Everyone has done or said something at work at one point that has either made them laugh out loud or turn red from embarrassment. Have you fallen down the stairs in front of your CEO, walked out of the bathroom with tissue stuck to your shoe, or accidentally eaten someone else’s lunch? Or know someone who has? How did you react? We want to hear your stories, so share your or your co-worker’s workplace blunders with us in the comments section below. Then, we’ll feature the top five comments in a future blog post with tips on how to handle the situation.
We hear all the time how important it is to listen to your heart when searching for a career path. But when I read, a commencement address that Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers, gave at a graduation ceremony at Stanford University in 2005, I wondered how often do we actually follow that advice?
Steve’s journey started with a simple calligraphy class he sat in on after dropping out of college. In his search to find what interested him, he found himself mesmerized by this style of writing. What he didn’t know was that this would later influence him when he started designing the first Macintosh computer. It became the first computer with beautiful typography.
In his address, Steve spoke about three specific times in his life that got him to where he is today. The first story was about connecting the dots, the second focused on love and loss, and the third story spoke about death.
These three ideas can help you find your own passion. Here’s how:
Connect the Dots. Examine your past. What are some of the things that have interested you the most? Whether it’s a bio-chemistry class or a calligraphy class like it was for Steve, no interest is too small to help point you into the right career.
Love It and Lose It. Stick to your passion. It doesn’t matter that you may have tried to be successful doing what you love and failed. Try again from another angle. Persistence pays off. Remember the old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Find creative ways to interject your passion into your work life, and see what happens.
Live Each Day. If you haven’t discovered your passion, live each day to the fullest by trying new things until you have found your niche. Explore new hobbies or chase your dreams. There is something out there for everyone; it just takes initiative and courage to find out what you love and let it change the way you work and live.
Remember, hardly anyone is born knowing their passion. It takes time and a little soul-searching. So, follow your heart. Dig into your curiosity. You never know where your dreams might lead you!
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.
Does the idea of April Fools’ Day get you pumped up for office pranks? Do you plan for weeks on end to perform the prank that will be talked about for years to come? In order for office pranks to go over well, they must be in good taste. If you’re a jokester who lives for April Fools’ Day, these five tips can help you ensure your pranks won’t get you or anyone else into trouble.
1. Check the office policy. Check with your boss to find out if office pranks are acceptable. You don’t want to perform a trick if it won’t be tolerated in your workplace. Inappropriate pranks could result in a reprimand or worse, losing your job.
2. Know your target. Make sure you have a relationship with your target – and know them well. Performing a prank on someone you don’t know could make them feel discriminated against and get you in hot water.
3. Be politically correct. Steer clear of offensive jokes. Don’t make fun of protected classes, socioeconomic status, or someone’s education. These do more than cause embarrassment – they are often illegal in the workplace, especially when you use violent or sexually explicit jokes.
4. Run the prank by your boss. Before pulling off your prank, make sure that your boss is aware of your plan. You want to make sure your bases are covered before executing the joke. You don’t want to get the OK to perform a trick only to find out later that the prank you picked is inappropriate.
5. Put yourself in the situation. Ask yourself if this particular joke was pulled on you how you would take it. The idea of a prank is to make everyone laugh, even the person who is on the opposite end of the joke. If you think there might be a chance you could offend someone, make other plans.
Pranks should be lighthearted and enjoyable for all involved and done in good taste. A mean-spirited joke can harm someone’s career and reputation as well as hurt them emotionally.
These days, most of us spend as much or more time with our co-workers as our friends and family. That may be one reason why so many people are favorable toward office romance.
Harris Interactive recently released a report showing that over one third (36%) of workers surveyed said they’d consider an office romance. According to the 2008 Harlequin Romance Report, 57% of men and 61% of women in the workplace have had a crush on a co-worker, and well over half of both men and women who’ve experienced workplace crushes say they’ve gone beyond a crush to a relationship with a co-worker (Hat tip: HR World).
But for many, it’s not clear what to do about the deep bonds or constant flirtations that frequently arise between co-workers even when things don’t turn into actual romance. There’s even a terminology that has sprung up to describe this relationship – a “work spouse.” When you spend most of your time at work – or during your lunch hour – with a co-worker, think about them while at home, or look forward to the next time you’ll get to see or talk with them, you may just have what some call a “work husband” or a “work wife,” even if things are platonic.
Though general camaraderie and good will among co-workers is a good thing, it can be difficult to draw the lines and keep work relationships in check, unless you have some guidelines to follow.
How can you know if things have gone too far in a co-worker relationship? Experts say taking stock of your on-the-job relationships with these questions in mind can help you know if you’re crossing the line into dangerous territory with a co-worker.
- Are you obsessing over your co-worker when not at work?
- How would you treat your work spouse if your significant other were with you?
- Do you compare your real romantic partner with your work spouse?
- Do you cross the lines into physical contact with your work spouse, even if it’s just as simple as touch on the shoulder?
- Are you treating your work spouse the same way you would treat other friends?
What do you think about office romance? Have you ever known anyone in a “work marriage”? Let us know in the comments section, or vote in our online poll.
What will you be this Halloween? It may seem an odd question for anyone over the age of 12, but a growing number of workers from across the country are celebrating October 31 by dressing up. In fact, Shop.com recently released a survey that showed that 25% of adults plan to dress up, and 20% plan to trick-or-treat for themselves!
Not surprisingly, many go all out, transforming their workplaces to veritable haunted houses or candy factories. Many companies allow parents to bring children to trick-or-treat in their offices. Malls across the country host Halloween events, and mall employees are encouraged to dress the part.
But not all Halloween costumes are created equal, and if you plan to dress up for Halloween at work, it’s important to carefully consider your attire. To keep the peace and ensure a successful, productive holiday, here are a few categories of costumes you should probably avoid:
Thinly Disguised Casual Wear. It’s not really a costume to just throw on sweats, jeans, shorts, or other super-casual non-dress-code clothing in lieu of your professional norm. Even if you try to cop out saying you’re dressed up as a bum, urban cowboy or yourself on vacation, your employer likely won’t appreciate the joke. This attitude of minimal effort can be seen as insubordinate rather than participatory. If you’re going to dress up, give it an honest shot.
The Sexy Version. If you want to wear a sexy costume, reserve it for your post-work parties. Even though dressing up for Halloween at work is an escape form the norm, you should still respect your dress code guidelines and not reveal too much.
Blood and Guts. Many people associate Halloween with the scary side of life, but keep the gore to a minimum when it comes to what you’ll wear to work. Remember, people have to interact with you, so don’t wear something that will cause discomfort when you enter the room. To keep your costume from being outrageously gory, wait to add the extra blood factor until you’ve clocked out.
The Political Statement. There are a lot of political satire-based costumes out there, but work isn’t typically the place to showcase your political ideology. Just as you should respect people you work with in what you choose to speak about at work, pick a costume with respect for other people in mind.
If you plan to dress up at work for Halloween, keep these things in mind as you choose your outfit. Remember, it may be a holiday, but what you do and how you present yourself will likely be remembered throughout the year. So, feel free to enjoy the lighthearted, fun freedom of dressing up, but keep your best professional foot forward.
Do you have any examples of Halloween costumes gone wrong at work? Does your workplace have Halloween traditions you’d like to share? Let us know what you think in the comments below, or vote in our online poll.
Everyone can think of someone who never stops complaining. They have too much work to do, dislike their boss, have annoying co-workers, struggle financially, have family problems, etc. The thing is, they may have very valid complaints. Maybe their boss is a micromanager and they have a co-worker who refuses to act professionally. They may be bogged down with boring tasks or have too many things assigned to them.
Regardless, you’ve probably had moments where you’ve pegged this person as negative, self-absorbed and socially inept. Perhaps you’ve found yourself complaining about their constant state of negativity – after all, it brings down morale, ruins your productivity and is distracting.
But, if you’re honest with yourself, you probably have to admit that you complain at work too. It’s natural to want to talk to your co-workers about issues, frustrations and struggles – work related or otherwise. But complaining at work is a dangerous habit. Here are five reasons complaining is bad for your career.
1. Complaining plants seeds of negativity. You may start by complaining every once in a while about your finances or your spouse. But complaining about one thing sparks complaining about other things. When you give in to the habit of complaining, it increases your stress level, pushing you into the downward spiral of negativity. Before you know it, you may be complaining about everything from your car to your boss. Your outlook on your job is bound to get worse the more you complain.
2. Complaining about your workload makes you look incompetent. Wasting time complaining about how much you have to do merely demonstrates to your boss that you’re not focused, skilled at time management or capable of doing your work. Smart employees know to approach their boss for help balancing their workload instead of complaining about it.
3. Complaining about your tasks makes you seem entitled. Complaining about not liking the work you are assigned makes you seen ungrateful and high maintenance. It also demonstrates to your boss that you don’t have the skills or confidence to propose new tasks or projects.
4. Complaining is a sign of a bad leader. Leaders don’t complain; they foster change. Complainers make bad leaders. They encourage other people to complain rather than taking action to improve things. This puts the entire team in a negative environment that kills productivity, cooperation, creativity and innovation.
5. Complaining stunts career advancement. Here’s the thing about complainers – they rely on complaining to cope rather than relying on their skills and abilities. Being dubbed the complainer can kill your career advancement opportunities because it becomes the attribute that sticks out most in your employers’ minds, no matter how good your work may be.
It’s important to keep in mind that there’s a difference between communicating and complaining. Communicating focuses on solutions and positive change, while complaining is usually self-serving and focuses on how you feel. Check back tomorrow for more on how to get past complaining and start communicating.
Do you have a co-worker who always complains? How often do you find yourself complaining at work? What do you complain about? Have you ever considered how complaining can affect your career?