The Office Workout

Posted on December 7, 2011 by R. A. M.

Office worker stretching At first, this topic seems perhaps better suited for a health and fitness discussion, but nothing is more important to peak performance at work than a smart and effective office workout.

You have some options as you plan and execute your own fitness regime at work. If your company has its own gym, you can come in early, use your lunch break, or stay late to get in a full workout. If this option isn’t open to you, you really need to rely on your discipline and ingenuity to stay fit and alert throughout the day. You really should do this even if you can work out in a company gym.

Sitting pools your blood and leads to a number of uncomfortable developments that can also point to future health problems. To avoid sore legs, hips and swelling feet, cross your legs under your desk and vigorously stretch and twirl your feet around at the ankles. Do this 10 times in one direction, 10 times in the opposite direction, then switch legs. Every two hours or so, stand up away from your desk. Center yourself as you deeply breathe and exhale. Next, role your shoulders forward three times, then backwards three times. Repeat this at least three times. Then allow your chin to fall to your breast. Slowly extend your chin to the right, then to the left. Do this 10 times in each direction for a looser neck and shoulders. Finally, stand far back from your desk and lean forward, placing your palms against the desk’s edge. Stretch out your calf muscles.

Ah! Doesn’t that feel better? Do these exercises throughout the day at two-hour intervals. You’ll feel better and work more successfully if you do.

Photo © Robert Kneschke – Fotolia.com

Break Etiquette

Posted on October 14, 2011 by R. A. M.

break time How do you act on your breaks? Are you garrulous? Are you a break ringleader? Are you one of the employees who is always talking about your family, your vacation, your hobbies? Do you get into talking about others at work when they’re not on break with you?

If this sounds like you, well, don’t be too hard on yourself. A lot of people on break sound like this. Of course, a lot of people on break are also sleepwalking, unconsciously shooting themselves in the foot while they take fifteen in the break room or huddled around the water cooler.

Like everywhere else at work, people are in a spotlight whether they know it or not. There is a mindful way to be on break, and it behooves you to learn that etiquette.

Begin by holding back—not unnaturally, just appropriately. Don’t talk too much, and don’t talk too loud. Don’t offer too much information. Don’t act like a master poker player, but just be calm and centered. Be a good listener, a really good listener. Make eye contact with people who are sharing, and listen like you really are interested. Don’t keep looking away, like you’ve got someplace better to be. That annoys people. Turn the break experience into an opportunity for you to win people over. Be kind, considerate, and curious. Compliment people on their work, their appearance and activities. Be a good friend, just not a confidante or intimate friend. Breaks at work are informal business meetings. They’re informal, but it’s still all business.

Photo © Yuri Arcurs – Fotolia.com

Using The Office Phone

Posted on October 10, 2011 by R. A. M.

phone keypad You would think that in the age of cell phones, it would be a no-brainer to avoid using office phones for personal calls, but people still make this mistake every day. They think nothing of picking up that phone and calling home, or making a date, or touching base with a buddy to shoot the breeze—a sort of impromptu, additional break.

And that’s exactly how a boss who finds out about it will think of it. At that point, you will no doubt be written up, or at the least, called into the office for a dressing down and a warning. Is that what you want? Of course it isn’t. You need to readjust your thinking. It isn’t all that difficult, but it will take some time. It always does to break destructive patterns and bad habits.

Here is what you do. Really tune in to your employer and the responsibilities the employer faces. Summon up genuine gratitude for the opportunities the employer has offered to you and to everyone else who works there. See yourself as the employer. How would you truly feel if a worker were using your office phones for personal agendas? Not good, we’ll guess.

Once you have stood in the employer’s shoes, you’ll readily see that it’s inappropriate for you to continue a practice that will ultimately lead to you getting fired. That’s right. Fired. Improperly using office phones is adequate grounds for termination. So, stop it!

Office Love

Posted on September 5, 2011 by R. A. M.

Excited and surprised businesswoman receiving red roses It’s the stuff of romantic movies and TV sitcoms. You may even have friends who have indulged, and you may have, too, in the past. Perhaps you’re involved in an office romance even now. It seems romantic and exciting, but the truth is, it’s deadly. If you’re playing footsy under the conference table, you’re playing with fire.

The rationalizations for indulging in office love are pretty compelling. Before, you were bored at work. Now just the thought of getting to work makes you feel high. Sure, you’re distracted throughout the day, but not enough to compromise your work, and it’s fun to feel like you’re out on that ledge. The drama is exciting, and your job is so much more fun because someone you’re intimate with is working right alongside you. It’s exhilarating when it’s a secret from everyone else, and it’s thrilling when select people know. That really begins to feel dangerous!

All of this is true, but then there is the dark side. Most office romances do not last. What happens when one ends? Both parties feel awkward, inhibited, and are afraid of the other one spreading lethal gossip. More relationships end badly than well, so you can expect some toxic fall-out coming your way. Do you quit your job? Does your former officemate/playmate?

You don’t need this powder keg in your work or in your career path. The best way to deal with office love is to steer clear of it.