How your boss can help you be happier at your job

Justin Thompson,

Employees often benefit from the advice and mentorship of a great boss. If a worker is having an issue that prevents him from being completely satisfied with his job, a simple conversation with his boss could change things for the better. Yet bosses aren't always the most approachable people, and it can be intimidating to bring something other than good news to your manager's attention.

Job seekers were asked to identify ways their bosses could help them have higher job satisfaction. Here are the issues they identified, along with tips on how to broach each topic with your boss.

Issue: Career advancement
How to approach your boss: When it comes to career advancement, let your boss know that you want to acquire more skills through internal or external training. Research courses that will help you improve in your role or allow you to have more flexibility in moving up the corporate ladder. Typically, a company has money allotted for employee training, so it never hurts to ask. 

Issue: Incentives for good work
How to approach your boss: You have to prove your successes in order to earn kudos or monetary rewards. You can't expect recognition without proof that you achieved or surpassed your goals. To do so, benchmark success and keep your boss keyed in on how you're performing. If you have ideas on incentives, consider suggesting them to your boss. 

Issue: Lack of respect for your position
How to approach your boss: Sometimes a boss, especially one who was never in your position, may not understand what you do or may think you can't handle your tasks without supervision. To avoid a micromanager, be proactive in looping him in at every step along the way. Also be transparent about your tasks, and share your hurdles or successes so he is fully aware of the value you bring to the organization.

Issue: Absentee manager
How to approach your boss: Be willing to knock on your manager's door and ask for a few minutes to review your idea or to discuss a project on which you need more detailed direction. If your boss travels frequently and face-to-face time isn't possible, send a brief email that states exactly what you need feedback on and why you need it. 

Issue: Lack of support or camaraderie
How to approach your boss: Simply put, treat your boss the way you want to be treated. Be willing to say hello and ask how she is doing or whether she had a good weekend. Chances are she'll start to reciprocate. It doesn't take a lot to be courteous, but sometimes others need someone else to initiate it. Just be cognizant that managers usually need to maintain some distance from their employees in order to stay professional.

Issue: Feeling belittled or disrespected by your boss in front of clients
How to approach your boss: If you think your manager is "throwing you under the bus" in meetings, schedule a one-on-one meeting to discuss how you're feeling. However, instead of making it personal, speak from a professional perspective -- having disagreements in front of clients is bad for business and may cost the company in the long run. Offer to set up time before meetings so that your boss can review and provide feedback on your materials.

Issue: Your boss doesn't trust you or let you do your job your way
How to approach your boss: If you have ideas on how you can be more effective or efficient at your job, present them to your boss. In most cases, you do have a choice in how to do your job, but unless you share your ideas with your boss, chances are he will have you do things his way. Meet to discuss what your manager's expectations are and if success can still be achieved through your methods. Or consider meeting him halfway. By showing your boss that you can be successful doing things your way, your boss will become more trusting of your capabilities. 

Source: careerbuilder

7 lessons learned from TV workplaces

Debra Auerbach,

People watch television for different reasons -- as an escape from their hectic lives, as a means of news and information or purely as a form of entertainment. While some shows (ahem, reality TV, which we fully admit to watching) don't offer much educational value, others can actually teach viewers a thing or two. And with so many shows set in a work environment, the career lessons to be learned are plentiful.

Here are seven lessons learned from some of TV's most recognizable workplaces:

Lesson No. 1: Nice guys can finish first
Show: "The Office"
After former boss Michael Scott left Scranton, Pa., paper company Dunder Mifflin, everyone wondered who would be picked as his replacement. Would it be Dwight Schrute, the scheming, often paranoid salesman who has long been eyeing the job? Or perhaps Jim Halpert, the office jokester, would become the Big Cheese? To the surprise of the office, it was Andy Bernard who took over as manager. While Andy has been known to have some anger-management issues, overall he's a nice guy who puts other people's feelings before his own. While in this day and age it may feel like you have to adopt a ruthless, take-no-prisoners attitude to get ahead at work, Andy teaches us that you can treat people well and win. 

Lesson No. 2: You can be a mom and a successful businesswoman
Show: "Up All Night"
NBC's new hit show "Up All Night" follows the lives of Reagan, her husband Chris and their baby Amy. Reagan is a high-powered producer at "Ava," a talk show hosted by her best friend. When it was time for either Reagan or Chris to head back to work post-baby, it was Reagan who decided she couldn't bear to leave her job. The show covers real topics that working mothers deal with every day -- the guilt of leaving their children, the stress of working a full-time job and coming home to their second job as wife and mother, and the issues parents deal with when one parent is working and one isn't. Yet the main lesson learned from the show is that you'll never be perfect at either -- nobody is -- but you can work at a job you love and still be a great parent. 

Lesson No. 3: Disagreeing is good for business
Show: "Private Practice"
Tune into "Private Practice" on any given Thursday, and chances are at some point during the episode two doctors will be arguing. A common cause for argument among the doctors at Oceanside Wellness is determining the best treatment for a patient. Each makes a case by stating his or her medical opinion, but oftentimes personal beliefs or experiences have some influence as well. While arguing for arguing sake is counterproductive, having a workplace discussion where not everyone agrees can be beneficial to your team and your clients. Hearing different perspectives than your own can help you make a more informed decision and often leads to a better end result. 

Lesson No. 4: It's OK to ask for help
Show: "Parks and Recreation"
The show's star, Leslie Knope, works in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Ind. Leslie is an ambitious workaholic who has dreams of one day being a high-powered politician. To help reach those dreams, Leslie runs for city council. As Leslie's campaign kicks into full gear, she tries to stay on top of her day job. Her boss, Ron Swanson, urges her to delegate work to others, but she thinks she can do it all. Yet as projects begin to slip through the cracks, Leslie realizes that it's OK to get help from others. The moral of the story: If you're feeling overworked, ask team members if they can pick up some of the slack. If you try to take on too much to prove your worth, you may end up making a costly mistake. 

Lesson No. 5: Bullying only gets you so far
Show: "Boss"
As mayor of Chicago, Tom Kayne rules with an iron fist. He uses bullying, intimidation and even violence to get what he wants and to keep his team in line. While his abuse of power does help him succeed in the workplace, it also fosters paranoia. Even if he is paranoid for good reason, he's often second-guessing his relationships, wondering if he can trust anyone from his wife to his advisers. Sure, bullying may get short-term results, but in the long run you'll burn bridges, damage relationships and always wonder if anyone is truly loyal to you.

Lesson No. 6: Lying, even with good intentions, will come back to haunt you
Show: "Grey's Anatomy"
Dr. Meredith Grey -- the show's star and narrator -- is close with Richard Webber, former chief of surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. Richard's wife, Adele, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at around the same time Meredith began working on a clinical drug trial for the disease. Participating patients either get the drug or a placebo, but who gets what is kept confidential so the results are unbiased. Yet when Adele becomes one of the participants, Meredith breaks the rules and intervenes to ensure Adele gets the real treatment. Eventually, Meredith's secret is discovered, shutting down the clinical trial and putting her career in jeopardy. The lesson learned: Being deceitful or going behind your boss's back -- even if you think you're right -- will do more harm than good. Instead, be transparent with your boss and try to agree on an approach that benefits all parties involved. 

Lesson No. 7: Zero work/life balance is bad for your health
Show: "Homeland"
CIA agent Carrie Mathison is out to prove that former Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody, who was kept in enemy confinement for eight years, has been turned and is now a terrorist. Carrie becomes obsessed with finding out the truth and exposing Brody. Her work takes over her life, and she'll do whatever it takes to get answers, often breaking rules and ruining personal relationships. While this is an extreme example, it's not uncommon for workers to take work home with them, both literally and figuratively. If you count yourself as an overworked employee, make sure to find some balance by taking up hobbies, leaving your computer at home and shutting off your BlackBerry on the weekends. It may take some getting used to, but it'll do your body -- and your career -- good. 

Source: careerbuilder

The benefits of clearing workspace clutter

Spring brings thoughts of warm weather, outdoor activities ... and cleaning. Although few people truly look forward to the last item on this list, almost everyone understands it needs to get done.

Don't concentrate solely on your closet, dining-room table or other household areas. Also look to your workspace. Chances are your desk and computer could use some freshening up, too. 

Here are some of the benefits of cleaning around the office.

It increases your efficiency. Filing emails about the training session you organized six months ago, deleting outdated messages that clog your inbox and going through papers crowding your desk will make it easier to find necessary information. This can be especially important when under a tight deadline or if you're out of the office unexpectedly and need a colleague to fill in for you. 

It reduces your stress. Having a cluttered workspace can be stressful. Just think of the last time you had to rifle through a stack of papers or a mountain of emails for a single buried document. Tidying up can reduce your feelings of pressure and constraint.

Enhance your image at work. When you entertain guests at home, you usually straighten up beforehand so people feel welcome -- and impressed. Take the same approach with your workspace. Why? Because appearances matter. According to a Robert Half survey, 83 percent of human resource managers surveyed said the appearance of a person's workspace affects their perception of that person's professionalism. The tidier your desk, the more put together you'll seem.

Uncover forgotten items. One immediate impact of cleaning your workspace is discovering forgotten ideas from past brainstorming sessions, assignments that never made it to your to-do list or emails that have gotten lost among other unread items. Even if you don't consider yourself particularly messy or unorganized, it's easy for any number of things to slip through the cracks during a busy workday.

Gain a sense of accomplishment. Don't forget that cleaning up simply feels good. Unlike other items on your to-do list, giving your desk a good once-over can be crossed off relatively quickly, and you can see tangible results afterward.

Even if these benefits sound great, you may be wondering where you'll find the time to actually clean up. Don't worry -- you don't have to invest several hours to make a noticeable impact. By taking just a few minutes each day to organize your space, you can gradually clean the clutter and keep it at bay.

The key is to set small goals. If you have thousands of messages in your email inbox, yes, it will take a while to put everything in order. But organizing your emails from last October may only take a half-hour. The next day, you can tackle November and slowly work your way toward present day.

Also, be prepared to make some tough decisions. Do you really need to keep a report from 2008? A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you have referenced a certain document or email in the past six months. If you haven't, there's a good chance you can toss it or, at the very least, file it away. Just be sure you understand your company's policies on handling confidential or sensitive information. You may need to retain certain documents, even if they've been collecting dust at the bottom of your file drawer for months.

Source: careerbuilder