Category Archives: Job

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Bullying and the workplace…

And here we all thought this kind of crap ended in high school.  Apparently not.

There are individuals who seem to thrive off of intimating others.  This creates a hostile work environment and I for one have little patience for such piss poor attitudes.

I have seen so much unprofessional behavior through my years it astounds me these individuals have lasted as long as they have.  The best thing when placed in such a situation is to simply ignore the individual…be the better person and if such behaviors continues then it’s time to alert that employee if they don’t stop then you will take it up with their supervisor. Simply no place for immature ignorance. At the end of the day it isn’t that serious. There are more pressing matters to attend to…….

Taken from the Workplace Bullying Institute:

Workplace Bullying is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms:

  • Verbal abuse
  • Offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal) which are threatening, humiliating, or intimidating
  • Work interference — sabotage — which prevents work from getting done

Workplace Bullying…

 

  • Is driven by perpetrators’ need to control the targeted individual(s).
  • Is initiated by bullies who choose their targets, timing, location, and methods.
  • Escalates to involve others who side with the bully, either voluntarily or through coercion.
  • Undermines legitimate business interests when bullies’ personal agendas take precedence over work itself.
  • Is akin to domestic violence at work, where the abuser is on the payroll.

Read more about Bullying in comparison to Schoolyard Bullying, Workplace Violence and Incivility.

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There is no need to be a victim.  Stand up for yourself but do it in a way that it doesn’t jeopardize your job because then that bully wins.  Be tactful, keep your contact with this person short if you have to communicate and if they refuse to leave you alone then you should see your immediate supervisor.  Work is stressful enough without adding to the mix.

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Blaming others

Success is having the courage, determination, & the will. Failure is making excuses why you didn’t succeed & blaming others around you because you didn’t

How many people do you personally know who blame others for their failures.

Or…are you one of them?

Yes, sometimes it’s warranted to blame someone else for lack of trying but at the same time, if this becomes well, a habit then whose fault really is it? If there is a blaming pattern going on and you feel that the whole world owes you something well, guess what….no one owes you a thing.

It’s up to you to create your own niche in the world. That responsibility lands squarely on your own 2 shoulders.

I have seen people at work, in relationships who have done the blame game. Who think it’s everyone’s fault but their own when the relationship has gone sour or they didn’t get the promotion at work.

The article  How To Stop the Blame Game at the workplace:

Playing the blame game never works. A deep set of research shows that people who blame others for their mistakes lose status, learn less, and perform worse relative to those who own up to their mistakes. Research also shows that the same applies for organizations. Groups and organizations with a rampant culture of blame have a serious disadvantage when it comes to creativity, learning, innovation, and productive risk-taking.

The article points out the following which, I feel, can be used in relationship issues (as long as the person doesn’t always rely on the other to solve all of their problems:

are a few practical steps you can take:

  • Don’t blame others for your mistakes. The temptation is huge to point the finger elsewhere when you make a mistake. Resist it. Not only will you gain respect and loyalty from your followers, you’ll also help to prevent a culture of blame from emerging.
  • When you do blame, do so constructively.There are times when people’s mistakes really do need to be surfaced in public. In these cases, make sure to highlight that the goal is to learn from mistakes, not to publicly humiliate those who make them.
  • Set an example by confidently taking ownership for failures.Our findings showed that blame was contagious, but not among those who felt psychologically secure. So try to foster a chronic sense of inner security in order to reduce the chances that you’ll lash out at others.
  • Always focus on learning. Creating a culture where learning — rather than avoiding mistakes — is the top priority will help to ensure that people feel free talk about and learn from their errors.
  • Reward people for making mistakes. Some companies are actually starting to incentivize employees to make mistakes, so long as the mistakes can teach valuable lessons that lead to future innovation.
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Toastmasters

I have never been a fan of public speaking. Like many people it’s a phobia. I prefer one on one conversation however, if I wish to continue advancing this fear has to be conquored.  I thought about taking a public speaking class at the local community college but a good friend of mine suggested Toastmasters

According to their website when it comes to public speaking this organization [can give you]:

Confidence. The ability to communicate, persuade and lead. The skill to tell one’s story, shape better tomorrows and point others in the same direction. These are the attributes of leaders, and not all leaders are born with talent. They learn it, and so can you.

So, it seems joining is the best recourse for me. I need challange (thrive off of them) and because of my educational/career background it simply makes sense to join.

Am a person who believes in having a plan of action. Complaining gets you no where but more gray hairs. 

If you have a weakness, work on it. Don’t sit around stewing about the situation and nothing is being done. That’s when you simply become a  liability unto yourself and others. And who really wants to be that person?

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What does it take to be a good leader?

Growing up I was known as the family wallflower. No desire to be noticed and preferred books over people. (Still do on occasion)

 

I was not a natural born leader. (Shakes head)

I believe the turning point came while stationed at Fort Jackson when I was assigned as an assistant squad leader. The recruits looked up to me for guidance and sometimes even as a personal counselor. My confidence began to blossom and I enjoyed the new role. At 18 I was promoted to Specialist Four (E-4) and was thrust into another leadership role in charge of individuals who were much older (and trust me they didn’t like it) but this also taught me patience and learned to even respect myself for my own leadership capabilities.  Though I was scared I learned to keep myself focused and simply mentally placed one foot in front of the other so that I could methodically plan out how to handle any given task at hand and to deal with “being in the spotlight.”

Most people I knew thought I wouldn’t even survive basic because of my shyness and I was labeled as being “delicate”.

Of course I proved them wrong.

Being a leader takes much out of you in terms of patience, knowledge, and overall commitment to the task and the people assigned to you. There are times I don’t want to be in this role then I think what the alternative would be…would I have remained that shy little wallflower fading into the background if I didn’t take a chance on myself?

I work on a team with my agency and been a part of this type of environment since I was 17.  A team reminds me of the game of chess….all the pieces need to work together to achieve the ultimate goal of winning the game (or mission) and without a good King (well, for me Queen) :) we end up losing if we don’t try to cooperate in a collective manner.

A good leader (at least to me) is compassionate, cooperative and will take the time to motivate their team to accomplish whatever mission task is at hand.  If you are thrust into a leadership position don’t let it scare you….look inside of yourself and check out what your strengths are. Don’t discount what you are able to contribute to the team, your company….

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The American Work Ethic

Americans are known as hard workers and well, the stress level we endure because of it shows in our health care system.

I for one value my work ethic and expect people to maintain the same type of ideal. (Now this doesn’t mean not knowing to have fun).  I feel if you work hard there is nothing at all wrong with enjoying the fruits of one’s labor.  I just have an aversion to individuals who are highly irresponsible (fiscally and otherwise).

Since I was 12 years old (being the neighborhod babysitter) I have worked.  And now when retirement is about 20 years away I honestly wonder what kind of retirement I will have. Would I be content simply globe trotting the world or would I find another way of being useful? I have thought about this since God…when I was a kid..you’re talking to someone who had her life planned out since she was 15 years old. I knew I was going to join the Army and I knew the federal government was going to be my employer of choice. There was NO deviation from that.

More than likely volunteering somewhere will fulfill my sense of duty…and I do get bored easily.  I think allot of retirees feel unfulfilled at times once they no longer have to punch the time card.  They want a sense of purpose. Some find it in their grandchildren, others bury themselves in hobbies but me…I just want to keep busy.  I take after my dad like that. I feel bad that he could not enjoy his retirement as he so rightly deserved. Dad worked hard all of his life and I remember sometimes he would work 15 hour days at his job with Indland Container (I did a three month factory stint there and GOD was that hard work!)

One thing I wish dad could have had was an honest to goodness retirement instead of spending most of his years (last five) in and out of hospitals, doctor’s appointments, pills, you name it.  And finding my own little nirvana at 62 is what I plan to do.

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Steady work

emtmedic_nurse_different_657369_l.jpegOvertime has been offered for the next two weeks…good thing since my plates are due in May. In Missouri you also have to pay property taxes on your car every year…I don’t have to tell you how anal I think that is….

Today I have a ton of work to do….we are behind by 50,000 requests since more individuals are coming in for military records. 

“Just another day in paradise!“

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CELEBRATING 75 YEARS

On June 19, 2009, the National Archives will celebrate its 75th anniversary.  We plan to commemorate this anniversary throughout 2009 with a variety of special events and activities designed to appeal to many audiences, both internal and external.  All NARA employees, current and retired, will be invited to participate. A 75th Anniversary Planning Group, chartered last April, has developed recommendations for marking the anniversary.  These planned activities and events, most of which will be achieved with existing funding, include: -        A special publication-        Op-ed pieces by major writers-        Themed articles in the Staff Bulletin, Prologue, and the Archivist’s columns in external publications-        Staff picnics and/or family days -        Group staff photos-        A special “Big” exhibit in Washington, DC -        Presidential Library directors’ “Favorite Things” programs-        A presidential proclamation and a joint congressional resolution-        The creation of an ongoing scholarship program of  post-doctoral research grants to support serious academic research in our holdings-        Commemorative posters and Charters of Freedom reproductions-        Celebratory web pages

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My official race is “Other”

Had my picture taken today for the new NARA ID cards.

When asked about my race I said:  “Hispanic.”

There were listings for White, African American, Middle Eastern, Native American, and Asian however Hispanic did not make the list.

 WHY?

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“You must’ve been lickin’ at some gunpowder…”

What you learn at work sometimes.  A coworker informed me of this interesting tidbit when I got a little testy this morning,  but I don’t stay “testy” for long…not a trait I am good at.

My natural curiosity took over so I asked him where in the world did he learn this colorful colloquialism. So he proceeded to reminisce to:  “back in them good ol’ days” of how hunters used to sprinkle their dogs’ food with gunpowder to make them angry. 

I was like ?????????

Another co-worker on my team confirmed this. 

(Yes….just a brief glimpse into the life of a civil servant and what we do with your wonderful tax dollar$)

…..Anyway, I felt bad for those dogs. My coach suddenly chipped in that his drill instructor used to tell scream this to his recruits in the mornings… the DI’s wife would sprinkle gunpowder into some raw hamburger meat and he would “eat” it for breakfast to deal with his $%*& recruits.  (Yeah right) but man oh man!