APG Newsletter September

HUMAN RESOURCES

Ask HR!

Have a question, but don’t know whom to ask? The Human Resources staff is listening! You can always send an email to Ask HR if you have questions or concerns. Emails will be kept confidential and, if we print your question in the APG newsletter, we will not use your name.

Questions may be emailed to AskHR@adamspg.com or sent interoffice to your regional HR representative.

DON’T KNOW WHOM TO CALL?

Contact Human Resources.

KATHARINE GLASS

APG Vice President of HR kglass@adamspg.com 865.981.1101

DEB BROOKS

HR Manager - APG West dbrooks@skagitpublishing.com 360.416.2187

GWEN DAVIS

HR Manager - East gdavis@apgenc.com 252.366.8139

HEATHER MCCALMONT HR Manager - Wisconsin, MD, OH hmccalmont@adamspg.com 608.755.9442

THÉRÉSE ZADNIK-KLECKER

HR Manager - APG Central therese.zadnik-klecker@adamspg.com 763.712.3559

Heidi Quanrud - Letchworth State Park Upper Falls

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO & WIN! SUBMIT TO SUBMITNEWS.ADAMSPG.COM. Submit a photo to be featured in the monthly newsletter. Each month, the person whose photo is selected for the front cover will win a $25 gift card!

REMINDER OF

UPCOMING COMPANY HOLIDAYS

LABOR DAY

Monday, September 4, 2023

THANKSGIVING

Thursday, November 23, 2023

CHRISTMAS

Monday, December 25, 2023

NEW YEAR’S DAY

Monday, January 1, 2023

Applying for a Position at APG

Key to Opportunity

APG encourages associates to apply for positions within the company. If you have worked for a least six months with a good record of past performance and have the skills required for an internal position, please apply using the Internal Application or “Key to Opportunity” form available from your HR Representative. To view open positions please go to Adamspg.com/careers.

OPPORTUNITY

CONGRATS

TO OUR AUGUST WINNER

KELLY PICKERING GREENEVILLE SUN

The Question Was:

What year did the Barbie doll debut?

The Answer Was: 1959

What is the most popular spice used in fall baking? SEND

SIX REASONS TO MAINTAIN A CLEAN AND TIDY WORKPLACE

1. PRODUCTIVITY

Most of us spend around one-third of our time at work. A clean environment can increase the productivity of workers, bolster morale and motivation, and create a feeling of belonging within an organization. On the flipside, unkempt workplaces cost businesses millions per year in reduced productivity.

2. IMAGE

Whatever your business, whether you sell products or services, your workplace directly reflects your brand. A dirty, messy, or poorly maintained workplace could tarnish your brand and dissuade potential clients or customers from doing business with you.

3. WELLBEING

A clean and tidy work environment has health and wellbeing benefits, too. It’s no surprise as bacteria, germs, and pests thrive in dirty environments, especially in washrooms, kitchens, and breakrooms. An unclean workplace could contribute to an increase in sick leave or unexplained absenteeism and that’s bad for business on every level.

4. RETENTION

Great places to work are workplaces that are clean, tidy, and well maintained. In these environments, employees feel a sense of pride coming to work. They are more likely to recommend opportunities to their friends and family. You’ll find it easier to recruit and you’ll probably experience less attrition as well.

5. SAFETY

Have you ever worked in an environment that was poorly maintained? Perhaps there were electrical cords running across the floor. Or maybe deliveries were left in the corridors for prolonged periods, or the rubbish bins weren’t emptied every day. Each of these things represents a safety risk. In an unclean or messy workplace, these hazards can go unnoticed whereas they’ll be obvious when things are clean and tidy.

6. PANDEMIC PREVENTION

Dust, vapors, and hazardous substances have always presented respiratory risk. But COVID-19 elevated the importance of ventilation and proper air filtration. The pandemic has provided employers with a sage reminder to regularly clean and maintain their HVAC systems to minimize employee exposure to airborne hazards.

Managing Your Email

Do you feel overwhelmed every time you open your electronic mailbox? If you are like the average wired worker, you get dozens of emails each day. If you feel buried under a mountain of spam and worry that you will miss important messages, there are techniques you can use to organize and prioritize your email for maximum productivity.

Managing Your Email

Email has taken the place of telephone calls, meetings, and even face-to-face conversations as a means of communicating at work. More messages are sent today via email than through the U.S. Postal Service. While this can be an efficient way to get things done, it can also result in a dizzying number of items cluttering up your email inbox, making it more difficult to keep tasks organized and prioritized. Some email messages are unsolicited junk mail, some may be personal messages, chain letters, jokes and gags sent to you by friends. It is easy for the more urgent work-related messages to get lost among these other messages. While at work, you should focus only on messages related to your job.

Here are some suggestions to help you better handle your email, which, when used properly, is a truly effective business tool:

UNDERSTAND YOUR EMAIL PROGRAM: Most of us are adept at sending and receiving basic email. Your email program most likely can help you do much more. If your company’s technology department offers a course on email, take it. You may be surprised by the number of options and efficiencies you can employ by having more than just a basic knowledge of your program. Learning how to sort and file, attach, or open different kinds of documents or link your email to the Internet can make you a more efficient and interesting emailer.

PLAN TIME TO CHECK EMAIL: Avoid jumping in and out of your mailbox just to see if anything is there. Set aside time during the day to check your mail: first thing in the morning, just before lunch, late afternoon and just before you leave work. You will have time to read and act on emails more efficiently in batches. With some email packages, you can set preferences to alert you if an urgent email arrives.

DO IT NOW: There is an old maxim in time- management and office-organization seminars that says “touch paper once.” This holds true for electronic messages, too. When you read your email, take any necessary or appropriate actions immediately. Handle the subject of the email right away, respond to it, file it or delete it. If someone else can better address the matter, forward the email to that person, and ask him or her to copy you on the response. If an email requires you to check some information or write a longer response, acknowledge the email, and store it in your electronic to-do folder with the expected response deadline.

GET A SECOND ADDRESS: Obtain another email address to use specifically for personal matters. Use your work email account only for messages related to your job. This is a good way to keep emails related to personal matters separate from emails that demand your attention at work.

UNSUBSCRIBE: Right off the top, you can cut down on the number of unwanted emails by asking to be removed from various email distribution lists. Many junk-mail lists have purchased your email address from third parties so they can send you solicitations. Reply and ask that they delete your name from their lists. If that does not work, consider blocking or filtering incoming mail from those particular addresses. If you are being copied on an internal work email that does not relate to your job, diplomatically ask the sender to copy you only when the email directly pertains to your area of responsibility. Determine which emails you really need to be copied on. Your company most likely has a policy on inappropriate use of email at work. If your friends are sending you jokes or video clips that could be considered offensive, ask them to stop sending them to your work address.

Email Etiquette

Here are some common sense e-etiquette tips:

• USE SPELLING- AND GRAMMARCHECKING SOFTWARE: Many people seem to think spelling errors are more acceptable in the email realm. They are not.

• IF YOU ARE WRITING AN EMAIL IN ANGER, STOP AND THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU SEND IT: Anger in the workplace is a serious issue. Your email is a permanent record of your interactions with co-workers, is open to interpretation and could be taken out of context. When in doubt, do not hit the send button until after you have calmed down and carefully considered the right way to say what you feel.

• DO NOT USE EMAIL AS A WEAPON: Some people get into the habit of using email to deliver messages they would not think of saying face to face. If you would not say it, do not email it.

• DO NOT OVERUSE PRIORITY OR URGENT MESSAGE TAGS: These tags should be reserved for emails that require both immediate attention and for which there will be negative consequences if the sender does not receive immediate attention.

• DO NOT OVERUSE CAPITAL LETTERS: It gives your reader the feeling that you are shouting at him or her.

• YOU DO NOT NEED THE FORMALITY OF “DEAR” OR “SINCERELY YOURS”: Your “to” and “from” boxes have that address information. Ending the message with your name is always a good idea, though.

• WRITE A SHORT DESCRIPTIVE TITLE IN THE SUBJECT BOX. This will help others file and manage their email.

Use Email Management Software

There are several software packages that can help you manage your email. If you are overwhelmed with email, you might want to try a program that allows you to track and organize critical messages while sorting out the junk messages. These programs usually can filter out spam sent indiscriminately to thousands of addresses.

If you have several email accounts, it can be time-consuming to check each of these accounts separately. Some software will allow you to create a universal inbox that will forward all of your incoming emails to a single account. Some software will organize and track your email so it meshes with your daily calendar.

Such programs combine the functions of a personal information manager and regular email.

Email was designed as a way to make communication more efficient. Unfortunately, as with many technologies, learning to use it can be such a time-consuming process that it negates any time savings. By following a few simple principles, email can increase your productivity and efficiency and allow you to manage your personal and business communications effectively.

How Can I Improve My Communication Skills?

People have conversations every day. Sometimes these conversations are about the big issues of race, religion, gender and politics. But more often than not, they are about common everyday concerns.

At work, conversations involving feedback regarding performance issues are difficult for both managers and employees. In families, conversations about disciplining children and sharing of household chores are often difficult. Neighbors get into damaging arguments about dogs, noise and parking problems. Most people wish they could avoid conversations about money with their spouse, children, parents and siblings. You may put these conversations off for as long as you can because you know they are likely to involve a heated argument, blame, accusations or end up in an emotional outburst of tears or anger. You might think that you would make a fool of yourself, damage a relationship, or make it impossible to have a positive relationship with the individual in the future. At the same time, you probably realize that swinging from a stony silence into an emotional rage is not good in any relationship.

Start to improve your communication skills by recognizing four of the most common mistakes you are likely to make that will make communication difficult:

• YOU TALK TOO MUCH. When you talk about something that is sensitive, personal and difficult, you may talk around the subject, avoid being specific, try to be polite and hope the other person will somehow understand what you want to say. Think about what you need to say, and then choose the simplest way of saying it. The fewer words you use to open a conversation and explain the problem as you see it, the easier the conversation will proceed.

• YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING. When you feel strongly about something, you are usually convinced that you have all the facts available to you. You are also quite sure that you are right. Thus, when you initiate the conversation, you primarily want the other person to agree with you. However, the reality is that no one ever knows all the facts and you are not always right. Start your conversations by being willing to listen and consider other viewpoints.

• YOU BLAME EVERYONE EXCEPT YOURSELF. It is tempting to see every problem as being someone else’s fault. If the other person always performed to your standards or rules, then there would be no problems. The fact is that if you are a part of the situation, you are in some way also a part of the problem. Are you sure you made your ideas clear? Did you clarify priorities? Did you set clear standards? Did you get commitment to accept those standards? You need to remember that you may be equally a part of the problem, just as anyone else is.

• YOU GO STRAIGHT TO ACTION. It is tempting to offer an immediate solution to the problem, so you can end the conversation abruptly. Avoid this temptation and slow down. Open yourself up to listen to all points of view and acknowledge the other person (or people) involved so they know that their opinions have been heard and considered. If you push too quickly for your own solution, it is likely that others will not be committed to the outcome. You will think you have solved the problem only to find that nothing changed and that you have not resolved the situation.

If you can avoid these four mistakes, you will find that your communication skills will improve noticeably.