January 23rd, 2012 by Kira
How you handle yourself with a difficult or challenging co-worker can speak volumes about you to management and your peers. While there’s no need to be a “push-over” – handling someone with tact is bound to get you more respect in the workplace.
Here are a few things you can do to always come out as the better person.
1. Stop taking things personally. We all face challenging and difficult people at different times in our lives, whether on the job and even at home. Don’t let these encounters feel like a personal attack, in which you need to be defensive to win. Instead, realize that the person is likely experiencing their own set of challenges and is expressing them at everyone in their life. When you stop taking things personally, you can detach from their behavior.
2. Recognize different personality styles. Not all people are the same, and they shouldn’t be treated as such. The more aware you are of what makes people tick, what pushes their buttons, and how they interact with others, the more likely you are to engage with them in a productive way. For example, if you find that someone is highly defensive when they receive feedback, be sure to sing them extra praises when they do something right. This will help to break down their barriers.
3. Don’t speak or react out of anger. Anger can get you into trouble, it makes you say things you don’t mean, react without being logical or sensical, and isn’t an emotion to express haphazardly. It’s not to say you can’t get angry, just don’t react while angry. Take a moment to walk, take a breath, get outside – don’t vent to co-workers or throw fuel on the fire. Instead, remember a mantra such as, “This too will pass.” Or turn on some tunes that can help shift your energy. When you deal with people while you are angry, it’s likely you’ll regret how you handled the situation.
A challenging co-worker can cause a lot of issues at work, if you let them. Instead, rethink how you handle the people that push your buttons, after all, when you are upset with another person, it is you who is most affected by someone at the end of the day.
Tags: behavior, co-workers, culture, office environment
Posted in Candidates, Clients, FORTIS | No Comments »
October 10th, 2011 by Kira
Communication in the workplace can be challenging at times, but speaking up and getting heard is an essential part of staying happy and satisfied in the workplace.
How can you get heard in the workplace? Here are three tips for increasing the effectiveness of your communication!
- Become solution oriented. Managers are always approached with complaints and problems, yet few employees actually consider presenting solutions. They expect their managers to figure out the problem for them. Presenting a problem with a solution will make your managers ears perk up. The next time you see a problem, think about how it can be solved before you reach out to your higher up.
- Be clear and focused when delivering information. Most managers only need to know the basics, yet some people feel compelled to fill them in on all the details. To make the most out of your time with your manager, always provide the most essential, relevant, and critical details. Leave out the “he said, she said’s” and present the facts only.
- Be conscious of the time you are choosing to speak to your boss/manager. Talking to them as they walk down the hallway or at the water cooler, is likely to yield less results. Instead, schedule a 10-15 minute time slot with them, and let them know in advance what you’d like to discuss.
Remember, it’s always about bringing value to your employer, being clear and focused with your communications, and leaving any drama out of it
What are your tips on getting heard in the workplace? Share your experiences with us; we’d love to hear them.
Tags: Career Management, communication, culture, Leadership
Posted in Candidates, FORTIS, Job Search | No Comments »
April 18th, 2011 by Kira
Communication is an important part of building a team, creating a thriving company culture, and increasing productivity and effectiveness. Studies have shown that a large percentage of people listen less effectively than they believe, however, listening is a skill that can set your team and company apart. It sets up the stage for creating a cohesive environment, in which individuals thrive, and actively take pride in their role.
To help your employees and team become better listeners follow these simple tips:
Encourage questions. Create an environment where individuals are encouraged to ask questions – whether to clarify direction, further understand an assignment, or out of simple curiosity. This means treating all questions as important and equal and never embarrassing a person for asking a question that may seem silly or out of context. If our minds can’t understand what is being said, it will generally block the flow of listening and distract the individual as they seek to figure it out internally.
Let people finish their thoughts. This applies to the listener and the speaker. People need a chance to work through their thoughts and express all the pieces for discussion. The majority of people are already thinking of a response before a person is finished speaking – instead, set the example that individuals should not be interrupted. Task your employees with writing down their thoughts while others are speaking so nothing is lost, their turn can be had once the other person’s thoughts are complete. This can decrease misunderstood communications between multiple parties.
Keep open communication. Foster an environment where individuals feel safe and comfortable asking questions, being inquisitive, and having an open line of communication. An open communication policy ensures that all of your team members will ask questions when needed, even if they find themselves in a situation that is uncomfortable.
Altogether, work to create a team of employees that listen and are actively participating in what’s happening around them. You can also keep meetings short and concise, give breaks during longer meetings, and provide healthier food choices to keep individuals more alert.
Tags: culture, employment, Environment, Listening, skills, team
Posted in Clients, FORTIS | No Comments »
August 9th, 2010 by Kira
Do employees need motivating? Every now and again there comes a time when a
company must make the decision to train and motivate their team.
Employees get sucked down through the proverbial negative trees and one bad apple has a tendency to rot the entire bunch. We all know the scenario, so what do we need to do to fix it?
First, keep your word. Companies often make the mistake of implementing new procedures, rules, or other policies and then don’t follow through. This breaks the trust cycle with employees and the next time you come around wanting to implement the latest idea from the managers meeting, employees will roll their eyes. They learn fast and if you don’t follow through, they know that it’ll only take a few weeks for it to wear off. Keep your word no matter what.
Next, recognize good behavior. Acknowledge the people who are doing it right. It doesn’t mean you need to ignore the others, but make the good employees a priority. Offer incentives for good work, high productivity, increased turnaround times, or whatever the team needs to get motivated.
Lastly, there’s no “I” in team. Teams should be teams and they should play like one. Despite recognizing the good behavior of individuals above, companies shouldn’t set up their teams to negatively compete against each other. Promote teamwork and office kindness by initiating do-good events for other employees. If Mary’s child is home sick because of a major surgery, initiate a potluck where all the food gets donated to Mary’s family.
These are just three small changes you can make in your workplace to help motivate your employees. You can always find good trainers and implement new thoughts and ideas into the workplace. No matter how unmotivated your team may seem, there’s always a way to turn them around.
Tags: culture, employee motivation, morale, team motivation
Posted in Clients, FORTIS | No Comments »
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