For many, 2022 was the first year of normality after two very long years of pandemic. Profound workplace changes for both workers and employers alike, businesses navigating economic downturn, and people feeling the pressure of galloping inflation—the past twelve months were anything but quiet! Now is the perfect time for the 2022 wrap-up, let’s do it together.
According to a recent survey from The Conference Board, 51 percent of U.S. employees (out of more than 1,200) have reported negative mental health outcomes in recent years. With all the stress of this pandemic, the fear of economic uncertainty, and now the threat of a European war, it’s no surprise that many workers feel overwhelmed. So how do you prevent anxiety from ruining your work days and your team’s productivity? Let’s find out together.
Despite the rise of texting and instant messaging, phone use is still alive and well. The average person makes or receives eight voice calls each day, which adds up to more than 2.4 billion phone calls across the United States.
After a period of dominance by video conferencing, a shift is underway. Many have grown weary of the distractions that come with being on camera, where appearance can overshadow the actual discussion. As a result, audio conferencing is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. By stripping away the visual aspect, audio conferences allow teams to focus on the conversation itself, accommodating dozens of participants without the burden of video connections or concerns about looks and demeanor.
It has been consistently demonstrated that effective communication plays a vital role in ensuring the success of individuals and organizations alike. It is the cornerstone of collaboration, trust, and productivity within teams, and it has a significant impact on employee morale and workplace culture. This article explores the importance of workplace communication and provides strategies to improve it.
Companies all over the world have become obsessed with meetings, so much so that they dedicate several hours each week to sitting in them. In US, on average, employees spend 33 percent of their workweeks in meetings and will attend between 6 to 15 meetings per week. Unfortunately, not all of them are productive. Quite the contrary! Some team meetings often pull employees away from periods of concentration where they can work without disruption.
It’s hard to make it through the workday without hearing the word busy. People talk about how they are too busy to take on extra tasks or lose track of the day because of how full it is. However, being busy doesn’t always mean being productive.
The pandemic made remote and hybrid work environments more popular than ever before. However, the location of your team isn’t the only thing that changed in the past few years. Remote and hybrid work has sent ripple effects through the workplace, impacting productivity, employee needs, and how these collaborate. As a leader, you will need to adapt to these changes.
If you’ve heard of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), you might associate it with those dark, cold winter months. However, while less common, SAD can occur in the spring as well, with symptoms like restlessness, anxiety, depression, insomnia, agitation or limited attention span. Also known by its more colloquial name, spring fever, this form of SAD can pose a threat to your concentration and productivity at work.
Effective communication drives to better performance at work while poor communication costs money. According to a 2023 report, miscommunication costs companies $12,506 per employee per year. This is significant considering 72 percent of the average employee’s workweek is spent communicating.
