Education 2.0 & 3.0

Tension, anxiety, and drama are on the rise. Leaders can take steps to reduce drama and improve workplace culture.

Via Tom D'Amico (@TDOttawa)

Every office runs into some form of distraction that plagues the workplace. Distractions are incredibly common and can damage productivity, focus and employee morale.

 

In fact, a 2015 survey from Oxford Economics found that employee satisfaction and productivity are affected quite negatively by distractions in the workplace specifically caused by cubicle setups. However, cubicle farms aren’t the only reasons distractions occur.  

 

Here are some of the most common distractions plaguing the workplace and how employers can easily overcome them.

Via The Learning Factor

This is absolutely fascinating.  It’s a great look at why the Millennial generation struggles in the workplace and why they simply aren’t well equipped to deal with stress.  The discussion about why they are also ill-equipped to form real relationships is super interesting too. 

Via THE OFFICIAL ANDREASCY, Elizabeth E Charles

There are few occasions where having high emotional intelligence (EQ) comes in handy more than when you disagree with your boss. But it's hardly the only one. Many of us would even happily trade off a few IQ points in exchange for some extra EQ. In fact, people with very high IQs but lower emotional intelligence may be more likely to upset their bosses by focusing too much on the logical side of an argument while ignoring the social and emotional dimensions.

 

In fact, the most effective approach to disagreeing with your manager should really be based on EQ rather than IQ. Unsurprisingly, research suggests that employees with higher emotional intelligence are generally more rewarding to deal with, which is why they're more often promoted than those who aren't. In a world that still bases so many crucial career decisions on a single subjective factor in the eyes of one's direct manager, likability often trumps ability and work ethic.

Via The Learning Factor

We all hear about the importance of injecting fun into the workplace, and research has proven the benefits of fun. One recent study of 2,000 employees, conducted by Professor Sir Cary Cooper with BrightHR, showed that integrating fun into the workplace reduces absences, increases productivity and reduces stress.

 

Ditching the doldrums is becoming even more important as millennials continue to make up a larger percentage of the workforce. The Cooper/BrightHR study also showed that 79% of graduates believe fun at work is important. 44% believe it encourages a stronger work ethic.

 

Dave Hemsath, author of 301 Ways To Have Fun At Work, believes fun may be the single most important trait of a highly effective and successful organization. In fact, companies with “fun policies” cite greater job satisfaction and increased employee loyalty as two major benefits.

So the value is there. But how do you turn your workplace into a funplace? There are lots of ways to add play to work, ranging from the office environment to experiences beyond the office. In this post, I share some success stories.

Via The Learning Factor

Defined hierarchy. Commanding leadership. These corporate ligaments secure firms in the face of threats and unify them against competition. Few beliefs are more widely held in business.

 

The intuition, though, is wrong. “When you look at real organizations, having a clear hierarchy within your firm actually makes people turn on each other when they face an outside threat,” says Lindred Greer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Effective teamwork against threats requires not hierarchy, but egalitarianism; not centralized power, but a culture in which all voices count.

 

Along with Lisanne van Bunderen of the University of Amsterdam and Daan Van Knippenberg of Drexel University, the research team teased out this finding through two complementary studies. In the first study, an experiment, teams of three students developed and pitched a consultancy project to a prospective client. Some of these teams were non-hierarchical, while members of other teams arbitrarily received titles: senior consultant, consultant, junior consultant. Likewise, some teams faced no rivals, while others were told they were competing with a rival firm for clients. The researchers found that the subset of hierarchical teams facing competition with rival firms struggled with infighting while the egalitarian teams cooperated on their work.

Via The Learning Factor

SAN FRANCISCO — What if part of your job became teaching a computer everything you know about doing someone’s job — perhaps your own?

Before the machines become smart enough to replace humans, as some people fear, the machines need teachers. Now, some companies are taking the first steps, deploying artificial intelligence in the workplace and asking their employees to train the A.I. to be more human.

We spoke with five people — a travel agent, a robotics expert, an engineer, a customer-service representative and a scriptwriter, of sorts — who have been put in this remarkable position. More than most, they understand the strengths (and weaknesses) of artificial intelligence and how the technology is changing the nature of work.

Here are their stories.

Via John Evans

This was a "remarkable" year for hiring, according to Glassdoor’s chief economist, Andrew Chamberlain. He says that the U.S. added an average 180,000 new jobs per month, well above the "break even" pace of job growth of 50,000 to 110,000 economists estimate the economy needs to keep Americans fully employed.

 

Pay is also on the rise. Median base pay for U.S. workers was up 3.1% from 2015, the fastest pace in three years. Can we top all that in 2017?

 

According to Glassdoor’s newest report on job trends, there are also a record number of unfilled jobs—5.85 million as of April—which represents the most since the BLS started tracking job openings in 2000. That’s compounded with the fact that every employer is hiring for tech roles, Chamberlain observes, and there are just so many talented candidates out there.

Via The Learning Factor

It’s no secret that a well-designed workplace is a more pleasant environment to spend work hours than one that is poorly planned and decorated. However, spiffier digs could also have an impact on your company’s financial health.

 

A new survey by the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) found a correlation between office design and the bottom line. The survey queried 1,206 full-time U.S. employees at companies of various sizes. More than half are in managerial or professional level positions who spend most of their working time in an office leased or owned by their employer. Respondents to the survey exhibited attitudes that suggest there is a strong correlation between good office design and retention.

Via The Learning Factor