Tag Archives: workplace

Pride Month and the Workplace

“Equality means more than passing laws. The struggle is really won in the hearts and minds of the community, where it really counts.”—Barbara Gittings, LGBT activist

June is recognized as Pride Month. It’s a time to honor and highlight the history, challenges, and achievements of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community. More workplaces are incorporating Pride Month activities as part of their employee engagement strategy. (more…)

5 Email Management Tips in the Workplace

Let’s face it: emails are a big part of work. It’s how businesses communicate workflows, schedule important meetings, and make announcements. How much time do you spend a day managing your inbox? Did you know that the average office worker sends or receives 121 emails per day? As communication evolves, proper email etiquette as a professional can go a long way. Here are five email management tips to help you communicate more effectively at work. (more…)

Question of the Month: Do You Think Overall Workplace Dynamics and Interpersonal Relationships Will Be Better or Worse Than Prior To The Pandemic?

Now that pandemic restrictions are lifting in more locations, people are starting to go back to their in-person workplaces. Since working with co-workers can be both beneficial and frustrating, we want to hear what you think will happen as employees return to the workplace.

Will the overall workplace dynamics and interpersonal relationships be better or worse than they were before? Let us know by voting in our poll! (more…)

Defending Yourself Against Workplace Gossip

You’re doing your job, meeting deadlines and quotas, and then your boss asks to see you in their office. You aren’t expecting anything out of the ordinary; maybe this is to discuss a new project or a new addition to the team. But something seems off. Your boss doesn’t look happy, and the first words out of their mouth are “There’s been talk around the office that you’ve been…” And things only go downhill from there. (more…)

Getting Around Negative Gossip at Work

You’re proud of the work you put in while on the job. But one day you walk by the breakroom and hear a co-worker say you frequently miss deadlines, come into work late, or steal their ideas for presentations.

Office gossip can be incredibly demoralizing, especially if you’re new on the job. Someone is spreading lies about you, but it’s their word against yours; is there really anything you can do about it? (more…)

When It’s Time to Quit Your Job

Do you like your job?

According to a recent Gallup study, 51% of employees aren’t engaged at work. Meaning they just do what they have to do to get through the day, but don’t really have dreams for advancement. Another 16% are “actively disengaged,” meaning they complain all the time and bring the entire mood of the workplace down.

That’s about 2/3 of the workforce who don’t really like their jobs. But these individuals don’t quit. They keep working. Why?

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Are You Too Nice to Your Co-workers?

When never saying “no” turns into a problem.

It’s a question they ask. Every. Single. Interview.

“Are you a team player?”

There’s only one right answer: “Yes.” Followed by examples of how great you are at working with a team.

And it’s true—if you can’t work well with others, you’re probably going to have trouble in any workplace.

However, there’s a limit. If you accommodate every single person’s request, from picking up lunch for a group meeting to taking notes, you become everybody’s “go-to guy (or gal).” It’s flattering to be thought of as the co-worker who can get any task done. But that can take a toll on you, both mentally and physically.

Here’s a few ways to tell it might be time to start embracing the word “no” (or a suitably polite equivalent).

You Say Yes. A Lot.

As noted by the Wall Street Journal, many employees now spend 85% of their time working with other team member in emails, meetings, conference calls, or instant messaging. That’s why it becomes a problem when you tell everyone you can handle anything.

You want to do a great job. So, you email a friend in a different department that you’ll send their request to your manager, help every customer (via phone or in-person) with any requests they have, and tell the front office coordinator you can cover the desk while they’re on lunch break. You like being reliable.

But before you know it, it’s two hours before you’re supposed to go home and you haven’t even started your own projects for the day.

You’re (Too) Stressed

When you say you can do several things for several different people, even if they’re all small, it all adds up. And saying “yes” makes you accountable. You said you’d do it, and don’t want to let everyone down.

But now you’re juggling too many things. You almost forget what you’re working on, who requested it, and when it’s due. And even if you can keep all those things straight, you still have your own responsibilities as well.

You’re Becoming Bitter

Eventually, initial feelings of pride over being the reliable person can turn sour. You don’t even remember why you started doing these things that aren’t in your job description in the first place! Why did people even ask you to handle responsibilities that aren’t yours? Why don’t they do it themselves! But now it’s too late to say no. You’re buried with no way out.

Or are you?

You’ve Accepted You’re A Yes (Wo)Man; Now What?

First off: you’re not alone. Being overwhelmed is a real problem, all across North America.

According to Robert Cross, lead author of an eight-year, 28 employer study on collaborative demands, “The volume and diversity of collaborative demands on employees have risen 50% in the past decade.”

But not all hope is lost. The article goes on to note that “changing just a few behaviors can regain 18% to 24% of the time spent collaborating.

These include:

  • Taking time to focus, whether through meditation or whatever else relaxes you.
  • Not answering every email. It’s okay, not everything is meant for you to respond to. If you’re addressed directly, feel free to forward it to the appropriate person.
  • Having hard discussions. Sitting down with your boss or a particularly demanding co-worker to let them know you’re a bit overwhelmed. If you’re handling odd jobs for multiple people, it’s likely each person doesn’t know the full extent of everything you do.

And if you’re resolved to continue doing everything for everybody? At least try to schedule your workload down to the minute. Once you go past your scheduled time on a task, stop it and move to the next one. Prioritize your own projects and let people know you’ll be handling those responsibilities first.

 

Have you ever ended up as the workplace go-to person for basically everything? If it became overwhelming, how did you handle it? Let us know in the comments section below!