Author: michal30131f14

More Money or More Free Time?

Posted on by michal30131f14

Which would you rather have: More flexibility at work or a higher salary? This is the opening line of the article, but a very critical question regarding our lives in the working world.  According to the survey by Citigroup and LinkedIn, 64% of people are more likely to get more flexibility at work than a pay raise. This seems fairly reasonable, but once the raise hits 20%, the people that want more flexibility decreases to about 47% and finally a 30% raise drastically decreases flexibility favorers to 28%. This article demonstrates how managers can create a happier work environment with a little more flexibility.

At my current job, my boss is extremely flexible as long as I am in on Fridays to do our weekly payables. I don’t have my own family to go home to, but my substitution for that is being a student. My boss offers me days off when midterms and finals are around because he understands the importance of school. I’ve seen some people at work needing to attend family issues without causing a negative atmosphere at work. My firm really does a good job in understanding what employees really value, and that could be a really big reason why we are constantly growing every year with a friendly vibe around the office.

However, overall it seems that people do feel that a work-life balance is desirable. This article then transitions to viewing woman and men and their views on a work-life balance. Apparently, more than half of men talk about a work-life balance to other men, while 78% of woman said they never heard a successful man talk about the difficulties with work and home. Both men and women want to have a work-life balance, but it seems that men don’t generally speak about these issues with woman. Perhaps this is some sort of patriarchal agenda men feel they have to uphold. Being in the year 2014, patriarchal mindsets are declining and more and more men are becoming more vocal. Max Schireson quit his job as a CEO from a billion dollar company to spend more time with his family.

I’ve noticed myself talking to both genders about working and being at school. I manage it fairly well, but when it comes to school it always trumps working. It really just depends on the person you are and especially your age. Coming out of school with a degree, I’m positive these young individuals will focus on their career, but as time progresses their views can change.

So this leaves this question: Would you rather have more flexibility or a higher salary? Does your age or gender lead you to choose one over the other?

 

Cookies Get Work Done

Posted on by michal30131f14

Cookies

It’s no secret that a negative mood affects everything you do whether it is work, socializing, or even sports performance.  Simple daily tasks are affected by your mood, which affect your productivity. According to the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University, a negative mood at the beginning of the workday decreases your productivity by 10%.

However, there are things an employer can do to help boost morale, and increase company productivity. Simply telling your employees to say “cheese” gets them to smile. Smiling changes temperatures in your brain that help with mood.

One of my favorite ways some companies have expressed morale boosting techniques is through fresh warm cookies and fruit baskets for employees to produce positive moods. If cookies and fruits are offered to customers as well, this helps boost customer moods as well, which helps employees because they do not have to deal with a disgruntled customer. Studies show that emotions can be contagious; therefore, offering simple treats can generate better company performance.

An interesting point this article makes is allowing some open time for employees to talk. I noticed that I’m in a much better mood at work when my co-worker, Dave, comes over to talk to me once in a while. I notice a ton of conversations going on throughout my office and it seems to be working because everyone I see within the office doesn’t show signs of anger or slight depression while meeting company goals. I noticed that I actually enjoy working on my work after my conversations with Dave. My cousin on the other hand, works in a factory and the way he tells me about it seems like he really hates it. He says he can’t really talk to anyone, and the manager is always on his back about some random thing from the start of the day.

Building off my cousin’s case when a manager shows immediate frustration with small incidents, like showing up one or two minutes late will bring the employees mood down, which will decrease his productivity for the day. There are certain times when it is right to address an employee, but according this article one of the most important ways to boost productivity is by having a positive start to the day. Nobody likes getting bad news as they walk into work. Positive starts to the day carry on through out the workday, just this week my company reached goals that we had from the start of the year. We had a company meeting and we were congratulated for meeting those goals, on top of a delicious breakfast buffet to go along with the meeting at the start of the day. Who doesn’t love chowing down on bacon while working

How do your employers help increase your productivity throughout the workday?

Have you ever noticed mood affecting your or others work?

 

Rothbard, Nancy. “Put on a Happy Face. Seriously.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.