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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article

Change a Career in a Successful Way (Step-by-Step)

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals ArticleIs the work challenging? Do you think your career decisions were great? Do you really like your career growth? All the answers lead to a negative feeling? If so, it is time to change all these things and think about next steps.

Your career should make you happy and offer you a work-life balance. It is sometimes better to forget about your current job. Maybe you need to start a new job, where you can use all your skills. Or it is possible to make your current position much better for your career growth?

There are several reasons for changing your career and some steps that will help you do it.

Signs That Your Career Needs to be Changed

Your dissatisfaction in a career may be a reason for problems with your mental health. To avoid them, you need to know when to start thinking about changing a career. And don’t get concerned over such changes. Stay confident and keep in mind that CV writing service reviews can help you choose the professional and reliable company to assist you with writing the application document to find the new job.

So, let’s observe which signs you should pay attention to.

Physical Signs

Is there an anxiety? Are you aging? Maybe there were some work-related injuries?

Maybe you feel good when you receive a paycheck. But the work environment doesn’t bring out the best of you? Talk to your boss. There should be some alternative options. Remember that high-stress environment cannot help you work well.

You also shouldn’t feel that your co-workers just take advantage of you. Fear of losing your job is abnormal too.

Mental Signs

Today a lot of people have mental health issues, most of which are related to stress. To avoid problems with your health, be attentive to these signs:

  • High anxiety;
  • Difficulties with concentration and sleeping;
  • The tension in the neck;
  • You feel depressed.

If these tips can characterize you, maybe it is time to think about changing something.

Why Can a Career Change be Good for You?

A career change may become a reason for reviving the excitement for your work. It may fulfill your lifelong dream. So, it is time for a career change, if:

  • You work in a negative workplace. Just change a workplace and don’t be discouraged.
  • Your boss is a difficult person. Maybe it is time to talk to your boss? In most cases, communication is the greatest decision.
  • You feel lost about what you always do. Don’t fear the idea of working on a completely new project. This may make you feel that life is passing by you. Fear of the unknown shouldn’t prevent you from your career growth.

Common Mistakes

When you make a career change, try to avoid things that can negatively influence the result:

  • A desire to get a higher salary. This is not the tip that shows that you are in a wrong career. Remember that a position with a higher salary may be completely not what you expect.
  • Overnight decisions. Don’t make such quick decisions in this situation. When you are stressed or just disappointed you can’t think clearly. The biggest problem, in this case, is that positive tips are overlooked.
  • Promotion. In most cases, promotion takes a lot of time. That is why don’t think that there are no results. It may take years. So, this is not the reason to change your current place of work.
  • You are bored. Remember that repeated job is always boring. In this case, you may change your desk or communicate with co-workers. This may be enough to forget that you are bored with the job.

But before you will make a final decision think about these questions:

  • Can you imagine working in a new department?
  • Can you work well with people? What is a real problem at work?
  • How much time have you devoted to your career to get any result?

Making a Change for a Successful Career

If you are ready for changes, follow these tips:

  1. Write a career plan. Think carefully about the courses you need to take and other things to do to complete the goal.hat
  2. Weight your options. You may use your diplomas and gained degrees in different roles. But think which role will be able to make your happy.
  3. Think about your pros and cons. Be honest. Your weaknesses and strengths may have a real impact on your job.
  4. Find a mentor. This person can tell you a lot about the position you want to get. Ask this person what career tools you need to have.
  5. Volunteer first. Take on volunteer opportunities. This will help you to understand whether you really want to get the position.

Remember that you need to spend some time to move towards a new career. To reach this goal you need to avoid common mistakes. Also, remember about signs that will show that it is the right time for changes. Think about the steps of changing carefully to get the wanted result.

StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article

4 Strategies for Dealing with Workplace Stress

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals ArticleMost people have experienced work-related stress at least once in their lifetime. Even if you love what you do, you can inevitably feel a bit of pressure to either meet a deadline or complete a challenging task. On the one hand, a certain amount of stress can be useful because it can keep you alert and help you complete that job with a higher determination. On the other hand, being exposed to prolonged stress can eventually take a toll on your health.

While it is impossible to avoid stress at all times, one can still figure out a few ways of dealing with stress. Before doing that, you need to learn what the factors that cause stress are. Low salaries, excessive workloads or work that isn’t challenging are just a few of them. If you’re willing to make a change in your work life, here are a few strategies.

Establish Boundaries

Due to the fact that people spend most of their time at work, they somehow feel the need to remain connected to their work-related problems even when they are at home. If stress is taking over your personal life and it is affecting your relationships, you might want to establish some boundaries. For example, not checking your emails in the evening or not answering the phone while you’re with your family can be a good start. Although it might be difficult to leave stress behind, you should somehow separate your personal and professional life in order to diminish the amount of stress that you’re dealing with.

Take Time to Recharge

Taking time to recharge is without a doubt the most efficient way of dealing with workplace stress. No matter what kind of job you have to perform, breaks are essential. If you want to avoid the risk of injury or even a burnout, taking time to recharge is that you need to do. Disconnecting from time to time allows you to allocate time for yourself, time that you can spend focusing on your well-being. However, if you’ve already been injured due to repetitive strain, you could contact The Compensation Experts. Keep in mind that your health is a lot more important than anything else and you should not be afraid to speak up when something bad happens.

Learn How to Relax

At times, it can be difficult to take a whole day off and focus on your well-being. That is why you need to learn some equally effective practices that don’t take long to complete, but that have great results. Meditation, mindfulness or deep breathing exercises are very useful for everyone who is dealing with work-related stress. Being able to concentrate on a single task without distraction will change your life.

Talk to Your Supervisor

Your supervisor should know exactly what to do when an employee is complaining about work-related stress. They should know that healthy employees are more likely to be a lot more productive, so their main focus should be on their worker’s health. Write a list of your stressors and have an open conversation with your supervisor. This will help you create an effective plan for managing your stress, which will improve your performance.

Workplace stress is a serious problem that should not be treated as a regular occurrence. Check out these tips for some guidance, and if they are not helpful, you might want to consider a career change.

Effective Handling of Employee Personal Problems is Critical to Maintaining Workforce Efficiency

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As a leader and manager, it is quite likely at some point during your career that you will encounter employees with personal problems. Employers must be concerned about the stress levels of their work force as it can have a damaging impact on employee productivity. Personal problems can hinder the job performance of employees who are traditionally productive causing them to under-perform. In addition, it can also have a negative impact on co-workers who become distracted or influenced by the personal issues introduced into the workforce. But with empathy and careful planning, successful managers and leaders can minimize the impact of personal problems in the workplace to ensure that your work force remains efficient and that normal productivity is restored as quickly as possible.

[wcm_restrict]It is a commonly held belief that personal problems of employees must remain out of the work place. But that would be in a perfect world. New managers often carry a naive belief that the personal issues of employees are irrelevant to their performance on the job and something that can be ignored. Managers who believe that employee problems can be kept outside of the workplace also tend to believe that employees are robots and that they can all be treated exactly the same with the pure focus on getting the job done. Ideally, all personal problems would be left behind before heading through the office door but experienced managers know that this is simply not the case. According to the U.S. Labor Department, between ten to twenty percent of employees possess personal problems that reduce productivity by as much as twenty five percent. The fact is people are not robots or machines and while we might like to believe that personal life has no influence on a person’s work, it actually does.

Get the Best from Employees by Addressing Personal Problems

It could be as simple as new parents that are sleep deprived due to the crying of their newly born infant. When problems are present, minds wander and employees don’t give their best work. This is particularly evident if an employee is suffering from emotional or physical pain which can prevent them from functioning at peak performance. As managers, our primary function is to get the best from our employees. It is also a function of managers to ensure that employees are happy and motivated so that they contribute positively on a long term basis to the organization. But in order to do that effectively, managers will sometimes have to get to know their employees as individuals in order to assist them through some of life’s obstacles that are impairing their ability to do their best at work.

When an employee is consumed by a personal problem and they are spending more time dealing with the problem than performing their job, it can often be appropriate to offer time off work. The key is to understand the nature of the problem and to ensure that the employee realizes how their personal issues are having a negative impact on their relationships and performance at work.

Here are some recommendations for assisting your employees through their personal problems:

  • Listen: In addition to this being key to you understanding the nature of the problem, it can also make all the difference to the employee by lending a sympathetic ear combined with some words of encouragement.
  • Recommend Resources: While it may be tempting to give personal advice and to take charge of the problem, this is seldom an effective course of action. Depending on the nature of the problem, it is always wise to direct employees to professional counselors, friends, or family. If you have experienced a similar problem, you can also share your own story but always ensure that the focus remains on the employee.
  • Accommodate Short-Term Needs: You may need to be flexible in order to make temporary accommodations to help the employee through a time of need. But it is important to ensure that the employee is aware that such changes are only temporary. Work together to select a time frame that is fair to reassess the situation.
  • Be Flexible: One of the easiest accommodations depending on the nature of the work place might be a leave of absence or an adjustment to working hours, scheduling, or location. Try to offer alternatives that can help to meet the needs of the employee until the problem is resolved.
  • Consider Reassignments When Possible: This is a much larger accommodation but it may be necessary under certain circumstances. The key is to find a role or job that is better suited for the present state of mind of the employee. For example, if an employee is constantly travelling, you might consider assigning them to a desk job until life stabilizes.
  • Define Short-Term Accommodation: It is absolutely critical that the employee is clear that any flexibility or accommodation that is extended is on a short term basis only until the problem can be resolved. However, if it seems that the accommodations are to continue on a long term basis, the employee should be made aware that it may result in a change of job title or reduction in pay. It should not be communicated as a threat but simply that the company needs the employee to perform at the same level as previously provided for the long term.
  • Keep Communication Open: Be sure to check in with your employee on an on-going basis to ensure that steps are being taken to resolve the problem. Be sure to check on their well-being and to provide positive encouragement and reinforcement as the process continues.
  • Refocus Employee Upon Resolution: When the employee has successfully worked through their problem, be sure to congratulate them and then assist them to get back on track in their previous role. You want to ensure they are on the right path to success and advancement.

Warning Signs an Employee is Struggling

As a manager, you should be aware of the warning signs that indicate one of your employees may be facing a personal problem. These can include tardiness, absenteeism, emotional outbursts, or outward stress and anxiety among many others. The signs observed can also offer insight into the depth and severity of the problem. One personal issue that is becoming increasingly prevalent in the workplace is substance abuse. Substance dependency often appears initially in the workplace as performance or attendance issues. Supporting an employee who is struggling with substance abuse can be a huge challenge for any employer. While substance abuse is not a new phenomenon in society, employers still face challenges when it comes to determining how best to support an employee with this issue particularly with regard to locating assistance and providing accommodation. Carefully recommending accessing the employee assistance program to receive any available benefits through group health plans is a good way to assist employees dealing with deeper problems like substance abuse, depression, or family crises. It will be up to the employee to contact the employee assistance program counselors who can help them locate the professional resources that are best suited to their problem.

Managers must view employees as individuals each with their own personal strengths and challenges. It would be naïve to think that a company could enjoy an employee’s strengths without encountering any challenges or weaknesses on occasion. In general, the personal life of your employees is none of your business. However, it is impossible to keep work and personal lives completely independent of one another. Therefore, you will need to be able to effectively assist employees through personal problems in order to ensure that team productivity does not decrease and that human resources remain focused in order to achieve business objectives. Being tuned in and caring about your employees will always make you a more effective manager and help to increase productivity.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember]

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About the Author

Julie Bowen is a freelance writer and full-time mom. After graduating college, she put a lot of effort into her career as a businesswoman with several successful enterprises, but when motherhood came along, she decided it was time to pull back and take up her other passion, writing. Now she writes about business and finance and finds her work-life balance far more enjoyable. When not working and caring for her children, she likes to go for long walks with her dogs, though she is considering using Rollerblades so they can pull her.

StrategyDriven Corporate Cultures Article

Corporate Cultures – How Stressful is Your Workplace Environment?

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How stressed is your workplaceStress in the workplace leads to significantly detrimental impacts on overall business results. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, workplace stress contributes to a number of adverse physical and performance consequences among affected employees including:[wcm_restrict plans=”60681, 25542, 25653″]

  • Headaches
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Short temper
  • Job dissatisfaction
  • Low morale

Studies1 show a number of factors lead to high employee stress including:

  • Task Design: heavy workload, infrequent breaks, long hours and shiftwork, routine and repetitive tasks with little apparent importance, assignments that do not utilize the worker’s skills and/or that offer the worker little control
  • Management Style: lack of worker participation in decision-making, poor organizational communications, and a lack of family-friendly policies
  • Interpersonal Relationships: low workplace interaction and lack of support from supervisors and coworkers
  • Work Roles: conflicting or uncertain job expectations, too much responsibility, too many collateral duties
  • Career Concerns: job insecurity, lack of opportunity for growth and advancement, frequent changes for which the employee is unprepared
  • Environmental Conditions: unpleasant or hazardous physical conditions including crowding, low lighting, high noise, air pollution, and/or ergonomic issues

So how stressful is your workplace environment?

Workplace stress factors often go unmeasured. Quantifying these, however, can provide executives and managers with significant insight into the pressures their employees feel and consequently provide tangible information on both the existence of stress factors as well as helping pin point opportunities to alleviate these conditions. Consider the following stress factors and possible performance measures:

Leading Indicators

Task Design

Management Style

  • Percent/Number of individuals involved in company identified strategic initiatives by level
  • Percent/Number of individuals involved in company, business unit, division, department business planning by level
  • Percent of individuals not receiving personalized corporate communications (e.g. visit/presentation by a corporate officer)

Interpersonal Relationships

  • Percent/Number of personnel participating in company sponsored family and team-building events
  • Frequency of company sponsored family and team-building events by company, business unit, division, department, or workgroup

Work Roles

Career Concerns

  • Percent/Number of individuals receiving company sponsored recognition by level
  • Percent/Number of individuals assigned to developmental opportunities by level
  • Percent/Number of individuals participating in the succession plan program by level
  • Percent/Number of individuals advanced/promoted by level

Environmental Conditions

  • Percent/Number of individuals working in low lighting/dark and windowless locations
  • Percent of the workforce receiving periodically recurring safety training
  • Employee density (number of workers per unit of space) by level and location
  • Percent/Number of individuals working in hazardous (noise, air, physical) locations
  • Percent of time individuals working in hazardous locations are exposed to a hazard

Lagging Indicators

  • Organizational productivity rates
  • Production error rates
  • Error-related production costs
  • Percent absenteeism
  • Average number of sick leave days taken
  • Average number of on-the-job injuries incurred
  • Health-related business costs
  • Attrition rates, particularly among top talent and key personnel

For additional workplace stressors related to diverse and inclusiveness of the organization see StrategyDriven articles, Diversity and Inclusion – What Does Your Environment Communicate? and Diversity and Inclusion Best Practice 2 – Performance Measurement.

While these performance measures provide insight to the stressors affecting an organizational unit or workgroup, they are not necessarily designed to reflect an individual employee’s stressor factors that may be very different from the norm. Consequently, executives and managers should identify two or three key stress factors particularly relevant to their organization and periodically review their application and impact to each individual for whom they are responsible. This information allows a leader to better assess and manage a subordinate’s workplace environment and should also be used as an input indicator to an employee’s attrition risk. (Also see StrategyDriven article, Talent Management Best Practice 4 – Know Your Artificial Employment Retainers.) Such data, when combined with that from the succession and workforce planning programs and other observable retention factors, can guide organization leaders’ choices in managing the organization’s critical talent assets.

References:

1. “Stress …at work,” National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, pp. 9[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember plans=”60681, 25542, 25653″]

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About the Author

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.