SavvySugar

5 Tactics For Relieving Work-Related Stress

SavvySugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:00:38 -0700

While money concerns top work stress, time spent in the cubicle and on the clock has a way of grinding away at even the most well-balanced person's gears. If your workplace anxiety and anger require more than a bubble wrap session try these healthy stress-relieving tactics.

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Your Two Cents: Do You Ever Get Jealous of Friends' Careers?

SavvySugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:00:25 -0700

Remember the Annie Get Your Gun tune: "Anything you can do I can do better; I can do anything better than you." While competition can stay friendly when we're young, it can become more fierce as we age. Education, opportunity, life circumstances and plain chance change all our lives and some friends find flourishing careers while others flounder, or just get by. Do you ever compare yourself to pals and get jealous of their careers or do you take it all in stride?

If Pushy Women Don't Get Hired, How Do We Push Our Way In?

Savvy Community — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:00:19 -0700

This question comes from member ShaynaLeah in the Corporate Chicks group.

Another snippet from the New York Times: Basically, we won't get hired if we're pushy, but we have to be a little pushy to get anywhere - How do you straddle that line? I have a hard time with it. Say too much and you're a...well, you can fill in that blank. Not enough and you wind up being the coffee girl despite having a master's degree...

Are you a Corporate Chick? Join the Corporate Chick group and share your questions and tips.

I'm Asking: Have You Ever Had a Full-Blown Argument at Work?

SavvySugar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:45:56 -0700

Workplace conflicts are pretty common - even in the most collegial of offices, you’re bound to get a whiff of bad blood or competition between co-workers. And most of the time, these disputes manifest themselves in pretty subtle ways: dirty looks in the hallways, passive-aggressive one-upping in meetings, etc. Then there are the rare instances when a workplace conflict turns into a very public, very real argument.

I’ve never been in the middle of a full-blown argument at work, but I’ve definitely been on the observing end of a couple of memorable incidents. At a previous job, a female colleague called our male co-worker into a small storage room under the pretense of needing help with a heavy box - and then proceeded to shut the door behind them and air her grievances with him. Loudly. The rest of our team just listened in shock, and things were pretty awkward in our tiny office for a while.

Have you ever had a knock-down drag-out with a co-worker or manager in your workplace?

Your Two Cents: Did Your Career Come From Skill or Luck?

SavvySugar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:00:59 -0700

While every worker hopes to find a shinning pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, our career realities are rarely that whimsical. We put in our time, work toward a major, try to find a job that matches our desires and skill set and keep punching the clock and persisting until it works (or doesn't). I have friends who spent years in graduate school or have been building careers slowly and have developed that perfect package that landed them a dream job, while others stumbled on their current profession out of sheer luck. Which rainbow do you fall under?

Are You Participating in Office March Madness?

SavvySugar — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:00:21 -0700

You don't have to be a basketball fan to enter March Madness pools. Between the 45 percent of office workers who participate in their office pools, I'm betting not everyone is a die-hard fan, and this time of year, it's pretty common to join in on the fun - so much so that not even employers are caught off guard by the event.

If past years are any indication, March Madness isn't exactly a work-productivity booster. This year, there may be an estimated $1.8 billion in employee losses when pools in the office can mean about 20 minutes of employee time lost on basketball, i.e. not working. Still, there are employers out there who embrace the time, touting it as "a powerful social process [that] builds relationships and rituals within the group. Everyone is included." In short, the kind of team-building effect that a company might "pay an expert" for, but "March Madness does it for free." What's the take on March Madness at your office? Are you getting in on the action?

The Double Standard Is Alive and Well at Work

SavvySugar — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:00:48 -0800

We’ve already determined that the gender gap hasn’t quite closed - especially at the top, men are continuing to outearn women, sometimes by an alarming amount. But according to New York Times blogger and management coach Peggy Klaus, the wage gap isn’t the only gender issue women face in the workplace today; the good ol' double standard is also still alive and well. To see some examples, keep reading.

10 More Qualities That Will Impress Your Boss

SavvySugar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:35:55 -0800

There's no magic formula for wowing the boss, but there is a particular set of skills and characteristics that is universally attractive to employers and will serve you well in any workplace. Once you've mastered the 15 qualities most likely to impress the boss, up the ante with even more. Remember: learning and anticipating your manager's needs, understanding her expectations, and talking to her about shared goals are the best ways to get ahead, but you can also get a head start by putting your best foot forward. Here are more helpful suggestions.

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I'm Asking: What's Your Take on Friends in Your Workspace?

SavvySugar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:00:53 -0800

Working with the same people for a while is likely to lead to some office friendships. Sometimes, co-workers become good friends outside the office, and your office time together can translate easily into hanging out on the weekends and away from work - but what if the situation was reversed? What if a good friend wanted to work their way into your life at the office?

I've only had one experience with a friend at work. I helped to get her an interview with a previous employer and recommended her to my teams and to the hiring manager. Based on what happened next, I've been hesitant to go to bat for others in my circle of friends. The girl I recommended left the job after just about three weeks - without warning. I dealt with the issue on a personal level, outside of the office. But, dealing with it on a professional level, with the team members I had only weeks earlier, sang her praises to, was much more complicated and uncomfortable. It took quite a bit of smoothing over, and I worked thereafter to separate myself from the friend and her less-than-ideal reputation with the company.

Since then, I've been reluctant to involve friends with my professional life. I like to keep my workspace separate, and I'm not likely to pass along a friend's resume without knowing exactly what her intentions are at the company and getting a full run down of her career objectives for the future - I'm sure to cover all my bases before I proceed with any kind of referral. It's definitely not easy making friendships work at the office, and a lot of the time you won't know exactly what you're in for or how your friendship may change, when it's subject to office politics, but I do have some good friends who do it well and make it work. What about you, how do you feel about friends in the workplace?

10 Things to Consider Before Clicking Send

SavvySugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:00:54 -0800

Everyone gets worked up at work on occasion. Sharing close quarters while juggling your co-workers' different abilities, communication styles, tempers, and egos and the overall office hierarchy can create a ticking time bomb. When your temper starts to boil, it's important to address your frustrations in the most professional manner possible so you don't regret anything you say later.

If your instinct is to immediately sit down and write a passionate email (whether to your co-worker, supervisor, or boss), I suggest taking a two-minute break to consider the following things.

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