How to Transition to the Career of Your Dreams

Do you work in a career that doesn't satisfy you? It's easy to feel stuck because your job is providing you with security. It's a scary thing to leave that security for the pursuit of your passion!

At the same time, there are steps you can take today to build the career you truly desire. Your passion for your new career can catapult you to success and unlock your dreams.

Confucius said, "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life." Heed his advice and you'll be glad you left your old job behind!

Here are some strategies that can help you transition to your dream career:

1.      Get focused. It's important to have a plan in place. Write down the specific job you'd like to have and the steps you need to take in order to get there.

2.      Assign a timeline. Be sure to give yourself a realistic timeline. As much as you'd like to start your dream job right away, you don't want to risk stressing yourself out about it.

3.      Consider the financial cost. If your dream career involves owning your own business, it's important to figure out how much this is going to cost you. Research your options, such as how you can save up the money or obtain a small business loan.

4.      Seek advice. Look to people who already have your dream career and discuss your options with them. If this isn't feasible, find websites or message boards online that pertain to the field.

Time Management

Your current career probably already takes up a great deal of your time, so it's important to manage your time well if you're going to launch a new career. Allot yourself an hour or two each day to work toward your dream career.

Case Studies

Here are some examples of how others have been able to transition to their dream career. It's refreshing to see how, with some smart action, you too can reach your career goals.

1.      Harry's story. Harry is a businessman who attended to his job during regular 9-5 hours, Monday through Friday. At night and sometimes on weekends, he learned about online business and outsourcing.

He saved up money and soon launched his very own online business, having learned the ropes while he was saving up the money. Eventually his online income reached a level where he could leave his 9-5 job and work full time for his new business.

2.      Betty's story. Betty is a stay-at-home mom, and cares for her children all day. She decided she wanted to make and sell crafts. So she started making the craft items she enjoyed when the children were quiet or asleep.

Then she learned how to use websites like eBay and Etsy to market and sell her crafts. Now she enjoys relaxing while she makes her crafts and earns a solid income stream by selling them online.

The common element in these two examples is the fact that these people were willing to work and do whatever it takes to find their vision of success. It's easy to say that most people who start their own business fail, however, just like everything in life, if you keep getting up and trying, you'll eventually reach your goals!

Plan your transition, work your plan, and soon you'll discover that you've acquired the career of your dreams!

For more career ideas, sign up to listen to the FREE teleseminar (in the right column).

Laura Allan, MA, LMHC, CPC LinkedIn
Live. Learn. Grow

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206-999-1192

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Laura@LauraAllanCounseling.com

How to Discover Your Talents

You'll never know what you're truly good at until you give different things a try. When you take action to find your strengths, you just might surprise yourself. Perhaps there's something you've always wanted to try, but you think that you wouldn't be any good at it. You simply won't know until you try!

When you discover your talents, it can be an eye opening and fulfilling experience for you. The things you're good at are often things you enjoy doing the most. Your talents could even stem into a full-blown career where you wouldn't only be helping yourself, you'd be helping others too.

Finding your talents may be tricky, that's why we came up with 6 simple tips:

1.      Follow Your Current Interests. A great place to start is to reflect on your current interests. This will guarantee that you'll enjoy what you're doing when you discover your hidden talents. An example would be if you love music, consider pursuing an active role in the creation of music instead of just remaining a fan. You could take up an instrument or learn more about the technical aspects such as sound mixing.

2.      Step Outside of the Comfort Zone. Of course, stepping outside of your comfort zone may be difficult at first. No one likes to feel vulnerable, but you'll also hear people saying that they're glad that they stepped outside of their comfort zone. The fact is you won't be able to discover new talents if you're not open to new things and experiences.

3.      Travel. Traveling around the world or your home country can open you up to new experiences. It's a great way to step outside of your comfort zone and take in other cultures. When you travel, you'll get new ideas and make new discoveries, but if you stay at home, your thinking may be limited by routine. Some things you might discover are artistic or athletic talents, or you may even be inspired to pursue new career goals.

4.      Reading. Travelling may not always be an option. It can be pricey and time consuming, but reading is a great way to open up the creative juices while staying home. You can read books on any subject that piques your interest. Also, don't forget about the power of the internet and all of the reading materials that are available only a search away.

5.      Take Community Classes. Community classes are an excellent way to discover talents for quite a few reasons. One is the fact that they're so close and accessible to you. Also, they're usually offered at affordable prices. Once you've chosen a class to attend, you'll get a good idea about the subject over the span of the course. At the end, you can decide whether or not it's right for you. If not, you can move on and try a different course until you find one that meshes well with your needs and desires.

6.      Talk With Friends. Keep open dialogues going with your friends and colleagues. Talk about how they discovered their passion and what they did to sharpen their skills. Perhaps you'll find that you have similar interests among your friends, and if so, you can then pursue theses interests together.

Don't Give Up

In the end, the only thing you need to discover your talents is the will to keep trying. Once you've found your true talents, you'll enjoy fulfillment, success, fun, and happiness. Who wouldn't want a life filled with that?

For more career ideas, sign up to listen to the FREE teleseminar (in the right column).

Laura Allan, MA, LMHC, CPC LinkedIn
Live. Learn. Grow

Laura Allan Career Coaching: Facebook Twitter

Laura Allan Counseling and Coaching:Facebook Twitter

206-999-1192

www.LauraAllanCounseling.com
Laura@LauraAllanCounseling.com

How to Find the Courage to Change Your Career

A career choice is more than just paying the bills and putting food on the table. You deserve to spend your days doing work you enjoy and your career should align with your values and goals. You owe it to yourself to find within you the courage to change your career direction!

I work with a lot of people who are unhappy in their careers and know in their hearts that they really need to do something different, yet feel that changing careers is too big of a risk.  There are many ways you can ease into making this transition.

Take Your Time

A career change is an opportunity to think carefully about your values and determine what matters most to you. This takes time. Be patient and give yourself permission to take the time you need to determine what's most important to you in your career.

Ask Questions

Ask yourself some questions to explore your values and find out what's important to you. Why did you choose your career in the first place? What did you like about this line of work? Have those elements of your job disappeared through changes that have taken place, or have you simply forgotten what drew you to this line of work in the first place?

What do you wish you were doing instead? Is there a job within your current company that can better utilize your talents in a more interesting position? Seek advice from your employer on opportunities that exist within your company to learn new skills or transfer to a more interesting position.

Take Small Steps

Take baby steps towards the life you crave. While it may seem right to run away from your current career as fast as you can, a hurried approach may backfire. If you take the time to think through your decisions and make the best decision possible, you'll experience greater joy and fulfillment in the long run.

Chase your big dreams by breaking them down into small, manageable action steps. Seek the advice of others who are already successful in the line of work you're seeking to enter into. Structure your goals in a way that allows you to attain regular feedback on your progress, so you know when you're on track and when you're off course.

Respect Your Current Employer

When it's time to leave, do so gracefully. As you move closer and closer to the career change you seek, continue to perform your current job to the best of your ability. You may need your current employer as a reference, and an attitude of service will increase your self-confidence as you prepare for a dramatic change in your life.

Believe in Yourself

Trust your instincts and your ability to succeed. You can achieve any goal that you set out to accomplish. With proper planning and a hunger to succeed, you'll experience the career success you crave. Keep your dreams in front of you, believe you can achieve them, and begin today to take the first steps toward the career you are destined to enjoy.

For more career ideas, sign up to listen to the FREE teleseminar (in the right column).

Laura Allan, MA, LMHC, CPC LinkedIn
Live. Learn. Grow

Laura Allan Career Coaching: Facebook Twitter

Laura Allan Counseling and Coaching:Facebook Twitter

206-999-1192

www.LauraAllanCounseling.com
Laura@LauraAllanCounseling.com

Ways to Reward People for a Job Well Done

Praise and rewards can do wonders to bolster an employee’s self-confidence and morale. No one can deny the effect praise and recognition can have on people. Even with your family at home, there are many ways you can reward people for a job well done.

When you praise someone, you let them know you’re aware of their hard work. You acknowledge they’ve put forth a great effort to accomplish something and you’re celebrating with them for their accomplishment.

• Be sincere in your praise. Don’t praise a worker merely to make them feel better. This is even more important to remember with family members. If your praise is insincere, you may be considered manipulative, and you don’t want to give that impression.
  
  
• Give praise when it’s due. You cannot follow the old adage, “Better late than never,” when it comes to praising someone. Express your praise as quickly as you can when you see that someone has done something praiseworthy.
  
  
• Be specific about your praise. Sure, you can tell someone they did a great job, but what was so great about it? “Your research paper was direct, to the point, and full of facts,” sounds much better than telling them they had a nice paper.
  
  
• Praise them in front of others. Giving someone a pat on the back in private may make a person feel good for a few minutes. Recognizing their contribution or success during a staff meeting will extend that good feeling into days, if not weeks.

There’s a double benefit to praising people in front of others: public praise may also encourage others to work harder as well.

As with genuinely praising an employee or family member when they’ve done well, there are other ways to reward them without having to spend money.

Here are some other ways you can reward people for a job well done:

1.      Reduce their supervision. Some people are happier and do much better work when they’re allowed to work on their own. Giving an employee more freedom can be an excellent reward.

• By giving your employees less supervision, you’re letting them know they’re trusted and you have confidence in their abilities.

• If you truly trust your employee to do their work without supervision, allow them the flexibility to work from home on occasion. Of course, whether or not you can allow your employees to work at home will depend on the work they do.

2.      Give your team members who go above and beyond the call of duty a new title. Job titles don’t always have to mean more money. Sometimes receiving a title means more than getting a few more dollars in their paycheck. It shows that you’re pleased with their work.

3.      Publicly recognize people that do their job well. At your next staff meeting, present that person with a certificate. Create a bulletin board in the staff lounge that has photographs of honored employees to continue to recognize them for their good work.

4.      Encourage your team by giving them discount coupons to local businesses in your area. This could be a free movie and popcorn at the movie theater, reduced entrance at a family park, or a coupon for a free turkey around the holidays.

When employees feel like they matter, they’re much more willing to give their all for a company.

Use some of these ways to reward people for a job well done. Not only will your team enjoy their job and the workplace much more, but you’ll find they’re more productive as well. Recognize and reward a job well done and your company will ultimately reap the benefits.

For more career ideas, sign up to listen to the FREE teleseminar (in the right column).

Laura Allan, MA, LMHC, CPC LinkedIn
Live. Learn. Grow

Laura Allan Career Coaching: Facebook Twitter

Laura Allan Counseling and Coaching:Facebook Twitter

206-999-1192

www.LauraAllanCounseling.com
Laura@LauraAllanCounseling.com

5 Ways of Boosting Morale As a Manager

On Monday I talked about how to boost morale even if you're not in management.  Today I take a look at ways managers can help to improve their employees' well being.  Some of the ideas are similar, but there are others that are specific to managers.

In the current economic atmosphere, your employees may be wondering if they’ll have a job next week. Add to that being asked to pick up the slack from employees who have been laid off and they may be in a bit of a slump.  Your employees may feel unmotivated and unproductive, but there are things you can do to boost morale in your workplace.

Try these techniques to bring more motivation to your workplace:

1.      Get to know your employees. Do you know them on a personal level or just as professionals? When you meet with one of your employees one-on-one is it “strictly business,” or do you take the time to get to know who they are as an individual? When you make an effort to learn more about them, you may discover what motivates them. It also makes them feel valued.

• Recognize your employees’ birthdays. The employees in your office will be glad that you care enough about them to recognize their special day.
  
  
• Ask about their lives outside of work. How did they spend the weekend? Where are they going on vacation this year? These types of questions help you get to know them as individuals.

2.      Recognize personal and professional accomplishments. You might be surprised how an employee is motivated when they know their manager acknowledges and rewards the work they’ve done.

• Recognize them publicly.  During team meetings acknowledge those who have gone above and beyond.  Make sure there is always at least one person acknowledged during each meeting.  This not only motivates the person who is being recognized, but also motivates others who want to get the same appreciation.
  
  
• Write them a personal thank you note recognizing their contribution when they have stepped outside their usual job duties, or done they regular job exceptionally well.  Thank you notes – not an email – are something out of the ordinary these days and show that their contribution was significant enough, and appreciated enough, for you to make the effort to write one.

3.      Schedule time for team socializing. There is some socializing done at team meetings, but scheduling time for the team to just socialize allows them to get to know one another better personally. When your team knows and likes one another, they feel more motivated to help each other and do a good job.  Plus, taking a break from work is a good way to reduce stress and return refreshed.  Scheduling a weekly team lunch or weekly non-alcoholic happy hour on Friday afternoon are a couple of ideas. 

4.      Give them a voice. Create a satisfaction survey. These may even be done anonymously. Be sure to address any perceived problems quickly and thoroughly for the best results.

• Hold staff meetings regularly. This will give staff an opportunity to learn about the company’s status as well as voice any questions they may have. Ask for feedback if changes have to be made.
  
  
• Ask others what type of training they may need to do their job better. By offering continuing training, you’ll prove that your team is valuable to you, and you’ll do your business a great service by having top-notch, highly trained workers.

5.      Offer financial rewards. Everyone likes to get a little extra in his or her paycheck from time to time. Perhaps there’s a way to incorporate a performance bonus to boost morale.

• Talk with the employees and get their ideas. Seriously consider putting a rewards program into place. You may be surprised at what they come up with, and it might not be as expensive as you imagined!

When morale and productivity begin to wane, it’s important to let your employees know you value them. Sure, they get paid for the work they do every week, but sometimes they need a little pick-me-up.

Rewards don’t have to be elaborate or expensive. A little bit of recognition can go a long way to improving the atmosphere in your workplace.

Give them the respect they deserve. Use these ways of boosting morale in the workplace and before you know it, your employees will have smiles on their faces and motivation on their mind!

For more career ideas, sign up to listen to the FREE teleseminar (in the right column).

Laura Allan, MA, LMHC, CPC LinkedIn
Live. Learn. Grow

Laura Allan Career Coaching: Facebook Twitter

Laura Allan Counseling and Coaching:Facebook Twitter

206-999-1192

www.LauraAllanCounseling.com
Laura@LauraAllanCounseling.com

5 Ways of Boosting Morale as a Team Member

In the current economic atmosphere, you may be wondering if you’ll have a job next week. Add to that downsizing and being asked to do more with less and you may be in a bit of a slump. You and your colleagues may feel unmotivated and unproductive, but there are things you can do to boost morale in your workplace, even if you’re not in management.

Try these techniques to bring more motivation to your workplace:

1.      Get to know your colleagues. Perhaps you don’t really know your co-workers! Do you know them on a personal level or just as professionals? When you make an effort to learn more about them, you may discover what motivates them. It also makes them feel valued.

• Recognize your colleagues’ birthdays. Birthday cake always lightens the mood! The employees in your office will be glad that you care enough about them to recognize their special day. It also gives everyone a reason to gather and talk about something besides work.
  
  
• Ask about their personal lives. Are they married? Do they have children? What are their hobbies? Of course, you want to do this conversationally, in the context of whatever is being discussed – don’t make it seem like you are interviewing them or it may be seen as prying.  These types of questions help you get to know them as individuals.

2.      Recognize personal and professional accomplishments. You might be surprised how a co-worker is motivated when they know their team acknowledges and rewards the work they’ve done.

• Recognize them publicly. Make a point of recognizing and thanking someone who has helped you out in front of others.  This might be at a formal team meeting, or a more informal gathering in the lunch room.
  
  
• Write them a personal thank you note recognizing their contribution if they’ve helped you or another team member out.  Even if it’s just “doing their job,” people appreciate when the work they do is noticed and valued.

3.      Organize a team lunch. You don’t have to leave the office if time is short; instead, order pizza or have a potluck every so often. They’ll be able to relax and enjoy their work environment more when given a chance to socialize.

4.      Participate.  Be an active part of your work team.  Pitch in and help others, offer your input and opinions, make suggestions on ways to improve your work environment.  When others see you actively participating, they will be more likely to do so as well, which builds a stronger, more supportive team.

5.      Focus on the positive. Your attitude makes a big difference in how you perceive what’s happening around you, and this is no less true at work.

• Solutions, not problems. When you notice there is a problem in your workplace, start thinking about how it can be made better.  Talk it over with your team members and get their input.  When you solve a problem as a team, it will improve how everyone feels.

• Refrain from complaining as a way of socializing with your co-workers.  We frequently use complaining as a way to connect with others.  This is not helpful (i.e. doesn’t solve the problem) and makes us all feel bad. Find other things you have in common with your team members, and talk about those things when socializing.  If a co-worker insists on complaining, change the subject or leave the conversation.

For more career ideas, sign up to listen to the FREE teleseminar (in the right column).

Laura Allan, MA, LMHC, CPC LinkedIn
Live. Learn. Grow

Laura Allan Career Coaching: Facebook Twitter

Laura Allan Counseling and Coaching:Facebook Twitter

206-999-1192

www.LauraAllanCounseling.com
Laura@LauraAllanCounseling.com

Amazing Career Advice From Dogs

You can learn a lot from watching dogs. If you want to be happier at work and move ahead in your career, try to think more like a dog. Yes, for real!

Become Happier at Work:

1.      Show your enthusiasm. Learn to love whatever you're doing. When your job seems routine, remind yourself of its purpose, whether that's to provide for your family or invent a new medicine. Sometimes just smiling will make you feel more joyful.

2.      Greet everybody. Take the time to wish everyone a good morning before you settle down to your tasks. Your relationships with your co-workers play a huge role in your job satisfaction. Create a friendly atmosphere by exchanging daily pleasantries.

3.      Lend others your support. Take a break from your own concerns to notice how your colleagues are feeling. When stress levels are high, offer your assistance and encouragement. You'll feel good about helping out, and people will be more likely to reciprocate when you need a hand.

4.      Give early warnings. Minor workplace conflicts can escalate if they're allowed to fester. Speak out tactfully at the first sign of a misunderstanding. This will make your work environment much more pleasant than just growling right before you bite.

5.      Bounce back from conflicts. Forget about holding grudges. Put any unpleasant experiences behind you and demonstrate your willingness to cooperate with everybody to get the job done.

6.      Follow your instincts. Sometimes you have to respond to unfamiliar situations without much time to prepare. Trust your instincts when you need to take a risk. If it's your first time giving a staff presentation, boost your confidence by adapting what you already know from your days on the student debate team.

7.      Get plenty of sleep. You may never be able to arrange your schedule to get as much sleep as your dog, but you can still strive for 8 hours every night. Adequate rest is critical to your mental health.

How to Advance in Your Career:

1.      Show off your accomplishments. Humility is an admirable quality, but sometimes you need to promote yourself. Watch how dogs soak up positive attention without looking like they're bragging. Use your success stories to your advantage in job evaluations and interviews.

2.      Follow the rules. How does a dog know which objects are okay to chew? The logic behind some rules may elude you, but it's usually best to go along with them to preserve order in the workplace.

3.      Practice active listening. Your co-workers are bound to value you more if you take a sincere interest in them. Listen respectfully to what others may be able to teach you.

4.      Persist. Persistence is a big part of success. Stay focused and keep on the trail no matter what obstacles arise. If you get blocked from digging under the fence, maybe you can persuade someone to open the gate for you.

5.      Reduce waste. Mail carriers and couriers perform valuable jobs, but many dogs obviously would prefer a paper-free world. Some dogs also regard as edible the many things that humans throw away. Impress your boss and help the environment by cutting down on paper waste and recycling more.

6.      Contribute to the pack. Above all, think beyond your own interests to participate as a team player. Take satisfaction in working together to achieve common goals and improve everyone's well being. You can accomplish much more working with others than you ever could on your own.

Although chasing your tail may not get you anywhere in life, dogs are otherwise great role models for becoming more content and productive at work.

For more career ideas, sign up to listen to the FREE teleseminar (in the right column).

Laura Allan, MA, LMHC, CPC LinkedIn
Live. Learn. Grow

Laura Allan Career Coaching: Facebook Twitter

Laura Allan Counseling and Coaching:Facebook Twitter

206-999-1192

www.LauraAllanCounseling.com
Laura@LauraAllanCounseling.com

7 Ways to Combat Work Stress

Even if you've discovered your dream job, you're not immune from work stress from time to time, simply because everything in life doesn't always go perfectly according to plan.

Whether you're battling work stress every day or just once in awhile, there are some effective techniques you can use to relieve it. Learning healthy ways to release your stress and even how to prevent a stressful reaction in the first place are critical to your health, success, and peace of mind.

Here are some strategies to combat work stress:

1.      Practice effective communication. If co-workers are causing you stress, ask yourself, "Why?" There's a good chance that the two of you aren't really communicating.

• Put yourself in their shoes to better understand their point of view.
  
  
• Listen to their needs and see if they can be met. If you can satisfy their requirements, a source of conflict is removed and so is the stress associated with it.
  
  
• Also, if you can better communicate your own needs, others are more likely to agree with your requests.

2.      Think positively. When things turn sour, you may be tempted to fall into a negative pattern of thinking. It's easy to say that you hate your job, but are you doing anything to improve the situation? If you adopt a positive attitude, it'll be easier to maintain the drive you need to overcome problems at work.

• It's quite possible that everything at work is not as bad as you think! If you focus on the things that are going right, it'll bring you more patience, less stress, and increase your overall job satisfaction.

3.      Take care of yourself. If you're really dedicated to your job, you may begin to lose yourself in it. No wonder you're under a great deal of stress! You may feel as if your job has become your whole life. In these instances, it's best to take a step back and focus on taking care of yourself.

• Take regular breaks and enjoy something that's not work-related when you're not working.
  
  
• Avoid working overtime or taking work home with you. On rare occasions, it may cause you less stress to stay and finish a project, rather than be late in completing it. However, it might also help you to work on strengthening your time management skills if this occurs frequently.
  
  
• Take care of your body by exercising, eating nutritious foods, and getting enough sleep. While that sounds so simple, how often do we rush around on 4 hours of sleep, coffee, and a donut all day long?

4.      Accept that everyone's human, including you. The drive to be perfect is an automatic stress inducer! Everyone makes mistakes - you, your co-workers, and your clients.

• Trust that other people will get the job done right. You and your team can still produce quality work, even with an occasional mistake. If you remain flexible, you'll be less likely to feel stress.

5.      Understand other points of view. When you know where someone is coming from, you'll be better able to understand the situation without all the stress. For example, if you can understand your manager's expectations, you can take action to meet them, or you can communicate your own more realistic expectations.

6.      Get organized. Organization can be a key factor for job stress relief. If your workplace is disorganized, it can also cause disorganization in your mind. Your thoughts may become scattered and you'll be less likely to think on your feet effectively, causing even more stress.

7.      Take responsibility. If you take responsibility for your actions, you can also reduce stress. When you keep yourself accountable, you'll be focused on constant self-improvement without the lies, blame, or cover-ups.

Reducing stress at work can take a little practice, but the results are well worth the effort. Follow these work stress strategies daily and soon you'll find less and less situations to feel stressful about.

For more career ideas, sign up to listen to the FREE teleseminar (in the right column).

Laura Allan, MA, LMHC, CPC LinkedIn
Live. Learn. Grow

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206-999-1192

www.LauraAllanCounseling.com
Laura@LauraAllanCounseling.com

How to Handle Difficult Co-Workers

Do you love your job…except that one difficult person you have to work with?  There may be times when that relationship causes you so much grief that you’d be willing to give up the job you love – except when you have to work with this person.  Take heart!  Many work relationships can be vastly improved with just a little willingness to address the problem directly.

All of us have had times where there is a particular co-worker who just rubs us wrong, or is difficult to get along with.  Here are some simple steps you can take to make things better not only for you, but possibly for the person with whom you have a conflict.

First of all, take a look at yourself, and your role in the conflict.  Are there things you can do that will shift the interactions?  If so, try making some small changes and see what happens.  For instance, maybe you have a co-worker that drops by your desk uninvited to chat on a regular basis.  Instead of just grinning and bearing it, try saying something like “Hi Diane, it’s nice to see you.  I’m right in the middle of something now. Can I get back to you later?”  Of course you don’t have to ever get back to Diane.  After a while, she should get the message and stop popping by.

If this first approach isn’t applicable, or doesn’t work, the next step is to have a private conversation with the person.  Begin by complimenting the person on some aspect of the behavior that is bothering you.  You might tell Diane that how much you appreciate that she helps everyone in the office stay connected.  Then explain to them how their behavior is impacting your ability to do your job.  Start with the phrase, “you’re probably not aware” before stating the problem.  This lets the person save face and not feel that they are doing something wrong or inappropriate.

Continuing with our example, let’s say Diane continues to come by every day for a little chat.  The next time she drops by, tell her that you have something you’d like to discuss with her, and ask her if she has a minute.  Then find a private setting such as a conference room and say, “I appreciate how you help to keep everyone in the office connected, that’s a really important skill.  You’re probably not aware of this, but my job has gotten really busy and stressful. When you come by for a chat each day it’s hard for me to focus on the conversation because I’m getting stressed out about all the work that is waiting for me while we’re chatting. “

Next, suggest your solution to the problem.  With Diane you might say, “Let’s schedule time to meet for coffee or lunch to catch up.  That way I will make room for it in my schedule and I can give our conversation the attention it deserves.”  If Diane continues to drop by uninvited, remind her of the conversation and how busy you are, and ask her to send you a meeting request for coffee or lunch.

The last resort should be appealing to your supervisor.  Many of us feel uncomfortable with conflict, so we want someone else to handle it for us.  Unfortunately, once you bring in a third party, and one with some authority and power, your co-worker will probably view that as a threatening situation.  That will make it much more difficult for you to work together easily.

Of course there are times when involving your supervisor is appropriate, but the majority of these difficult co-worker situations can be resolved directly with the person involved.  So get your courage up and address whatever situation is making your work day less enjoyable than it might be.

For more career ideas, sign up to listen to the FREE teleseminar (in the right column).

Laura Allan, MA, LMHC, CPC LinkedIn
Live. Learn. Grow

Laura Allan Career Coaching: Facebook Twitter

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206-999-1192

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Laura@LauraAllanCounseling.com

How to Ask Your Employer About Working from Home

Do you love your job, but hate the commute or the workplace setting?  Maybe you feel that you’re more productive when you have uninterrupted time to focus on your tasks.  If any of this is true, you may want to think about asking your employer if you can work from home.  Even if you’re skeptical that your boss will agree, you have nothing to lose by asking.

Before approaching your supervisor about working from home, it is important to have a plan and a proposal with the benefits to the company of you working from home.  First, make sure that you could perform all your job duties just as well from a remote location.  If there are parts of your job that are better done in the office – for example attending certain meetings in person - you might propose working from home part of the time, and spending the rest of the week in the office as you currently do. 

Secondly, you will want to make sure that you will be able to access all technology you typically use in the office.  Although this is not a comprehensive list and will vary depending on your job, you will likely need to have a business phone, copier, fax, printer, a computer, and high speed internet.  Will you want your employer to provide this equipment, or are you willing and able to provide it yourself?

Last, but not least, think about what your work-from-home experience will really be like for you. You will want to consider the following questions:

·         Are able to stay focused and stay on task without direct supervision? 

·         What will it be like to lose the social interaction of being in an office daily? 

·         What will you do to prevent feeling isolated? 

·         What difficulties may be created by not physically being present in the office, and how will you resolve them?

Once you have given this some thought, put together a written proposal.  You will want to include:

·         What you are proposing (i.e. every day at home, come in to the office for important meetings, etc.)

·         How it will benefit the company

·         How you will deal with technical needs

·         Answers to any objections you anticipate

·         Questions you still need answers to (like who pays for equipment)

Schedule time with your manager, and bring two copies of your proposal with you so that s/he also has a written copy.  Present your proposal, and then ask for feedback.  Find out if there are any outstanding questions your boss would need answered before making a decision and either answer them right then, or commit to when you will have an answer for your supervisor. 

Finally, do not expect an immediate response from your boss.  If you get one – a positive one – great!  If you get an immediate “no,” ask what your manager would need to see from you to reconsider.  If your supervisor needs time to think it over, schedule a follow-up meeting for one week later.

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Laura Allan, MA, LMHC, CPC LinkedIn
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