Category: The Workplace

Office Fun for Earth Day

 

Earth Day has arrived, and there’s plenty of ways to celebrate the day while working in the office. For example, go on a company walk or a hike. Whether it’s a quick break to stroll the surrounding scenery, a planned excursion to a wooded destination, or an optional day-off meeting — going on a walk or hike with coworkers is a great idea. Not only is it a relaxing and healthy way to spend some time, it will also allow employees to form stronger connections to each other and to nature. 

Another Earth Day option is to bring in seedlings, seeds, or full blown plants, soil, pots, and paint. Take a break from work to have a joined activity of decorating pots and planting some flowers, fruits or vegetables, or other plants! Try to pick something everyone will enjoy and is pet-friendly, just in case. Not enough time to host this workshop-esque atmosphere? Allow employees to take their plants home and either plant them outside or in a pot. Supplies can be found at your local Dollar Store, so don’t worry about a hefty price tag! Don’t forget to hang up decorations for Earth Day and place posters or flyers in high-traffic locations with fun facts. Try using facts relevant to your office or the people you employ. Include Earth-saving tips to encourage better global citizenship.

Have fun celebrating Earth Day 2018!

How to Navigate a Business Lunch Without Blowing your Healthy Eating Habits

You’ve been making healthy food choices and feeling great. But the big meeting on Thursday is now going to be over lunch and you need to figure out how to stay on track. Here are some tips on keeping that Business Lunch a healthy one.

If dining out, skip the appetizers and pass on the breadbasket. Choose a simple, protein-based main dish, preferably baked, grilled or steamed (avoid breaded and fried) and ask if you can replace the starchy sides with double vegetables. A few well-chosen requests like ‘dressing on the side’ or ‘light on the sauce’ can painlessly make a big difference calorie-wise. Just try not to overdo the special instructions – if you need to provide lengthy directions to make it healthy it’s probably better to just choose something else. 

Some restaurants offer smaller portions at lunchtime, or make the decision to eat only half of the meal and bring the rest home to a family member.

For a catered lunch your best defense will be smart choices and portion control. Opt for reasonable helpings of chicken or fish dishes instead beef or pasta, avoid starchy sides and load up on the veggies (as long as they’re not drowning in sauce). If there’s salad it should take up a generous portion of your plate.  Fill your plate once (no going back for seconds) and stay away from the dessert trays. 

In all cases, eat slowly – enjoy your food. Take breaks to talk. Not only is it more professional to not be seen wolfing down your lunch (or discussing business around a mouth full of food), but you’ll likely find that you eat less overall. We’re full long before our brain realizes – slow down and allow time for everything to synch up. Start with the healthiest items on your plate and stop when you’ve eaten about 80% of your meal – you might be surprised to soon discover you’re not even hungry for the rest. 

It’s easiest to eat healthfully when co-workers are aware and can be supportive, but you may prefer not to draw attention to your personal health goals. ‘Saving room’ casually gets you out of starters and simply saying that you’re full is a nonchalant way to turn down seconds, multiple courses and dessert.

Believe it or not, showing a little restraint with your meal can actually have a positive impact on how your colleagues see you. Smart, sensible choices eaten in moderation allow you to come across as calm, cool and in control, helping more than just your waistline.

Retirement Party Ideas For Coworkers

A retirement party is a way to celebrate your coworker’s past accomplishments and also to celebrate what the future will hold for them. Retirement is a big deal. It marks the start of another chapter in your coworker’s life.

Retirement evokes mixed emotions – you are happy for your coworker’s next chapter and then you are a bit sad at the thought of losing your daily time and interactions with this person.

So a memorable transition with the help of a retirement party celebration focusing on your coworker’s career will make their leaving a special event!
Here are some ideas for a retirement party – which could be anything that reflects your coworker’s wishes.

Plan a party

  • A luncheon – either in the office or out at a restaurant, with all their favorite foods and possibly a roast to them
  • After work drinks and appetizers
  • An event focused on their favorite hobby or people in their lives, like their spouses, children or grandchildren.

Prepare

  • A memory jar – with a collection of all the very best memories of their time on the job
  • Bucket List jar – to place ideas for the retiree to do with their new found freedom
  • A retirement card – signed by everyone in the office
  • A retirement gift – It can be gifts related to travel, or their favorite hobbies or a personalized gift

Whatever you end up preparing your coworker will know how much you care and how much you will miss them. Be sure to keep in touch with them through Facebook or by providing coworkers with their contact information, as one the hardest aspects of retirement is saying good bye to your work family.

Spring Company Outing Ideas

 

We are quickly approaching my favorite season of the year – spring! Whatever is left of the snow is melting, the sun is staying out longer, and the temperatures are rising slowly but surely. After a couple months of frigid cold, it is no surprise that the majority of people want to take advantage of the spring by going outside as much as they can. Companies usually have an “outing” for their employees at least once a year, and to me, spring is the optimal time to have one of these. Here are three ideas that I think would work well for a potential spring outing.

Minor League Baseball Game – If your company is located in or around a major city, chances are there is at least one “minor league” baseball team around. They aren’t affiliated with any professional team, so the tickets should be very affordable. I have been to a few New Jersey Jackals games, so if you are in the Northern New Jersey area, this would be a fun option to explore. Teams like the Jackals allow companies to purchase group ticket packages, and this is a great idea for a spring outing. Most ballparks contain grass areas near the outfield, so coworkers can bring their kids, and toss a baseball around before the game starts. Being able to sit back as the sun sets, eating some food off the grill and sipping some beer with your family and coworkers after a long day at the office while watching “America’s Pastime” in person (even if it is a minor team) if a very fun experience.

Company Picnic – To continue with the theme of being outdoors, I’d suggest a company picnic as an option for a spring outing. A picnic could be scheduled for either Saturday or Sunday, so work shouldn’t be on anyone’s mind. Who doesn’t like sitting outside and eating? Everyone can bring a food item, almost like a pot luck lunch at the park. Some parks also allow grilling in certain areas, so the company “grill master” can show off his or her chops. Employees can relax by laying on the grass, or compete in some friendly Frisbee or whiffle ball competitions.

Mini Cruise – The spring weather also allows those with boats to take a nice ride out on the water. Another nice way to soak up the rays would be to take an afternoon excursion on a mini cruise. Boat services offer short “cruises to nowhere”, usually for a couple of hours. The boat stays out on the water, passes by different sites, and there isn’t a destination to reach. It allows passengers to feel the nice wavy breeze and relax in the sun. It also allows passengers to have a few drinks as well (almost all of these types of boats have a bar), without the responsibility of steering the boat back to shore. As the case with most group outings, you can take advantage of group discount prices.

Top 3 Bad Work Habits You Need To Overcome

 

We all want to do our best at work. But even the best intentions are sometimes met with bad habits. Here are 3 bad work habits you need to overcome today!

Being late for work or meetings
Unless your role at the company doesn’t require you to be at your desk and ready to face the day at a set time every day, start times are implemented for a reason. If you know that traffic can be unreasonable, allot yourself some extra commute time in the morning.

Being late for meetings is another bad work habit. If a meeting is set for an hour and you’re five minutes late, you’ve set the hour off and that can bleed into other commitments later in the day. Being on time is a sign that you respect other people’s time – and your own! It also goes a long way towards showing that you’re dependable.


Answering emails as they come in.
You may think that answering emails as soon as you see new ones in your inbox is a good idea. It’s not; in fact, it’s counterproductive. As email’s role in our work lives becomes more and more prominent, the number of messages you receive increases. If you spend all of your time checking your inbox, you’ll find little time for your other responsibilities!

Instead, schedule email processing time into your calendar. Spend some time with your inbox over your morning coffee when you arrive at the office, then schedule an afternoon session after lunch. If an email is informational and doesn’t need further action, move it to a reference folder or delete it. If an email can be responded to at that time, do so. If an email needs a bit more time to respond to, flag it for a future time.

Scheduling in your email time frees up the rest of the day for you to work on projects and tasks without an added distraction.

Not practicing proper hygiene

If you’re guilty of flossing your teeth or clipping your finger (or, please, no, toe) nails at your desk, stop this behavior immediately! Your boss and your coworkers will appreciate your well-groomed hands and your free-from-food mouth a lot more if you take care of that stuff in the privacy of your own home before you get to the office.

These top 3 work habits you need to overcome are just the tip of the iceberg. What other bad habits have you noticed in your office or overcome yourself?

Tips On Helping Empower Your Workforce

Having trouble keeping your workforce motivated, autonomous, and with high morale? The following are some quick tips on how to help empower your workforce!

Make expectations clear. When employees are given a standard with which to measure their success, they are more likely to meet or exceed that standard. Creating smaller goals along the way encourages employees to reflect on their own performances and asses if they are meeting these smaller, more attainable milestones.

Keep your employees accountable. When you properly reprimand or appropriately acknowledge poor performance, you are increasing the accountability in your workforce. You want employees to know that substandard work will not be tolerated. This keeps employees from trying to take advantage of the company and helps encourage employees keep each other on task, as there are consequences.

Give them a say. Ask for your employee’s opinions and encourage frequent feedback on every aspect of their day at work. Find ways to improve and resolve any concerns. This will make your employees feel included and will make them more likely to come to you with issues or suggestions in the future. Having an open line of communication with your employees is imperative to achieving higher levels of success.

Working Moms: Parenting Career and Parenting Successfully

How can working moms go about balancing career and parenting successfully? I won’t say it’s easy because who would really believe that anyway, but I will say that it’s completely doable. Like anything else that is successful in your life, you just need a plan of action. Here’s how to get there:

Decide What’s Important
First and foremost, you have to decide what’s important to you. The key word in that last sentence is YOU. There is no one-size-fits-all plan. Determine what your must-haves are and work from there. If breast-feeding your newborn is non-negotiable, make sure that your career somehow gives you the flexibility to do that. I was able to work part-time during the first 6 months after my daughter was born and was able to nurse her at home most of the time while pumping some during work hours. Maybe your must have is that you want to see your children off to school in the morning or need to be home when they come home from school. Whatever it is decide what you absolute need while still keeping in mind that you will need to sacrifice something along the way.

Ask Your Village For Help
It does take a village to raise children so ask your village for help and be sure to offer your help in return.
Exchanging baby-sitting services, rides or any other parenting duties is a great way to fit it all in. Perhaps you can call on a stay-at-home mom to drop your children off at karate in the afternoon and you’ll do the pick-up in the evening. Be careful to not abuse your friends and contribute when you are able to. If you have older children, get them involved in helping. Depending on their age, they should be able to take care of themselves and some household duties so it doesn’t all fall on you. It helps your children have a sense of responsibility and helps you out in the process. My children started doing their own laundry (from start to finish if you get my drift) at age 10 along with other daily and weekly chores. If you have a life partner, ask for their assistance if possible. Get your co-workers and boss on board to. Explain to them how important your family is and how they might be able to help you achieve the balance you are seeking. Many companies now offer flexible schedules, job sharing, work-from-home options and other perks that can make it easier for you.

It’s Okay to Say No
One of the things that has helped me the most as far as balancing career and parenting successfully is accepting that sometimes the answer is no. If I really can’t fit something in at work or at home, I am honest and say no (nicely.) I no longer do things out of obligation. For example, fundraisers are abundant once children get to be school age. After stressing myself out selling stuff because I felt obligated, I decided I would ask if I could just write a check to make a “donation” which would result in the same amount of money going to the school. It really made my life easier in so many ways. Figure out which things you can easily so no to that would help lighten your load. Sometimes you have to get creative.

The important thing to remember in all of this is that you need to take time for yourself and time with your children. Granted you may not want your career to suffer but your children are only children once and trust me, the time flies by.

Survival Guide For Your 1st Day In The Office

You went through the search for a new job, showed up dressed well and aced the interviews. Good news you have landed the job you wanted. The hardest part of a new job is that you are the new kid on the block and you have no clue who everyone is and what is expected of you. So let’s use your 1st day in the office Survival Guide.

  • Dress the part for the job. If it is a casual office, don’t be too casual your first day. Most businesses have a dress code. If you dress as you did for the interview you can’t go wrong.
  • Remember the company thought you would be a good fit, so take a deep breath and walk in with confidence, but don’t appear to be too cocky.
  • Pack a lunch. Until you know the ins and outs of the lunch schedule you want to be prepared. You don’t know if people order lunch, go out or if there is a kitchen where you can store your lunch. Pack something that does not require refrigeration.
  • Ask questions. It is important for you to know the culture of the office and what is expected of you. Knowing what is expected of you will go a long way to boosting your confidence.
  • Smile and be friendly with the people you meet, but above all do not get involved in office gossip. If someone wants to gossip, you can just politely say,” I don’t really know her/him”. You don’t want to feel pulled into one group or another. You are better served to remain neutral. You don’t want to be seen as someone who gossips.
  • Be punctual when taking breaks or lunch. If you have one hour for lunch do not take 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Just as preparing for an interview, preparing for your first day is important. The first impression you present to others is likely the one they will remember. You were hired to do a job, so do it to the best of your ability right from the first day on. Good luck!

Ways to Recognize Employees This Holiday Season

My business revolves around Customer Service calls for a Medical device company. Our agents have had to learn quite a bit about products that customers call us about every day. There are manuals in all their cubicles so the representatives can answer questions. Our Human Resources department is small and we all know each other pretty well. So, when they received a pamphlet last year titled “Ways to Recognize Employees this Holiday Season!” they forwarded it to the administration team, in hopes of finding some new options which would show our appreciation to all employees this next upcoming holiday season.

Our choice for the best idea was: “Give all the employees something they would really be happy to receive”. After going over all the company expenses we decided that along with the Company Christmas Cards we’d also enclose a gift card from American Express! We are using the business AMEX card to pay for everything possible through the business and in this way we will accumulate a percentage of our total spending. The grand total can then be divided up among the total number of our employees and we can have gift cards issued. We are anticipating the amounts will be a number that feels like a really good gift! This way since everyone gets the same dollar amount there are no secrets about how much each employee receives and each can feel truly valued.

Office Break Room Etiquette

 

If you work in an office with a break room, you’ve probably taken advantage of it at some point. As with any shared space, it’s important that you and your colleagues don’t forget some common courtesies, intentionally or not. Here’s a quick list of things to remember about office break room etiquette.

Clean up after yourself. It always surprises me when I sit down to eat at a dirty table in a shared space. Crumbs, napkins, straw wrappers – strewn on the surface, left by the previous occupant. I wonder if they do the same in their own homes, assuming someone else will pick up after them. Here’s a word of advice: the office break room is not your home. Your co-workers should not spend part of their break cleaning up your mess. Be considerate and do it yourself!

This piece of office break room etiquette also applies to common areas such as the kitchen sink, the refrigerator, and the coffee station. If it’s your mess, take care of it!

Keep your hands off! Speaking of the refrigerator… If someone has gone through the trouble of bringing food to work, packing it and labeling it carefully with their name, that usually means they plan on eating it. Unless something is labeled “help yourself,” don’t!

Speak softly. The more people that fill a room, the louder it gets. Remember lunchtime in the school cafeteria? Ever been to a concert or sporting event before the main attraction starts? It’s great that co-workers can get together for a meal or a snack to catch up, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the room cares to hear their conversations. If you are a loud talker, try to watch your levels – there’s nothing less relaxing than hearing a conversation from across the room! Granted, the office break room isn’t the library – but there is a happy medium.

Feet off the furniture. So you timed your break perfectly and you have a whole table to yourself. Great! Do you know what’s not great? Your feet on the empty chair next to you. Someone has to sit there after you, and I can guarantee you they don’t want to sit where your feet have been. Break room chairs are not footrests. Again – be considerate!

Do not disturb. For many people, breaks and lunch times are the rare moment in a day to unwind and decompress. Don’t interrupt your co-worker’s lunch with a work question – that’s what email is for. And if someone has on a pair of headphones and their nose is in a book, take the hint: they can’t hear you because they’ve focused elsewhere, so catch them some other time.

People are different. We work differently, so of course, we play differently, too. The bottom line is, try to be considerate of your co-workers and follow common courtesies in shared spaces. In the long run, it will make for a happier work environment.