Workplace Learning - Types Of Anxiety

The young man Shin Dong Hyuk was born and raised in a North Korean prison camp.  When he was 14, his mother and brother tried to escape.  They failed, and so Shin was forced to watch their executions.  His mother was publicly hanged, while his brother was shot nine times.  Shin's indoctrination was such that he felt no pity for them whatsoever.

 

World-renowned psychologist, Edgar Schein, discovered that there are two types of anxiety associated with learning and development:  Learning Anxiety and Survival Anxiety. 

 

Learning Anxiety is when people are too afraid to learn something new.  They're scared it might be too difficult; they're fearful it'll fail; and they're worried they'll be perceived as a traitor by the groups in which they belong.  Shin was suffering from extreme learning anxiety because of the total control that the North Korean regime exerted over his whole life.  That's why he reacted so callously to his family's executions.  To change was unfathomable.

Survival Anxiety is when people finally realize that, in order to make it, they have no choice but to change.  By the time he was 22, Shin became the only person to ever escape from that prison camp.  He'd made the decision to get out when a new inmate shared stories of what the outside world was like.  Together, they ran off, and even though his mate became stuck in the electrified fence and died, Shin was able to jump over and defected to the South. 

 

Behavioral change occurs when survival anxiety is greater than learning anxiety.  There are two ways you can do this.  You can increase your employees' survival anxiety, which includes threats and intimidation to get staff to do what you want.  Or the second option is to decrease their level of learning anxiety, which is the creation of a safe learning environment. 

 

It's difficult to get rid of learning anxiety entirely, but here's how you can reduce it: 

• Credibility:  The facilitator needs to be someone believable and trustworthy.
• Positive Incentives:  Benefits of the training need to be articulated and understood.
• Group Support:  People are more comfortable learning with their peers.
• Follow-up:  Training is not enough, so include coaching and other reinforcement.
• Method:  The training should be tailored to suit every learning style, and just as importantly, the major 'attention styles'.  The two are very different.

Many people are reluctant learners.  They attend training not because they want to, but because they have to.  By reducing their learning anxiety, you give employees one less reason to escape.

 

Thanks to James Adonis

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Did You Know

 

Almost 75 percent of new graduates say that training and development is the most important factor for them when choosing a new employer. 68 percent even say they'd happily accept less money if it meant they'd get more training.
Source: TMP Worldwide

 

Thanks to James Adonis

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Quote

 

"Learning is a lifetime process, but there comes a time when we must stop adding and start updating." ~~~ Robert Brault

Thanks to James Adonis

How Do You Manage a Workplace Bully?

When you think of health and safety at work, what probably crosses your mind is the use of machinery, ergonomics, and adequate breaks.  But a more prevalent and dangerous beast is increasingly lurking in workplaces: the bully. 

If you've got one in your team, it's unlikely you know about it because to your face they're charming and delightful, but behind your back they torment and torture, leaving co-workers affronted and afraid.

Workplace bullying is a repeated series of actions towards one or more employees that's sometimes aggressive, at other times manipulative, but always causes distress and anxiety. 

One particular study found that over 70 percent of employees admit to having been bullied at some stage in the past.  The problem is widespread and it's possible that your employees are next.

Often the bullying is just verbal.  From insidious insults to humiliating sarcasm, and from abusive language to public put-downs, the words are targeted with the intention to hurt.

Occasionally, the bullying becomes more sinister where the bully will play mind-games and intimidation to wrest control within the team.  What causes the most concern is that the majority of victims either don't do anything about it or they just find a job someplace else, leaving the bully to continue the damage.

The impact on the business is huge.  Increased absenteeism is a certainty as victims dread the thought of going to work where they'll face the bully.  The effect it has on their health reduces their productivity, saps their energy, alters their mood, and costs businesses a lot of money. 

In fact, one study by Work Cover in the ACT found that workplace bullying costs the Australian economy between $6 billion and $13 billion a year.

Pyscholigst Keryl Egan has dentified three types of bullies in the workplace.

The first are the accidental bullies, who respond demandingly and in a blunt manner because they're panicked, rushed, or stressed out. 

The second are the narcissistic bullies, who crave power and will do anything to get it no matter how destructive it is, and have little care for who gets burnt in the process. 

And the third are the serial bullies, who are almost impossible to cure because they're psychotic sociopaths with a relentless and fearless appetite to systemically deceive and destroy.

There are also specific factors that might make your business more conducive to workplace bullying.  Sudden changes and instability, undefined work structures and procedures, and insufficient levels of communication and direction, are all a fertile breeding ground for a bully to emerge.  To eliminate bullying in your workplace, consider the following steps:

1.Openly state that your company will not condone bullying of any kind.

2.Have an anti-bullying policy written down as part of your employee handbook.

3.Prohibit actions like tantrums, screaming, and threats.

4. Make it easy for employees to complain if they're the victim of a bully.

5. Frequently consult employees to see how they're feeling about the workplace.

6. Look out for body language clues that might indicate an employee is a victim.

7. Be cognisant of a spike in absenteeism from an employee who's rarely sick.

8. If you spot a bully, take action immediately.  Don't tolerate it even for a second.

9. When giving a bully feedback, focus on their behaviour, not their personality.

10. Make sure the bully understands the consequences if their behaviour continues.

11. Document all conversations, and if it doesn't stop, consider serious penalties.

12. Remember to be the role model of how you'd like your employees to act.

Moving a bully from one team to another is not a solution, because the bully will just find a new victim in the new surroundings.  Instead, provide coaching, offer counselling, issue written warnings, and eventually if there's no improvement, terminate the bully's employment before other employee resignations take hold.

Keep in mind that workplace bullies are usually your best performers.  They're clever, successful, and highly productive, so this might make you reluctant to deal with their menacing ways. 

But deal with it you must, or else it'll have a larger financial impact on your business down the track.

It's important to note that as an employer, you have a legal duty of care to protect your staff from hazards in the workplace.  One particular hazard that needs to be managed is the risk of staff suffering from an unsupervised workplace bully. 

As Edmund Burke famously said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Workplace bullying is a problem that can no longer be ignored.

Source: theage.com.au

Don't You Just Hate Repeats?

Just Consider How Much Even One Accident Can Affect Your Workplace By:

• Lowering morale about employer commitment to safety
• Creating fear about working in unsafe conditions
• Adding stress from worrying about another accident
• Breaking confidence in being sure of safe working environment
• Slowing production

As a supervisor, You Can take Several Steps to Prevent these Negative Effects from Multiplying. Follow these Do's and Don'ts.

DO:

• Make Eliminating Repeat Accidents a Safety Goal. If an incident happens, recommit yourself to safe working habits.
• Outline steps to reach that goal. The first step is to have no incidents at all. If an incident does occur, subsequent steps include investigating the accident and making specific changes to procedures, tools, or equipment to prevent it from happening again.
• Communicate the Priority Of this Goal Clearly. Pay attention to daily or weekly safety reports and reminders that keep repeat accidents "in the news" as a major concern in the company.
• Promote An Accident-free Culture. Be a safety advocate and encourage co-workers not to take shortcuts, use substitute tools, or otherwise increase their risk of accidents.
• Suggest Rewards As Incentives rather than using punishments and discipline as deterrents. This will make preventing repeat accidents a positive goal rather than a negative experience.
• Emphasize Hazard Detection. Always be on the lookout for potential safety problems and hazards.

DON'T:

• Don't Send Mixed Messages about the priority of not repeating accidents. Everyone needs to know that one incident is bad enough, that it is taken very seriously, and that it is the company's top priority to prevent it from happening again.
• Don't Use Discipline Without Also Offering Help. You know that supervisors need to follow company policy on the consequences of accidents. But also ask them to provide support so you don't have another accident.
• Don't Lecture. People don't respond well to this method inside or outside the classroom. Lectures don't work because they turn co-workers into passive receptors rather than engaging them in their own safety performance.
• Don't Blame. Even if you or a co-worker makes a mistake, other contributing factors need to be addressed. The goal is to ultimately fix the problem, not to blackball someone.
• Don't Assume the Worst Of People, stereotyping them as troublemakers, for example. This assumption can backfire by becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy for the singled-out employee.
• Don't Give Pep Talks With Simplistic Answers. Actions speak louder than words, so back up encouraging words by making real changes and offers of assistance. 

Why It Matters...

• Approximately 20% of workers cause 80% of workplace accidents.
• The high price of even one accident includes direct costs, such as workers' compensation and medical expenses.
• It also includes indirect costs, such as accident investigations, replacement worker training, replacing damaged equipment, and increased insurance premiums.

Thanks to Safety Daily Advisor

Five Barriers to Change

Familiarize Yourself With these Five Common Barriers to Change So You Can Stay On Track:

 

1. Ownership: It's easier to pass the buck than to stand up as a leader and take over responsibilities that may not even be yours.

 

2. Time: Change always takes longer than estimated. Add 50 percent to 100 percent more time to your expectations.

 

3. Difficulty: When a task appears to be easy, you may set yourself up for disappointment and frustration if you miscalculate the time required to complete it.  Anticipate troubles, and give yourself credit for small victories.

 

4. Distractions: When the going gets tough, as it will, it's easy to be distracted by competing goals, other interests and priorities.  Anticipate how easily you can become distracted; you'll be amazed at how much easier it is to regain your focus.

 

5. Maintenance: Once you expend all of the effort needed to achieve a change goal, be willing to face reality.  It takes time for the new to become habitual. Give up too soon, and you're back to square one.  Maintenance requires vigilance and perseverance—more than you may think.

 

Thanks to Coach John G. Agno

The Aftermath of Childhood Sexual Abuse

People Who Were Sexually Abused As Children May Have Issues With Sexual Dysfunction and Self-destructive Behavior When they Get Older.

 

Sexual abuse leaves many scars, creating feelings of guilt, anger, and fear that haunt survivors throughout their lives. Adults who have undergone sexual abuse as children commonly experience depression and insomnia. High levels of anxiety in these adults can result in self-destructive behaviors, such as alcoholism or drug abuse, anxiety attacks, and situation-specific anxiety disorders.

The damage extends to the sexual abuse survivor's sense of their own sexuality. Many survivors also have trouble pursuing adult relationships and enjoying sex as an adult. The abuse can color a person's sexuality, preventing the survivor from pursuing a healthy sex life with a loving partner.

Sexual Abuse and Sexual Behaviors

In general, childhood sexual abuse survivors tend to either pursue sex recklessly as adults or to forgo sex completely, says Stephen L. Braveman, MA, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Monterey, Calif., and the western regional representative of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. "They typically wind up with splitting behavior, where things become very black and white," he says. "Either they are very sexually active, or they shut down sexually."

After the Shock of Sexual Abuse

Some of the sexual after-effects of abuse include:

• Limited ability to feel sexual pleasure or have sex at all.
• Sexual promiscuity as a way of taking control of their feelings of abuse. Some studies have found that female survivors of sexual abuse are more likely to report having many partners over the prior year.
• An increased likelihood of engaging in prostitution, unsafe sex, and risky sexual behaviors.
• A tendency to "disassociate" from the body during sex, going through the motions but without any feeling. "They check out of their body and just wait until it's over," Braveman says.
• Withdrawal from all social and sexual interactions, leading to isolated and lonely lives.

Sexual Abuse and Relationship Problems

Hidden trauma from childhood sexual abuse also can cause survivors to sabotage relationships, Braveman says. The adult survivor might meet someone and be very playful and sexually active, but then shut down sexually as the relationship proceeds and deepens.

"For most people, when they were abused it wasn't by somebody who jumped out of the bushes, but by somebody they had a trusting, loving relationship [with]," he says. "A sense of trust got merged with a sense of betrayal when it comes to their sexuality. The closer they get to someone, here comes that trust issue. So they pull back emotionally and sexually. It's much easier to end the relationship than deal with the abuse."

Men and women survivors often take different paths when they've become too intimate. "Men tend to shut down their sexual relationship with their partner, and then take their sexuality somewhere else," Braveman says. "Women shut down their sexuality altogether, or they remain sexually active but shut down emotionally."

Therapy for Sexual Abuse

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse do not have to allow the trauma to continue interfering with their lives. If you are a sexual abuse survivor, the first step is to talk with someone about it, either a trusted friend or a counselor. If sex abuse is threatening to destroy your relationship, you should tell your partner about it. Therapy can help you understand the patterns in your life created by the abuse, including the ways it has been affecting your sexuality. Figuring these things out can set you on the path to good sexual health.

By Dennis Thompson, Jr. / Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

20 Bad Boss Behaviors that Drive You Bonkers

Everyone encounters "toxic" bosses, but in this economy, it's something people may just have to deal with. In their new book, Working for You Isn't Working for Me: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Boss (Portfolio, September 2009), authors Katherine Crowley (a psychotherapist) and Kathi Elster (a business strategist) help you detect bad behaviors and--luckily--tell you how to reclaim control of the relationship regardless of your rank. Here are the 20 behaviors; your boss may have one--or all.

1. Chronic Critic: finds fault with everything you do
2. Rule Changer: keeps changing and rearranging what he or she originally decided
3. Yeller: explodes without notice and says incriminating things about you
4. Underminer: will set you up to fail
5. "I'm Always Right": needs to be considered infallible
6. "You Threaten Me": takes credit when it's not due
7. Grandiose: can't see past his or her own ego
8. Control Freak: micromanages uncontrollably
9. Love-Struck: can't manage his or her own emotions
10. Calculating Confidante: has a hidden agenda
11. Tell-All: makes you his or her captive audience
12. Liar, Liar: can implicate you in his or her lies
13. Sacred Cow: not going anywhere; if you challenge you will lose
14. Checked Out: preoccupied with non-work-related matters
15. Spineless: incapable of defending anyone
16. Artful Dodger: afraid of tarnishing his or her perfect image
17. Junior: many not value your experience
18. Former Colleague: the balance of power has changed
19. Unconscious Discriminator: unintentionally expresses bias
20. Persecutor: targets and torments you

Thanks to HR Strange But True

Stop Using Your Strengths

Several years ago I had a Vice President who was full of energy and optimism. He was also very kind and had an "open door" policy where he was more than willing to chat with any one of the several hundred employees in his group about anything. In fact, you could talk to him about anything and he always seemed to have time for you.

I don't know if he ever took the VIA Survey, but I would guess that some of his top strengths were:

Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness

Creativity, ingenuity, and originality

Forgiveness and mercy

Curiosity and interest in the world

In fact, he knew his strengths and he used them often - unfortunately, too often. And, while he was a very likeable person, he was a pretty ineffective leader. He consistently did not acknowledge risks or issues. He loved creative ideas but was easily bored with operational issues. He rarely fired anyone for poor performance. In addition, he really didn't know how to adapt to situations. He continued to use his top strengths even when he wasn't getting results. His organization eventually fell into disarray.

In recent years, we have heard the experts tell us to use our strengths. And, Robert Biswas-Diener wrote a great post about using our strengths in the 'right' situations. But, how do we know when we're over-using a strength?

Unfortunately, I think over-used strengths usually represent a blind spot. That is, they're difficult to recognize. Remember, using a strength usually feels good. We are engaged when we are doing something that we're good at and we frequently go into a state of flow where time stands still. This can lead to situations where we lose our self-awareness.

Try these two strategies to examine the use of your own strengths:

1. Look at situations where your initial thoughts were that you performed at a high level but the results did not follow. Did you misjudge the reactions of others? Did you miss some cues? List your top strengths and see if any of them actually contributed to the poor outcome.
2. Ask for some feedback from people who know you well AND are not afraid to tell you the truth (that second part is VERY important). Take the VIA Survey to identify your top strengths. Share this list with your friend(s) and ask if you rely on these too much.

In the end, don't abandon your strengths. The research shows that use of your strengths can lead to lasting happiness. Just try to exercise a little more self-awareness and consider the situation.

 

Thanks to blog.happier.com

Can Gossiping on the Job Really Hurt You?

We all do it from time to time. Whether it's complaining about the latest comp-time policy change with your coworker in the file room or dishing about the latest spat between the CFO and the clerk in purchasing, gossiping on the job is almost an inevitable part of corporate culture.

But is gossiping a positive way to build relationships, trade information for advancement and gauge the emotional health of the corporate community? Or is it akin to a toxic virus that spreads and ultimately weakens an organization's overall health, threatening your job security, chances for career advancement and professional happiness?

As with most things involving human interaction, there are two sides to this common coin. Use the following advice to ensure you don't let your chitchat get in the way of your career. 

The Scoop On Gossip

Peter Post, codirector of the Emily Post Institute and coauthor of The Etiquette Advantage in Business: Personal Skills for Professional Success, argues that there is a lot wrong with a little harmless gossip. "Gossiping and rumor-mongering add stress to the workplace," Post says. "Create stress in the workplace, and you create a situation in which people are not focusing on doing their work." This is why many companies have corporate policies that specifically restrict or prohibit on-the-job gossip and why management may not look kindly on those who engage in it.

But the overall effects of negative gossip don't necessarily suggest you should completely refrain from being in the know about situations around you. In fact, many psychologists believe that not engaging in a little office gossip can actually hurt your career.

Siobhan Mellor, clinical psychologist and author of the research paper, "Gossip -- The Nation's Favorite Pastime," believes that the right kind of gossip can be good for you. "Getting the latest gossip about the behavior of others helps build a social map for what is accepted, weird, bad -- and even what kinds of actions improve our status and what doesn't," she says.

Kate Adams, an editor who worked for a major New York publishing company, recalls being chastised in her peer performance review, because she had admitted to not being in the know about her boss's sudden resignation in favor of a new position at another house. "I thought the polite thing to do was to pretend that I hadn't noticed my boss leaving for long lunches and apparently going on interviews," says Adams. "As an assistant, I always tried to cover for my boss, and I thought that included not talking about her obvious job search. But my coworkers thought it was a sign that I was out of the loop and that I was somebody who wasn't going places."

The 7 Rules Of Good Gossiping

Karen Kirchner, managing partner of Career Management Consulting based in Stamford, Connecticut, believes that you can indulge in a little on-the-job gossip safely and without guilt, as long as you follow these seven rules:

• Only gossip now and then, and be aware of who is listening.
  
• Don't spend too much time with known office gossips, or you may be judged guilty by association.
  
• Listen carefully, but say as little as possible. Don't appear to be an ambulance chaser or a tattletale so that you can be the one with the scoop.
  
• Work on the principle that whatever you say will be repeated. Think about the implications of this before you speak.
  
• Consider the source of gossip and the source's hidden motives. People sometimes plant information to manipulate a situation.
  
• Do not bad-mouth people; your comments will often come back to haunt you as alliances shift in the workplace.
  
• If something you say gets back to a friend or colleague in a way that you wish it hadn't, apologize and be honest. This is the only way of salvaging your reputation and limiting the damage.

By Beverly West, Monster Contributing Writer