Employee Engagement – Is Your Workforce Showing Signs of Burnout?


According to a recent CareerBuilder poll, more than 50% of employees say they work under a great deal of stress, and 77% say they feel burned out on the job. While they often go hand in hand, there’s a big difference between stress and burnout.

From working under pressure to meet an important deadline to putting in overtime to ensure the success of a major project, stress comes in many forms. Though it can be sharp and intense, stress is often temporary and manageable. And in many cases, a little bit of stress can be healthy.

Burnout, however, is more serious and can often be the result of prolonged, unmanaged stress. When an employee is burned out on the job, they check out. They no longer focus on their responsibilities or achieving company goals. And, if left unchecked, burnout can spread to other employees ultimately affecting your business’ ability to stay productive.

So, how do you know if your workforce is heading toward burnout?

Increased cynicism and irritability
Employees who have reached the point of burnout often have little patience for new company initiatives. To them, the glass is always half empty. They become eternal naysayers and will actively seek reasons to avoid taking on a new project or find a way out of participating in team activities. They are often short, irritable, and easily angered and their relationships with coworkers and colleagues quickly deteriorate. Disengaged, burnt out employees can easily suck the life out of a team, and their cynical attitudes can be contagious.

Loss of productivity
Happy, engaged employees thrive on hard work. They understand their contribution to the company as a whole and strive to be more productive and efficient with every new task they take on. Burned out workers, on the other hand, have lost the drive for success and can be nearly impossible to reengage. They are no longer motivated by accomplishment, and the quality of their work takes a dive. Increased errors, missed deadlines, and an overall haphazard demeanor in their everyday activities not only take a toll on their own personal productivity, but can easily affect those around them.

Increased absenteeism
Obviously, the last place a burned out employee wants to be is at work. Workers who go from only occasionally missing a day or two of work to regularly calling in sick or burning through their vacation time may have hit a wall and are taking every opportunity possible to get away. A missed day here and there doesn’t typically cause any harm, but when it becomes a regular practice, other employees are forced to pick up the slack, which can not only lead to productivity issues, but it can have a serious impact on morale.

The first step to fighting employee burnout
Simply put, it’s about communication. When you start to see the signs of a burned out workforce, it’s vital to open the lines of communication to try to understand what is driving their discontent. Create a safe forum for your employees to share what’s on their mind. Let them know you aren’t looking for someone to blame, but rather what changes need to be implemented to help create a more positive and productive working environment for everyone. Once you have pinpointed the problem areas, be quick to take action.

We all get a little overwhelmed from time to time, but it’s important to recognize the difference between normal stress and burnout at work. A company’s most valuable asset is its employees. Putting forth extra effort to ensure your team is fully engaged at work is a major step toward ensuring your business stays innovative and competitive.

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Working Harder In 2012!


Working Harder In 2012
Did you start 2012 with a sense of dread? Has overwhelmed has become the new normal?1. Purge and unsubscribe. Start 2012 by deleting and recycling to make room for the “new” of the new year. Too many people let a backlog (paper and digital information) pile up over the last six weeks of the year. Get rid of everything you can and reduce what might be coming in. Unsubscribe from e-mail newsletters, magazines [Editor's note: Except this one, of course!], book-of-the-month clubs, perhaps even the ad-hoc committees you’ve joined recently. Try the “unsubscribe” for three months; at the end of those 12 weeks, you can re-up if you want to.

2. Block out your time and prioritize. Ask yourself this: How much time do I really spend each day clicking through e-mails and making my to-do list? The answer is probably a lot. Time blocking and prioritization are two important keys to daily productivity. Look at your to-do list, figure out where you have blocks of time to act on those items, and then prioritize. Keep your defined work actions to 15 to 30 minutes each. Use these chunks of time to stay focused, minimize interruptions and work effectively.

3. Break inertia. Ever watch a freight train start to move? That first forward jolt takes the most energy; keeping the train rolling is much easier. Do some small things to get rolling on getting caught up at the beginning of the year. Then pace yourself. You’ll probably find it’s much easier to keep rolling along at a comfortable clip.

4. Always be prepared for bonus time. Bring small chunks of work with you wherever you go. Then, while waiting for a meeting to start or for a delayed flight to depart, you’ll be able to reply to an e-mail or review materials for a meeting or project.

5. Reduce meeting time lengths. If meetings at your organization are normally given a 60-minute time length, start giving them a 45-minute time length. You’ll find that what you get done in 60 minutes you can also achieve in 45 minutes.

 

Source: Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA, provides practical methods to maximize tools, systems and processes to achieve quality work/life balance. He has worked with leaders and executives for more than 16 years in the business and education sectors. His new book Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More, hits bookstore shelves this month.

Recognition Trophies – Perfect for Secretary’s Day


Each year, as springtime approaches it’s a great time to start thinking about how to recognize the administrative professionals and secretaries that work in your office. Administrative Professionals Day, also known as Secretaries Day is celebrated on the last Wednesday of April each year.

The unofficial holiday got its start back in 1952 from the National Secretaries Association. Often times the day is celebrated by giving office workers flowers, candy or a free lunch. This year, why not think about getting your dedicated administrative professional something that will last. Why not get him or her a recognition trophy? Recognition trophies are the perfect way to show employees just how much they mean to a company. Recognition trophies come in all kinds of colors, shapes and designs and can be customized with a personal message that is meaningful to the individual.

Able Trophies has been providing high quality recognition trophies and awards almost as long as Secretary’s Day has been celebrated. Our selection of crystal and glass awards are the perfect way to say thank to your administrative assistant’s years of service to the company.

The best part about buying a recognition trophy from Able Trophies is our selection of quick ship awards. So it’s okay if Administrative Professionals Day slips your mind. You can still order your award the week before and be okay. We have you covered. We offer a large variety of crystal, glass and marble awards that can be shipped out in just a few days.

Our recognition trophies come in all shapes and sizes. Think about choosing the Dashing Star Award for that special administrative assistant that seems to move heaven and earth to get things done for your company.

There’s no better way to boost employee morale and say thank you for a job well done than giving the gift of a recognition trophy. Choosing a personalized award for your staff will ensure it is cherished for years to come.

Start looking though our great selection of recognition trophies and awards today, because before you know it, April will be here again.

Shop for Crystal Trophies for Your Next Golf Tournament


It’s that time again. Time for the annual corporate golf tournament. The foursomes have signed up, the vendors are sponsoring holes, the golf course has been booked and the auction items have been secured. Now it’s time to decide on perhaps the most important element of the entire event, the winner’s trophy.

If you want this year’s tournament to be the best and most memorable, your best bet is to choose from a selection of crystal trophies. Able Trophies is the industry leader in trophies and awards, having been in business since 1975. We pride ourselves on our vast selection of crystal trophies, perfect for your next employee awards ceremony or a sporting event.

Able Trophies has an incredible selection of classic crystal trophies, perfect for the most prestigious of golf tournaments. Once you start scrolling through out huge selection of crystal trophies, it might be hard to decide on which one is best.

We’d like to suggest starting your search with the Palerno Trophy, this stunning trophy is sand blasted and elegantly cut to have the distinctive look of a golf ball. And, with no engraving or setup charges, you will be able to bestow your golf champion with a timeless award more affordably than ever.

Another option that will be sure to wow both the competitors and the crowds is the Octavia crystal trophy. This beauty is hand cut and combines the stunning crystal and deep blue coloring for a one-of-a-kind affect.

Just because you’re hosting a golf tournament, doesn’t mean your trophy has to be something is just nice to look at. At Able Trophies, you can also provide crystal awards that can be used again and again. We have options like our Durham Footed Bowls. These lead crystal bowls come in three different sizes, and make perfect awards for first, second and third place. That way, everyone can go home a winner and they will use their crystal award as a timeless remind of their athletic achievement.

Corporate Trophies For Work and Play


And the Academy Award goes to…

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people will never hear those words followed by their name. And they will never take home their own golden statuette. But just because they won’t be honored by the film industry, doesn’t mean they won’t receive an award for accomplishments in their careers.

Providing corporate trophies to exceptional employees, business partners and vendors is a sure-fire way to build morale and loyalty within your corporation. Able Trophies provides a hundreds of options of trophies to bestow on deserving employees and clients.

Able Trophies is your source for corporate trophies. While we might not have a stock of golden statutes like at the Academy does, we do offer corporate trophies ranging from crystal, to glass, to wood and even marble. It doesn’t matter what shapes, style or color of corporate award you are looking for, we have something perfect waiting for you.

Nothing says accomplishment quite like a crystal trophy. Able Trophies offers crystal trophies made in Italy that are distinguished and perfect for your first class clients. Or, why not motivate your sales staff to meet their year-end sales goals by offering a corporate trophy to the department who generates the most sales leads?

For all those businesses that sponsor sports teams, think about ordering a gold cup perpetual trophy. This gold handled trophy cup will be cherished by corporate sports teams and fought over fiercely each year. The cup sits on a walnut based and includes enough space for plates to be added announcing monthly or yearly winners.

Simply the best way to reward your employees or business partners for their benchmarks is by giving a corporate trophy. Just like a picture says a thousand words, a corporate trophy says volumes about a good business. When prospective employees and customers walk through the door and see an awards case, filled with corporate awards they know they are in the right place.

And next time, that corporate award announcement might just be followed by your name.

Glass Awards are Diverse and Beautiful


When you think of glass awards, you might think of a generic, clear rectangle with a company name or logo etched in the side. That couldn’t be further from what you will find at Able Trophies. Able Trophies offers a wide selection of glass awards on its online catalog. Able Trophies is an industry leader in corporate glass awards and glass trophies. Our company has been providing awards since1975. That means we are well versed in what our customers want.

We offer pages and pages of glass awards of all shapes and styles and yes, even glass awards featuring different colors of the rainbow. While you may think that all glass awards are all clear, that’s simply not the case. Our glass awards come in an array of colors. Our black glass awards are always popular for black tie events. But we also offer glass awards with corresponding accent colors. Our Trident Glass Award, for instance, features amethyst edges which create a beautiful complement to any clear glass award. At Able Trophies, we know that when you give an award, you want it to be meaningful for the recipient. That’s why we offer hundreds of styles of glass awards for you to choose from.

If you are really aiming to impress, choose one of our many art glass awards. These awards are more than just prized trophies; they are stunning works of art. Our Bugatti Art Glass Award features a hypnotic amber flame and is complemented with a crystal based that can be personalized with a stand-out employees’ name or with the logo of a company. Our Blue Teardrop award is a striking prize that would the perfect reward for a stellar sales year.

The sky really is the limit when you visit Able Trophies for your glass award needs. Our glass awards come in scads of shapes from diamonds, to stars, to circles and rectangles. You’ll be surprised to find out the lengths we’ve gone to provide you the most unique and pleasing selection of glass awards.

Reward Years of Service with Special Trophies


In this day and age it’s becoming increasingly rare to find employees who stay at one job for more than 10 years. According to recent statistics, a typical employee tenure can be anywhere from four years to eight years. For employees between the ages of 55 and 64, the number of years with an employer actually increases to about 10 years. For workers ages 25-34 the number of years decreased to about 3.

For some employers, those statistics can be disheartening because they know that finding, training and retaining talented workers is a tough job. And once they find a valued employee, they often want to keep them at the company as long as possible.

Employers that have the highest success retaining quality employees not only recognize their employee’s accomplishments, but implement programs where employees are recognized with years of service trophies. It may seem like a very simple concept, but providing years of service trophies for employees is often a tactic that is overlooked by companies. In the daily grind of work, many times the boss is more concerned with making payroll. But taking that extra step and providing years of service trophies not only boosts company moral, it gives that employ the extra attention to know that they are appreciated in the workplace.

Creating a years of service award is easy and affordable. Consider starting your own years of service trophy program. Employees can be awarded for every five years of service starting with the fifth year. Able Trophies offers a wide selection of trophies and awards to commemorate your employee’s tenure. You can choose a different material for your employees to represent each of their varying years of service to the company. For example, the first five year award can be made of wood. After 10 years, it can be made of glass, then crystal and so on.

Customizing a years of service trophy with the company name, logo and a personalized message is also simple to do through Able Trophies’ online ordering system. Say thank you for your employee’s years of service with an award from Able Trophies. Chances are they’ll stay for years to come!

Reward Those Who Serve Your Organization with Service Awards


With more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations registered in the United States alone, there are countless numbers of people who are working or volunteering with causes that help in the betterment of our communities. Often times, board members, volunteers and program leaders do this work for very little, if any pay. A great way for organizations to recognize the accomplishments of those individuals putting in thousands of hours of work is to provide service trophies as a way to say thank you.

Service trophies can be a great way to bring together the members of your organization and celebrate the fruits of their labors. Think about pairing and end of year party or gala with an awards ceremony where you can hand out service trophies to your most dedicated volunteers and supporters. Organizations can invite not only their board members, but their volunteers and financial supporters. Hosting such an event not only raises the morale of volunteers, but it can also raise the awareness of the organization in the community. These events draw positive attention to all of the good the organization has completed over the year.

Service trophies can be as simple or as fancy as you want to make them. They can also be designed and customized in ways that ensures the recipient will cherish it forever. Arts organizations that want to recognize a special executive director for her decades of service can customize their service trophy by choosing special hand blow art glass awards. Members of a volunteer fire department can be honored for their service with a custom flame award. And what about a coach that spends every afternoon coaching dozens of middle school children after teaching. He will always remember the cast resin basketball or football trophy given to them as a thank you from a grateful parent. Show those people who do good in our world thank you by giving a service trophy from Able Trophies.

Recognize a Job Well Done with Recognition Awards


Everyone likes to be recognized for a job well done. But for many people, a simple pat on the back or a verbal, “good job” doesn’t mean as much as something tangible that they can look at every day to remind them of their achievements. A memento of accomplishment is an important tool that can help foster continued motivation and drive to do a good job and continually strive to be the best.

Athletes know this better than anyone. Each year, the some of the world’s most accomplished tennis players face off in England for the chance to take home not only the Wimbledon champion title, but an award trophy that has been handed out for over a century.

Recognition awards aren’t just for professional athletes though. Corporations both large and small have an amazing opportunity to show their gratitude for employees by handing out recognition awards. Awards for recognition can encompass everything from an employee’s many years of service at an organization, to recognizing an outstanding sales year, or even something as simple as providing the best customer service experience.

In this tough economic climate, it’s becoming more and more difficult to reward employees through traditional means like bonuses or stock options. But providing a physical award is easy and affordable with Able Trophies. Able Trophies offers a wide range of recognition awards that can show your employees just how much you care about them. From eco-friendly awards made of bamboo, to high-end marble awards, Able Trophies has something for every type of company and every budget. Able Trophies also offers discounts when awards are bought in bulk, which means employers can afford to provide recognition awards to even more employees and create a positive work environment.

Recognizing workers for a job well-done is an easy, inexpensive way to build employee loyalty, office morale and provide workers with a palpable reminder of a job well-done.

Crystal Awards are perfect for any occasion


Whether you want to reward an exceptional employee, board member or sports team, the best way to do it is with a crystal award. Crystal awards are not only exquisite to look at, they also last the test of time and can be customized in both shape and message.

Choosing a crystal awards from Able Trophies means you have some of the widest selections of high-quality crystal award choices.

Optical Crystal Awards

Optical crystal awards are beautifully clear and absolutely flawless in clarity. Because of optical crystal’s hard properties, it makes an excellently choice for a uniquely shaped award. Choosing an optical crystal award means you have endless options of the shape of your crystal award. Are you honoring a stand-out teacher? Able Trophies offers a crystal award in the shape of an apple. What about a retiring judge? Able Trophies sells a gorgeous crystal gavel, a treasured reminder of past accomplishments. Able will do its best to help you find the shape of optical crystal you want.

Starfire Crystal Awards

Our Starfire Crystal is known for its polished edges and mesmerizing reflection, with a hint of blue sparkle. This is the perfect option if you want an award that pops. A perfect example of the eye-catching quality of the starfire crystal is the Burnhaven Golf Award, which is etched perfectly to resemble a golf ball. This award is sure to be a hole-in-one with any golf enthusiast.

Jade Crystal Awards

Our Jade Crystal Awards are always favorite choice for corporate awards ceremonies. Jade crystal has a slight green shading that adds a certain distinction when places on a bookcase or desk. Whether you choose a diamond, rectangle or prism shape for your jade award, it will be sure to shine in the spotlight.

Other Crystal Awards

Able Trophies also offers crystal cup trophies and crystal bowls and vases. And, you won’t just be limited to two-dimensional awards. For the ultimate in custom crystal awards, Able Trophies offers 3D laser crystal awards that will be the talk of the awards show.