Career Advice

David Letterman’s recent escapades and his subsequent blackmailer’s attempt have put a spotlight on the office romance. By no means am I passing judgment on the work hook-up, but it just seems to me an overall really bad idea that most likely doesn’t end well.(As a therapist and wellness advocate, there are some “absolutely not” connections. Those involve abuse of power in a boss/subordinate relationship, sexual harassment and any behavior that makes co-workers feel very uncomfortable or even unsafe in the work environment. I won’t go into those here because most of you hopefully agree those are beyond uncool.)Can’t you hear all those HR personnel scurrying around to get an official “Office Fraternization Policy & Guidelines” in place? While working in Corporate World, I don’t remember anyone formally addressing the issue. I do, however, remember what it was like when co-workers were more than pals. In one company I worked … [Read more...] about Office Romance? Why Not Try a Different Dating Pool?

I'm finally getting around to tying up some loose ends, one of them being my long overdue take on the book "Be the Hero: Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life" by Noah Blumenthal.I've often used the Jobacle soapbox to preach that you have the power to improve your work situation, despite the seemingly uncontrollable obstacles in your way.  Every day at work you have a choice to make it a 'good' day or a 'bad' day.  The same goes for being a victim or hero.  Which would you rather be?  The hero of course! (sans the tight spandex and silly cape).Written as a parable (succinct prose that illustrates a moral lesson, for those of you who forgot English 101), the breezy book tells the tale of EveryWorker Jeff, an office dweller who learns how to transition himself from zero to hero, gaining new perspective thanks to 'Hero Coach' Martin.What I like best about the book is that it outlines actionable ideas that anyone can implement instantly, resulting … [Read more...] about How to Be a Hero at Work

Work with me, Babee!In an earlier post, Conference Call Do’s and Don’ts, I mentioned my spouse works from home one day a week. This is different from my work, which I do at home every day. Working at home has unique challenges and contrary to popular belief, isn’t all about wearing your jammies and quitting every day by 4 p.m. to watch Oprah. So what happens when you mix two different personality and work styles in a small home office?In our case, it wasn’t pretty at first. I heard things like, “you can’t type while I’m on a call.” “Uh, well I have to type - I’m a WRITER,” was my dumbfounded response. Having a touch of adult ADD (hey, don’t we all?), my spouse was very easily distracted, so most anything I did would break his concentration. I admit his presence in what I considered to be my office kind of cramped my style, too. Hey, sometimes a girl has to take a break to shop on Nordstrom.com.I’m happy to … [Read more...] about “Co”-working With Your Co-habitant

The invention of the middle manager created a buffer that effectively keeps a company's 'elite' segregated from the 'clerical riff raff.'  It also falsely empowers those who strive for success by placating them with a promotion.  It's the illusion of more control.  And I am that middle manager.I'm not sure about your world at work, but in my experience, simple job tasks have become games of connect the dots.  There are 17 people involved when there should be two.  This leads to too many opinions, a lot of static noise and a hyper-connectivity, which in this blogger's humble opinion, leads to work of a lesser quality.Many middle management positions are redundant and should be eliminated. (Not mine of course! I am uber important).With the way we communicate becoming easier, more instantaneous and cheaper than ever before, the middle man can truly be cut from the equation.  But our jobs are safe for now, because the fat cat, golf playing upper crust folks … [Read more...] about Playing a Game of Telephone at Work

Yesterday, it was 49˚ with high winds and on top of that, it was overcast. Fortunately, I have an elderly cat whose second favorite word (after “ham”) is “nap.” He and I could have easily made that nap last all day. I’m not a fan of fall or winter and admittedly have a touch of SAD - seasonal affective disorder. As a therapist, I also begin to see it in my patients this time of year.S.A.D., often called the “winter blues,” can be diagnosed, according to the DSM-IV-TR, after 3 consecutive winters (with complete remission in the spring and summer months) of the following symptoms:* Depression* Anxiety* Mood changes: extremes of mood and in some, periods of mania in spring and summer* Sleep problems: desire to oversleep and difficulty staying awake or disturbed sleep and early morning awakening* Lethargy* Overeating: craving for starchy and sweet foods resulting in weight gain* Social problems: irritability and desire to avoid social contact(Most … [Read more...] about The Season’s Changing: What If Your Job Status Isn’t?

There was a bit of a backlash to my post, How Not to Act Old, Especially in the Workplace; I heard quite a bit of grumbling. The book I reviewed took older folks to task for not trying harder to be young and fit in. Maybe my boomer peers are tired of hearing about these supposedly over-indulged younger people?I remember supervising Gen X social work graduate students on a work site. While I enjoyed their enthusiasm and curiosity, their lack of real-world experience made me grumpy. But I was still able to communicate with and direct them as we weren’t that far apart in age or ideology.Much has been written about how to interact and communicate with Gen Y. One book, Bruce Tulgan’s Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y, has some valid points, especially the fourteen myths about Gen Y in the workplace (Myth 12: Gen Y Won’t Do the Grunt Work). But the overall media message is that WE must adapt to THEM, not the other way around.Here are a few tips for Gen … [Read more...] about How Can Gen Y Quit Annoying Gen “Old” at Work?

Just Step Away from the Netbook, Ma’amLast weekend I took a three-day vacation from connectivity. Not even a peek at my email. It helped that I was in the middle of 180 acres of wilderness with nary a Wi-Fi in the breeze. Admittedly, I was a little twitchy at first. After all, I had made it to Level 130 in “Babylonia” - the procrastinating writer’s friend.There’s been much written lately on the emotional/mental and even physical effects of being in constant contact with everyone electronically. As a psychotherapist, I constantly stress the need for downtime. I wrote an article about it in 2007 (which sounds almost quaint now and predates Twitter); Disconnect Doesn’t Have to Be a Bad Thing. But as someone who also makes a living writing and glued to a computer, I realize that disconnecting is not easy. So maybe baby steps are indicated. Here are a few to try...* Turn off the mobile for a couple hours. If it’s really important, your callers will … [Read more...] about How to Disconnect During Downtime