Read Online Happy Hour is 9 to 5 by Alexander Kjerulf - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alexander Kjerulf
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We chat for a moment when we run into each other, making my day, and I hope his, more enjoyable.
As the result was so good I have added this practice to my everyday life and try to give away sincere smiles to whoever I meet.
It’s an unpleasant experience to come into the office happy, call out a cheerful “Good morning!” and then get nothing but reluctant, unintelligible grumblings in response.
When you arrive in the morning, make a round of your department and greet everyone there. The keys to a good greeting are to:
Make eye contact.
Give the person your full attention.
Be cheerful.
When other people arrive after you, take a moment to greet them. Repeat this at the end of the day with cheerful goodbyes when you leave to go home.
It’s such a simple and banal thing to do, but it makes a huge difference to relationships at the office, makes people feel more connected to each other, and establishes better communications throughout the day.
Take an interest in other people — as people
“The best boss I ever had was a woman called Linda,” explains Mary, a secretary for a big Scandinavian telecommunications company. “Not only was our department consistently efficient and fun to work in, but she was rated the best manager to work for in the company year after year.
“How did she do it? Easy — she took an interest in us. She knew each of us, not only as employees but also as human beings. She not only knew about our hobbies, families, children, and lives in general — she sincerely cared about us and always had time to chat.”
If all your conversations with co-workers are about goals, deadlines and tasks, it’s nearly impossible to create good workplace relations. In the happiest workplaces, people care about each other not just as workers but as human beings.
Help people out
Michael, a consultant in his 40s, wanted to cheer his co-workers up a little. He came up with a great idea: one day he cleared his calendar, and announced to everyone in his department that he was available all day to help. Whatever tasks they didn’t have time for, had postponed forever or found boring, he would do for them.
Michael was put to work for various co-workers throughout the day. Everyone appreciated his help, but even more importantly they had fun working together. Michael and his co-workers learned a lot about each other that day.
Workplaces in which people are constantly willing to help each other out are sure to be happier than those where people only help themselves. Helping others shows that you value them and that you want them to succeed, and it feels good because it means you can contribute actively.
I often hear people saying, “I simply don’t have time to help others, I have too much work myself already.” However, when everybody subscribes to this philosophy, everybody becomes less efficient, and people have even less time. If, on the other hand, you can take half an hour to help a co-worker, saving them an hour of work, and that co-worker can return the favour some day, then everybody wins. Really, we don’t have time not to.
Someone has to start this trend of mutual co-operation — it might as well be you, and might as well be now!
Socialise
Kirsten Gehl, the HR manager at Accenture Denmark, and her party team, were forced to get creative. Accenture had had a rough year in 2003 and were forced to rethink their usual annual company summer party. Normally it was a huge affair held at some fancy hotel or restaurant. That was out of the question in 2003, so what would work? How could she give the people at Accenture a much-needed positive collective experience on a much more limited budget?
First the party team decided to have the party at a smaller, cheaper and much cosier venue. Then they had the brilliant idea to get the partners to staff the bar. At first some of the partners were apprehensive, as they were known more for their dedication to work, dark suits and businesslike manner than for
As the result was so good I have added this practice to my everyday life and try to give away sincere smiles to whoever I meet.
It’s an unpleasant experience to come into the office happy, call out a cheerful “Good morning!” and then get nothing but reluctant, unintelligible grumblings in response.
When you arrive in the morning, make a round of your department and greet everyone there. The keys to a good greeting are to:
Make eye contact.
Give the person your full attention.
Be cheerful.
When other people arrive after you, take a moment to greet them. Repeat this at the end of the day with cheerful goodbyes when you leave to go home.
It’s such a simple and banal thing to do, but it makes a huge difference to relationships at the office, makes people feel more connected to each other, and establishes better communications throughout the day.
Take an interest in other people — as people
“The best boss I ever had was a woman called Linda,” explains Mary, a secretary for a big Scandinavian telecommunications company. “Not only was our department consistently efficient and fun to work in, but she was rated the best manager to work for in the company year after year.
“How did she do it? Easy — she took an interest in us. She knew each of us, not only as employees but also as human beings. She not only knew about our hobbies, families, children, and lives in general — she sincerely cared about us and always had time to chat.”
If all your conversations with co-workers are about goals, deadlines and tasks, it’s nearly impossible to create good workplace relations. In the happiest workplaces, people care about each other not just as workers but as human beings.
Help people out
Michael, a consultant in his 40s, wanted to cheer his co-workers up a little. He came up with a great idea: one day he cleared his calendar, and announced to everyone in his department that he was available all day to help. Whatever tasks they didn’t have time for, had postponed forever or found boring, he would do for them.
Michael was put to work for various co-workers throughout the day. Everyone appreciated his help, but even more importantly they had fun working together. Michael and his co-workers learned a lot about each other that day.
Workplaces in which people are constantly willing to help each other out are sure to be happier than those where people only help themselves. Helping others shows that you value them and that you want them to succeed, and it feels good because it means you can contribute actively.
I often hear people saying, “I simply don’t have time to help others, I have too much work myself already.” However, when everybody subscribes to this philosophy, everybody becomes less efficient, and people have even less time. If, on the other hand, you can take half an hour to help a co-worker, saving them an hour of work, and that co-worker can return the favour some day, then everybody wins. Really, we don’t have time not to.
Someone has to start this trend of mutual co-operation — it might as well be you, and might as well be now!
Socialise
Kirsten Gehl, the HR manager at Accenture Denmark, and her party team, were forced to get creative. Accenture had had a rough year in 2003 and were forced to rethink their usual annual company summer party. Normally it was a huge affair held at some fancy hotel or restaurant. That was out of the question in 2003, so what would work? How could she give the people at Accenture a much-needed positive collective experience on a much more limited budget?
First the party team decided to have the party at a smaller, cheaper and much cosier venue. Then they had the brilliant idea to get the partners to staff the bar. At first some of the partners were apprehensive, as they were known more for their dedication to work, dark suits and businesslike manner than for
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