The Weekly Blurb

Job Satisfaction for Those around You In research recently printed in an article published by the Association for Psychological Science and popping up all over the internet, psychologists have found that the success of any organization is largely dependent on the happiness of its employees. Well, duh. Think about it: if you are not happy, are you going to perform at your best in the workplace? Not likely. So far The Weekly Blurb has focused mainly on you and your job satisfaction. T... More...

Attitude Makes a Huge Difference   Evaluated Feelings + Beliefs + Behaviors = Attitude   I’m facing the chicken or the egg dilemma.  Which comes first: positive attitude towards the job, or job satisfaction?  If I get up for work with an attitude that this is going to be a yucky day: construction noise is going to be loud again, problems are going to crop up so that I can’t work on long-term projects, the view out the window... More...

Balance between home and work life   In the shower this morning I was mentally reviewing all that I needed to do today at work.  While walking to work, the only exercise I get, I was mentally composing a document that I had left half-finished on my desk the night before.  I missed enjoying the morning, with all of its sights, sounds and smells, because I was already wrapped up in what I had to get done at work.   If you’re like me, you need to... More...

Job Satisfaction for You   Are you happy in your workplace?  You may be spending up to one third of your time at work, so if you are experiencing limited job satisfaction, it affects a good portion of your life.  There is academic research that links job satisfaction with personality types, with economic factors, and a variety of other factors.  But job satisfaction is individual – what makes you happy in the work place can be very different fro... More...

Firing Employees: The Last Resort! Fired.  Terminated.  Let go.  No matter how you say it, the concept of losing one’s job is incredibly frustrating, depressing, and life changing.  There could also be some legal complexity with the ending of employment, which is why a lot of employers think long and hard about going through the process.  But if an employee’s performance has been continuously unsatisfactory, despite numerous discussions, or even illegal... More...

Hiring Employees: Advertising, Interviewing and Training   Hiring employees can be a daunting task, both if you get a lot of applications, and if you get very few to none at all.  There are entire books on the topic, so there’s no way I can cover everything here, but I’ll give you some basics, and then list some titles on the subject.   Advertising To get qualified people to do the job you want them to do requires that your job ad be fairly ... More...

Job descriptions A job description should be more than a list of tasks that you perform on a daily basis.  It should also encompass skills and competencies.  Can you send and open attachments in email?  Can you do basic computer trouble shooting, such as replugging in a computer, a keyboard or a mouse when some mischievous child thinks it’s fun to unplug them all during storytime.  Are you diplomatic?  A problem solver?  Outgoing?  While the first t... More...