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STOP END-OF-YEAR FATIGUE FROM SEEPING INTO THE NEW YEAR: BOOST STAFF OPTIMISM AND RESILIENCE BY PAUL FINDLAY / HR, MANAGING, SMALL BUSINESS / 20 JAN 2017 It’s a seasonal reality that many Australian workers end the year short-fused with their resilience falling and pessimism rising. For corporate and government workers alike, it can be caused by change fatigue. Constant and relentless change challenges the resilience of these workers. They can get worn down and cynical or counter-productive in the face of restructuring and organisational redesign. With low resilience comes poor attitude, infectious negativity and absenteeism. It’s common for disengaged workers to return to work in the new year actively looking for a new job. Organisational leaders can do a lot to counter this drift by using positive psychology to boost the resilience and self-management of their people. If you can improve the lives of your people and get them more engaged, you’ll improve the organisation’s performance. When people are happy, positive and resilient, organisations are healthy, stable and profitable. Optimism, Resilience and Gratitude are three fundamental areas of life in which managers can take action to revive the enthusiasm and commitment of staff while maintaining or elevating levels of employee retention. OPTIMISM – STAY MOTIVATED Optimism matters because it enables us to think differently, keep things in perspective, and see obstacles as something that can be overcome. People with a pessimistic mindset see issues and barriers, while optimistic people identify paths, possibilities and opportunity. In short, negative people ‘come with problems, positive people come with problems and solutions’. If organisations give their employees the skills to think flexibly and stay motivated, it can improve their problem solving. Optimistic thinking is a choice, and people can train themselves to approach situations with an inquisitive approach that helps keep things in perspective and look at options as opposed to staying in a negative or pessimistic thought pattern after the initial shock of bad news. Tools to use include a questioning technique called the 3P’s where individuals learn to put things back in perspective by looking at the significance of a situation on their entire life (pervasiveness), how long the stressful issue will last (permanence) and their own personal responsibility (personal). RESILIENCE – BOUNCE BACK Increasing the duration and intensity of our peaks of resilience helps us to bounce back from adversity and develop the capacity to withstand and adapt to life’s challenges. Employees, with the right guidance, can change the way they feel to create an upward spiral of positive emotion and manage negative emotions by understanding how the brain, body and emotions are linked. This is enormously important in situations where people get a lot of negativity in their work – the constant knocks or unpleasant experiences confronting customer-facing employees or emergency workers. Staff can learn how to build their resilience by learning to understand their natural ups and downs and to move through the down times recognising that’s exactly what they are – down times – and bounce back to their more natural levels more quickly. Gratitude – thank your colleagues Understanding the impact of gratitude is another key to building workplace resilience. You can boost staff happiness by expressing gratitude and appreciation. It’s one of the most powerful tools to increase positive emotions and keep people energised and healthy. It’s also a powerful antidote to negative emotion and depression. When you give someone gratitude they feel good but you feel even better. Importantly it should not only be the responsibility of the boss to give gratitude. They are not aware of every action in the workplace that is deserving of praise or thanks so it’s powerful when appreciation comes from your peers. People go the extra mile when they are both committed and valued, when Using AdWords and Facebook Ads BY GUEST AUTHOR Four steps to building relationships with journalists BY LUKE BUESNEL Breaking down the media’s priorities for SMEs BY LUKE BUESNEL Mumpreneurs receiving $1 million from QLD budget BY GUILLERMO TRONCOSO RELATED POSTS Email Updates ENTREPRENEUR EXPERT Entrepreneur Kate Middleton on rescuing a company in free fall, shaking up the status quo JANUARY 20, 2017 Mum’s the word: Daily Addict’s Carrie Kwan on empowering businessmums via her new venture JANUARY 18, 2017 ‘Too few innovate in the hospitality industry,’ says The Grounds co-founder Ramzey Choker JANUARY 13, 2017 The CEO of fintech lender Sail discusses what he learnt from the start-up ecosystem in Tel Aviv JANUARY 11, 2017 “If you only learn about your industry, you pigeonhole yourself,” says Cohen Handler CEO DECEMBER 21, 2016 7 hours 8 hours January 19, 2017 Twitter @DynamicBusiness Is your #business leveraging #ArtificialIntelligence? An @Infosys report links AI maturity with fast revenue growth bit.ly/2iYqXFe @DynamicBusiness #entrepreneur & #wala2016 winner Kate Middleton spoke to us about saving a company in free fall #womeninleadership bit.ly/2jul0hC @DynamicBusiness With @mikebairdMP's resignation, the NSW Govt will soon be led by a new premier. Will @GladysB be his successor? bit.ly/2jNAywG Our Partners Videos | Webinars SIGN UP Email Address * 0 0 0 Google + 1 Search the site HOME SMALL BUSINESS START-UPS ENTREPRENEUR TECHNOLOGY TRAVEL INDUSTRY BUSINESS HUB

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Page 1: Stop End-of-year Fatigue From Seeping Into The New Year ...€¦ · ª µ µ ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª·ª ´ª ´ª ª ª·ªº¸ª ªº¸¹¿

STOP END-OF-YEAR FATIGUE FROM SEEPING INTO THENEW YEAR: BOOST STAFF OPTIMISM AND RESILIENCE

BY PAUL FINDLAY / HR, MANAGING, SMALL BUSINESS / 20 JAN 2017

It’s a seasonal reality that many Australian workers end the year short-fusedwith their resilience falling and pessimism rising. For corporate andgovernment workers alike, it can be caused by change fatigue. Constant andrelentless change challenges the resilience of these workers. They can getworn down and cynical or counter-productive in the face of restructuring andorganisational redesign.

With low resilience comes poor attitude, infectious negativity and absenteeism.It’s common for disengaged workers to return to work in the new year activelylooking for a new job. Organisational leaders can do a lot to counter this drift byusing positive psychology to boost the resilience and self-management of theirpeople.

If you can improve the lives of your people and get them more engaged, you’llimprove the organisation’s performance. When people are happy, positive andresilient, organisations are healthy, stable and profitable.

Optimism, Resilience and Gratitude are three fundamental areas of life in whichmanagers can take action to revive the enthusiasm and commitment of staffwhile maintaining or elevating levels of employee retention.

OPTIMISM – STAY MOTIVATED

Optimism matters because it enables us to think differently, keep things inperspective, and see obstacles as something that can be overcome. People witha pessimistic mindset see issues and barriers, while optimistic people identifypaths, possibilities and opportunity. In short, negative people ‘come withproblems, positive people come with problems and solutions’.

If organisations give their employees the skills to think flexibly and staymotivated, it can improve their problem solving.

Optimistic thinking is a choice, and people can train themselves to approachsituations with an inquisitive approach that helps keep things in perspective andlook at options as opposed to staying in a negative or pessimistic thoughtpattern after the initial shock of bad news.

Tools to use include a questioning technique called the 3P’s where individualslearn to put things back in perspective by looking at the significance of asituation on their entire life (pervasiveness), how long the stressful issue will last(permanence) and their own personal responsibility (personal).

RESILIENCE – BOUNCE BACK

Increasing the duration and intensity of our peaks of resilience helps us tobounce back from adversity and develop the capacity to withstand and adapt tolife’s challenges.

Employees, with the right guidance, can change the way they feel to create anupward spiral of positive emotion and manage negative emotions byunderstanding how the brain, body and emotions are linked.

This is enormously important in situations where people get a lot of negativity intheir work – the constant knocks or unpleasant experiences confrontingcustomer-facing employees or emergency workers.

Staff can learn how to build their resilience by learning to understand theirnatural ups and downs and to move through the down times recognising that’sexactly what they are – down times – and bounce back to their more naturallevels more quickly.

Gratitude – thank your colleagues

Understanding the impact of gratitude is another key to building workplaceresilience. You can boost staff happiness by expressing gratitude andappreciation. It’s one of the most powerful tools to increase positive emotionsand keep people energised and healthy.

It’s also a powerful antidote to negative emotion and depression. When you givesomeone gratitude they feel good but you feel even better. Importantly it shouldnot only be the responsibility of the boss to give gratitude. They are not aware ofevery action in the workplace that is deserving of praise or thanks so it’spowerful when appreciation comes from your peers.

People go the extra mile when they are both committed and valued, when

Using AdWords andFacebook AdsBY GUEST AUTHOR

Four steps tobuildingrelationships withjournalistsBY LUKE BUESNEL

Breaking down themedia’s priorities forSMEsBY LUKE BUESNEL

Mumpreneursreceiving $1 millionfrom QLD budgetBY GUILLERMOTRONCOSO

RELATED POSTSEmail Updates

ENTREPRENEUR EXPERT

Entrepreneur Kate Middletonon rescuing a company infree fall, shaking up thestatus quoJANUARY 20, 2017

Mum’s the word: DailyAddict’s Carrie Kwan onempowering businessmumsvia her new ventureJANUARY 18, 2017

‘Too few innovate in thehospitality industry,’ says TheGrounds co-founder RamzeyChokerJANUARY 13, 2017

The CEO of fintech lender Saildiscusses what he learnt fromthe start-up ecosystem in TelAvivJANUARY 11, 2017

“If you only learn about yourindustry, you pigeonholeyourself,” says CohenHandler CEODECEMBER 21, 2016

7 hours

8 hours

January 19, 2017

Twitter

@DynamicBusiness

Is your #business leveraging#ArtificialIntelligence? An @Infosys reportlinks AI maturity with fast revenue growthbit.ly/2iYqXFe

@DynamicBusiness

#entrepreneur & #wala2016 winner KateMiddleton spoke to us about saving acompany in free fall #womeninleadershipbit.ly/2jul0hC

@DynamicBusiness

With @mikebairdMP's resignation, the NSWGovt will soon be led by a new premier. Will@GladysB be his successor? bit.ly/2jNAywG

Our Partners

Videos | Webinars

SIGN UP

Email Address

*

0 0 0Google + 1

Search the site

HOME SMALL BUSINESS START-UPS ENTREPRENEUR TECHNOLOGY TRAVEL INDUSTRY BUSINESS HUB

Page 2: Stop End-of-year Fatigue From Seeping Into The New Year ...€¦ · ª µ µ ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª ª·ª ´ª ´ª ª ª·ªº¸ª ªº¸¹¿

gratitude is expressed to people for their efforts they will naturally feelmotivated to do more, and should gratitude be shown again, the personbecomes more intrinsically happy, and positive about their role and knowingthat they are contributing to something bigger than themselves.

Businesses can benefit from people learning when and how to give gratitude,learning to understand the impacts it has on their own mindset and how todiscover opportunities to improve the lives of people around them by showingappreciation for things that are often unrecognised.

About the author

Paul Findlay is Managing Director of PDT an Australian-owned professionaldevelopment company operating in 10 countries. It is the exclusive Australianreseller of Camp Quality’s ORANGES, a scientifically-based workplacepsychology program that addresses Optimism, Resilience and Gratitude as wellas Attitude, Now (mindfulness), Energy and Strengths.

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