What would you do - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

What would you do - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog What would you do if you had a really bad boss? Thats the situation one reader of this blog is in. He read my post on How to Deal With a Bad Boss and left this comment: I have a unique situation. All but 2 people in the office are treated nicely by my boss. Yes you guessed it I am one of those 2 people. Recently I have had all my duties I was hired for taken completely away from me under ?restructuring of the program? meanwhile everyone else has the same duties except my other colleague in the same boat as me. My boss avoids all attempts I make to communicate with him. In fact I have been reduced down to what my former assistant, who was incredible at her job, did all day. To make matters worse the person with my old responsibilities does not have a graduate degree. I have my Masters and she micro manages me. Nothing I do is OK. I am completely miserable here and I hate that everyone else is treated with respect, they love both my boss and the lady with my old responsibilities. My colleague is in a similar situation with a different person who has her responsibilities. We are treated like second class citizens here and I really need advice what to do especially since to everyone else my boss is perfect including his supervisors and upper management.. Oh I forgot to mention my former director here everyone hated. She was a great manager but lacked all people skills and came down with an iron fist on everyone. My current boss who has her old job was responsible for her being promoted out of the area. Any advice would help! Thanks for reading this post and writing this article :) Thats a tough one. What do you think this reader could do? What would you do? Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

How to Cure Your Workaholism - Career Advice Blog for Millennials

How to Cure Your Workaholism - Career Advice Blog for Millennials These days most of us are workaholics. We can’t sit still. Our brains are constantly reeling â€" I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to do that. The worry about not having enough time is astounding. In this age of technology, it’s easy for us to constantly be connected â€" we say it’s for emergencies, but being constantly available isn’t good. There is a way to turn this off. If we want healthy lives and relationships, we’ve got to focus on shifting our priorities. Work will always be there. If you think you’re a workaholic, then you probably are. The following five tips can help you get your life back in order and cure your workaholism while still getting your work done â€" and in a timely fashion.   1. Rearrange Your Priorities You recognize you may be a workaholic, so now it’s time to rethink your values and put your priorities back in order. Maybe you’d like to spend more time with your kids or take your spouse on a date one night a week. Perhaps you haven’t been taking the best care of yourself physically and mentally. Think about what truly matters to you in your life and rearrange accordingly. This will help you find the balance. Once you’ve put your priorities in their correct order, remind yourself of them and the order in which you’ve put them. Distractions are inevitable, so you’ve got to learn to be disciplined here. Is that work event more important than making it to your kid’s soccer game? Could you let your client’s phone call go to voicemail because you’re visiting with your parents? Once you’ve set your priorities, the answers to these types of questions will become easier to answer. 2. De-Stress When you’re working constantly it’s hard to find the time to take care of yourself. Because of this, you can become anxious, depressed, tired and angry. Workaholism can also lead to serious health problems such as stomach ulcers, heart attack, stroke and death. It is incredibly important for you to learn to de-stress when you’re not working. When you are away from the office, put your phone away, don’t look at your computer and be present. Find time to exercise and meditate regularly. Do things you enjoy. Create new hobbies. Get an occasional massage. Experiment and figure out what makes you feel the most in the moment and what takes your mind off work. It’s important for your health.   3. Set Boundaries We should learn to set healthy boundaries in every aspect of our lives â€" including at work. It’s even more important to set boundaries surrounding our work. Some ways to do this include saying no, avoiding being overbooked and putting away work while at home. When you rearrange your priorities and decide what you want, it becomes easier to set boundaries. For example, to not be available all the time, let your clients and coworkers know when you will not be accepting calls and emails. Tell them you will respond during your working hours. You can set any type of boundary you wish to set â€" just make sure it aligns with what you want.   4. Limit Your Hours This can be another boundary you set for yourself when it comes to the hours you work. If you are working on reversing your workaholism, set certain hours that you will be on the clock. Let’s say you decide to work 45 hours a week maximum. If you go into an office every day, this can be easier. You will only work while you’re in the office. If you work from home, this can get a little trickier. In the latter case, you’ve got to be disciplined and tell yourself, your clients and coworkers that you will only be available from a certain hour in the morning to a certain hour in the evening. Setting these hours is the easy part â€" you’ve got to stick to them to lend to the cure of your workaholism.   5. Be Organized and Efficient Learn how to focus on getting one thing done at a time. If you have an assistant, give them some tasks to do for you. Figure out ways to automate your workflow. Get good at planning and scheduling, and learn to be patient. Being organized at work is always helpful, but it’s an especially important habit to get into when you no longer want to be a workaholic. This is because when you’re organized you work more efficiently, and organization and efficiency go hand in hand. Not everything has to be done right now. Put the proper organization and efficiency in place to reach your work goals, and everything will be completed in time. There are plenty of things you can do to combat and cure your workaholism. The above are just a few. Share your own in the comments and subscribe to the newsletter for more helpful ideas. Get everything you need to build a career you love by signing up for the newsletter.

Tips For Writing An Amazing Resume

Tips For Writing An Amazing ResumeTips for writing an amazing resume are essential if you want to land the job of your dreams. Resumes are a single page that contains information about a person's life. There are many tips available online on how to make a resume, so here is one that is sure to help you out.The first tip for writing an amazing resume is to go for a job that you enjoy. For instance, when I was applying for a job, I knew what I wanted to say and where I wanted to say it. But I also knew that I would have to get a better idea of the company and the job in order to help me write the best resume. I had to prepare myself by doing some research, but I could also use these tips to make my resume more exciting. It also helped me write in a professional manner so I won't come across as a non-professional.The most important thing to know about a resume is that it is necessary in almost every situation. You need to present yourself in the best possible light so you can land a job or an interview. Here are a few tips for writing an amazing resume that will not only help you land the job, but also land the interview of your dreams. Firstly, you must have a good sense of professional writing. Use smart and proper language to draw attention to the vital points in your resume.To provide a good overview of your skills, you must be able to list them all in one place. Use bullet points to help you. For example, if you are good at strategy games, list this in the strategy section.If you are very creative, list all your important points in the talents section. You may also want to highlight these aspects in your accomplishments section.To add more flair to your resume, try highlighting your strengths by listing them in the talents section. List these aspects in bold and use them to emphasize your strong points.To keep the personal information clean, use a space. You don't have to give all the information on a single page, but make sure that your personal information is in a separate area. Remember, this is a crucial document and you must not waste any ink by leaving a lot of information.

New manager Mistakes Friends, Goals, Delegating Worj=k

New manager Mistakes Friends, Goals, Delegating Worj=k Clinched your first managerial position? High fiveâ€"it’s a huge win for your career. The bigger paycheck, the coveted title, the authority to lead game-changing projects … no downsides there, right? Well, hear us out. Being a first-time manager poses some surprising challenges. Rather than simply reporting to a higher-up, you now are a higher-up, a change that comes not only with added responsibility but also accountability to those you now lead. Even if your company provides leadership training, getting the hang of having people report to you can be trickier than you’d think. Given the pitfalls, it’s no surprise that many newbies aren’t cut out for the task. Stats show that almost half of first-timers actually fail within their first year of taking on a managerial role. Want to make sure you’re not one of them? We asked career experts for the most common rookie mistakes, plus smart advice on how you can steer clear and be a rock-star manager. Mistake #1: You’re Stuck in the Friend Zone Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. When you’re used to viewing your coworkers as peers, it can be awkward taking on a more commanding persona. It’s easier to continue that fun, jokey vibeâ€"oversharing details about your weekend, trading office gossipâ€"rather than act boss-like. That’s especially true when you’re already feeling a little self-conscious about being a notch closer to the C-suite. (Hello, impostor syndrome!) “This generally happens when a new manager assumes that the first thing they must focus on is being liked by their team,” says executive coach and leadership expert Chris Ruisi. While it’s nice to be popular, what your staff really seeks is a leader. “Sure, a team wants to work with someone they like, but more important, the team wants to work with someone who they respect and trust,” he adds. Overcome It: Pull back from acting like you’re just another member of the team. You’re higher on the company hierarchy now, and remaining a little removed will help establish your new status as someone staffers can come to for advice and guidanceâ€"without harming your rep as approachable and relatable. Of course, you don’t want to remove yourself so much that you appear snobbish; that can alienate you from the people who report to you. “Getting to know your employees is the key to motivating and managing your employees and to having a high-functioning team,” says Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., leadership and organizational psychology professor at Claremont McKenna College. Take a genuine interest in your staff, asking questions about their lives and offering info about yourself as well. Mistake #2: You’re Unclear About Team Goals As a first-timer, you may not be clear about your own role, let alone those of your team members. This can lead to confusion about what your staff’s priorities should be and what everyone is working toward. The result: No one knows what they’re supposed to do, and morale and performance start circling the drain. Overcome It: Take time to understand not only your own goals as an employee, but also those of the company and how you and your team fit into the big picture. Get a handle on this by talking to your own supervisors. Then, be transparent and share what you’ve learned with the people who report to you. Why? Transparency fosters trust. “When employees trust their manager and can communicate well with that person, they are more likely to be able to hear the expectations clearly,” says Jessica Sweet, career coach at Wishing Well Coaching. Adds Riggio, “If employees know that you are being straight with them, they can more easily see and accept what is needed for goal attainment and why.” After setting these goals and defining the “why” and “how,” let each employee develop their own style and approach when it comes to achieving them. “By giving them a voice in the process, it leads to greater commitment to obtaining the goalsâ€"the employees come to ‘own’ the objectives,” Riggio says. Read More: Sunday Habits That Jump-Start Job Success All Week Long Mistake #3: You Don’t Give Clear Direction Many newbies feel awkward about their sudden authority, so they soften directives, framing instructions as recommendations (for example, “It’d be nice to have that presentation by Monday” instead of stating outright that the deadline for the presentation is Monday). “It’s uncomfortable to give orders, and so [new managers] find a way to diffuse the discomfort,” Sweet explains. “For some managers this may be conscious, while others may be totally unaware that they are doing this.” Overcome It: Be mindful when you give team members their marching orders, and practice being direct without coming off as curt or aggressive, Sweet advises. That might mean writing cut-to-the-chase emails with bulleted objectives and deadlines, preparing a clear list of to-dos for reports before a meeting, or simply being more aware of the softeners you use to pepper your conversation. Sweet adds that it’s also important to get to a place where you feel OK about asking for what needs to be done. You’re the one with the authority to do soâ€"it’s your job now, after all. Read More: Work Smarter: The Best Times of Day to Conquer Your To-Dos Mistake #4: You Don’t Delegate Enough Find yourself taking on projects that are supposed to be done by team members? You’ve fallen into a common new-manager trap of trying to do too much yourself. And it’s a danger that can sink your performance. A time management study from the Institute for Corporate Productivity surveyed over 300 companies and found that nearly half had concerns about their workers’ ability to delegate. When stressed, people tend to micromanage in a misguided attempt to maintain control and authority, explains industrial/organizational psychologist Brenda Fellows, Ph.D. Overcome It: After giving your team clear direction about what is required, Fellows recommends going hands-off and trusting that employees will succeed. Be ready to lend an assist if a team member needs help or directionâ€"but only then and not before. Delegating to subordinates is a skill that goes beyond just doling out assignments, says Riggio. “It’s a little bit like fishing: You give them some line and let them run, but you might also need to reel them in now and then,” he adds. Read More: How to Succeed at Work the Lazy Way Mistake #5: You Forget to Give Feedback You know how athletes are always patting each other on the back after a play? They know that feedback on a teammate’s performance is crucial to boosting morale and momentum. It works the same way with the teammates you manage. According to a Gallup study, 40% of workers became “actively disengaged” when they didn’t receive periodic feedback from their managers. Meanwhile, employees who did hear from their bosses were more likely to be engaged, even if the feedback was negative. Ruisi suggests that this is another blunder that comes down to Rookie Mistake #1, the desire to be popular. Many first-time managers want to be liked, so they tend to skimp on critiquing their teams. Yet a lack of feedback leaves workers feeling like they’re not part of the whole and a little lost at sea, and that can derail progress. Overcome It: Realize that your employees want and need to know where they stand in order to ace their jobs. The simplest way to do this is to set up periodic check-ins with your reports and come prepared with constructive thoughtsâ€"both positive and negative. And since feedback is beneficial for everyone, don’t forget to ask staffers for their take on how you’redoing. Ruisi suggests asking, How can I help you do your job better? What would you like me to do that I’m not currently doing? What can I do to enhance our working relationship? “[These questions] go a long way in helping the manager improve his performance and improve his relationship with the team,” he says.

#1 Mistake People Make During Presentations - Work It Daily

#1 Mistake People Make During Presentations - Work It Daily Do you get nervous during presentations? When you speak, are you so focused on pronouncing the words correctly, remembering your main points, and not sweating through your shirt that you get even MORE nervous? You’re not alone. Millions of people have a fear of public speaking, which can make it hard for them to truly captivate an audience. Those nerves just LOVE to get in the way! But there’s one mistake people make during presentations that totally kills a great message. Are YOU making this mistake? You’re focusing too much on yourself, and not enough on your message. “If you get nervous, it’s because you’re thinking about yourself,” said Syd Atlas, a presentation coach at Own The Room, a communication skills training company. “Forget about yourself. Get over yourself. It’s not about you. It is ALWAYS about your content, your ideas, your audience.” When you’re trying to captivate your audience during presentations, there’s one thing you must remember. In order to engage them, you have to focus on the message you’re trying to get across, not yourself. “Whenever you are speaking, whether it’s to one person or to one thousand, you’re speaking because you have something to say,” said Atlas. You must be fully committed to what you’re saying in order for your audience to be interested and captivated by your message. Otherwise, you’ll lose their interest. Don’t make this mistake during your next presentation! If you’re only focused on how you look, sound, and act during your presentations, you’re going to take away from the message you’re trying to convey to your audience. Also, when you take the focus off of yourself, it might ease your nerves a little bit. Related Posts: Tuesday Talks: Start Your Presentations With A Scene Overcoming Your Career Fear: Public Speaking How To Boost Your Career With Toastmasters   Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

Company Wellness Programs Could Be Hurting Employees Health, According to New Research

Company Wellness Programs Could Be Hurting Employees Health, According to New Research Workplace wohlbefinden programs are growing in popularity. About fur-fifths of U.S. employers with more than 1,000 employees offer these types of programs, according to a RAND Coporation analysis, which means that improving employee health has become a $6 billion industry.After all, we spend about two-thirds of our waking hours (which adds up to about one-third of our a lives) at work, and employer health care costs are 15.3 percent lower for physically active workers than inactive ones, according to a 2012 Rand report so implementing workplace wohlbefinden programs makes logical sense. Thats why in 2010, the World Health Organization suggested that workplaces form the primary settings for health promotion and, in the last 30 years, theres been a steady increase in wellness programs.According to the 2012 Employer Health Benefits Survey, 94 percent of large and 63 percent of small employers offered a wellness program targeting a variety of health concerns such as disease prevention, employee wellbeing or lifestyle and health education with the expectation to benefit both employers and employees.But while workplace wellness programs might sound like a good idea, new research finds that some common workplace health promotion practices can actually take a toll on employees health and tip the scales against them.The research collected in the new Frontiers in Psychology study finds that workplace health promotion programs that make employees responsible for their weight can lead to adverse effects including increasing stigmas surrounding weight, which can in turn lead to weight gain and, ultimately, decreased well-being. Heres how these programs, when not thoughtfully and strategically implemented, can be harmful.1. Increased weight-based discrimination.Whilst there are benefits to employee wellness programs, we propose that the current focus on weight that emphasizes employees re sponsibility can inadvertently elicit weight stigma, the report reads, defining weight stigma as the negative attitudes toward a person because of their weight status. People with overweight or obesity are negatively stereotyped as being weak willeuchtdiode, lazy, unintelligent and gluttonous. Indeed, although a link between prejudice and discrimination is not always evident, negative attitudes toward people with overweight and obesity have been associated with biased treatment.The researchers warn that negative stereotypes about people with obesity can also lead to discrimination in the workplace.Suitability judgements of applicants in the hiring process or employees for promotion are lower for applicants with obesity people with overweight or obesity, on average, earn less and are more often unemployed, the researchers write. Further, it has been shown that people with obesity are perceived as possessing less leadership qualities compared to normal weight counterparts. In addition , research has reported that employees with obesity have lower starting salaries, are assessed as being less qualified, and work longer hours than normal weight employees.According to the research team, programs the put the responsibility on employees to eat healthier (vs. having a cafeteria that sells mostly healthy foods), especially led to increased weight-based discrimination and stigmas. The same couldnt be said for employers that took a share of the responsibility.And lest it be forgotten, weight isnt always directly correlated to ones health. So employees who may weigh more arent necessarily more unhealthy (or at all unhealthy) than those who weigh less. But stigmas exist nonetheless.2. Increased weight gain.The researchers found that when obese workers were involved in employee health and wellness programs felt even more responsible for their weight, they actually felt that they had even less control over it. In turn, their lack of control lead to increased obesity, exacerba ting their health.From a motivational perspective, people with obesity are thus likely to be caught in a Catch-22 like situation, which can result in maladaptive responses, the report explains. After all, insights from learned helplessness theory show that, when people feel responsible for uncontrollable events, this harms their self-esteem and potentially results in diet-breaking behavior and weight gain.The findings suggest that the mere presence of an employee wellness program in organizations was associated with employees perceptions that being overweight is more controllable than it actually may be.This association was not evident for burnout, and the marginally significant relation between presence of a program and controllability of cancer and non-health related events was fully explained by employees own involvement in implementing a health program thus, the association between program presence and health-related events was unique for weight, the research suggests.3. Decreas ed mental wellness.Not surprisingly, experiences of weightstigma and discrimination also may have serious adverse effects on mental health, including compromised psychosocial wellbeing, social isolation, healthcare avoidance, binge eating, body-related shame and guilt, and weight gain and development of obesity, which can contribute to sickness absence, the research reports.If not implemented carefully, these programs might have negative rather than the expected positive effects, the researchers warn.--AnnaMarie Houlis is a feminist, a freelance journalist and an adventure aficionado with an affinity for impulsive solo travel. She spends her days writing about womens empowerment from around the world. You can follow her work on her blog, HerReport.org, and follow her journeys on Instagram her_report, Twitterherreport and Facebook.

Writing a Resume for Returning to Work - Is it a Scam?

Writing a Resume for Returning to Work - Is it a Scam? Professional Resume Writers will operate to educate you on the changes in resumes since youve left the workforce and the info that employers are currently searching for now. Resumes are available in all shapes and sizes. Otherwise, it will appear to a reader your faculty experience is the most necessary to you-that shouldnt be the situation. Look at a functional format only as long as youve been out of work for several years and you will need to emphasize your functional skill collection. For tools that youve used, binnensee whether you can discover a refresher training course. Concentrate on transferable abilities and select the resume format which best highlights your strongest points. Getting the Best Writing a Resume for Returning to Work If you left work on a fantastic note its a fantastic notion to stay in contact with your former boss and co-workers. When youre prepared to return to work, you will need a person to send the resume to. No matter the length of time youve been away from work, your very first port of call when searching for references is always your prior employer. Set the word out that you will be going into the work marketplace. You could do it a couple of years before you believe youd begin searching for a job a terrific method to prepare your resume Maybe you were fired or couldnt locate a job for more than a year. The important issue is to identify how you have continued to utilize your business skills in the moment you have been out of the workforce. The perfect way to get back on track for your job search is to begin your work search, even when youre not prepared to start your work search. Whispered Writing a Resume for Returning to Work Secrets In the time which you were not formally employed in your field, you could have still gained additional experience which may be included on your resume. Youre in a strong fleck your previous experience is going to be t o your advantage though youve taken a little bit of time off. If youve got minimum work experience, you may consider leading off with your education, especially if its pertinent to the position youre applying to. Now, your resume doesnt need to be the sole place to speak about the employment gap. Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Writing a Resume for Returning to Work Volunteer work you have finished in your free time is essential, especially when you held an officer position, however has to be listed as such. Tell the date you want to resume back or if theres any change of plans and you want to resume earlier. Your resume can continue to be riveting. The End of Writing a Resume for Returning to Work While writing a resume objective might continue to be acceptable, its more beneficial to incorporate a resume summary statement when you start constructing your resume. Its fast and simple to use. You may be surprised how many resumes are submitted without contact info. Writ ing a Resume for Returning to Work Ideas A career gap isnt the conclusion of the worldits just a phase. Your resume writer will get in touch with you to clarify details. Whether you wish to get straight back into the exact saatkorn career, or are searching for a totally new direction, getting your CV right is important to getting a foot in the door. Utilize your cover letter to briefly explain your latest gap, but emphasize youve kept your skills current and are energized to come back to the workforce.