Saturday, March 31, 2007

Is it time for you to quit?


There are times when we feel that the current job is not offering what you want. There are times when you get butterflies in your stomach every morning. And there times when you feel that your skills are being wasted and your boss who is outright dumb doesn't take your suggestions. Then, it may be time for you to quit your job.

Or, alternatively, address the issues that you dislike about your current job. Without leaving your job, you may be able to solve the problems and make your current job — work.

Victimised finds out certain points you should ponder upon before you decide to quit.

DETERMINE WHY YOU ARE UNHAPPY IN YOUR CURRENT JOB:
Try to analyse why you are unhappy. Is it your boss or is it the money? Are you being denied of the promotion because your boss thinks you are not prepared to go to the next level? Be vocal. This is not a charity. Ask for the dues. Ninety-nine of 100 organisations will not do anything unless you put your foot-down. Make them feel that your services come with a price. They can negotiate but they are definitely not for free!!

DO YOU DISLIKE THE WORK YOU DO:
Or, are there other problems that affect how you feel about your job? If you like the work and pinpoint other issues as the problem, consider what you can do to resolve these problems before you quit your job.

GOOD JOBS ARE DIFFICULT TO FIND:
You don't want to make a hasty decision or burn any bridges until you've thoughtfully considered your options. You may be able to make your job — work.

Victimised made a list of the common problems that prompt people to want to quit their job. See if you can find your reasons and use the advice provided by Victimised to turn your work situation around.

Are you feeling stuck in your current position with no hope of promotion? You look around your organization and don't see any job you'd like to do next. You may want to explore options with your boss.

1. TALK TO YOUR BOSS TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE RIGHT:
Ask about opportunities for lateral moves and for more interesting, skill-stretching assignments. Most workplaces value initiative and people who want to continue to learn and grow.

2. CONSIDER SWAPPING ASSIGNMENTS:
Swap assignments with a coworker who feels like you do about trying something new. Victimised recommends that you ask for your manager's agreement, of course.

3. FEELING UNAPPRECIATED IN YOUR CURRENT JOB:
You work hard every day, but you don't feel your boss or your workplace recognize your efforts. You can't remember the last time anyone thanked you for your contributions.

4. ASK YOUR BOSS FOR HER INPUTS:
Tell your boss you would like her input about how she views your work. Tell the boss you'd like to sit down with him regularly to obtain feedback, both good and bad, so you can improve.

5. LESS MONEY:
Sometimes, feeling unappreciated has to do with money. Ask your manager for a raise or ask when you can expect your compensation review. Follow up to make sure it happens.

If it's still not working. Yes, look for change.

Corporate Zodiac — What sign are you?

Astrology tells us about you and your future simply by your birthday. The Corporate Zodiac uses the department you work in. Demographics tell us what you like, dislike, whom you vote for, what you buy and what you watch on television. Well, the Corporate Zodiac goes a step further: simply from your job title, people will have you all figured out...

MARKETING:
You are ambitious yet stupid. You chose a marketing degree to avoid having to study in college, concentrating instead on drinking and socializing — which is pretty much what your job responsibilities are now. Least compatible with Sales.

SALES:
Laziest of all signs, often referred to as "marketing without a degree," you are also self-centered and paranoid. Unless someone calls you and begs you to take their money, you like to avoid contact with "customers" so you can "concentrate on the big picture." You seek admiration for your golf game throughout your life.

TECHNOLOGY:
Unable to control anything in your personal life, you are instead content to completely control everything that happens at your workplace. Often even YOU don't understand what you are saying, but who the hell can tell?! It is written that the Geeks shall inherit the Earth.

ENGINEERING:
One of only two signs that actually studied in school, it is said that ninety percent of all Personal Ads are placed by engineers. You can be happy with yourself: your office is typically full of all the latest "ergodynamic" gadgets. However, we all know what is really causing your "carpal tunnel"...

ACCOUNTING:
The only other sign that studied in school, you are mostly immune from office politics. You are the most feared person in the organization; combined with your extreme organizational traits, the majority of rumors concerning you say that you are completely insane.

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT/ EDITING:
The doormats of the office. You studied grammar and mastered the language so sincerely, but now you realize that it was sheer waste of time because your bosses don't understand half the things you write (GOD SAVE THEM !!) Whatever you do, no one is satisfied. Victimised sees yours is a thankless job. You are lowest in the corporate increment (no pay hikes) chain. If you work, your boss will find faults, if you don't, you are likely to be fired. You will be blamed for every mistake that happen in the peripheries of your office. The marketing guys will yell at you for developing bad content and your boss who thought separate is spelled s-e-p-e-r-a-t-e will also second him. So, basically you will never be satisfied, neither will your boss be. It is a lose-lose sign to say the lest.

HUMAN RESOURCES:
Ironically, given your access to confidential information, you tend to be the biggest gossip within the organization. Possibly the only other person that does less work than marketing, you are unable to return any calls today because you have to get a haircut, have lunch, AND mail a letter!

MIDDLE MANAGEMENT N DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT N "TEAM LEADS":
Catty, cut-throat, yet completely spineless, you are destined to remain at your current job for the rest of your life. Unable to make a single decision you tend to measure your worth by the number of meetings you can schedule for yourself. Best suited to marry other "Middle Managers," as everyone in your social circle is a "Middle Manager."

SENIOR MANAGEMENT:
Catty, cut-throat, yet completely spineless, you are destined to remain at your current job for the rest of your life. Unable to make a single decision you tend to measure your worth by the number of meetings you can schedule for yourself. Best suited to marry other "Senior Managers," as everyone in your social circle is a "Senior Manager."

CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Bright, cheery, positive, you are a fifty-cent cab ride from taking your own life. As a child very few of you asked your parents for a little cubicle for your room and a headset so you could pretend to play "Customer Service." Continually passed over for promotions, your best bet is to sleep with your manager.

CONSULTANT:
666. The devil's paradise.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

We're not in the same boat, brother!


Go on... unravel the mystery of why the same things that your boss does look different when you do them...


When I take a long time I'm slow. When my boss takes a long time he's thorough!


When I don't do it I'm lazy. When my boss doesn't do it he's busy!

When I make a mistake, I'm an idiot. When my boss makes a mistake, he's only human!


When I do something without being told, I'm overstepping my authority. When my boss does the same, that's initiative!

When I take a stand, I'm being bull-headed. When my boss does it, he's being firm!


When I overlooked a rule of etiquette, I'm being rude. When my boss skips a few rules, he's being original!

When I'm out of the office, I'm wandering around. When my boss is out of the office, he's on business!


When I'm on a day off sick, I'm always sick. When your boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill!

When I apply for leave, I must be going for an interview. When my boss applies for leave, it's because he's overworked!

When I please my boss I'm crawling. When my boss pleases his boss, he's co-operating!

When I do good, my boss never remembers. When I do wrong, my boss never forgets!

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

This one is for you Boss!


Victimized meekly endeavors to suggest ways to current and all wannabe bosses to be the best boss possible. Hey boss---hope you're listening too!

Train yourself and your employees: Read books on management, buy training programs, enroll in workshops and seminars that will help you become the type of leader that you would like to work for yourself. And train your employees. When you invest the time and money to do so, you are letting them know that you value them.

Communicate clearly and regularly: Employees perform best when they know exactly what is expected of them, are given feedback that is specific, sincere, and timely. Two-way communication is important. When you let employees know that you are willing to listen to what they have to say, they will open up to you—and who knows what wonderful ideas they might have to share.

Treat them with respect: Employees, no matter how menial the job or low the pay, deserve to be treated with respect.

Recognize their contributions: People need to be caught doing great things. Too often, the only time employees are recognized are when they make a mistake. But, if you make it a point to praise them—and do so in public—they will continue to work hard for you. People are hungry for recognition and will accomplish significantly more if they receive it on a regular basis.
Motivate them: Too many managers think money is the ultimate motivator; it isn’t. Nothing is more effective in motivating an employee than a pat on the back, a simple thank you, or a public word of praise.
Coach them: If you want to have a winning team, you must coach each member. You must nurture them. Recognize their strengths and help them to improve on their weaknesses.

When you treat employees with respect, communicate openly and honestly, and coach them to do the best job possible, you will not only be a good boss but also increase your chances of being promoted to even higher positions within the organization. It’s a win-win situation.

Victimized sincerely hopes that all bosses will read this and mend their ways.

Are you a bad boss?


It's no surprise that The Devil Wears Prada has been a hit — both in book and film format. Anyone who has ever held a job has a story to tell about a boss who could probably rival Prada’s Miranda Priestly, aptly described as “the boss from hell". In fact, bad bosses are so prevalent in the business world today, that several websites—including workingamerica.org--invite workers to share their bad boss tales.

The toll these bosses take on the people they manage and the organizations they represent is impossible to measure, both in terms of dollars and morale. “I would guess that bad bosses are the major cause of employee turnover,” says John Tschohl, founder and president of the Service Quality Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and author of several books on customer service. “The number one reason employees leave their jobs is not because of money, it’s because they work for bad bosses and don’t feel valued and appreciated.”

Troy Johnson, a workplace contributor for ABC’s “Good Morning America", recently wrote an article about bad bosses for the network’s news website. She immediately began to receive e-mails from readers relating their own bad boss stories and cites this as the one she liked the best:

An employee went to her organization’s Human Resources Department and presented a lengthy list of complaints about her manager. She was told to pay very close attention to everything her boss said and did, Johnson wrote. When the woman asked why, she was told, “If you watch her closely, you’ll learn exactly what not to ever do, and you’ll wind up going very far in management as the boss that everyone wants to work for.”

The woman took that advice and, she wrote, “It has indeed made me very successful everywhere I’ve worked.”

Often, people are promoted to leadership positions, not because of their skill in managing people but because they are technically proficient at their current jobs. “In many cases, they were never trained on how to be a boss, how to coach employees, and how to encourage superior performance,” Tschohl says. “They don’t understand the importance of morale in improving performance and increasing productivity.”

Too often, Tschohl adds, people are promoted for all the wrong reasons. They are technically skilled, they have been with the organization for many years, or they are friends with the boss. “None of those is a valid reason for promoting someone,” Tschohl says. “Why? Because none of them has anything to do with leadership skills.”

Instead, organizations should promote those people who are skilled, self-motivated, and are willing too learn, then train them. “Good people skills are a critical trait for a good boss,” Tschohl says. “No one is born with the skills necessary to lead people. They must be trained in how to motivate, recognize—and, yes, even reprimand—employees, all in an effort to form a cohesive and effective team. These are skills that must be taught and reinforced.”