articles 1 to 10 of 76
Productivity in the Modern Office: A Matter of Impact
More than 50 years after management guru Peter Drucker first wrote about the difficulty of defining and measuring the productivity of knowledge workers, management experts say many companies still do a poor job of it. To get a better gauge of how much employees are accomplishing, experts say managers need to remember that quality is often as important, if not more so, than quantity, and that blanket policies rarely remedy such a highly individualised issue.
From: May 21, 2013
Emotional Intelligence: Spare a Thought for Customer-Facing Roles
According to Markus Groth, an associate professor at the Australian School of Business, employees who have to manage their emotions when dealing with difficult customers are providing emotional labour. It is distinct from physical or cognitive labour and bosses need to take this work and the effects it can have on workers into account. Research into parking officers shows they can be more productive if they display authentic emotions in abusive situations, but other occupations require a different emotional intelligence. There's a need for experiential training and managers should take time to debrief with staff after critical incidents.
From: May 21, 2013
Profits in the Balance: The Business Case for Work-Family Support
New research from the Australian School of Business reveals a clear link between flexible work practices and better business results. The study, led by associate professor Julie Cogin, establishes incentives to deploy work-family support (WFS) programs as a source of competitive advantage, particularly to enhance customer-related outcomes. But the business case for WFS demands a genuine engagement with the concept in a receptive corporate culture. A high masculine orientation among senior management can eliminate the benefits. Even the best WFS policies will founder if an organisation lacks the commitment, or values, to promote flexibility in practice.
From: May 07, 2013
When Working at Home Is Productive, and When It's Not
There are numerous tasks – and just as many distractions – competing for a worker's time these days. But will ending the practice of allowing employees to work from home, as Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer recently did, really make workers more productive and more likely to come up with innovative new ideas? Such a policy may help on some fronts, Wharton experts and others say, but it's no cure-all.
From: March 14, 2013
Why Being the Last Interview of the Day Could Crush Your Chances
Sorry, grad school applicants. According to new Wharton research, not only must prospective students or job seekers compete against a crowded field of equally appealing candidates, they also must shine when compared to the randomly selected cluster of applicants who have interviews scheduled on the same day.
From: February 13, 2013
Anne-Marie Slaughter: Forget 'Having It All' - Own What You Want
When Princeton professor Anne-Marie Slaughter published an essay in The Atlantic titled, "Why Women Still Can't Have It All", in July 2012, she touched a nerve across generations and among both men and women, setting off a renewed public debate on women's progress and work-life balance.
From: February 13, 2013
Passed Over for a Promotion? How Companies Can Retain the Runner-up
Losing out on a promotion is tough enough. But being passed over for a top-level position in favour of another candidate – either external or internal – can be a deal breaker for even the most loyal company soldiers.
From: January 31, 2013
'More than Coffee Chats and Emails': Sustainable Networking Requires Effort, Authenticity
It's a common refrain in the business world: Networking is the key to success. Building relationships is pivotal. It's not what you know, but whom you know.
From: December 05, 2012
iPerks: Apple, Like Others, Takes Steps to Woo Employees
According to an article last week in The Wall Street Journal, Apple CEO Tim Cook has brought something to the company that many employees may not be familiar with: perks.
From: November 22, 2012
High-powered Women and Supportive Spouses: Who's in Charge, and of What?
After their daughter Annie was born, Gail McGovern and her husband established what came to be known as the "kitchen calendar rule." At the time, McGovern worked for AT&T overseeing 10,000 employees; her husband ran a large unit of Hewlett Packard. They both needed to travel regularly for work, but one of them also needed to be home for Annie.
From: November 08, 2012
