Sasha Grutzeck

About Sasha Grutzeck

Sasha Grutzeck is a Senior Instructional Designer at Johns Hopkins University. She’s a member of the Learning Solutions department, where she writes and designs e-courses (and other training materials) for Johns Hopkins University faculty and staff. She enjoys learning new things, collaborating with her coworkers, watching movies, taking ridiculously long walks, and eating the leftover baked goods that always seem to miraculously appear in the Learning Solutions kitchen.

Posts by Sasha Grutzeck:

How to Talk Politics at Work

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Politics

The U.S. presidential election is coming up soon, and of course, people are talking about it. Political discussions are happening everywhere – including the office.

But talking politics at work can be a little tricky. If you’re not careful, you could end up offending a coworker who holds different beliefs than you. So how can you ensure that your political conversations stay civil and respectful? Here are a few guidelines to follow:

  • Be polite – Remember that you’re having a discussion, not an argument.
  • Talk to people you know – If you don’t know anything about a coworker’s political leanings, you could cause offense without meaning to. So if you want to talk politics, it’s better to talk to a coworker whose views you’re familiar with. (If you share similar views, you can relax and talk freely. If you don’t share similar views, you need to be a little more careful and diplomatic.)
  • Don’t talk about religion – Stick to politics. Don’t bring religion into it.
  • Don’t try to change your coworkers’ opinions – You can talk about how you feel, but don’t try to persuade other people to change their minds.
  • Don’t judge your coworkers based on their political views – Even if you disagree with your coworkers, you shouldn’t think less of them. You can hold different political beliefs and still be great friends and colleagues!

 

Wolper, J. (2016). Talking politics. Talent Development, 70(7), 14.

How to Get Your Boss to Give You Feedback

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Getting_Feedback

Do you have a boss who is reluctant to give you any feedback? Are you unsure of what your boss thinks of you or your work? If so, you might be feeling a little anxious or uncomfortable. It can sometimes be hard to be happy and productive when you don’t know where you stand.

So how can you encourage your boss to give you some feedback? Here are a few suggestions:

  • Suggest that there’s room for improvement – If your boss is the type of person who is afraid to hurt anyone’s feelings, it can sometimes be helpful to mention that there’s always room for improvement. For instance, you could say, “This project was successful, but I’m wondering if it could have been managed a little better. What do you think?” This type of comment could make it easier for your boss to open up and share his or her opinions.
  • Get specific – If your boss only tells you general things like, “You need to be more of a team player,” ask for specifics. Say something like, “Can you give me an example of what that would look like?” or “What are a few things that I could be doing to help me achieve that?” Asking for details can help you to clarify what your boss is saying.
  • Compliment your boss on feedback you received in the past – If your boss has ever provided you with feedback in the past, mention how helpful it was to you. Then ask your boss if he or she has any additional suggestions. Complimenting prior feedback might encourage your boss to provide more.
  • Ask your boss what other people think of your work – If your boss just finds it too painful to critique you in any way, ask your boss to tell you what other people think of your work. Your boss will probably mention things that he or she agrees with.

And no matter what your boss says, always stay calm and positive. Even if you don’t agree with the feedback that you’re getting, thank your boss for his or her input. (This will encourage your boss to provide more feedback in the future.) And try to find the helpful bits of information that might be mixed in with other, less helpful suggestions.

 

Shellenbarger, S. (2016, June 28). How to find out what the boss really thinks of you. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-find-out-what-the-boss-really-thinks-of-you-1467138157

 

The History of the Oxford Comma

By in Language No Comments Tags: , ,

Oxford_Comma

There’s always been a lot of controversy surrounding the Oxford comma. Should you use it or should you leave it out? (Personally, I think you should use it. I mean, what the heck? It’s important!)

The Oxford comma appears in a list of items, right before the conjunction.

  • Here’s an example of a sentence with no Oxford comma: “I enjoy looking at pictures of my friends, Barack Obama and Michael Fassbender.” Without the Oxford comma, it sounds like Barack Obama and Michael Fassbender are two of my best friends. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
  • And here’s the same sentence with an Oxford comma: “I enjoy looking at pictures of my friends, Barack Obama, and Michael Fassbender.” Now it’s clear that I’m just a weirdo who likes looking at pictures of politicians and celebrities on the internet. Much more accurate!

But how did this punctuation mark come into existence? Who was the first person to decide we should use it? Watch the following video to learn all about the history of this controversial comma!

The Importance of Recognition

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Recognition

It’s so important for managers to recognize the good work that their employees do. A recent survey by Globoforce revealed that when employees receive recognition from their bosses:

  • 92% felt appreciated
  • 86% felt prouder of their work
  • 86% felt happier at work
  • 85% felt more satisfied with their job
  • 83% felt more engaged
  • 81% felt more committed
  • 79% felt it made them work harder

The survey also revealed that while 46% of employees received recognition in the past five months, 33% of employees had not received recognition for six months or more, and 21% had never been recognized for their good work. So it’s possible that employees aren’t getting positive feedback as often as they should.

It’s also important for managers to use the right approach. Although saying a quick “thanks” saves time and effort, it doesn’t tend to make much of an impact. Employees appreciate it when managers take a few minutes to give them meaningful feedback. What they want to hear is, “I recognize the work that you’ve done and I appreciate your efforts.”

 

The Role of Recognition in Building a More Human Workplace. (2016). In Globoforce Workhuman Research Institute: 2016 Survey Report. Retrieved from http://go.globoforce.com/rs/862-JIQ-698/images/ROIofRecognition.pdf

Wolper, J. (2016). The hunt for recognition. Talent Development, 70(6), 12.

 

How to Cheat Your Fitbit

By in Humor, Innovation No Comments Tags: ,

Hamster_Wheel

You’re probably familiar with Fitbits. They’re a device that you can clip on your shirt or wear on your wrist in order to count the number of steps you take during the day.

You may also be familiar with “Fitbit Challenges.” More and more workplaces are organizing these competitions to see which of their employees can log the most steps during a certain period of time. Fitbit Challenges are designed to motivate employees to get more exercise and improve their health.

But competitions can sometimes bring out the dark side in some people. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on various ways that employees have cheated their Fitbits, including these ingenious ideas:

  • An employee attached the Fitbit to a hamster wheel and let the hamster do all the work.
  • An employee attached the Fitbit to a running ceiling fan.
  • An employee attached the Fitbit to a running power drill.
  • An employee attached the Fitbit to his shoe, and then tapped his foot all day.
  • An employee attached the Fitbit to her dog’s collar. (Dogs take about 13,000 to 30,000 steps a day.)

I must admit that I kind of admire these people for coming up with these devious, innovative ideas. But still, they didn’t deserve to win their competitions, and they lost out on doing actual exercise.

So if you’re planning to participate in one of these challenges, remember that walking is beneficial and winning isn’t everything! And if you’re thinking of organizing a Fitbit Challenge at your office and you’d like to encourage people to forgo these types of shenanigans, try the following:

  • Reward people for reaching their personal step goals rather than having the highest number of steps.
  • Ask people to self-report the distance they walked rather than relying on Fitbit data. They’ll be more likely to be honest about what they accomplished.

 

Bachman, R. (2016, June 9). Want to cheat your Fitbit? Try a puppy or a power drill. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/want-to-cheat-your-fitbit-try-using-a-puppy-or-a-power-drill-1465487106

 

Enjoying Baltimore for Free

By in Living Well No Comments Tags: ,

Baltimore

Now that it’s summertime, you might be looking for some fun activities to do in Baltimore. And if you’re like me – and you appreciate a bargain – you might be looking for some free things to do.

Well look no further. Click HERE to explore your fun, free options! And please feel free to share your own recommendations in the Comments section below!

 

 

Translating Office Jargon

By in Communication No Comments Tags:

Confused_by_jargon

There’s just no escaping office jargon. It pops up in meetings, memos, and emails. It’s kind of like a foreign language that involves mysterious terms like “synergy,” “actionable,” “incentivize,” and “closing the loop.”

Over time, you can pick up on it. The more you’re exposed to it, the easier it is to understand. But just in case you’re new to the business world, here’s a list of a few of the common phrases that you’ll encounter at the office and what they mean:

  • Learning experience – You made a mistake, but it’s OK because there are no serious consequences.
  • Play it back to me – Please repeat what you said. I wasn’t listening to you before, but I am now.
  • Looping you in – We’re going to include you on a long email thread in the hopes that you can alleviate a problem or fix something that’s gone wrong.
  • Let’s take this offline – I want to fill you in, but not in front of all of these other people.
  • Buy-in – You weren’t involved in shaping this idea, but now your support is needed.
  • Above my pay grade – Thankfully, I don’t need to handle this issue. My boss will deal with it.
  • Bandwidth – A word used to describe available resources (like time or energy).
  • Low-hanging fruit – Tasks that can be easily completed without a lot of effort.
  • It’s on the road map – That’s a good idea that we may adopt one day, but not for a really long time.

Do you have some office jargon that you’d like to share and define? Please do so in the Comments section below!

 

Deutsch, L., & Durando, J. (2014, September 24). Office jargon translator: What’s your boss really saying? USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/09/24/office-jargon-translator-interactive/16144949/

 

Managing Free Food at Work

By in Living Well No Comments Tags: ,

Candies

I love getting free food at the office. It’s the best! I think the bowl of chocolates that sits in our office reception area is a wonderful thing. (So delicious.)

And I’m not the only one who feels the love. Studies have shown that when businesses provide their employees with free snacks, employee happiness ratings shoot up. That’s why so many companies have started offering their employees this popular perk.

But free food at work does have its downside. Even though chocolate and chips are delicious, it’s not exactly healthy to be snacking on Swedish Fish and M&M’s all day. It can have a negative impact on people’s weight and overall health.

So if your office provides unhealthy snacks and you find it difficult to resist them, what should you do? Well, it wouldn’t be right for you to demand that they be removed. Your coworkers would be rightfully upset! But there are things you can do to make it easier for you (and others) to make healthier choices.

  • Request healthy snacks – If your office provides free chocolate, that’s a wonderful thing. But it would also be nice if they provided healthy alternatives – like fruit. Ask if healthy options could be made available.
  • Distance yourself – People tend to eat more unhealthy snacks when they’re easily accessible. Researchers have found that when snacks are placed right next to the area where people get their drinks and coffee, people will snack more. However, if the snacks are placed just a few feet away, people will snack less. So make sure the unhealthy snacks aren’t that readily available.
  • Hide them away – Google provides their employees with free snacks, but they were concerned about unhealthy eating habits. So they conducted an interesting experiment. They started putting healthy snacks in clear bowls and M&M’s in opaque bowls. And they found that their employees ate much fewer M&M’s. Just making the unhealthy snacks a little harder to see can make them easier to avoid.

 

Boardman, S. (2016, June 3). The problem with free food at the office. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2016/06/03/the-problem-with-free-food-at-the-office/

 

First Impressions – Two Things Make a Difference

By in Communication, Relationship Awareness No Comments Tags:

Friendly_Handshake

Let’s say that you’ve started a new job, and you’d like to make a good impression on your new coworkers. How should you behave? Well, according to psychologist Amy Cuddy, people base their opinions on two things:

  1. Warmth – Are you someone they can trust?
  2. Competence – Are you someone they can respect and rely on?

In the workplace, people often focus on demonstrating their competence. They want their managers and coworkers to see that they’re smart and good at their jobs. But according to Cuddy, it’s a mistake to only focus on demonstrating your competence. It’s actually crucial to first prove to people that you’re trustworthy.

If you’re obviously competent, but you seem to lack warmth, people might view you as unapproachable, manipulative, or threatening. In contrast, if you’re viewed as warm and trustworthy, people will want to work with you, and they’ll be impressed with their skills and competencies.

So the next time you meet someone new, show that person that you’re someone who can be trusted. Be warm, friendly, and approachable. You’ll be certain to make a good impression!

 

Goudreau, J. (2016, January 16). A Harvard psychologist says people judge you based on 2 criteria when they first meet you. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-psychologist-amy-cuddy-how-people-judge-you-2016-1

 

How to Decline a Meeting Invitation Without Making Anyone Angry

By in Communication 1 Comment Tags:

Saying_No

Do you suffer from meeting fatigue? Do you spend so much time sitting in meetings that you’re unable to get your work done? If so, you might need to start turning down a few of those meeting invitations.

For some people, that’s easier said than done. It can be hard to determine which meeting invitations to decline. And it can be even harder to actually turn down an invitation. After all, you don’t want to offend anyone or anger the meeting organizer! But it actually is possible to turn down meeting invitations in a nice way that doesn’t make anyone mad. You just have to use the right approach.

Here are three reasons why you should decline a meeting invitation, and how to do it nicely:


Reason to Decline #1: The meeting doesn’t seem to have much value.
Some meetings just don’t seem to be very worthwhile. This may be because they don’t have a clear agenda, the right people aren’t on the invitation list, or the meeting participants don’t have the necessary background information. Whatever the reason, if you’re fairly certain that a meeting is not going to be productive, it makes sense to decline the invitation.

How to Say “No” Nicely
Talk to the meeting organizer, and tell him or her that you think it would make sense to hold the meeting at a different time (for instance, after more information has been gathered) or with different people. If you can convince the organizer to reschedule, it would allow everyone involved to spend their time in a more productive manner. And when the meeting eventually does take place, a lot more will be accomplished!


Reason to Decline #2: You’re not the right person to attend the meeting.

If it’s clear that you can’t contribute to a particular meeting (maybe because you don’t have the necessary information or experience), it makes sense to decline the invitation.

How to Say “No” Nicely
Tell the meeting organizer that you don’t think you’re the right person to attend, and explain why. Then recommend someone else in your place. Make sure that the person you’re recommending has the necessary qualifications. The organizer will most likely appreciate your input and guidance.


Reason to Decline #3: There are other, more critical things that you need to do during that time.
If you’ve got a lot of important work to get done, and you simply don’t have the time to attend a certain meeting, that’s a valid reason to decline.

How to Say “No” Nicely
Tell the meeting organizer about the deadlines that you need to meet, and that you don’t have the time to attend. But offer to type up your thoughts on the topic and send them to the organizer before the meeting. That way, the organizer can have your input without you actually being present.

 

No matter what approach you take, just remember to do two things. First, take the time to talk to the meeting organizer and explain why you’re declining. And second, try to come up with a way to meet the organizer’s needs without actually attending the meeting. Good luck!

 

Davey, L. (2016, May 17). Polite ways to decline a meeting invitation. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2016/05/polite-ways-to-decline-a-meeting-invitation

 

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