This essential guide explains how to find satisfaction in the workplace in the face of imperfections involving oneself and others. The Undreaded Job: Learning to Thrive in a Less-than-Perfect Workplace was written to help people find satisfaction in the workplace, turning work into a major contributor to overall happiness. The book is organized around issues individuals face as they try to thrive in the face of inevitable workplace imperfections. These include imperfections in the leaders for whom they work and the colleagues with whom they interact. The book also covers the influence of one's own thinking processes and those of others, power and political sophistication in the workplace, worker motivation, development and change, workplace diversity, social skills, and the communication challenges that arise as people pursue different or conflicting goals. The author, an expert in both psychology and management, reviews research on these topics as it relates to workplace satisfaction and life happiness. Each chapter explains research findings in ways that translate them into key concepts applicable in any workplace, at any level. Dozens of vignettes illustrate how this important issue goes unrecognized, yet how vital it is to life happiness A bibliography lists important research studies that contribute to finding workplace satisfaction An index of key terms

This practical, easy-to-understand book sets a path to successfully building a culture for sustainability in today's global marketplace, providing "best practice" case studies from industries and sectors including manufacturing, business-to-business, hospitality, consumer products, telecommunications, and professional services. In their own words, leaders, managers, and employees from nine global companies explain how they are turning their visions into reality. Sustainability and human resources expert Jeana Wirtenberg describes how these companies are transforming challenges into opportunities by opening their minds to the megatrends that will define the future. The vast majority of today's CEOs consider sustainability essential to their company's success, yet most do not know how to embed it into their company and its culture. This book guides firms of all types and sizes-from those organizations just starting their journey to sustainability, to those seeking to accelerate their positive impact on people, reduce their negative environmental impact, and improve their bottom line. Wirtenberg shows readers how extraordinary results are possible by engaging the hearts and minds of employees throughout the organization. Never-before-published stories and lessons learned from nine successful global companies that are building cultures for sustainability Tips from business leaders on how to create purposeful work environments that ignite employees' passion Practical resources: on-the-ground successful programs; proven global and local best practices; top-down and bottom-up strategies and activities; and user-friendly frameworks, tools, and references that help firms at any level of sustainability build a more sustainable culture via increased employee engagement

It's tough to be an employee in today's job market. You are expected to keep yourself organized and focused on your work while meeting deadlines, communicating effectively, dealing with difficult people, getting along with co-workers, making your boss happy, and also having enough time at the end of the day to focus on your personal life too. It is enough to drive anyone mad.

Employees want to feel useful, appreciated, challenged, and have opportunities for advancement. Companies want employees who are organized, efficient, reliable, effective, and team-oriented. They even pay large sums of money for various training programs in each of these topics. This book was created to bridge that gap and offer a comprehensive training tool for employees to learn all of the skills their employer wants them to know so that those employees can be happier, more fulfilled, and more successful in the process.

It is assumed that workplaces today are the most age diverse that they have ever been, and as a result many managers report difficulties when leading intergenerational teams. Such problems can stem from several myths about generational divides in the workplace, and it is only in recent academic research that these misconceptions have begun to be dispelled. Despite these emerging perspectives, falsehoods are still perpetuated regarding generational groups. Leadership in Multigenerational Organizations is an attempt to dispel some of these inaccuracies, whilst simultaneously suggesting ways in which different generations can be influenced to work cohesively and positively to accomplish organizational goals. To achieve this, academically supported leadership strategies are examined and applied to the age-related issues that can potentially arise in the workplace. Shifting the focus from assumed generational differences alone, this book considers evidence that calls into question whether intergenerational differences truly are evident in the workplace. Implementing the approaches in Leadership in Multigenerational Organizations increases the possibility of achieving age inclusive companies with improved workplace satisfaction, and ultimately stronger organizational cultures and overall performances. Urick provides specific strategies to influence members of multiple age groups, and the ideas provided here are applicable to almost all industries and organizational types, despite the continuously evolving generational landscape.

At one time, the office was a physical place, and employees congregated in the same location to work together on projects. The advent of the internet and the world wide web, however, not only made the unthinkable possible, it forever changed the way persons view both the office and work. ""Handbook of Research on Virtual Workplaces and the New Nature of Business Practices"" compiles authoritative research from XX scholars from over XX countries, covering the issues surrounding the influx of information technology to the office environment, from choice and effective use of technologies to necessary participants in the virtual workplace.

How firms are structured, the management practices they develop, as well as the way in which workers and managers interact can have wider implications for both the performance of the firm and the well-being of its workers. This volume contains ten original and innovative articles that investigate aspects related to workplace practices and productivity. Topics include the role of employee voice in the workplace, the link between unions, innovation and firms' investment, the relationship between job autonomy and hierarchy, the impact of personnel policies on firm performance, the consequences of incentives through discrete bonus compensation schemes for learning on the job, the repercussions of firm downsizing on worker's performance, the individual returns to entrepreneurship, the impact of private tutoring on college attendance, and the measurement of labor market transitions.

Though creativity is considered an asset in the modern business world, it is currently not being promoted in educational programs. Developing, supporting, and sustaining creativity in individuals will shape the future of business and enrich the incoming workforce. Creativity in Workforce Development and Innovation: Emerging Research and Opportunities presents the latest scholarly research on the importance of creativity in this era of growing complexity and rapid change. Including relevant research on development and sustainability of creativity within businesses, this unique source provides coverage in areas such as teacher preparation, global workforce, and cognitive studies. This book is an important resource for educators, professionals, and students seeking current research on the best options for promoting creativity in education and the modern workforce.

Working for pay is a common experience throughout North America for youth, with up to 80 percent of high school students working for at least a short duration of time through the course of a year. Once adolescents enter the labor market, they usually continue working, though they change jobs frequently through to their early 20s. Most working youth are employed during both the school year and the summer. Adolescents and young adults are exposed to a variety of workplace risks and hazards that include operating dangerous tools, machinery, and vehicles; handling cash in situations prone to robbery; and working with supervisors and co-workers whose own 'safe work practices' are suspect. Proper orientation and training is sometimes minimal; supervision can be limited and of questionable quality. Given that over the past fifty years the proportion of adolescents entering the workforce has increased six-fold for both males and females, and that the number of working youth is expected to continue increasing due to globalization and diffusion of new technologies, there is definite cause for concern. Why the large discrepancy between young people and adults when it comes to workplace injury? Why are our future workers being injured at all? Youth willingly enter work settings expecting to be guided and protected, yet many are exposed to work environments and safety cultures leading to quite different outcomes. Some answers may lie in better understanding the young worker experience or in the similarities and differences between the young worker and adult worker experience. We only know that a simplistic, rote answer will not suffice, especially when young people continue to be injured, some fatally, on the job. In an effort to begin answering some of these questions, we have developed this two part book. Part I is designed to provide the reader with an overview of what we know about young workers and some of the factors that may influence their ability to stay safe at work. The literature draws attention to areas ranging from the Nature of the Workplace, to Risk Perception, and finally to Management and System Support. Where appropriate, the findings from the Young Worker Young Supervisor (YWYS) project are brought into the existing literature on young worker health and safety. Part I sets the tone for Part II of the monograph by giving the reader an idea of what young workers find themselves facing when they enter the world of work, from characteristics of the workplace to unique conditions and relationships of young workers. To further illuminate the issues and situations youth face in the workplace, Part II presents a series of vignettes that were drawn from real life situations observed through the course of the YWYS project. The vignettes are brief, evocative descriptions, accounts, or episodes representing the types of experiences common to young workers. These vignettes are based on the case studies and interviews conducted during the course of the YWYS project. The circumstances presented in the vignettes reflect the conditions under which many young workers find themselves. As farfetched as some of the managers' and young workers' behavior may seem in the vignettes, the events are fictionalized versions of real workplace occurrences. Each vignette is followed by one or more 'scenario(s)', each presenting an open-ended problem taken from real life and faced by young workers. Each scenario ends with a series of questions intended to encourage the reader towards further discussion.