It is well known that we are sleeping less than we ever have. To explore the impact of this lack of sleep on performance at work, two researchers from Hult International Business School surveyed more than 1,000 professionals of all hierarchical levels and industries. The researchers, Vicki Culpin and Ayiesha Russell, initially categorized the results […]
Subject: Stress Management
How to Inspire Resistant Employees to Embrace Health and Wellness
More and more business leaders and top managers understand that employee wellness programs help the organization succeed, through less absenteeism and greater engagement and productivity, as much as it helps individual employees to be happy and healthy. However, according to a report from two researchers involved in a multi-year study of wellness programs, many employees […]
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Incentivizing Managers to Promote Employee Health: The 10% Solution
There is a growing consensus that employee wellness is good not only for the employee but also good for the company. It’s not just a matter of sick days. Healthier employees are more productive and more engaged when they are in the office. Companies are taking a more active role in promoting wellness in their […]
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Sleep Deprivation Hurts Performance As Much As Too Much to Drink
Intuitively, it’s well known that sleep deprivation will impact your ability to react and think clearly. However, the true impact of sleep deprivation on the ability of employees to function can be difficult to measure. A breakthrough sleep deprivation test conducted by two researchers used alcohol consumption as a benchmark to measure the impact of […]
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Companies Must Be Sincere About their Flexible Work Arrangements
A wide variety of studies have shown that organizational efforts to help employees achieve a sustainable work-life balance increase employee satisfaction, productivity, and engagement, and their commitment to the organization. One study differentiated between supportive cultures, which value non-work aspects of people’s lives and try to accommodate the work-life balance issues, and hindrance cultures, which […]
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How Best-Self Activation Launches Sustained Performance Improvement
Best-self activation is the deliberate effort to think the best of yourself. You can do this in one of two ways: 1) reflecting on situations in your history that show you at your best (e.g. highlighting your most impressive attributes), or 2) receiving stories and feedback from others that show you at your best. The […]
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How Supervisors and Co-Workers Stop Anxiety from Hurting Performance
Workplace anxiety and stress causes work performance to suffer. Previous research shows that performance suffers because of what academics call ‘cognitive interference’: when employees are stressed, they cannot focus on their tasks and think as clearly as they need to. In this previous research, cognitive interference focuses on tasks that require a high-intensity effort over […]
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Overcoming Our Evolutionary Fears to Speak Up to Authority
Why don’t many employees say something when they see something wrong in the workplace, or when they are unfairly attacked by their boss? Why do they sit silent in meetings even though they may have a relevant suggestion or comment to add to the discussion? These are examples of defensive employee silence, when employees stay […]
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The Hidden Costs of Working While Sick
An employee’s work usually consists of two types of tasks or behaviours: in-role tasks, which are the tasks required by the job or position; and discretionary behaviours, which are undertaken by the employee in order to help others or the organization but that are not required tasks or responsibilities. Of course, employees are not always […]
Bullying Bosses: Don’t Just Take It, Fight Back
Abusive behaviour from bosses, what researchers call ‘downward hostility’, has a negative psychological effect on employees, undermining job satisfaction and the commitment to the employee. Such hostility also causes psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression. Persistent hostility leads employees to adopt a ‘victim identity’, the negative self-image that one is destined to be a […]
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