Displaying All Posts from December, 2009

How to Make the Right Choices After Getting Fired

Did I tell you about the time I got fired?

It was my first job out of college. I was working as an accountant at a small firm doing tax returns for small businesses. It was run by three partners. Nice guys. But after four months, they weren’t happy with my work. And they shouldn’t have been. I was slow and made a lot of mistakes. I was a lousy accountant. Read More

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How Not to Become an Overachiever

Mike Vardy 30th December Productivity 6 Comments

There’s something to be said about being too productive, which my WorkAwesome colleague, Mark Garrison, alluded to in a recent article, I’d say that the old adage “less is more” is the best practical approach to any workplace situation. We’ve all heard the quality usurps quantity time and tie again, yet it seems as if we’re always trying to do more…better. The problem is, you can’t do “more” better if you first don’t learn to do “less” best. The practice of doing more stuff adequately is classic underachievement. You take on so much and even if you manage to pull it off and appease your superiors you know deep down that you’re capable of much better.

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Using Human Resources as Your Resource

Bob Bessette 29th December Office Life Leave a Comment

There is one department in every company that is there for you, the employee. This department’s mission is to lead the charge when it comes to fostering communication and morale among employees within a company. The department I speak of is Human Resources.

We also know that the Human Resources department typically plays a large role when it comes to hiring new employees and they are also there when employees are dismissed from a company. These days the job of assisting employees who have been laid off by counseling them on Cobra benefits and retraining opportunities may obviously occupy some of their time.

But due to hiring freezes by many companies, including mine, Human Resources personnel may have some more time on their hands to assist existing employees. At this time, it may make sense to take advantage of the opportunity to use this department as a resource.

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Make the Right New Year’s Resolutions

Joseph Lewis 28th December Goals 3 Comments

Happy New Year! We drink, we stay up late, we kiss people, we watch fireworks, and revel as 2010 begins. I’m particularly excited about this New Year’s because I’m hoping that people will start saying the year as “twenty-ten” instead of “two thousand and ten.” Hey, I can dream.

But this also means it is time to make the dreaded New Year’s Resolution, a solemn promise to yourself to completely change who and what you are, to be a better human being, just because it’s time to buy a new calendar. Unfortunately, most people have trouble with the follow-through, and the whole fix-your-life-right-now program falls apart.

Here’s how to make it work. Read More

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A Cube Farm Christmas Party Tale

Michelle Burleson 25th December Office Life 1 Comment

Come sit by the warmth of the data center, co-workers. I have a Cube Farm Christmas tale to tell. I know those are the new wrinkle-free khakis you’re wearing and that you’ve been taking long lunches at hot yoga, so don’t act like you can’t sit cross-legged around my ergonomically correct chair…

…ahem.

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Holidays: To Go or Not to Go on Vacation?

Joseph Lewis 24th December Office Life Leave a Comment

The holiday season is upon us! Actually, I believe the holiday season officially began around October 1, when the Halloween horror movies started airing continuously and the Christmas commercials were already peppered in among them. But in addition to the compulsory shopping, binge eating, and general stress, there is a silver lining: Vacation time off.

But should you take it? Read More

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Be a Slightly Less Disappointing Secret Santa

Michelle Burleson 23rd December Office Life 1 Comment

Whew. Glad you clicked here before continuing your online shopping at work. Take the forthcoming advice from someone who uses “being green” as an excuse for being too cheap/lazy/both to mail holiday cards this year. It’s been kind of a rough one considering Sarah Palin became an author and I became more cynical and willing to drink rail liquor in any libation with an umbrella.

I digress. We’re nearing the birthday of the Baby Jesus so instead of baking him a cake, you’ve chosen names of co-workers (that haven’t been laid off) to spend your post-tax dollars on. Skip the candles and scented salts for your secret Santa gift this year. You need to find gifts that strike balance.

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The 12 Days of the Holiday Sales Season

Cubicle Curtis 22nd December Office Life 12 Comments

On the the 12 days of the holiday sales season my mentor gave to me: These are the things I have to deal with while he’s taking vacation on a tropical island. I’m thinking of asking Santa for a strategically placed tropical depression.

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Memo:Random #15: Holiday Edition

N.C. Winters 21st December Memo: Random 10 Comments

MR15_WhiteElephant
Read More

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Christmas Giveaways for 2009: Marketcircle and ThinkGeek!

Joel Falconer 21st December Site News 30 Comments

To celebrate the end of 2009 and the Christmas season, we’re giving away prizes on WorkAwesome and FreelanceSwitch. All you have to do to enter is tell us the most important thing you learned about getting ahead in the office this year in the comments–but make sure you read the instructions below before you do so!

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How to Survive the Office Holiday Party

Cubicle Curtis 18th December Office Life 1 Comment

Hey, am I going to see you at the holiday party?

You can’t miss it. It’s the nicest thing management does for us. It almost makes up for the low pay and the frustration we experience the rest of the year. You deserve it.

Plus it looks good. Management will be there. They don’t just see you at the party as a guest but a team player. You’re getting along with the rest of the team, and you’re showing appreciation for this grand gesture. Yeah, you need to clear your schedule for this.

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The Value of the Weekend

Mike Vardy 17th December Productivity 3 Comments

Oh, how we all long for the weekend. There’s a certain buzz in the air once Wednesday passes by (ergo, we’re over the hump) and in the home stretch of what is known as “The Work Week.”

Well, to some of us anyway.

There are, however, those who work hard and play…er…occasionally. The cubicle is not necessarily everyone’s work environment, nor is a 9 to 5 schedule everyone’s to adhere to. Schedules can be static or fluctuate, often depending on the type of work but there is also the likelihood that it is the person themselves that dictates the work day—and work habits.

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