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Better meetings through technology: Will AI deliver us magical meetings?
J. Elise Keith Business Management, Services & Risk Management"My goal is to make sure no one ever has to write meeting notes again." I’m talking with a product manager working to perfect automated call transcription. I find the idea both exciting and problematic. Fully automated transcription is just the first step towards a grander vision. As an AI enthusiast told me, "Notes are just the start. Consider — what if AI could make sure the meeting goes well in the first place? What if an AI agent kept the discussion on track? What if it knew how to help a group resolve a conflict? That day may not be too far off."
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Get long-term employees engaged in open enrollment
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe volume of communications, details and information thrown at us during open enrollment can be overwhelming. It is so much easier to check out and keep the same benefits than try to wade through it all. And if we have worked at the company for more than a few years, we often assume we do not need to engage because we know it all already. That is a mistake. Getting and keeping employees knowledgeable about their benefits is a great retention tool. It is also a regular reminder of the value the company places on them.
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Hello? Is anyone listening? The perils of not paying attention
Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementA lecturer spends 15 minutes detailing how their business is different from a competitor, and invariably, an attendee raises his hand to interrupt with a burning question, "But can you tell us how you’re different from a competitor?" Huh? Where has this person been for the last 15 minutes? Why waste the lecturer’s time and irritate other attendees who have been listening? I encounter one-sided phone conversations, in-person conversations, emails, voicemails and lectures daily. Even those automated voice robots aren’t listening!
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Why directors volunteer
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementThere are many reasons why volunteers accept leadership roles. The answers are diverse and revealing. I asked a group of leaders why they decided to become directors in a nonprofit organization. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. described volunteer service, "You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." When the opportunity arises, pose the same question. This compilation is a testament to dedicated leaders.
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How to improve your workplace wellness approach
Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIf you're like many companies, there's a good chance you have a workplace wellness program in place — maybe more than one — or a program that addresses multiple health components. But how well is what you're doing really working? Ideally, you want the program you're offering employees to not only improve their health and quality of life but also to cut healthcare expenses significantly and help your business run more effectively. Take an overview of how well your program is performing and make the changes it needs by using this advice.
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A leader’s guide to seasonal anxiety and depression
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe end of the year is synonymous with so many unique professional challenges: reconciling the grandiose goals from the beginning of the year with the current status; closing out the books; prepping for more goals and challenges in the coming year, audits, taxes, annual reporting and more. Add to that angry customers, cranky co-workers and the weird time warp that seems to ensure days pass at a faster rate between Halloween and New Year’s than any other time of year and trying to manage stress at work seems almost impossible. Unfortunately, the end of the year is no less busy outside the office.
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Toxic boss syndrome and what to do about it
Patrick Gleeson Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe phrase "toxic boss syndrome" is widely used to describe a continuing workplace problem: the really bad boss. How does a toxic boss behave, and what can you do about it? The word "toxic" is particularly appropriate to describe bad bosses because, as research shows, their behavior soon infects entire workplaces. A 2015 Gallop study, for example, concluded that about half of all workers who voluntarily leave a job do so "to get away from their manager."
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4 ways to make yourself indispensable to your boss
Sharon E. Jones Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWhen a manager gives instructions, a good employee will closely follow the directions and do what she is told. However, a great employee will not only follow the directions that she is given but will also add value, pushing the project along by anticipating the manager’s next step. Your managers are often busy managing multiple aspects of a project. Therefore, you can’t expect your managers to do their jobs and yours. They won’t have time to spell out every single aspect of your project assignment.
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Is your big idea the best idea?
Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementYou think you've come up with a winning concept that will garner huge profits for your company, so of course you want to get working on its specs ASAP. Not so fast: before going any further, you need to step back and review your idea's merits with an eye toward quality control. According to research, the best concepts have the following factors in common.
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Gender equality in the workplace is more than a ‘women’s issue’
Candice Gottlieb-Clark Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementMany of us often carry around biases that we don’t even realize. They’re ingrained in us from how we grew up, who our parents are, and from the societal and cultural norms that have been feeding us. As a result, when it comes to equality in the workplace, many of us feel like things are pretty good. In fact, almost half of men and a third of women agree that a mere 10 percent of female senior-level executives is a sufficient amount, according to the 2017 Women in the Workplace study. Is 10 percent of women leadership in business really good enough?
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