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Dr. Rex Gatto Workplace Tip #10

Over the past six years, Gatto Associates, LLC has worked with the Pennsylvania Psychological Association to reward organizations that help employees achieve work live balance, support employee development through training and education, and help employees develop their careers.

• Recipients of past PHW Awards have supported their employees by providing mentoring and opportunities for career development.
• The PHW Awards provide an opportunity to tell the outside world that you care about your employees.
• Examples of what Psychologically Healthy Workplaces provide are: child and elder care services, flexible work schedules, and other benefits and policies that demonstrate employee care and sensitivity.

Visit PAPSY.org for more workplace tips!

Dr. Rex Gatto Workplace Tip #9

Mentoring the Next Generation of Employees

• Mentoring is an experienced person supporting and guiding a less experienced person to a better understanding of the workplace and life balance.
• Don't tell - but instead listen, ask questions, and guide mentees to a wider appreciation of the workplace.
• Share experiences and discuss the mentee's career aspirations.
• Create a succession plan by building the social infrastructure and developing the next generation of employees in your organization.
• Retain the right people in your organization.
• Remember you can promote success through positive thoughts about yourself and others.

Dr. Rex Gatto Workplace Tip #8

Discover What Motivates Your Employees

• Listen to what employees need and how they feel about the job.
• Encourage people to do their best and recognize what they accomplish.
• Ensure that people have challenging jobs that provide satisfaction in the work they do. Remember this equation: performance = ability x effort
• Treat employees like valued adults.

Dr. Rex Gatto Workplace Tip #7

Giving Feedback to Employees

• Give feedback in a manner that people will listen and follow through.
• Feedback is designed to cause people to take action in the future - a better term would be "feed forward."
• Create an environment that is receptive to an open exchange of information. Employees should give managers and executives feedback as well as executives giving feedback to employees.
• Feedback should be a learning and developmental process - not as punitive only.
• Ground rules should be established so that the process is consistent between departments.
• Feedback should relate to the goals that employees are working to achieve.

Dr. Rex Gatto Workplace Tip #6

What Causes Stress in our Lives?

• Identify the causes of your stress: time, family, money, conflicts, too many demands, or a heavy workload.
• Identify the signs of your stress: feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or angry.
• Learn about tension discharge rate, ways to lessen your stress.
• Set realistic priorities.
• Take fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time to relax in the morning and afternoon.
• Understand that stress can be controlled by positive thoughts about yourself and others.

Dr. Rex Gatto Workplace Tip #5

Juggling 3 Balls in Work Life Balance: Work, Family, and Self

• Identify tasks to be accomplished and set clear, realistic goals.
• Stay focused on priorities.
• Identify what needs to be done first.
• Collaborate with others - more can be accomplished by sharing ideas with others and taking the right action.
• Listen and understand to clarify actions to be taken.

Dr. Rex Gatto Workplace Tip #4

Effective Communication - It's Not What You Say But How You Say It

• Identify the right goal, problem, or issues and ask the right questions.
• Present general information before giving specific information to clarify your message.
• Identify the level of understanding of your listeners.
• To inform, show people the facts.
• To influence, make eye contact and present your point of view.
• Create a plan of action to follow stated goals.

Dr. Rex Gatto Workplace Tip #3

Do You Have Managers or Leaders at Your Workplace? (A manager focuses on the past to the present while a leader focuses on the present to the future.)

A leader must:

• Clearly define and communicate goals.
• Establish actions to successfully achieve results for followers.
• Give employees credit through recognition.
• Be flexible and assess changing business needs.
• Create a leadership environment that is open and encourages differing viewpoints
• Listen and show concern for people.

Dr. Rex Gatto Workplace Tip #2

Meetings are Not An Alternative to Work

• Provide an agenda at least one day in advance.
• Identify the purpose of the meeting and state what is to be accomplished.
• Allow people to come and go from a meeting - do not hold people captive.
• Outline the time in and out: include decisions to be made, action to be taken, time frame, and people involved.
• Conclude meetings by asking what was agreed upon and what follow-up actions should be taken.

Dr. Rex Gatto Workplace Tip #1

A psychologically healthy workplace fosters employee health and well being while enhancing employee performance and productivity.

• Ask employees for their opinions and involve them in decisions that affect them.
• Provide developmental training.
• Give performance feedback.
• Provide fair and equitable salary and benefits.
• Provide educational programs addressing workplace stress.