Recall what the great Steve Jobs said: “Think differently” when giving reasons for the global success of Apple Then consider the spat between Finn Russell, the supremely talented Scotland fly-half and Gregor Townsend, the current Scotland rugby team manager and ex-fly-half, which was reported on in the Sunday Times by ex-England fly-half, Stuart Barnes Russell …
Category: 11. Motivation
Oct 26
Wasting time is not wasted time
Rest periods, R & R, tea breaks, lunch breaks and most meetings – call them what you will – are essential for brawn workers’ muscles to recover – they couldn’t work at full speed for a solid eight hours – just as Usain Bolt couldn’t run full pelt over 400 metres compared with 100 metres …
Jul 20
At work but not working
According to the CEBR (Centre for Ecoomics and Business Research) UK businesses don’t know how to maximise their human capital despite the vast majority being ‘concerned’ or more about their people productivity – indeed, a survey they conducted found that: Some two thirds have not looked at ways to boost employee well-being and so motivation …
Jun 22
The Secret Sauce for productivity?
Greg Hanover, CEO of Liveops Inc, claims organisations that tap into the power of the gig economy see much increased (% ?) workforce engagement and productivity Why so? He believes it’s because independent workers are empowered to follow their unique goals and create satisfying careers for themselves And he’s right – it’s not only good …
May 20
Ethical capitalism
We have waxed long and hard on these pages about CEOs acting like pigs at the trough, robbing their businesses, the golden geese that should be improving the lot of all in society, by paying themselves huge unjustified pay and bonuses and maximising their share prices (and hence their shareholdings) whilst paying their employees the …
May 19
Where measuring engagement goes wrong
An article by Peter Cappelli and Liat Eldor in the Harvard Business Review is reproduced below close to its entirety Surveys to assess how engaged workers are in their jobs are highly popular among employers, who hope the results will help them improve employee productivity and creativity and reduce turnover – but consultants and academics …
Mar 31
Productive recidivists
Over 70% of offenders re-offend within one year! Why is this? Most prisoners are locked up for most of the day and not treated well by the officers which surely makes them worse than they were at the start, not better – in these Universities of Crime, they learn to despise authority, not learn a …
Feb 09
4 day weeks to boost productivity
A new report by Autonomy – a thinktank focusing on the future of work – argues that a shorter working week should be a central pillar of our economic future. They say calls for a shorter working week have gathered pace in recent years, with the TUC, the Green party, large and small unions and now the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, joining …
Sep 14
A famous fire that changed workers’ rights
The following are extracts from a publication by the AFL-CIO, America’s Unions On Saturday, March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the top floors of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York Firefighters arrived at the scene, but their ladders weren’t tall enough to reach the upper floors of the 10-story building. Trapped inside …
Jun 01
Unmotivated workforces cost $7 trillion, annually!
‘Employee engagement and workplace productivity are inextricably linked’ according to an article from Consultancy.uk Engagement apparently means ‘absorbed in and enthusiastic about work’ – just don’t ask why the word engagement is preferred nowadays to the straightforward motivation ! Gallup have just issued a report entitled State of the Global Workforce covering employees in 155 countries (of the 192 …
May 05
The bullsh**t job phenomenon
According to The Times, in 2013 David Graeber, a professor of anthropology at the LSE, created quite a stir when he wrote an article about people in meaningless jobs with meaningless titles in meaningless industries – since followed up by his book Bullshit Jobs: A Theory It prompted a YouGov poll which established that 37% of …
Apr 05
Time to change time at work
An interesting article by Business Leader columnist James Phipps, a ‘serial entrepreneur and investor’ and Exec Chairman of the Excalibur Group, about effective ways to improve employee productivity We see relatively little about how to improve the awful productivity we have in the UK. We in the UK have a business culture which says …
Mar 02
Low productivity for low wages – and vice versa
One of the greatest capitalist entrepreneurs of all time, Henry Ford, famously declared: “There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible – it’s not the employer who pays the wages, employers only handle money – it’s …
Jan 08
Flexi-time and flexi-places of work
Why is it we now work 9 til’ 5 for 5 days a week? Many years ago, people worked 7 days per week – then this fell to 6 days per week, but 12 hours per day It took Henry Ford, back in the 30s, to reduce the working week to 40 hours – 5 …
Dec 28
Work hard, then play hard, for best results
Very very few can run at speed for long, like Mo Farah – we need to pause, rest and recover – only then can we rejoin the race and compete Nils Salzgeber (aka Hacker Noon), in a recent post, claims this is because ‘all organisms on this planet follow rhythms’ The most famous is the …
Nov 20
Employee engagement drives productivity?
Employee engagement is nowadays seen as essential if an organisation is to perform well Gallup report that business units in the top quartile of employee engagement outperform bottom units with 17% higher productivity, 20% higher sales and 21% higher profitability – all big performance differences MGI – McKinsey Global Institute – report that productivity increases by …
Nov 18
Lifestyle changes are on the move
The UK’s CEBR – Centre for Economic and Business Research – claim an important change in preferences towards work is now on the move Many people are choosing jobs which offer less pay but more attractive lifestyles or ways to help others This change in attitude is already ‘a key element in around a third …
Nov 06
More job satisfaction, more pay!
“Life is not fair – get used to it” – so said Bill Gates Many bosses might agree with him, if they were honest – they’re good examples after all As people climb ladders at work, so their job satisfaction also tends to rise – more status, responsibility and power – bigger decisions to make, …
Oct 16
Depression costs billions
A study by the LSE – London School of Economics – found that depression costs South Africa a massive R232 billion a year, equivalent to around 6% of its GDP – this is due to lost productivity caused by absence from work or attending work whilst ill Janet Yellen, when Chair of the US Federal …
Sep 17
Core human needs at work
Much has already been said about hierarchies of human needs which need to be met if workers are to be motivated However, a recent study of 12,000 white collar workers by Tony Schwartz, CEO of ‘The Energy Project’ and Professor Christine Porath of Georgetown University is well worth noting They claim that employees have four …
Sep 03
Remote working
A Northern Ireland finance firm, AKFP Group, closed its HQ for a full month in July for a ‘remote working initiative’ They found it boosted both staff morale and productivity Staff were allowed to work from locations of their choice – the result was ‘they reaped the benefits of being able to change venues, eradicate …
Sep 02
Wages up, demand up, productivity up
Some say low productivity growth results in low GDP and wages growth – and productivity growth depends on new labour-saving inventions or new managemet practices that come along which allow companies to produce more output with fewer hours of work But others question this – does low productivity cause low wages and growth, or vice versa? …
Aug 08
Happiness at work
Undoubtedly, productivity growth has made a huge difference to the quality of lives of billions of people, first by reducing work negatives – tasks that are dull, dirty, dangerous or difficult – and then increasing work positives by adding many more jobs which are interesting and fulfilling whilst also enhancing social lives with greatly improved …
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