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@TNS_insights on TwitterLast week in my Leadership and Ethics graduate course, we had a speaker come to our class and discuss ethics. The gentleman is the head of his human resources department and presented us with ethical dilemmas he has actually faced in the workplace. One scenario in particular led to an interesting discussion: Continue Reading →
Here’s your chance to tell a funny story about employee disengagement and win a Kindle from our panel of judges here at TNS Employee Insights! The entries will be posted without personal or company names on our website for everyone to enjoy.
Now, we take employee engagement very seriously, but once in a while, there’s a funny incident at work that is just too precious not to share with the rest of the world. In my working career, I recall a few instances that didn’t seem funny while they were happening (most likely to me), but now I look back and laugh hysterically at them.
Click here to enter the contest!
Good Luck to All!
Here’s my own funny story.
Right Day, Wrong Dress
Me, at work in the morning.
While working as a graphic artist several years ago in the late 80s, I decided to come to work one day with a rather short dress – roughly mid-thigh length. I was in terrific shape at that time thanks to our fitness center, so I thought I looked great and besides, I sat at a desk most of the day anyway.
Me, returning to work in my maxi dress. I'll show 'em!
Just before lunchtime, my art director approached me and told me I had to go home and change my clothes because my dress was too short. I said, “Is this your idea, Roy?” He firmly said, “Are you kidding me?” So, I went home, took a nap and then changed. I came back to work in a maxi dress – which was not in style at the time and not only that, the material was a typical 1960′s “mod”, brown, black and white swirly pattern with 1-1/2 inch, black, bric-a-brac sewn on the neckline. I topped my outfit off sporting a peace symbol necklace and wore white lipstick.
When I returned to the office, everyone in my department was in an uproar with laughter and I even made it a point to go to the cafeteria on my break to display my groovy threads! Since everyone knew why I was ordered to go home, they naturally chanted “good for you, Kath!” and “Way to go! You are soooo funny!”
This story is not necessarily hilarious – unless from someone else’s perspective – but it surely demonstrates disengagement. I did what I was told to do by my supervisor. When I was at home, I certainly didn’t feel the need to rush back being embarrassed at the office like that, so I took a nap for about 20 minutes to cool off. When I was refreshed, I decided to come back with the opposite attire from what I started out in the morning. I worked the rest of the day, but all I could think of was who told Roy to send me home? Certainly not the men! There was my disengagement. The rest of the afternoon I wasn’t very enthused about my job. Fortunately however, everything went quickly back to normal the next day. My humorous retaliation wasn’t a crime. If it was indeed the company policy not to wear short dresses more than 3 inches above the kneecaps, then they were justified in calling me on the carpet for it.
As it turns out, a jealous female colleague of mine was behind the tattle-tailing. She was right about the policy. I never confronted her about it because I always liked her in the first place. I was hurt that she would try to embarrass me. When I am hurt by other’s malicious attempts to stifle me, I end up seeing their jealousy through that, and just feel sorry for them. We became very good friends later on.
I just wonder what happened to that old dress I had. Maxis are in style this season!
Facebook has provided an easy and free way to connect with almost anyone. While Facebook helps bring people together and allows them to communicate with one another, it also allows organizations to gain access to one’s personal information. Many seem to forget the ease of accessibility of pictures, posts, and status updates. Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of employees’ Facebook profiles and the information that is posted that may reflect the organization poorly. Continue Reading →
BusinessWeek released an article that everyone searching for a job should read. While there are steps you should take to get a job, there are also important things to avoid. Those searching for a job most likely want to land a job. Therefore, it is essential to avoid making these mistakes that may cost you an offer for a position. Steer clear of these mishaps and increase your chances for success. Continue Reading →
During my high school years, I worked at a nursing home as a server. Everything seemed to stay the same at this nursing home until the last few months I was there. Like other organizations, the nursing home was dealing with how to expand the location and better the dining room for the residents of the building. All the servers were confronted and told about the changes coming our way. While the changes were not immense, they were enough to cause a stir. The changes would mainly affect when employees had his or her break in between lunch and dinner meals. Servers would still get a break, just at a different time and for a different interval. Continue Reading →
Companies are becoming more flexible in work hours. One of the newest trends is job sharing or two people sharing the same job and working a part of the week. This type of job allows employees to work part-time in a unique form. Job sharing can cut back on the stress that full-time employees often deal with. The Fair Labors Standards Act (FLSA) does not address job sharing. Therefore, the organization should clearly address the expectations to the employees. Continue Reading →
The chair you are sitting in right now may be causing more harm than good. The field of ergonomics and human factors has increased awareness of how workplaces can improve work environments. Organizations are also more aware of the physical strains that can be caused by an improper work environment. After all, organizations want employees to be productive and with a comfortable work environment, comes greater productivity and fewer injuries. Continue Reading →
After many years of summer gardening, I found that the past 3 years have not reaped the healthy, abundant crops I used to sow. I blamed it on adverse weather conditions, animals and insects chewing on my plants, or having too many plants growing too close to each other, choking the roots. I normally spend a lot of money in the spring on my garden, so I was really upset when it failed again this past summer.
I wasn’t about to spend any money this year, so I planted some seeds I had handy and figured if the plants grow, fine. If not, it won’t be a great loss. However, I am going to be more diligent about my gardening project this time. I dusted off a book called “Gardening Essentials,”* I had lying around and read it. Afterward, I began to understand where I went wrong these past seasons. The thing that stood out most in my mind was the word, “cultivate.” I never gave it much thought before. Other than having the right soil, selecting the right plants for the region, and of course plenty of water, “cultivation” was a key factor in growing a healthy garden. I realized I could not just throw the plants in the garden, water them, and chant my tribal Indian prayer in the hopes that they grow. I had to cultivate these plants with a lot of TLC and that meant getting down on my hands and knees to aerate the soil, pull weeds and fertilize. Also after reading Gardening Essentials, I realized that for the past several years, my garden did not have good drain off, and my plants’ roots were literally drowning. Therefore, I dug a 6-inch deep trench all the way around the railroad ties that section it off. No more puddles! So far, the garden looks wonderful! I’m very pleased.
I think there’s a great analogy here: taking care of my plants in my garden and taking care of employees in the workplace. When employers take the time to cultivate the work environment they are bound to reap the rewards that are success driven, number one in productivity, high-performing with minimal mistakes, and very importantly, a happy staff who enjoys their work. Time after time, highly profitable and successful businesses will tell you that they owe their success to their employees and that’s because management has made it a priority to create a richly cultivated working environment.
Curiously, I had that book, “Gardening Essentials,” for several years. I never took the time to read it. Just think. I could have had successful gardens all along!
*Gardening Essentials, Barbara Pleasant. Copyright © 1999 National Home Gardening Club.
Every organization wants to succeed and be considered a high-performing organization. The tough part is allowing this to happen. We have all seen high-performing organizations such as General Motors collapse. Industrial-organizational psychologists argue that although there are circumstances such as economic recessions that organizations have little control over, organizations should be proactive.
High-performing organizations such as Motorola, 3M, and General Electric have had continued success even during the economic recession. All three companies are at the top of their specialties because of the use of teams as a competitive edge. This is not to say that implementing teams in an organization will magically improve the success of the organization, but there is the possibility that using teams will lead to increased success. Organizations are best suited to look at areas in need of improvement and determine whether or not teams would be applicable in the organization. Continue Reading →
When counterproductive behaviors occur in the workplace, organizations typically want to stop them as soon as possible. Counterproductive work behaviors are behaviors that do not reflect organizational goals such as aggression, sabotage, stealing, and interpersonal conflict. The best way to minimize counterproductive behaviors in the workplace is by using performance appraisals. The appraisals must be taken seriously by managers and delivered in a timely manner. Continue Reading →
July 7, 2011 – by Gail
Enter the business world today and you will no doubt be faced with ethical dilemmas. Scandals such as Enron have brought to light how leaders once considered great make decisions that are full of scandal. While it is not always clear why people make unethical decisions specifically in the workplace, there are ways that these behaviors can be avoided. Continue Reading →
July 7, 2011 – by Gail
If you’re like me, a job interview can make you feel very nervous. Your heart starts racing, hands get sweaty, and your voice is shaky. While the nerves may leave you feeling uncomfortable and anxious, some nervousness before an interview is a positive thing. All those nerves get your body revved up and ready to handle what comes your way. A little adrenaline running through your body can help you answer the difficult questions. Continue Reading →
Greg Hammill, who has published his own website on generations in the workplace, notes the different communication style preferences most common among the generations. Baby boomers are team players and conduct a lot of vis-à-vis (face to face) meetings anytime, anywhere. On the other hand, X and Y’ers prefer to be contacted via emails and cell phones. Let’s examine those 2 different communication styles.
Firstly, Hammill makes this suggestion:
“Is it any wonder that the team is having trouble getting motivated toward the goal? At the beginning of any team formation, an effective leader should consider spending time learning how team members wish to communicate.”
I do agree to a certain extent, but just because you ask members what they prefer, you may still reach a stalemate when everyone offers their preference on the matter. In my view, it’s essential to meet vis-à-vis for any kick-off meeting of any project or problem to be solved. (Yes, I’m a Baby Boomer.)
I also believe there is so much more human communication through facial expressions, and live, personable conversation than any email or cell phone conversation could ever provide. Plus, you have some added assurance that [most] people are much more likely to be listening in person, than read your email, or even listening to you over the phone. You can readily see people’s knee-jerk reactions by facial expressions to an idea that what was suggested right then and there. You cannot get that via email or cell phone.
Yet, the argument by the younger gens may be (I don’t want to assume here. It’s only my sense.) that we should quickly get to the point, leave out the emotions, and arrive at conclusions immediately in order to get back to production. I understand this completely. I like to carefully compose my thoughts alone first without physical group pressures by writing emails on the subject at hand. So, I appreciate the virtues of emailing. I’m all for these tools of communication, but each one has its place in the scheme of timing.
To top it off, there may be time saving elements involved. While cell phones and email certainly come to us quickly, the question becomes, WHEN will they come to us quickly? When will a response be responded? In contrast, vis-à-vis meetings not only offer a richer communication style, they offer making solutions to problems actually quicker with the use of round-table discussions and blackboard scribed notes proffering solutions to problems.
In conclusion, our communication devices do communicate thoughts and ideas, but it is a question of how effective they are to whom and for what purpose.
Thank you, Mr. Hammill, for your thought-provoking article!
