Greater Milwaukee Jobs

July 07, 2016

Greater Milwaukee Jobs

Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/701028

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 1 of 7

For some of us, the key to a more fulfilling work life is finding a job that matches our strengths or a career that makes it easy for us to do what we do best. By spend- ing more of our time doing what we're good at, we're going to be happier and feel more balanced. Organizations that take the time to understand employees' strengths will benefit, too. This is particularly crucial for businesses that want to lure millennial work- ers and keep them engaged, says Jim Harter, Gallup's chief scientist of workplace management and well-being. In a new book, "First Break All the Rules: What The World's Greatest Managers Do Different- ly," Harter aims to help managers and organizations measure and increase engagement. The book uses information from two mam- moth research studies Gallup con- ducted over the past 25 years. The first asked what the most talented employees need from their work- place. Their answer: great man- agers. The second asked how the world's greatest mangers find and keep talented employees. The answer: They are willing to indi- vidualize. I asked Harter to provide insight on what it means to break the rules of employee engagement and how doing so would help employ- ees with their work-life balance. Q: You've been studying employ- ee engagement, talent, manage- ment and well-being for nearly 30 years. Why is engagement so criti- cal to success in the workplace? A: In short, organizations with higher percentages of engaged employees are more efficient in Talented employees, great managers -- hunting for the best fit By Cindy Krischer Goodman Miami Herald (TNS) Another sign of the times: Banking giant J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. now lets work- ers wear business-casual clothing most of the time instead of the once de rigueur suits, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month. Brandi Britton is OfficeTeam's district presi- dent in Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Times asked her to explain the changing eti- quette in office dress. Here's an edited excerpt: Q: What's behind the trend toward more casual work attire? A: You've got a highly com- petitive job market right now, and companies are having to be more creative about how they attract people. One way is not just offering good com- pensation, but other perks, and employees today see dressing less formally as a perk. Most people you interview will tell you they will wear a suit, but that isn't their prefer- ential dress code. Q: So employers are willing to grant their wish? A: First, employers are having to be more appealing to the current workforce. Second, you think about how many millennials are in the workforce today – it's over 60 percent – and one of the very appealing things to a millennial is a casual dress code. Third, even in client-facing roles, where in years past, you wore a suit, some of those jobs are tending to also become more casual because the clients themselves you might be visiting are uncom- fortable when – quote – the suits show up. We typically wear suits quite a bit, and when we visit some of our clients and show up in our suits, they think they're being audited or the FBI is raiding them. Q: Were older employees pushing for more casual office wear before the millen- nials arrived? A: The millennials are cer- tainly playing a large role in it, but it's still coming from management, who also tend to appreciate a less formal dress code. In our survey, you've got 58 percent of indi- viduals (who) said they would prefer a business casual dress code or a casual dress code. If you have more than half the workforce want- ing a certain dress code, you, as the employer, have to be aware that you may need to be more adaptable to that. And that includes all employees – millennials, gen- Xers and baby boomers. It's about being competitive in today's tight labor market. The demand we see for col- lege graduates continues to get greater and greater each year. Q: And those employees, or potential employees, are pushing the casual trend? A: It's an employee's market. People wearing suits and more formal attire seem 2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • July 7, 2016 dress code ... from page 1 see DRESS CODE . . . page 6 Feeling burnout out at work? You may benefit from taking broad view & A Q A. Take a look at your whole life. Is this feeling pervading your personal life, too? Relationships outside of work or other activities that you usually enjoy? If so, please consider immediate attention to see if depression may be at the core. Speaking from experience, it can sneak up on you and make other actions much more difficult to take. Now setting that aside, let's talk about your job. Burnout doesn't result from a sprint of long hours, nor from modest amounts of tasks you don't enjoy in the mix. So what's going on? If you're putting in long hard hours, week in and week out, that can wear you down. If that's at the core, consider your options. Do you understand the organizational situation that is driving this sched- ule? Even if you do and you care about the organization's mission, your contribution needs to be sus- tainable. Consider all the steps that you can take, including talking to your boss, to build in enough respite. But – be sure your boss is someone you can trust for that open of a conversation before opening the door on it. If you're buried in tasks you don't like, the solution may be the same – to talk to your boss – but have a solution in mind for other work you could take on that would be enriching to you. Look at how you do your work. If others around you manage the workload without the struggle you're experiencing, maybe you need to find efficiencies or develop some new skills so that you aren't doing things the hard way. Be willing to reach out to learn from others to help make your job easier. Think about your workplace cul- ture. Find people you connect with and make a point of creating some bonds.This doesn't mean you need to become friends outside of work, but having work friends is one of the most important contributors to job satisfaction. It's also a good time to assess whether you've got the right fit. If you don't get any traction in chang- ing your current situation, or if you've done these things and they haven't helped, you may not be in the right organization or line of work. It's worth the effort to figure that out, rather than settling for an unsatisfying status quo. Burnout is also more likely if you're not building in resilience through other aspects of your life. What do you do for fun? Find ways to be active and get out with people so that you're not preoccu- pied with work. Have some ground- ing and centering practices that support you from an internal strength perspective. As always, be attentive to eating reasonably and getting enough sleep. Take a broad look at your situa- tion and find short-term adjust- ments to fend off the dreaded burnout while you look for longer- term fixes. Q. I think I'm on the edge of burnout. I'm crabby at work and losing interest in what I do, even though I know I actually like it. How can I get back on track? By Liz Reyer Tribune News Service (TNS) Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. A publication of Conley Media Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dan Muckelbauer 262-513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 18 • Number 42 July 7, 2016 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5016 or fax us at 262-338-5271 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2016 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Call 262-306-5016 for information. see TALENTED EMPLOYEES . . . page 6

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Greater Milwaukee Jobs - July 07, 2016