BusinessDay 03 Apr 2018

32 BUSINESS DAY C002D5556 Tuesday 03 April 2018
Harvard
Business
Review
Tips
&
Talking Points
TALKING POINTS
Disloyal Consumers
71%: About 71% of consumers say that
companies’ loyalty programs don’t make
them loyal at all, according to research
from Kantar Retail.
+
Sharing Health Data
88%: According to data from Accenture,
about 88% of consumers are willing to
share data from their wearable devices
with health care professionals like doctors
and nurses.
+
Not Satisfied With Performance
Reviews
66%: The Corporate Executive Board did
a survey of Fortune 1,000 companies and
found that 66% of employees were dissatisfied
with the performance reviews
they got at work.
+
Liberal Boost
5-6%: Researchers from the London
Business School and the Georgia Institute
of Technology found that American
states that implemented socially liberal
policies — like approval of gay marriage
or marijuana use — increased innovation
output by 5-6%.
+
Almost Universal Ban on Supervisor-Employee
Relationships
99%: In a Society of Human Resources
Management survey of professional HR
executives at companies with policies on
workplace relationships, 99% said that
their companies banned supervisors
from dating employees.
Create positive workplace policies, not punitive ones
Too many workplace policies emphasize
what employees shouldn’t do. But overly paternal
and punitive rules don’t communicate
that you have confidence in your people and
trust them to behave as adults. When drafting
personnel policies, focus on conveying
the company’s positive expectations of its
employees. In your policy about when the
workday starts, for example, state that you
expect employees to show up on time —
don’t go into detail about what “tardy” and
“absent” mean. If your organization has a
dress code, keep it as simple as you can — “Dress
appropriately,” perhaps — and leave managers to
provide more guidance to those who need it. And a
code of conduct doesn’t have to get complicated — a
good starting point is “Everyone is expected to act in
the best interest of the organization and their fellow
employees.” Stress to your employees what you want
them to aspire to, not what will happen if they fail.
(Adapted from “The High Price of Overly Prescriptive
HR Policies,” by Sue Bingham.)
When no one highlights
your contributions,
o it yourself
It’s no fun to toil away at a job
where you feel taken for granted.
But don’t sit around waiting for
people to notice your or your
team’s good work. Find ways to
highlight your contributions.
For example, ask your boss if
you can talk about your team’s
responsibilities in an all-staff
meeting. Tell the other departments
what your team does,
what its goals are, and how it’s
striving to do better. You can also
tout your accomplishments in
smaller meetings or in one-onones
with your boss. While you
should be generous with praise
for your team members, it’s OK
to be honest about your personal
achievements: “I accomplished
X and Y, and I am grateful for
the support that I had.” When
you appreciate and acknowledge
your colleagues’ work, they’ll
usually return the favor.
(Adapted from “What to Do
When You Don’t Feel Valued
at Work,” by Rebecca Knight.)
If you’re 0verqualified for a job you
want, explain why you want it
It might seem easy
to get a job for
which you have all
the right credentials,
but many managers
hesitate to hire someone
who seems too
good for the role. So
go out of your way to
counter any assumptions
the hiring manager
may have.
— For example, they might
think that you’ll be too expensive,
so you could say up
front, “I’m open to talking
about salary and willing to
work within the pay range
for this position.”
— The manager could also be
worried that you won’t stay
in the position long. Address
this concern by expressing
your excitement about the
company and pointing out
your previous long-term
experiences as examples of
your commitment and loyalty.
— And some hiring managers
may worry that you have
a flaw that isn’t obvious (why
else would you take a job
beneath you?). Assuage their
fear by asking a reference
— such as a former boss or
someone already in the company
— to vouch for you and
your qualifications.
(Adapted from “How to Apply
for a Job You’re Overqualified
For,” by Rebecca Knight.)
c
When your boss is being passiveaggressive,
confront them respectfully
Having a passive-aggressive
boss can be
frustrating. Whether
they’re limiting access
to information you need
or giving you the cold
shoulder when you disappoint
them, it’s hard
to address the negative
behavior without triggering
repercussions.
Approach your manager
from a place of respect,
and resist the urge to
be passive-aggressive in
return. Raise your concerns
in a nonjudgmental,
matter-of-fact way.
For example, you might
say, “I’ve noticed in our
last several meetings
that you’ve made sarcastic
comments about
my work. I can’t tell if
you’re just being funny,
or if you actually have concerns
about the quality of
my work. I’d love to hear
any ideas you have on how
I could improve.” Give your
manager the benefit of the
doubt, and don’t make the
conversation about your
hurt feelings. It may feel unjust
that you have to manage
a senior person’s immature
behavior, but the improvement
in your relationship
just might be worth it.
(Adapted from “How to Deal
with a Passive-Aggressive
Boss,” by Ron Carucci.)
2017 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp. Distributed by The New York Times Syndicate
Freelancers, stop underpricing your work
The dangers of overpricing your
work are obvious: You can lose
the deal and scare clients away.
But charging low prices can signal
low quality, making clients
hesitant to work with you. To
be sure you aren’t underselling
yourself, develop a network of
trusted peers who can provide
honest information about going
rates. Once you have a sense
of what your price should be,
practice saying it out loud.
Quoting a fee to a client can be
nerve-racking, especially if it’s a
rate increase, but rehearsing it
will make you more confident.
Then test the market demand
for your new rate and adjust
accordingly. Increase your price
steadily and incrementally until
you feel you’re earning what you
deserve. If you start asking for
a rate that clients resist, consider
freezing or reducing your rate until
you’ve built up other income streams or
increased your reputation. Asking for
what you deserve gets you not only more
money but also more respect.
(Adapted from “Why You Should Charge
Clients More Than You Think You’re
Worth,” by Dorie Clark.)