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An interesting survey has been published by administrative staffing agency OfficeTeam.
OfficeTeam surveyed 441 adult workers employed in an office environment. They were asked one question: “Have you ever worked for an unreasonable boss?” Almost half (46%) responded yes.
Although the majority (more…)
Zappos, the online shoe retailer, has gotten a great deal of press lately – and not just for their shoes. For their corporate culture.
Zappos is a model employer. Employees are happy working there and are not shy about it. The organization strives to staff itself with people who support the core values, and even offers $3000 to new hires to quit if they do not think (more…)
What makes an ideal employee. It can seem to have a clear answer. A good employee is someone who works hard and supports the success of the workplace. Someone who always engages in appropriate workplace behavior. Managers want dedicated employees that put the employer first – right? Employees are supposed to “go the extra mile” and maintain a positive attitude at work. The ideal employee always enthusiastically gives a little extra. (more…)
One of the issues consistently plaguing employer’s efforts to curb workplace conflict is a lack of a uniform understanding of what is appropriate versus inappropriate behavior among staff.
It seems reasonable to demand that that employees and managers treat one another appropriately. However, if individual employees and managers do not recognize the same definitions of appropriate versus inappropriate behavior, (more…)
Despite the best efforts of employers and human resource personnel, personal problems and interpersonal conflicts continue to impact employees in the workplace.
Stressed and conflict-involved employees cost employers millions of dollars a year, and perhaps one of the biggest workplace costs is not absenteeism, but the loss of productivity as a result of distracted employees: Employees who are stressed and distracted by unresolved personal problems, employees who are experiencing conflicts (more…)
Stress is a threat to health – few would find that surprising. However many employers do not have a clear sense of how workplace stress negatively and specifically impacts the health of their employees.
A recent study reported at the 2010 American Heart Association conference in Chicago, found that a woman’s incidence of heart disease, including heart attack and congestive heart failure, is notably increased for those who experience high levels of workplace stress.
17,415 women participated in the 10-year study, by Dr. Michelle Albert at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The women averaged 57 years of age, were healthy, and employed full or part-time at the onset of the study. Most women in the study were health professionals and included working women of various professional levels.
The findings indicate that those women whose jobs, regardless of skill level, who’s self-report in 1999 indicated higher levels of workplace stress experienced more health problems when revisited 10 years later. The highest-stress group had a 40% greater overall risk of heart problems including heart attacks, strokes, and heart-related conditions resulting in necessary surgery.
Another important aspect to this study is that the identified workplace stress came not just from jobs that are inherently stressful or demanding, but from jobs where the employee experiences little control over her duties.
The findings demonstrate the value of employers actively working to reduce the experience of workplace stress on its employees – not just to impact the workplace today, but also to decrease health related costs in the future.
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Additional Reading
The National Labor Relations Board has made an interesting ruling in a case where an employee alleges that she was fired due to criticizing her supervising on her personal Facebook account.
According to The New York Times article, the employee “discussed” her frustration with her supervisor with other employees on her personal Facebook account. (more…)
