#UK A Yale professor explains how to turn a boring job into a meaningful career

//

janitor cleaningNearly two decades ago, Yale School of Management professor Amy Wrzesniewski and colleagues conducted a now well-known study on how people find meaning in their work.

The study, which Wrzesniewski described in a recent talk at Google, focused on a cleaning crew at a university hospital, and the different ways individual employees experienced their work.

Of the 28 employees the researchers interviewed, some felt about their jobs the way you might expect — they completed the responsibilities required of them, but didn’t find the work especially satisfying and were there mainly for the money. 

Others, however, said they found their work highly meaningful. When they described their daily routines, they mentioned some behaviors that weren’t listed in their job descriptions, like spending time with patients who seemed upset and walking visitors back to their cars (a behavior for which they could have gotten fired).

The researchers realized there was a fundamental difference between the way those two sets of employees approached their work. The first group completed the responsibilities required of them and interacted with people only as much as was necessary. 

The second group, however, engaged in what Wrzesniewski came to call “job crafting.” In other words, these employees molded their jobs to become more meaningful by adding extra tasks and interactions to their day, and also by changing their perception of their role at the hospital. 

In subsequent studies, Wrzesniewski said she and colleagues assigned certain groups of employees at different workplaces to engage in job crafting and found that they were happier and performed better than their coworkers who didn’t go through this process. That suggests that job crafting can be beneficial not just for the individual employee, but also for the organization as a whole.

When I spoke with Wrzesniewski, she said job crafting can be useful for people “in search of work that feels a little bit more meaningful.” Job crafting, she said, can transform employees from passive consumers to coauthors of their work experience. 

Instead of waiting for their boss to assign them a new project or role that allows them to make a tangible impact on the world, they can ask themselves, “What can I do to the job right now to make that work more meaningful?”  

pottery makingI asked Wrzesniewski whether job crafting was always advisable, or whether in some cases it made more sense to simply switch jobs. She told me that job crafting should almost always be the first step when you’re not satisfied with your work, because it can have one of two positive outcomes.

On the one hand, you could realize that your current job really can be meaningful and decide to stay put. On the other hand, you could find aspects of the job you love, and realize that there’s another job that would allow you to do those things all the time. 

Wrzesniewski‘s research is supported by other theories and studies on finding meaning in work. Recently, researchers at the University of Michigan found that people who think they can develop a passion for pretty much any job are just as satisfied as people who think they need to find a job that suits their personal passion.

As Jon Jachimowicz and Sam McNerney pointed out in a Washington Post article last month, we need to move away from a black-and-white concept of passion for work. Working adults, they write, aren’t either happy or miserable depending on whether their job allows them to pursue their pre-established passion. Instead, you can work with the present circumstances to create a job or a career that’s meaningful and fulfilling — even if it’s not the ideal one you imagined. 

Perhaps the best summary of the motives for job crafting comes from one of the cleaning staffers in Wrzesniewski‘s original study, who Wrzesniewski quoted in her Google talk. When the researchers asked the cleaning staffer why she went out of her way to make the patients happy, even though that wasn’t required of her, she told them, “That’s not part of my job, but that’s part of me.”

SEE ALSO: 7 simple ways to find work you’re really passionate about

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: TONY ROBBINS: How to make a good first impression

from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1ImROTS

Posted in #UK

#UK Probe near end in ‘suicide by cop’ case that killed officer

//

CINCINNATI (AP) — The investigation into whether there should be in any charges in the June fatal shootings of a Cincinnati police officer and an armed suspect police say was staging a “suicide by cop” is nearly complete, a southwest Ohio prosecutor said Tuesday.

Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters said he expects to announce the conclusion Wednesday. No charges have been expected against the officer who shot the suspect in an exchange of gunfire.

Police have said Officer Sonny Kim was responding to two 911 calls on June 19 about a man with a gun. The 911 caller reported the subject was a “belligerent” black man in his early 20s who was wearing a white T-shirt with a gun tucked in his waistband.

Police later determined the caller was actually the suspect himself, 21-year-old Trepierre Hummons, and said he was trying to lure an officer to shoot him. Kim, 48, was the first officer to arrive and Hummons shot him, investigators said.

Hummons then walked over to where Kim was lying wounded to take the officer’s gun, police said. After Officer Tom Sandmann arrived, a gunfight broke out and Hummons was fatally shot, police said.

Deters’ office reviews officer-involved shootings in the county for possible charges.

Deters said he hasn’t decided yet whether to release police dash-camera video from the scene. He resisted earlier news media public-records requests for the video. Kim’s wife has said she didn’t want the video released because it would add to her children’s grief.

“I got the chance to talk to his widow (and) told her what’s coming,” Deters said.

“Losing Sonny Kim was a tragedy for everybody,” he told reporters. “He heard a report of a man with a gun; went right into it. You know, you talk about bravery.”

Some of Hummons’ friends and relatives were upset and expressed anger about his death. Hummons’ mother told police he had been having troubles with a girlfriend and hadn’t been behaving like himself.

In an unrelated case in July, Deters announced a grand jury had indicted a University of Cincinnati police officer on murder and voluntary manslaughter charges in the fatal shooting of a black motorist. That officer, who is white, has pleaded not guilty and a trial date is pending.

___

Follow Dan Sewell at http://www.twitter.com/dansewell

Join the conversation about this story »

from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1Tsfw2d

Posted in #UK

#UK House passes intelligence bill with policy guidelines

//

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a bill to authorize a 7 percent spending increase on intelligence agencies for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, 2016.

The bill passed Tuesday by a vote of 364 to 58. It must be reconciled with a similar measure pending in the Senate.

A House fact sheet says the bill authorizes spending at a level that is 7 percent higher than the current year’s enacted budget.

Most of the measure is classified. The unclassified portions contain a variety of policy guidance and requirements.

For example, the bill requires regular reports to Congress describing the number of foreign fighters going to and from Syria and Iraq.

It also restricts the president’s privacy and civil liberties board from obtaining information about covert CIA operations.

Join the conversation about this story »

from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1l5PJS2

Posted in #UK

#UK Here’s how Trojan condoms are made

//

Throughout the condom-making process, Trojan — which produces 1 million of them per day — keeps durability in mind, testing condoms several times.

It starts with a vat of latex, where glass molds are dipped and reinforced, washed in a solution that makes them smoother, and then filled with lube before being packaged.

Condoms are tested either by being filled with air or water, or by getting stretched. Even after they’re packaged, some batches are randomly selected for extra testing.

When used consistently and correctly condoms are 98% effective at preventing pregnancy.

Story by Jacob Shamsian and editing by Stephen Parkhurst

INSIDER is on Facebook:  Follow us here

INSIDER is on YouTube:  Subscribe here

SEE ALSO: Here’s the crazy way a coil of wire is turned into a fork

Join the conversation about this story »

from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1Tsfw24

Posted in #UK

#UK Hear DraftKings CEO Jason Robins talk about the future of sports at IGNITION 2015

//

football sports

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins runs one of the hottest digital companies in the sports industry, and he’s joining Business Insider at IGNITION: Future of Digital on December 8 to discuss the future of sports. Get ready to hear about sports data, virtual reality, fantasy sports, and more.

Nicknamed “the Super Bowl of startups,” DraftKings reportedly sees over 50,000 active daily users by running fantasy-sports contests that allow users to earn money based on player performances across all major sports leagues: MLB, NHL, NFL, NBA, PGA, Premier League, UEFA Champions League, NASCAR, MMA, and American college football and basketball.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to glean insights from a superstar entrepreneur as he discusses what’s to come in sports with Fortune’s lead sports writer Daniel Roberts.

Keep ahead of the digital-media curve and get your tickets before it’s too late. IGNITION sold out in 2014, so reserve your seat!

 

Join the conversation about this story »

from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1LiuIIr

Posted in #UK

#UK US victim laments attacks on free speech in Bangladesh

//

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American-Bangladeshi writer who survived a machete attack by Muslim extremists that killed her husband is raising alarm about intimidation and violence in the troubled South Asian country.

Rafida Bonya Ahmed starkly described a sequence of gruesome assaults on secular bloggers, writers and publishers that has left five dead. She and her husband Avijit Roy, a prominent critic of religious extremism, were set upon in a crowded street in the capital Dhaka in February.

Ahmed, who lives in the United States, said “bloody days are becoming a norm” in Bangladesh. She criticized authorities for failing to bring perpetrators to justice and for restrictions against free speech.

She spoke Tuesday at a briefing organized by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

Join the conversation about this story »

from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1ltjfAG

Posted in #UK

#UK Matt Drudge is wrong, there is no ‘rape’ scene with Leonardo DiCaprio and a bear in his new movie

//

The Revenant

Earlier today, conservative pundit Matt Drudge reported on his site The Drudge Report that Leonardo DiCaprio’s upcoming film, “The Revenant,” features a graphic scene in which DiCaprio is raped by a wild bear.

But it turns out no such scene exists in the film, several sources who have seen “The Revenant” tell Business Insider.

Film critic Mark Dujsik also took to Twitter to say the scene isn’t there:

 

And other film journalists have similarly said that Drudge’s report is false, including Brian Adams of Death and Taxes.

Business Insider has asked the distributor, Fox, for comment.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Hugh Hefner’s son has a surprising and inspiring attitude toward women

from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1ODmjUS

Posted in #UK

#UK Tiger Woods doesn’t know when he’s going to play golf again, and his future sounds bleak

//

tiger woods

Tiger Woods was having an extremely up-and-down season when he announced in September that he would have another back surgery.

Woods has dealt with a multitude of injuries in recent years, and this most recent back surgery was the second such procedure he’s had in the last two years.

Though the PGA season is over, with big tournaments just around the corner in 2016, it doesn’t sound like Tiger is going to be ready to play for quite a while.

Speaking for the first time since his surgery, Tiger gave an update on his health, and it doesn’t sound good.

What’s he doing to get his body right?

Of course, given his injury history, Woods does need to be cautious:

Tiger said that the need for another back surgery surprised him because he thought it was just hip pain. He said he wanted to build upon a strong performance at the Wyndham Championships, but his body couldn’t hold up.

Tiger also spoke on other issues, and it all sounded incredibly bleak. As for how else Tiger spends his time:

And his thoughts on Kobe Bryant’s retirement, which coincidentally sound like a reflection on his own future:

At this rate, it sounds like it may be a long time before we see Tiger again. Back injuries and surgeries are serious matters, and if Tiger hasn’t even started rehab yet, he may really be far away from returning.

Given that golfers can have extended careers, this doesn’t mean it’s the end for Tiger, unless he simply unwilling to continue playing at a diminished skill level. However, after this depressing press conference, it sounds like Tiger is further away from a return to glory than ever.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This guy is famous for his jaw-dropping back flips and stunts — and he’s in a wheelchair

from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1ODmhw5

Posted in #UK

#UK New York adopts first US menu salt warnings

//

he logo of a salt shaker, meant to warn consumers of high sodium content in food, appears on an Applebees menu on December 1, 2015 in New York City

New York (AFP) – New York on Tuesday became the first US city to adopt salt warnings on restaurant menus for food containing more than the daily recommended limit, in a bid to fight heart disease.

The law applies to chains with more than 15 restaurants across the country, and requires a salt shaker icon next to items that contain 2.3 grams or more of sodium — about a teaspoon’s worth.

It also requires chains to post a warning statement advising that high sodium intake can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke — the two biggest killers in America. 

Chains have 90 days to comply with the new rule, which was passed unanimously by the city health board in September, before $200 fines are imposed from March 1.

The sodium law is the latest in a long line of public health measures designed to foster healthier behavior, including a pioneering ban on smoking that has since been adopted across the world. 

It comes as the US departments of agriculture and health and human service recommend that Americans reduce their daily sodium intake to less than 2.3 grams of sodium a day.

New York authorities say the average adult in the city consumes almost 40 percent more sodium than the recommended limit per day, with black and Hispanic New Yorkers most affected.

“Too few understand the link between high sodium intake and hypertension, heart disease, and stroke,” said Mary Bassett, city health commissioner. 

“These icons will help New Yorkers make more informed choices when dining out,” she added.

Chains account for one-third of the restaurant clientele in New York, city authorities say.

Applebee’s is among those restaurants who have willingly adopted sodium warnings on menus in the city.

– Legal action –


“We want our guests to have as much information as needed to make informed decisions,” said Zane Tankel, CEO of Apple-Metro, the company that owns Applebee’s restaurants in the city.

A study carried out at the University of Minnesota found the mean sodium content in food served by the eight biggest US restaurant chains rose 23 percent between 1998 and 2010.

“Restaurants — for those of us who want to limit the sodium in our diet — it becomes a difficult place to do that,” said Sonia Angell, deputy commissioner for prevention and primary care. 

“The vast majority of sodium in our diet doesn’t come from what we’re adding at the table, it doesn’t come from what we add when we’re cooking. It’s coming from processed and packaged foods.”

But the National Restaurant Association plans to take legal action against what it calls an “overly onerous” regulation as establishments work to comply with federal law demanding calorie data on menus by December 2016.

In 2008, New York became the first US city to force chain restaurants to include calorie counts on menus — which will now become federal law from December 1, 2016.

The NRA says it wants uniform, nationwide labeling that gives consumers across the country the same nutritional information.

“While the board of health thinks they are targeting corporate chains, in reality they are dealing yet another blow to many of New York’s small businesses,” it said in a statement.

The NRA and other groups overturned an attempt by the city two years ago to ban large sugary drinks. Other studies also suggest there is a limited impact in labelling menus.

A study carried out by researchers at New York University School of Medicine suggested that calorie labelling at fast-food chains did not impact dishes selected between 2008 and 2014.

It “remains an unproven strategy for improving the nutritional quality of consumer food choices,” the study concluded. “Other options must be considered as ways to combat obesity.”

Join the conversation about this story »

from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1NoCupX

Posted in #UK

#UK Lawmaker: US military better prepared in Africa than in 2012

//

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2015 file photo, House Benghazi Committee member Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Westmoreland says the military is better prepared now for an attack in Africa than it was when a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya was attacked in 2012, killing four Americans. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military is better prepared now for an attack in Africa than it was when a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, came under a deadly siege in 2012, a member of the House Benghazi committee said Tuesday.

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., was at the U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany, during a Nov. 20 attack on a luxury hotel in Mali that killed 20 people. U.S. military forces stationed in Mali helped secure the hotel and helped evacuate Americans and others. Westmoreland’s visit to the command was part of a six-day trip to U.S. facilities in Germany and Italy on behalf of the panel investigating the Benghazi attacks.

In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Westmoreland said he watched intently as U.S. officials responded to the Mali assaults.

“I learned … that the military is much better prepared now than what they were in 2012 to go in and prepare a mission and possibly go in and rescue Americans,” he said.

Westmoreland called that a positive development but said it also showed “deficiencies” in U.S. capabilities during the Benghazi attacks three years ago. A crisis response team created after the Benghazi attacks has a range of capabilities to respond to threats in a host of African countries, Westmoreland said.

Those capabilities far exceed what the U.S. was able to do when the diplomatic post in Benghazi and a nearby CIA facility came under assault hours apart on Sept. 11-12, 2012. Four Americans, including U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed.

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other officials have said they moved quickly to deploy commando teams from Spain and Central Europe during the chaotic assaults, but the first military unit didn’t arrive until 15 hours after the first of two attacks.

“Time, distance, the lack of an adequate warning, events that moved very quickly on the ground prevented a more immediate response,” Panetta told Congress in 2013 shortly before stepping down as Pentagon chief.

A report last year by the House Armed Services Committee said that U.S. Air Force F-16 fighters stationed at Aviano, Italy, at the time were configured for training flights. None was on combat alert.

Westmoreland said an intelligence official he talked to in Germany told him that U.S. officials “didn’t have all the intelligence they needed in Libya at that time to have any warning of an attack.”

The Africa Command now monitors social media in the region 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Westmoreland said. “I know we weren’t doing that then,” he said.

“North Africa in 2011 was a hot zone,” Westmoreland said, “but there were so many hot zones over there. And (U.S. officials) were stretched as far as getting data and intelligence. Now they’ve closed some of those gaps.”

Westmoreland was the only member of the Republican-led Benghazi committee to make the trip, which also included visits to Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, the U.S. Embassy in Rome and the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily.

Democrats skipped the trip and complained before he left that Westmoreland and other Republicans were embarking on “a lavish and expensive new congressional delegation to Italy and other European destinations.”

The committee has already topped $5 million in taxpayer spending since its creation in May 2014 to investigate the attacks. Democrats have criticized the investigation, arguing that it is meant to undermine Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid. Clinton was secretary of state at the time of the attacks.

The panel’s chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., did not make the trip, but Westmoreland said Gowdy “trusts me to go.” Westmoreland serves on the House intelligence panel and chairs a subcommittee on the National Security Agency and cybersecurity.

“I don’t think it was necessary for everybody to go. I just think it was necessary for somebody to go and actually see with our eyes all this stuff” at the Africa Command and other sites, Westmoreland said.

___

Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

Join the conversation about this story »

from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1ODmjEo

Posted in #UK