Ep 103 - Tackling Workplace Optimism and Positivity with Shawn Murphy - Workology

Ep 103 - Tackling Workplace Optimism and Positivity with Shawn Murphy - Workology Episode 103: Tackling Workplace Optimism and Positivity with Shawn Murphy (@theshawnmurphy) Work doesnt need to be a soul sucking nightmare especially when you consider how much time you spend at the office versus your home, with friends and family. A Root Inc. found  that 68 percent of employees believed their senior managers were more focused on their own needs and less interested in inspiring others. A  Towers Watson study  found that less than half of respondents believed senior managers were interested in employees well-being. I wanted to explore more about how can we promote workplace optimism when leaders, employees and team members believe that no one is focused on each other, just themselves selfishly. So today we are focused on how to increase optimism and productivity in your organization, workforce, and team. Selfishly, I’m excited for this podcast interview. Episode 103: Tackling Workplace Optimism and Positivity with Shawn Murphy (@theshawnmurphy) Shawn Murphy dives in right away to discuss how companies can increase their workplace optimism and positivity. This is definitely a challenge especially with so many outside factors impacting employees happiness and optimism. Where does a company begin? Shawn discusses some practical solutions that companies can take advantage now to improve the work environment driving productivity and engagement. Shawn walks us through the differences between optimism and happiness. One might think they are the same thing but they are very different. Shawn also touches on the best way to determine an employees strengths and weaknesses. I asked him if he prefers or suggests an assessment like Strengths Finder or DiSC over another. He tells me that those surveys while effective are not the only way to understand how teams and their team members can best work together. In order to begin creating an optimistic work environment, you dont have to make big changes. The key is to understand whats important for your employee population and begin making small but targeted changes. These might include flexible work schedules or setting team goals to better align your employees with their personal goals and the larger company goals. Shawn has a great article form Inc. that goes into more detail of ways to make small changes in the workplace without breaking the bank. I think it always a huge concern as leaders are always monitoring costs. Ive included a link to the article in the resources section of the transcript. How Do You Measure Optimism? Happiness and optimism are such fuzzy words. They, like most things related to human capital are also hard to measure. Shawn talks me through some of the best ways to effectiveness measure optimism in the office and how to communicate those changes you are experiencing to your senior business leaders. For myself, sometimes optimism is just a feeling. Its something that just grabs you when you walk into a meeting or an office meeting making them extremely hard to measure, but when its happening and the stars have aligned the feeling is magical making for some of the most innovative work ideas and team collaborations Ive seen in my career. Shawn was a wonderful guest on the podcast. While he shared many great insights, he also is the founder of a popular workplace leader blog called SwitchandShift.com. He has many more resources and articles from himself and others that you can check out there. Connect with Shawn on LinkedIn. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES The Optimistic Workplace ~ Shawns book The Secret to Happy Employees at Your Workplace Utah University Study: Happiness Doesnt Impact Performance Ep 21: What is Employee Motivation with Susan Fowler  ~ Podcast 10 Tips for Creating an Optimistic Workplace How to Subscribe to the Workology Podcast Stitcher PocketCast iTunes Podcast RSS Google Play YouTube *A special thank you to my production team at Total Picture Radio.