Conference Call Offenders?There are those in the corporate world for whom conference calls are the bane of existence; conversations are hard to follow and it’s quite clear that some participants aren’t paying attention. However, with a little conference call common courtesy, these long-distance group sessions can produce results, according to new research from OfficeTeam, a Robert Half company.
The survey of more than 400 Canadian office workers found that the most distracting behavior during a conference call is multiple people talking at the same time, cited by almost a third (28 percent) of the respondents, followed by excessive background noise (22 percent).
The research identified five habits of successful conference calling:
• Be on time when the call starts. Have the dial-in numbers ready and if your are going to be late, let the organizer know.
• Find a quiet location for calls and mute the line when you’re not speaking. Just remember to unmute yourself when you have something to say.
• Don’t multitask. Pay attention to the discussion at hand and eliminate potential distractions so you can actively participate.
• Familiarize yourself with how your conference call system works prior to the call, to avoid technology faux pas, like accidentally putting the call on hold.
• Don’t forget to share the time. Be prepared to contribute your thoughts, and allow others to do the same.
“It’s tempting to let your guard down on conference calls because participants can’t see you, but basic meeting rules still apply,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “To get the most out of these discussions, join on time, offer your undivided attention and be respectful of other attendees.”
Future ExpectationsEven as Millennials invade the corporate world, employers are already looking beyond at the next generation coming after them. What kind of workers will the current crop of high school graduates be – and what can companies expect from them?
Apparently high school seniors have already developed their own outlook on the work ethic and their career expectations, according to a new CareerBuilder survey which compared the attitudes of 200 high school seniors with 3,000 full-time employees currently in the workforce. And the results may come as a surprise.
For example, high school students are more likely than their older counterparts to think of themselves as successful if their job gives them a sense of accomplishment (78 percent of high school students, compared to 67 percent of current workers), if they can make a positive impact on people’s lives (78 percent versus 47 percent) and if they make a lot of money (53 percent versus 33 percent).
The majority of both groups defined career success as the ability to provide a comfortable life for themselves and their families, with a balance between work and personal life as a priority. However, the students were more than twice as likely as current workers to define success as “making a mark on this world” (54 percent versus 22 percent).
And the high school students are apparently into punctuality. Only a quarter (25 percent) say it shouldn't matter what time you arrive to work as long as you get your job done. That’s about the same as workers ages 55 and older (23 percent) and far less than current workers overall (33 percent).
Mind Your StepWhile traveler safety in the air and on the ground is vital, the truth is, practically every business trip begins and ends the same way – on foot. Still, according to the most recent data, pedestrian deaths have increased 15 percent since 2009.
In 2013, the most recent full year of data, 4,735 pedestrians died. The average age of a pedestrian killed in a traffic crash in 2013 was 46. Males accounted for 70 percent of those deaths. The findings were part of a new report on pedestrian safety authored for the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Significant factors in pedestrian vs. motor vehicle accidents include alcohol, speed and distraction, according to the report. In 2013, a third of pedestrians involved in fatal crashes and 15 percent of motorists who fatally struck pedestrians were over the legal limit.
The report also cites research that indicates an uptick in distracted walkers. While the number of pedestrians killed while using a cell phone was less than 1 percent in 2004 of the total fatalities, by 2010 that number more than tripled to 3.6 percent; it’s estimated that as many as two million pedestrian injuries were related to cell phone use in 2010.