SavvySugar

The Office's "Let's Get Ethical" Episode Tackles Time Theft

SavvySugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:00:50 -0700

In the "Business Ethics" episode of The Office, Holly holds the type of business ethics seminar that could only take place at Dunder Mifflin. She starts the group off on a light note, reminding them that it's wrong to make personal calls during business hours and that spending a half hour at the water cooler is technically time theft, but Michael quickly ups the ante and offers "complete immunity" to anyone who shares their darkest workplace indiscretions.

Michael kicks off the troubling tell-all by admitting he didn't work for five days after discovering YouTube and watched Cookie Monster sings "Chocolate Rain" about 1,000 times. Oscar announces he occasionally takes long lunches. Mindy reveals she downloads pirated music to her work computer. The big HR crisis moment comes when Meredith admits she's been sleeping with a supplier in exchange for discounts and Outback Steakhouse gift certificates for six years.

I can't imagine many of you have ever pulled a Meredith, but I'm giving you full immunity (I promise I don't know your HR director): What would you say is your worst time theft offense at work?

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Girl Scout Sells 17,328 Boxes of Delicious Cookies

SavvySugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:03:41 -0700

Anyone who has ever spent time as a Girl Scout knows what a big deal cookie season is for the troops and also understands that selling 17,328 boxes of cookies is an impressive feat for one girl. Fifteen year-old Jennifer Sharpe sold this many boxes by setting up shop on a street corner with her mother, every day. My first thought: How many badges did she get for selling so many boxes?! Badges are for Brownies, baby - this girl and her troop get to go on a 10-day European vacation! The trip will be paid for with the $21,000 the troop raised in cookie sales.

European vacation aside, this girl is a great example of perseverance and work ethic. How many of us had our parents take boxes of cookies to work and have their hungry colleagues buy out your stash of Peanut Butter Patties? The best part is that Jennifer has grown as a person because of her experience. Her mother said,"It's made her really confident. I remember when she first started selling, she was very shy and quiet and you had to push her out to talk to customers, but now she's right out there, first to the door." I see a savvy businesswoman in the making!

Job Search Tip: Gather a Mix of References

SavvySugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:15:59 -0700

By now you should have a few people that would speak positively on your behalf if a potential employer came calling. It's even better if you can provide a mix of references. Instead of supplying only a list of your superiors, it adds depth to your character and work ethic check when you name at least one colleague.

Be choosy about the colleagues you include - you need to be confident in their ability to speak intelligently and they must have had substantial interaction with you in a work atmosphere, not just at happy hour. And remember the golden rule of references: always ask them if they're willing to be a reference before handing out their contact information.

How Your Job Is Changing

SavvySugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:30:58 -0700

Have you noticed any changes in your workplace lately? According to a special report in Time magazine, you will soon. "The Future of Work" reminds us that the recession will (eventually) end and jobs will return - but when they do, they're going to look different. Here are some of the changes Time tells us to expect.

The workplace will get nicer: It turns out, the way women work is actually good for business. The engaged, results-oriented management style that women typically employ has proven to be pretty successful in increasing both productivity and profit. In the same vein, more business school students are learning how to actually manage (and do so ethically), rather than just how to run a business.
Managers will get younger, workers will get older: As Gen Xers (the generation born between 1965 and 1978) take the reins, businesses will become more tech-savvy and more global. At the same time, Baby Boomers will save less and retire later, which means the workforce will continue to age - the percentage of workers who are 55 and older is expected to increase from 17 percent to 23 percent by 2016.

To see two more ways your job could change, read more.

Workplaces will be more flexible and less cubicle-centric: Say goodbye to the traditional 9 to 5, Monday through Friday workweek spent in your cubicle. Employers are saving money and retaining employees by offering flexible hours, telecommuting options, and lateral moves, rather than conventional, climb-the-ladder promotions.
Jobs will be high-tech, high-touch, and greener: We’ll see an increase in jobs that involve technology and problem-solving, as well as jobs in more hands-on fields like health care, education, and senior care. "Green" jobs - everything from manufacturing solar panels to weatherizing homes - could account for 10 percent of all job growth over the next 30 years.

What do you think about Time’s observations and predictions? Have you noticed any of these changes in your own workplace or career, or do you think you will?

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The Most and Least Honest Professions of 2008

SavvySugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:30:22 -0800

Bankers just can't seem to cut a break this year - besides enduring an extremely tumultuous work environment, people are judging those in the banking profession as being less honest than previously thought. The group lost 12 percentage points from last year's annual Gallup poll that asks for respondents to rate the honesty and ethical standards of various fields, dropping bankers from their spot among the most well-rated professions in 2007 to a neutral rating.

Poll respondents evaluated the professions as having very high, high, average, low, or very low standards, and here are the results from the 2008 survey. Is your profession reflected in the ratings?

Top-Rated Professions For Honesty and Ethics

Accountants
Funeral directors
Clergy
Policemen
Medical doctors
High school teachers
Druggists or pharmacists
Nurses

For the list of the least-rated professions, read more.

Least-Rated Professions For Honesty and Ethics

Labor union leaders
Lawyers
Business executives
Advertising practitioners
Stock brokers
Congressmen
Car salesmen
Telemarketers
Lobbyists

Ask Savvy: Should I Ask For a Raise or Look For Another Job?

SavvySugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:32:45 -0700

Dear Savvy,

I need your help and advice! A year and a half ago I started an awesome job with a company. It was perfect for what I needed then. It was close to home and was relatively small in size, so it was very personal and I have grown to be friends with a lot of the people here. Since I have started, I have grown a lot and learned a lot. I am still very young in the eyes of a professional, but even on my yearly review I was told that they couldn’t believe my work ethic for someone my age and that I am a very good worker and they are glad they have me around.

But here’s the problem – I am not getting paid enough. I live in a city where there is a great economic boom, people working at fast food joints can make up to $15 an hour! I recently got my yearly raise, but when it boils down to it. . . . I need more. The cost of living here has also taken a hike up, and I can barely afford to pay my bills and save on what they pay me let alone try to go on a vacation.

My question is this, should I ask for another raise, or should I just look elsewhere for a job? I have been doing my research and figure I can make at least an extra $3,000/year if I found a job somewhere else, which could really go a long way for me.

To see my answer just read more.

Plain and simple: Ask for more! You really have nothing to lose - you know that you're a valuable employee and your company holds you in high regard, and you have solid numbers to support that you're underpaid for your industry position. It takes much more effort all-around to leave the company, on your part and on theirs. Aside from losing a valuable asset, it would cost your company money to find and train someone else for your job if you were to leave.

You're not making unreasonable demands like asking them to double your salary, and while I don't know anything about your company, I have a good feeling they'd be willing to throw a few thousand extra your way in order to keep you on their team. When you ask your boss for a raise, try to stay away from discussing how much you're struggling to live off your salary. You don't want a pity raise - instead, tell them while you appreciate the boost you got from your annual raise, you've done some research and found that you're being paid less than others in your same position. The point is that you deserve the raise and are worth paying at least what others are making.

Your bosses have sung your praises in your presence so you know they're already impressed with your work. When you ask them for more money, say "aside from my outstanding work ethic, here are some of my accomplishments," and list off a few of your highlights from the past year and a half. Stay away from aggressive ultimatums like threatening to quit if they don't pay you more - your bosses know that you're aware of the better compensation out there and can imply on their own that you'd probably go searching for something else. If you missed my interview with negotiation expert Linda Babcock, be sure to check them out here before you approach your bosses.

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What Is the Bottom Line, Anyway?

SavvySugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:00:36 -0700

If you've ever sat through an organized round-table meeting at work, you're probably all too familiar with the phrase "bottom line." It's thrown around almost as much as "at the end of the day," but bottom line has more meanings than simply trying to summarize a point, and whether you're employed or looking for a job it's important that you understand them.

When you're employed, you need to contribute to what makes your company tick and show that your unique skills and work ethic are not only noteworthy, but valuable. Understanding your company's bottom line will allow you to figure out what skills you should develop or sharpen to be the ideal employee.

Most for-profit companies see profit as their bottom line, which means cultivating skills that will support making your company money. Depending on your position within the company, the particular aspects of your position you should focus on will differ. Find how the bottom line fits into a job seeker's mentality when you read more.

Résumés are all about the bottom line: Show potential employers you understand what they want and respect their time by dishing out solid facts on your résumé. This is where the whole puzzle fits together. Focusing on how you contributed to the bottom line during previous jobs is exactly what makes up the bottom line of a résumé.

Did you contribute to a certain percentage of growth, did your hiring efforts lead to a greater employee retention rate, or did readership expand because of you? Filling your résumé with specific accomplishments suggests you did your job well and are able to report them in clear terms - that's the bottom line, in a nutshell.

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Working Girl's Guide to Wedding Planning, Part I

SavvySugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:23:42 -0700

Everyone always says the time between your engagement and wedding will fly by - between work, wedding planning, and everything in between there's barely time to come up for air. It's important to keep your priorities in order and recognize that while your wedding represents one of the biggest days in your life, you need your job for your everyday livelihood and can't let those responsibilities take a backseat. While wedding planning can be stressful at times, think of it as an extracurricular activity that you should try your best to leave out of the office.

It can be tempting to use your company's resources to help you achieve ultimate wedding planning efficiency. There's a fax machine 20 feet away from you and empty conference rooms just waiting for you to call your florist with an idea that just hit you. It may all seem pretty harmless, taking 15 minutes out of your work day to accomplish some wedding business, but put yourself in your employer's shoes before you start reserving the conference room for you and your cell every day at the same time. To see why I think this is important just read more.

In your mind, those handful of minutes represent time you'd be taking a break looking up recipes or getting your hourly dose of Sugar, but it's doubtful that your employer shares your rationale. Picture this scenario: You've given out the company's fax number to all of your vendors, and without warning your band faxes over a set list for you to sort through. Your boss is expecting an important fax and intercepts the fax meant for you, that's blatantly not work related. While some bosses are understanding about the demands of wedding planning, most would prefer the only multitasking done at the office makes you a more productive worker, not a more efficient wedding planner.

Bottom line: You need to care about your job. You also need to stay on your employer's good side during wedding planning because you may need to squeeze in some last-minute appointments as the wedding date comes closer. They'll be more likely to oblige to any emergency requests if you maintained a high work ethic throughout the planning process.

To see all of our wedding season coverage, check out IDoSugar.

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Rising to the Top Isn't Easy or Impossible

SavvySugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:26:44 -0700

When you kick off your career with an entry-level gig, getting your career to the place you imagine it can seem like a long, impossible road. You dream of winning the lottery, or if all else fails, moving somewhere that allows you to do minimal work while living on the beach. While these fantasies can help you through your daily grind they'll do nothing to catapult you up the career chain. Sure some people are naturally lucky in the connections they make or being in the right place at the right time, but most of us rely on a solid work ethic to help us stand out and propel our careers from neutral into drive. The Wall Street Journal recently profiled Nilofer Merchant who started her career as an administrative assistant and at 40 is the CEO of her own technology consulting firm. To see what she says about getting where you want to go in your career, just read more.

In her interview with the WSJ, my favorite thing Nilofer said was, "I've never been one to be focused on doing bigger. I have been one to focus on being better. So, I've been thinking about how to add more value to the industry, be a greater thought leader for the industry." If you aspire to follow in a path similar to Nilofer's, this is what she says about how she got to the place she is today.

Best advice: "Be the business person first. Every firm has a context of what is going on: early market or late market, leading player or not, many competitors or few. These all set the context for every single decision that is made," says Ms. Merchant. "But do we talk about it? Rarely. Marketers at all levels must know what matters to the firm. Is it growth or profit?"
Skills you need: Chiefly, says Ms. Merchant, you need "that gut, intuition or analytic mindset that helps you to find the 'thing' that will allow you to know your customer incredibly well and thus meet their sometimes unnamed, sometimes unknown needs."
Degrees you should go for: MBA
Where you should start: "Your first few jobs should be about learning," advises Ms. Merchant. "Make sure there are lots and lots of smart people who believe in a meritocracy model."
Professional organizations to contact: "I'm not much of a 'joiner' but I read about 30-plus publications, blogs, and magazines a day," offers Ms. Merchant. She suggests figuring out who the leading-edge thinkers are and pay attention to them.
Salary range: $200,000 plus

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I'm Asking: Are These Real World Clichés, Cliché?

SavvySugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:30:15 -0700

U.S. News & World Report published a list of "commencement clichés" for recent college graduates, and attempts to shed light on what's reality after you've taken off the cap and gown. I'm wondering if you think that the clichés they list, and the corresponding realities they've interpreted for each, are in fact cliché in your eyes.

Follow your passion. What they say: "To make money, pick a field that pays decently and has few liabilities. Chances are, that will lead to more career contentment than pursuing a long-shot dream as your career."
You've got to pay your dues. What they say: "Many higher-ups think of employees willing to do scut work as drones, even losers."
Make a difference. What they say: "The nonprofit and government sectors are notoriously inefficient. Working for an ethical business–or starting your own–may make a bigger difference to society."
Education pays. What they say: "Where possible, get your learning in the real world. Grad school is a must if you want to be a brain surgeon or a professor, but for many careers, you'll learn more of practical value on the job."
Be true to yourself. What they say: "Follow your internal compass, but seek advice from older mentors you respect and other people who know more than you do."

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