Love them or hate them, you still have to work with them. Here are some common types of co-workers and suggestions on how to make the most of your time together. The relic He's been around longer than the office furniture and is a walking encyclopedia of company history. His idea of a modern convenience is an electric typewriter, so don't bother leaving messages in the voice mailbox he never activated. Keys to dealing with this co-worker include respect and patience. "Consider that your 'relic' has managed to survive layoffs and downturns and may have a leg up on the rest of us in terms of understanding life on the job," says Elizabeth Freedman, author of "Work 101: Learning the Ropes of....
The phrase "We need to talk" is as uncomfortable to say as it is to hear. Few people enjoy delivering bad news, and even fewer people enjoy dealing with its aftermath. Whether you're breaking up with someone or telling your boss that you're quitting, the moments (or days) that follow are uncomfortable. The awkward conversation is made even worse when you'll inevitably see the person you're talking to on a frequent basis. Unfortunately that's the situation many workers face when their colleagues are getting on their nerves and they can't take it anymore. A conversation needs to happen, but how do you go about it? What's bugging you and does it matter? Before you can tell your co-worker what is b....
When we interview for a new position, we're looking for a nice work environment, good people, interesting job duties and of course, money. We try to negotiate a salary that we feel we deserve and can't understand when we get turned down. But did you ever stop to think that the reason your potential employer can't pay you a higher salary is because of the money you're costing them in other areas? As employees, we don't often think about all the things employers have to pay for to keep a happy office. Typically, we notice our paycheck, benefits and vacation days. We don't think about the taxes, the retirement contributions, the office space, the training or the fancy coffee machines. "Employees tend to ....
We hear about it all the time: Employees calling in sick and getting caught surfing Facebook. Employees bashing their employers and clients, or declaring their job search via their Twitter account. Workers posting inappropriate pictures and videos to YouTube, reflecting poorly on the company. Social media faux pas happen every day, but everyone is starting to take them more seriously -- especially employers. So far this year, 21 percent of companies with more than 1,000 workers have disciplined employees for violating social networking policies, compared with 13 percent in 2008, according to a survey by Proofpoint Inc., an e-mail security company. About 9 percent have fired an employee for these violations, more tha....
Imagine being an executive at a company and hardly having a say in the day-to-day operations. Imagine everyone in the company having to get clearance from the CEO for every decision, down to the colors and fonts used on an advertisement -- despite that each department has a manager. Now imagine this process for a CEO who constantly traveled and had sporadic work hours. The entire staff, executives included, spending the entire workday (sometimes more) sitting around a conference room sealing, stamping and stuffing more than 4,000 invitations because the CEO doesn't trust outside vendors to precisely place the stamps. Better yet, imagine designing a cover with someone standing over your shoulder telling you exactly....
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