Taking Time Away From Your Business

For today’s professional, life is a constant race where we are caught running from task to task and place to place. Whether we like it or not, we become used to the same routines day by day in order to complete our daily tasks. We wake up in the morning, take care of duties at home, arrive at work, complete given assignments, go back home, cook, eat, cuddle and quarrel with our loved ones and finally head to bed. This cycle simply repeats itself all year long where we are often consumed by our restlessness and make it a priority to complete other errands.

According to The 2012 National Study on Balancing Work and Caregiving in Canada, the average employee in a 25, 000 sample size spends 50.2 hours a week on activities related to work, with 54% taking assignments home to be worked on, while 57% indicate high stress levels in the organization. Taking time off from work has therefore become a crucial choice for employees and an attractive benefit for employers, where too few of us truly take time to refocus on ourselves and refresh our souls to once again perform brilliantly when back at work.

Consider 3 significant elements when deciding to take time off:

  • Time:
    The importance of time and scheduling cannot be underestimated. Choose a time frame where your commitments are minimized. Attempt to complete your tasks well in advance for your business to continue smoothly in your absence. Advise clients beforehand and offer them a well thought out external contact option in the case of an emergency.
  • People:
    There are many significant people in your life who have secretly been the backbone to your success. They may be your family, your friends or even coworkers who played a part in some of your accomplishments. Carefully choose who you want to spend your hours and days with. These individuals should bring positivity to the table and more importantly help rejuvenate and motivate you enough to continue your business once your time-off is over.
  • Activity:
    What will satisfy you best during this rest period? Whether it is a day or two off in addition to a long weekend or even a well thought out vacation for two months, put some thought into what activities you want to engage in. Being a parent, you may want to consider something enjoyable for your entire family. As a bachelor or even a couple, you may seek adventure and get lost in some new surroundings. Whatever you choose, put some time into planning your vacation in order to enjoy it to the fullest.

To put it simply, spend some time focusing on yourself while it is available! Think of it as a reward for all the committed hard work put into your professional life!

 

Reference: Revisiting Work-life Issues in Canada: The 2012 National Study on Balancing Work and Caregiving in Canada
http://newsroom.carleton.ca/wp-content/files/2012-National-Work-Long-Summary.pdf

What Great Employees Do Differently

There is a lot of competition in the workforce, not just in finding a job but also for attaining a higher position or raise. Being a good worker is not enough, most employees in a company are good. Great employees possess some special characteristics that differentiate them from the rest. They do things differently and take advantage of opportunities that are presented to them. The following are some of the traits a great employee should have:

  • Takes action: waiting for instructions and only doing what is require is what an average worker does. A great employee will go further, even if it is risky. They go the extra mile to make a difference and they are the ones who take on the tough tasks others are not willing to do.
  • Passion: they love their job and are enthusiastic about it. They go to work not just for a pay check or a promotion, but for the satisfaction of what they do.
  • Ambition: career success is one of their main goals. Employee’s ambition is what helps a company succeed. They create new ideas and are always looking for new ways to make procedures more effective and efficient.
  • Autonomy: the ability to work without supervision is key for effectiveness. A manager needs to work with people that will not require too much hand-holding or supervision. Employees who understand instructions quickly and are able to help others do so are an asset for any company.
  • Energy: people with good energy and a positive attitude, are not just more productive, they also help make the work environment more enjoyable. Having someone on the team that is always positive and enthusiastic, helps others do their job better and contributes to a better workday.
  • Reliability: this is one of the most important aspects, having someone you can trust and depend on is key for success. It’s imperative for a great employee to be dependable. Supervisors will be able to trust that any job given to this particular employee will be done on time and accurately. This is a person anyone can trust, and a true asset to the business.
  • Knowledge: they know their job and the company well. They know how to excel on any and understand how to best meet company goals. Understanding the company’s mission is important for them and knowing their supervisor or manager’s leadership and work style is key to their success.

Being a great employee takes time and dedication. Feeling appreciated and recognized also helps motivate workers to keep doing a great job. If you are a company owner or manager make sure to focus on these characteristics in your employees, because even if they like their job, feeling undervalued will shadow all their efforts and negatively affect their performance.

 

Viviana

DBPC Blog

Socializing With Colleagues After Work

People in an office environment typically spend 8 hours a day, five days a week with their co-workers, often longer than the time they spend with family members. Whether we like it or not, our co-workers can become a kind of surrogate family. It is natural to bond with your colleagues, but as with most relationships, this has its ups and downs. Hanging out with co-workers beyond the cubicle can easily translate into better team dynamics and a more collaborative work setting. After-work fraternizing can be fun, but even with all the pros of doing this, there are cons that must be considered as well. These tips can help you decide how personal your relationship with your co-workers should be.

 

Everyone needs positive relationships in their day to day life, whether it’s at work or home. Work relationships are important on many levels, from encouraging teamwork to landing promotions or simply making the work day more pleasant. While all of you may be battling deadlines individually, together you create a constant support system that helps greatly when things becomes stressful. The main objective of seeing co-workers after work, is to gain insight into each other’s personalities and build better teams to improve work performances. Avoid letting these sessions turn into gossip whenever possible.

 

Most companies have an annual holiday party or activity. This is the perfect time to indulge in some healthy office fun. Stepping out of the staid office environment and having the opportunity to relax and socialize with the people around you on a daily basis, can be very liberating. But don’t let your guard down, it is imperative to maintain a level of professionalism in order to uphold your reputation. Be mindful of your alcohol intake, as it tends to loosen inhibitions more quickly than one might think. Having an excessive amount to drink around bosses, clients and your fellow colleagues can lead to negative consequences and regrettable behavior. This can include discussing controversial subjects in front of a supervisor or talking about an employee in an unfavorable light.

 

Part of being a professional also involves conducting yourself appropriately inside and outside of the office. You shouldn’t swear too much. Avoid controversial jokes. A good rule to follow is not to do or say anything that you wouldn’t at the office. Socializing with co-workers has its own set of rules and practices that are far different from hanging out with friends and family, since you still have to work together every day.  It is imperative to understand even if you’re not at work your social life will still impact how you’re seen at the office.

L. Paul | DBPC Blog

How to Overcome the Glass Ceiling

If you ask someone in the workforce what job satisfaction means to them, you’ll often hear it defined by a variety of factors, including culture, pay, vacation time and room for growth; in this instance, we will be focusing on the latter.  Nobody wants to feel like they aren’t able to move up in an organization.  It makes you feel unappreciated and can quickly result you in becoming disgruntled and disengaged.  What many don’t understand is that advancement has to do with a lot more than just being good at your job and that opportunities often exist but you have to proactively seek them out.  Today, we outline some of the best ways for you to seize the opportunities available in your company.

Define your own expertise

The type of work you take on, and the way in which you present yourself will decide how others see you and your role.  Take some time to reflect on areas where you have the most passion/knowledge for and learn to see yourself as a professional with respect to that particular expertise.  If you grow to see yourself as a marketing expert, for example, and constantly describe yourself and take on work in that capacity, then others will grow to view you in that light as well.

Don’t allow yourself to flounder in a role where you are merely performing up to standard.  Find ways to acquire work or assignments that allow you to take full advantage of your greatest strengths and really allow you to showcase your unique value as an employee.

Seek high profile projects that allow management to notice your strengths

A good work ethic is a useful characteristic to have, but it do much for your career if it isn’t directed towards something that the company is paying attention to.  Talk to management and co-workers about important projects coming up, and express your interest in contributing; however, to build the necessary trust between you and the company, you will first need to…

Study your workplace culture

Not all success can be attributed to the quality of your work or the depth of your expertise.  Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of whether people like working with you or not.  Keep an eye on common informal practices and expectations outside of your regular duties.

Network within the company

Very rarely do we accomplish anything completely on our own.  At some point, we all need someone to help open a door for us to walk through, and with that in mind, it is important to cultivate a list of allies at your workplace.  These are individuals who will go to bat for you when it counts and who will vouch for your ability to perform and support your desire to be given more important tasks.  They can also be people to whom you can express a desire to take on new roles.  Your allies will inevitably be a diverse set, running the gamut from co-workers to superiors.

Acquire additional training

Working on more important assignments may require you to learn new skills or expand your current knowledge set.  Take time to acquire new certifications that are relevant to your desired role and inquire about training programs offered by the company.

Landing your dream role or moving into a desirable management/executive position is all about being active.  Promotion tends not to happen if you wait around passively for someone to recognize your hard work.  By actively seeking out ways to make yourself visible to the higher-ups, you create opportunities for your career to keep growing and evolving.

 

Lance | DBPC Blog