Helping Employees Deal with Everyday Annoyances
Source: Benefitspro.com
When workplace annoyances hit, it makes the life of employees much harder, and often employees find themselves struggling to complete their work, says Carol Fitzgibbons, an HR expert at BPI Group, a global management and human resources consulting firm in Chicago.
Some of these workplace annoyances include slow decision-making decisions, unproductive processes and an endless stream of inefficient emails. While these annoyances might seem minor to an employer, they can build up overtime and cause employees begin to feel disengaged, Fitzgibbons says.
“The amount of effort an employee puts in and the amount they can actually get done because of these annoyances starts to get out of balance,” Fitzgibbons says. “The annoyances that exist in the organization just become bigger, and it starts to affect the employees’ desire to want to be there and be excited about things happening in the organization.”
Millennials are especially susceptible to workplace annoyances, Fitzgibbons says. In today’s workplace, millennials are looking to make an immediate impact on their organizations, but when these annoyances get in the way, it becomes much more difficult to stay on top of the more meaningful tasks.
“When you have so much coming at you that you can’t think or when it’s just so hard to get tasks done in an organizations, it’s very hard as an individual to feel like you’re having an impact and your work is making a difference,” Fitzgibbons says. “You have so much coming at you that you just can’t prioritize and don’t have time for any of your own personal development.”
Many millennials are also frustrated by workplace annoyances because they are new to the environment, Fitzgibbons says. For millennials, they haven’t been around long enough to understand that there is often a long corporate history of certain policies, processes and procedures, and changing these can be timely and costly.
“Millennials look at the processes and say that it shouldn’t be this hard,” Fitzgibbons says. “It’s hard to understand and appreciate that when you’re newer to the environment.”
However, a manager can take a millennial’s annoyance as a chance to examine the company’s situation with a fresh set of eyes, Fitzgibbons says. While fixing some annoyances might be out of the budget, such as implementing a new, more efficient IT system, a manager can look at ways to improve how various departments work together or what can be done to better the decision-making process.
“Managers need to set up an environment that allows employees to get their work done,” Fitzgibbons says. “They need to make sure that they’re providing employees with the information they need to be able to get their jobs done effectively and have an impact. It might be hard for the new person to come in and influence the processes, but managers can help them figure out how to manage these.”
Social Disconnect
A new survey finds that employers and employees don't see eye-to-eye on the role of social media in the workplace, a new Deloitte LLP survey suggests. For instance, 45 percent of executives said social media has a positive effect on the culture of their workplaces, while only 27 percent of employees agreed. Also, 38 percent of corporate leaders said they thought social media generated more transparency in the workplace, compared with only 17 percent of employees.
WORK/LIFE SURGE
Technology has spawned an increase in work/life balance among U.S. workers over the past three decades, according to a Workplace Options study. Forty-three percent of respondents said they've seen an increase in work/life benefits and access to professional development in their current job compared with their first-time job. Also, 28 percent said their current company has increased work/life benefits in the past five years despite the rough economy.
A Good Place to Promote Workplace Wellness
Source: Safety Daily Advisor
If you've been thinking about holding a health fair to promote workplace wellness, here's some information that can help you get started.
Businesses across the country and across industries are embracing the idea that a healthier workforce is more productive and more profitable. They are also taking diverse pathways to encourage their workers to become more aware and more active in their own health.
On-site health fairs can be an excellent way to raise awareness about job-based risks and individual health status. Increasingly, fairs are seen as part of a larger effort to get employees to take responsibility for their own health.
Start with a Theme
Consider building your event around a theme, suggests Dr. Carol Rice, author ofWellness and Health Fair Planning (Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University). "Review your organization's goals, corporate philosophy, and culture to determine an appropriate theme for your health fair. Is your organization competitive, conservative, formal, or fun? What are your organizational demographics?" The answers can help lead to a theme and tone for the event.
Another consideration is time of year and other concurrent events. You may choose to piggyback on a holiday, season, or national observance like American Heart Month in February or Employee Health and Fitness Month in May.
Choice of Content
Options for booths, demonstrations, and information sharing are vast. Possibilities include:
· Self-care
· Back care
· Office safety
· Family fitness
· Using social media to improve health
· Ergonomics
· Alternative treatments (chiropractic, massage, acupuncture)
· Healthy eating and healthy weight loss
· Healthy aging
· Cancer prevention
· Women's/men's health issues
· Substance abuse
· First aid and emergency preparedness
· Stress reduction
· Screenings for blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, etc.
You can also use a health fair to showcase in-house resources and opportunities as well as those provided by outside vendors. Examples of in-house programs include your EAP, safety and health department and committee, workplace wellness program, health insurance plans and related offerings, and recreational activities sponsored by your company.
Other Considerations
"Raffles, prizes, and giveaways can be fun at a health fair," says Rice. "They help build anticipation, participation, and excitement."
Another traditional incentive is a "wellness passport," which gets stamped at each booth or display an employee visits. Participants who collect a certain number of stamps receive a prize.
Other options include tokens, cash incentives, and time off for employees participating in a screening. Some employers whose health fairs are part of a workplace wellness program offer discounts on insurance premiums for completing a health risk assessment. Based on the results of the assessment, employees may be recommended for additional testing, disease management programs, and/or health coaching.