Successful Blog

Doing Away With Tension in the Office

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When you put a number of professionals together, no matter who they are, at some point in time, tension will arise.

Maybe it’s over a business disagreement, maybe they have some differing visions for the future, or maybe they simply don’t get along.

But the bottom line is that people sometimes have to work together despite these things (or not and that means someone losing his or her job).

So how do you make, and keep, a happy, trusting work place where your employees can be productive and successful?

Think about it when hiring

When you are in the hiring process, think about how new employees will connect and interact with current employees.

If you see personalities that will certainly clash, you may want to rethink that hire even if everything else is top notch. If you get a vibe on different goals or perspectives that you’re not ready for, think twice.

It’s much easier on everyone if you just don’t get there in the first place than to have to deal with personality challenges, misconceptions and not seeing eye to eye in the future.

Notice what is going on

If you see employees struggling to get along or avoiding one another, try to figure out what is going on.

You could meet with each one separately or talk to an unbiased party and get to the bottom of it. It’s not a bad idea to mediate a meeting between those not getting along, and if you are one of them, you need to speak up and try to work out problems before they become unworkable.

If you can get to the bottom of things before they escalate, you could possibly save a lot of turmoil and tension.

Don’t put your head in the sand

If you’ve noticed something, or you personally are having trouble with someone, you need to address it.

Problems sometimes go away, but often they don’t. And if they don’t, you may have much bigger problems to attend to, like people quitting, having to fire someone, losing income due to time spent on this or unhappy customers. Remember, tension needs to be addressed.

Keep a positive atmosphere

Keeping a positive atmosphere in the workplace will help keep these problems to a minimum.

If you can provide a safe atmosphere where your employees feel trusted and have at least one person they can go to, it will help. If your employees feel valued and that even through professional disagreements, you still respect their work and opinions, tensions may be kept at bay.

You, as an employer, can set clear goals and recognize achievements. When you show value, even when tension exists, the positive may outweigh the negative feelings.

Remember there is life outside of work

Sometimes when there is extra tension or someone seems more stressed or difficult to get along with, remember there may be something outside of work going on.

Sure, work at work is priority, but sometimes it’s hard to focus on the positive when some other aspect of your world is falling apart, be it health, family or other external stress. Try to find out if something else is underlying before taking severe measures.

As a business owner, you have lots of roles to play.

Sometimes mediator or confidante is one. Sometimes you have to make decisions you don’t want to.

Keep a constant eye on things, and maybe you can prevent office tensions from escalating too far.

Photo credit: livinggreenmag.com

About the Author: Heather Legg is a writer who covers topics on small business, getting along with others and a company’s online reputation.

It Is Your Business to Know Who You Hire

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How much time in running your small business do you devote to actually knowing who comes into your office as a new employee?

In some cases, those running companies will give input and even sit in on a number of or all interviews with prospective candidates. In other cases, however, they leave it to a staff member or members to do the interviewing and ultimately hire the individual for the needed job.

So, the question then begs if you should be more active in the hiring process, especially given how too much turnover and training of countless individuals can have a negative impact on your business finances?

In the event you decide to become more active, here are some things you should look at when considering each and every applicant who walks through your doors:

* Are they truly qualified? – While many candidates who come to you seeking a job are truly qualified, others will try and pass off their experience as suitable for the job. The danger with the latter is that you could end up hiring several times until you get the right fit. Some companies will test applicants on their knowledge of the position they would be doing if hired, while others base their decision off of the person’s work background. Either way, make sure you get the most qualified man or woman in order to hopefully fill that spot for several years to come;

* Will they fit with the team in place? – Chemistry in the office is key to any successful business, so keep that in mind when you interview candidates. Does their personality seem like a good fit for the employees they would be working with? Are they outgoing and seem like they will pitch in whenever asked? Do they have a positive attitude that will help them get through stressful times, including constant deadlines? It just takes one wrong piece to mess up the puzzle of office success that you have worked to put in place;

* Is their background too social for me? – Even though there is nothing wrong with prospective candidates being on social media, more companies are checking the social backgrounds of individuals they interview, looking for any red flags. In the event they have questionable comments and/or images on their social media pages, it should at least give you pause to think about if they’d be a good fit for your business. When you look at the judgment they used in some of their tweets or shares, should you worry that they might use similar questionable judgment when working for you? If you do have such concerns, feel free to bring them up during an interview;

* Long-term plans – Finally, while it is not uncommon for workers these days to move from job to job, this unlike the days when people stayed at a company for several decades, you do not want a revolving door at your business. That being said, question each candidate on what their career plans are, where they see themselves in three to five years, and if they feel they can achieve long-term success with you. While most candidates will say the “right thing” in order to increase their chances of attaining the job, some will be very honest and tell you what their plans are. Even though you should not discount those that can’t make a long-term commitment to you, it does give you pause to think about whether or not to hire them.

As a small business owner, what do you look for when a prospective candidate walks through your doors?

Photo credit: ehow.com

About the Author: With 23 years’ writing experience, Dave Thomas covers small business topics for a variety of websites, including Reputation.com.

Are You Better Off Working From Home?

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If you trudge off to an office five days a week, have you ever stopped to wonder what it would be like to work from home?

For many professionals, that opportunity is pretty much a pipe dream, this given the fact that many companies still run the standard office.

You know the office, the one where employees report in for their daily shift, do their jobs with a lunch break and one or two 10-minute breaks during the day, then get in their cars or on mass transit for the ride home. The next morning means the same all over again.

What Opportunities Are in Your Future?

So, what if you had the opportunity to work from home?

Do you think you would be more or less productive from your residence? Could you focus in on work and turn away the various distractions that can all too easily present themselves? Lastly, would you miss spending time in an office setting with co-workers, meaning you basically rely on yourself for entertainment during the day?

Over the last seven years, I’ve had two opportunities to work from home as a freelance writer, both the result of job layoffs. I can say with much certainty that the two experiences have been positive for the most part.

One of the keys to being successful while working part-time or full-time at home is having an employer who avoids micromanagement.

In what should be labeled a disease in the workplace, micromanagement simply means that your boss and/or company owner feel they need to hold your hand during the day in the office or if you work remotely. In such cases, they will oversee you with questions, suggestions and comments, leaving you wishing Friday’s Happy Hour was five days a week and not one.

So, with the micromanagement factor out of the way, here are some pros/cons of working from home:

Pros –

* Avoiding a possibly long and expensive commute daily;

* Ability (with your company’s permission) to set your own hours;

* Not having to deal with constantly ringing office phones;

* Being void of co-workers who have nothing better to do than to talk your ear off while you’re trying to work.

Cons –

* Unless you’re well disciplined, it can be easy to get distracted at home;

* Not having others around to bounce ideas off of, answer your questions and/or solve work related issues;

* Potentially not having access to necessary equipment like a printer, fax machine, tech help if your home computer goes down.

At the end of the day, finding the right work at home situation can be tricky, though well worth your time.

Work is ultimately what you make of it.

If you are one who wants to be successful, potentially make a decent amount of money, and avoid having to deal with office politics, working from home can be just what you are looking for. The tricky part is locating that company that will employ you under those circumstances or being able to get your own business off the ground.

In the event you work from home for yourself or an employer, what have your experiences been like to date?

Photo credit: metro.us

About the Author: With 23 years’ writing experience, Dave Thomas covers a variety of business topics and individuals, including Gary Crittenden.

Can You Get Around a Firing When Interviewing for Work?

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When you used to look around the cubicles at work, did you ever stop and wonder if this co-worker or that co-worker had ever been fired?

For many workers, the pink slip has come in an unceremonious way all too often, leading them down a trip to the unemployment line. Whether it was due to bad performance, an issue with a co-worker, or just not seeing eye-to-eye with the boss, they were dismissed.

In the event you find yourself in this position now as you search for a new job, there are some important factors to keep in mind when called in for a job interview.

Among them are:

  • Accept reality – Getting fired from a job is one of the toughest things you can go through. Yes, there is a difference between a firing and getting laid off from a job mainly that many layoff victims are oftentimes kept in their company’s plans should conditions improve where they can be brought back. How many times do you see an employer re-hiring a fired employee? The first and most important thing for you to do is accept what happened, take a short amount of time to deal with it, and then move on. Carrying a grudge for an extended period of time can impact you when you go back out on the interview trail, therefore lessening your chances for getting another job;
  • Covering the time gaps – Many individuals have gaps on their resume that can easily be explained away. Whether it was a layoff, taking time off to go back to school or for maternity leave, a sickness, it can be relatively easy to explain the time off. When it comes to being fired, however, this is where it gets tricky. Should you lie and say you were actually laid off or skip around the subject altogether? By all means, do not lie. This is a smaller world than many people think, and such lies can come back to haunt you if your potential or new employer finds out. If asked about why you were fired,  briefly explain your side of the issue and go from there;
  • Point out company you worked for – The last thing you want to do when interviewing for a job is bad-mouth your previous employer. That being said, it is okay to point out factual information about why you were fired. Sometimes firings happen as a result of companies being sold, downsizing, or another method whereby you did not have a say in the situation. You or other individuals may have viewed your dismissal as a firing, where in fact you actually were a layoff victim, something that does make a difference. On the other hand, if your prior employer had some issues with you and/or other employees and you got caught up in them, explain them in the proper manner without carrying a grudge;
  • Admit any wrongdoing – Most employees do not go out of their way to get fired.  In the event you were fired from a job and it comes up during a job interview, let the interviewer know what you learned from the experience and how it has changed your approach to work. While it may not get you the new job, it will at least give the interviewer pause to think that you may be worth the risk and have in fact learned from your previous employment situation. Many employers are willing to give an individual a second chance if they see sincerity and that the candidate did in fact learn a lesson from a job firing;
  • Show appreciation for a second chance– Lastly, make sure you learn from the firing, but then put it in the past so that it does not impact you going forward. It can certainly be tough to transition from being fired to having to look for another job, but it is the reality most people face. By hitting the job trail again and not sulking on your couch, you have already won half the battle.

Getting over a firing and finding a new job definitely takes time and effort, but the end result could show you that the firing was actually a blessing in disguise.

Photo credit: inlandpolitics.com

Dave Thomas, who covers among other subjects’ 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.

 

Is Not Giving Two Weeks’ Notice Cool When Quitting a Job?

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The days of individuals staying at one employer their entire lifetime are few and far between any longer.

Given factors like a struggling economy, people going back to school to further or change their careers, and employers downsizing many businesses, it is not uncommon for a professional to end up with four or five jobs by the time they slip into retirement.

For those individuals who decided that it is time for a career or job change within their present line of work, what is the proper protocol for leaving their current employer?

Some individuals believe it is of utmost importance to give two weeks’ notice so that no bridges are burned should they want a relationship with their present employer down the road.

Others, meantime, feel like two weeks is not necessary, given the fact that most employers will let go via layoff or fire someone on the spot, hence, not providing the employee with advanced notice.

When looking at this matter from the employee point of view, keep these factors in mind:

  • Would your employer do the same? – The answer to that question nine times out of 10 is no. Unless it is a matter of not renewing a contract and the employee is told so when it comes up for renewal, employers are not going to walk over to your cubicle or call you into their office and tell you they are firing you in two weeks. In many cases, you will have literally minutes to clean out your desk, gather your belongings and most likely not say goodbye to fellow workers;
  • Will you need this employer as a reference? – Even though many employees switching jobs already have their new job lined up before exiting their present one, they may want their soon to be ex-employer’s reference down the road. They may want to even do some part-time freelance work for the one they are leaving. By not giving two weeks’ notice, those chances pretty much go out the window;
  • Do you want to maintain office friendships – In some instances; you have gotten to be good friends with one or more co-workers in your present office. If you just up and leave for greener pastures, your co-worker or co-workers may view it as bailing on them and specifically that friendship you built if you don’t tell them ahead of time. Determine ahead of time how important your soon-to-be ex co-workers are to you when considering appropriate notice;
  • It really is a small world – Many employees would be surprised to learn how truly a small world it really is. The last thing you want is word getting around that you just up and left a job without proper notice. It may not hurt you now that you landed a new job, but it could down the road when you may be let go by this new company and find yourself job hunting again.

Speaking from experience, I’ve been on both sides of the coin here as far as how much notice I gave.

In my first full-time job out of college, one I was at for just under six years, I gave my employer a good six weeks’ notice because I wanted to have a smooth transition and I knew I was relocating on the other side of the country months ahead of time.

So, how did my employer repay me for doing a nice thing like that? After the first week or so, they had my replacement training under me, telling me several times if I didn’t like my new workload, work conditions etc. I was more than welcome to leave my job early since they had someone in place to replace me.

Needless to say, I never have nor ever would give an employer that much notice going forward.

In one part-time job, I had been told by my employer that certain things would happen following my training process. Needless to say, they never followed through on any of those promises.

Knowing things were not going to change, and knowing I would continue getting the run-around, I worked two weeks ahead of time so that my assignments both present and over the next two weeks were done, walked in one morning and cleaned out my desk, and left before anyone showed up.

I’m not saying it was the wrong or right way to do things, but at the time it felt like the decision I needed to make.

The bottom line is each employee has to weigh the matter at hand, determine how giving or not giving two weeks’ notice will impact them down the road, and go from there.

Yes, it seems like the right thing to always do, but in some cases, right doesn’t always win out.

Photo credit: jezebel.com

Dave Thomas, who has authored a number of articles regarding small business credit cards and commercial vehicle insurance 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.