Showing posts with label Jobs Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jobs Tips. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

How To Increase Productivity In The Office

By Alan Cassidy




Companies lose millions of dollars because of poor employee productivity. Man power is very important in the success of a company. If employees are unproductive, work outputs are lessened.

Here are some tips on how to increase productivity in the office:

Tip 1: Allot at least 10 minutes of your time in the morning to answer important e-mail. Personal messages should be answered right after work. Lessen the amount of time you spend on networking sites. Most companies block networking sites to increase productivity.

Tip 2: The company should provide ergonomic office chairs to employees. Since employees are expected to render about 8 hours of work daily, they spend most of their time seated in the office chair. This leads to the development of back pain and stiff muscles. According to studies, ergonomic chairs improve circulation of blood and lessen the appearance of body pains. Employees feel more invigorated while working. Moreover, they also feel more energized in completing the tasks for the day.

Look for an ergonomic chair with casters. The casters make mobility easier. It will allow the employee to transfer from one computer terminal to another without standing and walking to the area all the time.

Tip 3: Tasks have to be divided. While most employees are willing to work extra hours to complete tasks, frequently rendering overtime causes feelings of depression and chronic fatigue. Divide the tasks and make sure work tasks can be done competently by one person. Encourage team work in the office.

Tip 4: Employees should get enough sleep. The body also needs to recuperate after the previous ordeals it has gone through. A person who frequently lacks sleep has trouble concentrating on specific tasks. Memory loss and short attention span are just some of the effects of lack of sleep.

Tip 5: Some companies give free vitamin C supplements to employees especially during cold season. Vitamin C helps improve energy levels. This vitamin also improves immune functions so employees are less likely to call in sick.

Tip 6: Offer incentives especially when employees have exceeded performance expectations. Employees get motivated when there are rewards for their hard work or extra work. They also become more loyal. They grumble less and they tend to harness their skills willingly if there are incentives offered.

Tip 7: Facilitate seminars or skill calibration talks to harness the skills of employees. This will also freshen up their minds and allow them to set new goals for themselves.


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Easy Tips to Increase Your Productivity Levels

By Kent Swigg




We all know that time is available in limited quantity for everybody. There is so much work in our lives, that it is difficult to find time for everything. One way to overcome this problem is to increase productivity so that we are able to get more work completed in less time. This is one of the best ways of solving the problem of limited time.

This article deals with techniques to increase your productivity. When you focus on becoming more productive, you can get a lot of work done and surge ahead of your competitors. When you become more productive, you can enjoy a more fulfilling life. You will be able to add more value to your life. You can be of great benefit to your company as well as to the whole society. So let us discuss a few practical tips in this regard.

How to Increase Productivity:

1. Clear the clutter - Clutter is one of the biggest obstacles to being productive. So you need to remove unwanted distractions and clutter from your life, specially when you are working on an important project. One of the areas of your life where you can begin clearing clutter is your inbox. Delete unwanted emails as soon as they arrive in your inbox.

2. Take the first step - Whenever you find yourself procrastinating on anything, just take the first step. Begin the work and do it for a few minutes. Most of the times, you will not want to stop in the middle and will usually continue till the end. The first step is probably the most difficult one to take, so force yourself to take that step without much delay if you want to be super productive at work.

3. Begin with the most important tasks - If there are so many things on your to-do list, you should try to begin your day with the most important one. At the beginning of the day, you will feel active and full of energy and enthusiasm. So make use of this to get the most important tasks finished as soon as possible. It will help in easing the pressure off your shoulders for the rest of the day.

4. Simplify tasks - If any task seems difficult for you, then you need to break it down. Breaking it into smaller steps or chunks will make it seem less burdensome for you. Then you can easily and quickly finish off each smaller chunk. Within no time, the whole task can be finished even though it was looking too difficult when you first started it. This again is one of the most important secrets of being highly productive.

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Get Organised, Easily

By Taff Nelson




When it comes to organisation, according to recent studies, women have men beat easily, at least when it comes in relation to work. Men are more likely to get behind with their work, run late for their appointments, or miss their appointments all together. And according to the same study, this last of organisational skills has cost at least 1 man in every 20, at least one promotion in their life.

When it comes to your desk working area, this reveals massive amounts about your personality, and whether you're an organised or disorganised individual. If your desk looks similar to a bomb site, with bits of paper and pens scattered all over it, you can't possible be working efficiently, you need some organisation. Start by creating two piles of this clutter, to keep or to bin. File away whatever falls under the 'to keep' category, and shred or throw away whatever falls into the 'to bin' category. Also, if you have an item of paper work which can easily be accessed another way (an email for example), bin it.

At the start of every day, create a to do list. If possible, write up your to do list each morning on a white board which is next to your desk, and simply cross through them or tick them off as you complete each task. This gives you a great sense of accomplishment as you mark your progress through the day, and is a clear indication to those around you how hard you've been working.

Allocate a specific period of time for yourself each day. A time where you cannot be disturbed, by anyone, no matter the reason. This time is to be used for major projects, where any distraction could completely through you off course from what it is you want to achieve. If you work in a busy office environment, this isn't always so easy, so place a 'do not disturb' sign on your door, and turn off you mobile phone, and close down your email application. Do this at the same time each day, and eventually those around you will get the message that this is you're 'me' time. If you still get disturbed during this time, politely let them know that you don't want to be bothered at this time in the future.

Lastly, we all get overloaded with work at one point or another, and in these times it's important to delegate your workload. If you need to complete work by a certain time and you feel as if you're in over your head, with no chance of successfully completing it by the specified period, delegate it and notify your boss. It's of vital importance that you do this straight away, rather than later on when it could possible be too late.

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How To Stay Focused - Your Calendar Is A Great Resource

By Helen Raptoplous





I am a big advocate for a detailed calendar. I prefer a desk calendar to one that is online, but either one will work. Your calendar will tell the truth about what is important to you and what you most want to accomplish. How you block out your time and what you do with that amount of time is very critical to your success. If you are not making the progress you expect or you are not accomplishing what you know you are capable of, then take a peek at your calendar. In solid print you will see how you are using, or abusing your greatest resource of time.

Time is our greatest resource as well as the great equalizer among all of us. It is one thing to have time and another to use it well and productively. Distractions will test us day in and day out. Those distractions are the great challenge that separates those who are stuck from those who are moving forward. We will all find distractions to be a challenge, some more then others, but it is a skill we must master because how we use out time is of great strategic importance.

You will want to align your goals and priorities with how you consistently spend your time. You will block out space in your calendar to focus on the things that will move you forward each day. Time allocation is something to asses each week to see where and how you can make improvements. Your time is of great value. This is your time to accomplish whatever you set out to achieve for yourself. Use your calender to make constant commitments to your success and then follow through.


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Seven Tips For Handling Stress At Work

By Paul Fischer




We have all had those moments at work that overwhelm us. You know that feeling. The one that sends a surge of nervous tension up your spine and the only thing preventing you from "Going Postal" on your coworker is the Happy Hour on the horizon.
The stress of these demanding and harsh economic times has been slowly eating at us and leaving us frazzled more than ever. It is how you handle and deal with stress that makes the difference to you maintaining your composure, professionalism, and respect with others.
Below are some easy to implement stress management approaches:
  1. Shut Your Door. If you don't have a door, close your eyes and take three super deep breaths through your nose and exhaling in a long powerful blow out of your mouth. While you are doing the latter, concentrate on a happy memory or a pleasant vision of the future.
  2. Clean Desktop Daily. Make sure at the end of the day that your desk is clean and orderly. It will give you a positive feeling as you walk through the door the next morning.
  3. Exercise. Stand-up and take a brisk one minute walk around the office. If you can get away with it, make it outside as well.
  4. Excuse Me. If you feel yourself about ready to go into a profanity laced tirade, simply excuse yourself to get a class of water or take a restroom break.
  5. Break Time. Be sure to take your scheduled work breaks. There has been a lot of research on this topic and they all agree, even a brief rest will ease stress.
  6. Be Punctual. Unless you have a very good reason to put in constant overtime, starting and leaving on time prevents the overworked syndrome.
  7. Eat Healthy. Make sure you get the prescribed dosage of vitamins and minerals that includes plenty of seafood and green vegetables.
Over an extended amount of time, pressure results in tense muscles and rapid heart rate with long term effects such as high blood pressure, weakened immune system, and depression. In fact the famed Framingham Heart Study showed that not taking regular vacations leads to heart disease and heart attacks risk that is 36% in men and 50% in women.

Yoga on the beach sounds pretty relaxing to me.


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How to Become an Effective Leader in 9 Steps

By Takuya Hikichi





Building an efficient and effective team leader requires desire, tenacity, dedication and skills. If you are new to the job of leadership or are facing difficulties, then you should follow a few techniques that will make you an effective team leader.

Here are nice bullets for creating an effective leader out of you.

1. Remove discordance: Individual differences and competition can be the end of a team. To foster teamwork, do not focus on individual efforts. Instill the importance of collective effort and harmony.

2. Define objectives and responsibilities clearly: Instructions for work have to be clear and well defined. Similarly, extent of accountability of each member should be clarified. All the members should have a distinct idea of the objectives and missions of the team. Goals for each and every member should be defined in detail.

3. Accept ideas of the group: A team comprises of people from various educational, social and cultural backgrounds. This results in variance of ideas and opinions. Be open to all ideas. Encourage people to come forth with their suggestions and teach all the members to accept the opinions of others. Give due importance to all ideas.

4. Encourage discussions: Frank and honest discussions should be organized in the team. Consult the team on all matters. Discuss problems and solutions with them. Encourage them to come out with constructive suggestions and criticisms.

5. Delegate decision making powers: From time to time, in crunch situations allow the members to take and implement decisions. Guide the team but don't impose your decisions on them. Give them some space. This will develop leadership qualities.

6. Give incentives: Recognize the skills and work of the team members and offer them incentives for excellence. Discuss what incentives that the team members most feel rewarded to receive.

7. Inspire and motivate: Inspiration and motivation are the keys to a great team. Lead from the front and push the team to greater achievements. But be careful, do not try to do things yourself, each the team to do it. Remember, a team looks up to the leader for guidance; it doesn't want him to do its work.

8. Facilities for improvement: Training and developmental programs should be organized frequently. Seminars and workshops on team building will also be helpful.

9. Finally, your conduct, behavior and work ethics should demand respect and be an example to the team. This will create the necessary ambiance for an efficient and cohesive team.

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Team Building Vs Team Bonding

By Alan Hunt




Look up the word "Building" in a reputable dictionary and you'll get something like "the creation or development of something over a period of time". Try the same with the "bonding" and you'll instead be rewarded with something akin to "establish a relationship or link with someone based on shared feelings, interests, or experiences". When it comes to helping teams be more effective, they both have a part to play.

Anyone responsible for a team's performance will want to ensure that as many obstacles to it doing as well as it can in any given circumstance are removed. Indeed, they'll want to go further than that and engage the team in proactive discovery of ways in which it can become every more efficient and effective. Team bonding can help with the former; team building the latter.

The closer that team members feel to one another, the more likely they are to stick together in difficult times and the smoother than more regular days will go as well. Team bonding activities can help with this. Taking our definition at the top, a bonding session is anything that the group can do together that offers them a shared experience. Old favourites like clay pigeon shooting, karting, chocolate making and so on all fall into this category. As, for that matter, do social evenings. Yes, organising a pub crawl really can help your team members get closer together! So any and all of these types of non-work time can bond a team closer.

What they won;t do is that harder, second step. To go beyond having a shared experience and move into the realms of creating or developing great team effectiveness you need to engage in team building, not bonding. As per the definition above, building equals development. That is, the team actually improves something significantly in the way it goes about its day to day business rather than simply gets its team members closer.

To be a team building session rather than a team bonding one, the activity undertaken needs to have two defining characteristics. Firstly, the action - whatever it is - needs to be something that requires team members to work together on in some way. As a simple example, getting into a kart and hammering it around a circuit is an individual affair. On the other hand, constructing a kart that is then driven around a circuit is an entirely different matter. Designing and building a vehicle capable of being driven safely by a team member will require the whole team to work together.

Secondly and most importantly, the activity agenda needs to have time set aside to reflect on what the team or teams did and how it or they went about tackling the challenge. Indeed, if the session is all about learning how to be better as a team, you should probably set aside at least as long for the debrief session as the activity itself. People often balk at this idea. Many think that a debrief session is the price you have to pay in order to be able to enjoy the activity. My experience is that a well run, structured debrief session is not only worth its weight in gold but is enjoyed every bit as much, and often more, than the activity in the first place.

In conclusion, make sure that what you select to do on your team away day matches what you want to get out of it. If it is all about having a shared experience and bringing people together, a team bonding session is the way to go. if you want more than that and have a sustained and positive impact back at work, then go for your choice of the many team building activities on offer.


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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

25 Office Organizing Tips

By Janet Taylor



1) Clean out each desk drawer, to free up even more valuable storage space. 
2) Clear off the top of your desk, then wipe off the surface of the desktop.
3) Keep essential items on your desktop (computer, phone, fax, card file).
4) If you work with more than one person create an in box for each person.
5) Have a master to-do list for each day at your desk.
6) Pre-Sort the mail.  To-File, To-Read, To-Contact(write or call).
7) Use a variety of containers to organize office supplies, paper clips and pens.
8) Use a variety of desktop organizers or trays to organize papers that come across your desk.
9) Create a separate drawer for personal paperwork, items, etc.
10) Use storage boxes to store dated files.
11) Purchase Magazine boxes to store booklets, magazines, catalogs you want to keep.
12) Create a file for magazine articles or scan them into your computer.
13) Filing system should be simple easy and manageable.
14) Color-coding your files makes it faster to find information.
15) Do not over stuff folders.  It may be time to toss some of the information in the folder .
16) Never overload filing drawer.  It will make it difficult to retrieve information in the drawers.
17) Sub-divide larger files with interior file folders.
18) Tab hanging file folders in the front. 
19) Return calls in batches.  Leave specific messages and the time you called if the person you’re trying to reach isn’t available.
20) Empty workspace of everything but the project you’re working on to cut down on distractions.
21) Keep an assortment of all-occasion cards and stamps in your desk.
22) Keep takeout menus from favorite restaurants so you can  order ahead and pick up dinner on your way home.
23) When using more than one checking account, color coded checks are an easy way to identify each account.
24) At the end of each project or event, organize paperwork and file or store it.
25) Straighten desk at the end of the day and especially at the end of the week so that you can start each morning with a clear desk.

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Totally Organized is a professional organizing company devoted to help you make the most of your day and get more quality free time. 
 


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Are You in a Negative Work Environment? 5 Tips to Change It

by Catherine Pratt




Whether you love your job or hate going to work every day can depend a lot on whether you work in a positive or a negative work environment. We’ve all been in the situation where we seem to be working with dysfunctional people and in an area that’s more toxic than a nuclear waste dump. It’s frustrating and draining and a lot of the time you end up thinking that you’re going to have to find another job. But, there will always be negative people everywhere you go. The trick is to learn how to deal with those people. Part of the frustration comes from feeling that you are helpless to do anything. This article will show that you do have the power to change your environment.

1. What’s your own mindset?

There is an African proverb that says,

"when you cross someone on your path who is more committed to their hatred than you are to your love, then their hatred will take the place of your love.”

The moral of this proverb is that you need to make the commitment to yourself that you will walk with positive thoughts and have joy for life. Don’t let the negative people bring you down. It’s very easy to get caught in that trap. Step 1 is to be aware of your thoughts and try to focus on the positive. Listen to your thoughts, are they positive or negative? If they’re negative, try to look at the situation from a different angle and make it a positive. This gets easier with practice. Also, just because everyone around you is unhappy doesn’t mean you have to be. This can be tough to do but it’s definitely worth it. If you can train yourself to be positive in these types of situations, you will be able to deal with almost any situation you come across. Remember, most of the time environments are all in how you think about them. If you think it’s a horrible place to be and there’s no hope, that’s exactly how it will be. If you look at it as a learning experience and a challenge to come up with meaningful solutions, you will be able to find the answers.

2. Are you a part of the problem or the solution?

Negativity quickly spreads from one person to another. If you constantly complain to others about how bad it is, then you become a part of the problem because you're adding fuel to an already depressing situation.

For example, is there someone on your team that drives you completely crazy? They are always complaining about everything, don’t want things to change, constantly put down others, never seem to do their fair share of work yet are always griping that they’re overworked. Sound familiar? The more you talk about this person to other members on your team, people in your organization, even to your friends and family, you and everyone you complain to, are all becoming just like your co-worker. Pessimistic and unhappy. Things get worse and worse instead of better. It’s like the African proverb, you have become committed to the same attitude as the person you are spending so much time complaining about. The more you talk about them the more power you are giving them and in the end the person you hurt the most is yourself.

3. Are you waiting for someone else to fix the situation?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that your boss should take care of the situation. So, you wait for them to do something. They are after all the one in charge, right? Wrong. Dealing with personalities is one of the hardest jobs a manager has to deal with. A lot of managers don’t understand why people just can’t do their jobs and why there’s so much personal confrontation. They’re not trained to deal with emotions and they may not have a clue on how to handle it. They’re trained to deal with issues like productivity and the bottom line, not personality conflicts. If you can suggest solutions then you’re not only solving your own problems but you’re going to be viewed as a much more valuable employee. This also has the benefit of making you realize that you’re not a helpless victim. You have the power to make your own changes and you’re the one in control of how you view the situation and how you handle it.

4. Step Back, Take a Look at the View

Say, that same co-worker in the above example snaps at you and never has anything nice to say to you. Your feelings are hurt and you don’t understand why they always seem to say such mean things to you. Take a step back and think about why the person may be behaving the way they do. There could be a lot of reasons. It could be anything from family issues to the fact that they feel they’re not living up to their potential and feel stuck in their current job. It could be something as simple as they feel like they’re being excluded by the group and they just need to be included in more conversations and coffee breaks. Most likely it doesn't really have anything to do with you. That person may just be in a negative mental space and everything in their world is lousy. It wouldn't matter who you were they would be making the same snide comments. It’s not personal against you. It’s just how they view everything around them. It can be hard for people to get out of a negative groove when they’ve been that way for awhile. It’s like the saying that someone sees events around them with "rose coloured glasses” except in this case they have "mud coloured" glasses.

If you can maintain a positive attitude it won’t affect you as much. You’ll know it's a reflection of where the negative person is at, not you. They’re negative energy and they’re looking to attract more negative energy. If you're positive, you're on a different level. If you try to look at the big picture and think where the comments are coming from it makes it much easier.

Everything is all in how you look at it and how you decide to let it affect you. You have the power to choose. You can learn from it or you can just let it eat you up. It's completely your choice.

5. Quit fighting the symptoms, go for the cause

Positive energy can spread just as quickly as negative energy. You just need to start the ball rolling. People get trapped in the victim mode and feel that there’s nothing they can do. If they start to see that changes can happen they may be more willing to come up with their own solutions to add to yours. The majority of people want to be positive but just don’t know how.

A good way to start is to come up with solutions to solve some of the problems you see occurring. It’s really important for you to try to find the root cause of the situation and not get caught up in fighting just the symptoms. For example, one person is always complaining that they’re overworked, the phone is ringing off the hook and that there is no one to help them. Your first thought might be that your company needs to hire another person to help out. But, this probably isn’t the root cause and in most companies it’s probably hard to find the extra dollars in the budget to hire another person. Plus, you’re back to expecting someone else to solve the problem.

Here’s another option. Track the phone calls. What are most of the calls in regards to? Are most of the calls related to the hours that your business is open, people unable to find the product information they need, people trying to book appointments? Once you know that, try to find alternatives for people to get the information they need without having to make a phone call. For example, could the information be posted on a web site, are there brochures you could give people, is the information people are receiving too confusing and just needs to be re-written?

Try to determine if there are things you can do to alleviate the real problems. Can processes be streamlined, can procedures be made more efficient? It’s amazing how much difference even one little change can make to improve a situation. You just need to start looking and figuring out some possible answers.

In Summary

Whether you love your job or hate it is really going to depend on how you view it and what you’re willing to do about it. You have much more power than you may think. Instead of feeling like it’s hopeless, view it as a challenge to actually make a real difference in your workplace. You’ll appreciate the results as will your co-workers. You definitely have the power to change a negative environment into a positive, fun place to be. You can do it.


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Tips To Create Your Work Environment More Comfortable During Pregnancy

By safecomputingtips.com




Many pregnant women continue working throughout their pregnancy. But, during pregnancy, you can face many health problems while working at your desk.
You can avoid pregnancy discomforts and stress if you make your work space as comfortable as possible. Here are some tips to make your work environment comfortable.

Tips to make your work space comfortable:

  • Arrange all of your necessary equipment within your reach to minimize bending and stretching.
  • Back pain is the common problem experienced by most of the pregnant women and working can add discomfort. Sit in a comfortable chair that has height adjustment and you can also use a throw pillow for added comfort.
  • Try to avoid sitting in the same position for more than thirty minutes.
  • Your hips and knees should be at right angle. Your legs should not be crossed, kept flat on the floor and a stool or footrest can be used for keeping your feet in comfortable position.
  • While working at your desk, wear tennis shoes or comfortable flat shoes to avoid discomfort in your legs and back.
  • Body temperature will naturally rise during pregnancy, so it is essential to keep yourself cool at home and office. You can purchase a battery operated fan, which can be attached to your desk to keep yourself cooler.
  • Standing and sitting straight is vital to reduce pains and aches during pregnancy.
  • If you are sitting for long periods, take a break and walk around the office.
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5 Tips For Creating a Relational Work Environment

By Lisa Merlo Booth




I'm shocked when I hear and see what goes on in some work environments. Between managers being cold and rude to their employees, bosses yelling at employees, managers refusing to be accountable for their own mistakes yet demanding their employees be accountable for theirs and co-workers talking bad about one another, it's no wonder companies often do so poorly.

When companies create a cutthroat work environment and don't take care of their employees, the odds of that company making it decrease drastically. Why? Because high tension, non-relational work environments lead to high turnover, lower productivity, more infighting and loads of resentment. The bottom line is: not taking care of your employees is just plain BAD BUSINESS.
Here are 5 things business leaders can do to create a healthy work environment:

1. Speak to all employees with respect at all times. No matter how big the mistake, never allow any one to be verbally assaulted by anyone in the company. Create an atmosphere where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities not shaming opportunities.

2. As a leader, model healthy communication. Build your employees up rather than tearing them down. Teach them and mentor them-don't scold and shame them.

3. Model what you want your employees to master. If you want excellent customer service than give excellent customer service. If you want your employees to be accountable, then you be accountable. Own your mistakes and they will feel as though they can own theirs.

4. Be available and approachable. Just because you own the company or are in a position of authority does not mean you are too important for people to talk to. Be real, be humble and be approachable. Have an open door policy-it will help you keep your finger on the pulse of your company.

5. Create a supportive atmosphere in your company and listen to your employee's complaints. Have your employees back and encourage them to have one another's back. Competition should be with other companies not within your own.

The best companies realize that when they take care of their employees their employees take care of them. Creating a great work environment lowers the turnover rate, increases productivity and leads to more creativity and ingenuity in the workplace. All of these factors increase the bottom line.

Creating a healthy work environment is one of the best business decisions a leader will ever make. If you struggle with a short fuse, are harsh with your employees or treat your employees like they are peons, then get yourself healthy. The success of your company will depend on it.

CHALLENGE: If you are a leader in your company, then learn to lead effectively. Create a healthy work environment-starting with you. Model what you want your employees to master. Refuse to allow anyone in the company to tear anyone else down. Encourage honest, open dialogue and when your employees to use their voice-listen.


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Effective Survival Tips in a Hostile Work Environment

By Mesriani_Law_Group









A hostile work environment is something that most employees do not want to experience in a company. But whether they like it or not, such things do exist in the workplace. However, not all hostile work environments are intentional. Sometimes, employees just need to voice out their concerns for their employer to adjust his policies and programs for their benefit.

If you want to survive a hostile work environment, follow these tips:

Work on yourself
If you feel a hostile working atmosphere, learn how to control your feelings. Remember that your job is to work in the company – nothing more, nothing less. You can always use the counting technique before saying a word or doing something.

Do not expect work to be pleasurable
Many employees fail in this one aspect of work. Although there are work and careers that bring fun and satisfaction to employees, work in itself is ultimately a serious issue altogether. Work is about business and money, two things that are always treated seriously by people.

Learn to accept criticisms
Some workers regard criticisms as hostile environment, but actually they are not. They should just learn how to improve themselves with the help of some painful or even funny words from their colleagues or superiors.

Stick to your beliefs
Do not keep silent. You have to make your thoughts and opinions known. When you make an action or you say something, you can always do something to defend it. You do not have to follow everything your boss or supervisor says.

Be creative
Hostile work environments are usually strict and prohibit employees from taking certain actions. But you can always look at the brighter side of it. Being limited to what you are allowed to do gives you new ideas, thoughts and goals at work.

Resort to your legal options
In case you have followed the tips but the hostile work environment just would not go away, maybe it is time to seek legal help. To put an end to the hostile work environment, you need to hire an employment law lawyer in Los Angeles and file a complaint against the employer.

Companies with hostile work environments would not be a friendly place for employees who have just started their careers. But after reading these tips, at least they get a glimpse of what they should do and what not to do in these kinds of situation. To know more about hostile work environment and other employment issues, they can consult a Los Angeles labor attorney.


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7 Important Factors in Choosing a Good Work Environment

by Jordan Slaman


When you are thinking of moving around your desk or choosing a new place to work, it may be a good idea to keep some of the following things in mind. Do a quick check around you and with a couple adjustments you should find it easier to work and you will be able to work longer and more efficiently.

1. Lighting
Having a good light source is important for using your important, and natural light is quite refreshing, But If you have a dim monitor or if it’s too bright to see your computer screen easily there is a problem. Try to find a balance between the two, or a dimmer would be Ideal. Even a small table lamp you can turn on to read a paper document better would be useful. Having light helps you feel less stressed and allows you to concentrate on what you are doing without any strain or discomfort.

2. Comfortable seating
Getting an ergonomic chair for your desk may be expensive and it certainly isn’t necessary. Find a chair that is comfortable to sit on but keeps your back straight and gives you good back support. Dining room chairs usually have nice back support but lack in the comfort, where a fluffy living room chair gives you all the comfort you need and leaves you leaning forward, or spending to much time relaxing. Try to find a balance in between the two. Most office chairs work fine.

3. Organization / Clean environment
Trying to find something is never productive. Having to search through stuff is a hassle and takes up valuable time, along with making you feel overwhelmed. Just get some baskets, a filing cabinet system or drawers. Clean is equally important. When you are in a neat and tidy working environment without grime or dirt it’s much easier to focus. Try a shower or even just putting on a clean shirt may make you feel refreshed and ready to work.

4. Distractions
Music may make you feel good but usually it doesn’t help. Neither does a blaring TV, someone walking past or your e-mail inbox. They say that curiosity killed the cat,  It also kills productivity. While checking your e-mails, or who walked past may only lose you a couple seconds you also lose your train of thought and focus. Make sure you aren’t looking at a busy street or have a view of the kitchen or other busy places. If you know a roommate plays loud music then set up your study space down the hall. If there is nothing to distract you it’s a lot easier to get through something as you don’t have to go back and re- do the calculation or try to remember what you had planned out for the next sentence. If you must check your e-mails while your working delay until it’s necessary as that would give you a better chance of only having to check once.

5. Plants / Trinkets
Having a few photos, artwork, ceramic pigs, or whatever trinket you may like may not be directly productive. If they help create a positive work environment It’s worth it anyways. Bringing a little more uniqueness to the area may help you feel more comfortable working there. Plants are also helpful, You can pick one you like and nurture it, while it gives you a steady stream of oxygen. Useful in a stuffy room, It just helps you stay focused.

6. Consider emotional-ties to a work area
It’s interesting how being certain places can strike up certain feelings. For example,  re-visiting where you played as a kid may make you happier. Try to do the same for your study space. Avoid places where you have been un-productive before. For example your bed room is likely a bad place to work as your subconscious mind associates being there with relaxing. If you have a bad memory that happened somewhere in your house you may not want to study there as it may bring up those feelings again, or just depress you in general. The best place to work is someplace new so you can make your own productive mindset around that area.

7. Temperature
When you are feeling warm a nice cool breeze can keep you refreshed and when you are cold heat will give you a fuzzy feeling inside. Make sure you are at a comfortable temperature but avoid becoming too comfortable or you may switch into relax mode. and begin thinking about something else. A refreshing breeze can be useful when you are having trouble focusing.


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Productivity in the workplace

by Jordan Slaman


Here are a couple tips that I have thought of or have helped me in the past to stay on top of it all, your life can get busy quickly so here’s a guide to maximizing your effectiveness in the workplace, bookmark it, print it or have your boss hang it up on the bulletin board because this should help…

1. Stay organized.
To most people, it’s plain as day. But, to some it seems a pointless idea, not worth wasting time on. But trust us, it helps. Having a clean desk and an organized computer can help you find everything so much faster, but not just that, it makes you feel better about yourself and the workload seems so much lighter. Now, if you’re worried about people (especially your boss!) thinking you don’t spend enough time doing ‘real’ work, then depending on the situation you can reply with: “Just trying to keep on top of it all.” Or, to really stop your boss in his tracks: “It helps me work better.” Keeping everything neat only takes a couple minutes a week and will keep you at ease and productive. If you acquire this important life skill then everyone, most importantly your spouse will appreciate it.

2. Build a crude time schedule.
Most people have already done this, and you probably have as well. Does this sound familiar? “Wake up around 6:30. Have breakfast at 7:00.” It helps you stay on track, so you know approximately how much time it takes to drive to work or get coffee, so you’re always on schedule.

3. Plan tasks around your time, not the other way around.
Although you may need to create extra time for larger projects, try to keep all of your assigned tasks in a schedule. Estimate the amount of time required to do each task, and put them in so you know what to do and when. Try not to put all the bad stuff aside for last or you’ll usually end up working through the weekend. If you’ve extra time in your schedule, don’t slack off. You will have more time left over to have fun in the end. Always keep your schedule open in case there’re any surprises. Experiment with the times, and after a while you will be flying from one task to the next. Feel free to fix up your schedule if it’s not working for you, remember that nothing is etched in stone.

4. Take short breaks.
BLABLA
Although this seems like the complete opposite of what you are trying to do, taking a break of one to ten minutes to clear your mind and release tension can really help. Being more relaxed and comfortable, you will find it easier to work and be more productive. Try to stand up and stretch, or get a quick drink to refresh yourself and get ready to spend more time working.

5. Block websites
If you find yourself to be one of those people who can easily get distracted and spend lots of time on the web looking at anything but your work, then you may need some restraint. Getting a child website blocker or even some post-it reminders might help you stay focused and save those sites for your coffee break. Look online for some good, free open-source website blockers if you think it’ll help you get stuff done.

6. Backup
I have lost so much time this year resetting my computer to the way I like it. And I back-up twice a week. Imagine if I didn’t! I’d spend even more time redoing work I missed. So save yourself time by backing up frequently to a disk, external hard drive or server. You never know when gremlins will run away with your work.

7. Music
Some people may think it helps but usually it doesn’t. There is nothing wrong with listening to music while you work, but most people listen to the wrong type of music. I’m not asking you to listen to classical music… just don’t let it take up all of your attention. Music without lyrics, or music that doesn’t make you want to sing along is fine. Nature sounds are the best, try to just get some subtle background noise where you work if you find you work better with it. Some people work better in complete silence. Sometimes website background sound can be nice at a low volume, as long as it doesn’t get annoying.

8. Take courses
This may take a lot of your time out of your schedule now, but it should help in the long run. Don’t forget that your boss will love that you have a couple organizational type courses on your resume!


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Tips on Improving Office Space Work Environment

By articlesbase.com



There can an infinite perspectives and viewpoints pertaining to the art of improving an office space work environment. For our readers we would like to focus on some of the simmering perspectives on space management, to cut the fog of ambiguities in relation to providing perfect work environment.
  1. The number one facet that requires due diligence is planning while making improvements in office space environment. By utilizing the modern tools can make this task easy; Computer aided design software maximizes the available carpet area to meet the company needs. Computer aided designs facilitate in preparing new layouts and also in identifying loop holes and space wastages in existing layout plans as well. By examining the current available space and recognizing the ways and means to make use of space in a more appropriate manner to meet the company need can help reduce expansion costs, and reallocations can be made easily.
  2. Companies can also have an open plan or no door policy to help improve quality of work and communication. In many companies all the employees including their bosses sit in one big sized room on their personal computers, thus saving a lot of expense. Partitioning on the other hand would have resulted in wastage of space and hampers communication, ventilation, air circulation and lighting.
  3. Many offices have to maintain a bulk of filing and documents; space allocated for filings should be utilized in vertical manner by proper shelving and stacking. Along with the bulk of files and documents there is office equipment that needs proper allocation that is accessible to all and easy to operate.
  4. Hawthorne studies that encompassed many experiments conducted to find out what elements affect efficiency of employees; lighting experiment was one of them, which had direct implication on employee performance so when you are managing office space do keep this important factor to follow proper guidelines in lighting installation to avoid discomfort. If you’re building structure and design permits entrance of natural light so its recommended that you do not disturb this natural flow and try to keep all sides airy and bright.
  5. Good natural air flow or ventilation mechanism can help improve productivity and efficiency of staff, so before you split the space into partitions do keep the air flow in mind and installation of air ducts opening in every office is necessary.
  6. Color scheme, texture and shades make the work space environment an ambient one. Colors create an effect of being spacious, and they depend a lot on the business needs and organizational culture.
  7. Space sharing phenomenon can also help reduce cost especially when you are short of space and also enables to create a trusted friendly environment.
  8. Use of computers and storage devices has tremendously reduced the usage of filing cabinets, shelves and other storage equipment. This will help to reduce high costs of maintaining documents that may be rarely used in future.
  9. Companies like Google that maintains a huge facility offers every possible amenities of life that one can imagine, since they have one the world’s best work place that is planned to cater for all the work space needs that an employee can imagine.
  10. The last but not least another way to improving upon the office space hazard and organizational efficiency and effectiveness is by allowing the staff to work from their homes, thus enabling comfort zone for employee, flexibility in process, reducing commuting stress and making best use of appropriate technology.

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