Category: The Workplace

Is it Too Late to Say Sorry – Tips on What to Write in an Apology Card

Is it every too late to say you are sorry? What kind of question is that? Of course it isn’t ever too late to say you are sorry. However, if you wait too long your apology may not get the same results as if you apologize more quickly. So my very first tip is to apologize as soon as you realize you made a mistake or hurt someone’s feelings.

The most important thing no matter when you make that I’m sorry is to make sure it is genuine. Don’t say, “I’m sorry” just because you are trying to move past whatever the bad situation is. If you are not truly sorry than don’t say it. You will regret it and will probably do the same thing that got you in this position again.

When you say, “I’m sorry,” you should make a point of repeating what it is you are apologizing for. This way, the person you are speaking to knows that you understand exactly what it is that you did wrong. Taking ownership of the error of your ways is important.

Although it is never too late to say you are sorry, it is imperative to apologize and correct any wrongdoing on your part at some point.

Welcome Cards – Because First Impressions are a Two-Way Street

There I was….My first day….Extremely anxious….I mean who wouldn’t be? I am beginning my first real job in the corporate world at a Fortune 500 company. Anything could happen….I could screw up bigtime. I hope not…..but I could.

I am dressed in my brand new business suit with hair up in a neat little bun and a subtle touch of make-up, yet my nerves are making me a little shaky. I walk in and go straight to the Human Resource Department. After completing all the initial paperwork, I am escorted to my new desk with my stomach still fluttering. The first thing I noticed was an envelope with name on it in the cool little inbox that was set up on my desk.

When I opened it, I was delighted to see a Welcome card with the signatures of everyone in my department including my supervisor’s, the President’s and the Vice President’s. What a wonderful thing to do for their employees. My stomach calmed down and my nerves mellowed out. This was a great way to make me feel right at home in my new position.

This is when I realized that even though I was making my first impression, the company was also make their first impression. Making a first impression in the professional world is a two-way street. Welcome cards are a great and easy way to do that. I know working for this company will be a terrific experience for me because it is run by thoughtful, considerate people.

Tips on Surviving the First Day on the Job

You finally get the call. After 3 intense interviews, you’ve been hired. You’re excited, but the feeling soon wears off because it’s replaced with first day jitters. Fear not, because your first day checklist will provide tips on surviving the first day on the job.

Assuming that you start on Monday, you will go to your local Walmart on Saturday. Pick up a new steno pad and a pack of pens. This will not only provide the illusion that you are a prepared employee, but you will be jotting down some notes on the second page of the steno pad that will get you through the day. Make sure that they are on the second page. You may forget that they are there, and you do not want your nosey neighbor knowing that you wrote “fake it till you make it” on the top line. That’s correct. Write this in bold letters. When you walk through that door, you are clueless, and that’s ok. You need to be reminded that you will get through everything, but until then, you will carry yourself, like you know everything.

All the while, you will soak up any information that will contribute to you getting through that first day of employment. First impressions last. Write this beneath your first mantra. You have already walked through the door between 12 and 14 minutes early (hint). If you’re too early, you may annoy the receptionist. She will be starting her day, and nothing is worse than multiple clueless employees already waiting at your desk on a Monday morning. Never tick off the gate keeper. Of course you will not be late. If you are late on your first day, you become that person. It’s very hard to shake that association, once it is implanted in someone’s head. By the way, until notified differently, you are dressed as if this is another interview. Your attire shows the level of how much you care.

Please care. This is your livelihood. Your third bullet point will be one word. “Smile.” This simple act, provides a comfortability to those around us. Until we truly get to know each other, this not only breaks the ice, but provides a comfort level to the people that we meet. How you finish is just as important as how you start. Thank your trainer before you leave. It shows an appreciation that is valued in work culture.

Consistently check your second page throughout your first day, as a reminder of your first day conduct. In the meantime, you will take notes and readily adapt to any changes in your expectations. After all, tomorrow is another day!

Sending Retirement Cards To Employees

After an employee retires, one of the first things you should do is send them a retirement card. The Gallery Collection offers retirement cards perfect for any office.

A favorite is The Gallery Collection’s Retirement Bliss Card. This card oozes relaxation! It harkens to the possibility of the kind of rest—and fun—your former employee could be about to enjoy during their retirement. You could also go for a more generalized Congratulations card and have the inside be more personalized.

It can be hard to know what to say to your employee inside the card, once you have a design selected. On the inside you could use any of The Gallery Collection’s many greetings in case you’re at a loss for words. An example would be M3: “Happy retirement! May the years ahead bring you the best of everything!” There are also 1 -2 lines included at no additional charge where you could write something like:

“FROM ALL OF US AT [YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE]” and have everyone sign the card. You could also have the inside say: “THANK YOU FOR YOUR ______ YEARS OF SERVICE. IT WAS TRULY A PLEASURE WORKING WITH YOU AND YOU WILL BE MISSED!” this way you can change it depending on which employee it is for.

Is Your Current Career Field Right For You?

I’m sure we all grew up hoping to find our dream job. However, as we approach the “career stage” of our lives, many of us tend to struggle defining exactly what our dream job would be. It’s probably because life and all of its responsibilities bombard us before we can even experience the “I love what I do” feeling. We rush to find a job or career that will make us the income we need to be financially stable and once we find it, we settle. However, we don’t take the initiative to ask ourselves, “Is my job right for me?”

Tough question, isn’t it? You sit at your desk or wherever you perform your daily job duties and think, “am I here because I want to be or because I have to be?” One should find their career purposeful, rewarding and most of all stress free. What’s a job that makes us not want to get up in the morning and take a trip to the clock in station to start the day? What’s a job that loses our attention through unsatisfying workloads and makes us look at the clock every other minute hoping it yells out, “Time to go home”. What’s a job that makes us question whether we want to be here at all? It’s a job that is not for you.

With that being said, is your current career field right for you? If your answer is no, then I cannot help but quote Confucius when I say “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”.

Burning The Midnight Oil? Tips On Handling Long Nights At The Office

First and foremost. Staying hydrated is the most important thing when working long hours. You will feel drastically better if you take sips of water every so often. This will keep you from feeling bloated and full, help you avoid running to the bathroom every 15 minutes, and you won’t feel as light-headed. Staying hydrated means staying focused.

Take breaks. Every so often, get up and walk around. Get some fresh air or a cup of coffee. Chat with a friend for a minute. Take a bathroom break. Even just looking away from your work for a minute (especially if you work on a computer screen) will help you feel less drained. Any small break that is acceptable for your office will do, so long as you are moving. Adjust your posture to avoid feeling stiff and tiring yourself out further for no reason.

Conserve your energy. Do not over-exert yourself if you know you have a long night ahead of you. Pace yourself with your work so you will not burn out. It is better to be a steady worker than to work in one big spurt and then lose your momentum.

Know when to stop. At a certain point you will no longer be productive. You will get tired. You will lose focus. As the night goes on, you will become slower and less accurate. Even if you are not finished with your work, sometimes it’s best just to call it a day and tackle in the morning when you’re feeling fresher.

How to Make New Employees Feel Welcome

We’ve all gone through the horrible experience of being the new kid or new employee. It’s one of the most anxiety filled experiences of anyone’s life. We all know how it felt to be coming into a whole new working environment and not knowing anybody. Here are three simple ways to make a new employee feel welcome without scaring them away.

1. Introduce Yourself to Them
This is the most important step in making the new employee feel welcome. Walk up to them with a warm smile and just introduce yourself. It may seem like something frivolous but a new face with a warm smile can make anyone feel comfortable and safe. It’s a great way to make them feel welcome without creeping them out. A lot of people are really shy and would rather walk around in obscurity than introduce themselves to someone new. Take the initiative and say, “Hello, my name is…” Maybe all it takes is a hello from you to break them out of their shell.

2. Offer Advice on their New Position
This is a key component of the new job jitters. A new employee is stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to advice. We all want to show that we know what we’re doing but a little advice can’t hurt. Pull them to the side and offer key tidbits about their position to help them progress. Of course every new employee makes a few mistakes but help them learn from the mistake, figure out how to solve it and avoid making the mistake again. Being that helpful hand goes a long way and can give them the little bit of confidence they need to succeed.

3. Invite Them to Lunch
Everyone knows how it feel being the new kid walking into the cafeteria and not knowing where to sit. So just walk over and invite the new guy to sit and have lunch with you. What harm can it be to have conversation over some sandwiches and soup? No one wants to sit alone in a corner eating their lunch alone, so don’t let that happen. Encourage the new employee to talk to some new people and take the weight of anxiety off their shoulders.

Office Birthday Party Supply Recommendations

Happy Birthday! I have been selected to lead the Employee Birthday festivities at my company. This is so my thing. I was so excited until I realized all it entails. The first celebration came and I was so unorganized. I spent way too much money from our budget and knew that I could not do this for every person or our fund would be empty halfway through the year.

I wanted to make each birthday personalized and special for each employee without breaking the bank. What I decided to was to select only one or two packages of plates, napkins and cups in a theme that represented the employee. Then I bought in bulk a variety of solid color plates, napkins, cups and flatware. I bought enough to be used for about 4 different birthdays and just stored them away.

I also went to the local dollar store and bought some large plastic serving platters. I just keep reusing them time after time. I also picked up a couple of birthday party banners and other reusable cubicle decorations. To add a special personalized touch, I get a couple of balloons in the party theme.

Guide to Performing an Effective Job Search

Searching for a job can be a stressful activity. How can you be sure you are doing enough to land the job of your dreams? Follow these tips and you are sure to perform an effective job search.

You should start by taking a look inward and ask yourself tough questions about what you are looking for in a new position and what your priorities are. Do you want fulfilling, meaningful work and are less worried about income, perks, and prestige? Are you willing to start at the bottom of a field that is new to you, or do you want to stay in the field you are experienced in and apply for a higher-level position? Do you have a stable position now and thus have time to really look around and be picky, or have you been laid off and are scrambling to find something, anything, quickly? Only once you answer these types of questions can you truly begin your job search.

Once you have established what you are looking for, you can begin to do research on fields, industries, and specific companies. Use websites such as Glassdoor to read reviews about companies from their current and former employees. LinkedIn is a valuable resource not only to research industries and companies but also to search for jobs once you are ready to start looking. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is updated and is an honest reflection of your knowledge, skills, and experience. Upload a professional photo to your profile, as studies show that profiles with photos are clicked on more consistently when they come up in recruiter searches than those without photos. You can join groups on LinkedIn; the groups are mostly comprised of people in a particular industry or members of professional associations. Joining and following these groups will give you valuable information about fields you may be interested in.

Once you have zeroed in on a field (or if you already have one) you can use LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and other job websites such as Indeed to search for jobs. You can also search the websites of your local and regional newspapers, or even scan the classifieds of the print versions-sometimes people just look online and you never know what you might find in the old-fashioned classifieds.

If there is a company that you are interested in working at, don’t wait to see a job posting for an open position there. Conduct online research to find an email address for the Human Resources department. Or look on a LinkedIn to find people who already work at the company (either in HR or in a department you are interested in) and reach out to them. It may at first sound like pushy or aggressive move but, if done cordially and professionally, will actually reflect very well on you. Companies like to be liked; they want to find people who are interested in working for them and generally will appreciate when you reach out to them to express that interest. HR departments in particular are happy when you can ease some of the financial burden and leg work required in recruitment. Be sure to be specific in your communication with the company; tell them what specifically interests you about their company and how you see yourself as being able to contribute to their continued success. If you don’t receive a response from the company, you could perhaps follow up in a few weeks’ time. However, it is probably better to instead just directly apply to open positions at that point. You want to seem interested, but you don’t want to become an annoyance. Keep following them on LinkedIn and Twitter, and respond favorably to their social media posts. That will keep you in their sights without being obnoxious.

Perhaps the most important job search tip is also the simplest. Once you find a job to apply to, follow the stated application directions! So many otherwise qualified candidates ruin their chances of even getting an interview by not following the directions. If they ask that you upload your resume, don’t email it! If they tell you to put the position number in the subject of an email, please do so. Companies specify these details for a reason; ignoring them will make you stand out for all the wrong reasons.

3 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

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Earth Day is an incredibly important holiday, yet it seems to fly under everyone’s radar year after year. It’s about time we acknowledge the damages being done to our planet, and find ways to make it better. Be sure to celebrate Earth Day the right way the next time April 22nd rolls around! Here are three ways you can celebrate:

  • Let’s clean up the environment! Tons and tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans, and this number grows every year. There are many volunteer groups who get together to pick up trash not only from the ocean but other places like parks, road sides and many other public places. Let’s also be aware of our plastic outtake and try to minimize it as best as we can.
  • Another way to celebrate would be to plant a tree or grow a communal garden. Other volunteer groups and/or non-profit organizations gather to plant trees in designated areas. We take so much for granted, it’s time we give back to Mother Nature.
  • Lastly, be sure to spread awareness! Earth Day is an underrated holiday and it’s important to spread awareness about the reparations done to the Earth. Let people know that they can also help out by doing volunteer clean-up, and/or adding to their daily routine by recycling more often.

The Earth is a beautiful place, so let’s try to keep it that way!