Sending postcards is a humane and tangible way of expressing ourselves. Plus, it makes a great difference when one gets back to find your postcard, instead just a pile of bills!
HR is in the midst of a paradigm shift. Smart companies know that in our modern service and information economies, people are actually our most valuable assets. As such, HR has taken on an increasingly front-line, strategic function, and is as important as finance, sales, marketing, or operations. So what does this mean for today’s crop of HR professionals? Source To put it bluntly, your job is harder than ever. Not only are you expected have to have a solid foundation in the traditional areas of HR expertise, but you have a whole new set of skills and responsibilities to master, and a whole host of additional considerations. Now you […]
Improving workplace culture is a thorny issue for most business leaders. It’s something that they probably know is important, but can’t quite get a handle on. Finance, strategy, product development, operations – those are the tangible, measurable elements of their business. But Culture? That’s the definition of the “soft stuff,” the stuff they probably skimmed over in business school, the stuff that makes their eyes glaze over whenever speakers bring it up at conferences. Source However, more and more leaders are learning it’s no coincidence that the biggest, best, and most innovative companies also happen to have great cultures. In fact, so often these companies are great precisely because they have […]
Improving workplace culture is a thorny issue for most business leaders. It’s something that they probably know is important, but can’t quite get a handle on. Finance, strategy, product development, operations – those are the tangible, measurable elements of their business. But Culture? That’s the definition of the “soft stuff,” the stuff they probably skimmed over in business school, the stuff that makes their eyes glaze over whenever speakers bring it up at conferences. Source However, more and more leaders are learning it’s no coincidence that the biggest, best, and most innovative companies also happen to have great cultures. In fact, so often these companies are great precisely because they have […]
Improving workplace culture is a thorny issue for most business leaders. It’s something that they probably know is important, but can’t quite get a handle on. Finance, strategy, product development, operations – those are the tangible, measurable elements of their business. But Culture? That’s the definition of the “soft stuff,” the stuff they probably skimmed over in business school, the stuff that makes their eyes glaze over whenever speakers bring it up at conferences. Source However, more and more leaders are learning it’s no coincidence that the biggest, best, and most innovative companies also happen to have great cultures. In fact, so often these companies are great precisely because they have […]
Most people have heard the term “work-life balance,” but in recent years, the phrase “work-life integration” has been gaining popularity and given way to headlines such as “work-life balance is dead” and “work-life integration: the new norm.” Despite the growing popularity of work-life integration, is there really a difference between it and work-life balance? Source According to Merriam-Webster.com the word “integrate” is defined as “to form, coordinate, or blend into a functioning or unified whole.” Thereby concluding that work-life integration focuses on incorporating the different area’s of one’s life to create a whole picture. Balance, on the other hand, has almost twice as many definitions on Merriam-Webster including, “stability produced by even distribution of […]
Once upon a time, work took place outside of the home during designated hours. Today, that world is a fairy tale. If you checked your work email this past weekend, you’re likely aware that at most companies there is an unspoken expectation that employees tend to emails at all hours. Ron Friedman, Ph.D. is a social psychologist specializing in human motivation Source: PsychologyToday.com It would be easy to blame heartless managers or short-sighted CEOs for the collapsing boundaries between work and life. But the causes of this cultural shift are far more complex. As human beings, we thrive on feeling needed. Neurologically, certain elements of work can be addictive. Studies […]
It turns out, a basket of fresh apples and an awe-inspiring motivational poster don’t count as a comprehensive wellness plan. But, according to research, it also turns out that comprehensive wellness plans alone often fall short of truly impacting an employee’s overall well-being—a concept that encompasses much more than just physical health. Source | David Sturt and Todd Nordstrom As a disclaimer, we don’t have anything against apples and motivational posters. In fact, we’re huge fans of comprehensive wellness programs—those that provide a laser-tight focus on physical health and include healthy snacks, fitness routines, and comprehensive information that could help employees improve their own health. However, new research reveals that when […]
For most us, our lives are made up mostly of work. Companies are learning that acknowledging – rather than denying – this fact is not just the right thing to do, but also a sound business decision. In a recent interview, ‘Life is Good’ founder Bert Jacobs emphasized that focusing on things like employee wellbeing has an often under-acknowledged business benefit for organizations. Source According to Jacobs, focusing on employee wellbeing and purpose is “a smart strategy for building a strong business….The organization only hurts themselves if they’re not working in the best interest of everybody at their organization.” Why is this the case? Employee wellbeing is linked to employee […]
According to the World Health Organization, stress is a significant problem of our times and affects both physical as well as the mental health of people. Stress is defined as a situation where the organism‘s homeostasis is threatened or the organism perceives a situation as threatening. Stress coping methods are the cognitive, behavioral and psychological efforts to deal with stress. After a thorough literature review some of the following techniques were identified: Transcendental meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction. Source Life exists through the maintenance of a complex dynamic equilibrium, termed homeostasis, that is constantly challenged by internal or external adverse forces, termed stressors, which can be emotional […]