Problems and Solutions–Why Danna Beal?

Problems in today’s workplace culture:

As a speaker, author, and workshop leaders, it is my observation that today’s workplace is often a web of egos battling and competing for power, managers disempowering employees, co-workers hurting and sabotaging one another. To some degree or another, the following is occurring in workplace cultures in every industry throughout the country:  blame, one-upsmanship, lack of trust, cliques and power structures, rivalry, turf protection, gossip, insecurity, lack of appreciation, power struggles, secretiveness, sabotaging, withholding information, hidden and personal agendas, intimidation, sucking up, harassment, discrimination and most insidious of all, the underlying fear which is causing these feelings and behaviors.

This underlying kind of culture is actually recognized by people everywhere, but fear of reprisal keeps most people from acknowledging publicly their unhappiness in the workplace.  My audiences throughout the US and Canada, as well as international audiences, all raise their hands and nod their heads in agreement that this is in the workplace culture today. The following are just some of the many statistics and studies being conducted now.

Employee Disengagement:

Gallup State of the Workplace reports:

68-70% of employees in American workplaces are disengaged and is attributable to one’s relationship with their manager described by Gallup as the Boss from Hell. Human thriving is directly tied to feeling safe, valued, supported and growing. Are your leaders and managers truly qualified to manage other people?

According to Gallup, Unhappy, unhealthy employees affect:

• Absenteeism
• Performance
• Customer ratings
• Quality
• Profit

Anxiety in the Workplace:

Willis Towers Watson reports:

• Anxiety is expensive for U.S. employers.
• People suffering from depression submit an average of $14,967 per year in claims, compared with $5,929 a year for the total population.
• The amount of money companies spend on the mental health of their employees has been rising rapidly with annual costs increasing twice as fast as all other medical expenses.

Incivility in the Workplace:

Accountemps reported in Fortune Magazine,managers and executives at Fortune 1,000 firms spend 13% percent of their work time ”the equivalent of seven weeks a year”mending employee relationships and otherwise dealing with the aftermath of incivility.

Dr. Christine Porath reports in Harvard Business Review:

Through a poll of 800 managers and employees in 17 industries, they learned just how people’s reactions play out. Among workers who’ve been on the receiving end of incivility:

• 48% intentionally decreased their work effort.
• 47% intentionally decreased the time spent at work.
• 38% intentionally decreased the quality of their work.
• 80% lost work time worrying about the incident.
• 63% lost work time avoiding the offender.
• 66% said that their performance declined.
• 78% said that their commitment to the organization declined.
• 12% said that they left their job because of the uncivil treatment.
• 25% admitted to taking their frustration out on customers.

Additionally, she reports that from a poll of 20,000 people who were asked what they from their managers/leader, the number one answer was respect.

Stress from lack of work-life balance:

Academy of Management study states:

Employees now tally an average of eight hours a week answering work-related emails from home.

Business School’s Dr.Nuria Chinchila says (re: lack of boundaries and continuous being-on}

Is causing the breakup of marriages, insufficient time with their children and an enormous lack of balance in people’s lives. In the absence of clear guidance, people react in fear to their bosses. They stay up late, interrupt dinners, and always feel compelled to jump on a quick call.

Employees are afraid to admit they are suffering from stress.  Deloitte polling found a 95% of workers who’ve taken stress-related time off gave their employers a phony reason.

Employee turnover:

Center for American Progress, found that turnover can cost organizations anywhere from 16% to 213% of the lost employee’s salary. The higher the salary the higher the cost.

SHRM, TheSociety for Human Resource Management, found that companies typically spend 6-9 months of an employee’s salary to hire and train their replacement. Costs for higher level executive positions make be 100-200% of their annual salary.

Josh Bersin, a leading researcher on human resources and talent management, states that employees are ‘appreciating assets’. The longer employees stay with an organization, the more productive they get – they learn the systems, they learn the products, and they learn how to work together. In addition to losing the productivity and experience of employees, other costs include recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training the new employee. Turnover can also impact engagement, morale, and company culture.”.

Opportunities

Incivility and dissension in today’s workplace culture is expensive, sad, and often undiagnosed.  Unfortunately, people in leadership positions often do not recognize the costs of the conflict, fear, lack of trust, commitment and loyalty that are permeating workplace cultures.  The opportunities for investing in the training of senior leaders, managers and employees can dramatically improve the workplace culture, infusing increased cooperation, innovation, better customer service, loyalty, team work, happiness, productivity, customer service and profitability.

Using the principles in my book, I provide customized training for workshops, on-going follow-up training, executive coaching and webinars. My program includes:

• A Personal Restoration Plan: The Inner Path to Authentic Power.  This is a guide revealing the hidden beliefs of the ego that are blocking authenticity, transparent communication, and cooperation. It leads the participant into releasing limiting fears and replacing them with trust and compassion.
• The BE LOVE model of leadership as the foundation of extraordinary leadership. It illustrates the development of enlightened leadership qualities: 1) who you AREas a leader and 2) what you DO as a leader.
• Steps for rebuilding relationships by valuing and respecting employees.
• Development of the extraordinary leadership traits of self-refection, humility, integrity, vision, and communication all leading to improving Emotional Intelligence.
• Mindfulness and meditation training to provide the clarity and calmness to perceive and communicate with openness and authenticity.

Facts about Mindfulness (Research from Headspace)

• Aetna’s study found that mindfulness increased job effectiveness, with employees gaining an average of 62 minutes of productivity per week.
• Happy employees are actually more productive than unhappy ones,  12% or more productive according to many studies.
• 93% of participants reported an improvement in relationships with colleagues–A Head for Work.
• 45 studies on mindfulness in the workplace have shown that mindfulness meditation leads to better relationships between colleagues.

Additional and focused topics for leadership development:

• Open communication
• Self-actualization
• Extraordinary customer service and satisfaction
• Resiliency
• Extraordinary leadership
• Extraordinary workplace culture
• Coaching/mentoring
• Dealing with conflict
• Building teamwork, synergism, and cooperation
• Cultural diversity

Results of Training

• Increased employee engagement leading to innovation, teamwork, and happiness.
• Leaders and managers who empower employees to success rather than depleting their energy.
• Reduced waste of time in conflict by unraveling, coaching and helping rebuild relationships.
• Improved customer service through a culture of trust and compassion.
• Increased productivity because happy employees are more productive.
• Lower turnover costs due to employee loyalty when they trust their bosses.
• Authentic and open communication between departments, leaders, employees, and teams.

Why Danna Beal, M.Ed.

Your message of inspiration and improved self- awareness was really well received by all and led to more discussions than any of our usual Spine talks. It certainly raised our appetite for working more with you! And at our regional conference you were outstanding again!  You have such a gift with people- the OR nurses in attendance were all so impressed with you as a speaker and as a human being!
“Jens Chapman, M.D., orthopedic spine surgeon, Swedish Neuroscience

Danna Beal’s important new book, The Extraordinary Workplace, gives you essential insights to transform your workplace by rebuilding relationships with trust and integrity.
Bill George, professor, Harvard Business School and author of True North

Reading The Extraordinary Workplace could just be the solution to bringing harmony and peace to the workplace. It’s an important book.
Wally Amos, The Famous Cookie Man and author of Watermelon Credo

Danna Beal’s book puts relationships in the workplace under the microscope and offers practical, helpful, spiritual nuggets as ways of healing the workplace.
Gerald Jampolsky, M.D., author of Love Is Letting Go of Fear