Being sick is bad enough, but being sick and feeling like you still have to go to work can take it to another level. There is a lot of guilt and worry about taking time off work when suffering from illness. Pressure from the boss, an ever increasing pile in the in-tray, important meetings, and dead-lines to meet can all make a convincing argument that going in while you are feeling terrible is the right thing to do. In fact, going to work when you are not well enough can be counter-productive and potentially irresponsible. Before you take yourself in to work when you are feeling like death warmed up, consider the following: Can you do your job properly? Consider how well you can perform your duties, will you be physically able to do the tasks required and will you have the ability to concentrate. It's worth considering that, although you turn up for work, colleagues may still be doing much of the work for you to keep up the slack. You run of the risk of making mistakes through an … [Read more...] about Should I Call in Sick to Work?
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Thanksgiving at Work
Thanksgiving is a time when you traditionally think about time spent with family and friends. Although this is true, there is no reason not to celebrate this wonderful time and show thanks with colleagues at work as well. After all, work is where you earn a wage to live on, and where and who you spent a large proportion of your time. And for some, having holiday from work at this time isn't possible. If this is the case, there are still ways to celebrate this festival, in the true spirit of being thankful. Potluck Potluck is a great way to share favorite thanksgiving foods with co-workers. A time is designated at work for the thanksgiving meal. Each member of staff brings in a food that is a particular favorite in their family, made following their own individual recipes. As the meal is enjoyed, each person shares with the others why their meal is special to them, sharing not only the food but the meaning and associations behind it. … [Read more...] about Thanksgiving at Work
7 Bad Work Habits To Avoid
As our daily work routines become the norm, we develop habits that help us progress through the day. Many of these habits are beneficial to our work but some can be detrimental and often we may not be aware of, or do little to correct them. This in time can have a negative effect on our experience of work, lessen the possibilities for career development, and can even risk our employment. 1. Poor Planning Poor or lack of planning will result in disorganized working patterns. This can lead to missed deadlines, incomplete work and can create unnecessary stress. Simple measures such as planning a schedule for outstanding work in order of priority will create more efficient, productive and less stressful working conditions. 2. Putting Personal Life Before Work At times we all have to take time off work for unavoidable personal appointments that occur during working hours, and the occasional personal phone call or time spent on social media is overlooked by most employers. However, this … [Read more...] about 7 Bad Work Habits To Avoid
Organizing the Work Halloween Party
Halloween has been a popular celebration for children for many years, particularly in the United States, and in recent years has crossed over to adults and even become a good excuse for a work Halloween party! Done right, celebrating this occasion at work can be a great staff morale booster and team building experience, you'll get to see a different side to your colleagues, get to interact with staff members you would otherwise have little chance to meet on a regular working day, and an opportunity to show a side of yourself, away from your work persona. It's also a chance to demonstrate talents such as organizing, planning and creative skills, as well maybe hidden skills such as story and joking telling! Do and don'ts Do encourage creativity Part of the joy of Halloween is showing off your creative costume ideas. Do arrange games Choose games appropriate for your working environment. These could be judging the most creative or original costume idea, awards for best decorated … [Read more...] about Organizing the Work Halloween Party
How to "Refresh" Your Current Job
In an ideal world, once you become bored with your current job, you search and apply for others, have a few interviews, and then pick your preferred choice from the offerings. Unfortunately, it seldom works like that. Financial commitments, lack of employment in your area, and lack of skills and available training often mean the only choice is staying in your current employment. However, if you can't change your job, the next best thing is to refresh it! Ask for a pay rise Not many things can ignite new enthusiasm for a job than a healthy increase in your salary. Work towards a promotion Look and apply for progression in your job if there are career prospects available. Stretching your mind and developing your skills and abilities will stop you getting bored and will help develop a sense of accomplishment in your job. … [Read more...] about How to "Refresh" Your Current Job
Breaking the Late to Work Habit
There are many habits that can have negative consequences for your job but, of all of them, being late for work is one of the most common. Being late on more then the odd occasion can result in negative outcomes, probably the most serious being losing your job. Even if your boss is lenient enough to put up with your bad timekeeping, chances are your behavior may hinder your chances for promotion, more responsibility or even a pay rise. Not only does being late for work risk these serious outcomes, it also won't probably be doing you any good either. You'll not feel good about yourself for doing it, the rushing to get to work and avoid being late will create stress, and you won't feel as you've got a handle on your life if your working day regularly starts off badly. The good news is breaking this bad and potentially career damaging habit can easily be achieved with the will and desire to change. Get a good nights sleep Running late in the morning is often a consequence of having a bad … [Read more...] about Breaking the Late to Work Habit
Understanding Motivation at Work
Motivation at work is a key element to running a successful business and being successful in your career. To be able to maximize production, performance and results, everyone involved has to be motivated to achieving the best possible outcomes. There are two main ways to create motivation, either by avoidance or desire, more commonly known as the carrot or stick approach. The Avoidance Approach Avoidance (or the stick approach) is about moving away from the negative, doing what is needed to prevent something unwanted from happening such as the fear of missing a deadline or fear of failing to produce a clients order as requested. This approach relies on having a fear of the outcome in order to invoke the fight or flight response, which in turn stimulates cortisol and adrenaline levels. Higher levels of these hormones help focus the mind and body to find a solution to avoid the negative outcome. This approach can be very effective for urgent situations and short term problems … [Read more...] about Understanding Motivation at Work
The Importance of Taking a Break From Work
Taking a break from work is an essential element of productive working but can quite often be missed out or intentionally not taken. The reason untaken or missed out. Though on occasion events do take place that can lead to working through breaks, if this happens on a regular or consistent basis it can have a detrimental effect on your performance at work as well as your health, enjoyment, fulfillment and your sense of job satisfaction. Reasons for this happening can be numerous: a culture of working through breaks may exist at your job, pressure to complete a workload greater than the time available, or working with a constant flow of customers throughout the day are some of the reasons why breaks often get left We are Less Productive without Breaks We may think that not taking a break from work results in more work being done, but this is not always the case. It's a common human trait to allow what we do to expand to the time we have. If we are focused on completing tasks … [Read more...] about The Importance of Taking a Break From Work
Finding a Good Career Coach
Career coaching is becoming an increasingly popular choice for individuals wanting help with their job or career. Reasons for using a career coach are numerous, including needing guidance in focusing on what's important to enable progression up the career ladder, better managing problems at work and help finding the ideal career path. Once the decision to use a career coach has been taken, finding a good one is the next step. There are a number of ways to find a good career coach. Recommendations This is probably the best way to find a good career coach. If the coach comes highly recommended by someone you trust, chances are that they will provide a good service to you as well. You have the benefit of being able to ask the person recommending the coach questions you may have to get an understanding of what the coach is like before making contact. Knowing they have been recommended will make you more confident with their services. Ask Not everyone knows someone who has used a career … [Read more...] about Finding a Good Career Coach
Being an Introvert at Work
Knowing whether you are an introvert or extrovert can really make a difference to your experience of work and knowing what type of work suits you. The words introvert and extrovert are used a lot these days and you may think you know which one you are, however you may be in for a surprise. You can take this test to find out (or reaffirm what you already know). Knowing more about your introversion/extroversion persuasion can help you be more self-aware because you know what you need and why and are then better able to ask for what you need. Before I read more about introversion and extroversion I would probably have thought I was an extrovert (because I'm not "shy" and am usually confident in social situations, for example) however it turns out there is a lot more to it and I quite clearly came out as an introvert, which gave me lots of food for thought. Here are a few ideas to help you at work if you have discovered you are an introvert: 1. Environment Working in open plan offices … [Read more...] about Being an Introvert at Work