Work Smart Now: How to Jump Start Productivity, Empower Employees, and Achieve More
192
Work Smart Now: How to Jump Start Productivity, Empower Employees, and Achieve More
192Hardcover
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Overview
Whether it’s in corporate America or in our own living rooms, people are wasting time. From the minute we wake up and check our Facebook page or emails—before we even crawl out of bed—to late at night when we stay up longer than we should, watching our favorite show.
There’s a precise moment that falls between working enough hours to be productive and working too many hours, yielding a diminishing marginal return. The difference between the person able to master this and most Americans that fail miserably at it is quality of life! If one continues to work past this moment, a negative return will ensue, and that negative return produces guilt. It lowers the amount of time for recreational activities and spending time with family. We’ve siloed productivity to our work life, however; the impact on our personal life is often loss.
An alarming 39% of workers in high-tech companies believe they are depressed, as reported by PC Magazine in December 2018. 72% of people who have daily stress and anxiety say it interferes with their lives—anxiety and stress alone have reduced productivity by 56%. More than 80% of people have experienced some form of anxiety, stress, or depression in the workplace. People are spending more time at work than at home or with their loved ones; or, if they are at home, they are working. They are always “on.” As a result of this disparity, people are not fully living their lives. And the “work-life balance” marketed by some HR consulting firms and employers simply does not work. It’s all work and no life! Studies have also proven that when people are unhappy in their personal lives or careers, their productivity goes down and everything and everyone around them suffers. This causes a domino effect, which trickles into every area of their lives.
Previous generations used to say, “Work harder,” but we’ve now learned we must “work smarter.” Polak has practiced and tested his methods in hundreds of opportunities and has been paid millions by the largest corporations in the world to share these tools. He feels that every individual and business should have these tools, and will share them with us here.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781510759824 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Skyhorse |
| Publication date: | 04/20/2021 |
| Pages: | 192 |
| Sales rank: | 1,098,655 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Time is our second-greatest asset. We all run out of it eventually, so we need to use it wisely. Whether it’s in the office or in the living room, none of us is getting the most out of the time we’ve been given. From the moment we wake up and check our Facebook page or emails—before we even crawl out of bed—to late at night when we stay up longer than we should, watching TV or working. From the government worker in Cairo who averages 10 to 20 percent less productivity a day (according to many studies) to the sales guy in Cincinnati who takes an extended lunch, has trivial chitchat with his or her coworker, and checks his or her email too often (studies show that it is more productive to check your email only twice a day). Lack of productivity, which extends to lack of engagement, is a crisis in much of society. Workers are pushed beyond their limits. This is proven by studies that show increased dissatisfaction at work and higher rates of depression and suicide. It’s simply bad business to overwork people. People become less productive and companies lose money and risk losing employees. In America alone, the average business loses 10 to 25 percent in revenue due to this phenomenon. It’s only now that we are able to measure it, analyze it, and make changes.
For more than 40 years, I’ve been advising organizations around the world. For most of that time, I owned and operated one of the largest privately held global consultancies, advising companies such as Google, Sony Pictures, Hilton Hotels, and McDonalds on international expansion and productivity in more than 90 countries. I became the specialist, flying around the world, building bridges between employees and their employers through innovative human resources (HR) tools that brought the two groups together. I became an HR forensics investigator, hired by numerous companies to uncover rogue employees who were stealing money from the company and breaking numerous laws in the country. Some were just flat out mobsters. My goal, as directed by the CEOs, was to stop the corruption immediately and prevent the news from landing on the front page of the New York Times. I’m pleased to report that not one of my clients ever ended up in the news concerning these sensitive issues.
I have learned valuable tools that I utilize in my personal business as well as advise for the businesses of others. Here are my two definitions of productivity:
“Get More Done in Less Time—and Do It with Joy”
“Do Only the Things That Only You Can Do.”
Previous generations said, “Work Harder,” but now we’ve learned it really is “Work Smarter.” I have successfully tested my methods in hundreds of opportunities. Every individual and business should have these tools.
This is why I wrote Work Smart Now, to condense many decades of knowledge into an easy-to-read book that every top-performing individual, CEO, or high-level executive can refer to for guidance. I hope this book is helpful to you. It has certainly been a joy to write, and the lessons contained herein have been helpful to me in making my whole life more productive.
So, if time is our second-greatest asset, what is our first? It’s our integrity. You can have all the time in the world, but without integrity you have nothing.
Table of Contents
Preface ix
Chapter 1 The Coffee Klatch and Research (There Is Science Involved) 1
The Financial Impact 5
What Is Compassionate Productivity? 7
Compassionate Productivity Versus Traditional Performance Incentives 8
How to Practice Compassion in the Workplace 11
The Business Case 13
Chapter 2 Introducing Productivity (Modern-Day Techniques for the Modern-Day Company) 15
Definition of Productivity 17
Fundamentals 17
What Defines a Great Workplace? 18
Culture in a Box 24
The Five Buckets of Productivity 28
About Remote Work 28
Do Not Fight Change 30
Working from Home Boosts Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention 31
Employee Engagement 32
Productivity Boost 33
Productivity and Engagement Tips 33
Chapter 3 Key Component #1-Absence Management and Presenteeism 35
Absenteeism 37
Measuring Absenteeism 39
Presenteeism 42
What Is Presenteeism? 42
What Causes Presenteeism? 43
Measuring Presenteeism 44
Addressing Presenteeism 48
Clear Communication About Leave Options 48
Reexamine Organizational Culture 48
Look at Employee Wellness Initiatives 49
Offer Health Benefits 49
Find the Right Balance 50
The Business Case 51
Cost of Absenteeism 51
Cost of Presenteeism 52
Chapter 4 Key Component #2-Well-Being (Well-Zilience) 55
Emotional and Physical Well-Being 57
Financial Well-Being 60
Fair Pay 61
Open Communication 62
Flexible Schedules 62
Good Benefits 62
Find the Right Financial Wellness Program 63
Occupational Well-Being 63
Social Well-Being 64
What Is Social Wellness? 65
How Can I Improve Social/Community Well-Being? 66
The Business Case 68
Chapter 5 Key Component #3-Engagement 71
Employee Engagement Versus Job Satisfaction 73
Why Is Employee Engagement Important? 75
The Proof 76
Employee Engagement and Presenteeism 77
Measuring Employee Engagement 78
Factors That Impact Engagement 79
A Note About Leadership 81
Engagement Tips 83
The Business Case 85
Chapter 6 Key Component #4-Technology 87
The Consequences of Poor Communication 90
Data Struggles and Lost Time 92
Access to Tools and Data Can Improve Productivity 94
Wearable Trackers 96
Games and Contests 97
Apps 97
The Business Case 98
Chapter 7 Key Component #5-Optimizing Your Workday (Getting 30 Hours Out of 24) 101
What Impacts Your Workday? 104
Walkersize 105
Focus, Don't Multitask 106
Schedule Priorities 107
Structure Your Day 108
The Business Case 110
Chapter 8 Adapting to Change 111
Implement a Voicemail Transcription Service 113
Dictate Your Emails 114
Use Keyboard Shortcuts 114
Optimize Your Task List 115
Using a Password Manager 116
Improving Your Typing Speed 116
Avoid Distractions and Focus 116
Manage Email 117
Avoid Multitasking 117
Get Enough Sleep 118
Nap for 10 Minutes a Day 118
Chapter 9 The Next 24 Hours 121
Collect Data and Make a Plan to Change 123
Understanding the Baseline 124
Measurement Methods 124
Can You Manage What You Can't Measure? 126
The Next 24 Hours 128
The Business Case (Sum Total) 129
Final Note to the Reader 131
Appendix: Further Reading 133
A Chapter Two 134
B Chapter Three 138
C Chapter Four 148
D Chapter Five 157
E Chapter Six 162
F Chapter Seven 169
G Chapter Eight 172
Index 175