Breathe At Work

Social Media + Multi-Generation Workplace = Peanut Butter Cups

I recently had the opportunity to speak to the Austin HR Management Association's Diversity Day event. They asked me to talk about one of my favorite topics the multi-generation workplace. However, I thought there might be something else I could do to add to it. So I decided to combine it with another one of my favorite topics, web 2.0 and social media. I think of it as my own little peanut butter cup. Two great tastes that go great together! I'll probably talk a lot more about this in future posts, and I wanted to post the slides here for folks to download. Enjoy!

Download impact_of_social_media_in_the_multigen_workplace.pdf

Authenticity and Dialogue

I've been thinking a lot lately about these two concepts. Wondering where they are in my life. Wondering how I can have more of them. I actually think that they are very closely related this begats this kind of way. If you are not authentic, you will not move into a place of dialogue. Authenticity seems to be something people are hungering for more and more both in the workplace as well as in our personal lives. I wonder sometimes if employee engagement and retention is related to this.

So many people wake up in their lives from feels like a long drowsy nap and realize, "I'm not happy in this situation anymore. I want something different. I want to be in a place where I can be myself and be valued for that." As a team leader, I often think how can I hold the balance between helping my team members grow in to the next evolution of who they can be while holding space for them to be authentically themselves. I think that space I'm holding is the space of dialogue where people can enter with one perspective, be valued for who they are, and then reach out and grow into some place completely new and expansive for themselves.

One of the many books I love but never finished is Bill Issac's book on Dialogue. A good friend of mine, Tina DeSalvo, has trained with Bill and really is what I believe to be the best example of dialogue in the world. Another great example of this concept is David Rock's book Quiet Leadership.

I'm seeking more ways to be authentic in my life and looking for more people to have authentic dialogue. I know that for some this type of authenticity and dialogue may be threatening. A lot of people have never learned how to have this kind of relationship. I guess that's another post for another day, though. ;)

Feel free to post a comment with your thoughts on this or other resources on this topic of authenticity and dialogue in the workplace!

Something to share...

I've decided to launch this blog again! I'm not sure if it's that I feel guilty I don't have an active blog whenever I speak about them of if I really have something to share. Either way, it's time to start writing again. Hopefully some of it will be valuable.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately on topics such as multi-generational workplace, employee engagement, online communities, and social technology. I am not sure if I have a unique voice, but I am finding things I want to share with people that have similar interests. So this site will be focused on helping all of us figure out how to get reconnected in the workplace. How do community, technology, learning and well-being come together to help us be more fulfilled and more conscious in our work and, possibly, even at home?

This is what I want to think about and discuss. It will be interesting to see what I say! I know at least at first, I'll be the only one reading. ;)

More info on Rutgers Article

Just found another version of the article from ABC News on Crackberries.  This CNet take also quotes a Korn/Ferry study that is even more interesting.  Take a look...

BREAKING NEWS: Blackberries Might Be Addictive!!

No really, it could be true! Someone at Rutgers is researching it! This little tidbit found at www.abcnews.com tonight only serves to add more interesting input to the debate about Blackberries and their potential addictive nature. What is especially interesting is the idea that employees might one day sue their employers for requiring them to work (check email) at all times of the day and night. That would be an interesting twist.

I'm not sure I agree with the fact that Blackberries are literally addictive. I actually think that what's addictive is the pace of communication, not the technology. I've been thinking a lot about this lately. Bill's last post caused me to really reflect on what is causing the problem. It's the vicious cycle of expectations that occurs when we start responding to emails within minutes rather than within hours. If you want a response within minutes, call someone or IM them.

Remember, email replaced letters and the postal service. In the past 20 years, we've gone from 2-5 days for a message to be recieved to seconds. I sometimes wonder what would happen if I stopped responding to email more than 2 x a day. It would mean people would have to wait at least 3-4 hours for getting an email. Hmmm...lots to think about.

Is it really a vacation if you check your email?

Well, it's been a while since I've posted on the site. Part of the reason is my recent vacation with 18 of my closest family members. ;) We were on a cruise in the Caribbean and although we had dinner together every night, it was as if I was disconnected from the world. The other reason is that I came down with a cold and food poisoning within the same week.

So I'm back to life in Austin and I get my trusty issue of BusinessWeek today and low and behold I find something that makes me wish I was back on my cruise ship with 18 of my family members.

Apparently over 40% of middle management surveyed recently said that they checked their email once a day or more during their last vacation. An additional 27% said they checked it less than once a day. The best one is that only 1/3 of those surveyed said that they never checked their email during their vacation.

What concerns me the most is whether these numbers are going up or down. I have a sinking feeling that there were probably more than 1/3 of us that never checked email on our vacations a few years ago. And now there are just 33% left.

I wonder...if you take a vacation but take your email and laptop with you, what exactly are you vacationing from?

Pandora's Box is open and I will never close it!

Ok...so this is another piece of breatheable technology that has just my jaw dragging the floor it is so cool and will save me so much time! So I'm a big music fan, and I have very eclectic tastes. I like Spoon, Rufus Wainwright, Sly and the Family Stone, and George Winston all about the same. It's always been difficult finding good music that I like. I often spend hours on iTunes following the "if you like this" links. However, it's still hit and miss. Until now...

I was just introduced to an incredible new website called www.Pandora.com. I'm sure I'm late to the game on this one, but this is just unbelievable. Based on the Music Genome Project, you simply type in the name of an artist or song that you like and it builds a radio station with music that share the characteristics of that song or artist. They've basically "genetically coded" thousands and thousands of songs and artists and based on the genetic make up of the song or artist you've submitted, it plays songs from the share that genetic code!

I just saved hours and hours of time surfing iTunes! Wait...that means I might be buying more music. Still...based on the gathered knowledge of experts and a simple technology, I'm able to listen to music that I've never heard before but I absolutely love. Oh well...looks like the box is open!

ActiveWords - An Experiment

Well, one of the things I used to do a lot of, when I had time, is look for new software programs on the web. The challenge is that there are so many new things out there, I have no idea where or what to look for. I recently found myself running across a program called ActiveWords again and again. I decided, ok, I'll bite.

ActiveWords is an automation system that sits on top of your Windows XP and enables you to create short cuts to just about everything you could want to do. The potential for someone like myself that is very comfortable typing is huge. I'm going to try it for 60 days and let you know what I think. I have a feeling that I might want to purchase the Enterprise version and make some standard ActiveWords for my team. After one afternoon with it, I'm thinking that this might be an example of Breatheable Technology. BT is technology that is unobtrusive and supports you getting more time rather than taking up more of your time. Perhaps this will be our first BT Award Winner.

Now...for some reason, I'm finding myself fondly remembering my WordPerfect Keyboard templates.

Have We Reached the Breaking Point?

So Workforce Performance Solutions magazine published an interesting article today that reports on a new Workplace Stress Study (PDF Link) conducted by Accenture.  According to the survey, increased workload is the number one cause of workplace stress.  It's not a unique issue though.  2 out of 3 workers surveyed said that they're experiencing increased workloads over the last 12-24 months. 

Take a look at this excerpt quoting Accenture Human Performance Practice Partner Edward Jensen:

Notably, the study found almost half of the respondents with heavier workloads said they have negatively affected their personal lives and of those respondents, 31 percent said they would consider leaving their jobs. “The stress survey is showing that it appears that a lot of workforces are reaching kind of the breaking point of being able to deal with the more-for-less sort of mindset,” Jensen said. “They have been kind of pushed close to the limits and it is impacting their performance. It is making them consider other jobs, which will only make the talent shortage more acute for organizations.”

So have we reached the breaking point?  Are we starting to see the negative impacts of workload on our productivity?  What if we reduced our workloads by a third, might we be more effective than we are now?  This study makes for a very very interesting read. 

Remember to Breathe...

Writing a Crackberry Policy

So the company I work for is reaching the point where employees are buying their own PDAs and expecting everything to work with our email systems. Unfortunately, not all PDAs are made the same and in the case of a couple, we've had to tell employees, "Sorry, we can't do that."

So now the IT guys have come to me with a request. "If we send you what we can do technically speaking, would you write a policy for effective use of PDAs?"

Hmmm...I'm not a fan of checking email in the evenings unless it's personal. I'm not a fan of working if I'm not in the office. But now I'm being asked to write a policy for devices that almost always support people in doing both of the above.

So I am wondering...how do I make a policy supporting a device that I think might be contributing to the greatest negative impact on life balance in the last 5 years.

Hmmm....any ideas?