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Dealing With an Office Bully

July 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment
My workplace

Image by Arnaud Meuret via Flickr

It seems like the unthinkable. The playground days are far behind you. Many people come to work with a professional attitude and ready to make beneficial interactions with others through the day. However, being bullied in the workplace is not uncommon. Such actions can affect employee relationships by impacting production and creating tension in the office environment. Let’s take a look at how to remedy the situation.

If you have ever been bullied in the workplace, unfortunately you are not alone. Studies estimate than in the United States alone, about 54 million people have experienced bullying at work. Many times, the situation goes unnoticed. bullying is done either emotionally, verbally, or physically. Other times, employees may not come forward due to a sense of embarrassment or even fear. Instead they resort to suffering in silence, cringing at the thought of coming to work each day.

It’s a good idea to encourage employees to document situations where they feel bullied. Sometimes it’s easier to quietly write down incidents, than to face an uncomfortable situation. Once documented, it is important to bring the incident to human resource personnel.  If you are the target of such actions, breach it a clear head and calm demeanor. Be discerning when bringing the subject up for discussion by leaving out names at first. Request with personnel that your discussions about the issue be kept in confidence.

Bullying at the office is a complex situation. Handling it with rationality, tact and clear communication places the situation on the right track to a resolution.

Filed Under: Employees, Office Etiquette Tagged With: , ,

The Benefits of Extra Training

May 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment
This is a photo of Chris Crawford, Management ... 

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When first stepping into a job straight out of school, most workers don’t have too many real world skills. Sure you’ve mastered calculus and how to prepare a thesis, but that doesn’t often correlate to knowledge in the workplace. Most businesses offer opportunities to employees looking to add to their skills by doign extra training.

Higher Salary

An obvious benefit of additional training for your job is a higher salary. As you add skills to your repertoire you are able to handle a myriad of situations. Most companies will compensate eager employees who want to improve their skills and grow in the industry knowledge.

Resume Builder

Possibly you don’t want to stay at your job forever, but getting extra traning while you are there is a great resume builder. By pursuing extra training it shows that you are dedicated and want to do the best job possible. When applying for future jobs this initiative on your part will show potential employers that you are an asset to the workforce and willing to work hard for your job.

Self Esteem Building

Adding to your skills and making a place for yourself in the workplace is also great for your self esteem. You will feel as if you are a more valued employee and that your time is worth a lot to your company. Feeling secure and valued in your job is a priceless commodity.

These are by no means the only benefits for additional job training. As you can see adding to your skills is not only helpful to your company but also helps you build yourself into the person you’ve always known you can be.

 

 

Filed Under: Employee Relationships, Employees, Training Tagged With: , ,

A Healthy Workforce

March 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It is important for an employer to make sure that the employees that work together stay healthy and have ways to interact. Healthy employees will likely be more productive and workers that have more interaction than just production will likely enjoy sharing time together.

One good way to engage employees on both of these levels is to offer up some kind of opportunities for healthy interaction at work. By appointing one member of the staff to implement the program, requiring a small amount of their time you can organize different programs that can take place during lunch or at a break time. This type of interaction may be exciting to many of the staff that get little time outside of work for such activities.

these activities can include outdoor activities such as short walks. An organized class like yoga or other healthy body activities is also an option. Many companies choose to organize events like this for outside of work. An example of a good after work event is to organize a softball team or other sports team. There are many cities that have already established leagues and even the smallest companies can come up with players to form a team. If your company is not big enough to fill an entire team or class (from the earlier example) consider joining with another company to make it possible. If there isn’t a league already started in your area consider getting it going. Sometimes the city already has fields that are maintained and ready to be used.

Creating a healthy, interactive workforce is good for everyone. The company can enjoy better productivity and a more engaged staff.

Filed Under: Employees Tagged With: , ,

The Need for Human Resources Training

March 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The prevalence of different types of harassment and discrimination still exist in the United States. Laws have been past to protect workers, such as the disabled. The passage of these laws is only one step in the process of reforming or changing what is going on inside the work places across the nation.

Many people have grown up without the influence or being taught about equal rights, the law, and what is acceptable and suitable ways of treating your coworkers. In order for the culture to continue changing in the various workplaces, both public and private, education needs to accompany the laws that have been enacted.

The history of the American society is not one of acceptance of all people based on gender, race, or sexual orientation. It may not be easy to find slaves in the United States, but it doesn’t change the fact that we need to treat every individual as equal to us, in all ways, regardless of differences that may be seen on the surface.

In public employment, in many cases, employees are required to take classes, making sure that they are educated on the law. It is important that private companies also make sure to explain to employees what is acceptable behavior. Posting the laws on the wall is one step. Having discussions and educating individuals what is acceptable is even better. The process of social change seems to be a slow one. Most people today believe that harassment is unacceptable and they do not want the behavior to take place. Training from human resources on these topics will help continue the change. Harassment laws continue to change, these laws are not so set and understood, such as laws concerning theft. Every Human Resources Department should continue to develop education for a safer workplace.

Filed Under: Employees, Training Tagged With: , ,

Should the Boss be Friends With Staff?

February 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Any relationship can be a struggle, but having a good rapport with a boss is important. Nobody wants to work for someone that acts like they don’t like them, but can they be friends? The old saying can be true, “Familiarity breeds contempt.”
Being friends with a coworker can strain the workplace, but being friends with a boss can be ruinous for the worker. Bosses shouldn’t know everything about their employees personally; it isn’t good practice because they can know too much and take it to work. Even though they can be a friend, bosses are better left out of the party.
A Certain Amount of Dignity is Expected

What if the worker does something the boss is offended by? Like, what if they drink a lot? The boss is going to think every time the person misses work that they’ve drunk too much and are hung-over. And likewise, the worker might expect the boss to cut them extra slack because they are friends. Neither situation works. And if it’s the boss who drinks too much, the employee will lose respect for them and it’ll show on the job. Not to mention others finding out about it and all of them losing respect for the boss, too.
If a boss is too indifferent, the employees will be left to interpret the silence themselves, and they won’t feel liked or appreciated for their work. They may feel disliked and work performance would then suffer from it, and gossip may well be started, too. So a boss shouldn’t be too distant, he should be able to get along with every person there.
The boss can’t get too close, but they shouldn’t stay at a distance, either. The right place is in the middle, where the boss can talk and joke with all the employees, being as human as they are, without overstepping boundaries of either extreme or learning too much about the people that work for them.
Filed Under: Employee Relationships, Employees Tagged With: , , ,

Make the One-pn-One Meeting More Bearable

February 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Make those awful one-on-one meetings easier to get through. It can be nerve-wracking for an employee to know there’s a meeting with the boss, but they have no idea what the meeting will be about.  It can also be stressful for the boss, not knowing the employee as a person or how they react in evaluations.
The first thing the employer can do is tell the employee to come up with 5 points to talk about. This lets the employee not only know what the meeting will be about, but it’ll take a lot of the stress out of the meeting. The employee will feel the boss is eager to talk about things of importance to them, personally. If the employee has no idea of what to write down, help them by saying the information needed is about the employee experience at work, suggestions for their job, etc. Having the employee choose the topics makes them feel valued and secure in their job.
Be Head of the Meeting Without Being Bossy

As a boss, be prepared. Know what the person’s exact job description is and have notes all ready to look at. Ask questions that need to be answered, and even plan how to end the meeting and suggest ways for the employee to move forward and improve.
Have the schedule cleared of everything else during the meeting. It doesn’t make anyone feel better when the boss is constantly checking the computer, phone and clock. Sometimes things come up, that’s to be expected occasionally, but clear the agenda for the time of the meeting so it can be over in due time.
If everything’s been discussed in 30 minutes instead of the hour set aside for the meeting, let them go back to work. Let the meeting out when it’s over.
The meeting is really for both the employer and the employee, so try not to take up all the time talking. Some bosses love to talk, but it’s not an enjoyable trait for the workers. Letting the employee talk lets the boss know what working for them is like.
Filed Under: Business, Employees Tagged With: , , , ,

Some Things Should Never be Talked About at Work

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment
At work everyone is expected to be professional, whether it’s for Goldman Sachs or Taco Bell. Certain things are not welcome in the workplace no matter how innocent the conversation might be. Sharing with a boss or coworkers can get someone into trouble, and possibly fired.
Here are a few things that never should be mentioned at work:
  • “Check out this rash.” Employees should never discuss personal medical maladies while at work. It could offend someone or frighten them into thinking everyone can catch it.
  • “If a woman calls, tell her I’ve left for the day.” Telling others to help avoid someone is offensive on two levels. They may wonder if it’s ever been done to them when they’ve called, and it alerts others to the fact of lying.
  • “Have you talked to the new guy? He’s a freekin moron!” Even if the others in the workplace feel the say way about the new guy, don’t let it be you who gets caught talking about him. And refrain from swearing or using words like “freekin;” maintain an air of professionalism.
  • “I have such a bad hangover…” People at work don’t need to know all the bad habits someone may have. Drinking to the point of being ill the next day is irresponsible. Plus, if it happens very often coworkers will think the person is possibly an alcoholic.
  • Don’t discuss pay! Work is no place to let people in on your financial fiascos. It looks bad on the person and most places have policies against this behavior. Nobody else needs to know what others make or how high their bills are. Divulging such information can lower a coworker’s opinion of the person doing the telling.
  • “Hey, I sent you a friend request on Facebook.” Unless the person leads a pristine life, having coworkers or bosses as friends on Facebook can be fatal for the job. We hear about it all the time; someone loses a job because of a Facebook post. People at work just might be getting too much information.
Filed Under: Employee Relationships, Employees Tagged With: , , , ,

Promoting Workplace Diversity

January 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment

For many employers workplace diversity can be a challenge. According to Ethnic Majority a company can have a diverse workplace but still have a glass ceiling that prevents minorities from being able to achieve their goals for promotions. A truly diverse workplace is diverse on all levels. It does not mean that there are individuals of many different backgrounds on the lower levels while the upper level management are all one race or gender. Diversity can bring many wonderful aspects to the workplace. Everyone has different experiences and people with different backgrounds often can bring many bonuses to the company.  Especially if a company is wanting to expand in new markets it is necessary for a company to understand the markets. Also if a company is going to reach out to global markets it is beneficial to have employees familiar with the cultures of the countries in which business dealings will be made.

Affirmative action is a tool that has been used to try to prevent discrimination in the workplace, but many feel that because of affirmative action the best candidate is not always chosen.  This may not be the case but for the individual who does not get hired or promoted it is an easy target for anger.  Therefore it is important that an employer screen all applicants equally and ensure that reverse discrimination is not occurring in order to meet the need for diversity. Diversity should benefit the company by allowing talent from all walks of life to share their abilities without being discriminated against or made to feel different. In today’s society it is hoped that we have evolved to a point where individuals are being hired by ability not on looks. Although there will always be incidents where discrimination will occur an employer needs to promote policies to prevent such actions.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: ,

How to Help Working Parents

January 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Women with children often find themselves caught in situations where they are torn between work and family.  Especially single mothers or single fathers who do not have other individuals who can take care of their children should anything happen. Companies can institute programs that will help their working parents. Some companies offer benefits to assist with daycare or even have daycare centers in their places of work. Flexible schedules are also very beneficial to parents who may have to drop children off at school and pick them up after school is over.

The Encyclopedia of Children’s Healthstates that a majority of women who live with their husbands also work but there is not a typical type of woman who fits the working mother role. It is a very diverse group and all have a variety of reasons for why they have to work and balance their family life. This balancing act can be a tight rope to walk for the mom or dad who is trying to be the so-called supermom or superdad.  The parent who balances work, school, family, soccer games for Timmy and ballet lessons for Susie. These individuals often face burnout and in some cases may turn to ways of escape that are not so beneficial to the person or their family. At the same time these individuals are also at an age where many are also dealing with aging parents.  Being caught in this situation can be overwhelming. It is important for an employer to offer support services for employees.  Support can be in the form of counseling or even just establishing an open door policy in which employees feel more comfortable in coming to their managers to discuss any problems they may be having. If an employer notices that problems with work are occurring an effort to reach out to the employee should be made to determine the source of the problems.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , , , , ,

Should Politics and Religion Enter the Workplace?

January 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The most controversial topics between individuals are usually politics and religion.  Many people cannot help themselves and launch into discussions about the current events and have to voice their opinions on matters. Friendly discourse can always be enjoyable between co-workers, but when the conversation turns to tones of negativity and statements against a party or an affiliation a person walks a fine line. It should be understood that not everyone will agree on certain viewpoints. Although many employers establish policies requesting the issues of politics and religion to be left out of the office, human nature will always bring the topics into conversations. Office Arrow had a few suggestions on talking about politics in the office. Some suggestions are not to ask about candidate choices in elections, do not talk politics instead of work, and respect the viewpoints of your co-workers.

The beauty of freedom is the ability to choose what to believe in, but the workplace is not the environment to discuss your views in a way that is confrontational to degrading to another person. Even outside of the workplace it would be nice if all people would remain civil in their discussions regarding differences in political or religious opinion. Yet, tempers will always flare and someone will always get offended in one way or another. So it is best as an employer to try to prevent these clashes within the office as best as possible. Policies should be created to help reduce the risk of confrontational discussions or arguments between employees. Training to help employees identify issues that may be considered offensive may also be considered. The workplace should be a neutral environment for all employees. As an employer or manager it is important to ensure that a person is not being harassed due to political or religious affiliation.

Filed Under: Business, Office Etiquette Tagged With: , , , ,
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