What Your Workspace Says About You

What Your Workspace Says About You

by Larry Buhl, for Yahoo! HotJobs

If you spend a lot of time at a desk, personalizing the space makes sense--whether it's a private corner office or a shared cubicle. But just as your clothes and body language make an impression on others, your workspace gives coworkers and clients a distinct impression about you. Plants, books, artwork--even your name plaque--transmit clues about your efficiency, your sociability, and your competence, experts say. "Everything in your office sends a message, whether you want it to or not," says Lisa Marie Luccioni, an adjunct professor of communication at the University of Cincinnati.

So what might they be thinking when they see your space?

You'd rather be fishing (or skiing, or skydiving, or building birdhouses). Evidence: Pictures and artifacts from your hobby on every surface.

There's a delicate balance between sharing your interests and giving the impression that you're daydreaming all day about jumping out of planes or skiing, according to Barbara Pachter, business etiquette expert and the author of "New Rules at Work": "Pictures of your hobby are good conversation starters, but if you have too many of them, it makes people wonder whether you're really daydreaming about fly-fishing."

They can hang around. Evidence: A full candy dish, aspirin in the drawer, well-tended plants, pictures of children and babies.

"Things like an open door, candy, a comfortable guest chair, and photos of people--but not pictures of objects--signal an extroverted workspace that people will feel free to linger in," says Sam Gosling, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas.

They shouldn't hang around. Evidence: Flimsy guest chair, guest chair covered in files, or no guest chair. Your desk faces away from guests. Minimal or no decoration.

"Even if your office has photos or artwork, but they're images of things and not people, [people] can make an assumption you're more introverted and might not want them to linger," Gosling says.

You demand respect. Evidence: Multiple degrees on the wall, awards on the shelf, pictures of you and important people, magazines featuring articles about you. The plaque on your desk says your full name and title, and lists your advanced degrees.

"Name plaques form a strong impression. If it says just your first name, people assume you're friendly and approachable. If it has a formal title, they think you want to be respected for your rank," Luccioni says.

You've just been hired, you've just been fired, or you'd like to leave soon. Or you'd rather be temping. Evidence: Files in boxes, no decorations, no books, no plants, no pictures, and no name plaque.

They should avoid doing business with you. Evidence: Messy piles of papers on every surface. Half-eaten donuts atop teetering stacks of binders. Carpet stains.

Experts agree that a messy office can seriously damage your reputation as a conscientious person. "It's hard to function in a messy office, and people assume your office chaos will spill over to their project and their files will be lost in your mess," Pachter says.

Gosling pointed to research that shows people read much more than they should into a messy office. "People think that someone with a messy office is less agreeable, which may not be accurate. My guess is, people assume a mess is inconsiderate."

You don't take the whole "work thing" too seriously. Evidence: Humorous posters, ironic bumper stickers, whimsical images, and toys.

Conscious Decorating
Experts have several suggestions on making sure your workspace matches the image you want to project.

Err on the conservative side. Especially if clients visit you or if you're in a high-traffic area, you want to make sure people don't stop in their tracks to gawk at your collection of teddy bears or tiki torches.

Be careful with controversial items. "Consider the cost:reward ratio of putting up something like a political campaign poster," Luccioni says. "You might find kindred spirits, or you might offend people and get a first meeting off to a bad start." All experts say anything potentially racist, sexist, or homophobic, or otherwise disparaging of a group, is a no-no.

Check your employee handbook, or ask HR. Your company probably has some guidelines on decorating your work space. They might not even permit any decoration, which makes the issue moot.

Follow industry norms. Some industries demand a strict image of seriousness, while others are more laid-back. A poster with a funny or counterculture slogan would be more appropriate in the office of an advertising copywriter than the office a defense attorney.

Consider the physical arrangement. "A desk can act as a barrier and give formality, which is good for reviews but can be intimidating," Luccioni says. She adds that a small circular table allows everyone to meet on an equal basis. A power difference, if you want that, can be achieved by giving guests smaller, flimsier chairs.

And if you tend to make snap judgments about others' offices, try to look at the bigger picture, Gosling recommends.

"Any one item can have many different purposes. If someone has a plant, maybe they have a green thumb, maybe they're into feng shui, or maybe the plant was left over from the last person in that office. If you see someone with a super neat desk, how do you know whether they're truly neat, or whether they swept everything into a drawer before you stopped by?"

Job Info , Jobs , Career

What Your Workspace Says About You

What Your Workspace Says About You

by Larry Buhl, for Yahoo! HotJobs

If you spend a lot of time at a desk, personalizing the space makes sense--whether it's a private corner office or a shared cubicle. But just as your clothes and body language make an impression on others, your workspace gives coworkers and clients a distinct impression about you. Plants, books, artwork--even your name plaque--transmit clues about your efficiency, your sociability, and your competence, experts say. "Everything in your office sends a message, whether you want it to or not," says Lisa Marie Luccioni, an adjunct professor of communication at the University of Cincinnati.

So what might they be thinking when they see your space?

You'd rather be fishing (or skiing, or skydiving, or building birdhouses). Evidence: Pictures and artifacts from your hobby on every surface.

There's a delicate balance between sharing your interests and giving the impression that you're daydreaming all day about jumping out of planes or skiing, according to Barbara Pachter, business etiquette expert and the author of "New Rules at Work": "Pictures of your hobby are good conversation starters, but if you have too many of them, it makes people wonder whether you're really daydreaming about fly-fishing."

They can hang around. Evidence: A full candy dish, aspirin in the drawer, well-tended plants, pictures of children and babies.

"Things like an open door, candy, a comfortable guest chair, and photos of people--but not pictures of objects--signal an extroverted workspace that people will feel free to linger in," says Sam Gosling, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas.

They shouldn't hang around. Evidence: Flimsy guest chair, guest chair covered in files, or no guest chair. Your desk faces away from guests. Minimal or no decoration.

"Even if your office has photos or artwork, but they're images of things and not people, [people] can make an assumption you're more introverted and might not want them to linger," Gosling says.

You demand respect. Evidence: Multiple degrees on the wall, awards on the shelf, pictures of you and important people, magazines featuring articles about you. The plaque on your desk says your full name and title, and lists your advanced degrees.

"Name plaques form a strong impression. If it says just your first name, people assume you're friendly and approachable. If it has a formal title, they think you want to be respected for your rank," Luccioni says.

You've just been hired, you've just been fired, or you'd like to leave soon. Or you'd rather be temping. Evidence: Files in boxes, no decorations, no books, no plants, no pictures, and no name plaque.

They should avoid doing business with you. Evidence: Messy piles of papers on every surface. Half-eaten donuts atop teetering stacks of binders. Carpet stains.

Experts agree that a messy office can seriously damage your reputation as a conscientious person. "It's hard to function in a messy office, and people assume your office chaos will spill over to their project and their files will be lost in your mess," Pachter says.

Gosling pointed to research that shows people read much more than they should into a messy office. "People think that someone with a messy office is less agreeable, which may not be accurate. My guess is, people assume a mess is inconsiderate."

You don't take the whole "work thing" too seriously. Evidence: Humorous posters, ironic bumper stickers, whimsical images, and toys.

Conscious Decorating
Experts have several suggestions on making sure your workspace matches the image you want to project.

Err on the conservative side. Especially if clients visit you or if you're in a high-traffic area, you want to make sure people don't stop in their tracks to gawk at your collection of teddy bears or tiki torches.

Be careful with controversial items. "Consider the cost:reward ratio of putting up something like a political campaign poster," Luccioni says. "You might find kindred spirits, or you might offend people and get a first meeting off to a bad start." All experts say anything potentially racist, sexist, or homophobic, or otherwise disparaging of a group, is a no-no.

Check your employee handbook, or ask HR. Your company probably has some guidelines on decorating your work space. They might not even permit any decoration, which makes the issue moot.

Follow industry norms. Some industries demand a strict image of seriousness, while others are more laid-back. A poster with a funny or counterculture slogan would be more appropriate in the office of an advertising copywriter than the office a defense attorney.

Consider the physical arrangement. "A desk can act as a barrier and give formality, which is good for reviews but can be intimidating," Luccioni says. She adds that a small circular table allows everyone to meet on an equal basis. A power difference, if you want that, can be achieved by giving guests smaller, flimsier chairs.

And if you tend to make snap judgments about others' offices, try to look at the bigger picture, Gosling recommends.

"Any one item can have many different purposes. If someone has a plant, maybe they have a green thumb, maybe they're into feng shui, or maybe the plant was left over from the last person in that office. If you see someone with a super neat desk, how do you know whether they're truly neat, or whether they swept everything into a drawer before you stopped by?"

Job Info , Jobs , Career

Bullying & Manipulation At Work

You know the problem. All of us do. Many workplaces have at least one person who is aggressive, selfish, pushy, and seems to be concerned with getting his or her own way rather than doing the job, or helping the organization. Or perhaps you are more familiar with bullying that comes from members of the public. Whatever the source, bullying and self-centered behavior can be stressful, reduce productivity and create supervisory and management problems.

We are going to look at bullying and manipulation and look at how supervisors might address these problems in their workplaces.

What Are We Really Talking About?

Bullying is probably not the best word to describe self-centered behavior. That's because we associate bullying with a very aggressive stance where a sense of threat is involved - like the "schoolyard bully". If we use the word bullying, we may miss other, more "tricky" behavior that is less "in your face", but is as damaging or more damaging.

A better term is manipulative behavior. Manipulative behavior is designed to help the person using it get his or her way, OR exercise control OVER other people. It may be aggressive, but it may not be. For example, manipulative behavior may take the following forms:

whining

• trying to make others feel guilty
• the martyr approach (poor poor pitiful me)
• passive-aggressive behavior (that's being nasty but denying there is a problem)
• making fun of or inappropriate use of humor to demean others or their ideas
• malicious gossip

These are in addition to the more obvious bullying behaviors like:

• threatening
• yelling or raised voice
• physical intimidation

Whether we call these behaviors bullying or manipulative, one thing is held in common by both. Both involve a person trying to get their own way with no concern for the rights, needs, wants and desires of others around them.

The Game of Manipulation

To improve at dealing with manipulative behavior you need to understand what it's about. Manipulation and bullying are about two things. The first is about getting one's own way. The second is about control and power. Manipulators tend to use manipulative techniques even when they don't work because manipulation gives them a sense of importance, power and control. The manipulative person draws other people into the web, and gets to control conversations and discussions, becoming the center of attention. Manipulative people win by getting their own way, becoming the focus of attention or controlling others.

There's one other thing to keep in mind. Manipulative behavior is a part of being human. Probably most people use it some of the time, particularly the less aggressive forms. It doesn't just come from people with emotional problems. Of course some people use it as their main way of dealing with the world, and those are the situations we tend to notice. "Chronic manipulators" just manipulate more often than the rest of us.

So, What To Do?

Managers and supervisors have a responsibility to do their best to create a respectful workplace, as free of manipulation as possible. That isn't to say supervisors are the only ones responsible. Ultimately everyone can help. Let's look at some suggestions.

1) Policy Issues

Some forms of aggression in the workplace are illegal. The more subtle forms of manipulation that occur are often not illegal. It is important that YOUR work area have a policy (it can be formal, or informal) that identifies the kinds of behavior that are inappropriate and how people in the work unit should treat each other. Involve staff in your work unit in drafting a simple informal policy. A good starting point is for staff to answer the following question: "How should we treat each other in our workplace?" Then, define what the answer to that question means in terms of specific behavior and action (eg. No gossip, dealing with problems directly with an individual, no laying on guilt, no blaming).

Managers and supervisors have a responsibility to do their best to create a respectful workplace, as free of manipulation as possible. That isn't to say supervisors are the only ones responsible. Ultimately everyone can help. Let's look at some suggestions.1) Policy IssuesSome forms of aggression in the workplace are illegal. The more subtle forms of manipulation that occur are often not illegal. It is important that YOUR work area have a policy (it can be formal, or informal) that identifies the kinds of behavior that are inappropriate and how people in the work unit should treat each other. Involve staff in your work unit in drafting a simple informal policy. A good starting point is for staff to answer the following question: "How should we treat each other in our workplace?" Then, define what the answer to that question means in terms of specific behavior and action (eg. No gossip, dealing with problems directly with an individual, no laying on guilt, no blaming).

2) Abide By The Policy

Staff look to you for guidance. If YOU gossip or blame, your staff will gossip or blame. If YOU use guilt and indirect, "tricky" ways of communicating, so will your staff. Model what you want each and every day, no exceptions. Consider also that your position of authority (such as it is these days) is not reason enough to flaunt it or exercise it indiscriminately. The best use of authority and position is "rare use".

3) Managing Meeting Behavior

Staff meetings are important. Attempts to monopolize the floor, blame others, innuendo, aggressive behavior in meetings send a signal to employees that manipulative, controlling behavior is acceptable. You can get around this by using proper meeting management techniques, and having a chairperson who will interrupt if discussions go over the line. Having that informal policy in place allows this to work. The chairperson need not be you, but it must be someone who is able to jump in assertively if required.

4) Involvement in Disagreements

Managers and supervisors can be drawn into attempts to convince them to side with one person or another in a manipulative disagreement. If you are "in the middle", don't play this game. Focus on solving the problem or addressing the issue, not figuring out who is at fault (often it's everyone!). Keep in mind that you are not a professional counsellor or mediator. In some cases, particularly involving two difficult employees, the situation can be referred to people who specialize in mediation. Don't try to go beyond your training and abilities.

5) Helping Staff Develop Better Ways

Apart from your own positive influence, consider this. Many people who use manipulative techniques do so because they don't know any other way to deal with disagreement, or express themselves in constructive ways. Their difficult behavior may be a result of lacking skill.

In SOME cases, opportunity to attend training in assertiveness, or communication can be helpful. However, if an employee is forced to attend, the chances of change are minimal. Training in communication, conflict resolution and assertiveness works best when people attending recognize they are making their own lives difficult, and want to find better ways.

6) Incorporating "Respectful Behavior" in Performance Discussions

If you have a formal or informal policy in place, you can include or reference it in the expectations regarding work performance that should occur regularly as a result of performance management or communication about job performance. Some organizations will indicate to each employee individually, that they are responsible, not only for their "job tasks" but for ensuring they treat their co-workers with respect (or in accordance with the estalished guidelines or policies). This is helpful in two ways. It allows one-on-one discussion between you and each employee. It also allows the use of progressive discipline in cases where a person is persistently treating others poorly.

Conclusion

Manipulative behavior and its more extreme cousin, bullying, can seriously damage the productivity and effectiveness of everyone in your organization. If you are in the middle, it's no fun. The best approach is to prevent it from starting, and if it starts, to address it early.

While the subject is a complex one, if you work with staff to create clear understanding of acceptable and unacceptable behavior, act as a role-model for how people should treat each other in your work unit, and help staff develop alternate and better ways of interacting and communicating you will go a long way to reducing the time, stress and aggravation that results from one or more manipulative people in your workplace. (work911.com)

Job Info , Jobs , Career

Ten Ways To Bolster Your Career When Times Are Tough

Everyone is concerned about the economy these days. Many are out of work. If you are currently working here are 10 things you can be doing for your career to bolster your chances of working through rough times.

1. Skills Proficiency - Be sure to be up to date in your skills. When jobs are scarce companies can easily find new employees who have more advanced skills. Take classes, go to workshops, read and join professional associations to stay current.

2. Find Ways To Increase Your Value - Get cross trained so that you have the ability to do more than one job. Specialization is great when there are lots of employees. When companies are downsizing someone who can be used in a variety of positions becomes more valuable.

3. Network - Contact and help other people in your network. It's rough to call people in your network for the first time when you lose your job. Keeping your network alive and active will give you confidence that you could find something else if necessary.

4. Do Not Complain - No one likes a whiner! Yes it is difficult when times are unstable but it serves no purpose to complain about it. Happy people are nice to have around and less likely to get laid off. If you are whining all the time your manager may feel he/she is doing you a favor by laying you off!

5. Cut Costs - This is the time to stick to the budget. Better yet find ways to save. In difficult times the valued employee is the one who doesn't spend more than what was budgeted for. Better yet find ways to save and be a real hero.

6. Generate Revenue - Look for ways to bring in new revenue. Since resources are short, cost effective ways to generate new revenue are valued.

7. Be Visible - This is the time to be a star performer. It is probably not the best time to be away from the office too much. This is the time to be sure your reputation is for work that is high quality, done on time, on budget and without a lot of fuss.

8. Toot Your Own Horn - Let people know about your accomplishments. This is not the time to be modest. While you are networking you can also let others outside your company know about your successes. Publish your results. Speak before groups. Get expert status!

9. Take Initiative - Don't be the person who just does what he/she is told and no more. Look around to see what needs doing and volunteer to take on those critical tasks.

10. Be Prepared - Get your resume up to date, return the phone calls of head hunters and think about a second career. Nobody's job is totally safe so it is always best to have your network in tact, your resume ready, and an idea of where you might like to go. Confidence that no matter what happens you can deal with it, helps you to weather the recession and even thrive!

Most people get concerned when times are tough. In good times they relax and ignore some of these tips. The challenge for you is to make them habits so that even in good times you continue to do what is necessary to move your career forward. Need help? Hire a coach. Coaches help client to get rid of bad habits and beliefs. They make it easier for you to add new good habits to your daily routine. (www.floweradvisor.com)

By: Alvah Parker