Coworkers

Where do you clock more hours than time with your SO, family or friends? Where are you tossed into the pressure-cooker of unrealistic deadlines or a crazy boss? Who’s the best person to understand your job stress? I’ll bet the answers are: 1.      Work 2.      Work 3.      Your co-worker  Those scenarios and answers are the perfect recipe for forming friendships and other intimate connections. When you spend eight to ten hours a day with someone in a close working relationship, you tend to buddy up. Working under stressful conditions also leads people bonding. It’s a natural next step for people to sometimes form crushes on their co-workers. There’s nothing inherently wrong with having a crush – they can be harmless.  Danger, Will Robinson! (Many of you won’t get that reference, but I thought it was funny and it’s my post.) Although crushes on co-workers can be nonthreatening, it’s where they might lead that has the potential to enter the danger zone. “But I’m looking for a … [Read more...] about Crush on Co-worker? Don’t Go There

Gossip is seen by many as part of life and certainly as a part of most workplaces. Gossip can sometimes be harmless but more often than not, gossip has repercussions for the gossiper and the subject of the gossip. It is amazing how an off-the-cuff remark can have us thinking about someone in a completely different way. We’ve all found ourselves thinking differently about a person due to gossip – whether we know if the gossip was true or not! We also know how hurtful gossip can be when aimed at us. Do you find yourself wishing you could get away from others gossiping around you? Or do you find yourself being drawn into gossip at work and wishing you could stop? Some questions to ask about gossip: Is It Useful? Sometimes a little gossip does have a place in the workplace. Talking to peers about pay rises or some good news that someone has heard can be genuinely informative and positive. Think about what you are about to say or listen to and weigh it up to see if there is a purpose. I … [Read more...] about Nipping Workplace Gossip In The Bud

We don’t always get to choose who we work with and as a result we might find ourselves sharing a workspace with colleagues whom we might not have much in common with or naturally get on with. However, although many people dream of having nicer colleagues, how do you fare up as a colleague yourself? If you would like a better relationship with your colleagues, it is important to look at your own behaviour first and see what you can bring to the table. Here are some ways that I have found to be a more thoughtful co-worker at work: 1. Encourage Encouraging your colleagues in their endeavors, rather than being in competition with them, is an inspiring way to be at work.  We don’t have to be cut throat or out for ourselves to do well at work; encouraging and supporting your colleagues really does pay dividends and enhances your day to day experience of work to boot. Treat your colleagues as you would like to be treated. 2. Listen True listening is a real skill and … [Read more...] about 5 Ways To Be a More Thoughtful Colleague

If someone asked you to define “introvert,” would you include words like “shy or anti-social?” Merriam-Webster defines introversion as, “the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one’s own mental life.” I’m not sure I even agree with the dictionary! Maybe that’s because I’m an opinionated introvert.So, what’s an Introvert?Most people make incorrect assumptions about introverts. Introverts like to spend time alone with their thoughts and become overstimulated by external data overload. That what happens to me at a big-box store. I buy weed-killer and a paint roller, then have to go home and decompress. It’s easier to tell you what an introvert is NOT. The following is my take on “10 Myths About Introverts.” 1.      Introverts aren’t talkers – We just don’t like to make small talk and think there’s … [Read more...] about Introverts Unite in the Workplace…Uh, Probably Not

Knowing what the worker in the cubicle next to you earns on an annual basis is a blessing and a curse.   It can be great to help you put your own career plan and negotiating strategy into persepctive; but it can also leave you feeling powerless and bitter, not a recipe for work happiness. SalaryShare, a new website inspired by HackerNews, allows you to pool coworker salaries anonymously by setting up a secret link that is only available to people you choose.  You'll need at least four participants to get the list revealed. Well, it's not truly anonymous - your coworkers will know who set up the salary pool because you must circulate the link in order to get people to partake! But when the salaries are revealed, you will not know who is attached to each dollar amount.  Each person who participates receives a private link to view the results. For example if you are a freelance blogger, let us know how much you earn a year (only from blogging) by joing our salary pool. … [Read more...] about How to Find Out What Your Coworkers' Earn a Year

An important part of being happy in the workplace is developing good relationships with your co-workers. Nothing is more satisfying than enjoying the company of the people you work with, especially if some of those people can create a fun and exciting work environment, one that is inspiring to your work and also to your attitude. However, we all know that the job market is fairly dynamic recently, which means that people come and go in jobs. How will you cope, then, when one of those fun and exciting people leaves your place of work, thus deflating the overall atmosphere at the office? Well, the biggest thing you should try to do is maintain a positive attitude about the situation; however, this is probably easier said than done, so here are a few ways to help you keep up your spirits after a fun co-worker has left your team. Adjust Your Work Routine One of the first things you can do after the positive co-worker has left is you can adjust your work routine to take on a different … [Read more...] about How to Recover When a Positive Co-Worker Leaves The Office