When Workplace Anger Leads to Violence
Some days, the world is just plain scary, and news reports seem to validate our fears. The local headlines spout anger-based crimes on a daily basis. CNN reports that violence and crime associated with anger episodes are on the rise in urban, USA. And the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reports higher rates of anger-induced violence involving government employees. Anger-motivated crimes know no boundaries. Every area has become a potential area of violence. We try to use common sense and take standard safety precautions in our daily choices, but what about our workplaces? How can a company protect their employees?…
Should You Date a Coworker?
The workplace is a community where relationships are inevitable, but the question “Should you date a coworker” is one of those questions for which both “yes” and “no” would be appropriate answers. If your company’s policy strictly forbids dating or interoffice relationships, then, obviously, “no.” However, if there is no policy prohibiting interoffice romance, then feel free to date. Still, it is smart to stay away from dating your boss or someone who reports directly to you. After all, dating shouldn’t cause you to take leave of your senses. Make sure pursuing that love-interest won’t cost your job. Chances are…
What Does Gratitude Do for Us . . . Literally?
The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness and, in some ways, encompasses all of these meanings. Do a little research on gratitude, and you find neuroscientific proof how this emotion benefits us. When you are sincerely grateful, and practice expressing that gratitude habitually, your life can change. Recent studies by Dr. John Gottman and others show gratitude is truly beneficial in both physical and psychosocial ways. On our relationships. On marriages. On children. On work. The truth is gratitude, mindfulness, and positivity create a lifestyle we should cultivate. For good reasons .…
Five Tips on Handling the Workplace Romance
Barriers tend to intensify romance. It’s called the “Romeo and Juliet” effect. I call it frustration attraction. ~ Helen Fisher There is a name for romantic attraction to another person. It is called limerence, and it includes both obsessive thoughts and fantasies, as well as a desire to form a relationship with the object of this feeling and to have these feelings reciprocated. Limerence is the stuff of stardust, poetry, film, and many a rapture-filled refrain. However, a true office romantic relationship in which “limerence” is at work at work often leads to the annoyance of peers and superiors because…
Breaking up is Hard to Do
There’s a trick to the Graceful Exit. It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over – and to let go. It means leaving what’s over without denying its value. ~ Ellen Goodman This article is not about why someone leaves a job but how. It assumes a quality relationship between an employer and an employee who wishes, for whatever reason, to leave their job and move on. Change is hard, even in the best of times. Mixed feelings are often the norm as going forward can feel both adventurous and scary,…
What Does the Ruling on Temporary Workers by OSHA Mean for Manufacturers?
David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) emphasized that host employers (manufacturers) should treat temporary workers like existing employees. He said, “Temporary staffing agencies and manufacturers share control over the employee, and are therefore jointly responsible for the temporary employee’s safety and health.” The reason for the ruling is to deter manufacturers from using temporary workers in opposition to complying with OSHA acts and worker protection laws. It originated as a remembrance for those workers who died while on the job due to unsafe conditions. Both employers must comply with all relevant OSHA…