Polls and Punters – The New Year’s Wish List

Hello there

Happy New Year to you all!

Of course at this time of year I begin to hear the rumblings of desire for change on the career front. Many have had a break from their current work, have fed their stomachs successfully on all that Christmas and New Year cheer and are looking down the barrel of the last few days of rest and recreation before returning to work.

For some workers today was the first day back and they made it to work easily in the less congested peak hour traffic and the gentler motions of opening the office.

But the rumblings lie deep within and I was surprised and delighted to see Hope 103.2 radio (www.hope1032.com.au) have what I am sure will be the first of many polls across the city in the next few weeks entitled

” Are you starting a new job this year?”

The results at the end of the day (with a little bit of wobbling as people added their selections) looked like this:

• Yes – 10%
• No – 43%
• No, but I’m growing my current one – 14%
• No, but I’d like to – 33%

The results show more than half are feeling the rumblings even if 14 % have decided to grow their current job into something more acceptable.

This in fact is a very good idea.

Growing your current job by learning new skills and finding new ways to be satisfied with your current position is wise indeed, especially if you are unsure of ‘where to go next’.  It is far better to stay in your current role while you work out ‘where to next’ (providing of  course it is not detrimental to your health and wellbeing) while you do so.

The researcher in me would have liked another question in the poll

‘ No, because I luuurrrve my job!’

This would have given real meaning to the ‘No’ answer.

After all many stay in work through fear of not being able to find something else and not because they are truly satified with the position they hold.

When you consider that we spend a third of our lives (and sometimes more) in work, it certainly is a long time to be in something you hate!

If you gave your current work position a score out of ten and scored less than seven, you are in the wrong place and you need to do some soul searching to find out why.

And in case you are wondering why I think you need a seven out of ten score it is because your dissatisfaction will be spreading across to all parts of your life and the people you love.

So think on that for a moment – How does your work score and is it impacting on your work/life balance?

If the answer is yes – you need to take some radical action and find out what you need to do to improve your attitude to your work and life.

It’s a New Year remember – time for a fresh start and review.

Do you want this year to be the same as the last or are you willing to make changes and grow?

Until next time

Melody

Melody Green is a career advisor specialising in career planning workshops for the over 40s in Sydney, Australia. Her workshops offer practical tools to get your career on track and  to empower you to express and engage your fullest potential in your career. Next workshop is on Thursday 19 January 2012. For more details please checkout: www.radicalcareermakeover.com

Is there a place for Acts of Human Kindness in the workplace?

Hello there

I was talking to a  friend recently who was bemoaning the lack of  human kindness in the workplace.

Why is work only about the bottom line and not about people she asked?

We spoke specifically about her work place and it would seem from all she said there was indeed little human kindness flowing in her organisation. My question was:

Did she want to change it  – and if so - how could she go about that?

Or would she prefer to move to another company where her values were a better match?

These were of course her decisions but part of our conversation was did I know of any examples I could share with her and I have decided to share this one with you.

Some years ago I was working for a hospitality group training organisation as a field consultant. A GTO acts as a go-between between the organisation wanting to hire and train young apprentices and the young apprentices who want to work and be trained.

Hospitality is an industry based on small profit margins, long hours, high labour costs,  aggressive competitors and a fickle clientele. Reputation is everything and building a reputation is essential to keep the punters coming to your establishment. So there are a few pressures of the industry. Almost regardless of the economic situation we have a skills shortage in this industry in Australia. Basic training last 3 years, an apprentice’s wage is a pittance only increased by extended overtime hours and your appreciation of chefs only increases as you see the cramped space and heat of a summer kitchen in Australia!

One morning I was contacted by a young apprentice who had managed to wrap his car around a tree and survive with a few bruises, cracked ribs  and a broken leg to boot. He was expected to be off work for at least 6 weeks. He was working in a  hatted** restaurant and was worried he would  lose his place because of the time he needed off work and having spent some time with hatted chefs I was inclined to agree with him in fact I had known chefs to ‘get rid of’ apprentices for far less than this if it suited them! Often their attitude to a GTO was to find a 1st year with a 3rd years skills.

(**an annual award from the industry to the best restaurants for their food, front of house and appeal – these are hotly contested and apprentices love working in one of these because it shows the quality of their training and work.)

With this in mind it was with trepidation that I contacted the chef and advised him of what had happened.

You know you are dealing with a decent human being when they ask how the apprentice is first, before the circumstances of the accident!

I explained how upset the apprentice was about not being able to work for the coming weeks and asked  ‘Chef’ what he wanted to do. This is what he said:

“Why keep him of course! We will put in a plan for his study – so that he does not get left behind in this part of his training.  We will have him working on menu planning and costing and as soon as he is able we will get him back in the kitchen, firstly with sit down duties and slowly build up his stamina until he is back on deck. I would like to speak with his rehabilitation  officer  and TAFE and let’s work out a plan.”

Chef’s reply was so different to what I had expected that I have had a soft spot for him ever since – recommending his restaurant to as many people as I know because not only does he offer fabulous food, he looks after his staff in an exemplary manner. He treats them with human kindness.

Some time later I was talking to him about this and he added further

‘Well, it is important to treat your staff with respect and care but you know more than that it is a matter of good economics. By taking the action I did I showed my whole staff that I cared about them, that I saw them as an essential part of what we do and I gained their trust and loyalty at a time when being 1 down in a kitchen means everyone else has to work harder. When you act with kindness everyone is the winner and I would not do it any other way!’

If you are finding yourself in an organisation that has lost sight of human kindness as one of its values, maybe you are in need of a change – what do you think?

Until next time

Melody

Melody Green is a career adviser specialising in career planning workshops for the over 40s in Sydney, Australia. Her workshops offer practical tools to get your career on track and  to empower you to express and engage your fullest potential in your career.