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Leadership Life Skills: Positivity, Grace and Humility

positivity grace and humility
Positivity, grace, humility. It’s amazing how three simple words can carry such huge implications. Sometimes work can be… not so fun. Even working in the most amazing of environments, your workload can still be stressful, overwhelming and difficult.

In those moments, we face the reality that humanity is at the very center of human resources. So when work seems overwhelming or you encounter a tough situation, consider these three traits that will make you better: as a leader and an individual.

Grace

Grace flows both inward and outward. It’s important not only to show grace to others when they screw up, but to also give it to yourself when you need it. Accept recognition when it comes your way and forgive yourself when you make mistakes. Most importantly, give yourself credit where credit is due.

Positivity

As obvious as it might be, positivity is often one of the hardest traits to foster. Positivity manifests itself in the smallest moments, but with huge consequences. We would all rather be around people who encourage and uplift us. However, it’s often easier to feed into workplace gossip and criticism. Whenever you find an opportunity to criticize, consider the impact on your own attitude and on those around you.

Humility

C.S. Lewis once said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less”. While leaders should still assert themselves and fight to be heard, they also have a responsibility to the people they lead. Remember who your decisions are affecting. Oftentimes a seemingly small decision makes a huge impact, and by thinking of others more often, you develop stronger relationships and deeper respect from those around you. Humility isn’t an easy trait, but it’s a powerful one.

Give yourself grace, cultivate a positive spirit, embrace humility. Influence the people around you with positivity, grace, and humility.

March Madness Doesn’t Have to Kill Productivity

The madness is starting. Today marks the official beginning of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and according to global outplacement firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, this year could cost employers over $2.1 billion in productivity. They also estimated that approximately 23.7 million workers are filling out brackets… most likely on company time.

So does the old saying hold true, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”? Or should we put a stop to the madness?

march madness doesn't have to kill productivity

A survey by Office Team reported that 57% of managers feel that while they don’t encourage watching games or participating in office pools, they are ok with these activities in moderation. 32% said they should not be allowed at work and a mere 11% actually encourage this behavior.

Let’s be honest, though. Would you rather work with these 11% of employers who embrace the insanity of March or with the 32% that shun this type of behavior? Odds are you’re in favor of the former.

But, March Madness doesn’t have to kill productivity. Here are a few ways to have your cake and eat it, too:

Embrace the Competition

A great way to celebrate March Madness at work is to embrace the competition. This can be awesome for team bonding and office morale. Keep pool minimums low or consider offering a “free pool” option where you give away company swag or other small prizes to the winner.

Keep it Playful (and Respectful)

While some friendly competition can be great for office morale, it can also get into slippery territory when office fanatics find themselves facing a losing streak. Make sure to manage expectations around the office and keep conversations light-hearted. Smack talk is fun but can turn into bullying quickly. Steer clear of anything that could be offensive or disrespectful.

Manage Expectations

While streaming the games during lunch may be totally acceptable, there still needs to be an expectation of office performance during these crazy few weeks. Make sure expectations are clearly communicated during this time. Consider offering extra incentives for high-performers by letting them leave early to catch a game or providing some team gear. By celebrating wins both on and off the court, you can enjoy the season while still reinforcing productivity standards.

You can make the most of the Big Dance while still staying productive by preparing strategically and being transparent about the impacts of the tournament. Celebrating and staying productive is easy… picking your winning bracket is not.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Today is a day to celebrate the women in our lives and in our businesses. On International Women’s Day, we acknowledge both their accomplishments and challenges.

We are thrilled to celebrate the women at PerkSpot and to see so many of our clients supporting Women’s Day through their own efforts.

In honor of these efforts, we’ve selected a few of our favorites:

H&M

h&m international women's day
H&M is raising money at their registers for Girl Up, a United Nations Foundation which supports education, health and safety for girls in developing countries.

Southwest Airlines

southwest airlines international women's day
Southwest has been supporting women all month long by supporting various non-profit organizations geared toward women. Ellen Torbert, VP of Diversity & Inclusion for SWA, states “Many of the nonprofit organizations we work with provide women the resources and opportunities necessary to achieve their career goals. Through education and leadership, Southwest… is building a pipeline of talented women with bright futures in career fields of their choice.”

Snapchat

snapchat international women's day
Now you can bring purpose to your favorite filters. In honor of International Women’s Day, Snapchat is celebrating with filters of Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, and Rosa Parks. Time to get your game face on.

Spotify

spotify international women's day
Support women all month long by listening to the Women’s History Month playlist on Spotify. They also have banners where listeners can donate to Girls Rock Camp Foundation at the click of a button. The proceeds support girls developing their musical and creative abilities.

There are so many ways to get involved. So today, wear your red and say thanks to a woman who has made a difference in your life!

Employee Appreciation Day!

Today is Employee Appreciation Day!

To commemorate this special day, we’re giving you a few ideas on how to appreciate your employees and introducing you to a few of the PerkSpotters who make the office a better place to work.

Celebrate Birthdays

celebrate birthday employee appreciation day

Not only is today employee appreciation day, but it’s also this guy’s birthday! Dan currently holds the record for most years at PerkSpot (and most push-ups). He is the ultimate idea man, always cooking up a new way to make us better and keep the office exciting. So today, with breakfast sandwiches and candles, we’ll celebrate Dan and let him know that we’re glad he was born 21 years ago (don’t worry, DB, the real number is our little secret). If you’re thinking about celebrating birthdays at work, we say GO FOR IT! Here are a few things from our friends at SHRM that you’ll need to know before you roll out a birthday program.

Share Their Story

share stories employee appreciation day

Hands-down one of the hardest working PerkSpotters is our Client Service Lead, Karla. From bestowing exotic treats on us to filling the office with her laughs to completing more customer service calls than we thought humanly possible… Karla is basically superwoman. Actually, she’s so awesome, we thought everyone should know. So when the Chicago Tribune approached us to highlight an employee, we immediately thought of her. Being able to celebrate her life in a major outlet was such a thrill for us and a great way for Karla to see how much we value her contribution to our team. She’s kind of a big deal, and we thought the world should know.

Embrace Life Changes

embrace life changes employee appreciation day

So much is changing around the PerkSpot office, including introducing our first PS baby into the world. We were so excited to congratulate Anthony on the birth of his daughter. He recently rejoined our team after three weeks of paternity leave and we were anxious to hear how he filled his time with his family. Anthony is a major force behind the PerkSpot wheel, bringing in new and exciting clients, so it was an easy choice to give him the well-deserved break from office life to embrace this new change. Plus, Fast Company studied California organizations implementing paternity leave and saw that 89% reported increased productivity and employee morale and a decrease in turnover. So while being out the office was not only great for Anthony’s well-being, we’re also excited to see what he brings to the table with his refreshed energy. Welcome Back, Anthony!

 Allow for Flex Schedules

work from home policies employee appreciation dayOne of the biggest perks at PerkSpot is the ability to flex our schedules and work from home. Our masterful designer, Evan, graciously takes on so many projects for us and we all know Wednesdays are Evan’s day to work from home. We are so appreciative of the attention to detail and creativity that goes into each of his designs. Thursday he comes back with incredible work to show for his time spent away from the office distractions. In fact, we think he might have magic pajamas. Magic pajamas or not, a Stanford University study reported a 13 percent performance increase in workers who had the ability to work from home one day a week versus not at all. This could be the easiest employee appreciation tactic for your company to boost morale and get ahead.

Treat Them to a Night Out

work perks employee appreciation day

Our master appreciator, Leia, is constantly spending her efforts at PerkSpot recognizing others. After planning our anniversary party last fall, Leia definitely deserved some R&R. Boss’s orders were to take a week off and enjoy a nice dinner on the company. Just a small way of saying we see all the many, many things she does to make our office a better place to work. Whether it’s a gift card to their favorite restaurant,or just a day of rest, small tokens of appreciation mean more than you might think.

What makes your employees worth celebrating? Consider ways to recognize them today!