Coworkers.com Blog

Coworkers.com is #5 on list of Top 105 Beautiful Job Search Company Logos

2009-06-26T05:09:00.000-07:00

JobMob: "Top 105 Beautiful Job Search Company Logos That Will Wow You"

See the full list here...

How to "Tweet" (or otherwise link to) Your Requests for Feedback

2009-06-18T04:08:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted an easier, more organized way to gather feedback from your online & social networking contacts?

We've recently made improvements to our Feedback wizard so that you can quickly share your requests via shortened link on: Twitter, Facebook, or any other online source such as a website, blog, email newsletter, etc.

Simply step through our "Get Feedback" Wizard and choose the option that gives you a custom shortened URL for sharing online. After you make this choice, you will see the options shown above, including a handy link that will populate your Twitter status with one click.

The screen cap above illustrates a request for input on a speech. You can choose to get feedback on a wide variety of topics among our three high level categories of: Work Performance, Event or Milestone, and Document or Deliverable. Use a pre-designed template or craft your own questionnaire. Now, go Tweet your way to better work!

Tools to Manage Your Reviews & Feedback for Greater Insight

2009-05-27T05:19:00.000-07:00

As part of our ongoing efforts to ease and improve the management of reviews and feedback that you send and receive via Coworkers.com, we've recently made some enhancements to the "My Reviews & Feedback" tools.

The icons in the first column make it easier to quickly see the attributes of a given review...

In addition to these helpful cues, the ratings column is now colored to reinforce the overall rating (green = 10-7, yellow = 6-4, red = 3-1).

Login to see your Reviews & Feedback, or Signup for free to get started. Keep your eyes out for additional management and analytics features coming soon!

New Demo Video: Getting Feedback with Coworkers.com

2009-05-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

In this short demo, we illustrate a scenario in which the goal is to request feedback, from colleagues, about a recent meeting with an important client. Give it a look-see!

Looking for Feedback on _?Yeah, There's a Review Template for That...

2009-05-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Whether you are looking to receive or send feedback, we offer an ever-expanding set of templates (some that we've developed, as well as ones created by our user community). If you can't find the perfect questionnaire, you can either modify an existing template or create your own feedback form using our easy template builder.

Templates are broken into three main categories, as seen below:

How's you work?

Three Big Assumptions Leaders Should Question

2009-04-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

HarvardBusiness.org - "Corporate success rests on good leadership.

Or so we all believed. For at least a generation, we have praised corporate executives as examples of good management. To me, one of the most disturbing aspects of the current recession — aside from financial insecurity — is the failure of leadership, especially corporate leadership. So the question arises, what were senior executives thinking? How did they allow this to happen? And why were they so late to respond?..."

Summary: "Here are three assumptions about how leaders manage that are coming under challenge."

It is important for organizations to set firm goals.
Quick wins are essential to managers in transition.
Senior leaders believe in their CEOs.

Read the full article...

Photo credit: Bludgeoner86

It's 11:45 on Tuesday, leave me alone!

2009-04-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

Tuesday at 11:45 is most stressful time of the week, survey suggests

Researchers found that nearly half of British workers identified mid-morning on their second working day of the week as the moment when they were most under pressure.

Most workers coast through Monday getting their brain in gear and catching up with gossip from the weekend through social networking sites.

But on Tuesday reality sets in and staff spend the first part of the day going through emails they ignored on Monday before planning the week ahead.

And 11.45am is the point when everything comes to a head...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5113653/Tuesday-at-1145-is-most-stressful-time-of-the-week-survey-suggests.html

5 Work at Home Scams to Avoid

2009-04-08T08:22:00.001-07:00

So, you've recently been laid off, and you're "working at home"? Well beware, there are lots of predators out there looking to make a quick buck off people when they are at their most vulnerable.

http://www.smartmoney.com/Spending/Rip-offs/5-Work-at-Home-Scams-to-Avoid/

OK, this may be taking it a BIT too far :)

2009-04-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A new reality show from the Dutch-based creator of the hit TV series 'Big Brother' will allow staff at companies struggling in the global recession to choose which colleague should be fired.

In each episode of 'Someone's Gotta Go', developed by production company Endemol, workers at a struggling business will choose who should get a salary cut or raise and who should be fired based on information about pay and past performance.

The secret war against American workers

2009-03-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Salon.com: "The deepening recession is giving some businesses the excuse to fire people they'd have had to keep on in better conditions...

The mainstream media has generally sketched a picture of a labor market in which, under the pressure of an economic meltdown, workers succumb to two types of downsizing. In one, a fierce recession forces businesses, desperate to cut costs in terrible times, to lay off workers. They, in turn, face grim prospects for gainful employment elsewhere. In a kinder, gentler version of the same, employers, desperate to cut costs in terrible times, offer -- or sometimes force workers to take -- "furloughs," salary cuts, union givebacks, four-day work weeks, or unpaid holidays rather than axing large numbers of them...

When employees police their own behavior for fear of the ax, bad times have an upside for management."

In an environment of uneasiness, or unfortunately even fear, you could think of it as "policing" your own behavior. However, it may be healthier to frame the issue as an opportunity to focus on your own professional development. Stay sharp, and get frequent feedback from your colleagues on your weekly / monthly output.

You can't always control your job security, but you can control the work you do.

So, how's your work?

Read the full article or leave us a comment with your take.

Photo credit: Salon.com

Feature Update: Your Feeback Dashboard

2009-03-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

We're happy to announce a new feature. Coworkers.com users can now access a revamped personalized homepage when they login.

This is your central point for tracking:

Quick links to account settings
Public profile summary
Feedback alerts
Other recent activity
Suggested next steps
Other useful tools & shortcuts

Feedback, Any Way You Want It:A Closer Look at Review Templates:

2009-02-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

Different circumstances, often call for different types of input. Therefore, our goal is to make it easy for you to give and receive the right feedback, in the right format.

One of our recent site upgrades added the ability to control exactly what appears on the Review Forms that you use to collect and share feedback. We achieve this with "Review Templates".

Review Templates are essentially questionnaires that can contain any mix of interactive form elements, such as rating sliders, free text, single and multiple choice questions, date selectors, validated numbers, etc.

Coworkers.com offer great flexibility, you can:

Use pre-designed templates: Get going right away with one of the Coworkers.com Best Practices templates; or select one of the many user-designed templates in our growing library.
Customize existing templates: If one of the above pre-designed templates isn't quite perfect, you can customize it as you see fit, and save it for future use.
Create and save your own templates from scratch: Perhaps the form you are looking for isn't in our template library at all. You can quickly create a custom one using our form building wizard. Save it for your own future use, and optionally share it with others by adding it to our template library.

No matter what kind of feedback you are looking to get or give, Coworkers.com has you covered. Click here to start using Review Templates!

Companies Rethink Annual Performance Reviews

2009-02-16T06:14:00.000-08:00

NPR Morning Edition · The annual performance review is getting reviewed itself, and has received low marks. Employees say feedback from the review is too little and comes too late to be effective. Now companies are beginning to rethink how they give feedback.

Listen to the segment here...

Request Feedback, They'll Be Glad You Asked...

2009-02-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

Using Coworkers.com for proactive professional development

Now, more than ever, it's important to be on top of your game. Periodic reviews can help you see the big picture, but often it's the more frequent input that can have the biggest impact.

When it comes to continuous improvement, there's no time like the present. So go for it, ask people what they think!

Our powerful and flexible review tools can help you:

Request honest opinions from your colleagues about your work performance
Ask people to assess events or milestones like a meeting, client presentation or trade show
Receive input on a document or deliverable, such as a presentation or resume

You can choose from our growing library of customizable pre-designed
Review Form Templates, or easily craft your own questionnaires. Get
feedback, so you can find out how you are doing and where you need to
improve. Click here to get started.

Helping Managers develop the Next Gen’s Social Skills

2009-02-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

jasonseiden.com: "I have a client who complained about his subordinates because they lacked social abilities. Specifically, they wouldn’t pick up the phone. They didn’t know how...

Thanks to social media, Next Generation employees are developing socially in the reverse order as their managers. They’re not build out from a few key connections, they’re filtering down from an incredibly broad and shallow pool...

For a manager looking to take ownership for his or her team’s success, the take-away here is that what looks like a skill deficiency on the surface may actually be something else, such as a technological shift. The best thing to do in this case is to not fight the trend, but rather to accept it and go with it..."

Some interesting observations: check out the full article here

The Upside of Hiring Now

2009-01-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

Inc.com: "Why companies who can add employees now should."

"As pink slips pile up nationwide, hiring may seem like a risky – or downright foolish – move for employers. Yet, according to many career counseling experts, if you can afford to, now is a great time to augment your staff..."

Key points:

There is a much larger pool of extremely talented people who are hungrier than ever
Employers can find talented and valuable workers who are more open to flexile relationships like contract work or part-time positions
Companies to look to this labor pool, if not for new hires than to replace their own inefficient workers

Read the article for the full scoop.

Photo credit: madebytess

Eight bad tech habits to quit in the new year

2009-01-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

msnbc.com offers up a list of Eight bad tech habits to quit in the new year - "Bad habits are hard to break. But as 2009 ushers in a new year, it's time to usher out some of our bad technology-based behavior..."

#6 is probably responsible for a measurable decrease in office productivity. Read the full list...

You can't fire me, I'm drunk!

2009-01-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

Ah, OK then...

Reuters: "Peru's top court has ruled that workers cannot be fired for being drunk on the job, a decision that was criticized by the government on Wednesday for setting a dangerous precedent...

The Constitutional Tribunal ordered that Pablo Cayo be given his job back as a janitor for the municipality of Chorrillos, which fired him for being intoxicated at work... Celso Becerra, the administrative chief of Chorrillos, a suburb of Lima, denounced the ruling."

Photo credit: junkmonkey

Recovering From Negative Reviews

2009-01-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

WSJ.com Video: "A Web site can be a marketer's lifeline with its customers, but what happens when it's marred with negative reviews and comments? Bruce Weinberg, marketing professor at Bentley University, tells WSJ's Erin White how to address and recover from poor feedback..."

This video addresses how to deal with reviews of a company or product Website. However, it's broad message is applicable to many situations. Feedback received, good or bad, is still better than not knowing about potentially legitimate problems with your product or performance. Watch it here...

Web Culture And The New Ethos Of Work

2009-01-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

Stowe Boyd gave a presentation back in July at the Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston, entitled Web Culture And The New Ethos Of Work. A colleague on twitter recently pointed out that the slide deck and notes from this presentation are on Mr. Boyd's blog. Some interesting ideas, check it out...

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

We have some exciting site improvements planned for 2009, and can't wait to share them with you.

Here are a few new things you can start taking advantage of right away:

Get Valuable Feedback with our improved request feedback feature
Browse and select pre-made Review Templates - choose to give or request feedback on Work Performance, Events/Milestones, or Documents/Deliverables
Create your own Review Template from scratch - from a simple question, to a detailed structured form, you can ask exactly what you want

"The Art of Working with Recruiters"

2008-12-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

Whelan Stone offers their inside perspective on "how to maximize your relationship with recruiters so they’ll want to work with you." They've compiled a five-point list that they call a "Take Five on how to have a mutually beneficial relationship with your recruiter and stand out from the herd."

Here is a summary of their key points:

Be Clear and Realistic
Be Forthcoming
Be Responsive
Establish a Long Term Relationship
Be Appreciative

Here's one more interesting tid-bit to consider "when two candidates are “neck and neck” for the position, companies will often rely on the recruiter to help them decide who should get the offer." For more details about the five points above, read the full article here.

"Real-life Dilbert manager quotes"

2008-12-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

The blog 'Architects Rule!' is managed by a lead developer with a Belgian office of Microsoft. He's tracked down 'the top ten quotes in corporate America'. These include some priceless ones, such as the winner:

"As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks."
-Fred Dales, Microsoft Corp. in Redmond WA

Check out the rest of the quotes here...

Fast Company: Show Up and Deliver Your Best Everyday

2008-12-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

Fast Company offers valuable insight: "In a recent conversation with a client, she mentioned that she and her team were in a "wait-and-see" mindset as it pertained to budgets and projects for next year. Given the current market, I could understand where she was coming from. However, I sensed a certain lethargy that I knew would put them in a bad spot in the months and year to come if not addressed..."

When the news hits hard, or you 'survive' a round of layoffs it's hard for you not to feel like your energy has been zapped. The article suggests "What you do today lays the foundation for what you do tomorrow, next week, next year, and the rest of your life. It's not an issue of results. It's an issue of momentum. When you believe you can have a positive impact, others believe it too. Everyone's inspired to action. And you build momentum. When you vacillate in that belief, others vacillate too. Action starts and stops. Momentum never comes. And you get resignation and exhaustion instead. In this way, delivering your best is not something you can turn off and on depending on circumstances. It must be a daily habit..."

Other useful tips offered:

Look at what's on your plate today or this week.
How do you feel about it? Does it inspire you, bore you, depress you? Be honest with yourself.
If it's not a productive mindset, find a way to shift it. Projects themselves are rarely boring or depressing, it's usually the approach to them that is.
If you work with other people engage them in the process of shifting this mindset together.
Remember, you can always have a positive impact on yourself and the world around you - it's merely a state of mind

Read the full article at fastcompany.com

Photo credit: Thorne Enterprises

Gifts For Coworkers

2008-12-01T05:53:00.000-08:00

nicegesture.com has some sound advice for the holiday season: "Your coworkers and staff are your company's greatest assets, so it is imperative to gift accordingly. Giving gifts to your coworkers can build relationships, or can cause unanticipated problems..."

Here's an overview of their tips:

DON'T discriminate
DON'T play favorites
Be careful about gifts for people of opposite sex
Include everyone
Double-check for personalization mistakes
Buy gifts not work-related
Be careful when giving food gifts

The article also offers some advice on giving gifts for a group of coworkers, get the full details here.