Displaying All Posts in the Your Job category

To Beer or Not to Beer: Do You Liquid Lunch?

The other day I went out to have a quick lunch with a good friend of mine.  Nothing fancy, just a cheap pizza place that just happened to have a few excellent beers on tap.  (I’m not 100% sure, but I think it might be illegal here in Canada to eat pizza without drinking beer.)

Since I’m self-employed, had no need to drive, and was enjoying the first nice Friday afternoon in what seemed like an eternity, I opted to have a beer with my pizza.  I tried to get my beer-loving friend to join me, but he felt that it wasn’t appropriate given that he still had to go back to his office.

It got me thinking over the past week:  When is it okay to have an adult beverage?

When I was a cable guy, driving a company vehicle – no question.  And let me say this clearly – if you are driving, there’s no acceptable time to have a drink.  But when I got into the advertising world and learned that a beer fridge in the office was not grounds for immediate termination – let’s just say I didn’t think it was that big of a deal to have a “pop” and then walk back to a communications position in an office building.

Now, there’s a world of difference between wanting a drink and needing a drink – and if you are in the latter stage on a regular basis, you might want to consider asking for help.

My question to the folks in WorkAwesome:  Is there an acceptable time to have a drink during the work day?  Do you take part in a “liquid lunch” ritual? Click Here to Read Article …

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Win The Lottery, Lose The Job?

Life is pretty good here in Canada.  Things are generally pretty quiet, so much so that a lottery jackpot going unclaimed for three weeks in a row is newsworthy.  Very newsworthy.

LottoMax is a weekly lottery where you pick seven numbers, from 1 to 49, for your chance to win.  The pot starts at $10 million, and once it hits $50 million it goes into super-fancy “maxmillions” mode, with additional $1 million draws on top of the main jackpot.   The other night there was one draw for the $50 million prize, and an additional 45 – $1 million draws.  No one won the $50 million.

The odds of winning are 1 in 28 million, but considering that there are only 33 million people in Canada – it’s surprising that it hasn’t been won yet, but not that surprising that it’s featured prominently in the news.

So what does this have to do with WorkAwesome?  I’m sure I’m not the only one to play the “what if?” game:

“What would I do if I won the big jackpot?”

How much would you need to win in order to quit your job?  Or would you keep working where you are if you had an extra $50 million in the bank?  Would you move on to something else altogether – something you truly love?

What would you do if you won the big jackpot?  Click Here to Read Article …

Competence or Confidence?

Competence or confidence.

Which comes first? Do your ever-improving skills grant you confidence? Or, alternatively, is it your confidence that catalyzes the growth of your skills?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

You can certainly have one in spades and suffer a conspicuous lack of the other. Some people are brimming with confidence and have no skills to back up all that bravado. Others have a brilliant array of abilities, but don’t have the gumption to put them all to use.

Sure, it would be ideal to have tons of both. But if you could only have one, which would you pick? Which is a “nice to have” and which is a critical component of your working persona? Click Here to Read Article …

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What is a Dream Job?

We are always rolling the idea of a “dream job” around in our heads. Whether you’re sagging your head on a slow workday or sweating bullets during a hectic one, thoughts of your perfect job will cross your mind. What is a “dream job” anyway? It’s different for everyone, but it usually comes to us as an ever-changing counterpoint to our current job: If you’re bored by your current job, you dream of an active, fulfilling one. If you’re overloaded with work, you dream of a slower, simpler workday. If you have no autonomy at your current job, you dream of being an entrepreneur empowered with control over your own destiny.

But, despite all of these passing, changing thoughts, few of us have paused and allowed our dream job the consideration it deserves. Ask yourself: Have you given any real thought or definition to your dream job? Would you recognize it if you saw it? Would you be ready to pursue it if it appeared? If you struggle with any of the answers, perhaps you should stop, sit down, and give the matter your full attention. Click Here to Read Article …

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Finalizing Your Fridays

Finalizing Your Fridays

The week is coming to a close…only a few hours left.  You’re either madly rushing to get the things done you set out to do this week, or are in the midst of planning what you’d like to accomplish next week.  (Or perhaps you’re doing both.)

Not everyone finishes up their work week on a Friday, but a lot of people do.  Well, in theory they do.  They do in that they leave what’s left from the past week and slide it over to the next.  And the next.  And so on.

How many things are left as “open loops” on your to-do list when Friday draws to a close?  How many tasks are left unassigned?  Are you leaving this week with a sense of completion and ready to go into the next week with a fresh set of goals and accomplishments to achieve?

Do you “finalize” your Fridays? Click Here to Read Article …

What Would You Do If You Were Let Go?

The economic situation is tough right now; it really hasn’t eased up much recently nor does it show signs of doing so anytime soon.  No matter how productive you may be at what you do, you may find yourself out of work if the proverbial “house of cards” at your place of employment comes tumbling down.

If that was to happen, are you prepared?  Regardless of how you feel your position stands in terms of security, you just never know – so it’s good to make sure you’re ready should the need arise.

But let’s take it one step further.

If your job was to disappear tomorrow, are you prepared to do something else instead?

What would you do if you were let go?  Would you simply move on, or re-create your work like in some form or another?  Would you go it alone?  Let us know in the comments. Click Here to Read Article …

5 Reasons To Check In With Human Resources

The Human Resources department isn’t just for resolving serious work-related conflicts – or for new employees. It’s a commonly overlooked resource for both happy and unhappy employees. It’s a shame that employees only visit HR when faced with a tense situation. After all, they are quite literally “at your service,” whether you’re in the middle of a catastrophe or enjoying a long string of productive workdays. Perhaps it’s time to visit that sleepy corner of the office to see what Human Resources can do for you. Click Here to Read Article …

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Paying Your Dues As An Entry-Level Employee

“Entry-level” work often consists of the mundane, tedious tasks that managers and veterans just won’t do anymore. The term itself makes it quite clear that entry-level positions are at the bottom of the office rankings. Being the “new guy” or the “rookie” at work can seem like a raw deal, but the right outlook can help you pay your dues as painlessly as possible. It’s a rite of passage that almost every one of your co-workers survived at the start of their career. If you do your entry-level work right the first time, you’ll never have to revisit the bottom of the totem pole. But, if you approach it with a poor attitude and a shaky work ethic, you might find yourself a permanent position in entry-level limbo. Click Here to Read Article …

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