Two Minnesota icons have been named to Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Employees claim the Mayo Clinic provides the best possible care for its patients and has the same attitude toward its employees. Food conglomerate General Mills just made the list at No. 99—the magazine cited the company’s expanding infant day care program.
Office Communication
Communication in business requires the understanding of different communication styles, and the ability to break down communication barriers.
In business communication, effective communication requires a sort of “office communication toolkit” – the kind of resource Business Management Daily provides.
How do managers miss out on ideas that might turn them into leaders? Here’s one scenario, as relayed by a midlevel federal employee: “My manager is not a mean person. Outside of work, he’s really nice. But the way he manages has sucked the morale out of our office ..." With some changes in behavior, this manager could invigorate his staff. Here's how:
Winners of the Thurston County, Wash., Chamber of Commerce’s “Healthy Workplace” designation are serious about what their employees eat—especially during business meetings. Here are four examples of how Thurston County employers encourage their staffs to lay off the junk food while at work.
“A meeting is an event where minutes are taken and hours are wasted.” This old saying may be true in many cases, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A bit of preparation, discipline and solid follow-up can help you conduct more productive and focused meetings. Here are 11 guidelines for supervisors and department managers as prescribed by meeting consultants:
In a new study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers ranked these (in order) as the top five skills/qualities they look for in potential employees:
Pay attention to how you sound in response to being questioned or contradicted. If your people get the slightest whiff that agreement is what you prefer, that’s what you’ll get. To fight that possibility, take these steps:
Hold more-focused meetings... Keep emoticons out of business communication ... Find salary information for administrative positions in your area ... Save money on printing ... Avoid this grammar trap ... Receive the credit you deserve ...
What can you do about the younger boss who ignores your experience? That was the question an admin reader posted recently on our Admin Pro Forum. She writes, “Most of our managers are younger and think they know everything. They tend to listen to the younger, fresh-out-of-college administrators.” Readers weighed in with their advice:
Too often, people express themselves negatively without even realizing it. If your writing contains a lot of “no’s” and “not’s,” it’s a signal of negative writing. Using positive, self-assured, optimistic language is a better way to promote your ideas. Here are examples of negative sentences turned positive:
Does it matter if we misspell words or use abbreviations in email messages? Opinions are mixed. Everyone, however, agrees that when you’re working on written correspondence or an important document, it has to be flawless. Can you spot the grammar and writing errors in the sentences?
