The Career Salon

COVID-19: Advice for at work or at home

Everyone is thinking about Public Health and Safety during this time. The Coronavirus pandemic presents unique circumstances that we have not encountered during this generation. Hopefully, we are all willing to work together to communicate and find unique solutions that will help preserve the employee and the employer alike. Here are a few tips:

Employers:

1. Lead With Empathy

Everyone has a level of stress during this time. Be sensitive to that and watch your communication and tone

2. Check with all benefits vendors to see what is available for your employees

 i.e. EAP, Short Term Disability, Worker’s Compensation

3. Balance your approach with flexibility and safety

i.e. You may have to bend your attendance and work from home policies

4. Think of out the box solutions like rotational schedules 

Maybe rotating staff will reduce exposure if you have to stay open because of the nature of your business

5. Don’t Panic.

It makes things even more stressful and your employees are observing how you lead and handle stressful situations as an organization

6. Check for government assistance to employers, as bills for aid are passed

Employees:

1. Stay Calm and wash your hands (with soap and hot water, at least 20 seconds)

2. Stayed informed and read ALL information distributed by the organization during this time (and ask questions if needed)

3. Make sure you know your rights as an employee:

  • Your possible contraction of COVID-19 could be considered a worker’s compensation claim, if you believe it was contracted at work
  • If applicable, FMLA may be available to take care of you and your family
  • Your employer providing accommodations for you at work if you are concerned about contraction, such as moving your work station or providing you with Personal Protective Equipment (i.e. gloves) while doing your job
  • Filing for unemployment if your job temporarily closes and provides no financial assistance (Check state regulations)
  • Filing a short term disability claim, if you contract the virus and your job provides no financial assistance (Usually 7 day waiting period applies)

4. Take advantage of benefits provided by your employer

  • Telehealth and video doctor’s visits to check on your symptoms 
  • Employee Assistance Program for counseling services (If you are feeling a little anxiety)

5. Stay put

Your plans might have been to jump ship, but if you are with an organization that is supporting you through this time and treating you fairly, you might want to reconsider for the short-term. We are unsure on what the economy or status of certain businesses are going to be long-term. You definitely do not want to transition to something unstable.

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Job Searching is a Full-Time Job

Most job seekers we talk to feel that job searching is a full-time job and IT IS. Now most would assign a negative connotation to that sentiment but in our opinion, it’s not negative at all. Job searching should not be daunting, but well thought out, strategic, and organized to make it a positive experience. It might take some time to find that next great opportunity but being prepared eases the process immensely.

  1. Read the job description. Job descriptions sometimes contain fluff, but for the sake of applying for something that is not a fit, you should review before applying.
  2. If you don’t have the skills to do the job, find other avenues to make contact with the employer. Honestly, unless you have the qualifications the employer is seeking you will need to network. Networking will increase your chances of having a conversation with the employer to get feedback on how you fare against others for the role.
  3. Don’t hit the “one-click” mass apply via job search engines (all jobs are not created equal). Make sure your search is intentional and strategic. Look for jobs you are interested in and curate your resume for those specific positions.
  4. Don’t apply to every job you see, that you THINK you can do. Make a list of your skills and experience to figure out job types you might align with the most and then apply to the roles that fit your skillset.
  5. Last but not least, GET ON LINKEDIN. If you do not have a LinkedIn profile you are behind in the job search. LinkedIn is one of the most valuable tools in job searching. LinkedIn provides a place to house your online professional portfolio and also make contacts you wouldn’t have otherwise. 

Hope these tips help in your journey to a great opportunity!

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Misplaced

In the midst of the billions of working people in the world, there are many professions. In our experience, a lot of potential employees have a laser focus on what they would like to do in the working world. They apply and try their best to maintain jobs in their desired field. Later, some find out they are being disciplined and receiving unfavorable mentions from management. Many managers in the workplace get frustrated with poor performing employees and make decisions that are not carefully considered. To an employee that cares, this is often a point of anxiety and could worsen the situation affecting their performance even greater and sometimes even their health.

There are two things going on: 1) The employee could really be low performing or just disagreeable or 2) They are a good employee and means well, but their set of skills is not appropriate for this particular job. In our world this is called, misplaced. Here are a few signs of of misplacement:

  1. Employee is an average employee with good attendance and shows good effort consistently on everything but never gets the desired results (In the prime environment, being given clear expectations)
  2. Employee consistently has more questions than the time it takes to complete the work project i.e., the project should take one day but the employee asks questions all day and does not start the work in a timely manner (Again in the prime environment, being given clear expectations)
  3. The employee is overly confident and consistently makes major mistakes

The best thing for a leader to do is recognize that just because an employee is not performing well does not mean they are a substandard employee. If you are a thoughtful leader we would recommend the following:

  1. Have the employee take a career assessment test 
  2. Provide the necessary additional training to assist the employee in improving
  3. Provide continuous open dialogue and constructive feedback about their progress (and document document document)
  4. If the position is not a good fit for the employee seek out other possible options at your company where they could possibly use their skills (Some great leaders also assist with options external to their organizations)

Proactive Tip: Recruiters and hiring managers should do their due diligence to check references, research the applicant and their background, ask good interview questions and really lean into conversation with candidates, to see if they are a great fit for the company and the job role.

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Did I do that?

Hitting that recall button in Outlook won’t erase it, starting over won’t undo it, and your strength can’t turn it around. It’s called a MISTAKE and everyone makes them. It’s important that attention to detail is utilized so that errors, big and small are avoided.  Some work environments are more forgiving than others but in any case, steps must be taken to overcome the mistake. Here are some tips to follow if you happen to make a mistake/error at work:

  1. Stay calm and breathe
  2. Take immediate ownership of the error
  3. Don’t delegate blame if you are ultimately the responsible party for the mistake
  4. Evaluate the situation and come up with a strategy on how to fix the issue
  5. Learn how not to make the same mistake again 

These steps will help in recovering quickly, showing a mature level of responsibility and integrity at work.  

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Confidence brings it all together!

We have to admit, for us The Devil Wear Prada is in the Top Ten Movies of all time. Andy showed up to an interview “prepared”, or so she thought. She had the intellect, drive and determination to make it at one of the premier fashion magazine companies. She fought her way through a monologue of why she was the perfect candidate and eventually got the job. Andy struggled at the start, not knowing the industry or the top leaders in the company. Everyday she got more discouraged, her esteem seemed to lessen and she almost gave up. One day she got a pep talk from Nigel and an upgrade in the confidence department. She performed better and contributed more at work.  

There are many people who are talented and skillful. Where you are on the confidence scale can be deciphered just by interactions. The people who we most admire have that “it” factor, the glue that brings all of their intellect, common sense and know-how together. They own their presence and it sets them apart. Although, it is possible to have confidence with no skill or talent, but that combination is not much to be desired.

Let’s look at some things that can build confidence:

  1. The more you know about the company, your industry and the way things work can only prepare you to speak on a variety of subjects and do your job better
  2. An upgrade in the style department never hurt. When Andy felt better she did better. Nails, hair and clothing being maintained is important and you should do what makes you feel good and sure about yourself
  3. Surround yourself with people who are positive and encouraging. It doesn’t help when some of the people you spend time with are negative or try to hold you back 
  4. Take care of your mental health – Self-care is essential to you being a whole and healthy person. When you address issues that may create blockages for your progression in life, you are making room for greater self-esteem
  5. Challenges build confidence. Educating and testing yourself through training, projects and/or new experiences, assist in increasing your confidence. There is just something about accomplishing a goal or milestone you may have been afraid of or thought you could not do, but you did

Your confidence is personal and branded by you, the individual. The core work you do on yourself can only breed a stronger person. So, what things are you doing to work on your confidence in 2020? Success is waiting!

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