So many of us have it backward. We’ve built our lives around our jobs instead of the other way around. Not surprisingly, this can lead to stress and unhappiness, resulting in poor productivity and poor outcomes at work, high turnover and expensive recruiting. Want to make your workplace different? Try turning things around and putting your employees first. See what we mean in this piece from Forbes.com.



Nice guys don’t have to finish last in your company. But it means you need to bake generosity into your culture. In fact, creating a culture where generosity and giving are part of the equation doesn’t have t be hard. Want to know how to make it happen? Wharton Business School professor Adam Grant explains how in this piece from Inc.com author Laura Montini entitled, “How to Build a Culture of Givers: 4 Tips.”



If you’re thinking management might be in your future, there are a few things you should consider, first. While being the boss has its perks, it also comes with a lot of work, responsibility, and stress (not to mention transitioning away from the job you’ve been doing for the past several years). Here are a few things you should weigh before stepping into that corner office, from Forbes.com.

As leaders who care about company culture and happier employees, we use TINYpulse to gather feedback in order to promote positive change within our work environment. A lot of the hard work that goes into responding to feedback and enacting change happens in the background and isn’t necessarily immediately visible by your team.

To that end, we’ve created WoW (Wall of Wins), a place where you can celebrate your organization’s TINYpulse successes, as well as cultural values. WoW enables you to document and showcase all the positive changes that you’ve taken based on employee feedback via TINYpulse. Once you add Wins, you can use your customized URL to share the WoW page with employees, advisors, candidates, and customers. In addition, the WoW page will also have a tab for you to add your organization’s mission, vision, and values.

To activate your WoW, navigate to the tab within your dashboard.

On the activation page, you’ll have the option to enter your organization’s defined mission, vision and cultural values to be displayed on your WoW. All fields are optional, so feel free to only populate all, some, or none of them as it applies. You can also customize your organization’s WoW URL.

Your mission, vision and cultural values will be displayed on a Culture tab within your WoW.

Once you’ve activated  your wall, you’ll be ready to start adding wins from the feedback you’ve received. To do so, review your past and current surveys to locate feedback that you’ve taken action on.

When you find a win to add, you’ll be taken to a page to provide additional details to display on the WoW, including a title and the action taken on the feedback.

When you’re finished, click “Add Win” and your entry will be added as a win on your WoW.

By clicking on “View this Win”, you’ll be able to view your win in more detail.

The wins will be displayed within your admin dashboard, as well as in the reports that you share back with your team.  The “trophy” icon will also be a clickable link to your organization’s WoW.

We encourage sharing your WoW with your employees, advisors, partners, and job candidates. It’s a place to celebrate successes and demonstrate how great your organization’s culture is.

As always, if you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact us at happiness@tinypulse.com.

To refer to all of our TINYpulse Tips, click here and check out the full list of TINYpulse Tips.

“OK, you bunch of cry babies, what’s this I hear about poor morale?” Does this sound like something you would say to your team? I hope not. But believe it or not, there are bosses out there who just don’t seem to get it. Inc.com author Geoffrey James rounds up 49 of the worst offenders in his recent post, “49 Dumb Things Bosses Really Said.” You won’t believe what you read.



Did you know that over a third of business leaders expect to see at least 50% of their employees working remotely by 2020? After all, studies have revealed some pretty significant benefits to allowing empoyees to work from home. Not convinced? Take a look at this rundown from Fast Co.’s Rachel Gillett featuring a few very compelling reasons to consider letting your workers clock in from home.



What does it mean to be an entrepreneur? Sure, the dictionary may tell you that an entrepreneur is simply a person who has started his or her own business. But there’s so much more to the journey of entrepreneurship than just bringing a business idea to fruition. It takes unwavering passion, dedication and innovation, and it’s certainly not the right path for everyone. See what 14 top business owners named as the true qualities of an entrepreneur in this writeup from Business News Daily’s Nicole Fallon.

We’ve all been there – stuck at the office to try to catch up. And then 5:30 pm turns into 6:00 pm turns into 7:00 pm turns into…well, you get the picture. Well, one company in Amsterdam has a solution. They’ve designed an office that disappears every night at 6:00. See how they’re instituting a better work-life balance by design in this recent piece from Fast Co. author Adele Peters.



Do you ever have those days when it’s hard to focus at work, no matter how driven you try to be? It happens to the best of us, especially when working a 9 to 5 (or longer) schedule every day of the week. Did you know there is actually a proven reason why some days are more productive than others? See what Forbes contributor, The Daily Muse has to say about hacking your process to get more out of your days in this recent piece, “It’s Not Your Imagination: There’s A Proven Reason You Work Better Some Days.”

Did you know that anywhere from 60-90% of your communication is non-verbal? This means that things like body position and eye contact, can tell another person more than you might want them to know. To set yourself up for successful non-verbal communication, check out these 18 tips from Inc.com author Peter Economy. I guarantee you will pick up more than a few useful suggestions you’ve probably never considered.

Employee recognition is meant to boost an employee’s performance. It should motivate. It should reward. It should satisfy. But all too often management attention stops at deciding what the recognition will be. After that it’s just waiting for the performance to happen, for the recognition to be offered, and for the planning for the next go-round. Talent Culture author Tim Wright shares what he calls 3 Sparks To Recognize And Engage Employees in this recent article.

Sir Richard Branson – founder of Virgin Group – is set to remove limits on the amount of holiday Virgin employees can take each year. Taking a cue from Netflix, the Virgin boss believes that stripping away the company’s holiday policy and allowing staff members to take breaks when and as often as they wish in the hope it will boost morale, creativity, and productivity. Think he’s crazy? Read more in this piece by Business Insider’s Miranda Prynne and decide.

Everybody makes mistakes. But while mistakes can be scary and costly to businesses, the best managers know that great employees need the freedom to make mistakes if they are to learn and grow. So how can you create a culture where employees are ok to make mistakes? Contactzilla’s Kylie Whitehead has some fantastic tips for making it happen! Check out her article “Why You Need to Give Employees the Freedom to Make Mistakes.”

Finding new employees isn’t always easy. And since new employees help shape a small business in ways they may not be able to at a bigger company, hiring the right employee is even more important for startups. Business News Daily author Brittney Helmrich has some great advice for anyone looking to make the right hire for their company culture. Check out her five hiring tips for your startup.

What’s an easy way to encourage authenticity from your employees, spark greater innovation in your company, and hire better people? According to CEO and Inc.com contributor AJ Agrawal, you might just want to act a little weirder. He points out that many leaders struggle to embrace their “inner weirdness.” See why he says that if you don’t, you could miss out on one of the simplest ways to strengthen your team and build an amazing company culture.

You wouldn’t purchase a new car without kicking the tires, would you? So why do so many business owners and hiring managers commit to a new hire without so much as taking them for a test drive? According to Inc.com writer Jessica Stillman, a “try before you buy” policy could be right for you and your business. See why she says hiring for a trial period could help boost your retention and help your culture in the long-term.

Vulnerability. Honesty. Accountability. These are far more than just great values to espouse in your personal relationships; They are also a few of the most important things employees expect from their leaders. So what else are today’s workers looking for from management? Great question. According to Forbes writer Glenn Llopis, they’re looking for these 7 key values. Read the list and see if you agree!

 
Want to change your mood around the office? Seemingly trivial facial expressions, minor activities, and routine habits can not only reveal your mood to co-workers, they can also dictate your mood. What does this all mean? It means that if you’re looking to get happy, there are some pretty simple things you can do. Check out this article from Inc.com’s John Brandon on the 7 habits of the most joyful people in your office.

 
What makes a bad boss? Forbes contributor Lisa Quast has more than just a few ideas. In fact, she literally wrote the book on how to spot a bad manager from a mile away before joining their company. So how can you tell if you are (or if you employ) the type of hiring manager she’s talking about? Check out her recent Forbes article, “How To Spot A Bad Boss — Before You Accept The Job Offer.” If any of her descriptions seem to ring a bell, you’ve got a major problem on your hands…

Did you know that more than 1/3 of U.S. workers are either working or moonlighting as freelancers? And that number is likely to include your company’s employees as well. What is it that they’re looking for? For some, it’s benefits. For others, it could be the extra pay. See what it’s going to take for your company to adapt to this new trend with a little help from from Forbes author Susan Adams.



Building a great company takes more than great planning, great values, and great leadership. It takes hiring and holding on to great people. So what’s the secret formula? Inc.com writer Lolly Daskal says that you need four types of people to provide your business with direction, energy, and momentum. See what she means in her most recent article, “4 people every successful business needs.”



You’re working hard to fill your company with the best, brightest, most talented workers you can find. And while you may or may not be in a hyper-competitive talent market, you’ve probably had trouble at one point or another filling a position that you were hiring for. So what are you doing wrong? Roberta Matuson has the answer. Check out her 7 reasons why you can’t fill your latest job vacancy, this week on Forbes.com.

When it comes to keeping employees happy and productive, it’s not just about big paychecks and exciting projects. It’s about flexibility. That’s one thing more and more employees say they want, but many bosses can’t handle the implementation. How can you figure out whether a flexible working schedule is right for the employees in your company? HR expert Suzanne Lucas has a few great tips on making a flexible schedule work for you.

Winston Churchill once said that courage is the first of all virtues because it is the only one that guarantees all others. Forbes author Margie Warrell believes that courage is also what it takes to set a bold course for yourself and your organization, engage in a courageous conversation, forge new ground, and to be decisive in uncertainty. See how you can create a culture of courage in your company in her new piece on Forbes.com, “Culture Of Courage: Creating A Culture That Breeds Bravery.”

Did you know that over half of creative workers (probably a good percentage of your workforce) don’t start their workday until after 9:00 am? Does this mean that a typical 8:00 – 5:00 schedule might not be right for many workers? For the answer to that question, check out this infographic from Fast Co. Design and author Shaunacy Ferro (you’ll be shocked at how many creatives are hard at work well into the late hours of the night…)

What skills are you looking for when you make a new hire? For most companies, the answer is the same: They are looking for someone who has prior experience and education related to the job itself. But one company is finding that looking outside the box for unusual skills and passions is a great way to cultivate a more diverse and creative workforce. Read their story from Fast Co. author Evie Nagy to see why hiring for outside passions could be the key to improving your team.

Millenials not only represent the future of the workplace, but a significant part of its present. And for many employers, the gold rush is on as they try to make their companies a more attractive landing spot for Millenials who are finally ready to invest long-term in a company. So how can you make your business a destination for Generation Y? Check out Inc.com author John Boitnott’s breakdown, “Dear CEO: This is why Millenials don’t want to work for you.”

Everyone with a job knows how stressful it can be when personal priorities clash with work schedules. So to alleviate the pain, some companies have started to offer flexible scheduling options. But not everyone is ready to jump on board with allowing to employees work from home. In her latest piece, New York Times writer Phyllis Korkki says that it might be time to change that. See the research behind her opinion.