< Previous50 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk Here’s Frazer’s collection of the weird and wonderful ‘news’ that came his way over the last few weeks. And finally The world of Frazer To change, or not to change, that is the question Managers changing in response to feedback — that’s a good thing, surely? Well, maybe not it turns out…if it’s done too quickly. New research from the brains at Stanford Graduate School of Business indicates that this is how employees feel. When superiors alter their behaviour swiftly, they may be viewed as responsive, but they may also be considered insincere. Francis Flynn, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, said: “People want these changes to happen, but when the changes happen too quickly, people find fault in the leader making them.” The paradox puts bosses in a tough, double-bind situation. While common sense would suggest that leaders should react promptly to feedback to avoid seeming dismissive, the researchers demonstrated that people don’t necessarily trust rapid adjustments in behaviour, particularly if they consider those changes to be difficult. Taking on the spreadsheet champions Forget the Ryder Cup, forget the Ashes, Frazer has a new sport to get behind — one that many of your colleagues could even be a pro at. A man from Lincolnshire is on the road to Las Vegas to represent the UK at the world spreadsheet championship. Having won the British title in London, after numerous qualifying competitions, Ha Dang is ready to take on global rivals at the Microsoft Excel World Championship. Impressively, Dang only heard about the competition after watching a contest at a conference earlier this year, as he told the BBC. He shared how he thought he would be capable of success in the e-sport too, watching instructional videos on YouTube to train. The competition requires participants to solve unusual game tasks in Microsoft Excel, tapping into logical thinking skills and transforming a common office tool into a dynamic sport, celebrating the power of spreadsheets. Seasonal productivity Are you feeling more productive now we have transitioned into the autumn season? Well, you should be, according to new research that has come across Frazer’s desk! Findings from the Global Payroll Alliance indicate that two thirds of workers report decreased levels of productivity during the summer months, with 30% sharing they lose between 30 and 60 minutes of productive work time a day and 27% in excess of an hour. Key contributing factors to this include uncomfortable office temperatures and difficulty concentrating as well as issues such as sweating, poor ventilation, and dehydration. Unfortunately, only 49% of employers are actively addressing the issue, so if you are amongst the other 51%, ahead of next year’s hottest months, slip this study to your boss to get that essential air conditioning installed! © stock.adobe.com/ Elnur © stock.adobe.com/ ABCreative © stock.adobe.com/IB PhotographyWhether it’s banner ads, headers, newsletters, podcasts or print campaigns from as little as £60 a month, please contact Angie Cooper T: 01472 310310 • E: a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukTOWER FIELD SERVICES Cat Tech Tower Field Services offers bespoke mechanical services to oil refinery and petrochemical plants all around the world. Our team has vast experience in overseeing and undertaking the installation of all types of Tower internals. Our Tower tray, packing and other internals installation services has deep roots, with several of the senior team at Cat Tech being involved in the founding of the Cana-Tex organisation. 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