Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Behind the Scenes of the Employee Monitoring Debate

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Behind the Scenes of the Employee Monitoring Debate Last summer, I wrote about a Rackspace/University of London study that assessedproductivity levelsin 120 employees outfitted with wearable monitoring technology. The participants were equipped with one of the three devices â€" the GENEActiv high-velocity accelerometer wristband, which measures movement and activity; the NeuroSky Mindwave portable biosensor EEG, which monitors brain activity; and the LUMOback posture and activity coach, which issues a pulse to remind its wearer to sit up straight. Participant productivity jumped 8.5 percent and job satisfaction climbed 3.5 percent as a result of the monitoring. Employee monitoring is increasing in popularity, and the reason goes beyond productivity gains and wider availability ofInternet of things-related technology. Compliance with regulations such as the Affordable Care Act now involves understanding exactly how many hours full-time and part-time employees are working so that organizations can accuratelyclassifythem and determine benefit eligibility. In a recent article inHarper’s Magazine, Esther Kaplan investigated the $30 billion telematics industry. Telematics is essentially hardware and software that facilitates real-time employee monitoring. Shipping conglomerateUPS, for example, uses handheld delivery information acquisition devices (DIADs) to track delivery times, speed, stop times, and seat-belt use. When a UPS driver pulls into a delivery location, scans a package, and has the customer sign for it, the DIAD records the time, location and wait and sends the data to the driver’s supervisor. Although this DIAD system was introduced to UPS employees as a safety measure, the devices have saved the company millions in productivity and efficiency gains. For the rest of the post, check out the SilkRoad blog.

Stop Saying You Can Do Anything! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Stop Saying You Can Do Anything! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Not long ago, I had the experience of working with a new intern. While we were having a coffee, I asked her about herself and how she saw herself helping us during her stay. Oh, I can do anything, she gushed. Im just so happy to be here that Ill do whatever you want me to do. Obviously, she had a great attitude! But I was actually really disappointed with her answer especially after I tried to prod her a little more and couldnt get anything more specific out of her. Why? Because telling everyone youre a jack-of-all trades is a big personal branding mistake! I actually learned this from my mother, a business-to-business sales expert. She taught me that the biggest mistake sellers make is to try to prove to a prospect that their company can solve ANY (semi-related) problem that prospects company might have. Jack of all trades, master of none The reason sellers do this is because they dont want to lose any business. So they expand their target market from (e.g.) mid-sized utility companies in the Midwest to any business anywhere in the world that send out monthly bills. If youre looking for a job, youre probably a lot like those sellers. Its so important for you to get the job that you dont want to disqualify yourself from any possibilities. Its even worse if youre running low on money and desperately need to win over the interviewer. But doing that will actually hurt your cause. The truth is, business prospects dont want to work with a company that does everything. They want to work with companies who work in their exact area and are experts on the unique challenges that prospects company faces on a daily business. The same goes for job seekers. Companies want employees with a great attitude, but its just as important to them that they get the people who are the absolute best for the position. They want to hear from people who are good at exactly the sort of job that they need to fill. They want the best When you try to ensure that you dont miss any opportunities, you arent viewed as the confident, competent person who can provide exactly what the company needs. Instead, acting like a jack-of-all-trades ends up causing others to think (that if youve spent the time learning how to do everything) you havent had the time to become really good at what they actually need you to do. To get other people to see you as the confident, competent person who can meet their needs, you actually need to be willing to close off some options even if someone approaches you. This gives you a chance to tune your personal marketing materials especially for the job you really want, and it helps you become really good in that specific area. Plus, when someone asks you what you can do, you actually are able to give them a concrete answer that will help them see how they can benefit from working with you versus an interchangeable robot who does whatever its told. Author: Katie Konrath writes about creativity, innovation and “ideas so fresh… they should be slapped!” at www.getFreshMinds.com.

The 9 Most ANNOYING Email Habits Every Office Worker Deals With

The 9 Most ANNOYING Email Habits Every Office Worker Deals With Do you love your inbox? If you’re like most people, the answer is probably a definitive ‘no’. That’s because, for most of us, our inbox is a forsaken place where we collect the detritus of our working lives and get the latest updates from that one website we thought might be useful in 2009 whose newsletters we just can’t work out how to unsubscribe from. But there’s one thing that makes all this worse â€" the frankly appalling etiquette of our email contacts. “Every office is filled with people who can’t use their emails properly, and it drives everyone mad,” says Brian Johnson, Director of Forward Role, the UK’s leading digital and marketing recruitment specialists. “Despite most people’s common sense, some part of their brain switches off when they come to open up a new email and type up that ‘urgent’ 48-line paragraph and then CC in the entire team.” Below, we’ve listed the worse email offenders each office has, and what you can do to mitigate them. 1.   The Email Enforcer Like some unsolicited apparition, these Email Enforcers magically appear next to you, just as their oven-fresh email drops into your inbox. “I’ve just sent you an email,” they helpfully say. And then they proceed to explain to you everything they’ve said in the email… which means that all you can do is just sit there and listen to what you’ve just read that second. This is like a parent knocking on their teenager’s bedroom door after they’ve already let themselves in. They’re probably even the type of person who says “Knock knock” instead of actually doing it. Ugh. When dealing with an Email Enforcer, do: Take in what they’re saying, repeat it back to them to confirm you understand, and wrap up by suggesting next time they just come and speak to you rather than emailing as well. Don’t: Ask them to book a meeting in which they can explain their email in more detail. 2. The Ghost The Ghost is the professional equivalent of that person you dated who never messaged you back. Theyre charming in meetings, pretend like theyre interested in your strategies, and then â€" POOF! â€"   they disappear from the email stratosphere, never to respond to your emails again. You get paranoid. Was it something you said? Maybe they didn’t really like your strategy and are avoiding having to tell you. Then you realize youre not alone theyve ghosted before and theyll do it again! When dealing with a Ghost, do: Ask them privately to send back a quick reply confirming that they’ve read and understood your email. Don’t: Harass them at the water cooler demanding to know why they didn’t email you back. “I thought what we had was special” doesn’t look good on an HR report. 3. THE SHOUTER HAVE YOU RECEIVED AN EMAIL WRITTEN ENTIRELY IN CAPS LOCK? IT COMES ACROSS AS INCREDIBLY AGGRESSIVE AND MEANS YOU AUTOMATICALLY THINK THAT THE PERSON ON THE OTHER END IS EITHER LIVID OR IS ACTUALLY YOUR GRAN TRYING TO COMMENT ON A FACEBOOK POST. Shouters are people who somehow write entire emails without reading them â€" because why else would you send it on? Weirdly, Shouters are often very agreeable in real life, which makes you believe that their habit of yelling their emails is purely an online quirk. When dealing with a Shouter, do: Email back privately and politely inform them that they might have left their caps lock on by mistake. Don’t: Use a megaphone to shout your reply back to them. 4. The Blank Subject Liner In a detective novel, a mysterious email is an exciting thing, promising a secretive plot that is exposed by a clever protagonist who can piece together the clues to solve the case. But at work, mysterious emails are about as exciting as your Aunt Audrey’s holiday photos. The blank subject line surprises you every time you see it. You say ‘What’s this?’ and click on it, only to find yourself reading the same memo about that one project you finished months ago. Seriously, guys. A two-word summary is not that hard. When dealing with a Blank Subject Liner, do: Explain to the sender that your inbox is usually very full, so without a subject line, their urgent messages might get lost and work won’t get done. Don’t: Send them a mysterious email containing your Aunt Audrey’s holiday photos. 5. The Captain of the Seven CCs You get an email from your boss. It looks important. Very important. At that moment, you start to believe that maybe â€" just maybe â€" they’ve realized they need your help. You hear the word ‘promotion’ echo in the distance. It’s happening. But then you read it and you realize the email isn’t addressed to you. It doesn’t even have anything to do with you. It might as well say “FOOLED YOU!” in Comic Sans. Instead, you find yourself on a CC list longer than the Treaty of Versailles. There’s the marketing director, the head of IT, three interns that no longer work there, your mum, her dog it leads to a lot of confusion, and a lot of wasted time. When dealing with a Captain of the Seven CCs, do: Reply to them directly, asking whether they need your input on this email chain or whether you can be removed from the CC list. Don’t: Type something witty and hit ‘Reply All’. You know who you are. Stop it. 6. The One-word Wonder It’s late afternoon. You’ve just spent the best part of an hour crafting that perfect email to your manager explaining the next steps of your marketing strategy. It has charts. It has chapters. It even has a list of contents and an epilogue in which you thank your family for all the support they’ve given you in writing such a wonderfully crafted email. And the reply you get? “Great, thanks.” CEOs and Managing Directors are particularly bad for this. To them, they’re just trying to be efficient by providing quick sign-off on a good-enough suggestion so they’re not a bottle-neck. But to their staff, it can come across like they don’t care, which can be frustrating. When dealing with a One-word Wonder, do: Ask for specific feedback in your email at the beginning and the end so they can’t miss it if they skim read. Don’t: Yell “You’re not even trying!” before sobbing quietly at your desk. 7. The In-office Auto-responder There’s something incredibly satisfying about setting an auto-responder. It’s a badge of pride â€" that little message that tells your contacts that, sorry, you can’t answer their email right now because you’re too busy enjoying yourself in some sunny corner of the world. But once you’re back at work, the auto-responder makes you look like a fool. It’s not just annoying for staff but for clients, too. One might be given some leeway on their first day back, but by day two, it’s embarrassing. When dealing with an In-office Auto-responder, do: Politely inform them that they might have left their auto-responder on and, if necessary, show them how to switch it off. Don’t: Make loud, sarcastic comments about how amazing it is that someone could be at work and on holiday at the same time. You’re not funny, Jill. 8. The False Alarmer False Alarmers are those people that somehow missed the parable of the boy who cried wolf. They mark their emails as ‘URGENT’ so that they catch your eye, and naturally, you open it in a panic, only to find that they want to know whether there was a milk delivery this morning because they just checked the fridge and, well, we’re out. False Alarmers make trouble for themselves. It’s not long before you stop opening their urgent emails, which means when they have something important they need to communicate, no one is going to listen. Come on, people, we learned this in primary school. When dealing with a False Alarmer, do: Explain to them that, although you understand they believe their projects are top priority, they should only mark emails as urgent if it’s a genuine emergency. Don’t: Secretly fill their pockets with meat before a company hike to recreate the parable of the boy who cried wolf. 9. The Historian You know it’s going to be bad when you see this subject line: “Fwd: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Changes to homepage”. Historians like to forward LONG email chains to people. They want you to scroll to the very beginning, painstakingly making your way back through time until your finger hurts. You scroll past the Millenium, the Great Depression, the Ice Age. You’re pretty sure the email can’t have been around long enough for this email chain to be possible, and yet you’re still scrolling. And just when you’ve caught up, they forward you the next batch of updates. Kill. Me. Now. When dealing with a Historian, do: Ask for a quick summary of the key things they need you to action to make sure nothing is missed. Don’t: Build a time machine to go back and stop them from being hired. You might bump into yourself and let’s face it, you were not cool in the nineties. No one was.

From Christies to UBS

From Christies to UBS It is a truth universally acknowledged in the careers world that the large corporates can have a hard time selling their appeal to arts students. Mention investment banks or the Big 4 and prepare for pretty strong reaction. And theres probably no point considering this field if you have a pretty strong aversion to big business after all its a competitive process, theres nothing to be gained from going through the motions. But, if youre still undecided about your career path and have a drive to succeed, you might just find the financial world is worth a second look. Following internships at Christies, Tara Lawrence  History of Art graduate  was on track to  follow a career in the art world. Fast forward a few years and shes happily working in the HR function at UBS. Heres her story. Changing direction Having studied History of Art at the University of Warwick, working for an Investment Bank was not an obvious choice. I did curatorial work at Harewood House Stately Home in Yorkshire, internships at Christie’s auction house in the Impressionist and Modern Art Department and also worked as a Gallery Manager in a Contemporary Gallery in the South of France. The world of art dominated my academic and personal life and I had very little exposure to banking and finance. Working in the investment banking and finance field is something I could never have predicted in the days I spent studying Renaissance and Impressionist Art. As someone from neither a mathematical nor economic background, I didn’t believe that the finance world would be accessible or of interest to me. I became more aware of the world of investment banking during my final year when friends started sharing their experiences of summer internships. I must confess the work-hard, play-hard attitude to City life really appealed to me. I wanted to try it and also and also felt that being exposed to the work undertaken by an organisation such as UBS would give me a really good platform to launch my future career, whatever the sector. From applicant to intern There are some hard facts that any applicant has to face: graduate entry into investment banking is incredibly competitive with a complex and challenging selection process, involving a series of interviews, tests and assessments. I had no economics, maths or finance background at A-Level or university so was concerned about how Id fare, but the key to success (including my own!) rests with practice and preparation. I applied to the HR department at UBS as an intern and felt confident that the skills I’d acquired through previous work experience and my History of Art degree could be seen as an advantage. I knew my experiences were unique and could sell them as such. You need to stand out from the crowd, have something different to offer and say about your academic and extra-curricular background. It is not essential to have a financial grounding,  but in order to succeed you of course need strong analytical and numerical skills. In addition to this you have to have an acute sense of commercial awareness in order to differentiate yourself and succeed in what is essentially a global, profit driven business. The assessment centre was a tough experience, but it was such a welcome boost to hear that very day that I had got on the scheme. The internship experience was a unique opportunity to learn more about the industry and finance as a profession. It cemented my desire to make this a long-term career choice. Having completed the internship I gained a place on the graduate training programme within HR, where I will rotate in different HR areas for two years before finding a permanent position. From intern to graduate trainee Working in HR is extremely varied. We have constant dialogue with the business side of the firm. We also interact with many other parts of the organisation including Legal, Finance, Risk and the front office functions of IBD, Capital Markets, Asset Management and Wealth Management, as well as external financial regulators, and even law firms. I would have to say the best aspect of my job is being able to work amongst a group of very talented people. I am constantly learning and given the opportunity to really stretch myself. I certainly know the meaning of the word ‘multi-task’! During  my internship and through the graduate training scheme I’ve had the chance to learn from â€" and observe leaders in their respective fields. All lectures, seminars and discussion groups involve leading economists and financial tutors â€" people who really know their stuff and can inspire others. In just over a year, I have completed rotations within UBS’s Business University where I worked on developing and facilitating training programmes for the managers of the investment bank, supported the sales and trading personnel of Equities and Fixed Income in an HR Manager capacity. I am currently working within the international mobility and core cycle teams that look at performance management, promotions, reward and international talent management. Not something I envisaged myself doing when I started my degree, but I haven’t looked back. Here comes the advice If I were to offer advice to current students I would say: do your research; talk to people in the industry, go to recruitment events, ask questions and find out whether you would enjoy working in the industry. This is especially important in HR, as you need work with so many teams â€" from Risk, Operations and IT to Sales, Trading Research. An internship is a great way to find out more about a firm first-hand and also to find out where your own skills lie, so I’d definitely encourage people who are at earlier stages of their career to apply for internships. And it doesn’t matter if you change your mind afterwards: the experience is invaluable and provide a really solid base whatever career path you finally choose! Despite being in a demanding job in a demanding industry I can say with absolute conviction that the environment and working culture of UBS is fantastic. If youre a humanities student and think the corporate world is not for you, maybe think again.

This is why you should take risks and not settle in your twenties

This is why you should take risks and not settle in your twenties This post was written by an external contributor. Sascha Gill talks us through the importance of pushing yourself during your twenties Ah, your twenties. Often touted as the best decade of your life; but in 2017 and for the modern student, it can feel like a terrifying time. Theres so much uncertainty, and yet so much pressure to be certain on everything. But Im here to tell you its OK to be unsure. Heres why The expectations Get good A-levels, go to university, graduate with a 2:1/First and then get a good job. Secure  that first step up the career ladder as soon as you are thrown out into the big wide world. This is what everyone expects of you, right? What if I told you there were other options? You could get a part-time job and undertake internships or work experience while you figure out what it is you really want to do. You could get a Masters, and if you fall in love with your subject perhaps even go on to do a PhD. You could take a year out to travel before youre tied down to work for the next 40-50 years. You could even start your own business. While none of these ideas are especially groundbreaking to us, it seems that all of them except further study are completely glossed over by the older generations. Dont be tricked into thinking theres only one right path to follow; take risks and explore your options fully before committing. Life is only getting longer The above point is so important when you consider that our life expectancy is growing (and with it our retirement age). Medical breakthroughs are enabling us to live longer, healthier lives which means we have more opportunities to explore and take risks while were in our twenties. The majority of our parents were happily married by their mid-twenties; now, the average age of marriage in the UK is 32. And as stated above,  the retirement age is set to rise to 67 by 2028. Put simply, you dont want to be stuck doing a job you hate just for the sake of paying the bills. Dont waste these precious few years we have to be inquisitive about our future and figure out your true calling in life. It takes time to figure things out My university careers service gave me little help when I told them I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. It was only when my personal tutor told me to take a year out after university and apply for graduate schemes that I actually realised not everything needs to be figured out right away. Just as not everything needs to be figured out immediately, taking a few risks in your twenties isn’t necessarily going to negatively affect the rest of your life; in fact, it could change the course of your life for the better. Use this opportunity to be experimental and figure out what you want. Do the things youve always wanted to do Im writing this article on a train on the way to Birmingham to meet up with my two best friends from university. I was supposed to be moving to Birmingham this weekend to start a graduate job in a law firm that would have lasted for at least the next three years. Instead, I rejected the offer and got a part-time retail job. This allows me to pursue freelance writing and learn Spanish in my free time â€" two things I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve also accepted my place on the International Citizen Service, and will leave for a volunteering placement abroad for three months next year. Another thing I’ve always wanted to do. Most people reading this will probably think Im crazy, but I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time. Theres nothing to say you cant pursue the things you really want. Its important to take a break The endless amount of pressure on new graduates to figure out exactly what they want to do and pursue it relentlessly has led to increasingly unhealthy and unhappy young people. With such a level of pressure, on top of increasing student debt and ever more worrying job and housing markets, is it any wonder then that one in four students suffer from mental health problems? Your twenties are supposed to be about enjoying life, new-found freedom and a sense of adulthood, plus getting out and discovering new things about the world (and yourself) while you still can. Theres no shame in needing a break from the mounting pressures of 21st century life and using the opportunity to recharge and truly consider what you want from life. Careers, further education and student loans will always be there Theres no-one-size-fits-all approach to the path you should take after graduation. There is also no set timeline to when you should be reaching the milestones set by society for your life. Further education is always going to be there. That graduate career you’ve always been dreaming of is always going to be there. No matter how much we dont like to admit it, your student loan is always going to be there. The opportunity to travel, pursue things you’ve always wanted to do or even start your own business may not. In your 20s, you have relatively few responsibilities â€" no mortgage, no children, no career demands. Go out and seize the day. As Mark Zuckerberg said: “In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” If you’re still worried, watch  spoken word artist and motivational speaker Sophia Thakur on taking risks in your twenties now is the time. Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

Starting a Career in Writing - CareerAlley

Starting a Career in Writing - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. With the increased advancement in technology and access to the internet, the number of people who aspire to be freelancers is astonishing. But most of them never take the time to follow their dream job. They are stuck in a rat race in an office job they loathe and get paid less than they are worth. Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash No matter where youare in life as a writer, its never too late to pursue a professional writing career. While it may sound absolutely crazy, itis achievable. Starting a career in writing involves much more than simply writing a novel. You shouldtake some additional training and look for freelance writing jobs for beginners before diving into the professional world of publishing. Although it may take the time to build a successful writing career, taking the right steps will get you there in no time. These steps do not guarantee large paydays, but they will put you on the right track towards earning a stable income in the future. While there are many steps required tostart your writing career, one ofthe most profitable is freelance agency such aswritersdepartment.com. The others ways to help you build your writing career are discussed below. Volunteer For those aspiring to dive into freelance writing, one option is to volunteer to help at writing events and to look for freelance writing jobs. Unpaid work may be a put-off, especially when you got bills to pay, but volunteer workcan help provide valuable knowledge and experience. Remember that each job will teach you a new skill in writing and will help you on your pathtowards achieving your goals as a better writer. A quick search on Google will give you thousands of volunteer writing jobs to choose from. Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash You can even email organizations such as local creative groups, libraries, writers centers, and so on, to ask if they need help with any writing activities. This will honeyour skills and help prepare you for your writing career. Identify your favorite subjects When starting out as a writer, its important to find a specific niche that youre passionate about. It may be freelance medical writing jobs, copywriting, technical writing, and so on. This is a good way to build credibility as a writer. Onceyouve narrowed opportunitiesto your specialty, it will be easy to find potential clients that fit your needs. Customers will either follow you because of your expertise in a certain field, or your proposal will be standoutfrom other applicants. Freelance writing is in high demand, has a low barrier to entry and is suitable as a side gig for students or 9-to-5 workers. But, becoming a successful freelance writer and making good money involves lots of work and some lean times before you achieve a good income. Here are six strategies you can use that will build your business steadily. Forbes.com Youll also learn a lot about your field of specialty making you an expert writer. And youve establishedyourself as a professional in a certain niche, clients will keep coming back. Get your content published anywhere If youre a new freelance writer, then you wouldnt have had a lot of chances to get a newsletter sign-up form on your site (see below).

How to Write a Good Resume - Tips From the Job Board on Reddit

How to Write a Good Resume - Tips From the Job Board on RedditA great place to learn how to write a good resume is by reading through some articles on the job search site, Reddit. While I don't expect you to be able to use the information found here to write your own resume, you will be able to get a feel for what type of information is found on a typical resume. It's a great way to get a good idea of what people are looking for and which type of information seems to be more important than others.A 'user' can look at their own resume and get feedback from other users regarding the best sections of a resume. The feedback can also be used to help the person understand what the most important information to include in their resume should be.Some users may be looking for full-time jobs and others may be looking for part-time jobs. This is why you will find so many different types of resumes on Reddit.Full-time workers often need to be careful about spelling and grammar because it can oft en have a negative impact on their application. A lot of time and effort can be put into getting a great job and having terrible grammar or spelling can really hurt a person's chances of getting hired.Employers on Reddit may be looking for someone who is self-motivated and is capable of managing themselves, but can also work well in a team. The reddit job board tends to hire a wide range of people for different positions, so if you think you can handle a lot of responsibility, that is not a bad place to look for work.Part-time jobs also tend to be much different from full-time jobs, so a person with a short resume may have a chance at being considered for a job. Some people who are looking for full-time work can take this as a challenge and look for part-time opportunities if they can get them.If you find a profile on Reddit that has a good resume, then you can generally try to contact the person listed and ask questions. If you want to find out more about an applicant, you can find forums that are related to the job and take advantage of the questions that other people have about the person you are considering interviewing with.These are just a few things that can be done when you want to learn how to write a good resume. If you are interested in learning how to use an online job board, Reddit is a great place to start.