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Just How Safe Are You?

By tiffany monhollon on Friday, June 20, 2008

It’s national safety month during June, so now’s a great time to start thinking about how to be safe – both at home and at work. But what exactly do we mean when we talk about safety? Is it simply knowing how to be prepared in case of an emergency? Or is it understanding how to prevent an injury?

If you check out the National Safety Council (NSC) website, you’ll see that when it comes to safety, there is no one answer. Safety issues range from driving safely to disaster preparedness to slips and falls and beyond. Plus, safety issues vary and broaden over time, and the same safety guidelines for home may also apply at work.

You might be wondering why safety matters to you. Well, according to the most recent NSC report on U.S. injuries, over 26 million people experienced disabling injuries in 2006, and the cost of all classes of injuries that year was $652.1 billion. To help you protect yourself from the physical and financial toll of an injury, this series will provide safety tips you can use on the road, in the office, or out in the heat this summer.

poll by twiigs.com

Want more? Check out these 3 First Aid Tips for the Workplace, and be sure to check back for the rest of this series. Have a safety at work question? Leave it in the comments below.

Workplace Relationships

Emotions in the Workplace: How to Control Your Emotions at the Office

By james on Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Many people face challenges of dealing with their emotions in the workplace. Even though stress caused by a frustrating boss or technical difficulties can disrupt your ability to do your job, it’s important to keep your reactions professional. Though it can be tricky, here are a few ideas to help you control your emotions at work.

Identify what upsets you.
Hot buttons are issues or experiences that elicit a strong emotional reaction. Taking time to recognize your hot buttons will help prepare you to handle these situations when they arise. Though you may not be able to change how you feel, you can control how you’ll react by knowing what it is that sets you off.

Create a course of action.
After identifying your hot buttons so you can control your reactions, it’s important to create a strategy to deal with your feelings. This may include talking to your supervisor or writing down your thoughts to help smooth interpersonal frustrations.

Listen to music.
Simply listening to music can be a soothing way to calm your overwhelming emotions. Slip on some headphones and listen to music, and ask others around you to not disturb you when you have them on. Also, be sure to have the audio turned down low, and limit the time you have your headphones on in case a co-worker or supervisor needs to talk to you.

Reflect on yourself.
By taking personal responsibility to change yourself when you feel a surge of emotions at work, you’re displaying maturity and professionalism. As you reflect on your continual efforts to improve how you handle your emotions, try embracing a new perspective and changing your attitude overall.

Everyone experiences emotions including frustration, anger, and worry at the workplace, but it’s important to manage your emotions and keep your reactions professional. Have you ever let your emotions get the better of you? Have you found any other helpful tricks to control your emotions?

At Work The Daily Grind

3 Tips to Stay Cool at Work this Summer

By shannon on Monday, June 16, 2008

With the summer heat upon us, you may be tempted to pull out your summer attire of T-shirts and jean shorts for the office simply to stay cool. But it’s important to keep your work attire appropriate, even during the hot summer months. So, while you’re avoiding the summer’s top fashion faux pas, here are a few alternatives to help you stay cool and comfortable at work.

Drink plenty of water. Keeping your body replenished will help you regulate your body temperature and keep you from overheating. Drink plenty of liquids, especially water, to keep your body hydrated, but avoid too much caffeine because it can dehydrate you.

Turn on a fan. If you work in an office, bring a small, portable fan and face it toward you to push away the heat and create a cool breeze. Your co-workers may appreciate the air flow, too, but if they don’t, use a non-oscillating fan. You can also try using a handheld mister or battery-operated fan if you work outdoors or don’t have access to an electrical outlet.

Wear lighter fabrics. Just because you shouldn’t wear tank tops and flip flops to the office doesn’t mean you can’t make summer wardrobe selections. Choose light-colored fabrics if you’re outdoors in the heat to reflect more of the sun. And, if you work indoors, choose light-weight fabrics that breathe and won’t trap the heat next to your body, such as cotton or linen.

Using these tips will help you keep cool while maintaining your professional image at work during the long, hot summer days.

Career Advancement Workplace Relationships

Are You Promotable? Social Skills vs. Intellect

By Jennifer Kenley on Wednesday, June 11, 2008

The days of being promoted at a company just because you’ve paid your dues are gone. People are being promoted for many different reasons – and not all of them are for a job well done. In Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist blog about social skills in the workplace, Tiziana Casciaro, a professor at Harvard Business School, said “people would rather work with someone who is likeable and incompetent than with someone who is skilled and obnoxious.”

Now, I’m not saying that people who absolutely do no work but have an insanely bright personality will get promoted ahead of those who actually add value to their department or company. But, it has to be said that your people skills are usually a major factor in whether or not you receive a promotion or continue climbing the corporate ladder.

According to experts, individuals are considered “promotable” when they are included in meetings where their co-workers are not included, told inside information that others are not aware of, given important tasks, asked for input on major decisions, and given increased responsibilities. If you find yourself meeting all these requirements, then you’re promotable according to their guidelines.

But, there is a big difference between being promotable and actually getting promoted. If you meet all of the above requirements and still haven’t received a higher position, there could be many different reasons that are keeping you from moving into your own office. If your company is growing and people are moving up around you, you might want to check your attitude. Also, ask yourself these questions and see if your behaviors are keeping you from getting that well-deserved promotion.

• Do you get along with your co-workers?
• Do you like your boss? How well do you get along?
• Have you ever undermined your boss’s authority?
• Are you clearly recognized for your contributions from your boss’s peers?

If you answered no to any of these questions, then you might have just answered your own question as to why you haven’t received that promotion yet. You may lack the social skills needed to move you to the next level. Employees who are disliked rarely receive promotions due to the fear that other employees will quit. So, even if you have the intellect to successfully run a team, but you’re short on the social skills you need to work with other people, then most likely you won’t be seeing that promotion any time soon.

But there’s good news! There are ways you can improve your social skills. As Penelope Trunk asserts in her blog, “if you just decide you want to do better, you probably will.” In other words, care about how others perceive you and work on re-establishing those relationships at work. The first step in receiving that promotion is repositioning yourself in the office as someone who gets along with others.

The Daily Grind Workplace Goofs

Cell Phone Etiquette in the Office

By shannon on Monday, June 9, 2008

Have you ever been interrupted or disturbed by a co-worker using a cell phone in the office? You might even be the perpetrator and not know it. If your employer has a no cell phone policy, make sure to follow their rules. But if you’re allowed to carry yours with you, here are four tips for cell phone etiquette to keep disruptions to a minimum and keep peace in the office.

Use silent or vibrate mode – In an office environment where you are in close quarters with co-workers, the simple ringing of a cell phone can break your concentration or disrupt others. Turn your ringer on silent, or use the vibrate mode if you’re expecting a call. Or, simply turn your cell phone off altogether. Callers can leave a voicemail, and you can return your personal phone calls on your break, during lunch, or after work instead of during company time.

Keep talk quiet – If you do take a personal call on your cell phone while in the office, keep your voice down. Most people don’t want to hear the conversation you’re having with your sweetheart or your doctor, so be considerate of others. Better yet, take your conversation down the hall to an empty conference room, or step outside to talk.

Don’t talk in the bathroom – Cell phones and restrooms don’t mix. Period. No one in the bathroom wants to hear your conversation, and the person on the receiving end of your call doesn’t want to hear toilets flushing and running water, either. End the conversation before you go into the restroom, or return the phone call later.

Avoid using your phone during meetings – During a meeting, don’t answer your phone, text your friends, or check your e-mail. Otherwise, you’ll appear distracted, bored, and unprofessional. If you’re texting or e-mailing someone for important information pertaining to the meeting, let others know what you’re doing so they don’t think you’re being disrespectful. The best thing to do is leave your cell phone at your desk, and be sure to turn the ringer off.

Cell phones give us easy access to others, and vice versa, but at work they can be a tempting distraction for ourselves and interrupt others. Follow these cell phone etiquette tips the next time you take your phone to work so you won’t be the one committing a cell phone faux pas in the office.

At Work

Saving Money on Lunch: How to Eat Cheap During the Workweek

By james on Wednesday, June 4, 2008

You may find your discretionary income quickly disappearing each month as the high price of fuel has caused food prices to increase, among other things. While you might not be able to get rid of necessary expenses, you can at least cut down on your lunch budget. Here are three areas that can help you keep more cash in your pocket.

Packing Your Lunch
The biggest money saving tip is bringing your lunch to the office. If you usually spend about $10 eating out each day, you can save around $1,000 a year just by packing your lunch just two days a week. And, packing your lunch can be easy. Try buying frozen meals or making sandwiches that you can easily pack or prepare the night before. You don’t need anything else to worry about when you’re trying to make it to work on time.

Smart Eating Out
When you eat at a restaurant, consider carpooling with co-workers to save on fuel. At the restaurant, share a meal or appetizer with a friend or co-worker. Usually, restaurant portions are excessive, and splitting the meal can keep costs down for both of you. Many places also have affordable lunch specials that fit into a tight budget. Or, get a doggie bag and save half of your lunch to pack as leftovers later on in the week.

Bringing Snacks
By keeping healthy foods at work, you can snack whenever you get a little hungry. Munching on a container of cereal or fruit at your desk can help control your appetite and save you the cost of a quick snack at a vending machine. Snacking throughout the morning will keep you from ordering too much if you eat out. Also, consider bringing your own drinks to the office. If you were to buy a drink for $1 from the vending machine every day, that would amount to over $260 a year.

Your lunch budget is an easy place to cut down on your expenses. Plan ahead and think about these three factors and watch your expenses decrease quickly.

What do you usually do for lunch? Did you change your eating habits to help make up for high gas prices?

The Daily Grind

Get New Habits, Not a New Job: How to Cut Costs by Increasing Gas Mileage

By james on Wednesday, May 28, 2008

If you feel that your paycheck is shrinking, you may not need a new job, just new driving habits. Record gas prices are being broken week after week. As of mid-May, New York and Chicago are averaging over $4 a gallon, and gas stations across the country are quickly approaching that mark. With what seems to be ever-increasing fuel costs, individuals are feeling the pinch at the pump. To help you get more mileage for your money, try the following these seven tips.

1. Clean out your car. Before you hit the road, take out all the unnecessary junk inside your car. According to the Department of Energy, removing excess weight from your vehicle can save you up to 7 cents a gallon, for fuel priced at $3.72 per gallon. Removing an extra 100 pounds of unnecessary weight from your car can improve your gas mileage by 2%. Keep the spare tire and car lift, but the golf clubs can go.

2. Drive sensibly. “Speed Racer, slow down!” exclaimed Speed’s teacher in the big-budget summer flick of the same name. Driving like Speed will drain your gas because high speeds guzzle fuel. By avoiding rapid accelerations and constant braking, you can avoid wasting gas and also be a safer driver. But, don’t drive too slowly because slow acceleration can bog down your engine and decrease fuel efficiency as well.

3. Properly inflate your tires. Under-inflated tires can also reduce your gas mileage and poses a safety hazard as well, so make sure you pump up your tires to the recommended level. Over-inflating your tires can decrease friction and increase gas mileage, but it’s unsafe because it also reduces grip for braking and turning.

4. Turn off the car. If you know you won’t be moving for more than 30 seconds, turn your car off to save fuel. Turning your car on and off uses less fuel than leaving it idle for minutes at a time. This tip is useful at railroad crossings, ATMs, drive-thrus and long traffic lights.

5. Keep the wheels practical. Shiny new rims on your car might be trendy, but bigger wheels actually increase you car’s rolling resistance. This increase will cause your car’s fuel economy to lower. If you do drive with larger tires, keep your stock wheels and switch out the larger rims on long distance drives.

6. Use cruise control. When you can, use your car’s cruise control. Using cruise control at highway speeds can save up to 7% of your car’s fuel economy. With little need for acceleration and braking on the highway, the constant speed helps save gas.

7. Just park it. Circling the mall, grocery store or workplace parking lot in search of a close spot is a fuel burner. Even by waiting for a car to pull out of a spot, your idle car wastes gas – and your time. So try parking a little further away and burn less fuel while burning more calories.

By following these simple tips, you might just be able to afford driving somewhere other than just to the office and back.

How are record-breaking gas prices affecting you, and what are you doing to cope? How is the fuel economy on your ride?