Showing posts with label marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marriage. Show all posts

Wednesday

How to Deal with Lazy People at Your Workplace

You are a hard worker. You enjoy tackling a challenge and claiming victory when it's all said and done. You are not the type of person that necessarily enjoys working in teams, because you know that there is always one who isn't going to put 100% effort into the project, more like 20% or less. He or she will then go around and brag and boast they did more and would like a pat on the back for a contribution that was well...forgettable. How do you deal with these lazy people?

There are two types of lazy people. The first are those who admit, "Yes, I am lazy and I don't care who knows about it." The other group finds excuses, "I am not lazy. I just need to think about what I need to do before I do it." To this you say, "Well, how long is it going to be before you stop thinking and get to it?" The end result: nothing gets done.

The first group of lazy people when required to do anything will do the bare minimum. Since you know from the very start, if given the choice they will pick the least amount of work to do, give them the most. Sure they will complain, they will probably say what they won't do, but if there is a reward associated with it, they may find the motivation to do it. Motivation is essentially what they are lacking. The only way to find out what motivates them to stop playing solitaire on the computer and surfing the Internet, is to find out what they really want, need or both. One idea is to use time off as an incentive.

The second group of lazy people care about what others think, because if they didn't they wouldn't make unnecessary excuses to avoid negative comments. The way to motivate them is not to argue about the excuses that they make, but instead direct them to the task at hand and assign them specific deadlines they must meet. When deadlines are met, provide them with incentives as well or ways to make their job less cumbersome so that they are without excuse.
Lazy people are always looking for a way to make life easier for their selves. Most are very selfish. They aren't interested in helping others, but they will do it out of obligation. They know they have to eat; therefore, they will get a job, but they will be the ones you most likely see hanging around the water-cooler, talking in the break-room (when they have already took two breaks in less than an hour), out of site (and they are hoping out of your mind) when you need them and other similar behaviors.

Once you know you have someone like this around you, consider watching he or she more than the rest of the team. They are most likely going to be "up to no good." Too much time on their hands leads to gossip, lying, stealing and any other negative action, because they simply don't know how to keep themselves busy.

Many lazy people simply haven't been taught how to be good workers. You may want to show them basic principles on how one can achieve their best at work. Pointing the finger at Suzy and praising her for all her achievement in front of lazy workers is not the way to teach them, but describing the characteristics of a good worker is best.

by Nicholl McGuire

Monday

Top Three Rants About Work

Number One. It's okay for the boss to talk your ear off, but you aren't allowed to talk to anyone else in the office without "the look" and in some cases "The clear the throat" get back to work bs.

Number Two. "Oh just one more thing..." why is one more thing just before 5 p.m.

Number Three. Someone always needs the boss when he or she is still out for lunch. Two freakin' hours and they are still out to lunch!

You’re Fired! If Only It Were That Easy – Avoiding An Unfair Dismissal Trial…

I think I speak for all managers around the country when I say that we have all, in our darker moments, fantasized about mimicking Sir Alan Sugar’s catchphrase on ‘The Apprentice’ and telling an employee in no uncertain terms that they need to clear their desk and leave: “You’re fired!” Nice as it is to be able to pretend it would be this easy to get rid of that typist who spends more time on the phone to friends than doing their job, or the office manager who pulls a sickie every week, the truth is that simply firing your staff in this unceremonious manner will lead to all the ‘pleasures’ of an ‘unfair dismissal’ lawsuit.

So how should we go about getting rid of staff who are bad for the company? There’s a procedure you have to follow to ensure that your back is covered should the disgruntled sacked employee be feeling litigious and looking to call wrongful dismissal.

The first step towards this is ensuring that you have a clear set of rules and regulations. Afterall, if something is against the rules, but you’ve never actually explained it to your employees, then how are they supposed to know they are breaking them? At this point, you also need to be very clear of the consequences if such rules are broken.

There are two levels of misconduct you need to make provisions against: general and gross. Due to the different levels of seriousness, you need to make clear the action you would take in each circumstance:

General Misconduct

These are minor offenses or one-offs that would not result in serious repercussions for your business if occurring. The sort of thing that falls into this category should be: lateness, personal calls on the company telephone or under performance.

Gross Misconduct

This type of offense is for serious offenses which could damage the company, including acts of physical violence, drug or alcohol abuse, vandalism of company property, serious breaches of health and safety regulations, theft, fraud, harassment, discrimination or serious negligence. Additionally, the behavior listed in general misconduct could accumulate into gross misconduct if persistent while ignoring staff warnings.

So how do you go about ditching the troublesome staff? As I mentioned before there are procedures and you can’t just go and make an example out of someone on the spot – well you can, but the chances are they’ll be entitled to make an example out of you in the courts with a ‘wrongful dismissal’ lawsuit! Here’s how it’s done to avoid litigation:

1) If and when you become dissatisfied with the employee, tell them in writing.

2) Meet up with the employee and discuss the issue, trying to find a way in which the problems can be resolved. If possible, resolve the problem informally: You might consider training, or more supervision. Tell the employee the improvements you expect, and when their progress will be reviewed.

3) If an informal solution isn’t possible, take formal action – first a written warning, and then a final written warning. These must explain the nature of the problem, what you expect to improve and the consequences if they fail to meet your standards. Explain they have the right to appeal against your decision and give them opportunity to explain themselves.

4) If they accept their right of appeal, arrange a meeting and hear their case. Tell the employee your decision.

5) If the employee fails to meet your requirements, you may dismiss them or offer them a different job. Once again you need to follow procedure: a written dismissal, meet with the employee and give them the opportunity for appeal.

It may seem like a lot of hassle, but in the long run it’s better for employers to be able to resolve problems with their staff internally anyway. If you give your employees notice and they improve their ways, not only are you avoiding an unfair dismissal case against you, you are saving the costs and time involved in looking to hire a replacement for the sacked employee. Keep this procedure in mind, and avoid the Alan Sugar fantasies and the whole legal minefield that inevitably follows!

About the Author
Iain Mackintosh is the managing director of Simply-Docs. The firm provides over 1100 legal documents and templates covering all aspects of business from the new holiday entitlement laws to health and safety regulations.

Are You In The Right Job? How To Discover The Job You Were Meant To Do

You might not outright ‘hate’ your job, but if you don’t enjoy going to work each day, you might want to figure out why. No one loves work all the time, but if you find that your job is dragging you down rather than lifting you up, you should take notice.

Many unhappy workers wind up feeling frustrated and defeated by their jobs, when in fact the real reason they dread work, is that they’re working way under their potential.

Ask yourself-–

1) Do you feel unfulfilled in your current job?

2) Are you bored and stressed at work?

3) Do you find it difficult to be passionate about your work?

4) Are you tired of your day-to-day work routine?

5) Is there anything you do in your job that fascinates you?

Whether you’ve been working for one or 20-years, the key to finding the right place for you is in first determining your own natural genius. Don’t stop and say you’re not a genius – everyone has a natural genius, but many of us simply don’t know what it is.

Genius is the expression of our unique set of exceptional abilities. The trouble is that we don’t always take the time -- or have the encouragement -- to find out what those genius abilities really are. Often, we are drawn to a particular area of work that somehow helps us bring out our genius, but unless we intentionally dial in, we remain on the periphery of our genius and never hit the bull’s-eye.

If you are one of the many who doesn’t really know your unique set of exceptional abilities, review the following list of five clues for natural genius. Think about what you do that fits any of these criteria, and you can start glimpsing what your genius might be.

Five Clues for Natural Genius

1. You do it easily.

2. You feel a deep satisfaction.

3. You are recognized with a natural authority.

4. You dismiss acknowledgement easily because you seem to do it too effortlessly.

5. You don’t understand when others have a much harder time doing the same thing.

Genius stays hidden because most people never learn what their genius is. Instead, they perform on the edge of their genius, but not in the core. This impacts more than their enjoyment; it affects their earning power. Genius is often associated with sacrifice, but the opposite is true. Those who resist their genius pay the greatest price by working in jobs just to cover their bills, but never truly prospering.

Manifesting your genius means learning what it is, applying your genius in a field that matches it and benefiting by becoming an expert or specialist. In the professional market- place, the specialists command the highest fees. They also love their work.

Geniuses are not satisfied with just paying their bills. They may enjoy their lifestyle, but they don’t live for it. Why? They are fully alive in doing work that means something to them. Many of us sleepwalk through our work, driven by the need for financial security or recognition, but not satisfying our core passion. Geniuses are on fire. They are positioned to be the most successful people in the world. Geniuses can measure their reward in terms of income, quality of life and personal satisfaction. It’s quite a compelling equation.

Are you living your genius? Take a free self-evaluation at http://www.geniuscoaching.net/RateYourGenius.htm. A certified learning consultant and coach, Susanna Lange co-developed Genius Coaching, which helps children, adults, and business leaders discover and maximize their special talents and strengths.

Friday

How To Keep Fit In The Workplace

You can participate in exercises at work to help yourself. Some exercises you can do while working are: Ankle rotation, back stretches, and tightening and relaxing the abdominal muscles.

1. A foundation for fitnessYou can contribute to your fitness by using a healthy diet and exercise plan. You do not have to start a fad, crash diet or spend hours daily at the gym. To stay fit, cut fatty foods and high sugar foods from your diet, snack on greens and fruits and take long walks every few days. Many people can maintain a healthy body by eating salad for lunch and taking a refreshing jog every other day.

2. Prevent Obesity

Anybody can become obese by for example neglecting themselves. Financial concerns usually takes priority over physical fitness. If you often find yourself pressed for time because of a large project or a looming deadline, there are a few simple exercises you can do right in your cubicle to keep your muscles flexible and your joints strong.

3. What you should do

Rotate your ankles to help blood circulation and to loosen muscles and joints. Stretch your back often to help prevent achy back problems. Tighten and relax your abdominal muscles to give your tummy some workout. You can do this in many places because they're discreetly tightening and relaxing muscles.

4. Work Exercises

Abs: Sit on the edge of chair, arms extending in front. Keeping back straight, contract the abs and slowly lower torso towards back of chair. Hold 2-3 seconds and repeat.

Curls: Cross arms over chest and sit up straight. Contract abs and curl shoulder towards hips, pulling abs in. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat.

Standing Hip Flexion: Stand with abs in, spine straight. Lift leg up until level with hip. Hold for 2 seconds, repeat other side.

Leg Lift: In same starting position as above, lift left leg straight out to the side a few inches off the floor. Hold for 2 seconds, repeat on the other side.

For more great fitness related articles and resources check out http://www.weknowfitness.info

Tuesday

Spending More Time At Work Then At Home

Admit it, you treat people at work better than you treat the ones you say you love at home.

I know about money, bills, daycare, rent, lights, gas, emergency savings, etc. The stress of having to pay for all of these things is great and at times you want to walk away from it all. Yet, with all the responsibilities that are on your shoulders there are some people at home who wish you were spending as much time with them as you do at work.

When the time comes and it will and you are lying on your back sick from all your stress, the realization will come to you to change your life, you may do something about it, you may not. That's your choice, but their are heavy costs that you will pay if you don't. If your child is crying out for your attention now, your wife is telling you she wants to spend time with you and the grandparents are complaining about not seeing their you or their grandchild enough, these are warning signs to make the time for them.

If you are spiritual, you know that in the end of this life God isn't going to say, "job well done..." to the man or woman who acquired much material wealth and shared it; rather, he will be more interested in the relationships you accumulated with people and how you handled them.

Long hours at the job are needed if you have done all you can on the home front to cut costs. They also help (for a time) when you are trying to get your financial house in order again or if you are looking for a promotion. However, they are not meant to be used forever and companies who are financially savvy will not hesitate to cut them. Long hours aren't necessary if you know you are living comfortable, the bills are getting paid and you are secure in your position at work.

Time for yourself will always be needed to rejuvenate your mind,body and spirit. You can find the time during your lunchbreak, before you get to work or after work about once, twice or more a week. Of course on weekends, between spending time with your family, you can find even more time for yourself. However, when you don't take this time, everyone around you suffers and it usually isn't the people at work dealing with your mood swings, it is the people at home.

Your family is your support system in good times and in bad; yet, if you don't know how to "keep your cool" with them, then they can be your worst enemies. They deserve to be treated with respect like you treat your boss and co-workers. Notice how you communicate with people at work. You are polite, offer praise on a job, take the time to go out on lunch dates, always look your best, remember holidays and most of all sit down and meet with them to talk about upcoming plans, concerns, money and much more. Why is it that you can't set aside that time for your family when you come home? Yet, some of you will rush to get home to do what? Sit in front of the television, go to your room or participate in what you want to do barely socializing with your family. As for being tired, that happens, but if everyday you feel this way, then schedule a doctor's appointment.

Show some love, appreciation, respect, honesty, accountability, trust, etc. like you do at work. Consider the following, if your family waved thousands of dollars over your head you would feel motivated to do right by them, now wouldn't you? Well, they don't have money dangling over your head, but they do have love, now let that be your motivation! Capice?