How To Enjoy Your Job...
    Or Find A New One!

People deeply desire recognition and acknowledgement for what they do. Studies have shown that employees are motivated by praise and appreciation before promotion or a bonus.

A word of praise, a personalised email of encouragement or thanks can make all the difference to how people feel about their jobs. These mementos last longer than the pay cheque and show that someone has valued what they have done. There are some managers and even companies that people love to work for because they are known for having a special way of treating people. These managers and companies recognise that people really are their means of doing exceptional business, and treat them accordingly.

Many employers seem to think that employees are paid to work, so why should they be praised as well. But if companies do not have a culture of praise and appreciation, it will be reflected in their retention rates.

Here are 5 ways to incorporate praise and appreciation into your workplace.

· Encourage a culture of appreciation. Give out positive energy and appreciation of others, and you will find it coming back to you. Start appreciating what other people do at work. Focus on the positives, rather than the negatives. Try thanking other people, and they will begin to appreciate you in return. This works at all levels of the organisation. Appreciate your Managers and appreciate your direct reports and co-workers. Everyone’s role is important and if people start to tell each other this, then the effect will be felt throughout the organisation.

· Write a thank you note to someone who has performed well – on paper, with ink. In these days of email, a handwritten note will stand out as something special. Use a good quality card and be sincere in what you write. People will keep these cards and too often they are only given when they are leaving the company. Giving this recognition during employment will improve their job happiness and retention rates.

· Stop the blame and use it as a lesson learnt session instead. If companies have a blame culture, then people feel they cannot take risks or try to improve things for fear of censure. Encourage people to contribute and praise them for trying something new. If it works you will want to use their idea. If it doesn’t, then praise them for trying, and analyse how it can be done better next time. Don’t criticise and blame, but praise and encourage.

· Use the monthly meeting to award people for a job well done in a public forum. Have an original award and give it to people for going above and beyond their job description. This may relate to a demonstration of company values or for excellence. One example is the First Penguin award used at Carnegie Mellon, which is given for being a risk-taker and being ahead of the pack. It refers to the first penguin that dives into the ocean containing predators, someone fearless and ready for anything. What original award could you start at your workplace?

· Be aware of what people are doing in the workplace. If someone does a particularly good job, reward them unexpectedly. For example, tell them to have an expensive meal out with their family and put the cost on their expenses. Have a “Special Day Off” award when someone gets to have a day off for free and still get paid. Or get tickets to a sporting event and take a group of employees instead of clients. Make your employees feel that they are worthy of excellent treatment. After all, they are the ones who make the company work.

Praise needs to be genuine, so all of these should be done with sincerity. These points have nothing to do with the institutionalised “praise” of bonuses and organised rewards/commissions. These examples are for unexpected thanks and appreciation of what people do over and above their job descriptions. Reward people for their service and their loyalty, and you will find that they give even more.

Companies that communicate retain more staff and increase job satisfaction for their employees. But ineffective communication can be worse than none at all. Here are six ways to communicate effectively within the organisation.

· Set clear expectations. If you hold a weekly communications meeting, then make sure there is an agenda that informs people about what you will communicate. People will know what is being covered and can save their questions for the appropriate time. It also ensures all topics are covered. Make sure items are varied, relevant and interesting so people look forward to these sessions.

· Ask people what they want to know. So often management will drive meetings based on what they want to tell employees, and not necessarily about what is on people’s minds. Turn this around and ask instead. Send out an anonymous survey or ask for emailed questions to a central address. Allow people to ask anything they want of management. You may be surprised at what people are concerned about. Communication is a two-way street, so be prepared to listen and then broadcast the most useful answers.

· Be clear and concise. People want to be communicated with, but do not need more than a summary most of the time. Cut meetings short if there is not much to share, and make sure they finish on time. Be specific, decisive and articulate about each topic. If people are speaking, do not allow them to monopolise and take over the meeting. Time is precious, so move things along. Make sure there is follow up to people who were involved. If decisions were made and actions were taken, ensure minutes are sent out promptly.

· Communicate in different ways. Face to face meetings are just the beginning. Conference calls are an effective way to get participants from global locations, and presentations can be seen onscreen over the web. Internal newsletters and intranet pages can also be ways of broadcasting communication. Some companies now use e-zines (electronic newsletters) which individuals can contribute to and subscribe to within the organisation. Again, allow feedback and suggestions for improvement.

· Take a risk. Some CEOs and executives have maintained a distance between themselves and employees, and have not revealed much of their personality. Others embrace communication as a part of their daily work. Some CEOs have started blogs as a way of communicating to employees and the world. The most high profile of these is the President of Sun Microsystems, Jonathan Schwartz, http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/ but there are many others. Sun even has a blog policy acknowledging and allowing that people will communicate online. Accept that people will blog and your corporation stories will get online and you will get feedback. This type of communication will only accelerate with Gen Y employees. Use that information to improve the company and the risk will pay off.

· Be truthful and respect your audience. Your integrity is always on show when you speak and communicate something, even if it is not important news. People generally know something of what is going on in the company and just want the gaps filled in. Be sincere and respectful of the intelligence of your audience, whoever they are. People will see through half-truths and when the truth is revealed, your honesty is on the line. In these days of mass communication, transparency and integrity is valued in every organisation.

Effective communications can transform your company, so make it a central part of your corporate strategy.

Multicultural workplaces

Nowadays, people work in global offices with colleagues from different worldviews, religions and attitudes. It is important to be aware of cultural differences and how they affect team dynamics, communication and management style. Multi-cultural workplaces also offer a wealth of new experience and self-growth opportunities. Here are 7 ways to improve multicultural relationships in your workplace.

• 1. Make it ok to ask questions. Some people may feel that they cannot ask a person where s/he is from for fear of being offensive or being seen as racist in some way. This can prevent communication, team effort and even friendship from happening. Encourage people to talk about where they are from, and their culture. Most misunderstanding comes from lack of communication. If you can ask questions of one another, then the growth in relationship will enable more effective working together.

• 2. Learn about each other’s countries and cultures. Many people want to travel to exotic places and experience a different culture. But nowadays, there might be someone from one of those countries in the office. Put a map on the wall and stick pins in it linked to photos of your team members so you can see where people are from. Encourage people to add to the display with information and other pictures and use it as a group talking point.
• 3. Be respectful and open-minded. Cultural differences can sometimes be confusing or misinterpreted. Be respectful of the way other people work and interact. Try to learn from them instead of considering your way to be the best and criticising. Apologise if you feel you might have offended someone, and ask them how you can behave more appropriately in the future. Speak out again discrimination in the workplace and encourage understanding.
• 4. Celebrate holidays of other cultures. Festivals and celebration are a great way to learn about other cultures. Have a lunchtime meeting where you share some traditional food and discuss what the festival means. People are the same underneath and festivals often reflect what is important to all cultures – family, faith, children, honouring the past and looking to the future.
• 5. Create cultural awareness factsheets. If your company employs people from other countries, give them some material on what it is like to work in your company and country. If you send employees overseas to meetings or conferences, they should also know how to work in those cultures. For example, what is the customary greeting within each culture? These worksheets will help provide context for interactions and enable easier work relationships.
• 6. Treat people as individuals. Culture does not define a person, and cultural stereotypes can also be responsible for more misunderstanding. Don’t jump to conclusions just because someone is from a certain place. Get to know people as individuals regardless of their culture.
• 7. Identify gaps in your own knowledge. We are all a work-in-progress, and we can always learn more. Identify what you don’t know about your co-workers and their culture. What can you learn about your own culture that affects the way you work? How can you improve the situation so your team can work more effectively together?

“Understand the differences; act on the commonalities” – Andrew Masondo, African National Congress

Abusive, threatening or humiliating treatment is unacceptable in the workplace, regardless of who the person is. There is a growing awareness of workplace bullying and harassment, but it doesn’t help the person affected unless it is reported and dealt with. Often, being treated this way can rob you of the power to act and may make you feel like you are not worth much anyway. If you feel put down, it can be hard to maintain a positive attitude and self image.

But this is not true. It is important to remember that you are worth more than this, and that you will not continue to allow bad treatment.

What can you do about these situations?

You need to focus on the areas you can actually control as this is where you can make changes. It is difficult to change someone else’s behaviour. But you can alter your own behaviour by avoiding that person, refusing to engage with them and not reacting to situations. You can also report them through the appropriate channels if the problem is serious.

What can you control about the situation you are facing? What is within your power to change?

You have the following options:

· Talk to the person involved. Ask them about their behaviour and involve a third party as a witness if you are uncomfortable with this. Put it in writing if you like, but make your feelings known. However, this is easier said than done as many of us avoid conflict and painful situations.

· Don’t respond in kind. You will keep a stronger position if you do not resort to tactics that put you in the same category as the other person. It can actually be more powerful and disarming to be positive and kind to the other person and demonstrate that you are not bothered by them. By reacting, you give them power over you.

· If you are not sure how serious the situation is, or if you just want to know your options, you can talk to someone else in your HR department. Be careful to make the situation hypothetical so as not to jeopardise your position, especially if the person involved is senior. You can also try talking to friends, Employee Assistance programs, use anonymous phone help-lines or go online for support. It is important to discuss the situation with somebody as you will feel more stressed if you don’t have emotional support.

· If the situation is serious, report the person to your direct manager or HR manager. This will involve talking about the details as making a complaint like this can be a serious move, so take any emails, or notes on situations that have happened. You need to be calm and rational and not overly emotional in your approach. Find out whether anyone else has been treated in this same way. It is likely that this person has behaved in the same way before which will help your case. Before you give any details, make sure the conversation will be kept confidential.

· You always have the option to leave this position or the job entirely. If things are very bad at work, it is better to walk away than continue to be subjected to a situation that will wear you down with stress and anxiety. The majority of work situations are not like this, so move on and you will find somewhere more to your liking. You may need time to evaluate your options and look for different work, but this may be the best option.

What are the three steps you will take to address your situation at work?

People do not work or live in isolation. Even if you are in a dream job, it can be marred by the presence of someone who upsets, frustrates or bullies you. This conflict can dominate your work life and spill over into your private time. The situation can be intensely stressful and can make the working days hell.

Everyone has ways in which they like to work and there are different styles of management for different types of people. However, some managers use the same approach with everyone, so there will inevitably be conflict. I have been in situations like this before for the following reasons:

· I feel my work and decisions are undermined by my manager who questions my abilities

· I am micro-managed and have to account for all my time, making me feel like I am not trusted

· I don’t respect my manager or the way they works or treat people

What are your specific problems with your manager?

Don’t be put off though! There are some fantastic managers out there who know how to look after and appreciate their people. They manage to the individual’s style and not with a broad brush approach. If you are a manager yourself, or if you want to be one, consider how you would like to be treated and appreciate individual differences in styles of work.

How do you want to be treated by your manager?

A friend of mine just started an office job after working in a different industry and noted how many meetings he was suddenly involved in. Many of the meetings did not have an agenda, and there were not clear actions afterwards. He felt that sometimes the communication could have been done by email. Are all your meetings necessary? or are some a waste of time?

A recent NY Times article notes that many meetings are not productive (even when they are discussing workplace productivity!). Here are some tips from the article to make your meetings more successful.

• Have an agenda and set clear objectives for the meeting. What do you need to achieve in this timeframe?
• Think about opportunity costs for the meeting. How many people do you really need? Do you need all those senior managers?

Here are some more tips:

• Have stand-up meetings as they don’t go on for so long
• Minute action points and follow up – ensure there is a lasting benefit from the meeting
• Know the difference between a meeting and a workshop, and when just an email communication will suffice

How effective are your meetings?

Communication is critical in the workplace, and there are many ways we can all improve. This benefits our own careers as well as improving working relationships.

In order to help us all improve, I interviewed Nancy Kaye from American Communication English on communication tips, cross cultural workplaces and why she is so passionate about communication.

What are your tips and tactics for communication in the workplace?

Practice Conscious Listening: At the start of our communication sessions with our clients we practice experiencing ACE Inner Tube Breathing™ which calms down, relaxes the mind and brings focus, stilling the inner chatter providing an open space to really hear the lessons. The practice prepares and supports our clients to know how to actively listen to the essence of what someone is conveying.

Engage in Asking Questions: To receive feedback and clarification. Our clients are taught to digest what you think is being communicated to the other person. Pausing prior to responding is creating a safe space that gives you time for contemplating, comprehension and understanding.

Truth and Authenticity: Learn to discern when the truth is shining in someone, and distinguish when there is incongruence in their communication.

The following limiting idea comes up often with our global clients, and seems to be a stumbling block with interacting clearly with co-workers, especially with higher management. This is how we coach them.

Label Lock: We all have unconscious assumptions about how other people judge us. The ‘generalized other’ is the psychologists term for this. When we fall into this mental trap the reduced negative image constantly comes up for you each time you endeavor to interact with your colleague or coworker. It could very well be an erroneous judgment, a limiting idea such as the “Big Bad Boss.” Your perception may be limited by your personal bias, life experiences, age, and so on. We all see the world as we know it through different filters. We then get bogged down by casting someone in a partial role that has to be incomplete. We are all humans with foibles and unique ways of understanding our particular role in our job and how it should be handled. And we think others should behave accordingly.

Avoid Label Locking: Our clients are trained to become mindful of not labeling people as this or that. Labeling them puts them in a space that may not be true for them or for you.

Label Lock Reversal: When you believe someone sees you in a certain negative way and you adopt and hold that thought for who you are. This is just as stagnant a view of your whole self possibilities, as when you believe someone else’s false opinion of you.
Remember: You have total domain of how you view yourself. Unlock unwanted beliefs, phantoms and limitations.

During the ACE Communication Workshops, we teach our clients the following tip.
GOAL: I can communicate with ease with other people in my workplace with “PASS” To be; Precise, Articulate, Short & Slow.

Many of us work in multi-cultural workplaces. How can native English speakers be more sensitive to those for whom English is a second language?

Cross-Cultural Communication Workshop™
Embrace Diversity: We train our clients to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, which is an illustrative idiom that gives you the opportunity to role play and see the view from another’s perspective. Entertain the idea that it may be a struggle for them to come into a new country from a different culture and to try to communicate with a new language. They may be self conscious about their inability to communicate clearly. Learn about the other person’s culture, ceremonies, food and customs. Experience empathy. Locate something that resonates with your understanding and make it a discovery, perhaps you’ll make a friend.

Compassionate Communication: Practice patience with them and try to understand the words and thoughts of multi cultural co workers who are trying to communicate.
Show understanding, by using friendly body language, share your smile, look directly into the person’s eyes, nod your head acknowledging that you are listening, use a warm voice, slow you speech down a bit, paraphrase what you think someone has said, these are all great stress busters.

Treasure Hunt Adventure: You may discover a new way at looking at the world and gain a friend in the process. This is beyond a ‘win win’ situation. Everybody wins. Your company with the ever-evolving marketplace, your understanding of culture and the world at large. These are a few of the ways that we can bring about a society of conscious individuals transcending the differences and seeing the sameness and what you have in common with your colleagues.

Tell us a bit about your business. Why are you passionate about communication?

My passion is creative communication problem solving. I have a multi-faceted career background with a distillation of many diversified experiences.

As a child I was interested in knowing more about the world’s philosophies and religions and how they were similar to each other. I sought out friends and went with them to see what their belief systems were. Having traveled extensively I have learned about many cultures and countries. I am truly interested in other people and their cultures and different ways of doing and being.

Founding an English as a Second Language School and having taught for many years, I feel the frustration of those who wish to be able to communicate well and who struggle to do that. I understand how it is for them to try to get from place to place, understand the culture and language. Those in a new country do experience culture shock. 20 years ago, I began to explore and develop interesting creative programs to put students at ease and help them learn to communicate better. We discover, discuss and listen to their goals.

Our coaches assess each individual’s needs and we then create dynamic courses that deliver answers and produce great results for our clients. That is my passion.

English has more words than any other language. When our international clients study with us they gain the benefit of vocabulary enrichment. This enhances their ability to learn to articulate their thoughts.
We teach communication workshops to English as a first language clients as well ESOL speakers in companies and organizations to develop their ability to be confident communicators. The Confident Communicator Workshops cover many areas of communication capability.

You cannot speak that which you do not know or share that which you do not feel. You cannot translate that which you do not have or give that which you do not possess. To give it and to share it, and for it to be effective, you first need to have it.

Great communication starts with good mindful preparation. In our fast paced world we often do not take the time to be full communicators. We speak in shorthand and move swiftly flitting from idea to idea. Deepening our communication capability deepens our connections.

My passion extends to all people to be able to become articulate confident communicators. I love helping others find and express their voice.

“It warms our heart to know that we have been understood. The connection with other people is true communication in action. The thread of connection weaves itself with others and we become one in understanding.” ~ Namaste, Nancy Kaye

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You can find out more about American Communication English here. She also has a few special offers for you.

Special Offers: I invite you to Sign up for the “What is Communication?”™ A lively, interactive & informative free monthly series tele-seminar series with participants from all over the world teaching new tips and tactics to assist you in communicating confidently.
Learn about interesting people and their books and the work that they do. Send in questions about communication issues to be answered during the call. request@acemyenglish.com. This popular series has listeners in 12 counties.

Useful Attitudes for Speaking and Listening. Recently I was invited to attend to The Seeds Of Compassion 5 day event hosted by The Dalai Lama and featuring Archbishop Desmond TuTu and notable scientists, childhood-development advocates, organizations, foundations, educators, business leaders and the greater community to promote tools and strategies to assist the healthy development of children as happy compassionate members of society. I attended workshops and discussion panels of leading researchers with scientific data proving the value of compassion in our society. I brought  back Useful Attitudes for Speaking and Listening.
To receive your copy go to: request@acemyenglish.com Code # Joanna.

To request receiving our popular ACE Communication Tips and Tactics mailing: learn@acemyenglish.com

In an American survey for Career Builder, one in 10 workers said they felt like they had a platonic work spouse.

A CNN Money article cited on Wikipedia characterizes the relationship as having the “immediate intimacy [of marriage] without the sex or commitment and cites a report suggesting that such relationships “may not only make you happier with your job but may even improve your chances for promotions and raises.

So this sounds like a good thing…someone who listens to your work problems, supports you and protects you in office politics. But 20% of people surveyed reported that their actual spouse was jealous of the work spouse…so be careful!

Hadron Collider

It’s been a big week in the world of physics!

If you want all the techy details on the Hadron Collider, then go here=> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider

A quick round-up for lay-people: it is a big machine that will try to collide proton beams in an attempt to find sub-atomic matter. It has never been done before.

Why does it matter?

• The Earth might explode so we are all going to die. Some people think that the collision of particles will destory the earth immediately, or when the mini black holes grow big enough to consume the planet ( in a few months). Scientists have said this cannot happen, but let’s face it – this is cutting edge science and no one has a clue what will happen. So this is a great time to take stock of your life! If you thought you were going to die in several months, would you want to be in this job?

The truth is that you are going to die sometime, even if it not imminently.
If you would not stay in the job, then why not?
and how about making some plans to escape and do something you would love to do…

• Inspirational teams and passionate people. This group of scientists have been working for years to get the Hadron Collider going. But it started off with someone’s idea… then passionate people worked towards a common goal – step by step. This has not been done before so there was no book to read, no-one to ask for help. They made it up. This is truely creative, inspirational stuff!

So the science might not thrill you but this accomplishment is demonstration that great things can be achieved over time, in small steps. Things that the mind has not even conceived yet.

One of your ideas could  grow into something life changing (even if it is just your life that is changed) … what do you dream of achieving?

You don’t need to know how to get there … you just need to take the first step.

employee or contractor

I was at a management meeting today. Death by Powerpoint. Managers managing more managers. Jargon bingo. But it made me think about the difference between employees and contractors, and why I have alternatively swung between the two approaches in my career.

Why be an employee?
- You are on a career path. The company invest in you and train you. You don’t have to be an expert to start with, as they will mould you into what they want. You are happy being part of a bigger organisation that has a structure, processes and a support network.

- You like the stability and security of being part of a company. You know how much you get paid every month, and you get paid for sick days and holiday. You have a contract that doesn’t have an end date.

- You like the kudos or prestige of working for X company. You have won that job and it makes you proud.

- You have more options being part of a company. If you want to try something new, you can ask your Manager and can move into a new position.

- You get benefits like pension/superannuation/car. You don’t have complicated taxation affairs. You don’t have to think about the money; it just arrives in your bank account.

Why be a contractor?

- You don’t want to be on a career path. You are a specialist in what you do. You don’t want to do performance appraisals, or be in management meetings. You like being independent.

- You want flexibility of lifestyle, geography and the freedom to move on when you want.

- You like having a variable wage. You can earn a lot more in less time, and then take 3 months off. You don’t need stability.

- You like managing your own money and taxes, or you hire someone to do it for you.

- If you want training, you pay for it yourself – or you do the same job over and over again (and risk being bored)

Both of these ways of working have their benefits and drawbacks. Both involve working for other people (working on your own business will be tackled in a different post).

I started out as an employee – then went contracting. Then back to an employee, then back to contracting. Repeat twice more, and I am currently in the contractor cycle…and heading towards working in my own business altogether. So there is room for all types….. which do you prefer?