I wonder how many people get up every day dreading the fact that they have to go to work. Years ago, there were mattress commercials on TV that boasted, "You spend a third of your life in bed. How comfortable is your mattress?" Well, let me take a twist on that. YOU SPEND MORE THAN A THIRD OF YOUR LIFE AT WORK; HOW COMFORTABLE IS YOUR JOB?
If you think your job isn't comfortable, ask yourself some questions.
1. Do you like what you do? If you don't, what are you doing about that? Are you going to school, exploring other options, talking to your boss about other opportunities? If you are doing work that you don't like, you are doing the wrong work--no matter how much it pays.
2. Are you doing your best? A lot of job dissatisfaction can be rooted in the fact that we aren't invested in our job. If we don't believe the work we do is important, we probably aren't doing our best work. Try doing the best job you can, even if you think your job isn't so important and you just might find the passion for your work that is lacking. Consider the myriad of hobbies with which people amuse themselves. People collect things and make things and study things that comparatively few people think are important. They are passionate and in most cases, the hobby COSTS them money rather than adding to their bank balance. Put a little passion into your job and might well see some changes in your attitude!
3. Does the company you work for support or undermine your values? OK, money is money but are you willing to compromise important parts of your personality just to make a buck? For example: If you are a person who wishes to lead a green life and your company doesn't even bother to recycle, you are probably frustrated. You have two choice. Try and get the company to gradually go greener or to find a greener company to work for.
4. Do you like the people at your job? Look at the people around you. Are they sour, complaining whiners who never have a positive thing to say? Do they respect you and your opinions? Do you feel comfortable, pleasantly surprised and do you greet them if you see them say, at the mall or in the park? Or, do you look the other way and hope they don't see you?
5. What about next year? Can you see yourself in the same job or even the same company in a year? If not, what should you change? Now, changing jobs often isn't good for your resume, no matter how easy it might or might not be for you. Consider changing something about your job that will make it better. It could be as simple as your attitude and as complicated as looking for opportunities to add dimension to your duties. If you see your job as temporary, you'll not be able to see all the potential it probably offers you.
Take my Work-Life Balance survey! It only takes about 15 minutes. You can remain completely anonymous but if you choose to use a valid e-mail address, you can receive a copy of the survey results, and/or a free subscription to weekly work-life balance tips and a copy of our e-book "102 Tips for Living a Balanced Life" Visit www.integrityhpi.com to take the survey. (Tell your friends.)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Babies at Work?
DON'T FORGET TO VOTE AT THE END OF THE BLOG ENTRY!
One of the major problems employers face is motivating and engaging younger workers to remain with the company long enough to develop and contribute expertise—something they are losing rapidly as baby boomers retire.
The millennial generation, as they are called, are in high demand and one of its defining characteristics is there unwillingness to make great sacrifices they way their parents did. They want to work fewer hours. They work on the go, electronically connected wherever they are. They change jobs, companies and careers more often and with less provocation than their predecessors.
A USA Today cover story for yesterday, March 31, 2008, by Stephanie Armour highlighted the efforts of some companies allowing new mothers, and in some cases, new fathers, to bring an infant to work, usually until they are old enough to crawl. It stands to reason, younger people are, in general, the ones having the babies and if they are going to take time off work to do so, they are more likely to simply quit their jobs knowing that in a few months, they can easily find another one.
MAYA Design, last years recipient of the Pittsburgh Human Resource Association’s (PHRA) People Do Matter award, was featured as being a pioneer in the babies at work program development. In a presentation made at the PHRA conference last year, their test mother actually work more billable hours after giving birth than she had the previous year. Is it possible that having a baby in the office motivates more productivity?
There are pros and cons like any other work-life balance program instituted in an organization. When companies are considering such programs, there are some fundamental questions they need to ask before consulting the lawyers and trying to set about creating the rules and procedures for the program.
Before considering the cost of implementation, companies should think through and evaluate the cost of NOT implementing a program. How many employees are likely to miss work, quit, be distracted or less productive without it. This sort of calculation is part of projected Return on Investment (ROI) but is often left out because it’s difficult if not expensive to measure in it’s own right.
How will other employees react to the program? Will they see it as showing favoritism? Will it seem inequitable to them? Can this program be presented as part of a suite of equalizing benefits?
Then, and only then, should we consider the design of the program and the inevitable discussions with the lawyers. The lawyers will nay-say and unless there is visionary leadership to push the lawyers into taking the extra steps to make such programs work, there’s no point in the discussion.
The designers also have to keep in mind that no matter how hard they work at the design and implementation, something somewhere will go wrong. There are lessons to be learned but they shouldn’t stop us from facilitating work-life balance.
What do you think? Should new mothers be permitted to bring infants to work?
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=nb2u3qq5qHe5aykJ5zSXdg_3d_3d
One of the major problems employers face is motivating and engaging younger workers to remain with the company long enough to develop and contribute expertise—something they are losing rapidly as baby boomers retire.
The millennial generation, as they are called, are in high demand and one of its defining characteristics is there unwillingness to make great sacrifices they way their parents did. They want to work fewer hours. They work on the go, electronically connected wherever they are. They change jobs, companies and careers more often and with less provocation than their predecessors.
A USA Today cover story for yesterday, March 31, 2008, by Stephanie Armour highlighted the efforts of some companies allowing new mothers, and in some cases, new fathers, to bring an infant to work, usually until they are old enough to crawl. It stands to reason, younger people are, in general, the ones having the babies and if they are going to take time off work to do so, they are more likely to simply quit their jobs knowing that in a few months, they can easily find another one.
MAYA Design, last years recipient of the Pittsburgh Human Resource Association’s (PHRA) People Do Matter award, was featured as being a pioneer in the babies at work program development. In a presentation made at the PHRA conference last year, their test mother actually work more billable hours after giving birth than she had the previous year. Is it possible that having a baby in the office motivates more productivity?
There are pros and cons like any other work-life balance program instituted in an organization. When companies are considering such programs, there are some fundamental questions they need to ask before consulting the lawyers and trying to set about creating the rules and procedures for the program.
Before considering the cost of implementation, companies should think through and evaluate the cost of NOT implementing a program. How many employees are likely to miss work, quit, be distracted or less productive without it. This sort of calculation is part of projected Return on Investment (ROI) but is often left out because it’s difficult if not expensive to measure in it’s own right.
How will other employees react to the program? Will they see it as showing favoritism? Will it seem inequitable to them? Can this program be presented as part of a suite of equalizing benefits?
Then, and only then, should we consider the design of the program and the inevitable discussions with the lawyers. The lawyers will nay-say and unless there is visionary leadership to push the lawyers into taking the extra steps to make such programs work, there’s no point in the discussion.
The designers also have to keep in mind that no matter how hard they work at the design and implementation, something somewhere will go wrong. There are lessons to be learned but they shouldn’t stop us from facilitating work-life balance.
What do you think? Should new mothers be permitted to bring infants to work?
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=nb2u3qq5qHe5aykJ5zSXdg_3d_3d
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