Happiness is a Choice

I find it very interesting that there is now scientific proof that happiness is a choice.  In a recent study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, scientists found that” simply trying to be happier could actually elevate mood and well-being.” In the study, two groups of students listened to happy music and one group was asked to make a real effort to feel happier while the other group of students was told not to actively try to feel happier. 

Guess which group felt happier?  Right—the one that made the effort to feel happy.  According to psychologist, Tom G. Stevens, Ph.D, author of You Can Choose to be Happy, “Choose to take advantage of opportunities to learn how to be happy.  …Choose to be in environments and around people that increase your probability of happiness.  The persons who become the happiest and grow the most are those who make truth and their own personal growth primary values.”

So, if being happy is a choice, why do so many people seem to be so unhappy?  Again, there is research that says our brains are constantly looking for things that are bad and negative experiences tend to cause our brains to react intensely to bad news.  However, we can counter the brain’s negative bias by appreciating and taking time to enjoy the positive things in our lives.

Throughout our day we have lots of brief positive experiences—maybe as short as 15-20 seconds long.  People who choose to be happy recognize those moments.  These moments can be simple—like a really good cup of coffee as we start our day or a hug from a child on her way out the door to school.  When we focus on these kinds of moments, they help us overcome the negatives that will come at us.

This blog is about making people matter at work so why are we discussing this?  Well, one of the ways people feel happy at work is when they are recognized for good work or rewarded for going “above and beyond” what is expected of them at work.  Hearing a heartfelt “thank you” from a manager can make an employee’s day and that will carry over into other parts of his/her life.  Cultivating thankfulness and gratitude is a scientifically-backed way to increase happiness.

Here’s why having happy people makes a difference at work—According to Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, in his 12 years of researching happiness at Harvard, he found that “cultivating a positive mindset could boost well-being and improve workers’ performance on many levels, from productivity to creativity and engagement.”

Many people aren’t aware that happiness is a choice but it is and it’s your decision to make.  Happy people are more productive, more creative, and more engaged at work and isn’t that what we all want?

Mojo-Crushing HR Policies

I read an article via social media early in the year about mojo-crushing HR policies to abolish in 2016. You know the type – old-school, industrial-era rules that seem to have no relevance in today's workplace. I chucked as I read many of them, not because the polices were ridiculous, but because of bizarre behavior I've witnessed – in some cases the types of behavior that leads to these policies being implemented in the first place.

Proof of death policy – requiring employees to bring funeral notices to justify bereavement leave. Horrifying and repressive? Yes, but it brought to mind the employee who requested bereavement leave three times in 18 months for his grandmother's death. That's grandmother, singular. Apparently the same dear granny died three times.

Manager approval for internal transfers – hanging on to an employee just because you can. This brought back memories of a standoff between two department directors.  The losing director told me he thought the employee was making a mistake – it wasn't a good career move. Is that why you won’t release him, Bob? The gaining department, after showing some restraint, almost called off the deal and the company came close to losing a great employee. They both kept coming to my office to argue their case to me rather than each other. This wasn't my fight and I wasn't about to get in the middle of it. This is a topic we wrote about in The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook.

Of course some of these policies have legitimate reasons for existing in certain circumstances and industries – for example time tracking policies. In many professional services firms and industries, such as government contracting, time is tracked to gather critical metrics including client billing information, and not to monitor employee's comings and goings. Even in these circumstances, I've seen managers attempt to use this information in a punitive fashion.

My favorite is fussy dress-code policies – the ones that spell out in excruciating detail what can and can't be worn to work. We've got an example of how to deal with inappropriate dress in The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook without implementing a lengthy policy. You'll have to wait for our next book for more on that subject. I'll just share a quote from a colleague for now -- "You can't call yourself an HR Professional until you've told someone they have to wear underwear to work."

There are some valuable lessons here:

·       No matter how absurd behavior might be, you can’t fix it with a policy (or legislate it at the government level). Bizarre and disruptive behavior will continue and problems will arise. Don’t let one bad apple spoil the whole tree or orchard!

·       It’s how you handle the behavior and respond to workplace problems that matters. Acknowledge that the behavior is creating problems and explain to the employee(s) involved why it’s a problem and how it’s affecting others. Let the employee know that his or her behavior (or dress) has to change. If several individuals are involved, facilitate a discussion and help them hone their conflict management skills.

Policies are often the response to the external environment, such as laws and regulations, and sometimes these requirements can be onerous. Consider the company with a generous, unlimited PTO policy that does not track time off. Its dilemma – complying with a local government law requiring accrual tracking procedures for all time off. Mo-jo crushing indeed!

Policies should provide guidance on how to run an organization and manage issues – including people issues. They should be the cornerstone of treating people fairly, respectfully and professionally. Balance the need to be compliant, when necessary, with establishing a positive culture for employees. Don’t ignore judgment and the particulars of each situation when making individual decisions.

It Pays to Improve Performance

It’s not unusual for an organization’s performance management system to have a process for improving performance. This is especially true if there are specific gaps or opportunities.

Consider this encounter that an HR Director had with a line manager who was observing significant errors in the work of one of his team members. HR worked with a manager to write a performance improvement plan (PIP) for the employee taking care that all the necessary elements were clearly defined and articulated:

·       The tasks that needed to be completed

·       How they were to be completed

·       When they tasks were to be completed 

·       How results would be measured

When they sat down to review the plan before presenting it to the employee, the manager asked, “What if the employee does everything on the plan?” In other words, what if the employee successfully completes the PIP? Isn’t that the objective? Clearly, this manager had in mind a path to termination rather than a path to improvement.

The goal of the performance improvement process should be just that – improvement. When performance is faltering, managers must look at contributing factors: Is training an issue? Does the employee have all of the resources s/he needs to succeed? Are other individuals such as colleagues or clients, impacting performance? If so, the leader and the organization have the responsibility to address these contributing factors along with the individual employee’s performance. There’s a simple formula that can the basis of any performance improvement discussion – positive or negative.”

·       What? – meaning what’s working or not working; what expectation is being met or not met?

·       So What? – meaning what’s the impact and why is it great or why is it a problem?

·       Now What – what’s the next step? What needs to change or be done differently and what are the consequences if the change does/does not happen?

Should performance improvement be limited to those employees who are not meeting the expectations of the role they were hired to perform? Unfortunately, this is the case in too many organizations. The focus is on weaknesses rather than strengths. If an organization is to succeed and move forward, then all of its employees have to strive for continuous improvement. For the employees who are far exceeding expectations – the star performers, what’s next for them? Those employees need to be engaged to take on more responsibility – additional challenges or stretch assignments. A performance improvement plan can be just as effective for them. Their performance needs to be fueled and their strengths leveraged.

An organization with culture of continuous improvement values continuous learning for everyone. The goal of improvement is to assure that individual employees and the organization are producing their best work. Don’t take for granted that good performers need no encouragement for continued performance. Put energy into inspiring everyone.

Keys to Successful Teams

Teams are a fact of the U.S. business world. But just because a team is created, it doesn't mean it will be successful, and, for sure, it doesn't mean there won't be conflict. It's important to take deliberate action to identify and remove barriers to successful teamwork. Here are some keys to consider:

Teams need a clear direction to be successful. They need a focus, a purpose, and knowledge of what is expected of them. Unclear expectations can derail even the strongest team and cause conflicts to occur. If team members have a clear vision of what they are expected to accomplish, and they take the time to develop how they will work together, conflicts can be held to a minimum -- but, remember, teams are made up of people and where there are people, the potential for conflict exists!

Don't leave team success to chance. When a team comes together for whatever reason, it's important to set goals and establish team norms so that the everyone has a clear idea of what they are to accomplish and how they will work together to accomplish the established goals.

Since whenever people come together there is the possibility of conflict, determining how the team will work together can help to minimize it. Taking time at the beginning to set the "team norms" -- how the team is going to work together -- can pay off down the road and help the team be more collaborative and more effective.

Here are some possible topics to be discussed and included in team norms:

·       Team members -- "We value and honor each member of the team for what s/he brings to the team."

·       Deadlines -- "We agree to make every effort to meet assigned deadlines, and if it is not possible, to let the other team members know at least 48 hours in advance of the deadline that an extension is required."

·       Meetings -- "We agree that meetings will start and end on time, and an agenda will be shared at least 24 hours before the meeting."

·       Record keeping -- "We agree that notes will be taken and shared within 48 hours."

·       Confidentiality -- "We agree that team activities will be held in confidence."

·       Decision making -- "We agree that decisions will be made by consensus."

·       Participation -- "We agree that we all commit to being active in every way while a member of this team."

·       Roles -- "We agree that team leaders will be selected based on area of expertise and rotated based on project. Record keepers and facilitators will rotate in alphabetical order."

·       Conflict resolution process -- "We agree that when conflict occurs, a special session will be held, and we will request help if needed to resolve the issues."

·       Accountability -- "We agree that each team member is fully accountable for all decisions made."

·       Mutual respect -- "We agree to respect others' opinions and ideas."

Your teams will be more productive and have fewer conflicts if you take time up front to establish a clear direction. By setting goals, deciding on team norms, and identifying and removing obstacles, your teams will be on a path to success.

What’s a Resume for Anyway?

While I certainly understand that looking for a new job can be a challenge, I think most people should write their own resume and cover letter.

The average recruiter spends seven seconds on a resume, so you better be sure your resume is as good as it can be. However, that doesn’t mean that you need a professional resume writer to draft it—especially since you should be revising your resume for each position you are interested in.

A well written resume showcases your strengths and your achievements.  Before you respond to a job posting, you’ll have researched the position and the organization. You’ll know what they’re looking for and you will have used the keywords that will get your resume noticed.

This means you will be revising your resume for each position—not to in any way exaggerate your skill sets but to ensure you use their terminology so that your resume doesn’t get screened out by their applicant tracking system.  This is why having one resume doesn’t make any sense.

The purpose of a resume is to get you an interview.  You want the reader to know who you are; what you’re good at; what experiences you’ve had; what skills you possess; and what your educational background is. Since your resume should describe YOU, you’re the right person to draft it.

It certainly makes sense to have someone review your resume.  Select someone you trust but who doesn’t know you very well. Ask them to take a critical look at your resume and see if they get a sense of who you are from what you’ve written.  Remember the resume exists to get the interview.

Your resume should be easy to read with font size of at least 11. Use the space wisely but also don’t try to cram everything you’ve ever done on the page.  Try to use the white space wisely to make it easy to read.  Of course, no spelling or grammar mistakes are allowed!  Start with your current or most current position and work backwards. Give enough detail to spark the interest of the reader.  Aim for two pages but if you have to go longer, make sure the content is really useful.

I think the resume as we know it will disappear in the next five years. So many organizations now request you to fill out their online application and/or, let you import your LinkedIn profile into their system so focus more on your research into the organization and less on how your resume looks and you should do just fine!