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Chicken Soup for the Office Worker’s Soul

The first day Andy came to work, he saw a 17-inch screen sitting on his
desk, and there were no speakers, and his mouse had no scrollwheel. But Andy made it
through the day anyway, checking up on his email and performing other mundane office
tasks.

When Andy returned home, he told his wife of his work day. “What,” his wife uttered,
“You don’t have a scrollwheel, and a big screen? You must tell your boss, and request
better equipment!”

The next day at work, Andy knocked on the boss’s office door. When the boss invited
him in, Andy in quiet voice told the boss that he would need better equipment to become
more effective at work. “I need a mouse with a scrollwheel, and speakers, and a 19-inch
screen,” he said. His boss nodded, said “Makes sense!” and made sure that Andy would
receive all that. When Andy returned to his desk after lunch, he found his desktop
equipped with a larger screen, a better mouse, and hi-quality stereo speakers.

When Andy returned home, his wife was already waiting to hear Andy’s story. After
Andy finished, his wife frowned, and said, “But you still don’t have an ergonomic
keyboard and comfy chair... this is impossible!”

The next morning, Andy knocked on his boss’s office door again, and made another
request for better equipment. “I need a comfortable chair so I can sit and work in a
relaxed manner... and I need a keyboard that will cater to my hand’s comfort.” The boss
looked at Andy and said, “Makes sense.” And thus, an hour later when Andy returned to
his desk, he found a new chair and keyboard in place.

Returning home that day, Andy found his wife away, but she left a note: “If you got all
the new stuff we talked about, also ask for a raise and your own office.”

Hence the next day, Andy knocked at his boss’s door once more, and requested a raise
and his own office room. “Because my work is excellent, and I need to fully concentrate
while typing.” His boss looked at him for some seconds, and nodded, once more, and
said, “Makes sense Andy!” And a little while later, Andy moved his computer, chair,
keyboard and mouse and everything else to his new room, free from much of the
surrounding noises of his former cubicle.

And Andy was quite happy about the state of things as they were. And after a hard day’s
work, he returned home, and his wife was already awaiting him. After Andy told her the
day’s events, she gave him a long, hard stare; “Why,” she said, “you have a high income,
your own office, an excellent chair and everything... you should be boss!”
Andy was briefly worried but found the logic to be irrefutable, and the next morning at
work, he knocked on his boss’s door. “Boss,” he said, “to be an even more effective
worker, I think I should be boss.” And Andy’s boss looked at Andy with a puzzled face
for a moment, and then replied, “You’re fired.” And when Andy returned to his old office
room a while later, he found his computer, chair, mouse and everything else gone, and to
this day, Andy is really happy all that happened because in the end he didn’t like this
office work all that much anyway because of the constant deadlines and headaches and
shouting and everything and he’s now running a successful but undemanding business
selling flowers at a little shop.
 Career Advice: Five Career Secrets to Becoming the Perfect
Employee That Everyone Wants – Part One
By Ed Sykes

With ever increasing deadlines, decreasing resources, and changing workplaces,

sometimes it can be challenging to be a good employee, much less a perfect
employee. The employee who can rise above the everyday problems and embrace
challenges will be the person that every employer wants.

The following are five career development secrets to being the perfect employee
everyone wants:

1. Respect. Respect others with whom you work everyday. What is respect?
Respect comes in many different forms. The following are just a few
examples:

 Respect fellow employees as individuals with unique ideas and thoughts

that may be different from yours. This diversity of ideas may seem a little
different at first, but that is how we produce better solutions. “Group
think” often gets you nowhere fast. Embrace diversity of thought so that
you are open minded for better solutions.
 Respect fellow employees by greeting them in the morning. Many times I
hear from employees who say that certain co-workers make it unpleasant
in the office because they seldom say “Good Morning” or “Hello,” don’t
smile, and are just plain nasty to fellow co-workers. Take the time to give
a pleasant greeting to your co-workers even when you may be having a
difficult time. You will be known as someone who is pleasant to work
with, and guess what; more opportunities will come your way. Also, you
can break out of a bad mood and become more productive at work if you
are pleasant to others.
 Respect the work of others. Appreciate the time and efforts of co-workers
and let them know. You may not agree on the final product, but you can
respect the time and effort put into the project.
 Respect others by practicing the Golden Rule…well sort of. The Golden
Rule states “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Well,
there are many people, because of their poor self-esteem, who like to be
“dumped on” emotionally and physically. If we follow the Golden Rule,
does that mean that these same people should “dump on” their fellow co-
workers? Of course not! Treat your co-workers with the utmost respect
and appreciation they deserve.
2. Knowledge. Knowledge is the key. The workplace is constantly changing.
Even the look of change is changing. Also, change is happening faster and
faster. Just look around you in society, work, and technology. The only way
to master change is to gain the knowledge to be ahead of change.

Take the time to learn not only about your present job, but also about your future
job opportunities. This will make you a more valuable employee. Also, take time to
learn about the job that is one level above your present position. When this position
becomes available, you will be in a better position to receive a promotion.
Also take responsibility for your knowledge. Time and time again I hear the
following:

“Well, my company won’t pay for the class, so I’m not going to take the
class.”

I say to that, “Find the way to gain the knowledge!” There are too many educational
options not to have the knowledge. Whether you pay for it yourself, receive online
training, volunteer, etc., there are ways to receive knowledge.

Remember, once you receive knowledge it is your knowledge to take anywhere you
go in life.

3. Communication. Communicate, communicate, and communicate. Talking

is one half of the communication process. Listening is the other and
sometimes the most important part of the communication process. Listening
means being open-mined to new ideas.

Communication also means learning how to give and receive feedback. Giving
feedback means giving feedback that is honest and fair and leaves the person
wanting to do better. Receiving feedback means information given to you, and it
may include questions for clarity and understanding about what needs to be done.

Communication is also good follow-up with employees and management. Do you

inform your managers or co-workers about the process or changes in the project on
which you are working?

4. Appreciation. Appreciate to motivate others. Be accountable for your

words. Once you say something, it’s hard to take it back.

Show and give praise to others in the workplace. Work at finding them doing
something good and praise them (Read my article Appreciate to Motivate.). The
more you do this, the more you will tear down barriers and motivate others in the
workplace.

5. Solutions. Be a solution creator, not a problem dictator. Anyone can find

problems; but the employee who can find a problem or challenge and create a
solution is an employee that can write his/her own ticket for success. Take it
upon yourself to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.

Ask yourself these questions:

 What is the positive that can come out of this challenge?

 What will I learn from this challenge?

 What are some solutions I can present?

 How will I present my solutions so that the organization sees the

immediate benefits?
Apply these career development techniques and you, too, will become the perfect
employee and enjoy career advancement.

http://www.thesykesgrp.com/perfectemployeeart01.htm
How to create more engagement for safety

In E. Scott Geller’s ISHN columns (April and May, 2008), he reviewed 12 evidence-
based strategies for developing resilience to emotional pain and suffering. This article
offers an alternative perspective by showing how you can tap emotional energy as a way
to motivate action for injury prevention.

The words motivation and emotion come from the same Latin root movere, which means
“to move.” Both motivation and emotion spur us into action. We should activate people’s
emotions to motivate them to pay more attention to environmental and behavioral risks
and act accordingly.

Make safety personal

A powerful way to increase participation in safety-related programs is to teach and

motivate with personal stories. I experienced this with my friend, Charlie Morecraft.
Many readers have seen Charlie tell his riveting story, either in person or on videotape.
Audiences sit on the edge of their seats as Charlie relates the details of his severe burn
injury at an Exxon oil refinery, including the painful and long-term consequences to
himself and his immediate family.
He projects authentic feelings throughout his presentation and evokes emotional reaction
from attentive spectators. Observers increase their commitment to safety — heightened
motivation to do whatever is necessary to prevent personal injury and the kind of physical
and psychological suffering endured by Charlie Morecraft.

The why and the how of safety

On several occasions I’ve had the privilege of teaming with Charlie for presentations at
professional development conferences and at industrial sites. Charlie tells his story first,
and then I follow. First I ask the audience to be mindful of their current emotional
feelings, triggered by Charlie’s story. That emotional state motivates them to listen
carefully to practical ways to keep people safe and to make a personal commitment to use
these techniques on a daily basis.
Charlie claims he is the “why” for taking extra time and inconvenience for safety. He sets
the stage for my follow-up talk by telling the audience I will discuss the “how.” After
people’s emotional reaction to hearing the horrific consequences Charlie suffered because
he didn’t follow prescribed safety regulations, they are receptive to learning what they
can do to prevent personal injury. In this case, emotion benefits both learning and
motivation for safety-related action.

Motivating engagement for safety

Charlie Morecraft tells his emotional story several times a week at companies around the
world. Listeners feel immediate self-motivation to actively care for the safety of
themselves and others. They become more mindful of environmental hazards and
participate more enthusiastically in their workplace safety programs, from paying more
attention at team safety meetings to delivering and accepting feedback about safe versus
at-risk behavior. But how long does this heightened interest in occupational safety last?

Before long, the emotionally-laden memories of Charlie’s story fade, along with self-
motivation to go beyond the call of duty for injury prevention. For many, the natural
activators and consequences of the daily work routine take control again, and they revert
to giving safety a lower priority than the efficient, sometimes at-risk, completion of work
assignments.
What if you were periodically reminded of the personal side of safety? What if someone
at your workplace reminded you of the motivational emotions you once experienced from
a person’s safety-related testimony? This would happen naturally if the testimonials came
from your co-workers. If you cultivate a culture that encourages employees to discuss
their injuries and close calls, workers’ emotions and motivation for safety can be
regularly provoked.

An illustrative example

Does the right hand in the photo to the right elicit any motivational emotion for safety?
Probably not; although, you might feel disturbed, sadness, or sympathy for the individual.
Such was the case for the co-workers of Rich, a highly regarded engineer at a
construction company. This all changes when Rich tells his story.

Rich is not shy about his deformity. Whenever he is introduced to someone, he

immediately offers his right hand for a hearty greeting. Co-workers have questioned the
cause of Rich’s disabled hand to one another, but not to Rich. One day the safety director
of this construction firm stopped ignoring the obvious and with authentic compassion
asked Rich, “What happened to you?”

With openness and enthusiasm, Rich shared his personal story. He related his experience
to me in a phone conversation. As a 22-year-old student, Rich worked at a lumber
company in Brookville, Pa., to complete a required ten-week forestry internship. Rich
was directed to use a milling machine he knew was risky because the guards had been
removed for efficiency and faster production. He mentioned this to his immediate
supervisor, who then reported the problem to the owner. The owner ignored the issue.
After using this unguarded machine for 49 days, it happened. In a split second, Rich’s
right arm was pulled into the feed rollers which began grinding up his hand like
hamburger. Realizing immediately the milling machine could swallow up his entire body,
Rich pulled his bloody limb from the engulfing rollers.
Rich described the excruciating pain he experienced, not only at the time of his injury,
but throughout his six months in the hospital while enduring 13 operations that enabled
him to save parts of his hand. Rich also discussed the negative consequences of having a
deformed hand, including his observation that young children avoid him with looks of
fear.

Hearing Rich’s ordeal over the phone was enough to make me pause and reflect on my
good fortune of having two normal hands. I also considered the hand protection I’ve used
over the years when chopping firewood, using a chainsaw, and biking. Rich’s story not
only elicited some emotion, it also triggered mental imagery that forced me to reflect and
gave me both direction and motivation. The value of more people hearing this personal
story is obvious.

The bottom line

Because the safety director had the courage to ask an employee about a prior injury, and
because the employee had the courage to share his personal story with others, many
workers at this construction firm have experienced heartfelt emotion linked to safety. It’s
likely this emotion increased several individuals’ self-motivation to do the right thing for
injury prevention, not only for themselves but also for others.
Motivation is the key to performance improvement

There is an old saying you can take a horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink; it
will drink only if it's thirsty - so with people. They will do what they want to do or
otherwise motivated to do. Whether it is to excel on the workshop floor or in the 'ivory
tower' they must be motivated or driven to it, either by themselves or through external
stimulus.

Are they born with the self-motivation or drive? Yes and no. If no, they can be motivated,
for motivation is a skill which can and must be learnt. This is essential for any business to
survive and succeed.

Performance is considered to be a function of ability and motivation, thus:

• Job performance =f(ability)(motivation)

Ability in turn depends on education, experience and training and its improvement is a
slow and long process. On the other hand motivation can be improved quickly. There are
many options and an uninitiated manager may not even know where to start. As a
guideline, there are broadly seven strategies for motivation.

• Positive reinforcement / high expectations

• Effective discipline and punishment
• Treating people fairly
• Satisfying employees needs
• Setting work related goals
• Restructuring jobs
• Base rewards on job performance

These are the basic strategies, though the mix in the final 'recipe' will vary from
workplace situation to situation. Essentially, there is a gap between an individuals actual
state and some desired state and the manager tries to reduce this gap.

Motivation is, in effect, a means to reduce and manipulate this gap. It is inducing others
in a specific way towards goals specifically stated by the motivator. Naturally, these
goals as also the motivation system must conform to the corporate policy of the
organization. The motivational system must be tailored to the situation and to the
organization.

In one of the most elaborate studies on employee motivation, involving 31,000 men and
13,000 women, the Minneapolis Gas Company sought to determine what their potential
employees desire most from a job. This study was carried out during a 20 year period
from 1945 to 1965 and was quite revealing. The ratings for the various factors differed
only slightly between men and women, but both groups considered security as the highest
rated factor. The next three factors were;
 • advancement
• type of work
• company - proud to work for

Surprisingly, factors such as pay, benefits and working conditions were given a low
rating by both groups. So after all, and contrary to common belief, money is not the
prime motivator. (Though this should not be regarded as a signal to reward employees
poorly or unfairly.)

Source : http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/