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Wondering how to solve a challenging management issue, humanize your workplace™ or keep your team motivated? Do you ever feel like you're running a pre-school, not a professional department or firm?  Maybe you're an employee or job seeker looking for advice from peers or managers. If so, you've come to the right place. Lynn is the founder of Lynn Taylor Consulting and this community forum. She is also the author of the newly released Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant™ (TOT): How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job (John Wiley & Sons) Order here: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders Post a comment with your story and/or Q, and she'll try her best to address it! in an upcoming blog or article.

Archive for March, 2009

Calming Job Jitters In Your Office

31March 2009

Although the unemployment climate has given nearly everyone job jitters as underscored in Inc. and our national survey, you can do your part to ease the concerns of your staff.

Beyond the basic approach of open, honest, and direct communication, there are additional steps you can take that will help keep your team motivated and productive. These include:

  • Be aware of your verbal and nonverbal communication, which includes words, tone, and body language. This is part of my mantra: Humanize Your WorkplaceTM.
  • Let your employees know there is room to rise in the organization. Clearly articulate career pathing and outline opportunities.
  • Own up to any mistakes.  Apologize genuinely and move on.
  • Show your staff the same respect as you would a peer or senior personnel, e.g., uphold scheduled meetings and arrive on time; honor your commitments.
  • Tell your employees what they did right, which is especially powerful when done publicly.

Dedication, loyalty, and productivity are all characteristics that managers want most from their teams. Put yourself in your employees’ shoes, and think about whether you are inspiring these qualities each day. Think of the old adage: People won’t remember what you said or did, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.

How to Allay Job Fears

15March 2009

An article in The Washington Post recently addressed a national job related survey commissioned by my firm, Lynn Taylor Consulting, on how a boss’s closed door can trigger immense job insecurity. The survey showed that one-third of workers these days often gets nervous when they see their manager in private conferences, worrying about possible layoffs.

The telephone survey included 1,000 people, and was conducted by an independent research firm. It also showed that another third worry at least sometimes. A quarter said they rarely or never fear they’re about to be laid off, even when the boss’s door is closed.  A quarter of those polled said they think the average worker spends one to two hours a day worrying about personal job concerns such as layoffs, while a fifth believed that such worries consume four or more hours a day.

Overall, 76 percent of employees think about lay-offs when suddenly faced with “the closed door,” and 2.8 hours a day was the average time spent worrying about pink slips. Clearly, managers have a lot of work to do to allay employees’ fears and boost productivity! As the author of “Tame Your Terrible Office TyrantTM,” (John Wiley & Sons, July 2009) and CEO of a consulting firm that trains executives to become more productive and trustworthy managers - these findings make it timely to be aware of the Tame your TOT (Terrible Office Tyrant)TM and Humanize Your WorkplaceTM principles.

If you’re an employee looking for tips on how to advance in your career, or your managers are stuck in the Terrible Twos (!), please visit: www.TameYourTOT.com. For the job concerns press release, click: full press release or comment at my blog.

If you’re a senior manager, and don’t want TOTs running amok in your company (and do want to keep your best talent), visit Lynn Taylor Consulting or my blog. My most basic views are at: www.lynntaylor.com. As for right now, communicate - often.  If it helps to buy a $2 door stop to remain “open” to your people and their ideas, that’s a small price to pay! Opening your door literally and figuratively might even keep open the doors of your business.