Five Things You Should Never Say at Work – via Yahoo!/Monster

According to Catherine Conlan, Monster Contributing Writer, these are the five things you should NEVER say at work:

It’s all your fault.

It’s all my fault.

It’s not fair.

That’s not my job.

Don’t tell so-and-so, but . . .

Click here to read the entire article and find out why.

Tips For Dealing With Inter-Office Conflict

This image was obtained from IMSI’s MasterClips Collection, 1895 Francisco Blvd. East, San Rafael, CA 94901-5506, USA.

Inevitably, at some point we will all have to deal with inter-office conflict.  The following are some tips for how to handle conflict with co-workers when it arises:

1. Use “I” statements.  It sounds cliché, but focus on YOUR feelings, not the other person’s actions.  Calmly explain how the person’s actions make you feel.  The louder you get, the more likely the person is to feel that you are attacking them, so try not to raise your voice.

2. Step away from the computer.  E-mail is great for business purposes because it is fast and efficient.  However, it can also be easily misunderstood due to the impersonal nature of the communication.  If you receive an e-mail that upsets you, don’t just fire off an e-mail back.  Talk to the person face-to-face to get to the bottom of the situation.

3. Pay attention to body language.  Pay attention to your posture and expression when discussing problems with a colleague.  Don’t tap your feet, cross your arms or furrow your brow.  All such actions indicate that you are closing yourself off and are offensive or defensive gestures indicating conflict.  Try to maintain eye contact and keep your body language open by maintaining a relaxed posture with your arms to your sides.

4. Call a time-out.  If you and a colleague are talking in circles or you feel like an explosion is inevitable, take a break.  A walk around the block or floor can help you organize your thoughts and calm down.

5. Find a referee.  During a disagreement, it can be difficult to hear what the other person is saying because you are busy finding fault with his or her argument or thinking about what you want to say next.  Ask a supervisor or other impartial co-worker to act as mediator.

6. Meet in the middle.  If you can’t reach an agreement on what to do, try to compromise.  It doesn’t have to end with one person right and the other wrong.

Related articles

• Body Language – an element of Communication skills (mohitmaurya.wordpress.com)
• Noted Body Language and Communication Expert Mark Bowden Teaches How to Tame our Primitive Behaviors in the Workplace (prweb.com)
• Learn the Hidden Message of Body Language (prweb.com)

Does Your Company Have a Customer Service Oriented Culture?

Successful companies know that there is great value in building strong professional relationships with customers.  It is easier and less expensive to retain current customers than it is to find new ones.  Companies that recognize the need to work harder in offering good customer service are the ones that will ultimately succeed.

In its most basic form, customer service is knowing and meeting your customers’ needs.  But having customers who are simply satisfied is no longer enough.  You want your customers to feel loyalty to your business.  That is what will keep them from even thinking of trying something else and keep them coming back to you.  Building customer loyalty takes time, commitment, and hard work.  But most of all, it requires building a personal relationship between you, your staff, and the customer.  When your customers know that you care about them as individuals their sense of loyalty to you will grow.

Creating a culture that is customer service oriented takes commitment from both managerial staff and employees.    Customers expect the same level of service from every business they patronize, so it is important to implement a uniform customer service policy and train your employees to abide by that policy.  No matter what, though, management is responsible for setting the tone for the company.  If management doesn’t really care about customer service it will show, and that attitude will transfer to employees.

Follow these simple steps, and you will be on your way to fostering a customer serviced-oriented culture at your company:

1. Start at the top with leaders committed to customer service.
2. Identify current employees who are also committed to customer service and use them to help motivate others.
3. Be prepared to commit the necessary resources – time, money, technology – to achieve your goal.
4. Hire the right people and be ready to replace those that cannot – or will not – be retrained.
5. Empower your employees with the ability to make on-the-spot decisions based on given situations, within pre-established guidelines.
6. Make training – both initial and on-going -  a priority.

Sources:  

Cascado, Debra C. “Creating a Customer Service Culture.” Medscape Business of Medicine. 24 April 2000. < http://www.medscape.com>.

Allen, John. “Creating a service-oriented company takes commitment.” Houston Business Journal. 10 April, 2009. <http://houston.bizjournals.com>.

Related articles

• The “Thank You Effect”: 50 Small Ways to Improve Customer Service (slideshare.net)
• Tips on How To Make Customer Service Work Using Social Media (athingcalledservice.wordpress.com)
• Creating a Customer Service Oriented Organization: 3 Lessons from the Walmart Approach to Customer Satisfaction (openviewpartners.com)
• 6 Keys to Getting the Best Out of Your Customer Service Team (business2community.com)

Office Christmas Party

Join Us for the Annual PPEC Office Christmas Party! Downstairs Meeting Room beside the reception area When: Tuesday, December 18 Starts at 10:00 Our Annual PPEC Christmas Party will be Tuesday, December 18th.  Join us in the downstairs Meeting Room at 10:00 for finger foods. We will also – OF COURSE! – continue our traditional game of Dirty Santa!  If you wish to participate, here are the rules: If you want to play, bring a wrapped gift.  It can be a nice gift or a gag gift. Everything must be wrapped or bagged – no tags. Spending maximum is $15.  There is no minimum. We will draw numbers – #1 will pick first and, therefore, must choose a gift from the pile. Others may pick from the pile or “steal” a gift someone else has already unwrapped. After a particular gift is stolen 3 times, it is retired from play. No crying or cursing – bribing is okay. J The game is over when the last person picks a gift. ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, WITHOUT QUESTION, THERE ARE NO LIVE (OR FORMERLY LIVE) ANIMALS ALLOWED.  (*cough*BILLBRAINERD*cough*) Why yes, Virginia.  That IS a rat in a plastic ball. Sincerely, Nancy Wike Annual PPEC Christmas Charity Project For our office Christmas charity project this year we have adopted a brother and sister through Guild Elementary School in Gallatin.  My son went to Guild, and we loved the school and all the faculty and staff.  It is a great school, but 66% of the students are considered economically disadvantaged. Cayden is almost 6, and Sunshine just turned 9.  Our goal is for each child to receive 1 large toy, several small toys, and some clothing.  If we can do more, that is even better.  I have spoken with their mom, and she has given me their sizes and some toy suggestions. If you are willing to help, you may select a gift to purchase, or donate money or gift cards and PPEC will shop for you.    I will have a sign-up sheet in my office if you wish to purchase a gift.  If you or your company would like to sponsor one of the children in the family and purchase all of that particular child’s gifts, that would be great as well. If you choose to donate money or gift cards for PPEC to purchase items, please do so as early as possible to allow staff ample time to shop for the children.   All donated items must be received here at the office no later than Tuesday, December 18 (our Christmas Party).  I will deliver the gifts to the school on Thursday, December 20.  ALSO, if you are going to be replacing your desktop or laptop this Christmas, I will be glad to take your old one off of your hands, clean it up, and donate it to a classroom at Guild.  To make sure that the computers can be used by the school (and that I can get them there), I will only take flat-screen monitors and computers that are running Windows XP and newer operating systems.  You are welcome to donate a PC without a monitor. THANK YOU!

Perimeter Park Executive Center | 301 South Perimeter Park Drive | Suite 100 | Nashville | TN | 37211

Ten Ways to Fight Stress

No matter how much you like your job, your kids, or your life in general, we all have those days.  Here are ten tips for keeping stress at bay.

1.  Take a brisk walk (or quick jog) to start the day or during breaks throughout the day.

Several studies have shown that those who start their day with a morning jog or exercise have less stress and burn more fat throughout the day.  If you aren’t able to jog, start with a brisk walk around your neighborhood.

Take periodic breaks throughout the day and walk around your neighborhood or office building.  I keep a pair of slip-on athletic shoes at work so I can easily and quickly put them on without worrying about socks or tying laces.

Increasing Your Focus

If you are like me, you constantly feel as if your attention is being pulled in several different directions.  Most of us wear several different hats at work, and have to constantly be ready to switch gears depending upon what is going on that five minutes.  This is especially true if you work with multiple clients.

For example, so far by 11:00 this morning I had:

• responded to multiple client questions in person
• responded to multiple client questions via e-mail
• answered incoming calls at the front desk while the receptionist was on break
• logged incoming FedEx packages
• fixed a leaky sink faucet
• started typing a blog entry

And I wouldn’t even classify this as a “busy” day.

Sometimes having to switch hats quickly will result in difficulty with focusing, which can leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Work toward increasing your focus with these suggestions from the March 2012 edition of the Mayo Clinic’s EmbodyHealth newsletter:

1. Screen out distractions. Start by turning off the TV, putting down your phone, and logging out of email.  Not convinced it’ll help?  Try this experiment:  Eliminate noncritical screen time for two days and see how much more you get done.
2. Plan for peaks and valleys.  Are you a morning person?  Then don’t squander that time on email.  Instead use it to tackle projects that require your full concentration.  Low energy in the afternoon?  That’s the time to go through your inbox or catch up on your filing.
3. Put it out of your mind.  Too many mental notes make for a cluttered mind.  All that unfinished business saps your mental energy.  So dump it.  Put whatever’s on your mind on paper or capture it digitally.  Think of it as off-site storage.
4. Train your brain.  Any skill worth having requires practice.  Learning to focus is no different.  Invest time in mastering attention training or meditation – both are great ways to practice taming distractions and improving focus.
5. What’s the payoff?  Not only will you get more done, you’ll also enjoy more flow – when you’re so absorbed in an activity that nothing else seems to matter.  Flow creates a sense of fulfillment and engagement and, yes, even contentment.

Find out how to get the Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth Newsletter for your company.

A Happy Employee is a Productive Employee

English: Ken Olsen’s primary concern about customers and employees “Our Employees are our greatest Asset” was distributed on a coffee mug, to encourage all employees. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Business owners cannot afford to forget how important it is to inspire, motivate, and empower their employees, especially in tough economic times.  Great business owners value loyalty and know that they have a responsibility to edify and encourage their employees.  Bad business owners forget that their support staff needs their support, too.

Great leaders know how to inspire and motivate their employees.  They work to create an environment that supports, develops, and expands employee creativity and productivity.  They encourage initiative, nurture decision-making abilities, and supply their employees with opportunities to be successful.

Here are several ways business owners and managers can encourage and motivate their employees:

1.  Keep the lines of communication open.  Be open about expectations and willing to listen to suggestions or problems.

2.  Freely give praise when deserved.  Don’t be one of “those bosses” whose employees only hear from them when they have made a mistake.  That’s encouraging.  Acknowledge when your employees have done a good job, and be intentional about letting them know that not only do you value their contributions, but you value them.

3.  Implement a system of rewards or an incentive program to recognize employee contributions.  Bonuses are great.  In tough economic times, however, it may be impossible to reward an employee adequately with a bonus.  You can also give gift cards, extra vacation time, or even treat them to lunch as a thank-you for their hard work.

4.  Be a coach, not a dictator.  Coaches provide feedback and encouragement in an effort to help develop a person’s skills.  Dictators just want the job done their way and don’t care if a person becomes better.

5.  Don’t throw an employee in the deep end.  Before giving an important task to an employee, make sure that they have the right skills, knowledge, and resources to complete the task well.  Failing at an assigned task because it is beyond their expertise or ability will do nothing to motivate or empower an employee.

What are the best ways that you have found to encourage and motivate your employees?  Do you do ENOUGH to encourage and motivate them?  

Related articles

• How to motivate staff for the best productivity (premierlinedirect.co.uk)
• 5 Ways to Keep Your Employees Motivated Without Breaking the Bank (forbes.com)
• I Can’t Get No… (Employee) Satis-fac-tion… (thesocialworkplace.com)
• 5 Meaningful Ways to Motivate Employees (inc.com)