How the Culture of Presenteeism Impacts Both Employees and Businesses

How the Culture of Presenteeism Impacts Both Employees and Businesses Presenteeism refers to the practice of being present at work but not being productive. The culture of presenteeism is widespread; however, it is more of an issue in some countries than others. For example, in the UK, presenteeism has hit record high levels. The number of employees coming into work while sick has more than tripled since 2010. The Culture of Presenteeism This rapid surge in presenteeism highlights that people in the UK feel under more pressure than ever to go into work â€" and stay at work for longer â€" even if they’re ill. People feel expected to work longer hours than they’re required to, and this has been linked to worries about job security. No one wants to be seen slacking while everyone else is putting the hours in. If there’s a culture of presenteeism, then it becomes incredibly difficult to break away from the mold and take time off when you need (and deserve) it. If you see an employee with an awful cold coming into work anyway and powering through the week, then you might feel expected to do the same. After all, you don’t want your line manager to think you’re lazy or apathetic about your career. The problem, though, is that if you’re going into work while ill â€"  be that a physical or mental health issue â€" you’ll put in the hours, but you may not actually get much work done. How the Culture of Presenteeism Impacts Employees The culture of presenteeism seriously impacts both the physical and mental health of employees. When you’re ill, you need to recuperate. You’re not doing yourself any favors if you’re sitting at your desk sniffling and desperately trying to focus on your tasks with a splitting headache. Plus, you may also pass on your nasty cold to a fellow employee. Presenteeism makes illnesses last longer than they need to. And truth be told; it’s just a miserable experience to work while ill. Rising rates of presenteeism are associated with increases in stress, anxiety, and depression. The fact that we still don’t place physical health on an equal footing with mental health means that people are much less likely to see the validity of taking time off due to poor mental health. Conditions such as anxiety and depression, much like the flu, can make it incredibly difficult to concentrate and be productive. Businesses suffer too It would be understandable â€" although still disturbing â€" if presenteeism affected employees but not businesses. If companies were benefiting from presenteeism, at least that could provide some rationale to the phenomenon. However, they’re not. It is estimated that presenteeism costs employers £15.1bn a year â€" and that’s just in terms of mental health issues. When you factor in the losses to productivity due to people coming into work with a cold, flu or other health condition, then the cost is obviously much greater. The culture of presenteeism is also associated with lower staff morale, more employee errors, and higher turnover rates, which is certainly not in any business’ interests. Changing the culture of presenteeism requires action from both employees and businesses. If you’re sick and you know that you really need to rest, then use your allotted sick days. You’re entitled to them. And they exist for a reason. Meanwhile, employers should take steps to discourage presenteeism. Communicating openly with employees is critical here. Employees should feel they can be trusted to take time off when they’re unwell. This expectation to suffer in silence at work is helping no one. It’s time for businesses to take a progressive approach and make employee well-being a top priority.

Questions Make You a Great Communicator - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Questions Make You a Great Communicator - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Ask more questions: If It Was Good Enough for Plato, It’s Good Enough for You An inquiring mind leads to better communication and avoidance of mutual mystification. Without your incessant clamoring for more information from others, you are fumbling around in the dark. That adds to why most communication is messy, emotional, irrational, unclear, and disorganized. Inquiry takes care of those problems. It makes things clear, rational, and organized when you know and can connect both what you want out of the exchange and what they other people want. You also: Gain new information. Confirm what you know. Make others feel valued and heard. Stimulate conversation exchange. Avoid acting like a know-it-all. Show self-confidence. Satisfy your curiosity. Get more information to make better decisions and solve problems. Can push back without attack. Come across as more interesting. Create connection and affiliation. Buy yourself time. Stay on track in conversation. Find communal agreement and gain insight as to how to bridge their interests to yours. ### My new book, The Leadership Mind Switch (McGraw-Hill, June, 2017) is now available for pre-publication orders through Amazon.com

Managing a Team Turn the Small Changes Into Small Wins Marla Gottschalk

Managing a Team Turn the Small Changes Into Small Wins Marla Gottschalk Im a huge fan of small wins when it comes to organizational change. (I believe Kotter is as well. Read his iconic article here). Ive watched small wins reignite hope and forge forward progress. Im also a fan of Seth Godin. (If you know me well, this isnt a much of a secret.) Not a professor of organization theory, or a psychologist â€" he has an uncanny ability to distill a semesters worth of readings concerning organizational topics into a few profound paragraphs. I suspect he has an innate sense that allows him to fully understand human beings. Here is an except from a recent blog post: Chronic The worst kind of problem is precisely the kind of problem we’re not spending time worrying about. It’s not the cataclysmic disaster, the urgent emergency or the five-alarm fire. No, the worst kinds of problems are chronic. They grow slowly over time and are more and more difficult to solve if we waitSeth Godin You see it is the small things â€" those micro-events that repeat over and over again â€" that define an organization. It is the small things that speak volumes about a brand, to clients, customers and employees. Conversely, it is the small things that can become chronic points of contention. They are the overlooked bad habits of your team or organization. The less than stellar experiences that leave your organization weakened. It is also the small things that offer us a tremendous opportunity to build trust and devotion among our customers clients. These seemingly small events, can offer the possibility of growth and connection. They allow an organization to build a more worthy foundation. A stronger future. My opinion concerning the smalls things isnt random. It developed after years of observing the repeated ineffectiveness of top-down organizational change efforts. There are clear reasons that 70% of transformation efforts fail. Deeply connecting people to change is one looming abyss that we must consider. Why should they invest â€" if they feel they arent a part of the solution? The small things are not a detached, heavily engineered project that must be monitored, poked and prodded, to affect change. They are simple. They are owned by your team. Those that know the work. These small things are a gift. These small things â€" can become the small wins that matter. The wins that drive positive change. I challenge you (your team, your department) to identify 5 small things that would make a huge difference to your customers, your employees, your patients. Find a way to transact these opportunities into a re-imagined reality. Build that new habit, which changes the entire game. You see, the small things â€" really arent small at all. Have you applied this technique? Share your experience with our community. Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. She is a charter member of the LinkedIn Influencer Program. Her thoughts on work life have appeared in various outlets including Talent Zoo, Forbes, Quartz and The Huffington Post.

6 Ways to Stay Happy in the Workplace

6 Ways to Stay Happy in the Workplace 6 Ways to Stay Happy in the Workplace Keeping yourself happy at work can be the key to not only sustain your productivity and the quality of the work you produce, but it can also help keep you motivated and improve your mental health and well-being. Maintaining a positive and happy attitude throughout the working day can also make the time feel like it is passing more quickly and helps you to better appreciate the company of your work colleagues.Let’s take a look at some ways in which you can help keep yourself happy in the workplace and why they work to improve your mood and boost a positive attitude in others too!Lend a helping handHelping someone else that needs a hand every now and then can be a great move. We all know one or two of our work colleagues that struggle on occasion with a regular task or a short deadline. Helping them out can build a level of trust and appreciation between you that can really nurture and sustain a positive working relationship. Even if you cannot physically help them with a task or issue, you can be kind and bring them some food or a refreshing cup of tea to help revive their spirits. A little thing such as this can really help both you and your co-worker to feel happier.Share lunch with your work colleaguesWe all lead very busy lives, so it is not uncommon for us to take off during our lunch break for a mad dash around town to pay bills, top up our phones or pick up some food for our dinner in the evening. However, even if you can spare a couple of lunch breaks to spend with your work colleagues during the week, you will find that they are often very different people outside of work. You could end up discovering a workmate shares the same passions and interests as you â€" and you never knew it! You could try getting several of your colleagues together for a regular lunch one day per week outside of the office. This would be a great chance for you to let you hair down and get to know the people you spend so many hours with so much better. Can the office gos sipEvery office has its fair share of gossip circulating. But just because you may hear it doesnt mean that you have to spread it around. The thing about gossip is that you are never 100% sure if it is true or not. Rather than worry that you are spreading false rumors or saying something not nice about a person that may be totally unfounded, try to refrain from spreading what you hear whispered at the water cooler or in the staff room. This will make you feel much better about yourself and will show others that you can be someone that can be trusted to keep secrets and can go to for advice.Give compliments where they are dueIt is a common fact that workers dont get much recognition for their work while everything is going well. Bosses and management will often pick up on the negatives and make a effort to point them out in the hope that they will not be repeated, but how often do workers get praised for doing things well in the hope of it continuing? Not often. So why not help impro ve the mood of the workplace by giving your workmates a nice confidence boost when they deserve it! If you treat others well and give praise and complements when it is deserved, they are more likely to do the same for you in return. Complements dont have to be grand gestures. It can be as simple as saying that you liked their idea or suggestion they made during a meeting.Practice Mindfulness at workMindfulness is all about living in the now and appreciating your surroundings and what is happening at this moment in time. When you have a coffee break, take five minutes to close your eyes and practice some deep breathing. Focus on clearing your mind of your to-do list and listen out for bird song coming from outside, or simply focus on your cup of coffee. Appreciate every sip and enjoy the aroma as you breathe it in. Clearing your head and calming your mind like this even for five short minutes can help you bounce back to work feeling happy and ready to tackle your tasks with a positiv e mind.Bring a piece of home with youIt is common for people to bring in a photo frame from home to keep on their desk. This can give them something to focus on and make them smile at times when they might start to feel a bit stressed.Bringing in a piece of home like this can prove very useful for keeping your spirits up and improving your mood.It need not be a photo either. You can bring in anything that reminds you of a happy time, such as a seashell you picked up off a beach on a lovely relaxing holiday, or funny little desk ornament that your best friend got for you because she thought it would make you laugh.It can be easy to stay happy at work with a few simple positive tips and tricks. Even smiling at everyone you meet and saying hello can be very infectious and can put a smile on their face too! previous article Say It With Style! A Free Creative Resume Template next article Free Perfect Resume Template for Go-Getters you might also like6 Online Gigs You Can Do During C oronavirus Outbreak (To Offset Your Lost Income)

How to Write a Successful Resume

How to Write a Successful ResumeIf you're considering doing a bit of resume writing, there are some things that you need to keep in mind. A professional writer of resumes should be able to meet your needs, which is why we've compiled some tips and tricks to make your resume writing experience as smooth as possible.In terms of quality, these two are some of the most basic rules when it comes to creating a great resume. First, you have to do all of your research before you begin. This is important because you don't want to waste time or effort on something that isn't going to get you anywhere in your job search.Next, you have to organize your time well. You can't expect to spend an hour getting ready for a resume when you really only have an hour or so to write one. Also, make sure that you think about your career goals and write down what you hope to achieve with them. The more clearly you can describe your career, the easier it will be for employers to tell.As you're editing your res ume, be sure to take notes on any technical words that could either help or hurt your chances of getting the job. Some companies use acronyms or other tricky wording, so be sure to ask the hiring manager if there are any parts of your resume that might be read as technical or difficult to understand.A very easy way to make your resume stand out from the others is to make sure it includes lots of information and examples. Take advantage of what modern technology has to offer in this area and put a few samples in the document to show how your skills match up with other openings. Also, consider making your resume into a slideshow or video, which is an excellent way to show prospective employers just how detailed you are when it comes to getting things done.When it comes to interviewing, don't get anxious or tense. You might want to work up a little sweat in preparation for the interview, but don't let it build up. It's easier to stutter and fumble through answers than it is to try to h ave a confident and straight face. Also, try not to look at the clock too much before your interview.You also have to be able to pay attention and concentrate on the questions asked by your prospective employer and be ready to answer them. It may be tempting to get up and walk away if your nerves start to get the best of you, but doing so will probably cost you the job and will make you look unprepared and unprofessional.Finally, once you've written and edited your resume, read it again and make sure it is grammatically correct. Many companies require a certain level of grammar and spelling to ensure they get the information they need and it can make your resume less impressive to have errors. Don't feel bad about making mistakes though; it's a way of showing that you're professional and understand the importance of writing properly.

How Personal Is Your Brand Its About To Get A Facelift

How Personal Is Your Brand Its About To Get A Facelift Personally, plenty of businesses don’t like to get into the nitty-gritty. Connecting with customers on a different level makes it too real. Most CEOs would rather get in, get out and keep shoppers at arm’s length. Here’s a stat which may be surprising, then. 75% of consumers love it when brands are personable. Yep, that just blew your whole marketing strategy out of the water. The numbers, as well as the Aberdeen Group suggests that personalizing the customer experience is essential. The problem is that you don’t know how. After all, you’ve spent a lifetime trying not to get too close. Here’s how to open your arms to the paying public. Rely On Social Media A perfect compromise is to engage with people on Twitter and Facebook. In a way, the brand has a cloak of anonymity because no one can see your face. But, it’s still a legitimate way to speak to followers and potential customers and ask them about their experiences. In fact, they will contact you because lots of shoppers use Twitter to log their queries and complaints. Don’t see this as a bad thing because it isn’t. Solving problems gives you the opportunity to show your worth and impress an angry customer. Focus On The Message Every brand has a message, so this tip shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. However, personalizing the meaning regarding customers is a tad different. Normally, emails and letters and leaflets, and whatever else you use, are posted with generic text. “Dear homeowner, we would value your service,” says the advert yet you can’t be bothered to learn their name. Simply adding a first name at the top is enough to engage them. You can even do it with products by using BossLaser to engrave items. Think of the times you’ve seen your name on a keyring â€" did you buy it? What about Coke’s campaign when they added names to their cans and bottles? Offer One-On-One Support This isn’t always easy to do depending on the industry, but it’s worth keeping in mind nonetheless. Interacting face-to-face is something consumers love because it makes them feel special. After all, you are focusing on them and their wants and needs. Retailers should consider this advice very carefully because there is a basic way to offer this kind of support: a personal shopper service. These men and women ask questions, listen and spend hours engaging with customers to ensure they find the perfect style. Be Loyal It’s easy to concentrate on new customers because they are money-spinners. However, don’t forget that the loyal shoppers are the lifeblood of the organization. Once they fall, the company will take on a whole different vibe. 64% of businesses say that loyalty programs are the best way to interact with their base. Firstly, they add value as they provide them with something they want. Secondly, it instills the idea that you value them as people and don’t just want their money. Does your business need personalized surgery? Do you think the tips above will help?

In London - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

In London - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Im currently in London and have met with some amazingly cool people. Last night I met with fellow Dane Lars Plougmann for a pint and some great sushi. Lars recently went independent and consults banks, law firms and others on how to improve collaboration. Think wikis and stuff. We then went to Umair Haques as yet nameless weekly wednesday meeting on innovation. It was basically just a bunch of guys drinking (a lot of) beer and shooting the breeze in a nice pub. Topics included blogging, how traditional media companies are dooming themselves to a slow painful death, how all communities need a dude and The Colbert Report. Lars and I rounded of the evening in a great Lebanese restaurant on Edgware Road where we celebrated iftar (when muslims can eat again during ramadan) with kebabs and a shisha (water pipe). Todays highlights include blogging in London and a visit to WhatIf? Innovation Britains happiest workplace in 2005. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related