On the first day of my very first job out of college, my new boss offered a piece of advice: “Be careful of making any personal relationships with your co-workers.” She was telling me this for good reason; the program I had joined was a fast-track to management, and she didn’t want me to have to manage my friends once the program had finished. However, the finality of her words stuck through me for that first year at the job, and I slowly evolved into a robot at work. I was functioning at maximum speed, obliging the polite “hellos” and “how was your weekend,” but always keeping my colleagues at arm's length. When promotion time rolled around and I moved up to supervisor, I immediately relaxed. It became easier to befriend some of my fellow supervisors, and I quickly learned the line between boss and friend with my employees. To my surprise, the more engaged and involved I became with my co-workers, the quicker my … [Read more...] about Human vs. Robot: Who Wins the Challenge at Work?
The Career Benefits of Happy Hour
So there we were, gathered around the pool table, frosty beers in hand. It was only the second time in years that we decided to meet like this, outside of the grey hallways of work. It was happy hour. And much to my dismay, it was quite therapeutic to speak freely with minimal risk of getting caught. Many of those HotMonsterBuilder sites like to post regularly on the perils of mixing alcohol and coworkers. While it can easily be a recipe for a cocktail I like to call a 'pink slip,' if you have the discipline to stay in control, you can get a much better bonus then 2-for-1 drinks. Here are some of the benefits of attending a happy hour with your coworkers: *A casual atmosphere lends itself to people loosening up, resulting in the transfer of knowledge. Look past their negative gripes for information that can be useful as you plot your advancement. * You get to associate with people you might normally have the opportunity to talk to. Getting to know people on a personal … [Read more...] about The Career Benefits of Happy Hour
Do You Suffer From Vacation Guilt Syndrome
Ah, summer is right around the corner and along with that comes…VACATION! Or does it? We already know that Americans are working more and taking less vacation than they ever have before. While companies are starting to recognize the need for a work-life balance and beginning to offer increased vacation time, many employees are reporting that those same companies have an unwritten rule to not use up all of that vacation time. In fact, many employees feel as though they have to beg for the time off, or worse, hide their vacation like it’s a dirty little secret. Now this has always irked me. As a supervisor at my last job, I earned 2 weeks paid vacation time plus a few flex days per year. If I had a dollar for every time my boss or manager - or even other employees - gave me a hard time about actually using it, I wouldn’t even need to write this blog. The culture of our workplace flat out disgusts me at times. My … [Read more...] about Do You Suffer From Vacation Guilt Syndrome
How to 'Summerize' Your Job
Summer is a time that we all look forward to, for a variety of reasons. This anticipation starts with childhood, when, after a school year that we never thought would end, we finally got a free pass from the confines of the stuffy classroom. Even if it was only for two months, we felt free."No more school, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks"We now carry on in our careers, feeling almost confined in our cubes, basking in light at best florescent. Yet, the sheer physicality of summer; its sunshine, warmth and the almost endless possibilities for all sorts of pleasures, never really leaves us. Nor should it. For those of us who pretty much work through most of the summer, there is, I have to admit, a lot of wistful gazing out the window. And a lot of restless energy, while wishing that we were biking, swimming, golfing, playing softball, tennis, golf, or indulging in the not so simple task of trying lazily to do absolutely nothing.If you're stuck at work … [Read more...] about How to 'Summerize' Your Job
Know These Typical Office Personalities?
As we all know, there are many types people who work around the office. People of different color, race, background, and culture. But no matter how many diverse people you bump into, there always seems to be some constant personality types which are present. To be honest, I will need your help on this article as I am finding it hard to categorize observable traits into personality types. Below are the first four personality types I found scurrying around the work place, and hopefully you can suggest some more. The Spoofer For those of you who are not familiar with Dublin slang, a spoof is a lie, and of course, according to the rules of grammar, a spoofer is a person who spoofs. Not only do these people lie constantly, but anything you can do, they can do better (well, at least according to them). If you are good at football, they are experts. If you are handy in the kitchen, they are culinary wizards. And if you are any way decent in the sack (bed), then they are the … [Read more...] about Know These Typical Office Personalities?
Office Rage Caught on Tape
We've probably all felt like this at some time or another... … [Read more...] about Office Rage Caught on Tape
New National Survey: U.S. Workers Are Bitter
Politicians take heed: more than half of US workers say the American Dream is unattainable and nearly half blame the political system for the deterioration in their economic circumstances, according to a new national survey.The workplace poll, conducted in May 2008 by Zogby International for The Marlin Company, The Workplace Communications Experts, found that nearly three-quarters of US workers (74.7%) say the American dream is not as attainable today was it was eight years ago; 52.4% say it is simply unattainable for the average American (see charts). The survey defines the American dream as "the opportunity to have a nice home, financial security for you and your family, and hope for the future."The workplace poll also found that nearly half (45.1%) of US workers admit to being "bitter" because "the political system has caused a deterioration of [their] economic circumstances." Nearly half (47.5%) of 30-49 year-olds surveyed report feeling bitter, … [Read more...] about New National Survey: U.S. Workers Are Bitter
Office Rx: Mind Your Own Business
Like a lot of us, I too tend to sometimes concentrate on what appears to be an endless array of human failings. Behavior and conduct (not by me of course) that's so disgusting, so enraging, that, paradoxically, I almost feel drawn to. Like picking at a scab, or making a toothache hurt more...I really need (or want) confirmation of the crappy way I view my colleagues and, really, the world. And, where's the best Petri dish to peek at this pathology? You guessed it, at work.So, the corporate environment becomes almost a biosphere, a colony of cubes, housing our co-workers. Busy and active, they cease being people, and instead are nothing more than a bunch of bacteria. Germs mindlessly swimming through the company agar, looking for that next promotion, raise, or whatever. Worse yet, some even seek to infect your environment with an unhealthy dose of their hypocrisy, deceit or sheer stupidity.Not to belabor this rather loose medical model, but hey - there has to be a cure for … [Read more...] about Office Rx: Mind Your Own Business
How to Prank Your Company's CEO
Yesterday was like any other day at the office. It was boring, dull, and as flat as a small black dog squashed by a large yellow steam roller. So, a couple of the guys and I got together in an effort to escape the nightmarish reality of work. However, we realized that some of our usual pranks had become void of excitement, and the boredom we were experiencing had robbed us of our jouissance. To overcome this, we decided to make a prank call to our CEO. But much to our dismay, this proved to be rather difficult, as the company we work for is a Fortune 500 one, and you cannot just call up his secretary and get transferred. So, after a lot of trial and error we finally got hold of the CEO’s personal cell number. We called him up, said the word 'PENIS,' hung up, and giggled like little school girls. Here’s how we got his number: The Executive and Non-Executive Board Information is key for a successful blag. If you go into the company Website, you should be … [Read more...] about How to Prank Your Company's CEO
Sick Day Calendar: Summer Edition
I won't stop saying it until we drill it into your over-educated, stubborn head: Only a sucker loses sick days at the end of the year!With Memorial Day behind us and the days of summer upon us, we hope you're doing more than just taking those white shoes out of storage.Golden sun, ocean waves and cold beers should be enough reason to call in sick, but if your struggling for a 'good reason,' consider some of these June 'events':- Adopt a Shelter Cat Month- Effective Communications Month - National Accordion Awareness MonthHeck, call in on Monday, June 8 to celebrate your Triple Crown winnings after you bet on Big Brown at the Belmont Stakes.Your boss will use days. Your boss's boss will use days. Don't play the hero. And if you're holding out for a "perfect attendance" award - click away from this blog. Now! ;-)Download the Jobacle Sick Day Calendars here:Black Calendar // White CalendarGet the full list of official 2008 sick days here. … [Read more...] about Sick Day Calendar: Summer Edition