Posts in category Uncategorized

Can You Work Remotely?

August 25, 2015 Written by Kris

I just needed to get away this week but I only have one week of vacation left and already have that on the calendar for the week after Thanksgiving (I always take that week off to decorate for Christmas … yes, it really does take a week!).

Anyway, my husband arranged to take some time down by the lake to work on a book he’s writing and said, “I wish you could come.” Except for a few calls and emails to keep up with – get caught – up on – I had no appointments on my calendar for this week. So I made sure that I can remotely listen to the office answering machine and that we have good cell coverage and reliable wi-fi; and I packed up my computer and some shorts and t-shirts (shhhhhh, don’t tell anybody I own shorts … the word is just starting to leak out about my one pair of jeans!).

Not every job allows you this kind of freedom, of course; but some of them do, particularly when you’re a trusted team member. It doesn’t hurt to ask. And if you’re a manager or supervisor, think about providing get-away-from-work days for your trusted staff members. Sure, they may play a little but think how much more work they can get done without the knocks on their door or taps on the cubicle wall or overheard conversations or any of those other interruptions that come when you work in an office. Think how much more work they’ll get done because they’re grateful for the gift of time out. Think how much more effective they’ll be because they can return calls while they sit in the sun or see ripples on the lake each time they glance up from their computer!

Worried that your employees will play than work or that you can’t afford anymore time out for mental health breaks. In once sense we have to ask why you have people you can’t trust on your staff anyhow. And can you really not afford to offer opportunities to your best and brightest staff that say to them, “Thank you. I trust you. We’re lucky to have as hard a worker as you are?”

Let us know if you’ve had success with Remote Work Days – how you did it / how you do it.

And we want to hear from those of you who’ve had opportunities to work remotely. What were the best parts?

And if you need to get away but can’t: we’ve got the safe space on our Homepage to vent if you need to.

Room With A View

August 13, 2015 Written by Leslie

Ahhhhh… Vacation at last ! Sometimes we all feel that way, ok we most likely ALWAYS feel that it is here at long last.

Some of my favorite vacations are at the beach and I love a room with a view. I want to be able to hear the ocean, see the sunrise, and enjoy a balcony as well as playing in the water, sand, and sun with my family.

We all need time away for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation! Whatever type of place or activity makes you happy, do it! Taking time for ourselves can make us a better employer, employee, manager, supervisor, etc…

What Kind of Camel Are You?

August 5, 2015 Written by Kris

Recently I got to visit the Columbus Zoo (in Ohio) and was confronted with the question, “What’s the difference between a camel with two humps and a camel with one hump?” I have to admit that the only type of camel I could remember was the Dromedary and I couldn’t have told you whether that was of the one-hump or the two-hump variety.

Just in case you’re wondering, I looked it up and found that the Dromedary has one hump and it’s a Bactrian camel that has two. I was surprised to learn that Bactrian camels don’t live in the deserts of Africa and the Middle East. Actually, they’re found much further north – as far north as Siberia where the temperatures can get as low as negative-20 F!

Of course there are other differences. Bactrian camels have long shaggy coats in the winter; Dromedaries have a much shorter coat. Dromedaries have padded feet that would be easily punctured if they were walking in rocky places. The wide feet of the Bactrian camel makes it easier to walk on snow and rocks.

Dromedaries have only one baby at a time while Bactrian camels have one or two. Dromedary babies depend on their mothers for one to two years; Bactrian babies aren’t completely independent until they are about five years old.

So what about you? What kind of camel are you? And, come on, do you really care?

Let’s be real for a moment. It’s Wednesday – Hump Day – and there are only two more work days left in the week.

If you want to try to figure out what kind of camel you are, have fun. Whether you do or don’t, now you’ve got a little trivial trivia to share.

And the week is almost over! What are you doing this weekend? Feel free to share it in the Safe Space on the Homepage.

Whew-HOOOOOOOO!

Flexibility for Families

July 30, 2015 Written by Leslie

It’s Thursday and while the weekend is fast approaching I wanted to share my positive “lift up” for this week. My four year old son’s babysitter was ill for the first part of the week. To most working parents this can strike fear into what is probably already a hectic Monday. I did at first worry about what this meant for my work week but I had the benefit of bringing my son to my office or staying home with him without facing any penalty for missed days. I decided that he should accompany me to the office and I could still get work done.

We brought loads of entertainment and ‘busy work’ for him but at our office we have boxes of toys for the occasions that our little ones would have to accompany us. What a wonderful relief this is for me as an employee. Knowing that I can go get as much work done as possible (and yes, I did have some interruptions from the little one but I still was productive) and I don’t have to worry that he will be unwelcome at times like these. My son ended up at our office for two and a half days until my husband’s work schedule allowed him to take care of our son. Since I did not have to miss work I am not behind in the tasks that I had to complete this week. This flexibility is awesome.

If you are a manager or supervisor you might consider this kind of flexibility for those you supervise. It can cut down the time employees have to be away from work and keep them from falling behind in what is already a busy work week. If you have questions or want to talk more about this type of program contact us.

Terrifying Tuesday – Gossip

July 28, 2015 Written by Kris

It’s Tuesday and I got to thinking about how many people are terrified to go into work. Yes, terrified. For some of us, it’s our bully of a boss or egghead of an employee. For others of us it’s the reality that we can’t possibly get our work done (sometimes because our supervisor or manager has unrealistic expectations but often it’s a sign we’re settling for the “wrong” job for us!). And then there are those of us who dread the gossip that’s going around so many of our workplaces.
I saw a piece on ABC-tv’s Good Morning America yesterday morning that said that an unofficial survey by Account Temps showed that 28% of those surveyed feel gossip is the biggest breach of etiquette in the workplace. Another survey said that gossip is the second largest distraction in the workplace after cell phones.

If you’ve ever been the subject of a gossip-fest (and count yourself lucky if you haven’t), you know how devastating gossip can be. And as one who’s been a gossip-target before, I know it can be a bit terrifying – wondering what people, especially my boss, may be thinking about who I am or my ability to get my job done.

So how about you? If you’ve ever had to overcome gossip, will you share in our Safe Space how you overcame it? Or maybe you need to do some venting about the gossip going around – or that you’re part of spreading – right now.

And if you’d like to watch or read the transcript of the Good Morning America segment, you can read it at ABC’s Good Morning America site.