The high cost of health insurance has led to the expansion of an extremely popular type of healthcare plan called a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). This type of plan, in conjunction with a Health Savings Account (HSA), is becoming the healthcare plan of choice in the United States. It is clear that the enrollment trend is way up for this type of coverage. At my place of employment, this option was added to our available healthcare choices, a couple of years ago. Keep Reading…
Many of us have an aversion to using our vacation time. This seems to be more prevalent in the United States than in the rest of the world, and I’m not sure why, since we get fewer days off than most other countries. For some of us, we just feel too guilty about taking days off. We think our workplace will shut down if we’re not there to pull our weight. Others get a similar vibe (either real or perceived) from their managers or co-workers. In any case, think about how many times you’ve heard yourself or one of your colleagues say “I have too much to do and can’t get away” as you bury yourself further into another project. Keep Reading…
You’re at work and you accidentally overhear a conversation between your boss and his boss. You learn that they need to lay off one person in your division in order for the company to stay viable. They’ve got to decide between laying you off or laying off your teammate.
Your teammate is good – very good – and you are one of the few in the office that knows that he’s about to be a father for the first time.
Do you:
- Let your teammate know what you’ve heard?
- “Accidentally” let your boss know about the coming child, and remark about how work quality can decrease in proportion with lost sleep?
- Sabotage your teammates current project?
- Update your resume, contact a recruiter and/or your competitors in your industry to start your new role on a new team?
- Talk to your boss about taking a leave of absence while business is slow and work on your own freelance projects or take the vacation you’ve always wanted?
- Provide your boss with an alternative to layoffs altogether (your department takes a 5% cut in pay, but everyone gets to keep working)?
- Wait and see – let the best man win?
Though the economy is starting to stabilize, this question isn’t outlandish right now.
How would you handle it? Keep Reading…
The 7 Secrets of Running a Wildly Popular Blog
A top direct marketing copywriter shares his tips on using personality and likeability to build your blog’s popularity.
20 Strategies to Defeat the Urge to Do Useless Tasks
Ever find yourself refreshing Facebook or cleaning out your desk instead of doing what’s really important? Read this post!
Three Reasons You’re Not Charging What You’re Worth
Many freelancers and other self-employed folks sell themselves short, but this post shows them how to break this habit and start charging more.
5 Ways To Boost Your Best Business Relationship
These days, finding a job or getting promoted is all about relationships, and this post shows you simple ways to strengthen those contacts.
Freelance Decor: 6 Motivational Posters from the Movies
Lastly, we bring you a fun, light-hearted post from our sister site, FreelanceSwitch, with humorous motivational posters. Keep Reading…
We’re always on our way somewhere else. We hustle to get to work. Once we’re at work, we make mental to-do lists for chores we have to get done at home. When we make it back home, we’re often too exhausted to spend much time finishing up that to-do list. Instead, we mull over all the big projects coming up at work. The habit of constantly looking ahead to the next thing becomes a cycle of worry and stress that prevents us from appreciating the only thing we really have control over: the present moment.
Focusing on the present moment is the key for letting go of stress you’ve been carrying around. Instead of worrying about everything in your life, you can zone in on the task at hand. And often that task is a lot simpler than you may have thought. Once you get absorbed in what you’re doing, work can feel so much more satisfying. Instead of resisting and struggling, you become engaged, alert and involved.
Here are a few simple tips to help you find that sense of focus and increase your present moment awareness. Keep Reading…
Unmotivated at your day job?
Do you start planning your weekend long in advance?
Do you start thinking about what you’re going to do on the weekends as early as Monday morning?
We all need something to look forward to. But people all around us remind us to stay in the moment. For example, how many times have you heard this?
“Live for today!”
Or this timeless classic:
“Enjoy each day because you never know if there will be a tomorrow.”
Well, it’s my conjecture that most of us, unless we are retired or really enjoy our jobs, live for the future. I am definitely guilty of this but I tend to think it’s a healthy practice. Having activities to look forward to is beneficial to a positive outlook on life. At least we aren’t depressed and feeling sorry for ourselves in what could possibly be a mundane job. Getting through the week is so much easier when we have fun times to look forward to. While I’m not exactly “living for the weekend”, I make it a point to have something to look forward to and I’m happier for it.
How do you approach each day of your working life? Keep Reading…
Technology has changed how most of us do our jobs. It’s also changed how we find jobs. The Internet allows us to find job listings all over the world.
But it does more than give us unlimited classifieds. It offers new ways to connect to people who are looking for candidates and for candidates to screw up the opportunity.
Don’t let it happen to you. Here are some concepts you need to master when it comes to finding a job using technology and the Internet. Keep Reading…
Do inspirational quotes affect your daily life? Do you surround yourself with them in your cubicle or work space? I have found that being constantly surrounded by quotes is something that helps me get by, especially when I’m not having a real motivating day.
Inspirational quotes for work are, of course, just words. But if you heed what they have to say, they could aid you in your working and personal life.
Keep Reading…
Job titles were originally meant to succinctly describe a person’s basic duties in a few words. When you looked at someone’s business card or shook their hand in a meeting, their job title would give a general (but clear) idea of their role within their organization.
Some titles have stayed true to this purpose, remaining concise and unpretentious, like “Software Developer,” or “Account Manager.” But others have grown more vague and grandiose, like “Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Marketing,” or “Solutions Architect and Change Management Lead.”
Indistinct job titles and descriptions may impress some people, but they also risk giving the impression that your organization is overstaffed and that you are one of the nonessential fringe-workers. If you can’t answer the question, “What do you do?” without resorting to intentional ambiguities, you’re going to sound more like a cornered, dodgy politician than a competent worker.
The truth is, any job can sound impressive and important if you craft a little complexity into the title. You could call a window washer a “Transparency-Enhancement Facilitator,” or give the title of “Media Distribution Specialist” to a paperboy, but it doesn’t change the nature of the work. After a short conversation, their roles will be clear – regardless of their job title.
Is a long, vague job title a sign of ordinary, mundane work being embellished? Is it a sign of “bloat” in an organization? Or is it just part of the game? Keep Reading…
