Get your brain in motion

Month: May 2022

How to say NO

How can I do that without risking to demotivate my team, especially now, at a time when we are all managing continuous change?

How can I say ‘no’ to my team mates, colleagues from other teams, sometimes even my direct manager, and keep a good professional relationship in place?

This free book provides useful tips for such an important part of assertive communication and of the process of building trust. The books helps you looking at how we can say ‘no’ in a way that allows us to build better relationships with others, and how this is helpful in building long-term successful teams.

Image Source: PixabayGeralt

5 TIPS FOR THE PERFECT WORKING LUNCH

Whether you are trying to stay healthy, save money, or you feel as if you are simply too busy to take the full hour, having lunch at work is often a struggle.

However, no matter what job you do, a filling and nutritious lunch has a multitude of benefits, positively affecting your mood and your productivity in the process. To help you make the most of your midday mealtime, this article provides five useful tips for the perfect working lunch:

  1. Be realistic: It can be tempting to order an oversized lunch, however, more often than not, your large lunch just proves a hindrance to your productivity, and your concentration starts to flag. This usually happens at around 3 o’clock, just as you are about to go into an unnecessarily long meeting.
  2. Double up/buddy up/get social: While it is perfectly normal to seek some solitude with your sandwich every once in a while, lunch is one of those things that is almost always better when enjoyed with someone else. Although there may be mitigating circumstances always try and avoid being the canteen recluse.
  3. Mark your territory: If you work in a large office and one which has a communal refrigerator, there’s always the chance that your lunch will go missing. If this happens more than once, it may be time to take evasive action: write a post-it note and stick it to your Tupperware.
  4. Go outside: Lunch at your desk often involves browsing Amazon and watching videos of cats on YouTube. Scientists have proved that dining at your desk can actually be detrimental to your health, not to mention your productivity. Instead of indulging in the daily picnic by your PC, why not go outside and have a real one? Even a simple walk through the park can break up the day, making you more alert and ready to work by the time you go back.
  5. Variety: Even the most habitual of us enjoy a change from time to time, so try and vary your diet. Lunch is a great way to counter a daily routine which is otherwise hard to change, so take full advantage where you can. It could turn out to be the most important meal of the day.

Image Source: PixabayWir_Sind_Klein

 

 

Five Tips for an awesome Office Party

In any moment of the year there are usually many “Office Parties” going on for the more various reasons, being it birthdays, farewells or holidays celebrations. Though they are called “parties,” employees often dread these events and only go because they feel obligated. Sure, the free booze and pizza is nice, but they would rather be at home watching Netflix than spending more time with their boss and colleagues during after-work hours.

However, if parties do turn out to be awesome, and employees enjoy them, they can increase worker satisfaction and morale, strengthen relationships between colleagues, and instil a sense of employee pride in your company.

This article provides some tips to ensure your upcoming workplace gathering is going to be amazing:

  1. Keep timing in mind: The timing of your party is crucial. For example, why does it have to take place right when people are rushing to get their projects wrapped up before the end of the calendar year? If December is your busiest time of year, maybe do something the first week of January, so it is truly a celebration and everyone can enjoy it.
  2. Figure out a theme: Take your workplace values and culture and use them to assign a fun theme to your party. Themes work better when there is an optional dress code attached and the whole party (food, drinks and decorations) embodies the theme and the overall idea.
  3. Follow the trends: You need to follow the trends in parties occurring right now. Try to include also what makes your staff sincerely happy. Usually, interactive food stations with creative cocktails and alchemists at the bar are all the rage.
  4. Encourage socializing: Try to create an atmosphere that lets people ease into conversations. Try to organize the food and drinks stations in order to help people socializing. Adding alcohol to a party can welcome more socializing and loosen up interactions among employees, but it’s important to maintain a harassment-free environment. The National Federation of Independent Business suggests reminding people that they should stick to your company’s code of conduct in all your messages leading up to the party.
  5. Make it fun: Hiring performers that mingle among the crowd rather than perform in one place usually works better. Try also to organize games and activities in order to favour more the conversation and interaction among people.

 

Image Source: Pixabay – DariuszSankowski