Archive for September, 2009

“Overwork, stress, absence of training and total disorganization in the company. I’m a wreck, it’s better to end it all.”

Today’s report of a 51-year-old French call center employee who threw himself from a highway bridge citing “conditions at work” — the 24th suicide in 19 months among workers at France Telecom — highlights a work-related calamity that we can no longer ignore. A symptom of the economic doldrums, work-related suicide rates are on the rise around the world.

Clark University labor relations expert, Professor Gary Chaison, points to the triple whammy that affects employees who are NOT laid off:

• survivor’s guilt knowing that they have retained their jobs at their colleagues’ expense
• the pressure to take on the tasks that laid off employees once performed
• the anxiety of knowing they could be next on the chopping block.

Managers avoid the issue. After layoffs, Chaison says, “companies want to promote the idea that ‘everything’s fine now.’”  Managers ignore the torment workers experience. “They think employees should just be thankful they have a job,” Chaison says.

Such a limited perspective is far from productive; in fact, it has proven to be deadly.

Dear Readers,

Has this ever happened to you? A new department is expanding and your department has to accommodate the new employees by doubling up on office space. That’s the news I got a few weeks ago. Not only am I losing my wonderful office mate – a philosophy professor fond of quoting both famous novelists and Dr. Seuss – I must now share my 10 x 12 foot university office with not just one, but two other lecturers.

Sharing office space with someone else is an art, and our talents are being called into service more frequently than ever before for a host of reasons. The sagging economy is the most obvious. Since office space is the second largest expense after paying for staff, it’s not surprising that managers eye it as a budget item that could use a trim.

Some businesses see shuffling employees into a shared space as a way to facilitate teamwork. Other organizations feel forced to choose between adding space or upgrading technology, and technology wins out. Younger employees tend to be more comfortable with that choice than older workers, who have long viewed the size and location of one’s office as a measure of professional stature.

In any case, since it’s rarely possible with today’s tight budgets to reverse the decision – and my case is no exception – I decided to see if there are ways to make the most of being shoehorned in with near strangers. And, of course, there are.

First there are space-saving measures. Experts advise clearing the desk of photos and hanging them on the wall. Continue to think vertically. Add space on your desk by adding shelves on top or tucking things underneath. Often the space surrounding your legs can be used for extra storage.

Organize, organize, organize. Key folders and equipment should be within reach. But be ruthless about disposing of everything else you don’t need. Organize the items that remain by category. Books should be grouped by topic or alphabetized.

Next comes attitude adjustment. Plan to be in problem solving mode. Make sure to talk initially about what everyone needs to get their jobs done, and then check in on a regular basis. Your goals should be to stay out of each other’s way yet facilitate productivity any way you can. If that means speaking more softly, or moving your file cabinet a couple of inches to the left, do it. Then you’ll have some capital to spend when you need to request some important concessions to satisfy your own needs.

If you do not know your new office mates at all, try looking at the bigger picture. It’s quite possible you will pick up some useful tips. In fact, it’s almost impossible, unless you are completely closed to new ideas, not to be enriched by spending time getting to know another human being. Often the more different someone is from you, the more enriching the experience.

Most cities have companies that rent out shared office space to people who would otherwise work from home, Office Nomads in Seattle and Independents Hall in Philadelphia are two examples of companies that promote “co-working.” It’s an arrangement where people can drop in irregularly or pay a monthly fee for regular use of a desk, locked file cabinet, telephone use and conference space, and as much networking as they want. Office Nomad’s current members include an executive starting a U.S. division for an international food company, a copywriter, and an urban planner. Its website states, ”We are dedicated to cultivating a dynamic, creative and productive community office…[for people] who think that by working together they can accomplish more than they could by working alone.”

The idea of creating a dynamic office can also be pursued by people who work for the same employer. After all, you are far more likely to have at least some overlapping goals. Office Nomads co-founder Susan Evans says she and her partner developed what they lovingly refer to as a “Don’t Be a Jerk Policy” as part of the agreement that members sign. It calls on co-workers to refrain from anything that would interfere with “peaceful operation or enjoyment” of the space. Sounds simple enough. Where do I sign?

I read your column about the value of creativity at work with great interest. I have read Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, and you are right on. What are the innovative, creative, out-of-the box type of companies that are looking for right brainers?

Dear Readers,
If you’re a job hunter leading with your right brain, obvious choices for potential employers are companies that are keen on capitalizing on new technology and introducing new products. Apple and Nike spring to mind. Another clue is whether a company is using new communication tools to connect to customers. Gilead Sciences, Hulu, Nokia, Intel, General Electric, and Toyota are among the magazine Fast Company’s latest list of 50 leading corporate innovators, which can be found online. Business Week also publishes a list from time to time.

These sorts of operations “take advantage of creative souls,” says Lynn Hazan, a Chicago-based executive recruiter who specializes in marketing and communications. Also promising are mature companies that have a growth segment. “They will have pockets that are still open to new ways of doing things,” says Hazan.

In addition to looking for innovative companies, you might identify ways you can deliver your special skills to a more staid business. One way to get noticed is to create your own web presence by developing a website, blog, or both. LiveJournal and Wordpress both make it easy to get started, although updating your site regularly does take some time and effort. “It’s a way to form a unique position statement on your own behalf,” says Hazan. “It’s never been easier to create a voice.”

For more ideas, consult The Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People (Ten Speed Press, 2007) by Carol Eikleberry. Its list of careers may give you a host of new options – from acrobat to young-adult librarian – to consider.

Friend or Phone?

I text. I email. But I hate talking on the phone. Now I am applying for jobs that will require me to use the phone to contact suppliers and field customer questions. I’m terrified. What can I do?

Dear Readers,

Talking directly with someone on the phone may seem like an antiquated form of communication but it’s not dead yet. And it probably never will be. Many conversations benefit from the participants hearing each other’s tone of voice, or recognizing that the other person is either hesitant or in a rush. The ability to detect or insert meaningful pauses mid-sentence or paragraph can also be quite useful. Example: (long pause, then in a voice that’s barely audible)…I love you, too.

Telephone conversations often play a key role in the hiring process. While your resume may be selected by a computer programmed to scan for key words, getting hired almost always requires follow up screening by a key individual, via telephone, in person, or both.

As a reporter for Time Magazine for 20 years, I got comfortable calling people out of the blue and firing questions. It’s a handy skill. You need to proceed with equal parts friendliness and self-confidence, explaining succinctly at the outset what you need and why.

Those who don’t have much practice making “cold calls,” can help themselves by writing out what they want to say and rehearsing ahead of time. While that may seem like overkill, it can be a huge confidence booster. Rachel David, an intern for this column, dislikes using the phone a great deal. Pressed by me to do some reporting, she wrote out her introduction ahead of time. “At least I know if my brain falls out, I can keep talking,” she says.

If taking calls is more anxiety-producing than making them, try to figure out what is worrying you. For many people, it is the fear of getting roped into doing something they don’t want to do by the person on the other end of the line, be it their supervisor or mother-in-law. If that’s the case, politely tell any caller who is pressing you to do something unreasonable that you need time to consider the request and will reply shortly. Then take the time you need to formulate your answer, call back, and politely decline. Both of these little speeches can also be written on notecards, kept by the phone, and rehearsed in advance.

My boyfriend makes more money than I do but seems to have less fun. He’s quite successful by any professional measure, but always being in overdrive seems to have quite a cost. He doesn’t make time for friends, has difficulty making weekend plans, and frequently falls asleep cuddled up with the computer. Am I right to be concerned, or is this the way most people succeed nowadays?

Dear Readers,

Anyone who loves someone who fits the above description is right to be concerned. Sadly, we are all more vulnerable to ‘work addiction’ nowadays. With the growing availability of technology that makes working 24/7 easier than ever and the widespread worry about holding onto jobs in a tight economy, it’s easy to forget how important it is to strike a healthy balance between work and play.

Ideally, technology can add more control to your worklife. But if you begin to feel manipulated by your Blackberry rather than the other way around, take stock of your priorities and try to reinforce the boundaries protecting your private life.

Many people can simply recalibrate. It’s those who don’t want to cut back on work because it seems more satisfying than their personal lives who can truly be called workaholics. Not sure? Take a look at Chained to the Desk (NYU Press, 2007), a guide for workaholics and their families by psychologist Bryan Robinson. A professor emeritus of counseling at the University of North Carolina, Robinson provides a 25-item checklist that can help you determine whether you have workaholic tendencies. Another checklist can be found on Workaholics Anonymous website.

Robinson’s checklist requires readers to rate themselves on a scale from 1 (never true) to 4 (always true) on a variety of items. Among them:

• I prefer to do most things rather than ask for help.
• I get impatient when I have to wait for someone else or when something takes too long.
• I get upset with myself for making even the smallest mistake.
• I ask the same question over again without realizing it, after I’ve already been given the answer once.

Depending on their scores, readers are rated as highly workaholic, mildly workaholic, or not at all workaholic. If you score high, your addiction can be as destructive as alcoholism, which means it also is likely to be adversely affecting your relationships with family members and friends. I would strongly suggest examining your relationship with work more closely with the help of a trained counselor.

One easy way to start thinking about adding more balance in your life, offered by Robinson, is to chart how much time you devote to self, family, play, and work as a percentage of your time and compare that with a more desired allocation for your future. The difference between the two gives you some idea of the scope of the change you seek.

Managers should be wary of the workaholics on their staff, says Rutgers University management professor Gayle Porter, who has conducted numerous studies on the differences between high performance workers and people suffering from work addiction. Despite the common view that workaholics are the most productive employees, she notes that workaholics are typically inefficient. “You can’t judge by face time,” she says. “Workaholics’ goals often are to take on more work than they can possibly handle and fill up as many hours as possible.” In his book, Robinson sums up the difference this way: “The healthy worker is in the office looking forward to being on the ski slopes; the workaholic is on the ski slopes thinking about the office.”

Workaholics who are employed in organizations that reward the round-the-clock effort they are trying to curtail may have to consider changing jobs, Porter says.

Taking action to address work addiction is guaranteed to pay off handsomely in the way that matters most: personally. As the highly driven Michael Jackson discerned in “Off the Wall”:

So tonight gotta leave that nine-to-five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself.

I’ve long liked Serena Williams, both her feisty nature and her amazing strength on the court. But I am disappointed by her decision to issue an apology by blog and  Twitter.

“http://www.serenawilliams.com/blog_message_detail.php?msg=125″>

By escaping into the written word, rather than speaking publicly, Serena and her p.r. machine have morphed into one. Where is the sincerity and spontaneity that make it clear that an apology is genuine?

Ducking the difficulty of communicating in person doesn’t suit her nor serve her well.

Dear Readers,

Job hunting expert Richard Bolles, author of the bestseller What Color is Your Parachute?, has long considered doing a thorough self-assessment as a prelude to a successful job hunt.

In addition to releasing a revised edition of Parachute, due out this fall, Bolles has produced a cheaper, more concise guide designed specifically for job hunters facing today’s brutal job market: The Job-Hunter’s Survival Guide: How to Find Hope and Rewarding Work, Even When “There are No Jobs” (Ten Speed Press, 2009). Even when pared down, self-assessment continues to be a key element of his advice.

Having a thorough inventory of your skills can help prevent you from turning into a “job begger,” Bolles says. It’s important to go into every interview knowing that, “I’m going to be a helpful resource,” and if not at this particular company, somewhere else. The point of an interview – which we are more likely to forget when we are worried about our next paycheck – is for both parties to determine whether there’s the possibility of a good fit.

Evaluating your fit with a perspective employer requires you to know the parameters of your own skills. Bolles offers useful exercises to help readers develop detailed descriptions of their past accomplishments. His list of 192 transferable skills will help you expand your ways of describing your duties. Among the choices: acting, founding, recommending, traveling, testing, expanding, enforcing, imagining, memorizing, and unifying.

My absolute favorite activity is Bolles’ list of seven possible goals to describe what you were trying to do at your last job:

• Working with the human mind, trying to bring more knowledge, truth or clarity into the world.
• Working on the human body, trying to deal with the need for shelter, food, and clothing, or health and fitness.
• Working with the eyes and other senses, trying to bring more beauty into the world.
• Working with the human heart, trying to bring more love and compassion into the world.
• Working with the human will or conscience, trying to bring more morality, justice, righteousness, or honesty into the world.
• Working with the human spirit, trying to bring more laughter, spirituality, faith, compassion, forgiveness, love for God, into the world.
• Working on the Earth, trying to ensure more protection of the planet.

You may find that more than one of these descriptions fits your goals. “If ‘just keeping busy,’ is your answer, then think of what goal you would like to have been working toward,” Bolles writes.

Another bit of unusual advice offered by Bolles is to ask your interviewer a straightforward question at the end of the last round of interviews: “Given what we’ve discussed, can you offer me this job? It would help me a lot to know.”

Bolles believes this is the most efficient way to get some feedback about your chances. “What’s the worst thing they can say?” he asks. His reasoning: If the interviewer says no, then you have some closure on the process in a timely fashion. If you get a more positive response, then you’ll also have that feedback more quickly than you would if you had been less aggressive. “We don’t ask a lot of questions because we think we already know the answer,” says Bolles. That insight actually applies to many situations, beyond job hunting.

Bolles encourages readers to create a description of their own dream job. He doesn’t expect you’ll find it, but if you at least know what you’re looking for, there’s more of a chance you’ll find a position with some overlap.

Bolles divides job hunters into two categories. The first group is composed of people who are so driven by the vision of their dream job that “they are searching with every fiber of their being,” he says. The second group is composed of applicants who have “already cut out the dream and so are only half-enthusiastic” about their search.  Who would you hire?

And what about the Internet as a job search tool? Bolles estimates that only 10 percent of job hunters land a position via internet searches, and he suggests limiting them to 10 percent of your effort.

His estimate of the success rate of those who do a thorough self-assessment is much higher: 86 percent. You choose.

Dear Readers,

A parade of 10,000 workers organized by the New York City Central Labor Council marked the first Labor Day in 1882, and soon it became a national holiday. More than 125 years later, we still celebrate the day, typically with a cookout where we lament the speed at which summer sailed by.

But not everyone has time for bratwurst and beer. Nearly 42 percent of the workforce spends at least part of the holiday working, according to a 2005 survey by Development Dimensions International, a Pittsburgh-based human resources consulting firm. Some activities are accomplished from home: While 28 percent of the respondents said they would check work-related email and voicemail messages and 14 percent said they would catch up on paperwork, only 17 percent of those surveyed planned to go into the office.

Any chance those numbers have dropped in the last four years? I doubt it.

Some people volunteer to work on Labor Day; others have no choice. We depend on paramedics and other first responders, for example, to be available should we need them. At the other end of the spectrum, some workaholics will use any excuse to avoid spending time relaxing with their families.

Here is a peek into the lives of a small sample of people who typically report for duty:

Jennifer Coston, Supervising Forensic Investigator, Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office, Houston, Texas.
“Holidays are typically pretty busy,” says Jennifer, who will work the weekend shift of Friday-Saturday-Sunday leading up to Labor Day. “There are big family outings, alcohol consumption, and water activities.” The forensic department’s 26 investigators examine 16,000 deaths annually, scientifically identify decedents, and notify next of kin. The work requires extreme precision, the willingness to come in at any hour, and compassion toward the families who have lost a loved one, Coston says. While she appreciates that “there is no typical workday,” she acknowledges that the work is demanding. Investigators typically work 10-hour shifts four days in a row and then have three days off. “Children’s deaths are the worst, because they are the hardest on the families,” she says.

Entrepreneur and employee Phyllis Heitkemper, Hubertus, Wisconsin.
Phyllis works fulltime in data management for Wells Fargo and oversees business matters for Aurora Trucking, her husband’s one-truck operation. She regards Labor Day, a day off from her day job, as an opportunity to catch up on Aurora’s paperwork.
Phyllis does not complain. Instead, she finds it rewarding to be a big part of a small operation. “When you’re so close to a business, you can see the immediate results of your work,” she says.

Ann Kohlbeck registered nurse, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Ann and her family schedule their barbeques for some other day because for the past 23 years she has not been home on Labor Day. This mother of two has spent the holiday working in either a hospital emergency room or a medical clinic. This year she will spend the day caring for her six dialysis patients.

Jon Heartt, sales associate, major department store, Wisconsin.
Jon expects to be bored on Labor Day, when customer traffic is slow. “Hardly anyone comes in,” he says. “It seems kind of silly to staff a ghost town.” Jon and his colleagues are expected to work on any holiday without being consulted, and they are paid the same hourly rate as regular days.

Carolyn Daly, spokeswoman, New York City Central Labor Council.
Long ago, the Labor Council began scheduling its annual parade for the Saturday after Labor Day. “We fought so hard for the three-day weekend, we don’t want to take it away by asking people to march,” Carolyn explains.

Parade planning has evolved into a year-round activity. While it doesn’t attract legions of spectators, the parade involves a fair number of politicians and 50,000 union members, other workers and – this year especially, when the parade will be held on September 12 – unemployed workers parading down Fifth Avenue. Because New York City’s main thoroughfare will be shut for six hours, Carolyn must secure numerous city permits and arrange for police protection. Contingents of marchers include groups as diverse as steamfitters, horse carriage drivers, Broadway musicians, teachers, principals, firefighters, and police, some of whom brighten the festivities by playing bagpipes and drums.