Work Culture

December 9, 2013 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

GIFT GIVING AT THE OFFICE

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas

Christmas is indeed a special time of the year – a time of anticipation and unfortunately for most of us high anxiety. The stress/anxiety of the holiday does not just revolve around family obligations but includes that area of life where so much of our waking time is spent – the workplace.

Gift giving, a central part of Christmas, presents special concerns in an office setting. You must be mindful before purchasing gifts for coworkers, bosses, those who report directly to you and support staff. First, who is included? If you are in a new position, ask fellow workers what is the precedence or if there is a policy in place regarding gift giving. A gift says a lot about how you feel about a person, their worth, and closeness to you. It is almost never a good idea to give a gift that is too intimate like perfume or, God forbid, sleepwear. Another area to be leery of is a humorous or gag gift – unless this is specifically outlined as an office tradition. Remember everyone has a unique sense of humor and what you think is hysterically funny, another might find offensive. Consider the person. Summer sausage to a vegetarian? A nativity set to a Jewish colleague? A large box of chocolates to an obese office mate? A flask for the guy noted to overdo on the rum punch?

USE YOUR HEAD FOR GOODNESS SAKE. YOU BETTER WATCH OUT. YOU’D BETTER BE GOOD FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!! Santa Claus is coming to town.

Consider some of the following guidelines when purchasing a holiday gift for coworkers:

Keep it practical and under $20. (Sometimes offices set an agreed upon limit; this is a good thing.) Some suggestions for practical gifts – desk speakers, picture frames, music gift cards, USB flash drives, ear bud headphones.
Fire up the oven and prepare goodies to share with everyone.
Institute a Secret Santa. That way it is understood that everyone buys one gift and gets one gift. There are so fun ways to do this. Ever heard of dirty Santa where you can “steal” a gift from someone who has already opened his/her gift or go to the Santa sack for something still wrapped?
Arrange and participate in a pot luck dinner or a cookie exchange.
One of my favorites – sponsor a charity such as shopping for a family in need and all contribute to that.

A gift for the boss???

What is a good idea when it comes to gifting the boss? Should you? Will you be seen as a suck up if you do? It is best to not give an individual gift but opt to participate in a group gift – perhaps give a gift to charity in the name of your boss. He has to be thrilled or appear a Scrooge. Bah humbug employees!! According to etiquette expert Emily Post, just don’t do it.

A gift for those that report directly to you???

This is your call but if you do, it should be done across the board. Consider something impersonal such as gift certificates, tickets to the theater or a sporting event, wine, or food baskets.

A gift for helpers and service staffers???

You may want to remember those who support the company in positions that are not always seen yet assist everyone indirectly in accomplishing their jobs. People that clean, work in the mailroom or assist in low profile, minimum wage jobs might appreciate a group gift of money.

And finally, if you have a few coworkers who are special to you and you want to remember them at Christmas, be discreet in gifting them. Perhaps you could give your gift outside the office. It is also a good idea to cover possible embarrassment and have a few wrapped, impersonal, non-gender specific gifts to give to someone who surprises you with a gift.

“What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.” Phyllis Diller

Happy Holidays to all and check yourself for the office Christmas party – be sure to check out this related post Holiday Office Party mishaps.

July 31, 2013 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

QUITTING YOUR JOB WITH STYLE

Quitters never win and winners never quit – Hmm not exactly, but quitting your job is one of the most difficult life decisions you ever make and should involve a great deal of soul searching and planning.

BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO

The next best thing to quitting your job is fantasying about quitting your job. I have never met anyone who at some point in his or her career has not quit a job or explored the possibilities of doing so – not surprising since our business is the task of finding and attracting the top talent to our clients. If everyone was perfectly satisfied with their job, we wouldn’t have one!

Some tips before making this hugely important decision: Make sure it is really what you want to do. Weigh the options of a new job (and we absolutely recommend you have one before you quit), with your current one. Warning: if you have no new job on the horizon, you will mostly likely have a lengthier search. It is true that is easier to find a job when you have one. Consider flexibility, salary and benefits, responsibilities, opportunities to advance and not just salary when evaluating a new opportunity.

Once you have made sure that resigning from your job is really what you want to do, do it the right way with class and professionalism. Sure part of the job leaving fantasy involves telling off an obnoxious boss, going for the dramatic exit (You won’t have me to kick around anymore you arrogant, incompetent, airhead, bastard/biddy, bonehead, ding dong, jerk, zilch, zero, windbag. Oh man, the names you could use but DON’T DO IT.

Getting it off your chest feels so good in your fantasy, but again, DON’T DO IT. Have the fun of thinking it, and then consider the necessary steps to leaving your current job in a professional manner that will insure you receive a positive recommendation and leave bosses and coworkers alike thinking you are a “class act.”

Todd Defren, CEO of SHIFT Communications writes an open letter to workers who are planning to quit a job. Defren thinks that a graceful exit from the workplace is a lost art, particularly among millennials. His suggestions include making a plan to be positive. Try to put yourself in your employer’s shoes when choosing timing. Give appropriate notice. For most positions a two week notice is customary. The only exception to that typical two week notice would be for those leaving C-level positions or those where a longer expectation for separation is spelled out in the employment contract. A hasty departure can be seen as a lack of integrity and it can come back to haunt you. Do not spend your last days on the job complaining. Leave a full account of your projects with a memo of “to dos.” Lastly, Defren recommends that a person stay in touch –really. Consider your soon to be previous boss to be part of an extended professional network. Remember that your last impression can be as important as your first.

Consider the necessary steps to leaving your current job the right way. In addition to offering appropriate notice, for your position and write a formal resignation letter. About Dot Com has a good resource with advice and sample resignation letters. Remember to not say too much and to emphasize the positive as well as your gratitude for the opportunity and how the company benefitted you. Depending on your situation, you can offer to help during the transition caused by your resignation.

BEFORE YOU PUT ANY OF THE RESIGNATION STEPS INTO MOTION make the decision to leave when you are not acting in the grip of emotion and reacting on adrenaline. It can be a smart move to discuss your plans to resign with a close friend, family member or therapist, and/or a colleague if you are certain you can trust him or her completely.

The thing to remember is that sometimes a company will fire an employee and sometimes an employee will fire their employer. If you think it is time to give your employer the boot, involve a recruiter. He or she can offer good advice from years of experience advising people who are transitioning to the next step in their career. The team at Strategic Recruitment Solutions is always ready to assist and guide you to opportunities that will take YOUR career to the next level.

June 19, 2013 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

BOSS OR LEADER – WHICH ARE YOU?

WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR?

“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” Ronald Reagan

“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart” Eleanor Roosevelt

“In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.” (Tina Fey, Bossypants) Of all places, I found some excellent ideas on leadership/bossing from Tiny Fey’s book, Bossypants. Tiny Fey was executive producer of 30 Rock, wrote the movie Mean Girls, and was a head writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live (remember her channeling Sarah Palin?)

Tina Fey is, of course, playing it for laughs in her book, but she does give the reader some things to ponder regarding leadership in the workplace and hiring people who can be developed by a leader, not just someone who bosses.

Let’s ponder a few of her quotes:

“Bossypants Lesson #183: You Can’t Boss People Around If They Don’t Really Care.”

Never hire anyone you wouldn’t want to run into in the hallway at three in the morning.

If they are too talkative or needy or angry to deal with in the middle of the night by the printer, steer clear.

Never tell a crazy person, he’s crazy.

Moving on to Managerial Techniques – “hire the most talented of the people who are the least likely to throw a punch in the workplace.”

We do know from experience that managing personnel; that is being an effective boss, does have a great deal to do with smart hiring. But what exactly does it mean to be the boss? An average boss makes sure employees are on task and working and at worst will treat employees like lowly servants. At their worst, bosses who will never be leaders, have no interest in bettering their employees and do not encourage them to take training courses or improve themselves. On the other hand, a leader motivates, leads by example, and perceives employees as respected parts of a team. Leaders want their staff to feel involved so they can buy into their corporate goals. True leaders share credit with those who contributed and receive loyalty and commitment in return.

Qualities of the Remarkable Boss*

Remarkable bosses are truly leaders and they share similar qualities. They develop all employees – first by identifying what employees can achieve. It is the remarkable boss who can help employees achieve goals and targets by training, mentoring and developing their skills.

Remarkable bosses deal with problems immediately. Employees lose respect for a boss who ignores a problem. Problems are distracting and even small problems can fester and grow getting in the way of morale.

Remarkable bosses rescue their worst employee. It may seem easy to just remove the weak link from the chain, but working with the employee by reassuring him and stepping up the mentoring and coaching is a trait of a boss who leads. Will it always work? We know that not all employees can be saved but such a boss can make a tremendous impact on the struggling employee and the team as a whole. If the individual is valued, the team and the mission are valued.

Remarkable bosses serve others, not themselves. Glory should be reflected, never direct. Employees should not be asked to do something that a boss would not do. When bosses take this approach everyone knows how truly important they are.

Remarkable bosses always remember where they came from. Bosses who are true leaders take every chance to inspire, reassure and motivate. They are not too busy to take time for an employee – especially a new employee. http://business.time.com/2012/0409/the- five- qualities-of-remarkable-bosses

*The Five Qualities of Remarkable Bosses/Time.com

Remember – “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower

April 30, 2013 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

BULLYING IN THE WORKPLACE

“If you’re horrible to me, I’m going to write a song about it, and you won’t like it. That’s how I operate.”

Taylor Swift –“Why You Got To Be So Mean?”

You probably aren’t a songwriter or a singer but I’ll bet you can identify with being in the position of being bullied Schools are usually the site most people associate with bullying, but the workplace sadly can also be a fertile environment for bullying. I suppose those school yard bullies have to go somewhere when they grow up.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that 25% of participating companies reported some degree of bullying had occurred in the preceding year. Bullying occurs at every level, can be hard to identify and even harder to manage. Unnoticed it can have devastating consequences resulting in errors, poor client satisfaction, increased costs and high turnover rates (crisisprevention.com) feeding into the War on Talent I blogged on recently. Companies should be proactive in addressing this issue and realize that is a type of civil rights violation. The Workplace Bullying Institute (yes, there is such a place) notes that during good times abused workers tend to leave positions in which they feel bullied but in a down economy, many feel that they have to stay because their options are limited. (Libertymutual.com/responsibility)

Twelve states currently have 17 active bills which target an “abusive work environment and abusive conduct” in the workplace Louisiana currently does not have such a bill but the initiative is there for all states to join in. These Healthy Workplace Bills give four classes of abusive conduct that are actionable: “1.verbal abuse, 2.conduct that is threatening, intimidating or humiliating, 3. work interference, 4. exploitation of known vulnerability, physical or psychological.”

**Ronald Riggio in February 2010 “Psychology Today” identifies some typical, unacceptable workplace behaviors that are types of bullying: Threats such as docking an employees pay; The Silent Treatment – stopping talking when the victim enters the room or lowering voices and giggling; Rumors –spreading information to tarnish someone’s reputation; Sabotaging work –altering the victim’s work to make it unacceptable. Riggio recommends visiting the site kickbully.com to identify causes and consequences and ways to fight back.

Marilyn Astin Tarlton Partner/Catalyst at Attorney at Work gives some advice on confronting a bully in the work place which can be difficult since the bully is often in a position of power. Some dos and don’ts : Do keep a record /journal of things said or done that you consider to be bullying, choose a time when you can be unemotional and meet face to face. And explain what you want to change. It is less threatening to use “I” language such as “I would appreciate it if you would ____, or I feel ___________ when you ___________. Do be aggressive. Call the bully out but stay calm

Don’t expect colleagues to support you. It would be great to have others express their dissatisfaction but not everyone is prepared to face the possible consequences. Don’t back down and don’t be surprised if a confrontation does not go smoothly and produce immediate and tidy results.

And finally, DO be prepared for consequences that may force you to find another job.

Tom Field in Success Unlimited makes some good points to ponder.

“IT IS THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF, OR THE UNWILLINGNESS TO RECOGNIZE OR THE DELIBERATE DENIAL OF THE EXISTENCE OF THE SERIAL BULLY WHICH IS THE MOST COMMON REASON FOR AN UNSATISFACTORY OUTCOME FOR BOTH EMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYERS.

AND

“BULLIES THRIVE WHEREVER AUTHORITY IS WEAK.”

December 12, 2012 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTY MISHAPS

Tonight we’re going to party like its 1999! Let’s NOT.

You moon the wrong person at an office party and suddenly you’re not ‘professional’ anymore.

How come stupid things seem so smart while you are doing them?

Haven’t gone to your office Christmas party yet? Awaiting an office New Year’s Eve Party? Take some time to think about this unique “social” situation. Remember the operative word in office party is “office.” Susan Adams of Forbes Magazine stresses that these are professional functions and even though they are relaxed and designed to be fun, remember you still must be a professional. Listen as much as talk. And talk about safe topics like movies, books, hobbies – NEVER religion or politics.

Social media is always lurking and you are just a handy cell phone video away from being a u tube sensation, possibly an unemployed one. Some golden rules for holiday party etiquette are simply common sense and proper etiquette in any setting, but it doesn’t hurt to give some thought to these suggestions just in case the hustle bustle of the holidays have given you a brain fog.

Don’t drink too much – in fact, don’t consume too much of anything; don’t hover over the bar or the buffet table. Stick to a two drink maximum. If you know you might have a problem, stay home.
Be prepared for small talk – Have some topics in mind. Strike up conversations with people you don’t know.
Keep your hands off and eyes up. Even if a female coworker is showing skin and possibly flirting, remember your sexual harassment training.
Don’t skip the party – see exception in rule 1.
Exit early. Make an appearance, keep it professional, navigate the party like a job.

A few of our favorite dos and don’t s for employees at holiday office parties (sourced from a Top 10 list courtesy of Fox Business)

Some of these are repeats of warnings to limit alcohol and the need to cultivate the art of appropriate small talk. See if you agree with them?

Do make proper introductions – prepare ahead and practice recalling names.

Don’t talk gossip, politics, or religion.

Do put away your phone. You don’t want to look distracted or bored.

Don’t bring gifts to bosses and managers, unless the group has gone in on one.

Do dress appropriately. Err on the side of being more formal.

Do say thank you. Seek out those responsible for planning the party and thank them for their efforts. Consider following up with a written note.

I’m guessing that you are remembering some hilarious faux pas, indiscretions, bloopers, misjudgments, and social blunders that you have witnessed at office holiday parties in the past. What great water cooler stories have come from those! I don’t know how much validity is found in magazine surveys , but “Men’s Health” recently reported that 44% of men admitted to “hooking up” at the office holiday party – SCARY. Did they provide people and company names in those surveys?

SO —THINK BEFORE YOU PARTY. EVERYONE WANTS THE HOLIDAY PARTY TO BE MEMORABLE BUT NO ONE WANTS TO BE THE REASON IT WAS.

Additional Resources:

Passing Out, Making Out, and More: Holiday Office Party Confidential 20/20 ABC News Video Clip: Holiday Party Confidential