Attitude is important when it comes to the workplace. Still, the workplace itself is largely responsible for your attitude when you're at work. You can't just demand that your workers be happy and have that be the solution to what is an otherwise miserable job. Yet, one of the first things you're taught in retail is that you should always smile and “greet” “guests” as they walk in the door, setting the stage for an enjoyable experience for them during which they're more likely to fork out more…

There's this thing that happens in some organizations where upper management knowingly sets policies that they know infringe (or come close to infringing) on their legal minimum obligations to their workforce. Then they act all surprised when said minimum obligation isn't being upheld because it's simply not possible to do under the constraints they've created. A perfect example of this is employee breaks, of which there are usually laws where you're working around when, how long, and how often…

There are plenty of times in life where things just don't make sense and where people try and lead you to believe that 1+1=3 which doesn't really line up with the figure that you might have expected or the actual truth of the situation. A lot of these situations will probably take place at work under the supervision of someone who has no business being in charge. Let's do a little math equation as an example. I know—I know…. you didn't think you were signing up for homework when you clicked on…

Overtime, by definition, is still time on the clock, and voluntarily staying to work that time doesn't automatically mean that your employer is now a charity. You can't just “volunteer” for your employer. The very premise itself is silly. Sure, if you're on a salary that is exempt from overtime pay, you'll probably have to work some extra hours during times of high workload, but it's expected that, in turn, during times when there is less work to be done you'll still get paid your full salary.…

Typically, when working a shift job that relies on a schedule, you'd expect your obligations simply to be present when that shift starts until when that shift ends—nothing more and nothing less. Yet, it's common in many industries that rely on the “almighty” schedule for managers to expect you to be present and ready to work (sometimes even actually working) before your shift starts. Usually, this expectation will be somewhere around five minutes before the start of the shift but occasionally w…

Contracting is a tough gig, yet it is becoming increasingly common as companies seek to shift further towards a low-cost, low-obligation workforce. The thing is, as a contractor, you have fewer benefits and less guarantee of income, but while that uncertainty can be hard to manage, it makes up for that in flexibility. See, when you're a contractor, your “employer” (clients) really can't make you do anything outside of the contracted production they're paying you for. They can't set when or how…

Getting denied a raise stinks, but at least you've left your thoughts and intentions on the table for consideration, hopefully setting yourself up for a pay bump in the near future when the next round of budgeting is finalized. Of course, this isn't always the case, and your employer may go the route of stonewalling you indefinitely—or gaslighting you by dangling the potential of a raise in front of you like a carrot on a stick in order to get you to do more work. Still, in most cases, it's alm…

Being fired from a job has a certain finality to it… Never again will you have to step foot in that place or have boring conversations with your droning boss. Still, despite your employer giving you complete decisiveness that they no longer want to pay you to hang around, there's no guarantee that they won't contact you out of the blue months or years later asking for your help with something that no one was able to handle after you left. It's almost as if your role actually was important and t…

Trying to keep up with an increasing workload on an understaffed team is a lot like trying to drive a car that only has three wheels. It's difficult to keep things moving forward without veering off course; things operate extremely inefficiently, and there's probably a lot of noise and scraping going on. Of course, managing these situations is no easy task—not impossible for a talented manager, but only through a great deal of effort. For this reason, managers who manage to protect their alread…

It's only natural for your employer to be interested in what you spend your time doing while you're at work; after all, they're paying you for your time. Even then, there are reasonable limits to this, and some employers get carried away and happily track any and every bit of data possible to help them prove you're wasting time. It started with mouse trackers, which track the activity of the mouse and keyboard on your laptop; now, programs are even able to track where your eyes are on the scree…

Agency is important in the workplace; people typically need to feel as if they have responsibility over a task in order to derive satisfaction from doing it. This is one of the most basic facts that someone managing a team should be aware of. Sure, it's important that you know what's going on with your team, but that doesn't extend to the level of having comprehensive direct access to every last bit of their personal workplace communications. The point is that you have a certain level of trust…

It's difficult to picture your life any different than it is in this exact moment… and that's not talking simple wishful-thinking. It's easy to say “I wish things were better” or “I'm grateful and lucky for what I have” or “I'm glad things aren't worse." But that's not the same as being able to actually see yourself—

Coworkers can be a lot of things: a compatriot, a confidant, a thorn in your side, a shoulder to cry on, a best friend—even a worst enemy. One thing they certainly aren't ever going to be is your boss—not without a promotion at least. And, still, throughout your working career, you'll come up against many a power-hungry colleague who thinks that they have the authority and experience to order you around. Letting you know what's what and making demands of you…. but, as bossy as this person might…

Relocating for work is a tough choice to make. On the one hand, the opportunities on offer could open doors and lead to opportunities that would set you up for the rest of your life. On the other hand, you'd be leaving your life, as you know it, behind. There's no telling whether or not what you're giving up will actually be worth it or how things will even turn out on the other side. All this counts on the fact that you like your current job that's being relocated and that you trust the people…

The process of booking leave exists for one reason and one reason only: So that managers can maintain some control over staffing levels ensure the continuity of the business and make sure that everyone doesn't all go and take off at the same time. The thing is, this takes—well… managing. You, the manage-er, have to be able to manage your workers' leave requests and ensure that the business stays running while your workers get the time off that they need (and are entitled to) so that a little th…

Oftentimes in life, we will try and soften the effect that our words will have on the chosen recipient through careful wording and euphemisms, hoping that in beating around the bush enough we'll still manage to get our point across but in a way that doesn't upset the target party. Of course, usually, if the person you're speaking to is getting the point and the point is something that they should be upset about, they're just going to get upset anyway. This renders the entire thing to be a rathe…