Signs Your Job is in Danger

Often there are clear signs that your career is in danger well before the ax falls.

Correctly reading the signs, however, is only half the battle.

Many people make the situation worse by sticking their head in the sand and hoping a problem will resolve itself. Most often it won’t. Whether you are afraid of what may be coming, or you simply aren’t sure what to do, inaction is not the answer. Instead, recognize the problem and address it before the situation is irreparable.

For example, say you’ve had a good relationship with your boss. Suddenly, though, he or she interacts with you less often, or stops giving you information you should have. This is the type of problem you should address early in order to minimize damage.

Most people are willing to discuss a situation if you take the initiative. Ask to meet with your boss. Raise the subject politely, without making any demands or showing anger.

Tell your boss: “There seems to be some strain on our relationship. Am I imagining this, or is there something I’ve done to create a problem?” If your boss is unwilling to discuss the matter, there may be a greater issue, such as whether you’d be better off working for someone else.

Another sign of trouble is when your co-workers begin to avoid you. It could be because your reputation has been damaged by gossip, or perhaps others sense that your star is falling and don’t want to be associated with you. If the problem is gossip, try to get to the source of the talk and correct it.

Sometimes the source of a problem may not lie with your boss, but with a co-worker or your boss’s boss. For example, you aren’t invited to planning meetings that you should be involved in, or confidential information no longer comes your way. Go to the meeting planner or the information source and try to work your way back in.

If your company is developing a new product, go to the project’s key people and casually ask, “What is this I hear about a new product?” See what information is divulged. If you are stonewalled, or you can’t work your way back into the circle, it’s time to speak with your boss again.

Talking about a situation will not always resolve it. You have to be realistic – if the situation is unmendable or beyond your control, recognize that it’s time to move on. This is a hard thing to accept, but denial will only make the problem worse.

photo by Internets_Dairy

Job Sharing Helps Work/Life Balance

Job sharing and part-time employment can help you divide your time between work and family, educational or entrepreneurial goals. It may be a challenge to sell this concept to your company, but some organizations are open to the idea. Consider the following scenarios on who is appropriate for it and some strategies on how to convince your company that it will work.

Working Parents: New parents, or parents who wish to spend more time with their children, may want more time at home but are unwilling to give up all of their income. If you’re in this situation, try to find a co-worker who is willing to split the workload and hours with you. Formulate a plan that includes a complete schedule of your proposed arrangement before you open discussions with your boss. Stress how you and your co-worker will communicate to ensure a smooth work flow for fellow employees or customers and to prevent duplication of work.

Professionals returning to school: In this competitive market, some professionals hope to gain job security and advancement by earning a master’s degree or Ph.D. Some find it easier to cut back on work hours and attend school full time. Present the idea based on the long-term benefit of your degree to the company.

People not yet ready for retirement: Some people nearing retirement age are willing to cut back, but they don’t want to give up their present position. You may be able to sell the arrangement as a financial advantage to your employer because the company can save money of benefits and salary if you work part time. Your boss may agree that your years of experience are too valuable to lose. Stress your role as a mentor to less experienced co-workers.

Professionals launching a business: Job sharing offers a practical solution for professionals who want to start their own business part time with their company’s knowledge. You still have a secure income while your entrepreneurial venture gets off the ground, and the company maintains a dedicated employee. Some entrepreneurs even find that their company becomes their first client. Reassure your boss that you will not work on your outside venture on company time.

To sell job sharing to your boss, convince him or her that the quality of your work will not suffer. You must sell the company on the idea that it will benefit. Develop a complete plan that outlines specific terms such as hours, pay and benefits. Think about the pros and cons of the situation and role play answering questions. Present results-oriented goals that illustrate your commitment to the job, such as sales goals for the first three months of the new arrangement. Remember that you’ll face close scrutiny until the concept is comfortable to everyone.

photo by clairity

A $2 Million Affair?

David Letterman's been getting a lot of news coverage lately. The talk show host was being blackmailed for having an affair with an employee on his show, and he came clean about being unfaithful to his wife on national television.



While you may never face the cameras for an indiscretion, you would be smart to think very carefully about love in the workplace. Here's an edition of AT WORK from February with tips on workplace relationships and sexual harassment.

Love in the Workplace

Adapting to a Corporate Culture

Corporations are like people, they all have idiosyncrasies to which you must adapt if you want a successful relationship.

You don’t behave with your parents the same way you do with your friends. Similarly, what is acceptable in one corporation is taboo in another.

The corporate culture defines a business environment and makes it unique. To succeed, you must quickly learn the do’s and don’ts, which vary from company to company. For example, if you are aggressive at one office, you are considered a troublemaker. If you’re aggressive at another office, you are considered a strong manager.

Performance is the critical factor in moving your career forward, as it should be. But other considerations apply as well. Often, people who get ahead intuitively understand what is expected of their relationships, work habits and demeanor.

Here are a few examples:

Work habits. Standards of timeliness vary from company to company. Be sensitive about when your associates arrive for work and when they leave. Arriving at 9 am when everyone else arrives at 8:30 am gives the impression that you are on your own schedule – not the team’s.

It also can give the appearance that you are not working hard enough, even if you are still able to do the job. This relates not only to hourly employees, but to management as well.

Written communications. Every corporate culture has an accepted format for communicating, from internal memos to business development proposals. Again, disregarding the company’s style in favor of your own sends the signal that, in your mind, what’s good for you is more important than what’s good for the company.

Presentation. How you present yourself at work says more about you than just your appearance. Your choices telegraph what is more important to you – the company’s standards or your own. Maybe a man wants a moustache or beard in a company that frowns on facial hair. If he challenges the status quo, he sends the message that he is rejecting the corporate image.

The immediate issue is not whether the rules and guidelines are good; rather, it is whether you want to be regarded as a team player. Once you have established yourself as part of the team, you can come forward with new ideas and approaches. In fact, if you suppress your creativity, you deny the firm the opportunity to benefit from fresh insights and grow in new directions. The key is to choose the right manner and the right time in which to offer your input.

If you pit your own agenda against the company’s your reputation and career will suffer. Work within the corporate culture to simultaneously advance your own career and the company’s future.

photo by Ell Brown

Starting a New Job

We often associate fall with new beginnings, probably because the kids go back to school, and we shake off our slower summer routines. Whether you've taken a job at a new company or transferred to a new department, your work life can feel just as uneasy as a kid's first day at a new school. Here are some tips to help you cope.


Be an observer. Watch the players. Is the communication open or closed? Do they accept new ideas or are they fixed to the status quo? What are the rules – spoken or unspoken?

Learn the organizational structure. Taking the formal power structure at face value is a mistake. An admin may actually be a power-wielding gatekeeper for your supervisor. Her power to filter most communication to the department head may make her the second-most powerful person in the department. Be observant, and discretely learn the informal hierarchy.

Don’t sprint right out of the gate. A career is a marathon, not a dash. If you suggest changes too quickly – even if your ideas are good ones – you can alienate your co-workers and make it difficult to gain their support. Begin by making small suggestions to see how they are received before you make sweeping modifications.

Identify the change agents in the department. Size up the mind-set of the power brokers. You want to make suggestions to those who are most receptive to new ideas. Select your audience wisely. Remember that the real decision makers may not be the people with fancy titles.

Watch what you say, and to whom you say it. If the department is tight-knit, what you say to one employee may reach the entire group within one trip to the water cooler. Determine the real lines of communication.

Don’t force your way in. If the group is tight, establishing yourself will take time and patience. Be kind and friendly, and let the group come to you. If there is a clique, you need to decide whether you want to become a part of it. Sometimes you find opposing cliques and you are placed in the uncomfortable position of having to cast your lot with one or the other.

You can also follow on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook for additional content, including a short version of the work style assessment The Mulling Factor.

photo by House of Sims