the most is when we tend to do it the least.

With a few modifications, employees will still appreciate signs of recognition, no matter how small the package. There are special considerations to delivering recognition when budgets are strapped and economic situations are tough, Bob said in an article from Harvard Management Update. He offered this example:

“Say you give a team award that used to come with $250 but because you can't afford the $250, you stop giving the team award anymore. I say still give the team award. Say something like, "We've had to drop the financial aspect to hunker down, but it doesn't diminish the value of the job that this team did, especially at this time." When we are up against it, just a word of support, a team lunch, a "hang in there," can go a very long way.”

There are countless ways to show employees you appreciate and value their work. If you need more ideas take a look at an older post on the topic, or check out Bob’s 1001 Ways to Reward Employees.

However you choose to do it, remember to thank your employees and thank them often.

Employee engagement down, how training can help

With businesses across the country suffering under the flailing economy, now is not the time for employee engagement to start deteriorating. Unfortunately, experts say that’s exactly what’s happening.

Employee engagement levels are dropping across the board, revealing that 21% of U.S. workers actively disengaged, according to a recent national study by Modern Survey.

Notably fewer workers feel a strong sense of pride in their companies. Now only about half say they are willing to put in extra effort to help their company succeed and only about half say they intend to stay with their company for a long time.

“You can’t open a newspaper or surf the internet without being bombarded by headlines and stories about the country’s ever-deepening economic troubles. Month after month, we’ve all been learning about the subprime mortgage mess, plummeting property values, foreclosures, layoffs, and the collapse of some of our largest financial institutions. People are spending a lot more time worrying about how to make ends meet than they did just a year or two ago,” said Bruce Campbell, a Senior Consultant at Modern Survey.

Among a long list of unexpected costs, poor employee engagement can lead to unplanned absenteeism, a lack of teamwork, low productivity and damaged morale. Though we can’t do much about the nation’s economy, we can do something to improve employee engagement within our own organizations.


How training can help

Engage employees by providing opportunities where they can improve personal leadership skills. Leadership training gives employees who may be feeling stuck in their current position an outlet to explore the next step and the ambition needed to move up in the company.

Outside training courses and seminars can be expensive and require companies to dole out hundreds of dollars in travel expenses. The best way to keep costs low is to provide in-house employee training and put existing resources to good use.

An employee mentoring program is one low-cost and effective leadership training idea that can help boost employee engagement. Partner employees with managers and executives and have them shadow each other or work on a project together. Both partners will appreciate the change of pace and the employee will pick up valuable, hands-on leadership training that can’t be found at any off-site workshop.

Times are tough right now for everyone. Providing employees with leadership training opportunities will improve engagement and help your business come out on top when the storm clouds pass.


For more employee engagement ideas, check out these related posts:

Incentives and rewards: Now is the time to act

5 tips to build employee morale in a down economy

Corporate volunteering builds teamwork, improves employee retention

Employee incentive ideas on a budget

5 tips of employee training on a tight budget

Friday office humor: Dodgeball at work

Apart from paying new hires to quit, encouraging employees to Tweet and extending their product line to include much more than shoes, there's still another reason why Zappos is one of the most exciting companies to work for - dodgeball.

The popular online shoe company has organized daily dodgeball games to relieve workplace stress and get employees moving during the afternoon. Following strict rules to keep the game "fair, friendly, and safe," employees still have fun interacting with each other through the popular childhood game.

From the Inside Zappos blog:

"As a stress reliever from planning warehouse budgets, making purchases, hiring and handling all benefits paperwork, writing scripts to run site manager, and becoming friends with OSHA; the admin team wants to throw something!!!

They decided to start a friendly game of dodge ball, the all time favorite recess sport! Dodge ball is played daily at 3pm in the upstairs office. What a great work out and stress reliever! Kudos, my friends, and remember... safety first!"

Some first-hand video footage of recess time at Zappos:




Happy Friday!

Employee security training: Spam 101

Security researchers estimate that cyber criminals send between 3,000 and 10,000 unique pieces of malware - viruses and other types of malicious code - a day. The number of attacks on businesses is growing, with the amount of spam in the workplace expected to increase 300% from 2007.

Spam management costs U.S. businesses more than $71 billion annually in lost productivity, about $712 per employee, according to a study released last year by Nucleus Research.

With the rate at which cyber criminals develop malware, security software “really isn’t blocking a heck of a lot,” said Gartner Analyst John Pescatore in a Wall Street Journal article.

As soon as software developers find a way to protect businesses from spam, cyber criminals quickly find a way to get around it.

Until security software works perfectly, there’s only one surefire way for businesses to adapt to internet security problems - training employees on the dangers of spam.

“Make sure individual workers fully understand the value of the data they work with day in and day out, and the techniques that cyber criminals use to try to steal those data. Until then, security software will just be a Band-Aid on a gaping wound,” advises Ben Worthen in a WSJ blog.

Sophos, a developer and vendor of security solutions, advises businesses to follow a set of best practices to defend against viruses, spyware and adware:

1. Use anti-virus software. Install anti-virus software on every computer in the office and ensure virus definitions are kept up to date. Also remember to protect computers used by employees working from home.


2. Set filters. Set email filters to block files that often contain malicious code, including EXE, COM, PIF, SCR, VBS, SHS, CHM and BAT file types. Block files with multiple extensions, for example LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.VBS. Route any code sent to your organization through your IT department to check and approve that the files are safe.


3. Educate workers on the latest virus threats. Stay up to date on the latest virus threats and educate employees on the dangers of spam so everyone knows what to look out for.


4. Use firewall protection. Every computer in your organization connected to the outside world should be protected from internet threats with firewalls, including computers used by remote workers.


5. Install the latest software patches. Stay up-to-date on the latest patches issued by software developers that resolve security loopholes and issues.


6. Develop a back-up system. Make regular backups of important work and company data and store it in a safe location, possibly off-site in case of a disaster.


7. Establish an anti-virus policy. Develop a company-wide anti-virus policy as a preventative safety measure. Educate workers on the importance of following the policy and who they should go to with security questions.

For a full overview of how to protect your business from the dangers of malware and viruses in the workplace, read Sophos’ full article on ways to defend against viruses, spyware and adware.


Related posts:

Employee security training: How to catch ‘phish’

Disaster planning: Would your company sink or swim?

Personal productivity training, six simple tips

Productivity. There are a countless number of blogs dedicated to the subject and thousands of books sold everyday on how to get more done in the shortest amount of time, so why is improving personal productivity such a struggle?

Developers create ingenious web applications designed to streamline tasks and boost productivity, but the latest and greatest gadgets on the market can sometimes be the biggest distractions in your day.

Instead of searching for a new gadget to help you get more done, focus on the notion that “less is more” and find simple solutions to improve productivity during your workday.

Use these six simple tips to improve personal productivity:

1. Prioritize. Take a few minutes out of your morning to sit down and list everything you hope to accomplish that day. List those tasks in order, with the highest priority items on top. Knowing your priorities can help you focus on completing the most important work first, without wasting time on unnecessary tasks. Also, keep the list in a prominent place on your desk to keep you focused.


2. Stay on track. As you start each task on your priority list, set an expected deadline to stick to while you work. Putting a time limit on each task will create a sense of urgency, encouraging you to work harder in order to meet your deadline. If you finish a task before you reach the deadline, stop working on it and start on the next thing on your list.


3. Limit distractions. Block out time in your calendar, let calls go to voice mail and don't check your e-mail. Consider setting up certain times of the day to check and respond to e-mail to limit distractions throughout the day. When people come into your cube, be nice, but let them know you're busy and ask if you could help at another time.


4. Disconnect. If possible, leave the office and go somewhere without access to the Internet. Keep your cell phone with you for important calls and let everyone know you’re still available by phone. Limiting your access to the Internet will eliminate a major distraction and help you cross off more items on your to-do list.


5. Make the most of your prime time. Everyone has a certain time of the day when we know we work best. Capitalize on that part of the day when your energy is high and you have a greater ability to think and concentrate. Tackle your most important tasks during your high-productivity time and schedule less important activities at other times of the day.


6. Clear the clutter. Even if you think that your system of “organized chaos” is working, it’s not. The time you spend searching through stacks of folders and papers on your desk takes away from valuable time where you could be getting important tasks completed. When your desk is clean and organized, you’ll feel less stressed and work more efficiently throughout the day.

While the latest gadgets and gizmos on the market promise to improve personal productivity, sometimes disconnecting can be the best way to get more accomplished. When training for productivity, let your audience know that getting back to the basics may be the best remedy for getting more done.


Related posts:

Distracted employees, tips on how to stay focused at work

Incentives and rewards: Now is the time to act

Telecommuting = Productivity, healthy employees, more money

De-stress at work and encourage innovation

Tuesday’s top 6 training links

There’s just too much great advice on training out there right now to break up and cover separately. So, we put it all of the latest information on training and development in a nice little list:

1. When companies hit hard times, employee training and development is one of the first departments to “feel the pain,” says Chris Ferdinandi at the Manager’s Sandbox. Yesterday Chris wrote a great post on how to get started on building a better training program and has two follow-ups planned. Go play in the sandbox and check it out.


2. A few weeks ago we covered a a Wall Street Journal article where UCLA professor Samuel Culbert denounced the effectiveness of performance reviews. Kris Dunn, The HR Capitalist, says “Kill the Performance Review - But Only If Every Manager You Have Can Coach.”


3. Why is it that the “times when you feel like you need training the most are the very times when you feel you can afford it the least?” asks Jason Seiden. He recently wrote a great run-down of the Key Success Factors (KSFs) that could help you reduce training expense without impacting the effectiveness of the program. “When financial capital is tight, human capital has got to be on.” Read the post and find out how to improve your training program.


4. Training during an economic recession can boost your competitive edge, according to Juliette Dennett in an article on TrainingZone out of the UK. When business owners tighten up budgets and put non-essential activities on hold, employee training is usually included. Read the article and learn why right now is the right time to invest in key members of your workforce.


5. Organizations fail to maximize learning retention because of 7 key reasons, including a lack of learner buy-in, poorly defined objectives and a lack of follow-up, according to a recent study by the World of Learning. Simon Cooper at Brilliant Learning breaks down each reason and examines exactly “Why Training Isn’t Working.”


6. Laurie Ruettimann of Punk Rock HR recommends checking out the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the troops and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their civilian supporters. Take a minute to check out their list of employment resources for veterans.

From all of us at Training Time on this Veterans Day, we would like to thank all of those serving our country at home and overseas.

Nixed holiday party impacts employee morale

It looks like the trend of canceling holiday parties has spread from under the umbrella of Viacom companies and into Main Street businesses.

Following Viacom’s lead, Morgan Stanley, ABC News and American Express are three of the latest major employers to cancel company holiday parties this year.

The current economic downturn has employers cutting back on end of the year costs by trimming expenses and muting, sometimes canceling, year-end parties.

According to a national survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.:

• 77% of employers are planning holiday parties this year, down from 90% in 2007.
• 13% of employers are cutting their party budget an average of 53%.
• Only 4.3% are increasing party budgets, and increases average only about 5%.

This depressed holiday season will mark a 20-year low in the number of company-sponsored celebrations held, according to a survey by executive search firm Battalia Winston Amrop of more than 100 American leading businesses.

About 37% of businesses said their event has been canceled or scaled down because of the economy, almost double the 19% of companies affected last year, according to the Battalia survey.

Of those companies celebrating the season with a holiday party, the most popular cost-cutting measures include:

• Not serving alcohol or limiting open bar hours
• Not using a caterer or outside party planning service
• Hiring a DJ instead of a live band
• Holding a party in January when rates are less expensive than December
• Limiting the party to employees only
• Holding the party on a workday or near the end of a workday

Even with a strapped budget this holiday season, studies show that simple employee incentive ideas can be just as effective as throwing a lavish party. Companies can improve employee loyalty and increase productivity with simple communication, including telling employees “thank you,” leaving a lighthearted holiday card on the employees’ desk or taking a deserving employee out to lunch.

“Hosting a more low-key or low-budget celebration is better than canceling the party entirely, says Challenger, who advises employers that “these year-end celebrations are an effective way of boosting employee morale, especially in tough economic times.”

With a struggling economy and worried employees, now is not the time to forget about employee appreciation. If your company canceled their end of the year party, or are thinking about it, remember to find other creative ways to recognize employees and spread some holiday cheer.

We would like to know - Is your company having a holiday party this year? Do you have any new ideas for cutting holiday party costs?

Holiday party canceled, two days off instead

It’s beginning to look a lot like that time of year again ... time to start worrying about the office holiday party and what could go wrong this year.

As many companies mull over the typical harassment issues that always seem to go along with office parties, others have found a way to avoid those holiday party problems all together.

This year, Viacom (owner of Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central, VH1 and Nickelodeon) is canceling their holiday party and giving employees time off from work instead. While the media giant has been under enormous financial pressure, with layoffs looming, it’s a trend that some in the HR industry support.

“Viacom just sent an internal email to employees telling them that the holiday party is canceled—but everyone gets two extra days of vacation instead! To ‘relax and recharge for the coming year,’” as posted on Gawker.

The only catch is that Viacom employees must be use their two paid days off between December 22 and January 1, but wouldn’t most people enjoy some extra time off during that time anyway?

To many it’s a no-brainer, but we would still like to know what you think. Office holiday party or two days off, which would you choose?

Training trends: Building trust, cutting clutter and cessation solutions

The November edition of Training Trends has landed in inboxes across the globe, sharing the latest tips, trend and buzz from the training industry. If you don't receive TrainingTime.com’s monthly newsletter yet, please take a minute to sign up.

Here’s a quick look at the November Training Trends newsletter:

Do Your Customers Trust You? Five Keys to Building Trust

As the economy continues to struggle, so do the profits and margins of many businesses in the U.S. and across the globe. Customers’ buying behavior has changed and businesses must use trust to develop customer relationships.


Give Your Reader a Break - Cut the Clutter

Work keeps us busy - for most of us, busier than we’d like. We need information, and we need it quickly. Most of us tend to get annoyed when it takes hard work to read a long, wordy business document. Use these tips to give your reader a break and cut the clutter.


The Worst Ideas in Stop Smoking Programs for Employees

employee smoking habits can cost your company big time. Smoking breaks and higher health care costs burn away at your bottom line. What are the best and worst ways to help employees kick the habit for good?

Please take a minute to sign up for Training Trends for the latest training information delivered to your inbox each month. For any HR and training experts our there, if you are interested in writing content for Training Trends or TrainingTime.com’s Learning Library, visit our “Write for Us” for information on how to contribute.

Preventing the flu in the office, six simple tips

As outdoor temperatures drop and winter starts rolling in, we’re reminded that flu season is just around the corner. An outbreak of the flu in any workplace drains attendance and productivity, not to mention putting employees at serious risk of developing dangerous flu complications.

Flu season in the U.S. generally lasts from November through March, and sometimes runs into early spring. Influenza or the flu is very contagious and is caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccination each year, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

On average 5% to 20% of the U.S. population falls ill with influenza each year, landing more than 200,000 people in the hospital with flu complications. Sadly, about 36,000 people die from flu complications. Those at high risk for serious complications include the elderly, young children and people with certain health conditions.

Offices and personal workspaces can be breeding grounds for the viruses that cause the flu. Don’t let the flu bring your company’s productivity to a stand still one cough at a time.

Keep employees safe and healthy by working to prevent the flu from spreading in your office with the following six tips:

1. Vaccinate. Talk to every employee about getting the flu shot. Find a local flu clinic or look into hosting a flu clinic at the office. Vaccination is the best way to prevent the flu.


2. Educate. Inform employees about flu symptoms and benefits of the flu shot. Distribute information and hang posters on the dangers of the flu and the importance of getting the vaccination.


3. Review. Review your sick leave and absence policies to ensure you don’t punish employees for being sick. Employees who think they will get in trouble for missing work are more likely to come in to the office no matter how ill they may be.


4. Encourage. Encourage employees to take preventative measures like washing their hands often, keeping a clean work area and using tissues when sneezing or coughing.


5. Avoid. If the flu has found its way into the office, employees can minimize exposure by limiting face-to-face time, telecommuting and holding off on business greetings like shaking hands.


6. Stay. Employees who have the flu should stay home. If an employee has flu symptoms, but feels well enough to work, consider telecommuting until their symptoms are gone.

It takes a collective effort to keep the flu from affecting your workplace. With teamwork and education, employees will have the tools to help prevent themselves and their coworkers from falling ill.

How training can capitalize on employees’ changing lunch habits

The struggling economy is having a powerful impact on the way Americans spend money during the workday, according to Vault.com’s “Workday Cutbacks” survey. An estimated 80% of workers have changed their workday habits when it comes to food and drink in order to save money.

The most significant changes in food and drink habits during the workday include:

• Avoiding the vending machines (19%)
• Bringing lunch from home (61%)
• Cutting back on morning or afternoon coffee runs (28%)
• Eating or picking up from less expensive places for lunch (41%)
• Skipping the happy hour outing (23%)
• Haven’t changed a thing (20%)

With more employees opting to bring their lunch to work rather than going out to eat, training professionals can capitalize on employees’ changing lunch habits is by offering “lunch and learn” training sessions.

Lunch and learn training programs are generally more relaxed and less structured than normal corporate training, where attending employees can enjoy their brown bag lunch while learning something new.

Among other bonuses, in-house employee training saves businesses money on travel expenses and improves productivity by reducing the time employees spend away from their desks.

Common lunch and learn programs include:

Skills training. Depending on the nature of your business, skills training could range from instructing sales teams how to answer the phone correctly to leadership training for newly promoted managers.

Product training. Lunch and learn training sessions are a great way to introduce new products and services your company is developing. It can also be a great time to brainstorm new product ideas.

Professional training. Use the talent already in the building to enhance the professional development of other employees. Maybe there’s someone in accounting who could teach a course in managing money, or someone in HR that could teach employees how to improve their resume.

Everyday skills. Especially with the economy in downturn, employees are interested in learning skills like household budgeting and investing. Other everyday training opportunities include first aid, fire safety and self defense.

Just for fun. Take an office poll - what do employees want to learn? Have fun with training by allowing employees with a special talent to teach a classes from arts and crafts to wood carving.


Turn the lunchroom into a classroom and foster employee training and development with a lunch and learn program of your own. Have fun and create a culture of learning employees will appreciate.

Workplace wellness: 5 healthy tips for work

Americans spend an average of 45 hours a week at work, amounting to about 40% of our waking hours each week. Because it's where we spend such a large chunk of our lives, it's important that we carry the healthy choices we make at home into the workplace.

Keeping your work environment a healthy place to be can be difficult, but with a few tips and tricks it can be easy to make a change for the better. Here are some easy to follow tips for employee wellness at work:

1. Get out of the office. Even if you have only a minute or two to spare, venture outside of those depressing gray walls and into some sunshine. Set aside 15 to 30 minutes of your lunch break to take a walk around the block or office building.


2. Brown bag it. Taking your own lunch to work can help you cut calories and save money. It doesn't have to be fancy, just try to fit in all the food groups for a well-rounded meal. It can be as simple as: a piece of fruit, a sandwich on wholegrain bread and some raw vegetables (think carrots and celery sticks).


3. Keep healthy snacks at your desk. The office can be full of dangerous, calorie-filled snack traps. Avoid snacking on birthday cupcakes or raiding the office candy jar by keeping healthy snacks like fruit, nuts or rice cakes at your desk.


4. Less coffee, more water. While drinking one to three cups of coffee a day can be healthy, over-consumption can be harmful. If you tend to drink more than three cups of coffee a day, try alternating each cup with a glass of water.


5. Clean your work area. Your computer mouse, keyboard and phone are the top places where bacteria collect on your desk. Wipe down the surface of your desk, phone and computer regularly with an anti-bacterial spray or wipe to cut down on illness-causing germs.

When it comes to health, sometimes the smallest steps can make a big impact. If you're working to improve your diet and fitness at home, remember to bring those healthy habits with you into the office everyday to ensure success.