Southamptonjobs

How many times have you seen a promotion elevate a persons sense of themselves far beyond what seems warranted? Or are you familiar with the individual who constantly finds fault with the efforts of others as an obvious device to showcase their own greatness? But greatness is not measured in being a big fish in a small pond. Greatness is being a big fish in a big pond, that pond being the entire world . Greatness is rare. Its unlikely youll find it in your organization.

The next time you leave the office, open your eyes. What youll see everywhere are products of great minds that have created the world we know. No one in your Accounting, HR or even Research and Development Departments are capable of such watershed events or inventions. Automobiles, airplanes, buildings, harnessed electricity, how do we view all this with swelled ego. Of course, you dont even need to leave the office. Sit at your desk, connected to the internet, and try to convince yourself youre great.

Why bother pointing this out? Arent we taught from the time were little that were special? I only do so because Ive seen too often how a misguided sense of greatness can make one hypercritical of others. How it bestows on a person the right to judge others. How it can create a distaste for imperfection?

If you need further proof of your own limitations, look beyond the inventions of mankind into the expanse of the sky. No, you arent great, but you just may approach greatness in your treatment of others. Help others do their jobs more effectively if necessary. Remove those silly notions of greatness from your self image, accept your own imperfections and those of others, and become a great person in the process.

In uncertain economic times, there a few things that will always remain constant. One of the constants, without question, is a person’s need to eat. Surprisingly, even fine dining establishments do well in both inclement and prosperous times, rarely feeling the crunch of economic uncertainty. This affects not only their availability for patrons, but for employees as well. From wait staff to hosts, expediters to managers, fine dining establishments keep quite a few people gainfully employed. Lately, however, they are encountering a problem of a different nature, namely, finding and keeping a head chef.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Job openings for chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers are expected to be plentiful through 2014″. While positions in well known eateries will always be competitive and highly coveted, there are several options available for those with the culinary know how to put together a menu that can define an establishment. Those who have graduated from culinary training schools are quickly learning that there are more choices than ever when it comes to where they wish to hone their skills. In fact, it’s not at all uncommon for recent culinary school graduates to receive job offers from restaurants they have never heard of prior to graduation, some of which may be located overseas.

Because there are so few culinary training institutes around the globe, restaurant owners and managers often find that the easiest way to find the right personnel is by going straight to the source. Local, regional or national advertising may yield a qualified candidate, but with competition for head chefs at at all time high, soliciting soon to be graduates can be a wise strategy. Considering how few experienced chefs there are who are not currently holding a position, it’s no wonder that demand is eclipsing supply and forcing restaurateurs to snatch up chefs as they are receiving their diplomas.

For the immediate future, job openings should be plentiful for those with the proper training. If the world’s penchant for palate pleasing fair continues unabated as it has since the invention of fire, this is one trend that is always likely to continue.

Jessica was just out of school when she began working as a secretary-trainee for a small company.
Howard, a software developer in his mid-20s had the same aspirations as Jessica — to a higher income and attain a certain degree of recognition in the software world.

As things would have it, both Jessica and Howard would encounter not the success they dreamed of, but the frustration of having their dream bubble burst right before their eyes. These aspiring professionals were stopped dead in their career tracks not because of some mistake but because of harassment in the workplace. Their fall from corporate grace was due to a combination of envy, jealousy, and a fair amount of backtalk from their detractors.

Jessica was caught in the middle of frequent changes in leadership and movement personnel in their division. Even with her efforts to suggest office innovations and other alternatives to make work efficient, Jessica still became the butt of sexist jokes. Her good standing with their one and only boss only made it worse. Her diligent work was always praised within the hearing range of the older employees as well as the new ones — a fact that only made her detractors try even harder to discredit her. Envy really poisons the working atmosphere.

While Jessica became a victim of nasty jokes and false rumors, Howard, for his part, became the office scapegoat. What did Howard do to deserve such treatment? He was confident and brilliant as a software developer with his only perceived weakness was his being the youngest person in the department. Jessica is in the middle of what she nows called the Boiler Room. At first, Howard tried to understand why most of his older colleagues were somewhat nasty. He thought that they might be seeking some relief from their personal stress but it started to bother him because their intimidation was becoming more frequent. The taunting and sarcasm eventually caused Howard to suffer anxiety panic attacks. Jessica and Howard are only two among thousands who experience harassment and other forms of bullying in the workplace. Anyone can be a target. Harassment often begins with unresolved conflicts between workmates that could even escalate into problems that would eventually require the attention of management.

Harassment at work is one of the most distracting situations that any worker or professional can face. Work, needless to say, is important not only as a means to have a livelihood. It is also crucial to one’s ego and craving for achievement.

Getting along with everybody is not the solution. It doesn’t mean you have to be a people pleaser and compromising your principles. Being warm and sincere can melt the cold atmosphere. But it is important to set standards for yourself. Treat others with respect and dignity, and most likely, you would be treated in the same manner. Appearances also matter, following a dress code or adapting a sensible attire gives an good impression.

Other ways to maintain your good professional standing and mutually beneficial relations with co-workers include:

lBe dependable and trustworthy.

lDo not be oversensitive. Not all criticisms should be considered harassment.

lSeek support from higher management when the pressure is too great and if you already feel resentment or despair.

Although, there is no 100% guarantee that workplace harassment can be stopped, you must still take the initiative to stop the maltreatment. If the bullying cannot be stopped by management, maybe it is time to consider the next option: switch jobs or find another job.

Life is too short to stay in a job that causes you misery. Nor it is the end of the world if you leave a company where you are no longer happy.

Conflicts In the Office: Tips For Getting Along With Your Co-Workers

Ever since I joined the company two years ago. I noticed that I wasn’t really that welcome in the department, at least, as far as some of my co-workers were concerned. There was a small group of women that was always at the top of the game. Then I came along. Excited and eager to prove myself, I actively participated in office meetings and made sure I shared my ideas and suggestions. My mistake! I blamed it on my inexperience. Welcome to the world of office politics! During meetings, rarely would they address me and ask for my thoughts. Whenever I make jokes to lighten up the mood, they would roll their eyes and ignore me. I admit, I do have a strong personality. Things became worse when my boss complimented me for doing a good job on a client presentation. Now, I feel like a ghost whenever I am around them because nobody seems to notice my presence. My boss told me to just ignore them but the situation has affected my morale and it is already causing me so much stress and anxiety.

If you happen to be in a room full of successful people, chances are, you’d notice that they all have a common denominator: They know how to get along with people. While you would notice that the people who are alone their cubicles or workstations, oblivious of the comings and goings around them, are the ones who can’t get along with others. This is a time-tested theory. Successful people are out having lunch with others. The ones you’ve never heard of, eats alone in the far corner of the cafeteria. That is the reality. When you fit in and get along with others, you can succeed and thrive in almost everything.

Whether you like it or not, interpersonal skills play a big role in the office. However, not all of us are aware or have the ability to get along with people at work. Here are some suggestions on how to get along with others:

Manage your pride. There is a possibility that you might be wrong. We all have had the experience of being criticized. Many of us initially respond by saying,Who do you think you are? I’m better than you! But if the criticism comes from more than one or two persons, then you must learn to accept that the comments about you might be justified. Maybe your actions or how you conduct yourself in the office needs to be adjusted or modified so that you can get along with others.

Realize that some of us have bad days. Your friends and co-workers have lives of their own. If one of them is in a bad mood, it’s not simply your fault, and its not your job to cheer that person up. Same as for customer who wouldn’t want to close the deal with you because of a hang-over. You simply have no control for situations like that.

Be understanding. strive to make friends among your colleagues. As the saying goes if you want to have friend, be a friend. It might sound old-fashioned, but it still works and is very applicable in the corporate world. If you want your colleagues to like you, be a friend to them. Be supportive. Offer your help once in a while.

Always look for the good in others that is the key. It’s no big secret. If you want to avoid conflicts don’t gossip. Even if you have brains and talent but poor in interpersonal skills, it won’t be fun working in the office when you are making enemies.