Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

How to Spot and Fight Age Discrimination

Jack Gross’ case set a precedent. The insurance manager sued—and won—for age discrimination in Iowa after he was demoted in 2003. But later, the Supreme Court reversed the decision, stating that Gross now had to cite substantial evidence that his age was the decisive factor in his demotion. The Court’s ruling made it much harder for Gross, and everyone else, to prove a case of age discrimination in the workplace.

That’s too bad, because if you talk to any employee over the age of 55, you will hear that discrimination is alive and well.  For tips on how to spot and fight it in your workplace, head over to my column at the AMEX OPEN Forum.

Being an Introvert in an Extrovert's World

Sherrie Haynie, a consultant with CPP, Inc., the publisher of the Myers-Briggs assessment, had this to say regarding introverts:

“Often, introverts describe how they interact with the outside world as a performance, and acting is work.  Similar to professional actors, introverts may appear enthusiastic, lively and entertaining.  However, many describe the experience as being ‘on stage’ – for an introvert to spend a significant amount of their day using non-preferred characteristics requires a great deal of energy.”

Wow.  I couldn’t have said it better myself, and I am, in fact, one of those introverts.

Eva Rykrsmith wrote a great piece on how introverts can be more effective at work.  For some other thoughts on how introverts can manage the stress of a role that requires extroverted behaviors, have a look at my post on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

 

A Manager's Guide to Mentoring

I swear by mentoring as one of the best ways to teach your team members what they need to know to be productive and send the message that you think they’re important and care about their growth. Obviously, an official mentoring program is great to have, but what if your company hasn’t gone down this road before? 

The Mentoring Group says that before implementing a formal initiative, you should consider how much support mentoring has from executives and employees, the time and resources people have to spend, and the overall health of the organization.

For other preparation and execution musts, check out my post on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Virtual Teams

A virtual team is a group of people who work toward a common goal and are connected by technology though physically separated. Virtual teams scare a lot of people, who have visions of spending their time on all-night conference calls and not being able to trust team members they can’t see.

Nevertheless, the trend is coming at us like a full-speed train. A Google search of “virtual teams” revealed some interesting 2011 research published in Hypergrid Business, a magazine devoted to virtual teaming.

The study, “Virtual Work Environments in a Post-Recession Era,” conducted on behalf of Brandman University by Forrester Consulting, revealed strong adoption of virtual teams. Forty percent of survey respondents said that 40 percent or more of their company’s employees work in virtual teams today, and more than half expect virtual teaming to increase in the next one to three years.

Managerial concerns associated with virtual teaming are many. 57 percent cited earning trust, 49 percent cited communicating effectively, 43 percent cited managing projects and deadlines successfully and 43 percent cited creating consensus during decision making as among the top concerns.

Considering that virtual teams are so pervasive and so many managers are losing sleep over them, my Culture Beat column over at the AMEX OPEN Forum includes some virtual teaming best practices.  Hope you'll check them out!

4 Steps for Success Working Overseas

Whether you’re a small business owner or an employee in a cast of thousands, you may find yourself working overseas at some point.

According to PriceWaterhouseCoopers, a  major uptick will occur in the number of cross-national business assignments in the next 10 years. This is an exciting development for some people, and intimidating for others.

But working in a foreign culture is not so different than simply taking on a new role in your country of origin. You have to hone your general business acumen and your communication, language and problem-solving skills.

Check out my post at the AMEX OPEN Forum for four steps to help ensure that you can assimilate effectively.

The 5 Most Awkward Conversations at Work

1. You asked your co-worker if she was pregnant, and she's not.
2. You asked your boss of eight years if he enjoyed his Christmas, and he had to remind you that he's Jewish.
3. Your co-worker is a touchy-feely type, and you just admitted it makes you uncomfortable.
4. A colleague just remarked on an unsavory habit of yours - like the fact that you bite your nails.
5. After going on about how much you dislike a new hire, your colleague informs you he's her cousin.

Okay, so maybe these aren't THE most awkward conversations, but they are certainly good examples.  In fact, I am certain there is no shortage of truly awkward moments that could occur at the office.  In order to make them less excruciating, here are some suggestions.

If Someone Made an Awkward Comment to You

Rather than acting offended or taken aback, keep your cool and be as gracious as possible.  Say something simple like "thanks for letting me know," or even something moderately tongue-and-cheek, like "thanks for sharing."  Then, proceed to change the subject and converse as if the awkward comment never happened.  Recognize that the other person is probably still uncomfortable, sol do your best to engage him or her in a discussion by asking questions and demonstrating body language that shows there are no hard feelings.

If You Made the Awkward Comment

Instead of standing there like you were the victim of a stun gun, make light of the moment in order to put both of you at ease.  My go-to phrase in this situation is, "well, that was awkward."  Smile and turn the conversation in a positive direction.  For example, in the case of the non-pregnant co-worker, you might say, "I guess you must be glowing for another reason.  What skin care regimen do you use?  I might have to try it."

Now more than ever, it's important to be mentally present for the person.  Don't let yourself get distracted by technology or other people during the conversation, and genuinely listen to what she's saying.  The more involved and attentive you are, the less likely you are to find yourself in the middle of another uncomfortable moment.

This post was originally published on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

 

Premature Escalation?

A few years ago, I was finishing up a project at the agency where I worked part time. My colleague and I had been working closely with another internal team on this initiative for a while and fortunately, things were going relatively smoothly.

As the vice president overseeing the project, I always tried to be responsive to the internal team’s needs, knowing that they represented the best interests of the client. My colleague and I talked to members of this team at least every other day, and sometimes multiple times in one day. They had my cell phone number.  If I was not in the office, they knew where to find me.

Just after we launched the initiative, the vice president on the other internal team discovered that something was wrong.  Normally, he or someone on his team would have called my colleague or me on our cell phones. Instead, he called my boss.

It was my role on projects like this to provide my boss with information on a “need to know” basis. He was unprepared for a call like this and caught off guard, and understandably reacted with a bit of panic. I was fortunate that I didn’t get in trouble, because my boss trusted me and wasn't quick to place blame just because someone expressed displeasure.

I hate corporate hierarchies as much as the next person, but it burned me that someone I’d been working with blatantly went over my head.  My friend calls the phenomena “premature escalation” – referring to the fact that those who use it don’t even give the rightful people they’re working with a chance to respond appropriately.

In my opinion, you should reserve going to someone’s boss for cases in which that someone is not giving you what you need, and has been forewarned. Even then, you should be careful.  Behavior like this is not going to endear you to your co-workers, so you should make sure it’s necessary and that you have no other choice.

Pathological Lying at Work

I just called a colleague to ask him to participate in a third-party project I was working on.  I wanted him to join so that I‘d have an excuse to spend more time with him, and I found myself saying all sorts of things to get him to agree.  For example, the project wouldn’t require any time at all, and that it was the most meaningful initiative I’d worked on in years.

Some of my comments were half-truths, and some were pretty close to being outright lies.

Why We Tiptoe Around the Truth

I consider myself to be a pretty moral person, so it bothers me that I’m not always honest with co-workers.  It’s the worst when someone asks me my opinion and I don’t want to hurt her feelings.  Why can’t I just be straight with people?

According to Peter Bregman in his blog post for Psychology Today, the answer is that I don’t want to feel mean or rude, and don’t want the person I’m talking to disapprove of me for being mean or rude.  By lying to preserve someone’s feelings, I’m the one who feels better.

Lying Doesn’t Work

Subtly positioning things so they appear in a better light and massaging the truth to make it more likely to be embraced also makes me feel better too.  It also takes an exceptional amount of energy and apparently fools know one.

But even understanding that, I'm still one of Bregman's minions.  I still try to make things seem different than they are because it takes courage to be honest. I have to be willing to be vulnerable, and I’m not great at that.

Bregman says that honesty is much more compelling, powerful, and effective than the alternative. People want the truth.  They are willing to accept it far more often than we think, and respect other people and organizations for speaking it.  Truly honest people make it easier for others to identify with them, trust them, and ultimately value them as leaders.

This post was originally published on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

 

4 Reasons Why Social Media Use = Great Customer Service

If you’ve bought anything in the last few years, you’ve no doubt noticed that customer service is not what it used to be.  Most of us don’t dare pick up the phone because we fear hearing that dreaded phrase:

“To hear a menu of options, please press 1.”

Now, however, some companies are finally getting it right, and their training ground has been none other than the prolific world of social media.  On her Perspectives blog, Mila Araujo provides these four reasons why companies that invest in social media achieve better customer service:

Social Media Requires High Engagement

Companies that have committed themselves to social media listen to what their customers are saying and the buzz around the web that’s related to the company, and they respond in real time.  Because they are routinely engaging their audience one-on-one already, they are more likely to provide excellent service.

Social Media Requires Adaptation

In order to do well in social media, you have to be dynamic, motivated, and nimble.  You have to be able to change quickly in order to use social media channels to deliver products and services more effectively.  Companies who live in this mindset require employees who do as well.

Social Media Tools Use Public Conversation Forums

The fact that everyone can see what you are doing and how you are responding to an issue creates a higher standard overall.  Companies that use social media are confident in their approaches and are trained to respond so they can offer a high level of consistent performance. On the other hand, the nature of social media allows for quick identification of less desirable behaviors that must be corrected quickly.

Social Media Enables Viral Behavior

Anyone using social media knows that bad press can easily go viral, and it doesn’t have to be by way of a major news story.  All it takes is one person to make a negative comment and others may join the discussion. This kind of viral spread ensures that social media-minded companies pay special attention to operations so an online PR disaster doesn’t occur.

This post was originally published on Intuit's Quickbase blog. 

Watch Your Mouth: Office Gossip and Other No-Nos

Whenever you hear something juicy about a colleague, whether it is related to work or not, you have the immediate impulse to share it across the hall.  Why?

Frank T. McAndrew is a professor at Knox College in Illinois who has devoted part of his research on evolutionary psychology to the study of gossip.

Apparently, humans have an almost irresistible desire to talk about people who are not present. McAndrew believes that in the ancient past, gossip served a useful social function in bonding group members together. At a time when humans lived in small bands and meeting strangers was a rare occurrence, gossip helped us survive and thrive.  Thus, it appears that we are hardwired to be fascinated by gossip.

McAndrew’s research, as described in Scientific American, showed that we're keen to hear and pass along any bad news about our rivals or any good news about our friends.  Men are more likely to share gossip with their romantic partners, while women will whisper with their lovers and their friends alike.  Both men and women prefer talking about and hearing about people of their own gender.

Watch Your Whispers

Despite the genetic predisposition, however, it’s a good idea to censor yourself in the workplace.  Dishing the dirt at work is obviously fun, especially if you’re bored.  Listen all you want, but refrain from contributing to conversations that could compromise someone’s reputation.  Damaging stories spread like a conflagration, and being nailed as the source can be a career killer.  If someone shares a tasty tidbit, simply nod and smile.

Watch Your Language

Also, don’t swear at work. Nothing taints your professional reputation as much as foul language. There are people all over the business world who spew curse words, and maybe your boss is one of them. If you’re tempted to join in, remember where the phrase “potty mouth” came from. At work, you don’t want to look or smell like you were anywhere near the potty, so don’t sound like it either.

Watch Your Topics

When it comes to work conversation topics in general, talking about whatever comes to mind may not necessarily be appreciated, and could earn you a label you don’t want. I suggest avoiding any discussion involving sex, drugs, or politics, because even if you are sure all of your co-workers are on the same page as you, you’re probably wrong about someone.

According to Anthony Balderrama’s CareerBuilder.com article, 13 Things to Keep to Yourself at Work, other conversation topics to steer clear of at work include:

•  Your medical history
• Your religion
• Your life of privilege and how you spend your abundance of money
• Your emotional issues and/or therapy sessions
• Your compensation details or other confidential HR issues
• Your job search or future work plans
• Your personal life

Even seemingly inoffensive topics can actually get you into trouble, so before you open your mouth, think about whether the listener really needs to hear what you’re about to say, and how he will react to it.

Here’s a story that took me by surprise when I heard it.  John Olson was an assistant manager at Publix Supermarkets in Florida, a workplace filled with golf-playing fanatics.  John, on the other hand, preferred to spend his time off in more adventurous pursuits.  Once, he took an airboat into the Everglades and spent the afternoon wrestling alligators.  When John bragged about it to his manager, the boss flew into a breathless rant about how John was an irresponsible manager and was setting a poor example for his hourly employees.  So, you never know.

In short, while you certainly don’t have to walk around the office bound and gagged, you should always ask yourself, “is this TMI (too much information)?” before sharing it.

This post was originally published on Intuit's Quickbase blog.