How To Get Promoted

A study at Stanford Business School examined the qualities that companies look for in promoting young managers toward senior executive positions, particularly the position of Chief Executive Officer.

The study concluded that the two most important qualities required for great success were, first, the ability to put together and function as part of a team. Since all work is ultimately done by teams, and the managers' output is the output of the team, the ability to select team members, set objectives, delegate responsibility and finally, get the job done, was central to success in management.

The second quality was found to be the ability to function well under pressure, especially in a crisis. Keeping your cool in a crisis means to practice patience and self-control under difficult or disappointing circumstances.

Christine Watson christine@marquetteturner.com.au

Blogs? What Are They?

A blog is essentially a web-based journal. Because it’s web-based (known as a a web log, hence the name blog), it can also include photos and multimedia which allows its readers to add notes and comments to what they read. In essence, a blog can be classified as a “building block”!

Our cyberspace is full of blogs and for every blog that is out there, there are most likely numerous other blogs out there talking about the same topic. The terminology for this is “blogosphere”. But not all blogs stand alone. They can include clips from and links to outside content and other blogs.

Blogging gives you the ability to comment on other people’s writing and allows you to share your thoughts freely.

Many bloggers include extensive links to other blogs—or a “blogroll”— on their sites. You can find a blog that interests you and then explore similar blogs that are also listed . Bloggers often love to share news from their friends’ blogs, or talk about their partner’s or children’s’ blogs, which may deal with completely different subjects.

Blogging is a great way to learn more, directly from specialists, about specific subjects, or to converse online with people who share your interests. But you should use common sense when posting, and be cautious about anyone you or your children meet online.

Christine Watson christine@marquetteturner.com.au

That Sinking Feeling: Depression Saps Workers

Mental illness takes a bigger toll on business than physical woes, and disability absences are twice as long when triggered by depression.

If your bottom line has you feeling blue, don’t let that feeling get out of hand, or the bottom line could really suffer.

That’s because while workers with behavioral health problems—a phrase that encompasses substance abuse and mental health problems—are a small percentage of the overall workforce, they are responsible for a large percentage of overall health expenditures.

Marquette Turner has found studies in the US that indicate, for example, that roughly 6 percent of the U.S. workforce is depressed at any given time. But according to Sibson Consulting in Chicago, behavioral health issues cause 217 million missed workdays annually, account for 7.6 percent of total health care dollars, and are the fifth leading cause of short-term disability and, ultimately, the third leading cause of long-term disability.

Studies also show that 29 percent of health- and productivity-related expenditures are a result of employee absence and disability caused by physical health problems, while 47 percent are caused by mental health conditions.

Lost productivity from behavioral health problems can be staggering. For example, a 2006 Aetna analysis of claims found that disability absences doubled in length when the cause was depression. In a study of employers—including large private employers and governmental entities—OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions found that the average annual cost of lost productivity due to depression was $5 million per company.

Just letting employees know what benefits exist and encouraging them to utilize them is a good strategy. Firms should also analyze who is prescribing antidepressants and encourage employees to go to mental health professionals instead of general practitioners, Donahue says.
Antidepressants are often prescribed by general practitioners, but studies show that a combination of medicine and psychiatric therapy is the most effective treatment. Going to a mental health professional and getting therapy along with medication is more likely to result in better treatment, she says.

Employees who are depressed have higher medical utilization rates, so medical plan costs are higher. Depression becomes the costliest behavioral health-related issue for employers because when the high prevalence of depression among employees is factored together with medical, pharmaceutical and workplace productivity costs, the total cost to the employer is huge.

Employers should have a systematic program for treating depression. Training managers and organizational leaders to identify depression is also critical because workers may not recognize that they are depressed, she says.

Christine Watson christine@marquetteturner.com.au

Karōshi: Death from Overwork

Karōshi (過労死), which can be translated quite literally from Japanese as "death from overwork", is occupational sudden death. The major medical causes of karōshi deaths are heart attack and stroke due to stress.

The first case of karōshi was reported in 1969 with the death from a stroke of a 29-year-old male worker in the shipping department of Japan's largest newspaper company. It was not until the latter part of the 1980s, during the Bubble Economy, however, when several high-ranking business executives who were still in their prime years suddenly died without any previous sign of illness, that the media began picking up on what appeared to be a new phenomenon.

This new phenomenon was quickly labeled karōshi and was immediately seen as a new and serious menace for people in the work force. In 1987, as public concern increased, the Japanese Ministry of Labour began to publish statistics on karōshi.

Usually, Japan's rise from the devastation of World War II to economic prominence in the post-war decades has been regarded as the trigger for what has been called a new epidemic. It was recognized that employees cannot work for up to twelve or more hours a day, six or seven days a week, year after year, without suffering physically as well as mentally.

A recent measurement found that a Japanese worker has approximately two hours overtime a day on average. In almost all cases, the overtime is unpaid. The recent international expansion of Japanese multinationals has also led to an export of the Karōshi culture to countries such as China, Korea and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, death-by-overwork lawsuits have been on the rise in Japan, with the deceased person's relatives demanding compensation payments. However, before compensation can be awarded, the labour inspection office must acknowledge that the death was work-related. As this may take many years in detailed and time-consuming judicial hearings, many do not demand payment.

Japanese courts have even awarded damages to relatives in cases of work overload induced stress or depression ending with the suicide of the employee when the Labour Standards Inspection Office rejected the plea for compensation. The practice of "voluntary" undocumented unpaid overtime (sabisu-zangyo) is also reported as leading to karōshi incidents.

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour published relevant statistics in 2007: about 355 workers fell severely ill or died from overwork in the year to March, the highest figure on record and 7.6 percent up from the previous year. Of the total, 147 people died, many from strokes or heart attacks. Separately, another 819 workers contended they became mentally ill due to overwork, with 205 cases given compensation, according to the ministry data released on Wednesday. Mentally troubled workers killed themselves or attempted to do so in 176 cases.

Simon Turner: simon@marquetteturner.com.au

TOXIC: When the Workplace Turns Sour

Question:

Many complain about poor workplace behaviors of others. Although not illegal, these behaviors are unhealthy and unproductive. Some of those that I work with do not seem capable of getting along with each other, and it’s harming our ability to work efficiently. What can I do to address these behaviors and improve this toxic work environment?

Answer:

The first step is to create a clear list of the exact behaviors you have in mind. Until people know what is and what isn’t OK at work, your workplace will continue to put up with employees’ differing standards.

For some, asking for a date is cute and flirtatious. For others, it’s awkward and insulting. For some, terms like “stupid” are playful, while others find it demeaning and unprofessional.

Your team should meet with people who had complained of a toxic work environment and ask them to share the details of what other's are saying and doing. From these interviews then develop a detailed list of inappropriate behaviors.

What may seem menial and rather obvious can produce spectacular results. After turning the list into a formal code of conduct, ask each team member to agree to the code and then start holding people accountable to the new standard. So, start by clarifying the new rules.

At the personal level, deal with each abusive interaction as it happens. Hold what we have come to call a “crucial conversation.” Start by assuming the other person isn’t fully aware of the impact of their actions. Instead of becoming upset, ask yourself: Why would a reasonable, rational and decent person do what they just did? Now you won’t be angry and won’t start the discussion on the wrong foot.

Next, describe the problem, starting with the facts: “Here’s what just happened” as opposed to what you want to see happen. For example: “You raised your voice and called me incompetent. I was hoping we could keep our conversations free from labels or a harsh tone.” Then stop and check for the other person’s point of view. “Is that what just happened, or did I miss something?”

If the person agrees but seems unaffected, explain the consequences of their actions—how it made you feel and the effects on your relationship. If they still remain unaffected, explain that you’ll have to call in an authority figure. Of course, this won’t be necessary as long as you start the discussion with a clear and unemotional description of the problem. When you keep a professional tone, the other person is likely to respond in kind and you’ll engage in a healthy discussion of the problem.

You are right to be concerned about a toxic work environment. Everybody deserves a workplace filled with civility and respect.

Christine Watson: christine@marquetteturner.com.au