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More Breaks May Help You Go With the “Flow” at Work
Giving employees more breaks and vacation time may actually help improve their performance on the job by increasing their experiences of “flow,” according to new research. It’s common for people to feel tired after work, but after taking time off for a vacation or a fun evening out they’re likely to feel refreshed or recovered. According to the effort-recovery model (ERM), this occurs because people require a reserve of cognitive resources to maintain performance throughout the day. When demands are reduced, such as during leisure time, cognitive resources are restored. In a recent study, a group of psychological scientists led by Maike E.
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Workplace Diversity Initiatives May Mask Discrimination
Diversity management has become a billion dollar industry, with mission statements and training programs aiming to help organizations foster multi-ethnic harmony and equal opportunity for their employees. But in many cases, diversity initiatives end up being nothing more than legal protections. Studies show they don’t objectively curb workplace bias and diversify the staff. But plaintiffs in employment discrimination lawsuits face more skepticism and criticism, and are less likely to win their cases, if the defendant company has a diversity program in place.
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Abusive Supervision – Who’s to Blame?
It seems self-evident that abusive supervision encourages deviant behavior among subordinates. Boss yells at employee, and employee can’t shout back without the risk of getting fired or suspended. So employee vents anger and frustration on the organization — stealing company property or abusing an expense account. But could it be that such deviant behaviors are what cause bosses to treat employees abusively, rather than the other way around? A newly published behavioral study suggests that possibility. An international team of researchers theorized that abusive supervision will lead to organizational deviance, and vice versa.
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Mixed Motives May Mess Up Motivation
Many professionals are driven by a pure passion for their work, finding reward in simply doing a good job, delivering a great service, or producing a great product. For these people, their career is not
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You Look More Powerful When You Avoid Talking Details, Study Shows
People may see you as powerful based not only on your job title or your income, but on the very words you use in conversation and speeches. That’s the conclusion from a new study on how power is signaled in interpersonal communications. Building on studies showing that people in positions of power use more abstract language (such as interpretive or visionary descriptions) than those with less clout, a trio of psychological researchers explored how people who use abstract language are perceived by others. Over seven experiments, Cheryl J. Wakslak and Albert Han of University of Southern California and Pamela K.
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401(k) Contributors May Take Fewer Sick Days, Study Suggests
Employees who frequently call in sick can disrupt work flow and hamper productivity. It’s not easy to determine whether new hires will end up being chronic absentees. But a new study reveals one possible harbinger — their lack of participation in the company retirement plan. What’s the connection between absenteeism and retirement saving? Researchers Timothy Gubler and Lamar Pierce of Washington University in St. Louis believe some of the same psychological factors that drive our health behaviors also influence our financial decision-making.
