You can find additional info at the following links:
Click Here for more informationClick Here for more information
What is your attitude towards your work?
The position you take just might mean the difference between fulfillment and misery!
This is the sixth article in a ten-part series, based on Craig Nathanson's trademark "Ten P" model for vocational happiness.
By Craig Nathanson
The Vocational Coach™
What is your attitude towards your work?
This is not a trivial question. On a recent trip to teach and speak
in Russia I discovered that one's culture can influence one's position or
attitude about their work. For example, in Russia, the pairing of work and joy doesn't compute. The general feeling there is that one's work is something that must be done whether one likes it or not. In North America, while there is a growing trend to choose more carefully one's work, there still are remarkable similar attitudes about work.
Mid-life is the chance to re-adjust your position about your work
Mid-life is the perfect time to change or even recreate a new attitude about your work.
It's time to discard old non-useful ideas of the past and replace them with more useful ideas.
This is not easy
I should know. Now almost 4 years removed from corporate America, I have had many days and nights wondering what am I doing. Trading a six figure income managing other people in their jobs to now spending my days typing articles like this? Trying to give people new ideas how to discover and do what they love? Spending hour after hour in my private practice discussing with clients the same fears, concerns and yet eager anticipation that I had in recreating one's work life.
This isn't a real job I would think. What am I doing while all those OTHER people commute to their real jobs.
Work and Joy do fit together
Having an attitude about your work that you must not only enjoy but love what you do is not just reserved for the privileged in our society. Sure it may be harder to get started for some but just because we all have different starting lines doesn't mean we can't join the race to an authentic work life
Are you too comfortable in your job?
Up to age 40 or so, many of us have settled into a comfortable pattern about our work. We don't necessarily love it or even like it, but it pays the bills and helps build our egos.
Mid-life is a time of attitude adjustment
You can live a more authentic life by starting to change your position about your work.
Is what you do JUST a job to retire from? Or do you want to do activities each and every day which you love and never have to stop until you die?
The only people who retire are people who don't love what they do. Are you one of them?
You can live a more authentic life but the changes reside in you. If you don't change your position and direction of your work, then who will?
I am still waiting for the first Human resource benefits package to offer ''Authentic life'' with the 401K program and two weeks vacation but I am not holding my breath!
Will this be hard work??
Changing one's position or attitude about one's work will be the hardest thing you have ever done. You will have to defeat external attitudes about work. These attitudes will come from co-workers, bosses, spouses and mother-in laws. Second you may lack the self confidence to stand up for your new attitude.
It all starts with you
Can you think of someone who you have been around who has a great attitude about their work? How can you try on a similar attitude about your work?
Our beliefs about work may have to go
Many of us have beliefs about work which just don't fit us any longer but we hold on to them like an old familiar coat. Sometimes we forget its hard life we are living and not our fathers or our mother's or our wife or husband.
What can you do now? Ten steps to get started NOW!!
Expect to find happiness in your work if you are prepared to search for it
Delete old patterns of thoughts and attitudes which are no longer useful for your work
Don't expect anyone else to change your attitude for you
Do expect lots of resistance from others
Practice daily a new attitude about your work
Discard as quickly as possible negative thoughts about your work. Instead, change your work!
Take a new position that you will no longer settle for unfullfilling and work without meaning in your life
Create an inner awareness that the second half of your life can be authentic, happier and more satisfying
Smile and laugh more in mid-age! Negativity gets defeated this way
Expect to discover and do what you love!
Practice a daily consistent attitude which is the same in the morning and at night. You'll feel calmer about yourself as a result
More fruit on your cereal
Now over forty, You may have adopted a new diet, a new exercise schedule and maybe your relationships are improving and you might even be sleeping better. What possibly can be even better then this?
Well, recreating a new attitude or position about your work will be like adding fruit on your cereal in the morning. It will put a smile on your face and a bounce to your step.
In mid-life, this might just be what we need the most!
Craig Nathanson is the author of P Is For Perfect: Your Perfect Vocational Day and a coaching expert who works with people in mid-life. Craig's systematic approach, the trademark "Ten P" model, helps people break free and move toward the work they love. Visit Craig's online community at www.thevocationalcoach.com where you can sign for a class, private coaching, or group coaching. Or, you may read other stories of mid-life change and renewal.
Video Source: Youtube
Are you tired of working for somebody else? Does it bother you to watch someone else get richer off of your hard work? Do you yearn to be your own boss? Why not try to work from home online?
How Can You work from home Online you ask?
Work from home online jobs are abundant and range from simple, small jobs that allow for a modest residual income to jobs that can allow you to quit your day job and experience a freedom you never thought possible.
Starting to work from home online is not as difficult as you might think. First, you need to gather the correct materials. Obviously, you will need a computer in order to work from home online. In addition, you will need to get an Internet connection. A high-speed Internet connection is the best way to go if you plan to work form home online. This will save you a great deal of time and allow you to work more efficiently.
Since you will be spending a great deal of time connected to the Internet with your computer when you work from home online, you will also want to get plenty of software to protect your computer. For starters, you will need a virus protector such as PC-Cillan or McAffee or any number of their competitors. Without a virus protector, your computer is a sitting duck for being attacked by a virus. This is particularly true considering you will most likely correspond regularly with many people through email when you work from home online.
Another good investment is a spyware protector. Spyware is found on many websites and even on software purchased for your computer. Spyware was originally designed to help businesses gather information from computer users in order to better target their demographic market. Unfortunately, spyware is also used for negative purposes, such as for hacking into computer systems. Therefore, you will want to install spyware software when you start to work from home online.
What are Your Work from Home Online Options?
There are endless possibilities when it comes to work from home online. First, there are several different freelance opportunities, including translation, graphic design, photography, writing, data entry, online surveys, and transcription. All of these careers can be pursued and completed either entirely or in large part while working from home online.
Other work from home online options include completing surveys for cash and selling your own items on eBay without ever having to leave your house. Or, you can set up your own website and set up residual income through Google ads or through affiliate links.
Yet another option for working from home online is that of telecommuting. Telecommuting essentially consists of working at your regular job via computer and webcam instead of going into the office. Telecommuting offers some distinct advantages for both you and your employer. It is definitely worth looking into.
You can find additional info at the following links:
Click Here for more informationEveryone comes up against difficult people, demanding situations, and disappointing circumstances in every area of life; work, marriage, and friendship. We can't avoid it. But we can learn some few basic skills that can make working with them less stressful.
Dealing with difficult people takes some understanding on our part and a willingness to assume some risk as well.
It takes time to train difficult people that their difficult behavior may work with everyone else, but not with you. However, with a few basic strategies and easy-to -use principles, your effort will be rewarded with better relationships, a reputation that says you are not easily aroused.
Keep in mind the following points:
The difficult people behavior is habitual and affects most people with whom they come in contact. So "Do not take their behavior personally"
Anger is sometimes a valid response.
Recognize that a criticism of your work is not a criticism of you, so don't let it damage your self-esteem.
It is useless to ask the difficult person to stop doing what they're doing publicly, but you can employ more confrontational tactics.
Learn to take care of yourself as you don't want to get sucked into their behaviors.
You can't change difficult people, but you can learn to deal with them.
The idea in dealing with difficult people is to first look at your role in the situation and then to try the following strategies:
1) When discussing problems with difficult people, keep it short and direct. It minimizes a stressful situation for both of you. Don't argue with them as it's a waste of time. When you do speak, be sure your tone is non-emotional and non-confrontational.
2) Generally speaking, it is good to practice starting conversations that create goodwill. Ask people about the things they like - family, hobbies, TV programs and work in general. This is a very good idea to disarm them, get them talking and make them feel more comfortable.
If you are dealing with silent people who ignore you and seek safety by refusing to respond, then there should be another response. Silent people get away with not talking because most people are uncomfortable with silence. Get them to talk by asking open-ended questions that can't be answered with just a yes or no, then wait at least one full minute and don't try to fill the space with words to ease your own discomfort.
3) "Oftentimes, indirect language works because it focuses on the work rather than the person. Instead of saying, 'You need to get it to me,' you can say, "Reports must be prepared" That way, people are less likely to feel that they are under attack.
4) Learn to admit when you're wrong. Make apologies to all you have harmed. It can be as simple as saying "I'm sorry for what I've done", "I made a mistake", or "I could be wrong". The more you do this, the easier it becomes.
5) Confront problems professionally and with confidence. As a matter of fact, when you get into a tough point, don't raise your voice, as dealing with difficult people in a calm and permissive way will most likely keep the emotional level and force the person to listen to you.
6) Keep in mind that "how you communicate with others has much to do with how people respond to you". Difficult people are difficult because their desires are being met through their difficult behavior. Difficult people are often fully aware they are being difficult. They continue because there is a reward in the end result.
You have to analyze what you have been doing in the past that rewards or encourage the difficult person's behavior. Then, stop rewarding them.
7) Knowledge is power and it's to our advantage to develop and practice effective conflict management practices that facilitate discussion. Read related books, attend workshops, listen to tapes or CDs. Learn how to establish an immediate rapport through a smile or eye contact. Develop as many skills as you can. This way you gain credibility, and your efforts will soften those opposing you. Effective communication is critical.
8) Build your self-confidence. Self-confident people are not as concerned with what other people think about them. They will not instinctively let the difficult person have their way in hopes of being liked. Additionally, people with high self-esteem are less likely to respond to the difficult person by being a difficult person.
If the difficult person tries to verbally bully you, just say, "I don't allow people to treat me this way." Then slowly and calmly walk away. So be confident and look your bully in the eye. Don't forget to breathe (most people tend to forget to breathe when under stress). Speak in a calm and clear voice while asserting yourself by naming the behavior you don't like and state what is expected instead.
Sometimes you may find yourself forced to take unpredictable actions to get their attention: drop a book, stand up, firmly call them by name, and get them to sit down. Be ready for friendly overtures as soon as they view you as worthy of respect.
9) If you can't see the problem from the difficult person's point of view, ask them. While this may not work with some, it's usually a good idea in the case of closer relationships. The trick is, in arguments, you need to have patience with the other person, and self-restraint with yourself.
Some difficult people are experts at taking potshots and making sneak attacks in subtle indirect ways. Respond to those snipers with a question like "Are you're making fun of me?" Although a sniper usually replies to such question with denial, but it will reduce the chance for similar attacks in the future.
10) Remain open to other people's opinions, viewpoints, and ideas. Share yours, as well. Find something to appreciate and comment on in a clever way. Too often, we focus on what people are doing wrong. Try to catch them doing something right and comment on it. It makes people feel less under attack.
Dealing with difficult people takes persistence and practice, so don't get discouraged. Although these strategies won't change the difficult people, they will break their ability to interfere with your daily activities. "Most important, you'll feel more confident and you'll start to enjoy your life."
You are welcome to use my articles on your website WITH the 'Author's Resource Box' below included.
Eng. Muath Daraghmeh is the webmaster of the *Best Rated* Make Money from Home site: http://www.provenEbiz.com
Visit the site to discover a Step-by-step advice for starting your own Internet business in as little as 48 hours!
Author Blog: http://provenEbiz.blogspot.com
Video Source: Youtube
Of all the legal concepts that impact the lives of average people, the concept of at-will employment is without a doubt the most misunderstood. In every state except Montana, employees are subject to the at-will employment rule. You need to fully comprehend that rule to understand the risk you run when you work for someone.
Let's start with some basis contract priciples. A contract is formed when there has been an offer by one party, and an acceptance of the terms of that offer by another party. When you are employed by someone else, you are subject to an employment contract.
This is the first concept most people don't understand. If you ask someone if they have an employment contract, they will invariably say no. Every employee has an employment contract. The contract may not be in writing, but it exists nonetheless. The employer offers to pay a set amount for a given service, and the employee accepts. That is a contract. So, if you are working, first understand that you have a contract.
As with any contract, there are terms to your employment agreement, both express and implied. The employer said you would work eight to five, get an hour off for lunch, have a great dental plan, and would be paid $4,500 per month. Those are "express" terms - those terms that are actually stated in the written or oral contract.
The "implied" terms are those that are a natural part of the contract, even if you never discussed them. No contract can cover every possible contingency, so many of the terms must be implied under a reasonableness standard. In the context of your employment agreement, even though you never discussed them when you were hired, it would be safe to say that the implied terms of the contract include such items as you will not be required to do anything illegal, that you will show up to work wearing clothes, and your employer will not pay you with old Confederate dollars from the Civil War. Like any contract, you and your employer are bound by the terms of the contract, both express and implied.
So, one day you show up at work wearing a fish tie, and your boss fires you for dressing inappropriately. You are of course outraged, because you have received nothing but complements regarding your fish tie, and your employer never told you about any anti-fish tie policy. So you run to an attorney screaming "wrongful termination." But what makes the termination "wrongful?" There is no State or Federal law guaranteeing the right to wear aquatic ties. Assuming the wearing of such ties is not required by your religious beliefs, your only possible cause of action is for breach of the employment contract. Therefore, you and your attorney must first determine what are the terms of your contract regarding termination. So, right now, pull out a piece of paper and write down all the express and implied terms of your employment contract regarding termination.
Your paper is blank, isn't it? Of all the people that call my office, 95% cannot list any terms of the contract that would prevent the employer from terminating them on a whim. Oh, they will tell me what the contract should say, or what they assumed it said, but rewriting contracts after the fact doesn't get you very far. They will say, "aren't they required to at least write me up or warn me or suspend me or something before they can fire me?" Well of course, what was I thinking? It's the "Duty To Warn Employees" law, located right after the statute requiring police officers to give you at least three warnings before they write you a speeding ticket. No, there is no statute requiring employers to warn employees prior to terminating them. Indeed, the law is exactly the opposite.
Here is the simple rule, and it may challenge your fundamental understanding of employment. If there is no agreement to the contrary, an employer does not need any reason to fire you. You can be fired on the complete whim of your employer. This is called "at-will" employment. Just as you are free to leave a job whenever you please, the employer can fire you whenever he, she or it pleases.
When I explain this to people, I often get stunned silence. It is so contrary to what they believe, they are certain I must be mistaken. For the person's entire working life, they had proceeded under the assumption that so long as they showed up at work and did a good job, they could not be fired. Having been fired for what they consider a trivial reason, they assumed there would be recourse through the courts. And there I am, taking away that cherished belief.
Under California law, an employment agreement that is not for a specific period of time is deemed to be at-will. In other words, if you have a one-year contract, then your employer must have "good cause" to fire you during that year. Also, some people have agreements that specifically provide that they can only be terminated for cause. These are usually people that belong to unions, government employees, teachers and others. But the vast majority of people are at-will employees.
"So how can you ever sue for wrongful termination?", you ask. Because the law also states that while you can be fired for no reason, you cannot be fired for a reason that violates public policy. The most obvious example of this is discrimination. An employer cannot fire an employee because of his or her race, gender, age, nationality, et cetera. And there are many other public policies. An employee can't be fired for serving on jury duty, or voting, or for trying to form a union, or for taking a leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), or for filing a workers compensation claim. The list goes on and on.
Here are some real cases to illustrate the concept of at-will employment.
The Case of the Smoking Employee
Maria wanted to stop smoking, but smoking seemed to provide the only release from her hectic life. To anyone that gave her grief about her smoking, she would simply say, "I can smoke or use drugs, and as vices go, I guess I'd rather smoke." Maria worked in an office building where smoking was not permitted, so she could only smoke on her breaks and had to leave the building to do so. Most of her fellow smokers would congregate around the back door to smoke their cigarettes, but Maria preferred to sit in her car and listen to music on the car radio during her 15 minute breaks.
One day, as she had done dozens of times before, Maria was sitting in her car smoking a cigarette during a proper break. This time, however, the owner of the business happened to look out the window and saw Maria smoking in her car. For some crazy reason, and with no basis for jumping to such an absurd conclusion, the employer decided that Maria was smoking marijuana, and fired her the moment she returned from her break.
A clear case of "wrongful termination," correct? After all, Maria did absolutely nothing wrong, and there was no reason for the employer to fire her. That was what Maria and her attorneys thought, and at the subsequent trial, Maria proved beyond dispute that she had not been smoking marijuana, and therefore should not have been fired. The jury agreed and awarded her almost a year's worth of wages as damages. Good for Maria.
But that was not the final word. Although the jury found in her favor, the California Court of Appeal reversed the verdict, and she ended up with nothing. Why? Again, you must think in terms of the at-will rule. If an employer can fire you for no reason, then what difference does it make if the employer makes a mistake, or for that matter, simply makes up a reason? People have a real problem with this concept, because their logic is clouded by a concept of fairness. It seems horribly unfair that Maria was terminated for something she didn't do, but even if that is proven to be the case, the employer can just say, "so sorry we were wrong about that marijuana thing, but now you're fired because we don't like the way you comb your hair." The appeal court held that whether Maria was using marijuana or not was of no importance. Maria could be fired at the will of the employer, even if the reasons were based on a misunderstanding.
Nobody Likes a Snitch
Ron loved music, and could not believe his good fortune when he landed a job at a record company. It was an entry level job, but the "benefits" included meeting some of his favorite musicians, and even occasionally having lunch with them when they would take a break during a recording session.
To promote the company's music and artists, company employees in charge of promotion could simply sign out a hundred CDs or so and give them away to radio stations and record stores in order to promote new albums. Ron happened to notice that his supervisor was always helping himself to large quantities of CDs, but never seemed to use them for promotions. He soon found out why. It turned out that Ron's supervisor was making extra money by selling the promotional copies to record stores. Ron didn't know what to do. He did not want to report his supervisor, and for all he knew, this might be an unofficial perk. He eventually decided, however, that if this was illegal activity and he failed to report it, he would be viewed as an accomplice. So, without making a big deal of it, he mentioned to his supervisor's boss what was occurring.
It turned out that this practice was highly improper, and Ron's supervisor was immediately fired. And after thanking Ron for bringing this matter to the attention of the company, Ron was also fired. It was explained to Ron that while he had done the right thing, he had rendered himself unemployable. With his demonstrated lack of loyalty to his supervisor, no other supervisor would want to work with him. He was told that "nobody likes a snitch."
Ron cried "wrongful termination," and went in search of an attorney. Under the at-will rule, an employer can fire an employee for no reason, but not for a reason that violates public policy. For example, an employer cannot fire someone on the basis of race, because that would violate the public policy against discrimination. Similarly, there is a "whistle-blower" exception that holds that it is against public policy to fire an employee for reporting wrongdoing to a regulatory agency. If employees could be fired, for example, for reporting a safety violation, then employees would be far less likely to report such violations. So, Ron found an attorney that was willing to pursue his case under the whistle-blower exception to the at-will rule. Years later and after spending a large amount of money on court costs, Ron's case against the music company failed. Do you need to hear it again? Absent a contract to the contrary, the employer can fire you for any reason whatsoever, or for no reason at all. If the employer wants to fire you for ratting on your boss, that is perfectly legal. The court held that Ron's case did not fall within the whistle-blower exception. The whistle-blower exception is designed to keep employers from retaliating against employees that report illegal conduct. For example, if an aircraft mechanic knows that the company is lying to the FAA about repairs, we as a society want him to feel free to report that fact without fear that he will be terminated as a result. At one time the courts required that the employee be an actual whistle-blower. In other words, the case would be dismissed unless the employee could show that he was terminated only after he had reported the wrongful conduct to some regulatory agency. That rule has been modified somewhat, and now a case will survive if the employee can show that he was terminated because the company believed the employee was about to report the wrongful conduct. But in Ron's case, neither rule would provide him relief. The company was not doing anything illegal; the company was the victim. There is no public policy designed to encourage employees to report internal squabbles, so the termination was not a violation of public policy. The court held that Ron was not entitled to any protection for reporting a theft within the company.
The Freedom to Speak Your Mind
"It's a hobby. Some people like to play musical instruments or collect stamps; I like to write." That is how Sharon explained her passion for publishing her blog on the Internet. In the olden days (about five years ago) people were content to write their daily musings in a personal journal, seen by no one except close friends and trespassers. With the advent of the Internet, there has inexplicably come the desire to publish even the most mundane thoughts for all the world to see.
In Sharon's case, her weblog, commonly known as a "blog", was a daily report of her life, which included what was going on at work. It was not at all mean-spirited, but if she felt someone had acted unfairly at work, she might elect to report that fact in her blog. Even then, however, in order to avoid embarrassing the people she discussed, she never mentioned anyone by name.
It didn't take too long until word of her blog spread through her workplace, and it took even less time for one of her supervisors to take offense at something Sharon had written. When Sharon showed up for work the next day, she was fired on the spot.
"Now wait a second," you say, "that is a violation of her First Amendment right to free speech." An employer does not need a reason to fire an employee, but the reason cannot violate public policy. Surely this violates her right to free speech, the most fundamental and sacrosanct of all public policies in America. Not only that, but Sharon was fired for something she was doing on her own time. That can't possibly be legal, right?
We'll take them in turn. Since Sharon was just speaking her mind, was her termination a violation of her right to free speech? The First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech." Contrary to another popularly held misconception, the right to free speech only protects you from intrusion by the government, not by individuals or companies. The First Amendment does not prevent a private employer from limiting what you can say. Sorry Sharon, you have the absolute right to speak your mind, but your employer doesn't have to put up with it.
How about the fact that Sharon did this on her own time? Can an employer seek to control what an employee does on his or her own time? Most employees will scream, "what I do on my own time is my own business", but that is not true. To use an extreme example to illustrate the point, assume that an employer found out that one of its employees was burglarizing homes on the weekend. Few would argue that the employer is somehow required to keep a burglar on the payroll. (Some will cry "innocent until proven guilty", but again, only the government must treat you as innocent until proven guilty.) It is not in and of itself a violation of public policy to fire someone for what they do on their own time. The issue of whether an employer can dictate what an employee does on his own time recently made big news when a large company announced that it would terminate any employees that tested positive for tobacco use. In other words, smoke at work, smoke at home, smoke anywhere and you lose your job. The vast majority of water cooler lawyers opined that the courts would shoot this down as a complete infringement of personal privacy and freedom, but they were wrong.
Since an employer can fire you for any reason that does not violate public policy, that includes things you do off duty, including smoking, eating fatty foods or listening to Kenny G (which most people would consider just cause for termination in any event). The only time an employer cannot fire an employee for what he does on his own time is when such a limitation would itself create a violation of public policy. For example, terminating an employee because he voted on his own time is a violation of public policy because that would be an interference with the right to vote. There are also specific statutory protections for what you do on your own time. For instance, if you decide to contact other employees about forming a labor union, that is a protected activity and cannot result in your termination even though the employer may be opposed to formation of a union. However, absent a statute or a public policy, your employer can absolutely fire you for things you do on your own time. If your employer finds it strange that you collect salt and pepper shakers, the axe can fall. In Sharon's case, there was no protection for the musings in her blog. Posting negative comments about her employer was not deemed to be such a fundamental right that the termination violated public policy.
I know as people, especially attorneys, read these examples, they will recall a case they once read, or a story they were told, wherein people under similar circumstances did successfully sue for wrongful termination. Usually this is because while the cases sound similar, there was a crucial fact in one case that was not present in the other.
For example, I just told you the story of Sharon, and how she could do nothing about being fired for what she wrote in her blog about a supervisor. Nonetheless, I obtained a sizeable settlement for two women that were fired for what they said about a supervisor. The difference was, in the case of these two women the company was trying to evaluate the supervisor, and told the employees that they would not be fired if they said bad things about her. They said bad things about her, so she fired them. There is an equitable principle called promissory estoppel. It basically holds that if you make a promise to someone, knowing they will rely on that representation, you can be held to that promise. I successfully sued the company on the basis that the employees had relied on the "no termination" promise to their detriment, and had to be compensated. Don't be falsely encouraged by friends and family that are certain someone under the same circumstances recovered a bazillion dollars, unless you can be certain the facts were identical.
Now that you understand at-will employment, you can at least be aware of the level of job insecurity you face when you work for someone else. And in the event you are fired, you can better discuss with your attorney what public policy might have been violated by your termination.
Aaron Morris is a Partner with the law firm of Morris & Stone, LLP, located in Santa Ana, Orange County, California. He can be reached at (714) 954-0700, or amorris@toplawfirm.com. The practice areas of Morris & Stone include employment law (wrongful termination, sexual harassment, wage/overtime claims), business litigation (breach of contract, trade secret, partnership dissolution, unfair business practices, etc.), real estate and construction disputes, first amendment law, Internet law, discrimination claims, defamation suits, and legal malpractice.
Video Source: Youtube