Teamwork
Focus on knowing where to get information quickly rather than knowing how to do everything … Watch what you say on Facebook: More than 90% of job-screeners say they’re using social network tools to weed out applicants … Take the lead in developing your own professional skills.
When you’re working with a virtual team scattered across locations, foster unity with these steps: 1. Make messages “location-neutral.” 2. Share success. 3. Don’t waste meeting time during rare face-to-face gatherings.
Here are five questions you should have each team member ask when offering criticism to a teammate’s suggestion:
Workplace conflicts often arise because different people have different ways of doing things. Tips for navigating a clash of the styles:
Great minds don’t always think alike, a new OfficeTeam study suggests. Work styles vary based on personality traits, communication preferences and organizational methods.
Another admin on your team just made a cringe-worthy mistake. It was so bad that, although you’re a team player, you’d like to make sure your co-worker is held accountable. Is there a way to place the blame in a professional way? Opinions differ among the experts.
According to a recent Randstad survey, finding a fit with a company’s culture is essential. The survey reveals that 35% of employees report company culture has the greatest impact on morale, while 22% believe it has a major effect on productivity. So, what kind of company culture do you have?
Not everyone in the workplace needs to be innovative. Think about a movie set. For every director, there are hordes of people who must be technically proficient, patient and disciplined about their jobs. If everyone innovates, the project turns chaotic. What the workplace actually needs more of is creatonomy.
Are you in touch with your company’s core values? And what about your team? Have you sat down as a group to talk about what your core values mean? If not, suggest to your boss that it might be time. Here’s the potential payoff for you and your boss:
As hard as it is to listen to two co-workers arguing, it’s even worse when people keep their opinions to themselves. Creative tension happens when people share constructive differences of opinion, which can ultimately lead to better work. Of course, not all arguing is constructive or productive. Here’s how to tell whether you should step in to defuse bickering:
Fran’s work group plans to start a “Sunshine Fund” to buy gifts for special occasions, such as birthdays, weddings and baby showers. Her co-worker, Dan, wants to post a list showing the dollar amount contributed by each employee, but Fran thinks that’s a horrible idea. How can the team structure the fund so that people who can’t afford to contribute won’t feel obligated or embarrassed?
Consider two administrative assistants within the same company: Tara forges relationships across departmental lines while Max is mainly interested in meeting his team’s needs. When it’s time for company leadership to tap employees to work on a new, interdepartmental project, whom do you think they’ll pick?
Defuse a stressed-out, tense workplace with simple, morale-boosting celebrations. Examples: To celebrate National Pie Day (Jan. 23), get pies for the office. For Make a Difference Day (the fourth Saturday in October), challenge each employee to do one thing for a co-worker.
