Posts Tagged ‘corporate culture’
March 1st, 2009 in Design, Office Management No Comments
[This article is the second of a two-part series based on findings from the 2008 Gensler Workplace Survey.]
In this article the author revisits the Gensler Workplace Survey and briefly touches on the nature of the four work modes of focusing, collaborating, learning and socializing. She briefly touches on the major findings discussed in the first article, noting that workers put as much effort into collaborating, learning and socializing as they do on focusing by themselves and that employees at top-performing companies believe that time spent on non-focus work is more critical to job success than do workers at average companies. (more…)
February 6th, 2009 in Office Management No Comments
A recent survey reveals that nearly 40 percent of U.S. workers have dated a fellow employee, and that another 40 percent would consider doing so. Inevitably, notes the author, most workplace relationships end and some end badly enough to result in lawsuits involving claims of coercion or retaliation. Even employees uninvolved in a romance have succeeded in establishing hostile work environment discrimination based on favoritism.
In response to this situation many companies have implemented nonfraternization policies designed to prevent or discourage workplace romances. Unfortunately, the author finds that most companies with such policies do a poor job communicating their expectations. The issue is colored by the fact that employers generally prefer not to chaperone their employees. Employees, on the other hand, view employer monitoring of their personal relationships as an invasion of privacy. More importantly, notes the author, research shows that outright dating bans simply don’t work. (more…)
October 16th, 2008 in Culture, Office Management No Comments
Culture Conquers (Almost) All – Even In A Retention-Challenged Industry.
Corporate culture can make the difference between organizational success and failure. This article takes a look at the culture-building efforts of a firm ranked fourth in the 2007 list of the “25 Best Small Companies to Work For in America” by the Great Places to Work Institute. This company, a mid-size CPA firm with three offices in Arizona had had a phenomenal growth rate of nearly 20 percent per year over the past six years with a profit margin of over 40 percent and an enviable 90 percent retention rate for the staff. (more…)
June 2nd, 2008 in Health No Comments
This article is one of a number of articles that show that “Presenteeism” is not just a U.S. phenomenon. A 2008 study shows that better than eight out of ten Canadians have gone to work too ill, exhausted or stressed out to perform productively. The author blames the economy, in-house job losses and the resulting increased workload on those remaining for stressing workers to the point of despair. Increased competition and workloads leave them too stressed to sleep, so they go into work early and work late to make deadlines, leaving them with more stress and even less sleep. This cycle, if uninterrupted, results in a resentful employee who is less and less productive and more prone to illness and disabilities. (more…)
