Corporate Contractors - Spring 2020 Newsletter

The Secret to Success A young office clerk received a promotion, but felt unprepared to take on the challenges of his new role. He sought the advice of Mr. Smith, a seasoned and well-respected member of the staff. “Mr. Smith,” the clerk said as he approached the veteran employee seated at his desk. “What is the one thing in your career to which you attribute your success?” Mr. Smith thought to himself a moment and then said, “Being able to make the right decision at the right time really helped me get ahead.” This prompted more questions from the clerk. “What helped you make the right decisions?” “Well, experience goes a long way in helping you make the right decisions,” replied Mr. Smith. “But how do you know which experiences are the right experiences that will help you make the right decisions?” the young clerk asked. “You don’t,” Mr. Smith replied. “Usually, you make the wrong decisions, and then you learn.” Creative Thoughts Start in Bed Creativity is a vital skill that can enhance your career success. You can’t always summon it out of the blue, so this advice from the Study Finds website should help: A survey of 2,000 British residents done by Microsoft Surface found many of people’s best ideas tend to occur as they’re dozing off, when they first wake up in the morning, and sometimes in the middle of the night. Pay attention to your thoughts in bed, write them down when ideas and solutions come to you, and keep rolling through problems before and after you sleep. You might discover some surprising answers. True or False? 1) Humans can’t breathe and swallow at the same time. 2) Twinkies have an infinite shelf life. 3) It costs the U.S. Mint more money to make pennies and nickels than the coins are actually worth. 4) Adults have fewer bones than babies do. 5) Goldfish have three-second memories. 6) Humans can distinguish between more than a trillion different smells. 7) Lightning never strikes in the same place twice. 8) If you cut an earthworm in half, both halves will regrow their bodies. 9) If you cry in outer space, the tears will just stick to your face. 10) Napoleon Bonaparte was extremely short. —Buzzfeed Answers : 1) True; 2) False; 3) True; 4) True; 5) False; 6) True; 7) False; 8) False; 9) True; 10) False True or False? It costs the U.S. Mint more money to make pennies and nickels than the coins are actually worth. Ensure Employees Feel Safe Reporting Safety Problems You can’t fix safety problems in your workplace if you don’t know what they are. Unfortunately, many issues go unreported until disaster strikes. The Occupational Health & Safety website explores the reasons why employees may be reluctant to report the problems they see: • Fear of retaliation. Some employees worry that they’ll be punished for “rocking the boat”—pointing out problems that could delay work or compromise productivity. Your policies and your employee manual should spell out that no one will be punished for reporting incidents or concerns—and your behavior should back that up. • Fear of being a “rat.” Employees may fear being thought of as a tattletale or a suck- up to the boss. You can dispel that by urging employees as often as possible to bring problems to your notice, thanking workers publicly for being concerned for their colleagues’ well-being, and keeping an eye on your team to ensure that everyone is treated with respect. • Lack of action. If you don’t respond promptly to reports, employees will decide there’s no use bringing issues to your attention. Take action immediately to show that you take safety reports seriously. • Red tape. Requiring employees to jump through hoops and fill out endless forms to report a simple problem will discourage them from bringing anything to your attention. Keep an open-door policy so employees can come to you anytime they spot something amiss.