The World's Best Book Summaries
Are you having communication issues at work? What workplace protocols can fix these problems? If you’re working with other people, communication is an important part of the job. By setting workplace protocols in place for communication purposes, your employees’ productivity will soar through the roof. Continue reading for different protocols that you can test out at work.
What are specialized workers? Why should businesses embrace specialization? In A World Without Email, Cal Newport argues that employees are unhappy at work because they have too much on their plates. To fix this and increase productivity, he suggests practicing specialization at work. Let’s look at what specialized workers do and why they’re important for employee happiness.
Does your workplace have a culture of feedback? Are you skilled at giving and receiving feedback? Effective feedback in the workplace is important. Whether it’s delivered in a formal evaluation or a frustrated outburst, feedback is vital information that can lead to positive changes in you and your organization. We’ve assembled some best practices for giving, receiving, soliciting, and incorporating feedback, as well as some tips regarding feedback in other cultures. Keep reading for insights on effective feedback in the workplace.
Can your team members freely share feedback and ideas? Do they believe that you care about them personally and professionally? Team trust is essential if you want effective and happy employees. It’s important to understand what trust is, why it’s important, and how you can cultivate trust in three directions: from leader to team, from team to leader, and among team members. Read more to learn the importance of trust in the workplace and practical ways to foster it.
Are you wondering how to get your point across? Where should your communication skills shine? Whether it’s for public presentations or just a casual conversation, getting your point across can be nerve-wracking if you don’t know how to communicate. Luckily, Joel Schwartzberg’s book Get to the Point! has tips for maximizing your impact in various scenarios. Let’s look at the different scenarios where you need to learn how to get your point across.
What does long-term unemployment (LTU) mean? What are the risks of LTU? Which workers have been affected the most? A year after Covid-19 was declared a pandemic and the economy ground to a halt, 4.1 million workers fell into long-term unemployment—unemployment for six or more months. Workers experiencing LTU are finding it increasingly more difficult to rejoin the workforce. Read on to learn how long-term unemployment is harming workers post-Covid.
Is work-from-home ending? What challenges do employers face? What work models should they consider? If companies decide to end work-from-home jobs, they’re advised to establish a work model that makes employees feel that their needs are respected. This means ensuring that everyone gets face time in the office—so that remote workers don’t miss out on advancement opportunities. Keep reading for advice on ending work-from-home schedules and reintroducing in-person work.
Why is it important to have an effective team in your organization? How can you create a productive team? Many factors make a successful business, but the most essential part of your business is a team. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to create a team that upholds your company’s values and gets the job done. Read below to learn how to create a team in just six steps.
Do you tend to put off important yet tedious work until the last minute? What are some ways you can make tedious tasks more bearable? One of the main reasons we struggle to get tedious tasks done consistently is that we dread doing them and thus put them off for as long as possible. In his book Effortless, Greg McKeown suggests several ways we can make our most tedious activities more enjoyable or, at the very least, more tolerable. Here’s how to turn tedium into fun.
What is productive disagreement? How do you disagree with someone in a respectful and non-combative way? Disagreeing productively means that you and the other person have a natural give and take and maintain an openness to working together. When you think of disagreement in this way, you can approach it as a fluid exchange of ideas—a generative and creative interaction rather than a combative argument. Here’s how to have a productive disagreement, according to Adam Grant.