Tag Archives: weknownext

The Circus Act of Employee Wellness

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I recently came across a groupon in Vegas that was giving away 60% off liposuction at a physician’s office. Now, I could hardly believe it – but it is Vegas; anything goes!

It reminded me of some of the absurd ways we try and get our employees engaged to participate in our wellness benefits. From offering them cash, gift cards, vacations to discounts on their health insurance. We try and co-hearse them to quit smoking, to join a gym, to lose weight, to participate in the annual walk or jog-a-thons all for their benefit.

Why is it that we have to come up with creative ways to help them live better lives in and out of work?

The answer? Maybe that’s how we’ve conditioned them to respond or maybe that’s just human nature. From the time our parents started paying us to do chores around the house until we made it into the workplace we have been expecting compensation for our actions (even beyond that of salaries and vacations).  Now, we seem to have created a society of those that continue to say, “Okay, what’s in it for me.”

We’re all asking the question, “Can’t our employees just be healthy on their own without us having to create a circus tent of benefits?”

The answer is a most assuredly no. And especially during this difficult economic time when we’re all shaken up over employee retention and trying to keep our employees happy we are looking for a more creative approach to reach all diverse groups within our circles.

I’m all about benefits for employees and especially those which add value, not only to employees but also to those that help the employers bottom line. But something has to give when our employees are expecting the “next big thing” and for us to jump through hoops to maintain their loyalty and happiness to keep them from jumping ship.

I recently wrote an article in regard to Google’s college style antics on We Know Next (coming in August) and how we may be perpetuating these types of continued expectations and behaviors, if we’re not careful. Even some of Google’s employees are trying to find the “next best” place to work. I can’t help but wonder what those companies will have to come up with to keep the attention of these  folks.

What are your thoughts on this?

Diversity: Being different is totally cool!

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I recently took a trip (via METRA) to the city for a speaking gig for my business. I always find it intriguing to ride the train. There are so many diverse groups of people in one small space. It always reminds me of Richard Sherman ‘s Bus Stories. He has such a fabulous writing style in describing fellow passengers and what they may be thinking or experiencing on said bus rides.

Here we have such diverse nationalities coming together for the same purpose (we all need a ride). Several of them speaking different languages – and we’re all headed to the city for our own reasons. Some folks seem very friendly and wanna chat, which is okay by me. Sometimes I’m in a chatty mood (more so on the way to the city than on the way back) and some just choose to sit silent next to you (that’s also cool).

I sit and contemplate “I wonder what their story is. Have they dealt with a crapload of family issues before leaving for work? Are they heading to the city to visit a loved one or have a fun day? Do they work in the city and ride this god-forsaken train every day? (That would stink).

Everyone has a story. Just like in our workplaces, people are dealing with multiple facets of family dynamics and some either leave that at home, on the train, or bring it to work. Some find a colleague and use them as counselor (which I do not advocate) and some just need to get things off their chest.

I think understanding that we all have “things” we deal with on a regular basis and being somewhat sympathetic goes a long way. Of course there are those who will continue to push the envelope, come into your office and unload on you every day with their personal problems. Somehow, we have to put a stop to that. I call them “time robbers” who steal our time and never take our advice. I’ve learned over the years to just flat-out tell them, “look, if you’re not going to take my advice, don’t talk to me about it anymore” and most of the time it works.

I work virtually so my constant intruder is my husband. Sometimes I would love to put an “out of the office” sign on my door but think he would probably guess I’m still in there.

I think one of the things I love most about living in the Chicago area is its diverse population. It mixes it up a bit, and I like that. Being from Southeast Alabama, we mostly have three diverse groups: Rednecks (whites), Blacks, and a few Hispanics (who work in our tomato fields). Somehow, it’s just not that exciting unless a redneck gets out of control. That can be somewhat exciting.

In the end, its diversity that makes up this great nation of ours. The freedom of expression, whatever that may mean for each diverse group and I’m fascinated by that.

The “Spirit” of Diversity

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I flew to SHRM on “Spirit” airlines and let me just say, lesson learned. If you want to hear more about that experience go to my post “Have you got Spirit?“.

While taking the red-eye back to Chi-town yesterday (which I don’t recommend) I began looking around the plane at the diverse group of fellow passengers and couldn’t help think “wow”! If I could have gotten away with taking their pictures with my handy-dandy camera in my phone, I would have. Instead, I thought that to be very intrusive to take pictures of characters with their mouths wide open while they slept.

Instead, I’ll describe them for you. On the same row with me of course was my business partner and friend who constantly talked to me but kept me laughing all the same. Next to her was an older gentleman, who even though had to go pee a million times and he was seated next to the window while I was in the aisle seat, I had great patience and sympathy for (My Dad has to pee a lot because of his prostate issues).

On the row across from me was an older guy snoring up a storm and next to him some pretty old chicks who talked incessantly (I’m not sure how he was able to sleep through that). One of them had to be wheeled to the gate because of some kind of debilitating unnoticeable handicap.

About 1/3 of the way into the 3 1/3 hour trip I started smelling something so nauseating I almost threw up in my own lap. I looked at Sue (aka – business partner) and noticed she had her shirt covering her nose so I asked her “what is that horrible smell?” She said, “OMG I don’t know but it’s coming from up there” and pointed to the seat in front of us where this not-to-bad looking guy sat next to Mr. Rapper. (We had to smell that smell, which apparently was halitosis to the umpth degree , the whole trip).

Somewhere from the back I kept hearing a kid talking so loud and was thinking, “Why would a kid be on the red-eye and why was what was he doing in Vegas in the first place?”

From the moment I found my seat I noticed that it was extremely cold and thought I would ask for a blanket (apparently, I thought this to be Delta or some sort of REAL airline) once we were in the air so I didn’t cause a scene and then asked the flight attendant if I could have a blanket to which she replied, “Ma’am, we don’t have blankets on the plane.” I was literally so cold I had to come up with a plan. If I could get my feet warm (I was wearing flip-flops because in Vegas it was about 112 degrees) than it would probably help all over. So I took out a few things from a zippered compartment in my backpack on the floor in front of me, took off my flops, and stuck my feet in their (like a pair of slippers). It helped a little.

I started thinking that this is the most diverse bunch of folks I had ever seen in once small space. Now, Vegas did have its diversity I noticed while walking the strip several times (I should have taken pics on that too but thought it might be illegal to post).

Isn’t this just like some of our workplaces? We have the older group of workers that may have disabilities, we have the Rap Stars (who refuse to turn off their music when told to turn off their electric devices – they are constantly pushing the envelope of RULES), we have the worker with extreme halitosis and we are constantly handing them mints or gum, we have those who love to bring their chatty kids to work, and we are constantly having those who think it’s too hot or too cold.

I love hearing my friend Joe Gerstandt talk about diversity because basically he says it’s just being “different.” That’s why we all love (or maybe just me) people watching. Yeah, we all think we’re normal and wonderful, but I couldn’t imagine living and working every day with folks who are just like me. How boring would that be?

In the end, it takes all kinds.

Sleep lessons and other innovative solutions for the workplace

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I just finished the main session at SHRM11 where we heard Arianna Huffington, creator of the infamous Huffington Post to which I am an avid reader. Taking on new technology and up and coming trends, Arianna Huffington launched the site in 2005 and it has now become one of the most highly read news sources on the internet and they are just about to reach their 100 millionth comment from their readers.

In her speech she stated that although print media will always be around but the values and the things we look for offline are the things we are now looking for online; Information! Being innovative is key and we are all living in a period of transition in this world of survival and competition.

Online self-expression has become the new age entertainment ( writing blogs, facebook, twitter)….people want to express themselves. Instead of watching TV our society has turned into a lover of  ”all things social.” I loved the analogy she used in regard to the new world of media when she said, “It’s like galloping on a horse, people observe and pass it on and so on and so on.”

She is also all about work/life flexibility and balance in the workplace and one of the things she noticed was that the more rested and balanced we and our employees are, the more able we are to deal with things in our life with wisdom and purpose. It  creates a better more balanced and productive atmosphere.

One of the innovative ideas she implemented was creating two nap rooms within the working environment. “There’s nothing like a 15-20 min nap to put everybody in a good mood,” she stated. And she’s exactly right. Look at your own sleep habits and see how they may be affecting you personally.

When it comes to sleep and recharging – women seem take the lead in this but the need is there  to create a world in which men and women get plenty of sleep. Men seem to be the ones to be more susceptible to sleep deprivation which is linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other illnesses. Wanna be in the groove? How about offering “sleep lessons” to your employees? That’s exactly what they do at The Huffington Post family – and she goes on to say “People have forgotten how to sleep.”

Scheduling and organizing sleep

Who would have ever thought to plan your sleep like you schedule your weekly business meetings? That is one of the thing she has started implementing in her own life as well as encouraging her employees to start doing. She schedules and organizes it just as she would any other activity. None of us are ever at our best unless we are well rested. We are more creative and productive. It’s a proven fact. And isn’t that what we’re trying to accomplish? That of course is the end result we’re hoping for; a more creative and productive workplace. Bringing in balance.

Being a leader and especially an innovative leader is all about seeing the ice berg before it hits the ship and planning accordingly, trying new things, finding and experimenting with new solutions, being willing to fail along the way – not expecting someone else to take the lead.