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Archive for the ‘Office Life’ Category
Sat, June 28, 2008 11:33 am By Alex Gavitt  Printer friendly version
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 The concept of Feng Shui is not limited to your home and the garden. Feng Shui is also essential for your workplace so that positive chi flows in your office making it even more comfortable place to work. Here are some easy steps for transforming your cubicle into a more effective work space through Feng Shui.
Clean Up: You can utilize a lunch hour effectively to de-clutter your office. Remove all your objects including the office supplies such as tape dispensers and staplers that are of no use more than once per hour. It wont take much time if you generally keep you work station clean.
Adjust Your Workstation: A workplace won’t be relaxing if you are surprised from behind at any moment. Hence, your Feng Shui workstation should be such that it you are able to see the entrance.
Display Your targets: Displaying your goals not only is motivational but also spreads positive vibes. Not only it is motivational but also gives out positive vibes!
Closer to the Nature: Come closer to the Nature. Keeping a plant in the workstation is a good idea to make your workstation pleasing.
Now the reality check. There’s no magic associated with Feng Shui. It won’t meet the goals for you, ‘coz it is up to you. Feng Shui will only help you to create a positive environment drives away all the negative energy and makes your workplace a comfortable place so that you are more focused on your goals.
Tags: Office, feng shui workstation, cubicle
Fri, June 27, 2008 11:44 am By Jeff Chan
 No matter where you work- in a high-tech, large corporate office or a modest five people setting, when you quit you’ll want to do it in writing.
The proverbial resignation letter works best when it’s short and sweet. That means- keep it professional, so, no sorry - no thank you, and save your explanations for the face-to-face meeting. Make sure your resignation letter has all the under mentioned:
• The date of your resignation.
• A sentence stating that you’re leaving and what will be your last date of employment.
• Your signature.
That’s it. Print it out, sign it and bring it with you when you inform your boss/human resource department of your decision.
Tags: resignation, write
Fri, June 27, 2008 11:43 am By Carl Rushton
 With the Holiday season, comes indecision- what to gift and what not to gift. The problem heightens especially when you have to gift your boss. Apart from hard work and lots of dedication towards your job, you must consider this before gifting anything to your boss:
If you have just joined the company or the department, first you should know whether there’s a gift exchanging culture or not. Many places it’s not appreciated. And also talk to people about what kinds of gift do they exchange generally. And if you’ve been in the company for a while, but now you’re in a supervisory position. It’s possible the rules of gift-giving have changed for you. Get a hang of that as well.
Price: Check around. Find out if there is a set dollar limit. If yes, then stick to it. Don’t spend more than the office standard otherwise you will be perceived as a show-off.
The Boss: Some people say that workplace gift-giving should be lateral. This means giving to a superior is not necessary.
Hence, keep the workplace culture in your mind before looking for a gift to impress your boss.
Tags: Gifts, Office, boss, holidays, workplace
Wed, June 25, 2008 11:36 am By Carl Rushton
 Remember the flick- “The Devil Wears Prada”? That’s a typical movie that you must watch after you’ve read this article or if you are having problems dealing with your boss. Well, in a perfect working environment your boss would be someone who is approachable, attentive, complimentary and positive and yeah, most importantly, he should be appreciative. But life’s not about perfect scenarios isn’t it?
If your office is a world of moody and irritating managers, where irrational behavior by the boss is a common scene, then don’t panic, there are two quick fixes to this problem. Here are they.
• Quit (not a great option if you are not economically stable) or
• Recognize that your boss is not going to change and then learn how to react to his mood swings.
Make your choice!
Tags: bad, manager, boss, dealing
Sun, April 20, 2008 11:43 am By Rex Wilhite
 If your work involves you to write a lot of emails, newsletters or corporate commutation releases, then its time that you learnt some techniques of stylish writing. Using heavy literary words doesn’t make you a great communicator, since most people have problems deciphering the article.
Here are some tips by which you can become a better writer:
• Chop and Trim the Unnecessary. Take out any unnecessary adverbs and adjectives and stick to your point. Avoid repeating yourself.
• Keep your language simple. Don’t show off your extensive vocabulary in reports, memos and letters. Think of your audience and stick to simple and clear language.
• Break up long sentences. Long sentences are hard to read and understand. Keep your sentences short. And if you can’t, then make sure you add appropriate conjunctions.
• Make the Dictionary Your Best Friend. Brush up on your basic grammar and spellings.
Make a habit of reading good books and novels.
Tags: English, vocabulary, writing, skills
Tue, April 15, 2008 11:34 am By James Coolridge
 Confused about what to give your team mates this festive season? Well whatever you decide on, make sure you steer clear from these:
Gag Gifts: If something is funny to you, it may not be the same for someone else. That person could be embarrassed or could feel humiliated. Unless your coworkers are your personal friends with whom you could share a practical joke, don’t give such gifts.
Too Personal: Save the Victoria’s Secret gift for your girlfriend or wife — sex-oriented gifts of any kinds are not appropriate for any female or male coworker, unless of course you are dating one of them!
Playing Favorites: You will be presumed as a suck-up if you only gift your boss and forget your colleagues. Don’t make the mistake.
Tags: gift, not, ideas
Fri, April 4, 2008 11:22 am By James Coolridge
 You cannot just drop the bombshell on them- declaring at the top of your voice, that you have decided to quit. Not only will it jeopardize your payments and clearances but also will mark a stain, should you want some good references from your seniors.
Give the company a comfortable and standard two weeks’ notice. Now the question is should you give your boss the extra time to find someone to replace you? In doing so will you subject yourself to an earlier date of departure and forfeit additional “coasting” salary?
During the notice period make sure you follow the following:
1. Meet all your deadlines and prepare an excel sheet enumerating the details of the project in hand.
2. If you have to, then find a replacement and train him/her during the notice period.
3. Talk to your seniors regarding references.
4. Return company property- be it a cell phone or a car.
5. Remove all your things from your desk and when leaving make sure its clean and just the way when you first joined.
Tags: notice period quit resignation
Thu, April 3, 2008 12:37 pm By James Coolridge
 Keep the recipient as the primary objective before giving a gift to anyone. This goes without saying that a gift should be well thought about and not just a run-of-the-mill sorts.
Here are some suggestions:
1. Gift Certificates. A gift certificate or voucher is good idea as you don’t have to brood on what the other person would like. Share the burden!
2. Edibles. Chocolates, pies, and cakes anything that you call gourmet goes with this choice.
3. Gadgets. Best for workplace folks, especially, if you are a bunch of techies and executives.
4. Entertainment. Share your favorite music, movie or game. Strive to think outside the box… (Personalized poker chips perhaps?)
5. Desk Accessories. You could give some cubicle decorative. Frames, little table clock, pen stand or a coffee mug. Awesome!
Now you’ve got enough ideas. So, ready to shell some money?
Tags: Gifts, Office, ideas, workplace, company, colleagues
Wed, March 19, 2008 4:47 am By James Coolridge
 So, you have been entitled to deliver a presentation and with each approaching day you are having sleepless night, thing about how to deal with it. Here are some expert tips that will help you give a superb presentation.
The secret to a making a great presentation can be encapsulated in 5 P’s, which are: Purpose, Preparation, Planning, Practice and Performance. Lets elaborate a bit.
Purpose
Ask yourself, “What is that I want from this presentation?” In other words, what will/should the spectators decipher from the presentation?
Preparation
Like any task, a presentation’s predecessor is a well done homework. Don’t shy away from working hard, read and research the fuzzy facts and the crunching numbers.
Planning
Formulate a strategy by which you can achieve your desired impact and outcome. The more time you spend on planning, the clearer will be your thoughts.
Practice
Perfection comes with practice and there’s no short-cut to that.
Performance
The moment of reckoning is here. Remember all the efforts that you have put into your presentation from planning, to preparation to practice - its here that it will all come together. If you followed all the above mentioned tips – started out with a well defined object, did all your basic homework, anticipated and planned for all possible questions, visualized your triumph, then this is your moment to shine.
Tags: Plan, Presentation, Deadline, Office, Career, Work, Practice, Performance, Preparation, Research
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