Tag: work

6 Signs It’s Time To Say Sayonara to Your Job

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How do you know when it’s time to quit your job? Everyone has a bad days, but when bad days become bad weeks then months, it’s time to find something new.

Bosses and employees always deserve second chances, but if there are repeat offenders it’s probably time to call it quits. Are you being treated with respect? It is very important to listen to your intuition and ask yourself questions like, is this place good for my soul?

Here are six signs that it’s probably time to quit your job and start looking for new opportunities:

1. It’s an oppressive environment.

The ability to be able to express yourself freely and voice your own point of view should be welcomed at your place of employment. Being silenced or being the target of someone’s bullying behavior should not be tolerated. Being able to ask questions should also be welcomed in a healthy work environment. Most companies HR teams protect the company by turning a blind eye to bully behavior in effort to protect the company and their position at that company. At the end of the day it’s the HR’s job to protect humans (HR stands for Human Resources) but it seems in most circumstances that they end up protecting the company instead of doing what is morally or conceptually right for the employees. If you are silenced indirectly or directly from a boss, it is time to start looking for a new opportunity. Most articles are saying to let the HR team know, but I would suggest that if there is a conflict you should start looking for that new opportunity or maybe start looking into creating your own business if you have the funds to do so. Monster.com, LinkedIn.com, and Indeed.com are all great resources for you to find new opportunities.

2. You vent too much about your job, the work environment is a negative one, and you dread going to work.

Are you constantly complaining about your boss and dreading to go into work? This is a sign that it is time to start looking for something new. If your work environment is not a positive place, it’s time to start looking elsewhere.

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3. You’re underpaid and overqualified.

Have you ever checked Salary.com? Their motto is know your worth, and if you sign up you will be able to see what similar people are making in your industry of choice, which will give you a better idea on whether or not you are being underpaid in comparison to others in your field. It is better to accept a position that you will find you will be successful at, and if a superior is blocking your opportunity, it’s time to go.

4. There is no room for advancement.

Never waste time at a company that does not value you, or your growth. Every interaction we have in life is a moment someone else would love to have, and if your employer does not respect your time and experience it’s their loss.

5. Recruiters are aggressively reaching out to you.

This is a good sign, as if you are reading this you are probably unhappy with your current position. Are recruiters stalking you more recently? Probably a good sign that their are other opportunities on the horizon worth exploring while you are handcuffed to your current position.

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6. You find yourself justifying your job.

Are you weighing in the pro’s and con’s of your job more frequently? Are statements like “my boss is a wiener, but at least we have soda”, “my pay is not fair, but at least I don’t have to stay until 10pm”, or “my boss makes sexual advances, but at least I can keep my job” statements running through your head and out of your mouth? It’s time to look for that company and/or boss that will treat you with respect.

The moral of the story here is that it is better to be true to yourself and listen to your intuition. If your gut tells you it’s not the right fit for you even during the interview, it’s probably not a good place for you to be. More times out of none these days there is no reason to be loyal to a company that is not loyal to you. Keep throwing your experience out there and a new better, healthy company will be there waiting for you.

Good luck on your search, and remember you deserve to be treated with respect and another great opportunity is right around the bend! You just need to get that great energy out there and search for it. Remember nothing great comes easy, and you need to fight for survival. Go get it!

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How to Gracefully Accept Feedback & Criticism at Work

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Being a perfectionist is hard work.  As much as I am a Positive Patty, I can also be a Sensitive Sally when it comes to criticism at work.  This week I was criticized by a few people at work, one the manager and one the owner of my company.   I was upset after both incidents and personally offended by both accounts.  I was not defensive rather quiet during the criticism, and a bit speechless and taken aback.  I wanted to handle it in a better way next time maybe in a less offended way, hence the article here.

I have found that the older I get the more experienced I am, therefore the more right I should be in most situations.  Serious mistake.  We all deserve feedback, and as much as the feedback may be insensitive and potentially offensive at that moment, it is critical to not act with intense emotion and conviction at work.  Just from previous experience, acting overly responsive or caring overly about my job and company got be no where.

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A colleague recently said to me, “why give a shit about the company, when the company doesn’t give a shit about you.”  This was a great point, and I had somewhat of a revelation.  The company really doesn’t give a shit about me, it gives a shit only about what I do FOR the company.  Not about me personally.

This was very empowering to say the least.  I am fortunate to work with a very talented crew, so I feel even blessed going to work on the daily.

Back to the criticisms received this week, I thought about it and realized that the people that criticized me were right.  I just could not process it at the time and didn’t understand it from there point of view.  Either way there will come a time when you are criticized at work, so I want to help give a list of tips to help you handle it when you are confronted by your manager or boss.

1. Feedback is a gift.

Oh boy, this was a hard one for me to accept this week.  I was thinking that maybe I should not received the feedback and maybe my week would have been happier.  Reality is I needed that feedback to help me understand what I was doing wrong, and what I could have done better in that situation.  For many years I have had pretty awful managers that never gave me any feedback.  This was actually a curse.  If I knew what the manager was thinking and their approach to a work problem beforehand, maybe I would not have made the same mistakes again and again and could have improved faster and better.

2. Listen.

Make sure you understand the feedback and ask questions if you do not understand what they said and where they are coming from in a positive constructive way.  Ask how you can perform better and how to do it specifically.

3.  Do not get defensive or make excuses.

This is a really hard one.  You REALLY need to be graceful in this situation as defensiveness will make you seem guilty or not willing to accept the truth in change.  As much as I want to be independent and do my own thing, I must follow suit, trust my leader and do what I am told.  That’s my job!

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4. Don’t be so hard on yourself and take it personally.

We are all in the same boat, and most of us want to do a good job at work.  No need to be hard on yourself and perseverate about the mistake or issue, just remember next time how to you can do better in that specific situation.  At the end of the day, the job is not life or death, and the job won’t be your first or your last, so take care of yourself and be nice to yourself.  Being overcritical will just get you more upset.  Being proactive and working on the mistakes will make you better at doing the job the way your boss wants you to do your job.

5. Thank the person that is confronting you for their feedback.

This is an important part of the situation.  The end of the confrontation on your end should be a graceful one, and the end of the conversation should end on a happy note.  Even if you are upset, take the high road.

6. Never put up with someone personally attacking you at the workplace.

If you feel the criticism is over the top negative, and personally offensive also delivered in a very impolite manner, you need to speak up and let that person know you were offended.  It may be best to take that person aside and let them know how you are feeling and how you can better your relationship to make it a productive one.  If this is not helpful, find someone at work you can trust to talk about it.  I don’t think all issues at work should be handled by HR, but if something made you feel uncomfortable then better to speak up as it may be a reoccurring issue and others previously in your position may have been feeling the same way.

7. Feedback can be a blessing.

It could be a tip on how to better manage yourself, your job and the situations you encounter at work.  I always find it helpful to run the situations by my friends and family that know me best, to get an accurate 3rd party view of the account, and it always helps me out.  Keep smiling, keep shining and bust out those nice work moves!

Happy working!  Go get ’em!

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Tips to Improve your Work Day

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Growing up in a big family,  there was always some drama going on in our home.  When someone was cranky in our house, we would say HALT.  This stands for being Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired.  This is a funny buzzword to remind you to ask yourself what is wrong when you weren’t feeling up to par.

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Since most up up work over 35 hours a week, either from home, or in an office environment, we tend to be HALT motivated on a daily basis.  For me, a great start to the day is always key in having me perform my best.  When I am Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired, it seems to put a damper on my day.

Instead of wallowing, I like to look at positive motivational videos on YouTube or positive motivational memes on my Instagram account, @leverageambition.

Some tips on how to improve your work week below:

1.)  Get a good night sleep.

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This is key.  I find that when I leave my phone in my bag for the night, that is in my closet downstairs, is when I get the best rest.  I usually put it in my bag as I bring the kids upstairs to sleep, so we are all able to disconnect and be undistracted before bedtime.  I typically like to read books to the boys, and when we are done, we are typically ready to all pass out.  I go to bed anywhere from 9-11pm and get up anywhere from 7-9am.  A great night sleep and feeling refreshed in the AM helps me get through anything!

2.) Eat well, drink healthy and stay hydrated.

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This is one that I always forget myself.  Luckily my husband does not drink alcohol, which helps me not drink alcohol too.  I find that if I drink the night before, the next day at work is awful, and I feel all the HALT adjectives.  So it is key to not drink alcohol during the week so that you are not off your game in the morning.  Not only that, but what you eat and drink directly has an effect on your mood and actions.  I try to stay hydrated with water and fruit during the day, but also drink coffee and tea too if I need a fix.  This helps me maintain my productivity and positivity.  Also when eating, I try to go high protein as high carbs makes me want to sleep at my desk.

3.) Develop friendships at work, i.e. don’t be a jerk.

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This has always been hard for me as I have always been very competitive at work.  I also like to keep my private life private, but it seems that this has been the wrong approach.  I started a new job a few years ago and was very uptight the first few months as I was anxious to perform and do a great job, so I felt I did not have time for others.  This was a mistake and I regret it now as someone was promoted above me on my team that was PC and friendly with everyone.  My bad.  Reality is that your co-workers should actually be an extension of your client list, and you should always be on your best behavior, positive, non-gossipy and confident in a non-jerky way.  A good way to do this is ask them out to lunch, ask them how their personal life is going, give praise to the good things they are doing, give help as you can.

4.) Set Goals, and be accountable for your wins and losses.

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This is key in success.  If you can set daily, weekly monthly, yearly goals, this is ideal.  It helps keep you on track, and makes you accountable for your work in a long term and short term basis.

Do you have any tips?  Feel free to share below, it’s always nice to hear from you!  Enjoy the rest of your day!

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🙂

 

How to Deal with the Jerk at Work

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Dang it.  Another job, another set of jerks to deal with.  You change jobs and you think you are waving them goodbye, only to find that the same wankers seem to be following you from job to job.  How is this possible?  Thing is, you need to be able to spot and manage them with a great sense of self control & strength.

We have to deal with all sorts of jerks throughout our careers, coming from the deep dark corners of never never land, somehow they have found you, and will keep following you until you retire.  Key is managing your emotions in a healthy way to overcome an unhealthy jackass.

I have learned a few things over the course of my time in different jobs that I thought I would share in support of dealing with Mr. and Mrs. @$$ Bags below…enjoy!

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1.)  Don’t stoop to their level.

You are not them.  You are amazing.  Calm down. Don’t let their misery spread to you and effect your great work.

2.) Do not talk about them to other coworkers.

Do not say their name in the office. Do not give them a taste of their own medicine.  Don’t take revenge.   The universe will somehow shell it out.

3.) Avoid, and limit interaction as time allows.

Avoid interaction as much as possible, and cc as many people on emails as possible so that if they are not being accountable for their work, others are aware.  If others do not initially defend you, this will at least give you a digital trail of their behaviors and bad work.

4.) Focus.

What is your goal at work today?  How is the asshole involved?  How can you hit your objectives without adding them into your day?

5.) Treat the person with respect.

Ug this is the worst ad most painful awful thing, being polite after someone is a dick.  But guess what, when you treat the bully with respect, you will make your parents proud.  The bully is looking for another bully.  Don’t let them make you them!

6.) Check your attitude.

Try to understand where this person is coming from.  Are they threatened by you?  Are they unhappy with their own manager or pay?  Is everything OK in their home, private life?  You need to seem the bully or jerk as a person, even if they seem like a demon.

7.) Persevere.

There is something about the word perseverance.  It is a beautiful, elegant word, and behavior. Stand tall, stand your ground and if all else fails, report it to her direct manager or HR.

Good luck you beautiful creature!

 

 

 

4 Fun & Easy Ways to Make Money at Home via these Websites

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Everyone wants to live the dream and be there own boss!  Enough of corporate politics, managing fussy co-workers or commuting into work.  Making money should be easy,and this article will help you earn money from the comfort of your own home.

  1. Tradesy.com – Remember that old dress in your closet that you wore at your best friends wedding that you swore you would wear to every wedding for the next few years?  Yes, it is still in your closet, collecting dust, and no, you have not worn it since your best friends wedding.  Sell it on Tradesy.com already!   Tradesy has sellers from all over the world from the most sophisticated closets to the boring regular old basic closet, but ever so needed.  I swear by this site and only purchase “new” clothes from this site as to not pay full price for any designer brand dress, sweater, suit, bag, shirt, pants, skirt or shoes.  You get my drift!?
  2. Ebay.com – Same concept here, however this is not limited to selling clothes, shoes and bags!  You can sell anything on Ebay.com and have the users bid for your unused household items that would be of use to the buyer!  You can set the base floors of the product and then the site creates an auction where the highest bidder wins.  You can also set it so that instead of bidding the highest you can just buy it out.  There are many options here and many people selling so you should try and make sure that your pricing is competitive and set to sell, but also make sure that it is priced to make yourself a nice profit!
  3. Shutterstock.com – Are you a great photographer?  Do you have the eye for that great shot that no one else can get?  Try selling your photos on Shutterstock.com and make a profit of anywhere from $0.25 to $0.75!  You will be happy you did!  Sign up today!
  4. Esty.com – This is the go-to site for all those crafty ladies and gents out there!  My cousin handmakes leotards and other costumes for children and makes over $4 a year!  She created her own products and store at Etsy, sponsored her items to be bought and posted them on her Facebook.com account so that her friends would buy too!  I have seen so many creative products on here, from candles, soaps, necklaces, clothing, furniture, paintings and so much more!  This site is also great for unique and thoughful gifts.  Check it out!