Taking responsibility over satisfaction and happiness

The old saying "do as I say, not as I do" can ring true for many allied health professionals. Constantly having to take on the weight and pain in other people's lives can take its toll, and it's often difficult to point your expertise inward for help.

When your boss acknowledges your hard work, when a client gets great results because of your help, or when someone waves after you give way to them in peak hour traffic this can be enough to make our day! But when your hard work goes unnoticed, a client makes unfair complaints, or the driver you let in doesn't even bother to wave, we let it get to us and allow these external factors to influence our mood, satisfaction and overall happiness for longer than it should. We focus on the trivial things in our life and depend a little too much on what happens around us, what others do and don’t do to make us happy.

So how do we take responsibility for our own happiness and not let trivial external factors influence us too much? Let’s look at some potential solutions:

1.       Emotions and the Mind

Learn to accept your emotions, even the not so warm and fuzzy ones!  

It is argued by some health professionals that most of our problems come from an inability to adequately experience our emotions, especially so-called negative emotions, because we don’t allow ourselves permission to express them. How can this be resolved?

(a) Writing about negative emotions after having a bad day at work, using a process called cathartic writing can help. Research has shown that people who write about their deepest emotions are less depressed and more positive about life. However, make sure to check out some guidelines and examples before you begin. 

(b) Laugh. Take some time out to have a giggle! We have to remember that sometimes we take life way too seriously. Laugh at the little things but also don’t be afraid to get creative. Play a game of charades, google funny cat photos, spend some time talking about something funny that happened at work, or rent a comedy. Laughter really can be the best medicine!  

(c) For more pervasive problems like chronic road rage, seek assistance from a mental health professional before you break your horn. This will allow you to better understand your feelings and what strategies to put in place to assist the situation in the long term.

2.       The Body

Experts tell us time and time again how the mind and the body are connected. This means that if we do not look after our body, then this can have a negative effect on our happiness too. Here are some tips to keep your body (and mind!) in check:

(a) Get plenty of quality sleep – Yes, your parents were right when they told you that you’d wake up grumpy in the morning if you didn't get enough sleep. To improve your sleeping habits, try going to bed at the same time, develop a standard pre-sleep routine such as reading a book or taking a warm shower or bath, and avoid things like caffeinated drinks and chocolate before bed.

(b) Exercise. Physical activity can open the brains pleasure pathways, releasing endorphins, which make you feel great. And if running a marathon isn't your thing you could try meditation or stretching exercises like Yoga and Pilates. When at work, take a quick stroll around the office block or organised with a work friend to take a walk to the local café or cafeteria for a lunch catch up.

(c) Healthy Eating. We need good nutritious food for growth, healing and healthy functioning. Try to eat a balance diet of healthy, wholesome, fresh foods and skip on foods that are highly processed. Eating meat and fish, rich in protein, iron and Omega 3 fatty acids will give you that extra energy to get through the day. Not a big meat eater? Try eggs and vegetables like lima beans and lentils which provide a healthy alternative instead of grabbing a dim-sim or potato cake from the local café on your lunch break.

So now you have a few tools to get you started in finding your own happiness! Keep adding to your new happiness tool box and you might even be the next work-life balance guru!

Guest Article: Is a Global CEO’s Grueling Travel Schedule Necessary? by Jennifer Miller

Is a burned-out CEO the New Normal of the globally connected world? That seems to be the premise of a recent article I read titled, “Death on a Moscow Runway: The Modern, Homeless CEO.” (How’s that for grim imagery?) I take issue with the idea that CEO’s must be this super-human person that “has” to constantly travel all over the world, to the detriment of their health and their personal life.

So I wrote an opinion piece in response to the article and published it on The Huffington Post blog. You can read the full article, titled: Are CEO’s Too Burned Out to Think? on the Huffington Post blog.

For those of you with CEO’s who travel extensively, what do you think? Are CEO’s trying to achieve unrealistic expectations?

Copyright: nan728 / 123RF Stock Photo

Article source:Jennifer Miller - Is a Global CEO’s Grueling Travel Schedule Necessary?»

Guest Article: Is your focus niche marketing or corporate blanding? by Ross Clennett

I was MC at the ATC Sourcing Conference in Melbourne last week. It was, as usual, an excellent day of learning with a varied array of speakers who made the audience think carefully about the future of recruitment through the lens of sourcing. Here's a summary of the major points I took away from the Conference, thanks to the keynote speakers, Mark Tortorici, Fiona Anson, Matt Charney, Karen

Article source:Ross Clennett - Is your focus niche marketing or corporate blanding?»



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Guest Article: Salute to Volunteers – #SHRMLead by Robin Schooling

This week, close to 900 volunteer leaders will gather in Washington D.C. for the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) Volunteer Leaders’ Summit. With a theme this year of “Prepare. Change. Lead.” the event is designed to prepare chapter and state council leaders to guide their organizations in alignment with SHRM’s goals and initiatives. No easy feat; 2015 promises to be a year of continued complexity for the largest HR professional organization as we get the full roll out of the new SHRM certifications.

I myself was a SHRM volunteer leader for well over a decade, serving as chapter president back in the day and holding various roles on chapter boards and with the Louisiana SHRM State Council. I feel like I’ve been a member forever and yet, for all the drama and hits-or-misses that may occur, I always promote membership – especially for new professionals and/or those who wish to network, learn and build relationships with their professional peers.

In 2002 I moved cross-country, relocating from Milwaukee, WI to Baton Rouge, LA. Within a few weeks of arriving in town I attended my first local SHRM chapter meeting and one of the very first people I met was Rebecca Briley who, at the time, was serving on the GBR SHRM board of directors. She quickly became a close and dear friend and we’ve spent countless fun times together whether strolling on Bourbon Street, laughing over dinner and cocktails, or just hanging out and working hard. She’s been a tireless champion for the human resources profession and SHRM and I was so incredibly happy for her when she was elected to serve as a member of SHRM’s Membership Advisory Council a few years ago.

The MAC Representatives are elected by their respective Regional Councils and serve either a 1 or 2 year term. As we wrap up 2014, four of the five MACs are ending their terms and I would like to give them a shout out this week for all they do to connect volunteer leaders with the SHRM Board of Directors. Closing out their terms of service are:

• Kris Avery, SPHR – Northeast Region

• Paula Harvey, GPHR – Southeast Region

• Rebecca Briley – Southwest Central Region

• Debbie Horne, SPHR – Pacific West Region

Steve Browne, SPHR – North Central Region – will continue on as MAC Rep for 2015, joined by 4 new volunteer leaders from the other regions.

So thanks to the MAC Reps, the state council volunteers, the chapter volunteers and all the members who work so hard to connect HR professionals to business and community.

I salute you. You DO make a difference.

The post Salute to Volunteers – #SHRMLead appeared first on HR Schoolhouse.

Article source:Robin Schooling - Salute to Volunteers – #SHRMLead»



Check out more of Robin's work at HR Schoolhouse and Silver Zebras

Guest Article: Briggs is Here by Ben

Not a lot of time to write today. Just wanted to share this. #blessed

The post Briggs is Here appeared first on upstartHR.

Article source:Ben - Briggs is Here»



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5 Fundamental Skills for Running a Successful Clinic

Interested in starting up your own clinic, but aren’t too sure what skills or talents are required to run a successful private practice? Not to worry, this week we provide an outline of 5 fundamental skills required for running a well operated and success-geared clinic!

First things first, if you’re contemplating owning your own clinic you must understand that you are signing up to run your own business. Regardless of your specialist clinical field, there are key skills required to running business that they won't teach you in your allied health masters degree. We show you how you can use what you already know to consistently build on your new business venture skills.

1. Be a planner

It is imperative that before starting any kind of business - a clinic in particular - to put a significant amount of thought and consideration into how you want to operate your company. 

No plan is ever perfect and as a business owner you may often find the need to adapt accordingly if your plan doesn’t serve its purpose. The important thing however, is that you make one! 

A vast amount of time and resources are typically needed in the planning process. The most important thing to remember is to make your business plan relevant and reflective of you, your aspirations, and the business framework you intend to have for your clinic.

2. Know your market

After doing the research and beginning to execute your plan, comes probably one of the key determinants of seeing your plan come to fruition - how you market it! 

This involves building your image and making your mark in the clinical industry.  Knowing where your niche lies, and informing the public and potential clients of your services of what you have to offer them, sets you aside from the rest. 

How you market your business, from the name you give your clinic to the methods of advertisement you utilise, will largely impact the way your clinic is received by potential clients and associates alike and sets the tone for the type business you run.

3. Be organised

The most important skill any business owner let alone a clinician could have, is organisation! 

As a business owner you have to be able to get stuff done efficiently, effectively, and on time, as well as  be able to assist others to do so. 

Organisational skills will benefit not only your personal schedules and lifestyle but the progression of your business in the long run, and become vital when keeping up with billing, record keeping and other administrative tasks.

4.  Understand the  Self-employment Fine Print

One thing new business owners often fail to consider (aside from the cost of directly running a practice) is the fine print additional costs they must adhere to, especially self-employment taxes. 

Many self-employed clinicians are caught by surprise upon learning of the self-employment taxes they’re required to pay when establishing a private practice, which don’t automatically get withdrawn as is usually experienced.

For this reason, any discerning new business owner must read up on all the fine print associated with self-employment.

Also understand that while you make your own hours and tasks, you have to wear many hats and answer to many responsibilities, often simultaneously! You will be busy and will have to come to expect the weight of responsibility and quick decision making should become second nature.

5.   Be passionate

Devoting your time and your money to running a successful clinic cannot happen without having a passion for your business.

Your business is ‘your baby’ and it’s imperative that, regardless of what happens and how successful you may be, you must have continual belief in what you are doing and maintain that drive to strive for the best. If you don’t believe in the services your clinic has to offer, no one else will.

Guest Article: Information Exchange – #KronosWorks by Robin Schooling

I recently got back from KronosWorks 2014, the annual conference for Kronos users which Kronos defines as ‘the world’s largest management information exchange.’ And yes – I can attest having attended for two years now – there is a vast exchange of information.

This past weekend before I headed off to Vegas for the conference, I mentioned to some other HR/Recruiting friends that I was attending the event. The general consensus was “user conferences are just a way for the vendors to get more money from their existing customers.” I disagreed. Big time. And here’s why…every single attendee I speak to at user conferences says the same thing –“the biggest value in attending is learning from other users.”

And to reinforce the point I heard this sentiment expressed multiple times earlier this week. I sat at breakfast with a customer who was at the event with her colleagues from around the world; her team is responsible for running 70 weekly payrolls and they’ve been using Kronos for years. Obviously she’s surrounded, daily, by experienced Kronos users with whom she can confer. Yet she expressed her delight in attending the event each year to learn from other users. “We may do things a certain way and they work for us,” she pointed out, “but I always find that people from other industries and companies have different – and sometimes better – ways of accomplishing the same objectives we do. Every year I learn something new that leads me to make adjustments when I get back to the office.”

Touche.

One of the sessions I attended was “Modern Problems Require Mobile Solutions” in which we discussed the Kronos Workforce Mobile solutions. While a handful of attendees in the session indicated they are already using Workforce Mobile Solutions when the speaker asked who in the room was considering going mobile, the vast majority of hands in the room raised high. We discussed smartphones and tablets; we explored the interplay between BYOD or Mobile Device Management programs. And these weren’t just large enterprise customers; attendees using Kronos Workforce Ready (for small and midsize business) mobile solutions shared their stories and asked questions of their peers. Learning from each other means scaling up or scaling down….right?

Is this sexy HR? Maybe not. It is, however, necessary HR – controlling labor costs, minimizing compliance risk, and improving workforce productivity. All the stuff that we, as HR professionals need to get right the first time. Every time.

So thanks to the team at Kronos for bringing me to this event for a second year. While they provided compensation, the thoughts and opinions I’ve expressed either here on the blog or via other social channels are mine alone and they had no expectations other than I tell it like I see it.

And one thing I’ve seen the last two years is a willingness to listen to customers. Aron Ain (Kronos CEO) and the rest of his team are visible and accessible at every turn as they wander throughout the conference having conversations. I attended two separate events where Aron and his team were open, forthright and willing to answer any and all questions: this occurred both at Monday’s Executive Roundtable for Analysts, Bloggers & Press and at Tuesday’s Customer Spotlight Breakfast.

So if you, like my friends, consider user conferences to be merely a money grab I want to let you know that nothing is further from the truth.

These conferences are, indeed, a needed and valuable information exchange.

**********

Check out the Workforce Management blogging team at Kronos and follow them for great content all throughout the year. And no – you don’t have to be a Kronos customer/user to get great relevant information from these fantastic writers.

The post Information Exchange – #KronosWorks appeared first on HR Schoolhouse.

Article source:Robin Schooling - Information Exchange – #KronosWorks»



Check out more of Robin's work at HR Schoolhouse and Silver Zebras

Reassessing your work life balance to rejuvenate your energy

When you feel as though your energy levels are drained in the workplace, it may be a good idea to check in on your work-life balance. While achieving an optimum work-life balance may seem like a wishful dream in wonderland – you are not alone! Here are three steps you can follow that will help you get closer to that seemingly elusive dream-like state of equilibrium in a way that doesn't have to leave your work output in deficit.

Firstly, RECOGNISE the symptoms

If you feel as though you are:

• Experiencing a lack of sleep because you are busy thinking about the tasks you have to complete at work the next day.
• Experiencing a loss of energy in the workplace and an apathy towards your work
• Overwhelmed by your tasks at work when you begin the day or return from your lunch break
• Procrastinating more than you should be (keeping in mind that often any procrastination is too much when it comes to the workplace…)

It may be an indicator that you need to reassess your work-life balance.

Secondly, REASSESS your goals

When you find that your work-life balance is out of line, it is important to ask yourself why this is the case. This will help you re-discover what is important to you and will help you re-gain sight of the bigger picture. Placing your work into perspective can often help if you feel overwhelmed. Additionally, you may re-discover the reason you have been pushing yourself so hard in the first place. This can often serve as a great source of hidden motivation that could push you over the finish line. When re-assessing your goals, it is important to consider where you are now; where you would like to be, and what you need to do to get there. It might feel a bit odd at first, but it can pay off to list these details down in a document or spreadsheet. It is always easy to let some demotivating tasks get neglected - until they become a pattern with no solution. So, keep your eye on the prize of your career and personal goals.

Finally, TAKE ACTION!

• Make necessary changes to your schedule and reprioritise tasks that need to be done in terms of what you need for yourself. Assess what extra tasks are created as a result of mismanaged resources.
• If you suspect that there is a misallocation of resources - begin a discussion with your manager that you believe the misallocation of resources is causing distress and has lowered productivity (just be sure to have a sound solution!)
• Reflect on your personal well-being and think strategically about how this affects your productivity.
• Improve the quality of your “down-time” while you are away from work will help manage your productivity while you are in the workplace. It is important to take time out for yourself … even if that means going for a walk around the block without your phone during your lunch break.
• Always be sure to look back at your original goals, and compare it to how your workplace responsibilities have changed and how that affects your personal life.

If you are still finding it difficult to achieve motivation despite work changes, balance alterations and discussions with management, you could have a career mismatch. Trudging through a field that never suited your personality in the first place will almost always end in low productivity, low satisfaction, burnout and worse. One way to be sure that you’re in the right field or studying the right course is to take a psychologically backed careers test. This weighs your values and attributes to define what career course best suits your abilities and fundamentally, who you are.

Guest Article: Recruitment tenders and PSAs: Please get out of your own way! by Ross Clennett

I'm right! Yes, it does happen occasionally. I now have substantial evidence from a highly credible global consulting firm that supports one of my more common rants; the ludicrous waste of time and money that a vast number of tenders and PSAs prove to be. Wasteful recruitment tender and PSA processes are one of my pet hates, and I am willing to bet my house on the fact that they are also a

Article source:Ross Clennett - Recruitment tenders and PSAs: Please get out of your own way!»



Check out more of Ross Clennett's work at hisblog

Guest Article: Culture: You Can’t Fake It by Robin Schooling

I think by now we all have a pretty clear sense of what company culture is: the collective behavior of the people who are part of the organization as formed by organizational values, norms, systems, beliefs, symbols and traditions. Culture affects the way individual employees and groups interact with each other as well as how they interact with customers, clients and other stakeholders.

It’s the foundation that impacts ‘how stuff gets done.’

In any given organization, there is not one person (or group) who defines culture. There is not one person (or group) who owns it. There is not one person (or group) who controls it.

Yet many who work in HR and Recruiting (or, sometimes, those who advise them) dash around in misguided efforts to categorize their culture as something it’s not.

Perhaps there’s a need to pump up college recruiting efforts to meet projected growth and hiring needs. It’s entirely possible that turnover is picking up and there’s a mass exodus of employees so the HR Department feels an urgent need to re-brand because a member of the HR team sat in a session about branding at a local SHRM conference. Employees (per the latest annual engagement survey!) are demoralized, un-challenged and just not feeling it.

“Hey,” says Debbie the HR Leader, “until we can change the culture, let’s promote what we want it to be.”

See what’s wrong there? First of all, neither Debbie nor her team should believe they can change culture through some sort of voodoo HR. And they most assuredly should not communicate a misleading version of today’s reality. Their culture, whether they consider it great, mediocre or downright evil, is-what-it-is.

But Debbie and her team may still persist in promoting the organization’s ASPIRATIONAL culture as opposed to the ACTUAL culture.

I sat through an event the other week in which the speaker (who had no specific recruiting experience by the way) promised to share the secrets to winning various recruiting and retention wars, battles and skirmishes.

At one stage she advised the audience members to review their company’s career sites. ‘If you don’t have any smiling faces on your career site make sure you show people being happy at work!’ she advised. ‘That’s how you’ll get people to apply!’

Oh bullshit. For so many reasons.

Stock photos on a company career site are as inauthentic as Kim Kardashian. A contrived employer brand is false advertising. A counterfeit value proposition is worthless. And the goal (no matter what this speaker told audience members) is not to get more people to apply; it’s to get the right people to apply. If a company culture is controlling, formal and efficient then THAT is the story to tell; there are candidates who desire a work environment like that – and they can be found.

So Debbie feels good (and HR smart!) when she heads to the quarterly Executive Team Meeting and unveils new tag lines for the company career site: “We have a collaborative culture” “We’re creative and innovative!” “Our culture promotes teamwork and consensus building!”

But she’s just gotten into TAO Nightclub with a Fake ID. She bought a rip-off Gucci bag. She pulled a Nancy Drew.

Is she really satisfied? Or is she just glad it’s over?

*********

image courtesy of Nancy Drew Sleuth

The post Culture: You Can’t Fake It appeared first on HR Schoolhouse.

Article source:Robin Schooling - Culture: You Can’t Fake It»



Check out more of Robin's work at HR Schoolhouse and Silver Zebras

Guest Article: How to Avoid the “Let Me Get Back to You” Trap by Ben

HR is always a day late and a dollar short.

-Chris Powell, CEO BlackbookHR

That comment from Chris Powell has stuck with me since our initial conversation, and I think it’s a reality we all need to be aware of and try to mitigate. Think of it this way — when someone asks finance, sales, or operations about specific facts, figures, and projections, they can typically throw out a ballpark answer within moments.

But for some reason, HR has always taken the “let me get back to you on that” approach. And that, my friends, is not a winning strategy.

One of the things I was taught early in my HR career is to always have the trusty response of “let me get back to you” ready for when someone asks you a question you don’t know. Over time, I have seen the use of that grow until it’s used on an almost daily basis as a way for HR pros to get out of conversations they are not comfortable with (discussions of revenue, sales, productivity or other hard numbers).

We can’t let that be a crutch any more. It’s time to start learning the business, having some insights ready to go, and being able to share information as quickly as other organizational leaders.

For instance, if someone asks the VP of sales how his numbers are looking, he can (more often than not) immediately respond with a good approximation of the current status. Think for a moment about how that compares credibility-wise when someone asks HR a similar question and we say, “Um, I’ll have to check and let you know.”

Let’s fix it, shall we? Check out “‘Let me get back to you on that’ is not a strategy” over at the Brandon Hall Group blog for more info and to see how to resolve this longstanding problem.

The post How to Avoid the “Let Me Get Back to You” Trap appeared first on upstartHR.

Article source:Ben - How to Avoid the “Let Me Get Back to You” Trap»



Check out more of Ben Uebanks' work at Upstart HR

3 steps to prevent work procrastination

Procrastination is the bane of human existence. Everyone has done it before and no doubt we have all done it at work, but why do we do it? Procrastination is characterised by high impulsivity and low conscientiousness and ultimately induces stress. Often people confuse procrastination with prioritisation by convincing themselves that the current work they’re doing isn’t their top priority. However, this is a common pitfall and we must learn to recognise whether or not we are actually prioritising or procrastinating.

Here are some handy tips to help prevent you from procrastinating at work: 

• Recognise the signs

One of the first signs that you’re about to let yourself procrastinate is what we like to call “Priority Conditions”.

One of the big red flags of procrastination is the use of this sentence “If I do [e.g. drink a cup of coffee] first, then I can start my work”. However, we all know that several cups of coffee later we still won’t have started. This line of thinking can create a vicious cycle of non-working as we created our own mental hurdle that we constantly make more difficult to justify not working. Does this relieve our anxiety about doing our work? Certainly not.

Suggested Solution: Once you recognise these 'Priority Conditions', you can then try to reverse the conditional order to ensure the right tasks are being prioritised first. Rather than “If I do [e.g. drink a cup of coffee] first, then I can start my work”, instead try “If I do my work for an hour, then I can reward myself with a cup of coffee”. This way we allow ourselves to create obtainable goals with a foreseeable break. This will reduce our stress levels and create a structure where we can start to get ourselves organised.

• Start small

We all know that taking on too much at once is a sure fire way to make it collapse, especially in a multitasking work environment. Set small goals and you’ll find yourself making slow and steady progress until, before you know it, you’re an efficient and effective worker again. Small scale goals, such as “in one hour I will do what I can and then take a break”, will reduce your work stress and increase your work satisfaction. Once this becomes easy, begin increasing the time so that you maximise the productivity of your work day. If it ever gets too much to handle, remember to pull it back one step until you are comfortable again.

• Repeat the changed behaviour as much as you can

The more that you work on doing something, the more likely it is to become wired in your brain. This is not something that will change overnight, however, with repetition and effort you can change your work behaviours over time and maximise your productivity.

So, if you feel yourself prioritising pointless tasks over the work needed to be done, take heed! Think of the stress you can prevent, not to mention the productivity you will gain, from simply recognising these signs and setting small goals for yourself.

As well as improving your productivity, there are also systems available to enhance your work environment and satisfaction. Psych Press has numerous assessments available that can pinpoint workplace issues and use organisational psychology to track down the best solutions for your human function. View Psych Press' Climate Survey or alternatively talk to one of their psychologists at 03 9670 0590