Lunchtime Links: Association Workplaces That Set the Standard

Among The Washingtonian‘s picks for best workplaces are a number of associations and industry partners. Also: Don’t let the weather hurt your telecommuting workflow.

Trying to keep your workers happy? Benefits aren’t everything.

Sure, they help, but people need more than that to get excited about going to the office every day. When people work somewhere that has both great benefits and a great mission, they’re way more likely to stick around.

A few association workplaces that fit that bill in today’s Lunchtime Links:

Great places to work for association pros: According to The Washingtonian, these are the places you want to be. The magazine’s list of “50 Great Places to Work,” selected based on employee interviews and an arduous application process, covers the DC area’s many industries, from information technology to government agencies to T-shirt printers. But three associations got a prominent spot on the list: The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials got a nod for its important mission and generous pension plan; the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses for its flexible 35-hour schedule; and the Society for Human Resource Management (fittingly) for its great benefits. And one association industry partner, Higher Logic, made the list for an exciting work environment, good collaboration, and lack of micromanagement. Check out the full list over this way.  (opens in a new tab)

Telecommuting got you down? With the short winter days and weather going into the deep freeze in many parts of the country (including here in DC, brrrrr!),  it’s understandable that a telecommuter might look out the window and find that the will to work just … fades. Blogger Jo Gifford feels you. In a recent guest post for Lifehacker  (opens in a new tab), Gifford offers some advice on how not to let the winter months kill your flow, especially when working at home alone. She suggests some practical things—artificial light might come in handy if you’re suffering from seasonal affective disorder, for instance—but also has advice on finding motivation however possible. Sometimes a change of scenery is all you need. “Working remotely and having a reason to travel somewhere is also a sanity saver,” she writes. “Whether it’s only to a local café or to a coworking space, preventing isolation can be all the more helpful in winter months.” Have any tips of your own for beating the winter blues?

Um, like, don’t do this: Speaking is the association industry’s lifeblood in a lot of ways—and poor speaking could be the biggest thing standing between your ideas and the people you could win over with them. Which is why now might be a good time to get a refresher on those skills. Enter Business Insider writer Alison Griswold  (opens in a new tab), who (with the help of a few public-speaking experts) offers a list of pitfalls that professionals should avoid when speaking. Among her tips: Drop the “um” and “like” from your language, avoid being too quiet, and don’t trail off. “Ever notice that people get quieter at the end of a sentence? A common speech pattern in our culture is to trail off toward the end of phrases, clauses, and sentences,” she notes. “That means important words can easily get lost or thoughts can feel uncompleted.”

What advice would you offer to budding public speakers? We’d love to hear it in the comments.

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