On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why Friction Among Teams is a Good Thing

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why Friction Among Teams is a Good Thing One of the biggest headaches for a manager is whenmembers of a team dont really like working together. This dislike can range from snotty comments muttered during meetings to outright confrontations among team members. A manager is put in the unenviable position of taking on the role of playground supervisor/negotiator/drill sergeant as he or she tries to get results from a team that needs to function as a cohesive unit. But could it be that friction among team members is a good thing and managers should learn to appreciate it? Recently astudyfrom the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and George Washington University of a large U.S. professional services firm found that men and women dont really like working together on teams. Individual workers reported they were more satisfied with their jobs when they were on teams filled mostly with those of their own gender. People are more comfortable around people who are like them,saysSara Fisher Ellison, a co-author at MIT. Interestingly, however, business results were shown to be much better when men and women worked together. Ellison explains that could be because teams filled with similar individuals socialize more and work less, andvarious perspectivesand skills may help teams function at a higher level. Researchers say that moving all female teams or all male teams to coed teams would boost revenue by 41%. Further, she suggests that companies may need to do more to help team members embrace differences instead of seeing them as a point of contention. Otherresearchhas found that instead of managers dreading some team conflict, they should learn to harness its power. [T]he mere presence of diversity you can see, such as a persons race or gender, actually cues a team in that theres likely to be differences of opinion. That cuing turns out to enhance the teams ability to handle conflict, because members expect it and are not surprised when it surfaces, says Margaret A. Neale, a management professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business who focuses on negotiation and team performance. A more homogeneous team, in contrast, (read the rest here)

Quit Already Marla Gottschalk

Quit Already Marla Gottschalk Ive met a lot of great people during my journey as a coach. The lions share of these individuals possessed great ability and solid credentials. Above all â€" I feel they possessed a sincere passion for their work.   But, there was only one glaring problem. Most of them held a really bad job. These roles may not have been bad for another individual. However, the match was undoubtedly the wrong one for them. This is usually the point where we would cross paths â€" a moment in their career when they were intensely unhappy at work. Sometimes this presented as an entire department or team. Either the group was grossly under-performing, secretly plotting their exit, or half of them had already walked out the door.   The jobs these individuals held had often led to feelings of anger, bewilderment, disappointment, stress â€" and in some cases, despair. No matter how far they had traveled in life, what institution they had attended, industry or personality â€" the stories are strikingly similar. Work just wasnt what it should be, or could be. It is highly unfortunate. As a coachâ€" this is the normal state of affairs. I rarely interview happy potential clients. I want that to stop. Now. Of course, the state of todays organizations plays a role in this dynamic. Certain elements of work life have evolved over time â€" and the social contract that once allowed us to count on longer-term employment, has been replaced by a quite a different scenario. The economy has made for some unusual job-person mismatches. However, we are right in the thick of it all. We contribute to the malaise, because we succumb and feel immobilized. Back in the 90s there was a long-running television sitcom called Murphy Brown. The name sake of the show, Ms. Brown (played brilliantly by Candace Bergen) was a high-flying, highly opinionated, hot-tempered news reporter â€" whose over-riding style was to kick butt and take names. She was beautiful, witty and well-spoken. However, Ms. Brown also had a penchant for burning through assistants (during the course of the series she had 93 of them). She was, by most standards, a really lousy boss. For most of us, this situation would have been impossible to navigate. She was completely impossible to work for, and this element was a running (and highly entertaining) sub-plot of the show. However, the really peculiar thing about all of this, was that even though her reputation preceded her â€" another assistant always appeared outside of her office on Monday morning. (On some level that bothered me. In the real world, Id like to think that we would have known better.) Inevitably, we dont always see the signs of a poor fit. When we do see things for what they are â€" were just not sure how to act. Then work life can develop into what someone aptly described to me, as a soul sucking experience. Each time I connect with a new client, I marvel at how great people have such negative experiences in the workplace. Ive not only come to the conclusion that there are a lot mismatches out there. I have also come to realize that we play a role in this dynamic. We dont craft the rules, but we insist on playing by the rules. I fear this can be quite dangerous. In many cases, even though we are suffering, we feel the need to seek permission to move on. Thats the role I often seem to play. I offer permission to be happy at work. But, we can offer that to ourselves. As they say, Youve had the power all along. It can be difficult to explain how these work life scenarios have evolved. We know that recruitment and selection arent perfect processes â€" this is a given. In many cases, we have a clue that things are not right. We may have been hopeful that we could master the situation, or that things would miraculously resolve. But in many cases, this doesnt happen. As a result, we remain stuck and unhappy. Many of us do not think it is even possible to claim a better work life. Id like to think we can change that dynamic. So lets at least try. Have you ever been stuck? What caused you to finally act? Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. She is the Director of Thought Leadership at Kilberry Leadership Advisors, Toronto.   She is also an Influencer at Linkedin.

4 ways to Fight Skilled Worker Shortage

4 ways to Fight Skilled Worker Shortage Taken at face value, there’s no shortage of people that you can employ. Headlines regularly bombard unsuspecting readers with statistics that suggest the UK is facing high unemployment rates and you would be forgiven for thinking that this means employers can very easily pick and chose who they recruit with very little effort. I’ve seen intelligent and respectable business owners writing off the unemployed as lazy when they’ve seen their vacancies for highly specialised roles unanswered for long periods of time, but the truth of the matter is that you might actually have a much smaller pool of people you can draw from than you might expect. The roles you are trying to fill may be more of a niche than you think and there has always been a shortage of skilled and experienced workers. Our modern climate is no real exception. Here are a few things that you can do to fight against the skilled worker shortage: 1. Give People the Chance to Prove Themselves There will be people out there that will be revolutionary at the job you’re advertising but you will be reluctant to give them a chance because they either lack the recommended qualifications for the role or more likely they lack that coveted five years of prior experience that you’re demanding. Speaking as someone who has been on the wrong side of the experience equation, there are people who would be more than capable of doing your advertised role, but you need to give them a break. There’s a risk that you’ll get someone incompetent or inappropriate, but essentially there’s the same risk when only accepting the most experienced candidates. You never really know what someone will be like until you give them a try for a week or two, so don’t be afraid of taking the occasional risk if you’re struggling. 2. Demand Less It’s tempting to demand a lot from your applicants. Requiring extensive prior experience and lots of qualifications tends to be a safer bet on paper, but many job listings end up with outrageous demands that are far in excess of what is actually needed. I was nearly put off applying for a very straight forward administration role several years ago that demanded an extensive knowledge of Microsoft Access, but the role only really needed you to be able to recognise the program’s icon on the desktop. If you are recruiting in a field where there might be a smaller talent pool, then downgrading some of the things on your list from requirements to “nice to haves” might yield a greater response. You might be surprised by what some people consider themselves to be not very good at when it comes to their skills and you might find yourself with an absolute genius that simply lacks confidence. Before you snap back with a declaration that you want people with confidence, just remember that confidence does not always equal competence. A few more humble employees might in actual fact be exactly what you need and high demands will attract an equal number of blaggards as it will ideal applicants. 3. Search in Similar Industries Think about asking for applicants in fields that are similar to yours and for people who might have transferable skills and may not even be looking for you in particular. Unless you have a big brand name behind your company, not many people will know you exist and there will be people appropriate for your vacant role working in industries that you don’t operate in that might be interested. In our modern age, people jump careers all the time and transfer from role to role on a regular basis. Some transitions might seem outrageous in principle, but the skills might be the same. It might also be that people simply want a change and have a completely justifiable skill set to do so. This almost goes back to the prior experience example â€" just because someone hasn’t had five plus years experience in your particular industry, it doesn’t mean they’ll be clueless morons driving your company into the ground. 4. Plan Ahead It pays to keep a very close eye on who is out there and employable at all times if you might struggle to fill any of your roles. I’ve heard rumours that a lot of companies that are recruiting at any one time don’t actually have any roles to fill and are just trying to find out who might be available at any one point, although this sounds suspiciously like a conspiracy theory passed around the frustrated and unemployed. You might not have the resources or budget to do anything as extravagant as this, but you can still keep an eye on the job market to see if similar roles to the ones you might need are coming up and being filled on a regular basis. Your staff can announce that they are leaving at any time. Although some roles might have a longer notice period than others, losing a key member of staff in a key area can be a nightmare if you’re unprepared. Conclusion Good employees can be hard to find, but there are plenty of smart adaptable people out there looking for work, either with jobs already or unattached to any other company. Maybe set your sights a little lower and have a little more faith in the talent pool, but whatever you do don’t give up hope â€" the ideal applicant for you does exist. David Hing is the blog editor of YOUR Insurance a broker specialising in public liability insurance for small businesses.

10 Tips to Help You Hit Your Deadlines - CareerMetis.com

10 Tips to Help You Hit Your Deadlines Hitting deadlines is an essential skill for anyone, no matter what their career is or what level they are at.Every job has deadlines, whether it’s delivering a pizza while it’s still piping hot or submitting a pitch in time to win your firm a big new client, and the personal consequences for failing to meet them can be equally damaging.However, there are some of us who really struggle with this crucial skill, and one reason put forward for this is the idea of the‘planning fallacy’, which is that we’re just fundamentally not set up to accurately predict how long a job will take.evalInstead of being realistic, we base our estimations on best case scenarios, ignoring the many things that can go wrong and cause delays. Then they happen, and our estimations are wrong and we miss the deadlines.There are techniques you can use to improve your ability to meet deadlines. One is to clarify exactly what is expected of you when you are given your brief, as this will prevent you wasting time doing the wrong thing and needing to start again with the deadline creeping ever closer.The next step is to make sure you have the right resources, information and equipment to get the job done before you start trying to do it.Then it’s a case of mapping out your priorities and working out the best order to complete the various tasks to get it done. A Critical Path Analysiscan be a useful tool for achieving this, and when it’s completed you can set yourself a series of mini deadlines, which gives you less time to procrastinate and you’re putting yourself under pressure to keep on delivering.In terms of structuring your working week, time management experts recommend trying to get the bulk of the work done early onwhen you are most focused and least stressed.When it’s time to get down to the work itself, you need to do everything you can to minimize or eliminate potential distractions, which includes dealing with colleagues who need to know when to leave us alone.All of these tips should help you get better at managing your time when working on an important project, and you can find more advice in this infographic from CashNetUSA.evalTry them out and you should start to see deadlines as achievable goals rather than disasters waiting to happen.Infographic Credit â€" Cashnetusa.com

BT FINANCIAL Wealth Building for Women - Jane Jackson Career

BT FINANCIAL Wealth Building for Women - Jane Jackson Career Original article featured in BT Financial Group . Interview by Carmarlena Murdaca.Although the principles of wealth building apply to both men and women, there are circumstances where women, in particular, can be left vulnerable as they navigate the gender pay gap,1  the super gap and the gaping hole in their earnings, while taking time out to care for their children.We’ve put together some financial tips to help women get ahead, come what may.1. How to: negotiate a pay riseNew research conducted by the Harvard Business Review found that women do, in fact, ‘ask’ for pay rises as much as men do, however, they’re far less likely to ‘get’ them. The study also suggests that while men are successful in negotiating a pay rise 20% of the time, women were only successful 15% of the time (despite both genders concern about damaging their relationships in the workplace).Despite the above, Jane Jackson, Career Management Coach and author of Navigating Career Crossroads, says women n eed to foster a win-win attitude when asking for a pay rise. “Women often allow a self-limiting belief to hold them back, whereas men may brazen themselves through difficult conversations, by being direct,” says Jane. “It’s important to be factual about what you bring to the table and not talk yourself down before reaching the negotiation stage.”Jane believes, there are a number of ways to negotiate a pay rise with your boss. “Be prepared â€" make sure you know exactly what you want and how you are going to justify the raise. Also, go with a win-win attitude; it’s a discussion about the value you bring to the organisation. You need to provide a valuable solution to their problems, by giving examples using Problem â€" Action â€" Result methodology.”Be prepared â€" make sure you know exactly what you want and how you are going to justify the raiseOnce you’ve negotiated your pay rise, how to save the cash comes down to a number of factors. “Decisions as to where to direct savings, will have different results depending on a number of factors,” says WBT Adviser, Diana Saad. “These include life stage, if there is a requirement to access funds instantaneously , individual tax position, investment risk profile (including psychological and financial tolerance to investment risk), short/medium and long-term goals and objectives, as well as various other factors that could be relevant to that particular individual.”Diana believes you should use your pay rise toinvest. “Think about how to utilise this extra disposable income for your long-term financial success”, Diana adds. “You’re not always going to have that extra money to set aside through your different life stages. You might be unemployed for a bit, you might have to stay home if you have kids. If you move out, you’ll have to pay rent, or, pay off a home loan.“It is also important to bear in mind that investment markets go through cycles with ups and downs, and therefore you ne ed to be prepared to invest for the long-term and ride the waves offluctuating returns that come with investing.”2. How to: save during maternity leaveWhilehaving a babyis one of life’s most rewarding moments, the financial pressure of maternity leave can be stressful for some. According to Diana, it’s important to prepare or review your expense budget, so you have a clear map of expected cash flow. “A good idea is to group your fixed expenses like your home loan and utilities as these are your monthly non negotiables,” Diana says. “Then you can make smart decisions around which areas of discretionary spending you value most.”While the costs are significant, Diana believes there are ways to alter your finances in line with the additional expenses that come with kids. “It could be cutting down on impulse purchases and wasted food, or taking advantage of government benefits such as the Child Care Subsidy,” Diana adds.Making the most of government assistance is an imp ortant one, especially if you decide not to return to work after maternity leave. Benefits change from time to time but may include:Family Tax Benefit Part A and Part B: you may be eligible if you have a dependent child or secondary child under 20 not receiving a pension, payment, or benefit such as Youth Allowance, and you also provide care for the child for at least 35% of the time. You must also meet an income test.2Child Care Subsidy: income tested and subject to eligibility criteria. To work out how much Child Care Subsidy you and your family are eligible for, the government looks at your family’s income, the hourly rate cap based on the type of approved child care you use and your child’s age and the hours of activity you and your partner do.33.How to: manage financial equity in marriageFinancial equity in marriage is essential.   It’s rare for couples to enter a financial relationship with the same amount of savings, income or debt, so while inequalities are natural, it ’s important to get on top of them. “I suggest putting together a budget that both partners can agree on,” says Diana. “If possible, it’s a good idea to make room for discretionary spending for each person â€" that way the budget doesn’t feel too stringent and the couple is more likely to stick to it. Thats a key method for wealth building.4. How to: build wealth through super contributionsWhen it comes to super, Diana believes it’s important to start with the basics and consider consolidating your super funds if you have multiple.“I’ve had young couples with three, four or even five funds, paying multiple fees that erode small balances,” Diana says. “Before you do this, however, make sure you consider what default insurance cover you have inside your super funds (especially if you have pre-existing medical conditions and therefore could be challenged to secure cover elsewhere). At the same time, you could be over insured by unnecessarily doubling up on insuran ces (and insurance premiums) if you have the same types of covers across multiple super funds. You should also check that your employer is paying your 9.5% Super Guarantee (SG) every quarter, especially for employees of small businesses. If the company liquidates, you could be left short on your entitlements which will affect your financial situation in life.”Relying on your employer’s 9.5% Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contributions alone, may not provide sufficient funds for you to achieve your retirement goals. Taking active steps to also boost your super throughextra super contributions, could mean a better quality lifestyle in retirement. Keep in mind, there may also be tax benefits to take advantage of.A tax-effective way of making additional before-tax contributions to your super is through salary sacrificing for wealth building. Contributions can be made from your pre-tax salary, rather than receiving cash in hand (which is known as “concessional contributions”). As these contributions are taxed at a low rate in most cases, this strategy could help boost retirement savings and be a useful tax-effective investment strategy.  Superannuation contributions can also be made from after-tax money (which is known as “non-concessional contributions”). This is different from salary sacrificing, which happens before your income is taxed. With the Government’s super co-contribution scheme, by making a non-concessional contribution into your super, you may receive a benefit from the Government based on any after-tax contributions you make to your superannuation fund, if you meet the eligibility criteria.Keep in mind that super contributions are subject to limits, and money moved into super generally can’t be accessed until retirement, so best to speak to your adviser for further information.1Australias Gender Pay Gap Statistics.”Australian Government Workplace Gender Equality Agency,www.wgea.gov.au/data/fact-sheets/australias-gender-pay-gap-stat istics2 “FTB Part B Eligibility.”Centrelink Australian Government Department of Human Services,www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/family-tax-benefit/who-can-get-it/ftb-part-b-eligibility3 “Your Income Can Affect It.”Centrelink Australian Government Department of Human Services,www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/child-care-subsidy/how-much-you-can-get/your-income-can-affect-itWoman with her dogLadies, mind the gap â€" how the gender pay gap could affect your futureOn average there’s still a considerable gap between men and women when it comes to retirement investments.

How to Find the Best Resume Writing Services in Visakhapatnam

How to Find the Best Resume Writing Services in VisakhapatnamThere are many people who ask how they can select the best resume writing services in Visakhapatnam. You can refer to these services when you want to add something special about yourself and your qualification. The resume writing services in Visakhapatnam is for hire so that you can select the best one among them.First, you need to think whether you need the help of a professional to write your resume. You must decide on this before you get yourself an individual who will be responsible for it. When you hire a professional, you can ensure a lot of advantages. You need not worry about the work style of the individual, because you can choose from the many professional resume writing services in Visakhapatnam.Many people who seek employment do not have much knowledge about resumes. When you do not have any idea about what to put, you need to avoid looking for a person who can help you out in this area. Many individuals come in to the job search after their first stint in a job. So, the first thing that you must do is get yourself a resume. This way, you can know what to put in it and also where you need to place your information.Now, you need to find the best possible service that you can rely on. You need to know that you can always contact the companies who offer such resume writing services in Visakhapatnam.These companies need to ensure that you get hired as soon as possible. If you are searching for an individual who can do the job for you, you need to know that you will have to pay him/her for their services. In fact, they are not earning anything, and as a matter of fact, they are the ones who are providing you with the services.When you contact them, you need to make sure that you are able to tell them exactly what you need from them. There are certain things that you need to find out from them as well. This way, you can get a perfect deal for you.The resume writing services in Visakhapatnam can m ake the job easier for you. Therefore, it is best to check them out before you hire an individual for this job. This way, you can get the most suitable resume writer at a very cheap price.With the help of the professional resume writing services in Visakhapatnam, you can be assured of a better chance of getting hired. You can save some money on hiring an individual. Therefore, you need to check out the services of a person who offers them for you.

Benefits of Writing a Good Resume

Benefits of Writing a Good ResumeThere are many benefits of writing a good resume. When you submit a resume to a company or the government, you will be asked for specific information. When you are asked for these things, you will want to provide as much information as possible to help out your chances of getting hired.Companies and employers are looking for employees that are honest and hard working. When a resume is not filled with useful information, they are not going to be able to find the person that they are looking for.Writing a resume is a great way to explain why you are a good fit for a company. When you provide as much information as possible to help your chances, you are sending a message that you are a great candidate. This is very important in a world where most people do not have the time to look through resumes all that much. It is important to make your message known so you get hired for what you are worth.A person should never put their resume on the wall in the off ice when it is waiting for a company to call them. This is because a company is going to read your resume and see if it fits with their organization. If you are looking for a job then this is a good place to start with a great resume. This will also help you in your job search.Fill out a resume that looks professional. Many times, a resume will not be filled out properly because it was done by someone who does not know what they are doing. They are not putting the information in the proper manner and will show up as a bad candidate. Many people use a form in Microsoft Word and will not fill out the information properly.Employers want to be confident that a person is a good fit for the position. When you look at a resume and it is looking very amateur, it will not be very good. Employers also take a lot of pride in their own resumes and are not going to take the time to look at other resumes. To be honest, when you use this resume method, you are not going to get a call back for the job.When you look at a resume with a professional eye, you will be more likely to get a call back for a good resume. These types of resumes are what an employer is going to look at. This is the only resume that you will have the chance to see because employers will not have the chance to look at hundreds of resumes.