To stay in or not to stay in, that is the question. The slight variation of one of Shakespeare's most quoted lines does not apply to whether you should stay home on a Saturday night, but instead to the daily dilemma called lunch. Going out every day for lunch can take a huge chunk out of your monthly budget. The pricey food options also do not provide you with the nutritional content you need to motor through your hectic workday. In fact, most lunch options are nothing more that high caloric, heart-clogging meals that produce work comas shortly after you arrive back at the office. What you need are some healthy $5 lunch ideas for work. … [Read more...] about Healthy $5 Lunch Ideas for Work
Career Advice
Signs Your Boss Is Job Hunting (and why you should care)
Workers have several reasons for remaining with the same company for years, even decades. They receive generous compensation that includes hefty bonuses and lucrative benefits. The work stimulates them by offering challenges that lead to professional growth. Many workers stay with the same companies because they enjoy working for their bosses. If you are someone who enjoys working with your manager, you need to know the signs that your boss is job hunting and why you should care. Company Reorganization The reorganization of companies often leads to dramatically altered job responsibilities for managers, including your boss. Company reorganizations can reduce manager responsibilities, which translates into lower pay. We all know that lower pay quickly turns an enthusiastic boss into one that mopes around in his or her office. You should not only care how a company reorganization affects your boss, but also how it affects your job. … [Read more...] about Signs Your Boss Is Job Hunting (and why you should care)
What an Office Parking Lot Reveals About a Company
The old saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover" has no relevance when assessing a company from the outside. After all, you can form accurate impressions about the quality of a company by looking over the building and the surrounding property. The biggest tip off to what is inside of a company often receives little or no attention. Office parking lots can provide considerable insight into a company. You simply need to know what an office parking lot reveals about a company. First Impressions Count for Cleanliness and Maintenance Do you want to know how well a company keeps its office building? Walk around the parking lot and analyze cleanliness of the lot. Trash strewn across the lot indicates that cleanliness does not matter to the company. Filthy pavement and crumbling sidewalks leading from a company parking lot demonstrate a lack of caring for keeping the inside of the office building clean and well maintained. Cleanliness and maintenance require dedication to upholding … [Read more...] about What an Office Parking Lot Reveals About a Company
Online Education Made Easy With Video Conferencing
The twenty-first century has seen a massive move towards distance learning. In the past, getting an education from a university sometimes required leaving your home town for months at a time. Now, the internet has made it much easier. In fact, the National Center for Education Statistics says that approximately twenty percent of undergraduate students have taken at least one distance learning course. However, this is just the first step in the internet revolution as far as distance learning goes. Ease of hosting has made online education via video a very real occurrence. The fact that physical presence makes a difference in the rate of learning has been a well-documented fact in academia. Low-cost distribution solutions like those offered by Blue Jeans video conferencing makes it easy to access hosted information from any device. Here we explore the education revolution that video conferencing has become a part of. … [Read more...] about Online Education Made Easy With Video Conferencing
Why You Should Disengage From Office Gossip
They say there are only two certainties in life: Death and taxes. Well, Shirley MacLaine has a different view of death and you can ask Michael Milken about how he felt about paying taxes. Just to be on the safe side, let's assume death and taxes are inseparable parts of life. Then, there must be one more certainty that clings to us like a Koala Bear clings to a lush Eucalyptus tree. Office Gossip. Gossip pervades virtually every office from the corridors of multi-story corporate buildings to the coffee stained small rooms that business owners use to hold employee meetings. The reasons vary for the presence of office gossip, but the negative effects of the rumor mill often poison the business culture beyond the point of no return. Offices that sink in the mire called office gossip experience poor morale, lower productivity, and worst of all, high employee turnover. Why you should disengage from office gossip begins and ends with the bottom line. … [Read more...] about Why You Should Disengage From Office Gossip
The Worst Employee Motivation Tactics
Employee motivation is a tricky world. How many times have we heard a boss say, 'If that is not on my desk by the end of day Friday, you can kiss your job goodbye." Yes, the blatant threat is one of the worst employee motivation tactics, as it inspires most employees to dump the project into the trash and walk out the door. Employer threats do nothing more than alienate employees by creating a hostile work environment. Most of us understand that threats from the boss comprise one of the worst employee motivation tactics, but what about other less discussed motivation tactics that fall flat in front of disgruntled employees. Rah-Rah Equals Blah-Blah Many managers implement cheerleading tactics to motivate their employees. They believe that by pumping their fists and yelling worthless catchphrases that employees respond with energy and passion for their jobs. However, cheerleading grates on most employees, as they perceive the rah-rah exhortations of their bosses as childish ploys that … [Read more...] about The Worst Employee Motivation Tactics
Decoding Your Boss
Does it feel like you need to learn another language for decoding what your boss is really saying? Many employees feel they have take CIA sanctioned courses simply to figure out the meaning behind the arcane messages sent by managers. Well, you do not have to invest in code breaking software for decoding your boss. In fact, you can follow a few time-tested tips and avoid the hair-pulling frustration caused by muddled communication from your boss. Non-Verbal Cues Ask any attorneys worth their legal salt how they understand witness testimony and the answer invariably lies in non-verbal communication cues. If your boss appears fidgety when addressing you, the message sent probably is not what your boos truly intends to say. You may have to guide your boss down the road of truth by replying with affirming message such as "I understand" and "That makes sense." Other non-verbal cues to watch include facial expressions, posture, and hand movements. Calm, reasoned discourses confirm the … [Read more...] about Decoding Your Boss
Q&A with Maren Kate Donovan from Zirtual
Maren Kate Donovan is the founder and CEO of Zirtual, a San Francisco company that matches up executives and professionals with virtual assistants. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Maren came up with the idea for Zirtual at a 24-hour cafe on the Strip in Vegas. She got her start selling jewelry on eBay and has run various online businesses since her 18th birthday. Zirtual received $2 million in funding from the VegasTechFund, a start-up incubator created by Zappos founder Tony Hsieh. Below, Maren answers a few questions about how she manages her time and what she gets out of virtual assistance. … [Read more...] about Q&A with Maren Kate Donovan from Zirtual
How To Survive a Work Conference (like an Introvert)
So your boss insists that you take a free trip to Phoenix to get caught up on the latest marketing trends. And you hate hobnobbing. With a passion. This is your foolproof guide to getting out of that convention center or hotel ballroom with your sanity intact. Engage on a limited basis Sharing ideas with other people in your industry is very smart. And even in this interconnected digital world, you need face time to really get to know people. Even if you think this whole thing is a boondoggle designed to line the pockets of hoteliers and event organizers, there has to be real actionable intelligence somewhere. Know what you want to find out before you go. Google attendees. Make a plan for engaging with those people and stick to that plan. WiFi If you don’t have it, get it. If the hotel is too cheap to provide you with free network access, get Googling on your phone and figure out how to tether (use your phone as a mobile hotspot). And put your laptop to work. Check your work email. … [Read more...] about How To Survive a Work Conference (like an Introvert)
Mind All Over the Map? Here Is How I Focus
Focus is an elusive attainment. When you notice that you are concentrating, that very thought will take you away from task you are supposed to be concentrating on. “Wow, I haven’t wanted to check my RSS feed in a long time. Almost 15 minutes!” you think as your mind wanders away from the Excel sheet on your monitor. Bringing your attention back to your work is essential, whether you want to get ahead or just get everything done so work thoughts don’t creep into your head after-hours. But there are ways to control your mind, at least to some extent. Breathe deep and dive in with me: No, really. Breathe deep! Think that yoga is just for suburban housewives? Think again. Learning to control your breath can bring you a certain amount of control over all your systems. It can clear your mind and allow you to focus on the task at hand. Don’t trust me? Then listen to the yogis: proper breathing is key. … [Read more...] about Mind All Over the Map? Here Is How I Focus