Successful Blog

Know How to Approach the Boss for a Raise?

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I have a friend who I’ve known for nearly two decades and I can say without a doubt that he’d give you the shirt off his back.

That being the case, there is one action, or I should say lack thereof on his part, that makes me shake my head.

Not only did he take a major pay cut several years ago, he’s afraid to ask his boss for a raise.

Now granted, we all know that times are tough and there remains much debate as to whether or not we’re headed for another recession. Still, a man has to eat and keep a roof over his head, so asking for a raise is something that should never be out of the question.

As it turns out, he and I have had this discussion numerous times and he continues to claim that he won’t get the raise, so why bother wasting his time. Okay, I know I need to keep my nose out of other individual’s business, but it pains me to a see a good friend give up the fight, if in fact he ever fought to begin with.

While there is a good chance knowing his boss he will not get the raise, what does it hurt to discuss it, especially since it has been several years since he saw an increase in his hourly rates?

This friend works as hard as anyone I know, and he certainly is not being properly compensated for his efforts. In essence, he is afraid that he’ll get the boot if he goes to his boss seeking a raise. While I respect and understand where he is coming from, it is something that I would handle differently.

That being said, how should you go about seeking a raise when in a similar situation?

Among the things to consider are:

  • What is a fair and reasonable request? – For many employees, they do not know what their value is to the company, including when and how to seek a raise. Ask around to people in comparable positions as to what they sought, do some online research as to what the typical salary is for your kind of work, etc. Most importantly, get a handle on the company’s financial picture and if now is the appropriate time to seek more money;
  • Rehearse your sales pitch – It is important to not wing it when talking to the boss regarding a raise. Just as you likely rehearsed your job interview, it is a good idea to prepare for the request to get a raise. If you have a trusted family member or friend who will give you an unbiased reaction, make your raise pitch to them and get feedback;
  • Take a look back at recent history – When it comes to getting a raise, timing is often the key to success. In the event the company suffered a financial setback recently or you had an issue with a co-worker that got around the office, don’t exactly go rushing in the boss’ door for a raise;
  • Document your achievements with the company – While many experts will say that it is best to wait at least a year after you’ve been hired to seek a raise that does not mean you can’t be compiling your achievements since you started your job. Without recording that you showed up for work on time for three months in a row, take note of any special accomplishments like spearheading a project, overseeing efforts to save the company money, etc. The achievements are good tools to use in your favor when you seek the salary increase;
  • Be prepared for possible rejection – Asking for a raise is a little bit like asking someone out on a date. You may come out a winner or you may go home rejected. There is typically a 50-50 chance you will get the raise, so don’t pout if the outcome is not good. The boss may just be delaying giving you a raise until things are a little better financially at the company, so don’t suddenly tail off on your workload etc. or office morale if the raise is denied this time around;
  • Show appreciation either way – Given the fact that 2011 remains an employer’s market, it is important to show appreciation to the boss for having the raise discussion in the first place. Companies are not obligated to give out raises on a regular basis, so appreciate them when they come along.

Asking for a raise is something that most employees equate with going to the dentist or having to spend time with their mother-in-law.

If you’re in the position where it is time to seek a raise, make it your job to handle it the right way so that your job is never placed in jeopardy.

Photo credit: ledgerlink.monster.com

Dave Thomas, who covers among other subjects’ background checks and business credit cards, writes extensively for Business.com, an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.

Can You Change a Difficult Co-Worker’s Attitude?

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We have all been there at one time or another in the working world.

You are thrust into a situation where you have to work with someone who either has a negative attitude towards their job, towards their employer, towards you or all three. So, what can you do to better the situation?

The worst case scenario is leaving the job due to the actions of a single person. Remember, you got the job for a reason and it is your career, not the other individual’s future, which is at stake here.

What Are the Issues with a Co-Worker?

In dealing with a difficult co-worker, take some time to run these items through your head:

  • Is the individual causing problems for you specifically or other staff too that is impacting your ability to do your job?
  • Has the co-worker been warned by management about their behavior before?
  • Have you had one-on-one discussions with the co-worker about their actions and how they are impacting you and others in the office?
  • What is the biggest thing you would like to change about a problem co-worker?

In cases where a difficult co-worker’s actions are directly impacting you and your ability to successfully do your job, it is important that you not just let things go. Remember, your professional success is on the line here, so don’t let someone else take you down with them.

Having worked for 22 years now in different fields, I’ve worked with some fantastic people, some okay people and some real jerks for lack of a better term.

In one situation, I had only been on the job at a company for a few months when a co-worker, who later was promoted to the head of the department I was in, became an issue.

As fate would have it, this individual loved to micromanage people, always point out the bad instead of the good in a person’s work, and always seemed to just want to make your eight hours a day on the job as unpleasant as possible.

After a few weeks of dealing with this situation, I went to the owner of the company to discuss the matter, even offering to resign. He stopped short of accepting my resignation and asked that I give him a few days to investigate the matter. After doing just that, my supervisor became a former employee of the company.

As it turns out, other individuals also had expressed concerns about working with this person, pointing out that they too sensed she was not only not good material for a supervisory position, but that she was creating an environment for an ineffective department.

Standing Up for Yourself on the Job

What I learned from this situation was that not only is everyone replaceable, but that you have to stand up for yourself not only outside the office, but inside too.

Even when I have worked over the years with people I didn’t necessarily like, I respected the fact that we were all brought together to do a job for our employer. I told myself that I did not have to be friends with these people outside the office, just do enough to make for a productive work environment.

Do I think bad co-workers can be changed?

Honestly, it depends on the environment you’re working in, what type of setting management has in place, and whether or not trying to change the individual is worth your time.

Most importantly, stand your ground at work if you’re dealing with a bad co-worker. While not putting your own job in jeopardy, work with management if necessary and keep them in the loop of any incidents that involve you and a bad co-worker.

In the event the difficult co-worker is the company’s owner, you might want to start polishing up that resume.

I can say I’ve been lucky to work under some good owners over time, something that you definitely should not take for granted.

As for all the co-workers I’ve had in four jobs over 22 years, do you have a few hours?

So, how have you handled dealing with problem co-workers?

Photo credit: blogs.villagevoice.com

Dave Thomas, who covers among other subjects’ corporate credit cards and business phone service, writes extensively for business.com an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.

 

 

Should I Follow My Dreams and Open a Small Business?

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The dream never dies for many individuals who envision the thought of starting up their own business and realizing part of the American dream.

With the present state of the economy, however, there are many who fear that the timing for opening a business is not good presently and may not be good for some time to come.

The present timing, however, may actually be good for starting up a business, especially given the fact that the job market continues to remain sluggish at best.

If you’re contemplating thinking about opening a business, here are some things to consider:

  • Compile a professional business plan – Never go into battle without a solid plan, especially when opening your own business. The most important aspect of the plan should be the financial angle, detailing how you will see a return on investment (ROI) sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, too many individuals fail to put together a winning plan or even a plan in general, leaving them ripe for failure;
  • Employees or all on my own? – One of the big questions for individuals is deciding if they will go it alone or have staff on board to help them with their business. On the plus side of going it alone, you are saving on salaries and possible health benefits, along with not having to look after others, whose decision making can impact your business at times in a negative manner. On the down side of going it alone, you are tasked with much more work and effort, leaving you little time for anything else;
  • Don’t be afraid to seek advice – For too many people starting out on their first small business venture, they’re afraid to get advice from other like professionals, including possible competitors. While you don’t have to ask 100 questions, do not be afraid to have some discussions with others who have successfully turned their dreams of owning a small business into a reality. Owning a small business is a continuous learning process, so be prepared to learn seven days a week;
  • Have a Plan ‘B’ in place – While you have to have a clear and positive attitude when opening up your new small business, don’t forget to have other options should things not work out. How will you cope financially if the business does not take off or even has to close? Do you have enough financial resources in place to support you and/or your family if things fail? What timetable do you have in place if things are not working out to pull the plug on it? These are just some of the things you need to be able to answer sooner rather than later;
  • Stay positive – This is likely the most important but less thought of matter. It is very easy to turn negative when the bills start piling up, you hit a lull in customer sales, and the outlook is bleak. Throwing in the towel on your lifelong dream should only happen when you have exhausted every alternative and then some.

As you can see, opening your own small business, especially in today’s up-and-down economy, is challenging at best.

Then again, don’t you like challenges?

Photo credit: yourpassionatebusiness.com

Dave Thomas writes extensively for B2b lead generation online resource Resource Nation that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs. He is an expert writer on items like factoring services and is based in San Diego, California.

Is There Light at the End of the Tunnel for U.S. Businesses?

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According to a report released Oct. 5, from Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP), U.S. companies brought on more workers in September than the previous month, however the number was not enough to put a dent in the large unemployment numbers nationwide.

While the ADP report brought some encouraging news, two separate reports unveiled the same day noted that layoffs increased rather dramatically last month, while service companies are not hiring additional employees despite the sector’s relatively stable growth.

Looking back at the brighter report, ADP and Macroeconomic Advisers LLC report that private-sector employers added 91,000 positions in September, an increase of some 2,000 jobs from the previous month. The government’s official jobs report is slated to be released on Oct. 7.

Is Minimal Growth Better than None at All?

While the news is somewhat encouraging in that the country appears at this point to be dodging another recession, the recent report also demonstrates that growth is coming in very minimal numbers at best, providing us with weak growth at best.

While everyone is looking for any signs of growth, we shouldn’t be deceived by the numbers.

Much like when gas prices are inflated to high levels, drivers think they’re getting a deal when they pay less for gas, the bottom line being it is still $1 or $2 above what they paid the year before. Improvement, but much better is possible.

As for expanding on the down side, a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas points out there were sharp increases in layoff announcements for September, with businesses planning to cut some 116,000 jobs, more than double the August report and the worst in more than two years. The biggest cuts came among the government and financial sectors.

What is Your Business Doing to Grow?

With the recent numbers showing a mixed bag, has your company been impacted either positively or negatively when it comes to job growth lately?

For many companies, especially smaller businesses, growth has been hard when you throw in the added costs for health care that many employers have been dealing with. While the government has tried to throw some incentives in the direction of small business owners, a fair number of them have either stood pat on hiring or even laid off where they felt it necessary.

If your small business is contemplating hiring, do you plan on? –

  • Waiting until after the holidays?
  • Waiting until you see better jobs numbers and additional incentives from Washington?
  • Waiting until next year’s presidential election is over?
  • Waiting to see if health care costs come down?

Lots of questions still remain for many small businesses, many of whom are playing the waiting game.

Photo credit: gaebler.com

Dave Thomas, who has authored a number of articles regarding business phone service writes extensively for www.business.com an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.

Why Working From Home May Not Work For You

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A Guest Post by
Rachel Carlson

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Work Sweet Work?

Ah, the dream of working from home. So many perks – not having to get up early, no commute, no annoying co-workers, eating from your own fridge, break whenever you want, keep an eye on your kids – you don’t even have to get dressed if you don’t want to. Unless you’re one of the “lucky” people who actually have this privilege (between 2.8 and 44.4 million people in the U.S. work from home depending on who you ask), you’re probably reading this from a cubicle and dreaming of “freedom.” But hold on – working from home isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. I’ve been working from home for several years now, and I can tell you that it’s definitely not for everyone. Let’s start with the biggest hurdle…

Distractions

People who work from home don’t have a traditional boss looking over their shoulder. A freelance writer, for example, probably doesn’t have any boss at all. A medical biller probably has a boss, but the boss isn’t physically in the room, checking to see if work is being completed. This sounds great at first, but it really leads to a pressing question: do you have the motivation and focus to accomplish what you need to do? Remember that you’re on your computer – will you really write that report, or will you spend three hours watching YouTube videos? Even if you think you’re motivated, other little things can add up – by the time you’ve checked your email, looked at your social networks, poured a cup of coffee, taken the dog out, searched for your keys, made a trip to the grocery store, and taken the dog out again, you suddenly realize you’ve lost two hours.

So, be honest with yourself – some people need a standard work environment to get things done. To help you decide if this applies to you, ask yourself these questions:

  • How did you function in school when you had a big assignment? Did you wait until the last second to do it? Did you spend hours on a small assignment because you’d write one sentence and then go out and do other things?
  • Do you have a space in your house/apartment that you can devote solely to work? Or will you be trying to work three feet away from that tempting XBox?
  • How will your pets distract you?
  • How much time do you spend on social networks? Do you automatically open Facebook whenever you open your browser?

Of course, these things can be overcome. In the past, I checked my email constantly while trying to get things done. But creating a schedule, logging out of email and social networks, creating a designated workspace, and setting goals for each day has helped immensely. Just be sure you’re absolutely ready to take the plunge.

Hidden Costs

Cutting out the cost of a commute can be a huge financial relief, but working from home will cause you to spend more money on certain things:

  • Food – You’ll need to keep your refrigerator stocked more than usual if you don’t want to be running out for food all the time.
  • Internet – Obviously, you’ll need an internet connection. But having a clear wireless internet connection will help preserve your sanity. Being tied down to one spot while working from home is not only unhealthy, but it can also prevent you from working in other areas to be less distracted. (Sometimes I go out to my living room couch or the kitchen table if I’m having trouble focusing.)
  • Bills – You’ll be using more electricity, water, and heat/air conditioning when you work from home. It’s likely you’ll also have higher phone bills depending on how much you’ll be required to talk to others.
  • Equipment – Setting up a home office can get expensive. You’ll need to get a comfortable chair, a decent desk, and possibly some extra shelving. Also, your life will revolve around your computer. If something breaks down, you’ll need to shell out the money to fix it immediately. (Just the costs of printer ink can add up.)
  • Time – This is intangible, but if you’re unmotivated and suffering from distraction, you can end up working some very long hours to get work accomplished.

Of course, some companies will pay for some of these expenses. But if you’re freelancing, you’re on your own. So, if you’re considering working from home, be sure to weigh these costs against your current situation – and write off what you can at tax time.

Physical and Mental Health

As mentioned earlier, it’s dangerous to just sit around all day. Your current job might at least require you to move to other areas of the office now and then – maybe some stairs are even involved. Chances are, however, that you’ll be moving a lot less when you start working from home. Maybe this won’t bother you, but if you’re health-conscious, you’ll definitely want to consider this aspect of the job.

Finally, think about this statement: when you’re at home, you’re at work. This still weighs on my mind sometimes. While many office workers take their work home, it can still be nice to go to a physically different and comforting place at the end of the day. “Work-from-homers” have much less separation. If you tend to worry a lot about deadlines, or if unfinished work really bothers you, working from home might not be for you. You may find yourself constantly thinking, “I should be working right now.” So, be sure you can seriously separate work from your personal life – even if they both occur in the same place.

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Author’s Bio:
Rachel Carlson is a writer and student that works from home. While she spends a lot of her time writing, she also helps different companies like Clear Wireless with gaining exposure through various blogs and websites. She has recently started a new Twitter account and is finally going to give it a real shot. She can be followed at @carlson_rachel.

Thanks, Rachel. It takes a clear mind and focus to get out a blog post about distractions. Great job! 🙂

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Don’t Get Distracted When Your Workplace is Called Home

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You have the comforts of your living room to call your workplace, yet you find yourself more stressed out than if you were in an office space filled with varying personalities.

So, how can you better the situation so that you’re both productive and happy at the same time?

For many people who work from home, their days are littered with distractions – computer, Blackberry’s, phones, children, clutter, annoying family members and/or friends who think that your time is their time too.

Before you begin that new job from home, follow some of these guidelines to make for a better and more prosperous situation:

  • Set up strategy – Lay down the ground rules for all those who you will or may come in contact with during the hours you’re supposed to be working. If you have a significant other and/or children, set aside the necessary time daily for them, but make sure they know that your 9 to 5 hours are for work, not play. It is very easy to get distracted in such an environment and fall behind on the work that needs to get done.
  • Make the environment – If you’re working from your home in pajamas, are you really working or pretending to work? Many people who go from an office environment to a home working environment will note that they keep a similar routine. They get up at the same time five days a week, they tend to work the same hours each day, they get dressed as if they would be in a public workplace, etc. While lounging in your PJ’s and slippers may seem like a relaxing way to do work, it doesn’t always lead to productivity.
  • Have the look of a productive office – When you are working from home, you want the “office” to look and feel just like an office. That means buying the necessary equipment like a computer, printer, fax machine (if needed), etc. It is also good if you’re going to have clients coming by that you entertain them in a professional setting and make it so they feel like they’re actually in an office environment.
  • Record your equipment needs for tax purposes – While working at home may work for some and not others, there are some financial benefits to such an arrangement. First, you do not have to worry about commuting expenses and wear and tear on your vehicle. Secondly, you can deduct a number of items when it comes to doing your taxes. Many of the purchases you make for your business can be written off as expenses the next time around when doing taxes.
  • Understand working from home comes at an expense – While there are a number of advantages to working from home, some find such an arrangement to be a lonely experience. Even though you may enjoy the lack of stress that often comes with working from home, it can come at the expense of feeling isolated.
  • Take needed breaks – Given today’s world of instant communication, it is very easy to get distracted while working at home, especially in the arena of social media. Clients, co-workers, friends and family can be tweeting, texting, sharing and more, leaving you feeling like there is no end. If social media is an important part of your job requirements, know when to take a break and turn off the cell phone, Blackberry’s, computers etc.

Working from home can be a very positive experience; making it work is oftentimes the job in itself.

Dave Thomas, who has authored a number of articles regarding digital copiers writes extensively for www.business.com an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.