thecareerbeat.com Blog

Scrooge wouldn’t recognize these workplaces

While 2009 brought widespread salary cuts and freezes that created new empathy for Bob Cratchit, the holiday spirit is melting plenty of cold hearts in the workplace. Nearly half of workers plan to give gifts to colleagues, says a new survey.

The OfficeTeam staffing firm found that 48% of employed adults plan to get a present for a colleague, and 34% intend to give a gift to the boss.  And many expect nothing in return: Only 36% expect a gift from a coworker, 29% expect one from the boss.

The season of giving is alive and well at the office.

Of course, exchanging gifts in the work setting requires good judgment. “When choosing presents for colleagues, it’s important to be thoughtful and appropriate,” says Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “New employees should check in with tenured staff for insight into prevailing customs.”

OfficeTeam offers some helpful “don’ts” to guide your choices:

• Don’t give overly personal gifts, such as jewelry, to those you don’t know well.
• Don’t pick a controversial or inappropriate gift (e.g. religious-themed gift).
• Don’t scramble to reciprocate if given an unexpected gift.

Here are some articles that also offer good advice:

• Client and Coworker Gifts on a Budget
• Should the Boss Be on Your Holiday Gift List?
• FAQ for Office Gift Giving

Workers behave better during recessions. Surprised?

Yes, U.S. employees have been behaving better during the Great Recession, according to the annual National Business Ethics Survey.

The survey found that measures of ethical behavior — the amount of misconduct observed, the willingness to report misdeeds, the strength of ethical cultures and the pressure to cut corners — all improved since 2007, when the survey was last taken.

The Ethics Resource Center, which conducted the research, noted a similar pattern from 2000 to 2003, when the dot-com bubble and 9/11 affected most workplaces.

While this is good news, I’ll bet most of us would rather have no recession and more workers behaving badly.

For a great example of unethical behavior at work, enjoy this clip:

For tips on how good behavior can help you get ahead at work, try these:

• The Most Valuable Employees Tame Tensions
• 5 Ways to Wow Your Boss
• How Nice Guys Can Get Ahead

What your inbox says about you

Are you a perfectionist or a procrastinator? Your email inbox could have the answer.

At work I just try to keep my inbox as empty as possible.  And that means, according to this article, that I am a perfectionist.  Hmmm.  I’ve always heard keeping your inbox empty was a good sign of efficiency, and I’m pleased with how well I stay on top of it.

But the article suggests I may have a “Pavlovian-like attachment” to my inbox, meaning that I perk up every time I hear a ding that alerts me to a new message.  These frequent interruptions could adversely affect my productivity and concentration — and they do, honestly.  I cope by keeping lists so that I can rebound from the constant distractions.  But I hate to think of the opposite scenario with the overstuffed inbox.

Which P-word applies to you?  Find out more here.

Watch out for anger in the workplace

Yesterday a colleague said to me, “I’m just about to lose it!” I figured he was sort of joking, and I pretended to run.

And then I read this article about how common “office rage” has become in the U.S. workplace. People really are losing it! Nearly half of all workers report yelling and verbal abuse on the job, and nearly a quarter say the behavior drove them to tears, according to Reuters.

A recent Yahoo! HotJobs site poll also found that 1 in 4 respondents lost their temper at work at least once a week. Another 10% admitted to losing their temper once a month.

Top it off with all the bad news out there about rising fuel costs, job insecurity, and lower home values, and you can see why there’s a lot of bruising going on at the office.

If you encounter rage, experts recommend several responses, such as not taking it personally and letting the person “vent.” It’s also a good idea to walk away, perhaps excusing yourself to take care of another matter. If the incident is offensive or severe, document it, as it may be a matter for the HR department. Or you could really walk away, as in find a new job.

Here are two good Yahoo! HotJobs articles with more tips how to deal with anger and with bullying at work:

• Anger Management at the Office
• Bullies in the Workplace

Waistlines as a workplace issue

Employers are paying a hefty share of the health-case costs associated with obesity in the United States.

As I mentioned in the post below, being overweight could become a job-threatening issue in some cases, as obese employees tend to miss more work and drive health insurance costs higher, according to this article in the New York Times.

Very few employers, however, penalize workers for weight gain; but more and more are providing incentives for weight loss, smoking cessation, and other health improvements. Solutions based on rewards are more likely to work and to improve employee morale.

I’m thankful U.S. employers aren’t going as far as those in Japan, where workers over 40 have to regularly meet waistline requirements (33.5″ for men, 35.5″ for women)!

Surprising behaviors that can put your job at risk

Think you can’t be fired for being a smoker or a frequent bungee jumper?  Don’t be too sure.

One company chief in Michigan ordered employees to quit smoking in 15 months or lose their jobs, according to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle. Such an edict wouldn’t fly for a California company due to state laws, but it’s an interesting example of employers having more authority over workers’ off-the-job activities.

“Most workers in the private sector don’t understand that, unless they live in Montana and Arizona, their job is at-will,” Paul Secunda, an assistant professor of law at the University of Mississippi, told Yahoo! HotJobs. “At-will means an employee can be fired for good cause or no cause at all,” Secunda said.

Beside smoking and overeating, activities with less risk, like blogging or volunteering for a political campaign, can be fair game for termination.  You can find some important tips about protecting yourself in this Yahoo! HotJobs article.

Good graduation advice: Watch your habits!

I haven’t heard many snippets from commencement speeches this year that wowed me (like my favorite from Mr. Rogers, posted earlier), but here’s a goodie from author James Fallows at Ursinus College. Check out this excerpt and others in yesterdays’ summary in the New York Times.

“In the end, we are our habits, so take time developing good ones. … Some of these are obvious. No joke, don’t smoke! Also, don’t type I.M.’s while you drive. Get in the habit of sports and exercise — by your 10th reunion, you’ll know who has and hasn’t, and you’ll know even more each subsequent one.

“Get in the habit of being happy. We all have problems which we can’t control; what we can control is how we look at them. Get in the habit of being excited. It’s a great big world, with no excuse for being bored. It’s fun to have feuds and enemies — I’ve had my share — but break the habit of nursing grudges.”

Good habits, like the ones he suggests, will also pay big dividends over the life of your career.

Bizarre interview behaviors to avoid

Would you ever ask an interviewer for a cigarette? Probably not, but job seekers have done just that — and worse — according to a new survey about bizarre interview behavior.

The survey was done by OfficeTeam, and here are some of the quotes from executives about real-life interview blunders they experienced:

• “A job applicant came in with a cockatoo on his shoulder.”
• “We had one person who walked out of an interview into a glass door — and the glass shattered.”
• “An interviewee put his bubble gum in his hand, forgot about it, and then shook my hand.”

While some simple common sense can keep you out of the Interviewee Hall of Shame, all job-seekers would do well to review some of the tips in this article, based on the OfficeTeam survey. In addition, check out this primer on job interview etiquette.

Getting drunk at a work event

Drinking on your employer’s dime is usually a good time, but 3 in 10 workers recently admitted they have become drunk at a work-sponsored event. The data is from the latest weekly poll on Yahoo! HotJobs.

That’s some risky drinking. Alcohol can be a sneaky truth serum; before you know it you’re saying (or slurring) what you really think of your coworkers’ habits or your boss’ new hairstyle. And what follows can be way more uncomfortable than the morning-after hangover.

With office picnics and summer parties around the corner, brush up on these etiquette tips that can help you have a good time and enhance your good standing at work. Unless, of course, you want your event to resemble an episode from “The Office”!

Coming to a workplace near you: love contracts?

ABC News reports that “love contracts” are becoming more common in the workplace as a way to shield the employer from responsibility in the event of a breakup.

 Tory Johnson, who writes the “Be Gutsy at Work” column for Yahoo! HotJobs and is the workplace contributor to ABC’s “Good Morning America,” compared the contract to a prenup.

“In this particular case, you’re saying to the employer, ‘We’ll prevent you from being held responsible for employment issues in the event of a failed personal relationship.’ The employer should not have that burden,” she said.

Workplace romances are increasingly common. In recent HotJobs polls, 55% of site visitors were aware of current romances between coworkers, and 38% said they met their significant other at work.

But not all cubicle couplings blossom into happily-ever-after.  Some are downright messy.  Consider the risks of workplace romances, and proceed with caution!