Beyond 254

The Importance of the Golden Rule

September 29th marked my first six months at my new job. I have to admit that my new job has been a wonderful transition from the hell I experienced at my previous company. I am amazed at how feeling respected and appreciated can cause a major shift in your focus, direction and overall outlook.

The environment at my new company is very professional and respectful. People actually acknowledge each others presence, a concept that was obviously lost at my previous company. In addition, my co-workers also show each other appreciation, another concept that seems to be lost in today's corporate environment. Being in a positive environment has brought back the ambition and drive that I lost. I feel more energized and upbeat. People that know me well have even noticed a change in my demeanor. At my previous company, so many people felt demoralized that they hated coming to work and they also did not perform to the best of their ability. At my new place, I do not dread coming to work and I want to do well for the company, because they give me what everyone craves, respect. Companies, who give not just monetarily, but in other means, receive so much in return. If you look at top performing companies you notice their positive corporate culture and how well they value their employees. You can not create a world class organization with a dysfunctional corporate environment. My previous company is currently going through major problems, which does not surprise me due to the dysfunction I just mentioned. I remember during the employee meetings, they always mentioned that things were going good, but I knew better due to all the discontent among the employees. I always said to myself, they are hanging on by a thread and sure enough they were. So in life, when you treat people well, you will reap the benefits. I know the old golden rule sounds so cliche, treat others as you would like to be treated, but those words speak volumes. As I said earlier, just look at the top performing companies and you will see that this old adage is so true.

It will NOT be different

I was talking to a fellow co-worker the other day and she expressed her desire to leave and find a job at another company. She was asking about my contacts at my previous company and asked me why I left. I told her that the environment at the previous company I worked for was extremely political. She asked me, "more political than here?" I told her it was political, but in a different way. Then she said, I guess no matter where you go you will run into office politics. I told her, yes, every company I have worked for has some level of politics. You will not be able to escape it. It will not be different. Just to get one item approved at my current company, I need to get buy-in from at least five different people. People need to realize that politics will be prevalent at large corporations. No one will escape corporate politics by changing companies. So it does not matter where you work, it will never be different.  

Tip of the Day: People need to realize their own dreams and passions and pursue them instead of looking for greener pastures at other companies in Corporate America.

We are Human After All

Today I read an article on MSNBC.com titled Empathy Can go a Long Way at the Office. It talks about treating employees as human beings with respect instead of nameless, faceless numbers that affect the bottom line. Late last year, an Account Manager that I worked with from another company mentioned that she was being laid off. This announcement was made to her department before the Christmas holidays. I wrote a posting about it Layoffs before the Holidays?! I thought to myself, they could have at least waited until after the holidays. Now their memories of Christmas 2008 will be tarnished because a group of insensitive executives had a total disregard and disrespect for the lives of their employees and family members. These companies fail to realize that not only is the worker affected, but the people around them (family and friends) are also impacted. Yes, I agree that companies should show more empathy to their employees. Not only will morale improve, but productivity will increase. But most importantly, it is the humane thing to do.

Is High School Really Over?

Sorry I have been so behind on my blog postings. I am working on some new changes for Beyond254 that I will be unveiling within the next couple of months, so I have been really busy. But, I wanted to take time to comment on an article I just read today on a Wall Street Journal Blog called "The Juggle." The title of the article was Meritocracy or "Mean Girls." How Important is Office Popularity? The article really spoke volumes to me, because this explains the environment at my current workplace. As I was reading this article, it felt like I was reading about my company. Also, I read some of the readers' comments and it mirrors what I am going through. The gossiping,  jealousy, back-biting and back-stabbing is very common where I work. Also, swearing is commonplace. The management team in my department does not even try to hide the fact that they play favorites. I remember after working at my current company a few months, we had a team dinner with one of the clients we were working with. I do not drink, so naturally I did not order a drink with my dinner. After the dinner, I went to the restroom and a female manager followed me. While we were in the restroom, she questioned my choice of not drinking and then she said something that totally shocked me. She said, "You do not drink, how are you going to fit in with the group?" I was so stunned I could not even come back with one of my sarcastic one liners. I was literally speechless!

I really feel that high school is never over. It is amazing to me that some adults can be so immature and let pettiness cloud their judgment. I guess that is why starting my own company is so important to me, because I want to be free of these toxic environments. So, what are your thoughts? Does this sound like your office environment? Let me know, I would love to hear from you.

Tip of the day - To cope with my toxic environment, I have found a few good, like-minded people on my job that I interact with. Also, whenever I feel that someone is trying to pull me into a toxic conversation, I try to change the subject or find an excuse to walk away. Until you can escape, just bear with it, try out these tips and just know that one day you will be free of this environment.

Layoffs before the Holidays?!

Layoffs are bad enough, but laying off people before the holidays is in my opinion "cruel." As someone who has been laid off, I totally understand the emotions that follow the announcement that your position is being eliminated. The fear, embarrassment, anger, resentment and worry are all emotions I experienced. One of the clients that my company works with just laid off about 10% of its workforce. I work closely with one of the people on the lay off list. Their last day is the end of the month, but to get the news before the holidays is devastating. What I do not understand is why this company couldn't wait until after the holidays to make the announcement. Will it make that much of a difference if the announcement was now versus early January? It goes to show you how Corporate America treats its workers.

Tip of the day: For people who have been laid off recently, I have one main bit of advice, your attitude through this difficult time will make a huge difference. I made the mistake of feeling depressed, angry and upset when I was laid off 8 years ago. It took me over a year to find a job. I now know that if I had a more positive attitude, I would have found a job alot sooner. If you visualize negativity and rejection, that is what will be drawn to you. So, please remain positive during this time. I know that it is hard to say, but just remember that growth comes after a storm. Also, what goes down has to go back up.

For people who know someone that has been laid off, I want to say two things:

1. Offer only positive support. Do not go to them with the same gloom and doom that is in the media that will only increase their anxiety.

2. Lastly, there is a difference between being fired and being laid off. Being laid off is bad enough, but for people to keep using the terms fired and laid off interchangeably is rather irritating. Being laid off means the company screwed up and did not know how to manage properly, but the employee pays the price. Even good performers get laid off. I won awards at my previous company for my work and I was still laid off. Everytime I hear people say that someone, who was laid off, was fired, I cringe and correct them. So, people stop saying your friend or family member was fired, they were laid off, please get it right!

False enTITLEment

Sometimes when I watch people in Corporate America, I notice something different about some people who have titles. It seems like the bigger the title, the bigger the ego.

I notice that when certain people reach the level of manager, director or higher their ego inflates. They feel that their title enTITLEs them to act a certain way because of their position. It seems like some managers want to reign down their terror on their staff, creating a very hostile and unproductive environment. Other corporate leaders, feel that people need to adapt to their volatile mood swings. Have you ever been fearful to talk to some managers, because you do not know what kind of mood they are in? Management teams that promote an environment of fear, hostility, gossiping and backstabbing create a poisonous atmosphere for their organization. This type of poison flows through the corporation and creates employees who lack creativity, work ethic and ambition. These behaviors create low morale that can paralyze an organization. Sometimes you wonder why some companies are in a constant state of struggle and others seem to thrive and prosper. I think, in some cases, it all stems from how a company treats its employees. Companies that offer better pay, good benefits and most importantly a positive work environment will naturally attract the best and the brightest. The law of giving applies in this situation. The more companies give out to employees and their community, the more they will receive. They will attract the best people. Their employees will work hard and be more creative, which in turn will help the bottom line.

Of course, not everyone in a management position lets their ego get out of control. But for the other management teams, they need to learn to think of others and let go of their ego. I once heard Dr. Wayne Dyer say that EGO stands for "Edging God Out." In today's society, it looks like out of control egos are the standard and accepted in corporations across the country. Corporations need to understand that egos will hurt, instead of help their organizations. They need to address these egos immediately before they paralyze their environment and cripple their company.

The Human Pain of Downsizing

Last week, my company went through a round of lay offs. My manager told us, that our group was not affected. But, the pain I felt for the people that were laid off, really hit home for me. Since, I experienced a layoff; I know the pain, shock, humiliation and sense of failure that comes with it.

I personally knew a few of the people that were affected by the lay offs. After the announcement, I called one of my co-workers that were affected to offer my support. He sounded upbeat and already had a plan of action. But I wondered about the others, who probably did not take it so well. I remember when I was laid off, I was devastated. Not only did I lose my income, I lost a piece of my identity. A lay off also brings feelings of shame and humiliation. To me, the message that companies send to people who are laid off is, “You are not valuable and do not matter.” But these people do matter. These are human beings with families to support and bills to pay. When you lay off one employee, it does not affect that one employee, it affects their entire family. These people also have feelings and the stigma that goes with a layoff lasts for many years. What irritated me the most was the gossip and chatter surrounding the lay offs. I could hear some co-workers calling others to find out what the reactions were of the people who were let go. I even heard someone making fun of one of the laid off workers. I thought how cold, but I also thought one day it could be them, so they need to stop laughing. People, who have not gone through this, do not understand how a layoff shatters the lives of the people affected. Companies need to come up with better cost cutting solutions. Here is a thought, how about some of the higher level executives taking a big salary cut and eliminating the bonuses. Of course, the executives will not put themselves through hardship but they do not think twice about ruining someone else’s life. In my opinion, sometimes a company goes through hard times because upper management made poor decisions. So, the executives should bear the brunt of their bad decisions.

I know in these tough economic times, companies are watching their budgets, but I wish we could get more executives that think outside of the box and come up with more creative ways of cutting costs instead of destroying the lives of dedicated workers.

You Want Me To Do What?

How would you feel if your significant other strung you along for months about the status of your relationship? Then later on, decided that you were not the person for them and moved onto someone else. Lastly, to add insult to injury, they invite you to the engagement party to celebrate the upcoming marriage to the person they left you for. Well that situation happened to one of my friends on her job.

For months, her company told her and her co-workers that they were not sure about the status of their jobs because of contract negotiations with another company. First, they told them a decision would be made back around the late summer of 2007. Then they kept missing the deadline and finally gave them the word concerning their status on February 2008. So, they kept them hanging on for months to tell them that their jobs had been outsourced. Then as a slap in the face, they asked the people that were laid off to transition and train the people that are replacing them. I became unglued just listening to this crap. I felt bad for my friends, because after spending 13 years at this company, this is how they sent her out. This is how corporations treat their workers nowadays. They totally disrespect their employees and disregard their feelings and livelihood. Its one thing to get laid off, but to ask someone to attend a party in honor of the people taking your place is deplorable.

If Corporate America wants more out of their workers, they need to show their employees how valuable they are to the organization, by treating them like decent human beings instead of like yesterday’s news that gets discarded at whim. When employees win, everyone wins. Why can’t these moronic executives get that through their thick heads!