Project Management and Holiday Time Management: Merrily Mastering the Moment

By Sheryl McAtee   December 1, 2021
Categories: Time Management Tags: Time Management, time management skills, time management tips

For many professionals, managing projects through the holidays is a challenge – keeping clients happy, keeping production running, while also caring for your team and your family is tough. Here are some tips for managing competing demands: Block Away Time: If you have freedom with your schedule, let your bosses, clients and teams what your…
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Using Procrastination: A Time Management Tool During the Holidays

By Sheryl McAtee   December 1, 2021
Categories: Time Management Tags: Time Management, time management skills, time management tips

Let’s face it – most of us have a unique talent for procrastination! Instead of that difficult report, we work on email. Instead of having that difficult conversation, we call a friend. Instead of working on that status report, we do laundry or online shopping. The holiday season brings a diversity of needs and a…
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Entering the Holiday with Energy and Eagerness: Managing Time Through the Holidays

By Sheryl McAtee   December 1, 2021
Categories: Time Management Tags: Time Management, time management skills, time management tips

Many people are approaching the end of 2021 with a sense that a New Normal may be emerging. Kids are back in school, families are gathering again, and businesses are settling into new telework and remote work patterns. At the same time, many are experiencing stress and challenges at work in managing supply chain challenges,…
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The Irony of True Engagement: Stretching Hurts!

By Sheryl McAtee   October 22, 2021
Categories: Management, Supervision & Leadership Tags: Employee Engagement

Different employees want different developmental opportunities. Some prefer the stability of a long-term dedicated role; others want to be stretched to grow and learn something new. Some may see new opportunities as the organization just continuing to raise the stakes; others may seek that challenge. For high-performing employees who want to be stretched, the most…
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Employee Retention – Making the Case for Staying

By Sheryl McAtee   October 22, 2021
Categories: Management, Supervision & Leadership Tags: Employee Engagement, employee retention

With rapid shifts in the economy and business landscape, retaining current employees feels like an important mandate.  Employee retention is certainly vital for operations and continuity.  It is also important to be objective in weighing both their value to you, and your value to them.  Here are some questions to ask in this process. How…
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Employee Engagement and Retention in Changing Times

By Sheryl McAtee   October 22, 2021
Categories: Management, Supervision & Leadership Tags: Employee Engagement

The news is tough these days for organizational managers!  They need to redefine the workplace for a more virtual remote workforce; they face daily supply chain uncertainties and constraints; and turnover seems to be at an all-time high.  In the face of all this uncertainty and change, how do you best engage and retain? Here…
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Clear Communication: A Critical Factor in Customer Service

By Sheryl McAtee   September 30, 2021
Categories: Customer Service Tags: customer service best practices, customer service training

Communication is essential for most human-to-human interactions, and customer service is a key example of these interactions.  Effective customer service involves “reading” the other person, gathering information, and responding to those needs. Here are examples of how great communication supports customer service: Suspend judgement. Serving customers requires an open mind, so you are gathering information…
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Learn from Customers in Challenging Times

By Sheryl McAtee   September 30, 2021
Categories: Customer Service Tags: customer service best practices, customer service training

The pandemic has fundamentally changed many businesses, and the expectations and needs of many customers. How can a business learn from and use these changes to improve customer service? First, it is important to evaluate how customers and their habits have changed over the past several months. How have their goals changed? How do they…
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Customer Service: Managing Bad Customers

By Sheryl McAtee   September 30, 2021
Categories: Customer Service Tags: customer service best practices, customer service training

Recent news stories have described the challenges that many customer service professionals face in today’s environment.  These stories capture customer impatience with understaffed businesses, objections to public health guidance and irritation about missing items due to supply chain shortages. Many customer service representatives are taught that the customer is always right. And it’s true, your…
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Systematic Workplace Safety: Asking Who and When?

By Sheryl McAtee   August 30, 2021
Categories: OSHA & Workplace Safety Tags: national preparedness month, preparedness, workplace safety

Preparedness takes different forms and needs different tools depending on who is impacted and when.  Here are two scales to consider: WHO: Is the focus on the individual, or the larger office or organization? WHEN: Is the focus on an immediate emergency or event, or longer-term safety planning? When combining these scales, there are four…
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