Get Employee Recognition Right

Get Employee Recognition RightGet Employee Recognition RightHow you thank your employees for their hard work matters. Read on to see if you need to rethink your approach to employee appreciation.Remember back to elementary school, when it was a big deal to get a great grade on a paper followed by that coveted smiley face from your teacher? People dont outgrow their desire to receive praise from those around them, particularly those familiar with their work.Are you giving employees and coworkers that smiley face kind of joy or a big letdown? Their answers might be different than you think.Yes, were talking about youYou may be thinking, Hey, I rock at showing employee appreciation No worries here. Well, think again, because theres a chance your employees dont believe thats true.In an OfficeTeam survey, nearly nine in 10 (89 percent) senior managers said their company is effective at recognizing employees. But not all workers agreed Three in 10 (30 percent) felt their firm isnt good at showing staff appreciation.Whats mora foreboding, more than half of workers polled said it was at least somewhat likely they would leave their jobs if they didnt feel appreciated.Regularly praising your staff for a job well-done can do wonders in terms of employee morale and retention, but just handing out compliments may not be the way to go. Even small gestures, such as a handwritten thank-you card or cupcakes can make a difference in how an employee feels about your companys recognition habits.Mistakes to avoidA colleague just came through for you in a big way and you want to thank them for their hard work. Showing gratitude is great, but its easy to goof it up and send the wrong message.Get your facts straight. Nothings more embarrassing than addressing a card to the wrong person or thanking them for something they didnt even do.Dont overwhelm them. Recognition doesnt need to be extravagant to be effective. Small, everyday things like saying thank you or giving credit for good i deas can be powerful.Dont underwhelm them. The fasson of recognition should fit the degree of achievement. Giving someone a stapler for their five-year anniversary, for example, sends the message the milestone is insignificant.Be specific. Just telling a coworker that they did a good job is too generic. Properly give thanks by tying acknowledgments back to specific actions so people know exactly what they did well.Recognize all involved. Although some workers naturally gravitate toward the limelight, dont forget to also celebrate unsung heroes who help behind the scenes.Shake it upDont be afraid to get creative when it comes to saying thanks Here are some simple ways managers can make an impact with employee appreciationAward them. Nominate staff for external or internal accolades, such as employee of the month. Company awards may come with enviable prizes like a reserved parking space.Encourage professional development. Reimburse employees for participation in industry associations and conferences. Also consider giving them subscriptions to work-related publications.Give a little. Everyone appreciates tangible awards. But dont worry, that doesnt mean your staff appreciation efforts have to break the bank to make an impact. Rewards such as a gift card to the local coffee shop go a long way and cost relatively little.Look into monetary rewards. Few things have a bigger impact than extra pay. So provide spot bonuses, raises and other financial rewards if budgets allow. You may decide to save this type of employee recognition for only the most exceptional of achievements, so establish criteria that separate outstanding effort from other activities.Get feedback. You may think your staff appreciation program is awesome. But is your team among the 30 percent mentioned above? If you cant answer this question - or, worse, know that you and the group arent on the same page - your efforts wont have the intended effect.In competitive markets, good employees often have ample occasion to find new and potentially better opportunities. Giving them due recognition and making them feel appreciated can sometime make the difference between them sticking with you or joining forces with your competition.

This is why you should talk about mental health in the office

This is why you should talk about mental health in the officeThis is why you should talk about mental health in the officeStaying cognizant of your mental health is incredibly important, but it often takes a backseat in the office, when everyone is trying to look powerful and invulnerable.Whetzu sich youre seeing a therapist for something like depression, zweipolig disorder,or anything in between, bringing this subject up can feel isolating, depending on what youre managing and your workplace.Thats why a positive email response from a CEO about taking time off for mental health- posted on Twitter last month byMadalyn Parker, an employee at remote, live-chat software company Olark- stands out.The CEO shows his support for Parkers choiceHere are the emailsParker posted on Twitter.Olark CEO and Co-Founder Congleton recently wrote about mental health at work in a LinkedIn postfollowing the response to the tweet.Twitter users weighed inIts so rare for companies to acknowledge that their employees might be whole humans - and not just workers - that many people could barely process Roses anecdote.This person welches surprised and envious.This Twitter user, however, questioned it.https//twitter.com/dpetereit/status/883040164838330368This was Parkers response.These were just a few of the many comments on Parkers post, but they help illustrate the ongoing debate about the topic.How to discuss your mental health with your bossHere are some tips.Read the roomParker wrote about how she brought up her mental healthwith Matt, one of her companys cofounders, outside of any depressive episodein a 2015 Medium post(which has a trigger warning at the top fordepression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts).This interaction set the precedent for all other experiences Ive had with sharing my obstacles with my colleagues. I brought it up somewhat casually, as its difficult to admit these kinds of problems to people when you are so used to internalizing them. I explained my anguish over my technical performance and how passionate I was about my job. Matt didnt mention my performance at all. The conversation was quickly focused on my well-being and health, and the teams willingness to work with me during my low points, Parker wrote.She added that her mother was absolutely horrified that I would put myself at risk for marginalization, but she had to explain why that wasnt her situation.No, you dont have to share every detailWhether or not you choose to tell your boss is most likely up to you, but maintaining your own privacy is important.After writing about disclosing her depression to her manager, Betsy Aimee continues in an article for The MuseObviously, not everyone has that kind of relationship with her supervisor, so dont feel obligated to disclose details. If youre taking a lot of time off or youre worried others will wonder whats going on, you can tell them that youve been dealing with some health issues and leave it at that. Or, consult with HR to determine the best approach. If dont want to discuss specifics with your colleagues at all, request a few days off and do whatever helps you cope with your symptoms and re-group. Really. It may mean the difference between maintaining your professional reputation and having a breakdown at the office.Consider talking to HRMarc J. Romano, Psy.D., assistant medical director at Ocean Breeze Recovery, and Katherine Glick, licensed professional counselor, certified holistic health coach, and therapist at Talkspace told SELF about this topic.If youre not sure how your boss will respond, go to HR first. Romano tells SELF that sometimes its a good idea to talk to HR from the get-go. If you suffer from chronic and severe mental illness, you probably want to share that with HR and not wait until theres problems at work, because then it could look like youre just bringing it up because you dont want to get in trouble, he says. An HR rep can also can help you, or even go with you to discuss it with your manage r. Glick suggests this could be helpful just so the HR person can monitor any responses that are unethical or inappropriate, the article says.Keep what the law says in mindAlison Green wrote about the American Disabilities Act in a story for U.S. News World Report about discussing mental health with your boss.The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the federal law that protects employees with physical or mental impairments, may offer you some protection at work. Its important to keep in mind that the ADA doesnt contain a list of specific conditions that constitute disabilities. Rather, the law has a general definition of disability it covers a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment. What that means, in practice, is that whether or not youre covered will depend on your specific symptoms. However, if you are covered, the law says that you are entitled to reasonable accommodations from your employer if such accommodations will help you to maintain your job performance. However, you still must be able to perform the essential functions of your job, with or without accommodations, Green wrote.

Nut Graf (or Nut Graph) in Journalism Explained

Nut kurve (or Nut Graph) in Journalism ExplainedNut Graf (or Nut Graph) in Journalism ExplainedNut graf (or ausschnitt graph, nutgraph, nutgraf) is an editorial slang term used by editors and copy editors at newspapers and magazines. The term refers to a paragraph or sentence that summarizes the essence of a story without divulging every detail. Putting the Story Into Context In journalism, a nut graf puts the story in context and tells readers why the story matters. Many editors would say the nut graf is the most important section of a story because it tells the readers why they should continue reading the full story. As a ?journalist, you would either hear your editor refer to your nut graf or binnensee the word written out on one of your stories after it had been edited. You would not, however, see the term in a proper sentence.? The term is a derivative of the expressionin a nutshell combined with the word paragraph to explain the essential theme of the story. A writer may re fer to the act of writing a nut graf as nutshelling, while the writer is called the nutsheller. An article or storys nut graf serves a few different purposes, including Justifying the point of the story by directing readers to the supporting material that helps readers see why the story is importantProviding a transition from the lead to the rest of the storyTelling readers why the story matters at this point in time How a Nut Graf Is Written In most news stories, the nut graf is written in thenews style, wherethe essential facts of a story are included in the first sentence or two of the story (known as the lead or lede). A good lead tries to answerwho, what, when, where, why, and how,quickly and succinctly. For example, a story about unemployment statistics written in news style might abflug out with a lead like Federal grants for new job creation in booming in Chicago, but unemployment rates are soaring, according to statistics released by the Federal Employment Agency Thursd ay. However, if the samestory were written in feature style rather than news style, then the story wouldbegin in a morenarrative way. For instance, the first few paragraphs might start by introducing a local Chicago tradesman on unemployment insurance because his lack of university credentials do not qualify him for the jobs typically created by the federal grants. In the third or fourth paragraph of the story, the nut graf would be introduced to explain how the story rolls out, why its important and would include much (but not all)of the informationfrom the lead to keep the reader interested to read further. Things to Keep In Mind Rather than writing the whole story in the nut graf and crushing any chances for readers to read your whole story, you want to do the following Do not give away the ending to your story in the nut graf.Think about some of the questions that readers might ask early on- and address the questions.Give readers a good reason (or hook) to keep reading.Gathe r your thoughts about what the story is really about and why people should read it then useone or two sentences totype out your exact thoughts.