With all the talk of returning to work, just what are employees returning to?
For some, "loud laborers" are a distracting wrinkle in today's workplace — according to Monster, 77% of employees have worked with someone who is overly vocal about their work,
"These loud laborers aren't necessarily productive, but yet they're like, 'Hey, look at me,' and it's easily disruptive," says Vicki Salemi, a career expert at Monster. Salemi shares the damage loud laborers can make to workplace culture, and how leaders can provide feedback and guidance to everyone equitably.
Read more about distractions in the workplace:
Left unaddressed, bad habits at work can lead to a toxic environment for employees. Sixty-four percent of employees say they've experienced some form of workplace toxicity, which they've defined as a disrespectful, abusive, non-inclusive, unethical and cutthroat environment, according to a 2023 study from job seeking platform The Muse.
HR leaders need to address these issues immediately, and provide resources to give employees a break if emotions run high, says Lauren Grant, a senior workplace advisory manager at workplace furnishing company HNI. She recommends "wellness rooms" where employees can sit quietly to gather their thoughts.
"Having a place with visual and auditory privacy to recover, pray, meditate or practice therapy techniques is helpful in allowing employees a space to ensure they are taking care of their needs," she says.
Does your company need a wellness room? Read more to find out:
In worst-case scenarios, employees may have to turn to mental health resources to manage the effects of a toxic workplace. In that case, ensuring benefits are readily available is vital, says Karishma Patel Buford, clinical psychologist and chief people officer at mental health solution Spring Health.
"Don't just offer up this benefit on a silver platter; make sure people use it and see that it's genuine," she says. "It's about creating a culture where people can truly thrive, and that means their best self on the job and in their life."
Read more for strategies on boosting utilization of mental health benefits:
Having an intelligent leader can mitigate many of these issues. To find who makes the cut, e-learning platform Preply evaluated the linguistic patterns of 100 U.S. executives, to identify who tops the smart scale based on their speech — and who is
When it comes to the use of vocabulary, critical thinking and relevance in their public appearances, chief execs from DeepMind, Blackstone Group and Berkshire Hathaway were ranked highest in terms of intellect — making them more effective and compassionate leaders.
Read more for all the top leaders on the list:
