Does Office Temperature Affect Productivity?

via The First Facility Management

As winter sets in across the country and companies turn up the heat, they may need to readjust the thermostat to keep their workers productive. According to a new CareerBuilder survey, when asked if the temperature at work affected their ability to get work done, more than one in five (22%) workers said that a “too hot” work environment made it difficult to concentrate. Eleven percent of workers said the same about a “too cold” work place.

Overall, more than a quarter (27%) of workers describe the temperature at their work place as “too hot.” On the flip side, 19% reported that the temperature was “too cold,” while 54% said it was “just right.”

Differing opinions on what is too hot or too cold for the office can sometimes cause conflict among cubicle mates. In fact, 10% of workers said they have fought with a co-worker over the office temperature.

Worker disputes over temperature aren’t the only thing affecting work place climate; the economy is also playing a part. In an effort to save money, nearly one in five (19%) workers feel that their company has turned down the office temperature this year.

“There are many factors that can affect work place productivity,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. “Everything from morale, burnout, and as our survey finds, temperature, can have an impact on workers’ ability to get their work done. If temperature is a concern, workers and employers can easily work together to find common ground so productivity does not suffer.”

Complete Article

European Competitiveness Report 2009

via European Commission Enterprise & Industry

European competitiveness report 2009
07/12/2009

European competitiveness is at the centre of analysis of the yearly competitiveness report of the European Commission. Its main focus is on recent changes of the EU's productivity growth, which is the key driver of competitiveness in the long run.

The 2009 edition of the European Competitiveness Report looks at the possible implications of the economic downturn; in particular for productivity and for some of the determinants of future EU competitiveness: the evolution of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China); the role of high-skilled migration; the extent and conditions under which training can boost productivity; and the role of product and labour market regulations in influencing ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) investment.

Complete Article & Report Downloads

Volume 1 includes Chapter 1 'Competitiveness and the crisis' and Chapter 2 'EU and BRICS: Challenges and opportunities for European Competitiveness'. Volume 2 contains Chapter 3 'Migration, Skills and productivity' and Chapter 4 'Training, education and productivity' and volume 3 Chapter 5 'ICT, regulation and productivity' and Chapter 6 'Statistical annex'.

The Buck Starts Here - The Un-Comfort Zone with Robert Wilson

by Robert Wilson - The UN-COMFORT ZONE

Recently I participated in a Murder Mystery weekend at a bed and breakfast lodge. Every guest was a given a role to play. There were eight suspects; each of whom had one or more of the following: Means, Opportunity and Motive. Having the Means and Opportunity was very important, but having the right Motivation was the key to solving the puzzle. We interviewed the suspects, collected clues, then presented who we thought was the killer and why. It was great fun, but I failed to figure out who done it. I was very logical and surmised that a suspect with a monetary motive was the one. But, it turned out to be one with the emotional motive of anger and revenge.

Never-the-less, money is a powerful motivator. It is the original carrot dangling from the stick.

My friend Bill, the computer wizard, told me years ago, “I always follow the money.” Meaning that he would learn those computer skills that paid the best. I did the same thing in my early years as a writer. I found journalism fun, but that advertising paid better. Subsequently, I pursued advertising work and honed my skills in motivating people to buy.

The exciting thing about money, or more specifically: prosperity, is that it is a great equalizer. Prosperity has a way of eliminating envy, hatred and bigotry. Increased wealth makes people more tolerant and giving. The formula for prosperity is simple: economic freedom plus property rights. In other words, minimal regulation and the right to keep what you earn.

Clearly we all know that money is a reliable method for motivating people. But, if you ever want to discover the motivation behind an action that appears to be random, backtracking the money trail is frequently a good way to find it. For example, have you ever noticed one of your favorite products disappearing from the store where you buy it? It probably means that there were not enough customers for it and the store quit carrying it. If, however, you can’t find it anywhere, then the lack of users is widespread and the manufacturer discontinued it.

Sometimes, however, the money trail is even longer, and more convoluted. I recall a hot summer day, back in the late 1980s, when, after mowing the lawn, I popped open an ice cold soda pop and drained it in one long gulp. Moments later I was on the floor with a painful spasm in my back. It lasted nearly half an hour, and when it was over I made an appointment with my doctor. It turned out that I was allergic to the corn syrup in the soda.

Complete Article


Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is a motivational speaker and humorist. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert's programs please visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com

Be More Productive

Via The Wall Street Journal

By ALEXANDRA LEVIT

If you want to learn how to squeeze more out of a single day, ask someone trying to change careers.

Heather Huhman of Washington wakes up just after 4:00 a.m. and hits the gym. Before Ms. Huhman walks into her office at a national health-care association, she writes a column for local news site Examiner.com. It's something the 27-year-old does to help build her platform as a career expert -- a necessity for the success of the company she has founded on the side, Come Recommended (comerecommended.com), a site where people can solicit professional references. And it's this fledgling business that gets a majority of her attention outside business hours.

Ms. Huhman may sound like a workaholic, but she says she regularly makes time to eat meals with her husband and watch college football on weekends. How does she do it?

Complete Article

Manufacturing Troubles Remain a Drag on Recovery, Trade & Jobs

via The Seattle Times

by Jon Talton


Top of the News: The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index seems consistent with recovery, coming in at 53.6 for November; any number above 50 signifies expansion in the sector. Unfortunately, the reading sagged from 55.7 the month before, tripping up what economists had hoped would be a steady climb out of recession.

A deeper look shows that the index provides no relief for the biggest immediate problem facing Americans, unemployment. Only six of 18 manufacturing industries reported growth in employment. Only 11.7 million Americans worked manufacturing as of October. That compares with 17.3 million in October 1999.

Not only do manufacturing jobs pay better than their counterparts in service industries, they tend to add real value to economic activity (as opposed to selling mortgage swindles). They are also twined with our trade issues. Even fewer manufacturing jobs are now in industries that export, a key part of our huge manufacturing trade deficit.

Unfortunately, this phenomenon was happening even before the Great Recession. A report from the Economic Policy Institute shows that manufacturing employment between 1965 and 2000 never dipped below 16.5 million. This even as manufacturing shrank as a share of the economy (take out Boeing and it would be much smaller). This changed as imports surged after China joined the WTO and other Asian factory centers upped their game. By 2004, the number was lower than any time since 1950.

"It is often claimed that declines in manufacturing employment stem entirely from productivity growth," according to EPI economist L. Josh Bivens. "However, rapid productivity growth is the norm, not the exception, in manufacturing. What is new about the manufacturing job crisis of the last four years is the sharp downturn in the ratio of domestic production to demand."

Indeed, American steelmakers are shrinking yet again.

The Back Story: The official unemployment rate including discouraged workers and part-timers seeking full-time work is 17.5 percent. But Shadow Government Statistics, a provocative and reliable site, argues even this underestimates the problem. Try...22 percent.

Complete Article