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Knowledge Exchange
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Friday, December 05 2008
Recently my clients have mentioned that they have read some of the articles and research published by Dr. Linda Duxbury and others on work/life balance and have asked me "how do we operationalize this?" The question arose out of our work with companies in measuring employee engagement and organizational health. Read more »
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Friday, December 05 2008
Universities are complex, ambiguous, paradoxical and at times infuriating places. They also have a nobility of purpose and offer a richness of experience – intellectual, cultural and social – that are found in few organizations. In this environment the university administrator, especially one not from the academic ranks, is constantly struggling with a difficult, dynamic balance. The academic community is a primary source of the very richness we value, but many of its members tend not to embrace "corporate" priorities and perspectives. The administrator is expected to protect the particular interests of the members of this community, and at the same time serve the goals of the institution as a whole. This requires the achievement of a complex equilibrium in the face of unrelenting budget pressures, the uncertainties and upheavals associated with a much more competitive world, and the ever sharpening focus of public accountability. Self-fulfillment also demands a balance in personal life if one is to avoid succumbing to the enormous pressures that arise. Consequently today’s university administrator faces unprecedented personal and organizational challenges. Read more »
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Friday, December 05 2008
In the last few years a great deal has been written about employee engagement. Several definitions of employee engagement have been suggested. All of the definitions share similar themes. They refer to employees being committed to their work, being passionate about their work, being emotional connected to their organization and to their coworkers. After the publication of the book, First Break All the Rules, the Gallup organization became well known for the research in this area. Buckingham and Coffman, who coauthored the book, provided numerous illustrations of the connection between, good people, good managers and successful companies.
Read more »
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Friday, December 05 2008
Most people think motivating employees is largely about pay. This is a simplistic view, which isn’t particularly helpful for team leaders and managers who are trying to get the most out of their people in challenging times.
Most organizations don’t have the money to simply give more to their people. And employee surveys find at best, money is a short-term motivator, which doesn’t compare to a variety of other incentives.
Read more »
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Friday, December 05 2008
I read two unrelated articles in the November 11, 2004, issue of the Globe and Mail. The first article was reporting on the most recent study by Professor Linda Duxbury of Carleton University and released by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The study is intended as a discussion paper between work-life conflict and the demands on the public health care system. Dr. Duxbury has done an excellent job of mining the database she and her colleague Chris Higgins from the University of Western Ontario developed from survey results of some 31,500 Canadian employees. Read more »
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Friday, December 05 2008
Stress-Related Illness At Work Can No Longer Be Ignored By Organizations Striving To Be Competitive. Why Does Health Matter?
Workplace stress, anxiety and burnout are becoming more and more pronounced and widespread throughout the workforce. In July 20, 2000 the Economic and Business Roundtable on Mental Health published a study, "The Unheralded Business Crisis in Canada - Depression at Work" [1] that showed that the cost of these and other mental illnesses at work is growing exponentially. Unfortunately there are many other hidden costs that can also be ascribed to this source of unhealth or "dis-ease". Organizations where staff are working under conditions of debilitating stress or along side others who are over-stressed experience: Read more »
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Friday, December 05 2008
Professor Dalton Kehoe, York University and Entec Corporation Associate
Walking the Talk on "Human Assets" - NOT!
It is widely proclaimed that we are in a knowledge-based economy where highly-skilled individual employees are vital to organizational success. In fact, many organizations find themselves competing for the top talent and seek to be "employers of choice." As a result, some variation on, "People Are Our Most important Asset." is commonly pronounced. Despite these statements of good intention, the research tells us many companies still see their "valuable human assets" as either instantly expandable or simply expendable. Read more »
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Friday, December 05 2008
Customer Loyalty (the relationship) is not defined as how customers perceive their relationship with companies, as most often a customer rarely thinks they have any relationship with any company.
Customer relationship management is a popular concept but the concept itself is actually its biggest barrier.
Read more »
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Friday, December 05 2008
The Gallup organization has placed the term employee engagement on the map. There contribution to understanding the underlining factors of employee motivation has been a significant contribution. There is however, an important piece missing in Gallup’s work. There are two parts to employee engagement: Read more »
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Friday, December 05 2008
What HR needs to Learn from Marketing
During the earlier stages of my career I was fortunate to have worked for a large corporation that had a management development program for up-and-coming managers. This program combined formal management courses with on the job training. The job training involved assignments to different divisions in the company. Two learning goals were mandated by these assignments: Read more »
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