Career Advice

When Not Fitting in is a Good ThingIn a recent post, “VIDEO: Pains in the Office,” Andrew gave some terrific examples of stereotypical rude co-workers and how they drive us nuts.  I’ve always been thankful that at least they seem to be in the minority. But an article in eWeek.com, “Four in 10 Workers Say They Don’t Fit in with Peers,” tells us that it’s possible most of us are outnumbered by these characters. The article points out how one “bad apple” in a work group can “spoil the “barrel” and have a negative affect on the group as a whole:“Rude, gross and inappropriate behavior by co-workers and managers is not the exception in the workplace, research suggests. A similar study on the effects of rudeness finds that when teams witness incivility, negative thoughts dominate and diminish productivity for the larger group.”Scary, huh?  It seems to me that the offender would self-select out of the … [Read more...] about Choose Not to Fly Your Freak Flag at Work

You'll often read that if you are bored with your job it is time to find a new one.  Solid advice, but easier said than done. If financial/stability or some other concern is keeping you at a boring gig, here are several ways to break out of the funk.  You might also want to consider researching online colleges.- RUN IN CIRCLES.   OK, you don't really have to run in circles, but if you find work unbearably lame, you need to make an effort to exhaust yourself before you get to the office.  This might be a trip to the gym or running errands.    This is a tactic that my shiba inu puppy employs (not the errand part!) before we put him into his crate for the night.  He knows that he must exhaust himself in order to avoid a restless night behind bars.  - KILL THE INTERNET.  Most workers who are killing time while 'on the clock,' rely on the endless supply of content provided by the Internet.  This poses two major problems.  1) … [Read more...] about Boring Job? 4 Unique Ways to Cope

How Does “Your Serene Highness” Sound?Many articles have appeared recently about making your employees feel valued and retaining the good ones who might be tempted move on when the recession ends. Sarah E. Needleman’s Wall Street Journal article, “Business Owners Try to Motivate Employees” takes a look at these issues. One of the business owners interviewed recognized that after layoffs, increased workloads, no raises, etc. her employees “are stressed out and in need of extra attention.”Nice of her to notice; many bosses don’t get it. Another boss gave her employees shiny new titles.Often companies will dole out titles in lieu of raises. But why would that appease us? From a psych perspective, my thought is that we are hot-wired to give too much weight and status to a job title. We are also programmed to look at co-workers in a hierarchical system. The VP is always more important than the admin. assistant. (My personal opinion is that an … [Read more...] about Getting a Nice New Title Instead of a Raise

The olde axiom of 'never look a gift horse in the mouth' is never as true as when your company offers to provide you with some unexpected goody. A few years ago, I was  able, after frankly much struggle, to get an internal company transfer. New duties, new title, and even a new work site-overall, a fresh start, for which I was desperate.To get prepped for 'The Day,' I called the guy whose slot I was taking (he was also being voluntarily transferred), and invited him to lunch. I thought that, especially since he was also going where he wanted, he'd be happy to provide some insights into the job, the players, and all the myriad of stuff we all want to know when opening new career doors. Very nice restaurant, real oak and subdued lighting, with great ambiance for confidential chats. Good food and large drinks. Everything seemed fine, except that this guy wasn't giving up a goddamned thing. I mean he was almost mute the entire time. No matter what tactic I tried, it all failed...so I … [Read more...] about The Truth About Getting a Company Car

NBC v. Leno v. O’BrienI won’t equivocate about who should get what time slot from NBC and the fate of “The Tonight Show” - I’m with Conan on this one. The network courted the guy five years ago with the promise of hosting "The Tonight Show" and gave it to him. Now they want to take it away. Instead of admitting that they made some poor choices, i.e., to put Jay on at 10 instead of the usual programming, they are blaming the hosts. Besides probably being contractually uncool, it’s just bad management.David Carr points out in The New York Time’s Media Decoder article, "NBC Broadcasts Itself As a Punchline," that the network who incessantly promotes itself is taking some hits, "…management can come in for a lot of wear and tear when your talent gets pushed around and gets into feelings. Talk-show hosts usually push back, because, after all, they’re the ones with the microphone and they have a new chance to maim you ever single … [Read more...] about FAIL for NBC as an Employer, Ask Conan

There’s More Than Office BingoMost folks have played or at least heard of Office Bingo - here’s Jobacle’s fun version from a couple years ago, "Bored at Work? Play Office BINGO!" It’s a great way to entertain your self in long, boring meetings. Recently reading about a company that uses water pistols in their meetings made me think of other ways we can make it through those interminable time-wasters.When I worked in a drug and alcohol treatment program, most of the staff were either in recovery from addiction or had experienced it in their families. So we used to play “How Many of Your Parents are Alcoholic?” This was a snarky upgrade of “I wonder if he has an alcoholic parent?” The game would be kick-started in response to someone trying way too hard to control the meeting (a typical issue for children of alcoholics is the need to control) or just really irritating behavior in general. Keep in mind no one ever said the words aloud, … [Read more...] about Long Meeting Survival 101

What Happened to Social Skills at Work?As Andrew eloquently put it in his post, “Violated at Work, The Death of Personal Space,”our personal space at work is shrinking and often encroached upon by co-workers. I’m lucky - I share an office with a cat (if he’s in the mood) and my spouse only works from home one day a week. I have a luxurious amount of space. But a related issue has come to my attention lately - lax or non-existent social skills in the workplace. Just as some people who aren’t very adept at respecting your personal space at work, they also are not be picking up on your facial expressions of “Can’t you see I’m busy?” annoyance, etc.Since I work as a therapist, I should mention categories of folks who have a legitimate diagnosis that inhibits or prevents healthy social interaction. People who have a social anxiety disorder, for instance, can have such a high level of anxiety when they are around co-workers, that … [Read more...] about The Lost Art of Reading People and Situations

Our friends at Wellspring Camps, a weight loss organization for young adults and families across the U.S, reminds us of several ways to incorporate calorie-burning exercises into our daily work routine.      * Record steps per day on a calendar posted at your desk    * Seek parking spots and further away from destinations    * Walk to lunch destinations whenever possible    * Make a game out of guessing the number of steps it takes to go from one place to anotherIf you're lucky enough to work for a company that has an office gym, be sure to follow the proper gym etiquette.The Mayo Clinic has some additional ideas on how to burn calories at work.Related links:Overweight Discrimination @ WorkExercising With Scissors … [Read more...] about How to Burn Additional Calories at Work

Office jobs are filled with stretches of monotony, I don't care how exciting you try to tell me your job is.  One thing that helps me pass the time and stay motivated is music. I listen all day long.  Every second that I'm at my desk is another second colored in by music.   And my employer should thank me.Research from the University of Illinois found that when (256) office workers listened to music of their choosing, they were more relaxed, in a better overall mood, enhanced their job performance and even had a reduced interest in switching jobs.Whoa.  And I thought I was just drowning out all that annoying thermostat chatter!So let's crank those speakers (to a reasonable volume) and take a look at the best services to listen to music with at work. RHAPSODYFor several years, I have scraped up $14 a month to subscribe to Rhapsody.  The service allows me to stream as much music as I want and has an impressively large catalog -  8 million and counting.  … [Read more...] about Music at Work. Why It's Important and Where to Get It

The year ended with people scrambling to use up their remaining vacation time.  The conference room table was littered with an endless supply of junk food.  And your boss even left you alone for a little bit.  But nothing is permanent.A new year is upon us.  For those of us fortunate enough to be returning to work after a lax holiday season, it can be difficult to put your "work" hat back on.  There are new goals to meet.  Quotas to hit.  Meetings to attend.  It's not easy.  Here are a few tactics that work for me.- TIE UP LOOSE ENDS.  If there is anything still unresolved from 2009, I urge you to close it out as soon as possible.  Do whatever it takes.  Work nights, weekends and holidays - just get it off your plate.  It will be hard to face a new year and new challenges if the ghost of last year is still present.- SET GOALS.  Not resolutions, goals!  These are work objectives that have quantifiable numbers … [Read more...] about 6 Cures for Post-Holiday Work Trauma