The are people in companies that feel like outsiders and because of such, their production and participation is not what it should be. Stephen Frueh calls these employees “orphans.” Workplace negativity is an issue many employers face. It leads to decreased creativity, communication, teamwork and motivation. So indentifying what types of negative employees an organization has is important so that business owners and managers can help them achieve goals effectively. Read more about this in Stephen’s article, “Eliminating Negativity In The Workplace.”

Print This Article

The study revealed that finds that three in ten workers say they feel stressed about preparing for retirement. In addition, six in ten workers (61 percent) say they have saved for retirement, though just four in ten have tried to figure out how much money they will need in retirement (41 percent).

“I continue to be struck by the relatively small share of workers who do formal retirement planning,” said Lisa Greenwald, assistant vice president of Greenwald & Associates, and co-author of the report. “Use of a financial advisor increases with age and income, but just 23 percent of workers say that they have spoken with a professional advisor about retirement planning and only one in ten report they have prepared a formal plan for retirement.”•

Print This Article

Business consulting often focuses on the most tangible challenges: cash flow, supply chain, work flow, job descriptions, salaries and bonuses.

In my work with companies and corporate teams, I often take an “inside out” approach. “Inside out” focuses on that which is not so easily seen and often can be a far more powerful inhibitor of successful operations. We see four (among many) factors that, once identified can create a pathway for improving personal performance of employees and managers.

The so-called negative employee. We all know and recognize this person and it’s easy to demonize them. We have found numerous examples that may seem to you to be “counter intuitive.”

The negativity you see often hides a strong desire to positively impact a team through naming what’s wrong. We call this employee the “truth teller” and he or she is easy to dismiss because what they are saying is not well said or is said with so much emotion we feel uncomfortable listening. As in ancient times this messenger of necessary information can be a victim of “kill the messenger.”

Solution: Find a leader who isn’t afraid to listen carefully to all the complaints this employee brings. Honor each one and create a leadership meeting where the complaints or criticisms are seen in a non-emotional objective light, and then decide what’s valid.

The orphan. Within every organization there are insiders and outsiders. Like the school yards of our youth we all want to be part of the in crowd. The “orphan” will linger on the outskirts if not seen for their unique contributions, their work ethic, perhaps their shyness and their reluctance to speak up.

Solution: Empower this employee through intentionally welcoming their input, inviting them to small group gatherings, asking for their help with a project not necessarily in their domain. Offer a little training or coaching where they need it. Seeing it, naming it, acting on it will change the complexion of your team.

The narcissist. This person creates more attention for themselves than is warranted and causes anxiety among team members. They may look good but their self referencing all successes of the team undermines loyalty, goodwill and focus.

Solution: A good muscular interview exploring their needs, their true contributions, their own exploration of their effect on the team—can open the way to coaching that focuses on building a realtime relationship with leadership. Remember: the narcissist wants to be seen, wants to be important. Give them a pathway where they can, in a healthy way, achieve that.

The addict. Addiction is not only about alcohol and drugs. It is a personality style as well. The addict can’t stop themselves from smoking/eating/drinking/working/gossiping, etc.

Solution: This employee needs help but it must be artfully offered. Intervention should be by design using leadership that is itself insightful, kind and proactively oriented. Acknowledge their contributions, probe (a little) around whether they self diagnose their own situation, offer outside the office help (if appropriate) and make a coach available to them. If successful this somewhat driven employee will become even more valuable to your organization as they gain some (inner) control over their demons.

Hidden factors, mostly psychological in nature, can when addressed, fuel real growth in team performance. Work to identify them and then to turn them into positives for your company. •

Print This Article

Brinker v. Superior Court began as a case more than nine years ago. The class action was brought by restaurant employees who claimed they were denied rest and meal breaks. The California Supreme Court ruled that while employers must still “provide” breaks, they “need not ensure that no work is done during an employee’s meal period.” •

Print This Article

Social media has added a new demand for employer protection from cyber activities.

 

Today, technology is growing by the nanosecond, far too quickly for employers to keep up. Long-standing privacy considerations are at near-constant tension with the advent of the Internet, social media, e-mail and other electronic communications tools.

To be competitive in today’s market, business owners must make effective use of social media. Current marketing trends almost require that businesses have an on-line presence, and volumes of encyclopedias have long since been replaced by Google searches. To protect their businesses, however, employers should set boundaries on their employees’ internet and social media activities, both inside and outside the workplace. Consider these protective methods to avoid damage to the company from employees’ electronic communications and social media activity:

Documentation. Implement effective and thorough policies on social media activity, confidentiality and electronic communications. Employees should be reminded in writing that all electronic communications created on company equipment or accounts will be monitored by the company, and that they have no privacy rights in these communications.  Have your policies reviewed by legal counsel – technology moves faster than the law ever will, and today’s courts are deeply challenged by litigants’ rapidly-developing arguments over newly-discovered electronic media.

Ownership. When an employer provides cell phones and laptops to employees and pays for the cell phone account and the wireless access, the employer owns and controls the cell phone number, e-mail inbox, internet accounts, and all social media or other electronic communications created by the employee while on working time, using company equipment, or otherwise controlled by the employer.

Included in “ownership” is the company’s brand, logo, customer information or other trade secret, confidential or proprietary property. While the employer may not prevent the employee from engaging in social media activities on his own time and while using his own equipment, the employer does have the right to pursue a claim against an employee who posts defamatory content on the internet.

Similarly, although an employer cannot safely terminate an employee who vents about a fellow employee in his social media posting, the employer can certainly terminate the employee who harasses a fellow employee in violation of the company’s anti-harassment policy, even when that harassment occurs during the employee’s off-duty conduct.

Monitoring. Employers can actively monitor their employees’ communications and internet activity, both internally and externally, as long as employees have been warned in writing that employers can and will do so in their discretion. Employers should also conduct their own internet searches using tools such as “Google Alerts” to track the information that has been published about the business and its personnel. 

Ultimately, business owners should keep in mind that you are (or should be) the owner of your company, your technological equipment, your electronic communications accounts, your employees’ working time and your reputation. With the advent of technology, we are drowning in information, but starved for knowledge. Make sure that the information publicly available about your company is not the information your employees choose to post, but instead is the knowledge you want to publish. •

CASE IN POINT:
Why Have A Systems Use Policy?

An insurance agency allowed its new agent, Cindy, to use her personal laptop computer and iPhone to conduct her business activities. The agency was thrilled to avoid the cost of a new computer, and was more than happy to reimburse Cindy for her business calls made on her personal cell phone.

Unfortunately, Cindy didn’t perform to the level the agency expected of her. Her sales results were substandard, and she seemed to be wasting an inordinate amount of time on personal matters in the workplace. Her supervisor reviewed her Internet activity while at work and discovered that she was spending several hours each day surfing the Internet on shopping sites, Facebook, and other personal search activities. Much to the agency’s surprise, they also discovered that Cindy was downloading customer lists and files and sending them to her home e-mail address. She was planning to move her business to a competitor agency.

The agency terminated Cindy and sued her for unfair competition activities. The court refused the agency’s demand to recover its customer list, because the agency had previously permitted Cindy to download it to her personal cell phone without restriction. The court also refused to consider the agency’s computer search results in its action against Cindy, because the agency permitted her to use her own laptop for business and personal use. The agency had failed to implement a “systems use” policy notifying Cindy in advance that her computer could be monitored at any time without prior notice. •

Save

Print This Article

More than 10,000 employees were hired as the amount of on-location filming in the state also increased. With the good comes some bad news Domestic box office receipts fell last year by 3.7 percent (to $10.2 billion). Attendance was down 4.6 percent to hit its lowest level since 1995. In the recent Otis Report from Otis College of Art & Design, it’s estimated that one in eight Southern California jobs are in the creative and entertainment industries, and amount to more than a $200 billion impact on the Southern California economy. •

Print This Article