At the end of a webinar a manager told me: “Some of my employees feel guilty for not being able to manage everything at once: teleworking, their children, household tasks… I would like to help them, but I don’t know how”. Guilt is an emotion that is as unpleasant as it is useful: it appears when we feel we have caused harm and urges us to remedy it. However,

We haven’t all experienced lockdown in the same way. Some have felt indispensable, others useless. And others have lacked recognition because teleworking has rendered their contribution invisible. These differences naturally give rise to tensions like mutual stereotyping, disintegration of teams and declining performance. How can these be avoided? Psychology’s solution is the “superordinate goal”, i.e. a goal that can only be achieved through the active participation of each member

Have you ever heard of the “bystander effect”? In psychology it is the phenomenon that the more people there are in a place, the less likely any one individual is to help someone in trouble. It is basically due to a dilution of responsibility (there are lots of people; someone else is bound to help on my behalf). When coming out of lockdown, many employees will experience bouts of

Are you familiar with the concept “locus of control”? In psychology, it’s the way we determine the cause of what happens to us. We can divide ourselves into two categories: – The “internals”: what happens to me depends on me… if I fail it’s my fault. These people progress more quickly in their careers but go through intense phases of guilt and self-questioning. – The “externals”: what happens to

The current situation is exceptional for everyone and that includes managers. Assuming one’s managerial responsibility means explaining the reasoning behind decisions that are misunderstood or poorly received by one’s colleagues whenever possible, and apologizing wherever mistakes have been made. While it is normally legitimate to expect exemplary behaviour from managers, calls for excellence in the current crisis are as futile as examples of leniency are essential.

We’re not all going to come back with the same emotional charge at the end of lockdown. Some will have spent their time enjoying the first rays of spring sunshine while others will have been cooped up with their children and stifling workload. Still others will have been exposed on the front-line on a daily basis. Taking time out at the end of lockdown to ensure a coordinated response

Imagining life after Covid-19 is not easy. One may feel rather stuck in this exceptional period and emotionally depleted. The situation calls for us to forgo a cognitive bias called “availability heuristics”; that is our tendency to have our thoughts consumed by which is directly in front of us. Indulging our availability heuristic inhibits both present-day creativity and positive future projections. The good news is that you just have

One of the most common causes of smell loss is a viral infection, such as the common cold, sinus or other upper respiratory tract infections. Those coronaviruses that don’t cause deadly diseases, such as COVID-19, Sars and Mers, are one of the causes of the common cold and have been known to cause smell loss. In most of these cases, sense of smell returns when symptoms clear, as smell loss is simply the result of a blocked nose, which prevents aroma molecules reaching olfactory receptors in the nose. In some cases, smell loss can persist for months and years.

So you’ve done everything you’re supposed to. You’re eating in a calorie deficit, are exercising a few times a week, and are getting close to your weight loss goal. And then you hit a plateau with only a few pounds to lose – and they just won’t seem to budge.

New research shows the significant role gig workers will play in the economy as businesses reshape for the future. A report called Gig Economy: Financial Security or Greater Control shows that 18% of UK HRDs expect over 75% of their staff to be gig workers in just five years, while 26% of European HR directors believe their workforces will have 51-75% of gig workers within the same period.

Do you know what it means to have a “sense of coherence”? In psychology, it is a characteristic of people who are healthy, live longer, are happier in the different spheres of their lives and perform better at work. People with this characteristic are defined as follows: – they perceive the world as understandable – they have confidence in their resources (physical, psychological, social…) to cope with difficulties –

In February this year, we launched our discussion paper “2045: the future of work – the changing face of employee benefits” looking at how employee benefits (EB) may change over the next 25 years, based on the trends we were seeing in the industry and the world of work. Just a few months on, the changes that we suggested might take decades are already happening because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate of change happening in the global EB industry, such as the delivery of digital benefits solutions and virtual healthcare provision, has accelerated beyond anything that could have been predicted at the start of the year.

During the week of 11-15 May 2020, global benefits, HR, and mobility professionals took part in one of the most prestigious and longest-running – now virtual – international HR conferences in the world.

On GEB’s Response To Covid-19 And The Steps Being Undertaken To Ensure Cover For All

There is no doubt about it, Global mobility is complex, however with the right help and support, mobile benefit plans do not need to be. Pasquale Gorrasi, Director – International Lines, GEB, talks about why the GEB Network’s new and innovative ‘Best Compliant Model’ offers the benefits consistency that Mobility Managers need.

Are you familiar with “toxic handlers”? These are people who have the ability to “absorb” the stress triggered by crises and limit the impact of it on their colleagues. These empathetic qualities will prove essential in the transition out of lock-down, enabling these people to: – quickly identify colleagues in difficulty – listen and soothe with compassion and respect – take action around finding effective solutions How do you

Do you know what anticipatory anxiety is? In psychology it is the pervasive fear of an event to come. At the moment, many employees are apprehensive about coming out of isolation and returning to work because of the risks of contamination. Avoidance behaviours will appear such as refusal to shake hands, refusal to take the elevator together, self-isolation in open spaces etc. These are all essential subjects to raise

Together with his team, the “sensemaker” manager will intentionally try to make sense of the exceptional situation. To transform the crisis into an opportunity for growth, he differentiates 3 dimensions of sense. These are: – A feeling: what did we feel? – A meaning: what does it mean for us? – A direction: where do we go from here? In the “sensemaker managers” workshops that I lead, we learn

Three types of managers will emerge at the end of lockdown: – The aggressive type: he’ll discredit the difficulties experienced by everyone by demanding a focus on performance alone: “no more twiddling your thumbs, I want everyone 100% on sales.” He will come out looking brutal and will be despised by his team. – The avoidant type: he’ll pretend that nothing happened for fear of delving into the real

Attempting to manage a team through an exceptional situation using conventional management methods will lead to great disappointment. Sensemaking invites us to uncover symbols within each person’s experience to bring collective meaning to this event. Don’t: say things like “the past is the past; now it’s time to focus on the numbers so we can catch up.” This deprives the team of an opportunity to create a stronger sense

Do you know the term “sensemaking”? In psychology it is one of the most effective techniques for restoring well-being and performance after an exceptional crisis. It is based on a particular form of management used to facilitate a healthy return to work. Let’s begin with phase 1: recognize that what happened was an ordeal for all members of your team. Don’t: joke around, such as by saying: “how was

There is no greater loneliness than the loneliness we feel in the presence of others, especially when those others are our loved ones. Almost everyone has experienced this feeling of strangeness in a familiar universe and it is frightening. It’s actually a sign of a temporary anxiety that psychologists call depersonalization or derealization. Don’t panic if it happens to you. We are living in an exceptional period of uncertainty,

Remote management is complicated, especially when it comes to detecting an employee in difficulty. Here is a simple technique to identify employees who are in trouble – the “3i” rule: – Isolation: when employees are less present at meetings and check-ins with their managers, or don’t speak as much as usual. – Irritability: when they quickly become tense and show increased sensitivity as manifested by anger, crying or annoyance.

Psychology distinguishes four types of justice at work. The one that creates the most altruistic and performance-enhancing behaviour is procedural justice: I understand and am involved in decisions that have an impact on my daily life. How do you bring this about? By actively participating in decision-making rather than participating in decisions that have already been made! Putting an end to purely ‘formal’ consultations requires a little effort but

What recognition can you offer your employees who are working remotely when the results are not as good as usual? Psychology invites us to dissociate recognition both from the results themselves and from the time of their achievement. A manager who says, “I know it’s difficult for you right now with your children at home. Thank you for your effort, it’s precious to me and is a real credit

Did you know that referring to ‘engagement’ at work is pretty limited? In psychology there are in fact three distinct forms of engagement: The emotional engagement that all companies favour: I stay because I love my company/ job/mission. This works miracles when everything is going well but is disastrous at any other time. The normative: I stay because I am loyal. This is the expression of a “corporate” mentality.

Two months after the May 2020 announcement by MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) of the appointment of Mattieu Rouot as its new CEO, he officially takes over the reins of the multinational employee benefits network following the retirement of Mauro Dugulin. As CEO of MAXIS GBN, Mattieu Rouot oversees relationships with more than 500 multinational companies in over 120 countries around the world. He joined MAXIS in May