News from the HR Sports Drink Cooler

This week’s top HR news:

Prepping for your fantasy football draft at work? Experts say that’s OK

Who’s ready for some football? It’s that time of year again: Fantasy football is back! But don’t get too excited yet. Experts estimate the 22,000,000 fantasy football participants could cost their employees $6.5 billion this football season as they take time out of the workday to tweak their lineups and trash-talk their opponents.

The firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas claims, however, that employers will not see any impact on their bottom line and should embrace fantasy football in the workplace because it could have a positive impact on loyalty and employee sentiment. Just don’t go dumping any beverages on your colleagues’ keyboards.

hr sports drink coolerDoes your workplace embrace or frown upon fantasy football during work hours?

What Color is Your Cubicle?

Who knew the color of your office walls can affect how you work? According to this piece in The Wall Street Journal, choosing the right color palate in the office can affect workers’ productivity and mood. An industry group for color design reports that call centers are combating employee stress by painting their walls soothing blues and greens rather than reds, which can lead to aggression.

According to paint manufacturer Behr, the top color choices for offices are light tan, a pink and brown blend, grayish blue and sea-foam green. We’re curious—what color are the walls in your office?

How Can Companies Reinvent Employee Training?

A recent survey by Accenture found that only 21% of employees acquired new skills through a training program in the last five years. Numbers like these stress the need for companies to rethink the design of their internal education plans.

This article on psfk.com gives some great examples of how companies such as Google and Neiman Marcus are implementing “social learning” programs and finding that they’re more effective and engaging for employees. 

One-half of Employees Participate in Office Politics

Apparently office politics are just as controversial as the presidential race. New data shows that 56% of employees have witnessed political maneuverings such as rumor spreading, gossiping, kissing up to the boss, and taking the credit for others’ work—all in an effort to get ahead. It almost seems like high school all over again, doesn’t it? Read the full findings here.

5 Steps to Recover from a Workplace Disaster

We’ve all made mistakes at work. Nobody’s perfect, right? So how can you go about cleaning up the mess you made so you can get back to work? This U.S. News article outlines five steps to take to ensure a quick recovery. The first step, and the most important, is to own up to your mistake. Being able to “cowboy up” ensures you’re well on your way to rectifying the situation. Read the other steps to take here.

 

Looking for more? Follow TribeHR on Twitter, and check out last week’s Working Weekends at the HR Water Cooler.

 


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