Workplace Roundup
Work and life have kept me out of the blogging groove of late. Vetting the feeds and alerts I use to keep pace in the blogosphere, I found several great posts and articles revolving around the theme of the workplace.
Here’s a roundup of my favorites:
Addressing the popular topics of employee attrition and retention, a CareerJournal.com article offers Six Reasons Top Performers Seek Out Greener Pastures. The first reason cited is a lack of rewards for good behavior. This is not about some childish need. People – mature, intelligent, responsible adult people – want to be visible and acknowledged for their efforts; especially when those efforts “promote the success of the whole company.” As the article suggests, giving monetary rewards like bonuses are just one of a number of ways that firms can recognize and honor their stellar performers.
As much as some top performers need to be honored, others need to be reeled in or shown the door. That’s the message conveyed in this lawjobs.com piece about firms with strict no-jerks rules. Recognizing the deleterious effect that bullies and abusive egomaniacs can have on the work environment, some law firms are “reforming their hiring and firing policies to follow one simple guiding tenet: no jerks allowed.” Notably, rule breakers aren’t excused because they bill a lot of hours or generate substantial business. The damage they do to morale and their firm’s business bottom line far outweighs any of their personal contributions to the practice.
If given the choice, most of us would prefer to work in a jerk-free environment. According to a survey profiled in another CareerJournal.com piece, we’d also like to have creative outlets on the job. Although 88% of the survey participants responded that they have creative personalities, only 63% deemed their job a creative position. Tacitly acknowledging this “creativity gap,” 22% of the respondents said that they would leave their job for more creative, but lower-paying work. According to one quoted source, the kind of workplace creativity people likely have in mind is “an aspect of the job that allows [them] to express their personalities or challenge their intellects.”
Our drive for creative outlet in the workplace mirrors larger cultural and economic movements towards valuing creativity . These trends have been chronicled by economist Richard Florida in his seminal book, The Rise of the Creative Class, and in writer Dan Pink’s excellent book, A Whole New Mind.
On a final and more personal note, Curt Rosengren profiles my e-book on cultivating work-life synergy at his new blog, The M.A.P. Maker. Curt offers insights and commentary on creating a life of meaning, abundance and passion (hence, M.A.P.). I encourage you to add his blog to your feeds. Thanks, Curt, for the acknowledgement and another thanks to Judy Martin for bringing my work to Curt’s attention.
Just want to say that I really enjoy your commentary. I for one have defnitely gone on to "greener pastures"! Keep up the great work.