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Working Around Your Fears at Work

By October 31, 2009
Fear

One of the most admirable answers to the question, ‘But weren’t you scared?’ from daredevils, astronauts, fighter-pilots and the like, is often, ‘Yes, but I knew what I needed to do.” They might have been afraid in the midst of the task they knew they needed to perform, but they did it anyway. Similarly at work, we also must do those things that scare us, because quite simply, it’s our job and we’re expected to do it well. Whether it means taking that overseas business trip to a … [Read more...]

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The Intelligent Workspace: Achieving Peace and Productivity at Work

By October 20, 2009

Anyone who has ever worked in an office environment at any point in their career has probably wondered in the back of their minds, “Would I be as productive, or more so, if I was doing this from home?” In fact, many people profess to be much more productive when working from a place of peace and comfort like home, or from a desolate office on the weekend, than when they are in the office on any given weekday. With open plan workspaces and dimly lit interior offices, has it become too … [Read more...]

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Responding to a Performance Warning

By October 12, 2009

In the workplace, performance warnings, whether verbal or written, are probably more common than most people think. Sometimes warnings come in the form of a serious one-on-one coaching meeting with the employee’s manager, and sometimes they come in the form of a rather severe written warning as a last-ditch effort to ‘save’ an employee before firing them. In either case, managers are trying to communicate that there’s something lacking in the way the employee is doing his or her job, and … [Read more...]

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Navigating Office Politics

By October 5, 2009

Office politics can sometimes be as shameful as many would argue real politics in Washington D.C. has always been – fraught with liars, talking heads, and power-hungry corporate bandits competing for their coveted turf. Furthermore, when you’re just trying to come to work, do a good job and get paid well for it, office politics can sometimes be nothing more than a distraction, an annoyance, an obstacle to your career success. So, given the fact that office politics exists whether you like it … [Read more...]

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Welcome to the Jungle: Returning to Work after a Leave of Absence

By September 22, 2009
Breathe

One of the things that we Human Resources managers often find ourselves doing is advising employees and managers on a myriad of work transitions; from transitioning into or out of a new management role, transitioning into the company as a new hire, or even transitioning out of the company as a recently laid-off employee. But one of the more challenging transitions to make concerns the employee returning to work after an extended absence. Sometimes the absence is a short-length one, like a … [Read more...]

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Preparing for a Job Relocation

By September 8, 2009
Suitcase

These days more and more people are willing to pick up and move house for the sake of their careers. Particularly in this economy, sometimes an employee’s only option in keeping their job is to consider relocating within their company to a new location where jobs are in greater supply. When preparing for potential job relocation, what are the key considerations a person should have before making the big move? … [Read more...]

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Dealing with Bullies at Work

By September 6, 2009

Self-help books speak about going through the stages of coping with disaster or trauma, and describe the process of denial, anger, sadness, and then ultimate acceptance. Just like the grieving process, there is some type of order that can typically be followed when dealing with bullies at work. And for the sake of clarity – a bully is defined as anyone at work who offensively uses their own authority, intellect or power over another employee, to make that person feel threatened, scared, or … [Read more...]

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Getting off on the Right Foot in a New Job

By August 31, 2009

Unemployment is high and companies are contracting rather than expanding. However, there are still some people out there being hired, changing jobs, and being added to staff rather than downsized. In this economy, and in fact during any time, how do you know when you’ve gotten off on the right foot in a new job? And what are some of the things you should do to make sure that you make the biggest impact in the short and long-term? … [Read more...]

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Managing Effective Communication

By August 23, 2009

Often one of the most difficult things to do at work is to have a positive, open channel of communication with the one who holds the most power and control over your current job success (besides yourself) – your boss. Most people realize there are certain things they can and can not say to their boss or manager, and that’s true. But, in fact, there are many things that you can and should be saying to your boss, if you want to have a rewarding relationship with him or her, and if you want to … [Read more...]

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Re-energize Your Career

By August 16, 2009

As in marriage or any long-term relationship, one of the most important ways to keep the excitement in your career is to constantly seek out new ways to sustain a high-energy vibe. This can be done in a variety of ways, from working with highly creative and collaborative people, to working in unique locations, to contributing to projects that capitalize on your strengths and best capabilities. But how do you re-energize your career when you don’t’ have highly collaborative people to work … [Read more...]

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