Although we spend approximately 60% of our communication time listening, we only retain 35% of what we hear. Actually, two months after a conversation, we only remember around 25% of what was said. That’s no surprise considering our average eight-second attention span, which makes listening concentration so hard to achieve.
Remote work may have been on the rise for the past years, but most people still prefer to do their job in the office. At least that’s what a recent report released by BambooHR says. More precisely, “in 2016, 79% of employees felt they accomplished their best work at the office, yet only 27% favored it.”
Meanwhile, we are witnessing a (r)evolution of the workspace. To fuel idea generation inside the office, an ever growing number of businesses that rely on the intellectual output of their employees are focusing on reshaping the concept. And they seem to have found a means in workplace architecture.
It all started more than 10 years ago. In 2006, VoipNow Platform had just landed on the Unified Communications market. Dutch cloud communication service provider Belcentrale was a new telephony operator from Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
What seemed to be a simple crush grew into a long-term relationship built on respect, professionalism, and mutual trust. This article describes how this partnership unfolded across a decade, in the hope that you will put these insights to good use in your business.
All meetings are much like performance shows where people come in and take their usual roles. There’s always someone who monopolizes the conversation and couldn’t care less about your agenda, the typical colleague who never speaks up, or the one who would literally agree to anything you say, right? That’s because each team gathers a wide variety of personalities and communication styles. So how can you encourage all attendees to engage in the conversation and contribute within a given time frame, so that when the meeting is over you have a clear outcome?
People work harder if they know compensation is waiting for them at the end of the line. Yet, studies show that shortly after getting a financial incentive, actually in less than a week, people lose their motivation and their energy levels go down. Financial compensation is a two-edged sword, and should not stand as the only motivator. Truth be told, meaningfulness and recognition matter more. People want to be recognized for their efforts. They need to know if and how they’ve contributed to the team’s success. And they can only find out, if they receive feedback. Regularly, honestly, and with care.
In any process, team or business, feedback is many things. A necessary ritual, a moment of truth, a condition to progress, and sometimes a dreadful experience. This article explains the why, when, and how of giving and receiving feedback. Because, whether we like it or not, people need to know that their work matters, that it has meaning.
Good teams value the opinions and interests of each team member. Great teams create contexts where each and everyone can voice them out. Hubgets Team Board builds that kind of context for your team and helps your organizational culture by enabling members to share what they know, what they’re interested in, and what they like. Because work is not just tasks and projects, it’s also getting to know and having fun with your teammates.
On every update that we did so far, we made sure that the Team Board got sleeker and better. Today we’re excited to show you that Hubgets Team Board is now more engaging than ever. Let’s find out how it can help you empower your organizational culture.
Every work day finds us focusing on our projects, striving to meet deadlines and finish tasks before we leave the office. But that’s not all we do, is it? We also spend a lot of time helping teammates who need our advice and input. Most often, we’re eager to help. But at the end of the day, when we realize we didn’t meet that deadline or we’re not even half way through that critical task, we have mixed feelings. Helping teammates felt good, but it took too much of our time and energy, and we neglected our work.
So, what motivates us to jump in and help, and how can we do it while staying productive?
After decades of being taught that if you don’t have anything nice to say, you shouldn’t say anything at all, more and more companies and organizations are giving up the sugarcoated speech, placing candid communication at the root of their culture. By practicing open criticism, companies are hoping to help team members grow and thus improve productivity.
Let’s see what candid communication is all about and why your team should embrace it.
Human bonds matter at work just as much as elsewhere. But how can you really connect with the people you work with? And how can you prepare the ground for great teamwork?