Blog

The morale is tangibly low in the room. The silence is only broken by the occasional, deep sigh of boredom from someone across the room. Are you just imagining it, or can you hear a fly buzzing against the window? Whether you are working in a physical office or connecting with your co-workers virtually over an all-hands video conference, working with people who are clearly not interested in their job can suck the energy out of any workplace team. 

You may recognize it as the feeling of despair in the pit of your stomach when you log onto your work calendar to see that another internal project review meeting has been added to the week, as the wave of hopelessness you feel in your chest when you look at your insurmountable to-do list, or maybe even as the sharp headache behind your left eye that won’t seem to go away no matter how many shots of espresso you added to your morning latte.

It’s 2 p.m. and you sit in front of your computer with a fresh cup of coffee. Maybe the caffeine will help you push through the afternoon slump. You open up the document you’re reviewing and your phone buzzes. You glance at the screen—it’s a notification from your weather app. You turn back to your computer. But then you think, “I wonder if it’s supposed to rain this weekend?” You open the weather app and look at the upcoming forecast. No rain. Maybe you’ll grill some burgers on Saturday...

Do you remember your first internship? You may have decided you would “fake it ‘til you make it,” and walked around confidently, determined to prove yourself, and learn as much as possible. While some people have great memories of hard work and a rewarding pay-off, others remember feeling just outside the loop or even blatantly cast aside, only receiving recognition in the form of criticism. If you’re not careful, many of your temporary workers will fall into this category. They will underpe...

At the office, you could hear the voices of your team. You could pick up on their tone and volume to discern stress, conflict, or success. You could hear phones ringing, fingers typing. You could see meetings starting, projects ending, performance thriving. But at home? You hear meals cooking and children playing. You see schoolwork on the kitchen table, kids sprawled out on the couch, or that unfinished home project. You feel distracted in your own work and wonder how your team is doing. Are th...

“Actions speak louder than words.” We’ve all heard this phrase, and when it comes to face-to-face communication, this adage holds true. Research shows that approximately 80-90 percent of the meaning of a message lies not in the words said, but what has been conveyed during a conversation through nonverbal communication.

In many workplaces, a communication gap exists between leaders and employees - 91% of employees in a recent survey report that their manager does not communicate effectively. Often, the most difficult type of communication with an employee involves giving feedback. When managers fail to provide effective employee feedback, employees become disengaged, resulting in losses of productivity, profitability and talent.

Every manager at some point in their career will have to learn to deal with an underperforming employee. If your staff isn’t performing at their best, it can decrease morale and your business’s ability to meet its’ objectives. It is both important and fair for leadership and the underperforming employee to find a solution to their underperformance issue.

Experts say that the engagement, involvement, and satisfaction of the employees should be the biggest concern for organizations. When employees are actively engaged, it can directly affect the productivity and financial standing of the company.

Employee engagement is the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs and are committed to the organization. This emotional commitment means engaged employees care about their work and their company.