Communication in the office can sometimes be difficult to navigate, especially with everyone looking at the world through a different set of eyes. So how do we create a lens through which each of us can look and discuss tough problems that we face day to day?

While it may sound simplistic, one great way we’ve overcome this challenge is by creating a CLEARLINK Marketing Book Club. Someone in the group chooses a non-fiction (preferably marketing) book for the members to read. We then meet bi-weekly to discuss the sections we’ve read and chow down on some tasty grub, courtesy of the company.

Some of you may be thinking, “Getting people talking about a book is nice, but how does that help communication?” Good question.

The great thing about a book is that it provides a solid framework through which to look at something. You may not agree with everything you read, but the words are still on the paper, inside your backpack. The book, and therefore the author’s opinion, becomes an artifact which we use as the reference point for work-related discussion questions.

During the Book Club meetings we are able to bolster our own ideas by leveraging the framework presented by the author. We can also address touchy subjects, citing the book as the source of any criticism or disagreement about how something is working within the department.

Because the roles represented in the book club are diverse, it has provided insights into the brilliant ideas and serious concerns of people on various teams, creating better transparency for both participating managers and employees.

By Ryan Chatterton

Jr. Online Content Strategist

CLEARLINK Marketing Book Club Founder

[Image by Flickr User: **viv**]

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“Thank you so much! We would have been naked without you guys!”

“Thank you so much for your help in sponsoring the Utah AMA chapter for the
T-shirt competition. We all had a great time networking and trading shirts, we couldn’t have done it without you.”

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Fitness Competition Inspires Better Lifestyles

CLEARLINK employee Jaime Meyers retired from the U.S. ski team in 2010 and hadn’t stepped foot in a gym since she found out she didn’t make the Olympic ski team that year. The CLEARLINK fitness competition inspired her to change that.

“It was like a light came back on inside me,” Meyers said. “The competitive nature I buried deep inside me started to wake up. I knew I could find peace with my past and CLEARLINK was going to help me do it.”

Meyer’s won in the weight loss category and said that in addition to changing her lifestyle, the competition changed her.

“I can honestly tell you that if CLEARLINK didn’t have this fitness competition, I would have never made peace with the gym,” Meyers said. “This wellness program has changed my life and relit the fire within me.”

Health Benefits Go Beyond the Fitness Competition

Diane Allen, one of the overall winners, said the competition gave her the motivation to change her lifestyle, and losing the weight was easier because of the camaraderie she found with her team.

“Every time I dropped a pant size, we would all celebrate,” Allen said. “I never felt like I was doing it alone.”

The effects of the weight loss competition not only helped her and her husband develop healthier eating and exercise habits, but prepared her for another battle.

“I didn’t realize, while I was trimming my waistline and becoming stronger, that I was preparing for the battle of my life,” Allen said. “The week before I won the competition, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am facing a mastectomy and probably chemotherapy. How fortunate am I that I am in the shape I am in, with the health I have to get ready to beat this beast.”

Allen added, “Now, not only do I have the strength to fight, I have my CLEARLINK family to see me through this tough journey. Not only do I feel strong and supported, I feel loved.”

Complete List of Competition Winners

Overall Winners (muscle gain + fat change)
Male: Adam Hedgepeth, 7.71%
Female: Diane Allen, 7.17%

Muscle Gained Winners
Male: Nick Smith, 5.56%
Female: Bianca West, 2.1%

Weight Loss Winners
Male: Adam Hedgepeth, 18.06%
Female: Jaime Meyers, 14.27%

-Additional Sidepot Winners-

Overall Winners (muscle gain + fat change)
Male: Adam Hedgepeth, 7.71%
Female: Andrea Currie, 4.87%

Muscle Gained Winners
Male: Nick Smith, 5.56%
Female: Bianca West, 2.1%

Weight Loss Winners
Male: Jason Barrett 12.57%
Female: Andrea Currie, 9.71%

The two overall winners won a trip to Mexico for them and one guest, while the second tier winners each won $500. The additional sidepot winners split the cash prize between them.

On May 17, CLEARLINK will hold another weigh-in to see if competitors maintained their results. Those who stay within 1.5% of their final body fat percentage, or improve beyond it, will win an additional $150.

Congratulations to all CLEARLINK fitness competition participants!

Charities
For many people, social consciousness is a top priority and they will opt to join a company that matches their views as opposed to one that doesn’t. By pinning pictures or videos of your employees giving back to the community, you let others know that your company takes pride in making a difference in the world around them.

Make a Green Board
Is your company helping clean up the Earth? Let pinners know that you are doing your part to create a more sustainable future. An Ipsos Mori survey showed that 80% of respondents across 15 developed nations prefer working for a company with a “good reputation for environmental responsibility.” In the United States, 81% of respondents agreed.

Print out this free motivational poster, hang it where you’ll see it, and let it stand as a reminder that we don’t know what’s out there until we go exploring.

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How do you determine whether or not a potential employee will be a good fit within your company? An applicant may seem to have all the right qualifications, such as technical proficiency and work experience. But he or she shouldn’t be qualified for merely the position alone.

The applicant should also be qualified for the organization. In other words, he or she should be a good fit within your company’s culture. The applicant should share the same values and behavioral attributes that are exhibited not just in your organization as a whole, but also within the team the applicant will be working with.

Sometimes these can be two different things. For example, an IT department may have a unique culture all its own, as opposed to that of the sales force in the same company. Knowing your company’s overarching culture and individual team cultures will help you as you’re looking for the right fit to fill the position.

So, how can you determine a good fit? Many companies use personality tools such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). While the MBTI may help you get started, there are some more direct questions you can ask the applicant. These questions will help you get a feel for how the applicant might fit in with regards to the existing management and teamwork style within your company culture.

For example:

• What type of work environment helps you to be the most productive and the happiest?

• What was the management style of the best boss you’ve worked for?

• What do you expect your work leaders will do to make you successful?

• What motivates you to push harder and go the extra mile with your work?

• Do you work better on a team or alone? Why?

• What type of role do you usually play while working on a team?

While this list of questions certainly isn’t exhaustive, it may help you begin to think about the types of things that would determine if an applicant is right for your culture. And, the desired answer will likely vary greatly depending on the type of culture for which you’re hiring.

Conversely, if you’re someone who is looking to find a new place of employment, it would be wise to ask yourself these same questions. Then, you’ll be prepared to look for those cultural qualities that best suit you in new opportunities you may be pursuing.

Source: http://humanresources.about.com/od/interviewquestions

It’s that mystery ingredient in our company soup that makes all the difference: employee happiness. What is employee happiness, though, and how can company leaders help employees obtain it?

A happy employee is going to do a better job at work, there’s no denying it, and the hope is that an employee’s increased productivity will make the company more profitable. Gallup recently reported that lost productivity due to employee disengagement costs more than $300 billion in the U.S. every year.

These simple elements, as provided by Gallup, can go a long way to help increase an employee’s happiness. Plus, aside from a little manager training and follow-up, it’s practically free to implement these elements in the workplace.

Sure, a big company party or special financial perks can help boost morale short-term, but the previous simple strategies can help employees feel happy all year long.

And that’s something your company can take to the bank.

It is hard to pick just one aspect of our culture to make the main display on our page. But the social media site Mashable found that the best way to get attention with your Facebook photo is to use images with faces in them.

We make sure to remember this whenever we design a profile picture. We include at least the face of one employee, or CLEARLINKer as we like to call ourselves. Sometimes we take it a step further and include 18, which you can see in the recruiting photo below.

Check out some of the profile photos we have used recently and let us know which one you like the best.

Corporate Wellness Fitness Competition

Holiday Card

Recruiting Photo

Halloween Culture Event

Company-Wide Summer Party