OVERWORKED? UNDERPAID?

By Vernalee

Overworked? Underpaid? Neither are appealing or desirable! Together, they’re intense. Not surprised; right? Moving on ... It’s time for a refreshing drink. Let’s have a cup of coffee! Shall we? The aroma of roasted Arabica beans can wake up anyone’s sensory glands. Hmm- umm - good! If you don’t drink coffee, there is usually something that can get you going early in the morning.

As we pour coffee in our Overworked/ Underpaid mug, suddenly the thought behind the cup‘s inscription makes the beverage unappetizing. It’s amazing what words can do!

As for me, I decided to switch and make Decaffeinated Tea my drink of choice! I’m drinking it out of a plain white cup these days! I just don’t need the stress. And if I may say ... neither do you!

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WORKING HARD OR HARDLY WORKING?

By Vernalee

According to the definition " to work hard means to work a lot, to work using much effort. While to hardly work means the complete opposite, namely to work very little. Though a play on words, I am sure that you can start rattling off names of people who fit both categories.

One of my favorites is a person that I know who spends hours trying to figure out how not to work! Geez! I often wonder where he would be if he exerted that same amount of time and energy into actually doing the tasks at hand.

My Daddy always said, "A hard day's work ain't never hurt nobody." I wholeheartedly agree! Here's the million dollar question. Let's examine who is working hard and who is hardly working. To find out who fits that mold, let's take a stroll through your office! Off we go!

Here’s to the hardly working crew! I see several staffers shopping on the Internet (Walmart has a sale y'all); the clerical pool is on the phone gossiping (Hey girl!); a few managers are taking wagers and bets for the upcoming game (Browns - 30; Bengals - 21); an energetic clerk speed walking down the hall loudly reveals aspects of her personal life that no one cares about but her (I.e. Her cat gave birth to five kittens); a marginal staffer telling anyone who will listen how much she hates her job (Oh my); and let's not forget the accountant who was sleeping at his desk. Zzzz! Sorry, I failed to mention the chain smoking manager who takes long and frequent smoke breaks outside! So much for the premiere of those hardly working staffers. They are not hard to detect versus the covenant group who are working hard with sweat running down their brow as their computer keys constantly click away! Report after report; product after product; they generate.

Now that we have the new virtual office mates, we can't see what they are doing off sight, but we should be able to see the evidence of their productivity; right? I wonder how many have figured out how to"beat" the virtual system? Just saying! Moving ahead ...

No matter what, Friday is pay day and all are headed to the bank with no thoughts of the work that they did or didn't do! How's that for redemption of mediocre productivity? No kidding! Everyone wants to be paid.

Before signing off, where are the bosses? I am glad you asked! A few are setting sterling examples and a few are exercising their leadership authority by being on the golf course. No judgment; many deals are cut there. We really can’t say that they were goofing off! Or can we? Leaders ... Where are you? Please show up and provide the needed direction. It begs to ask, "Where is this lack of leadership heading?" Don't ask me! I am calling off sick tomorrow! I'm not paid to provide answers to difficult questions! That's not in my job description!

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ARE YOU ON THE SAME PAGE?

By Vernalee

Are you speaking the same language? Are you listening to each other? Is what is being said matches what is being done? Why do you continue to ask certain questions when the answers should be obvious? In other words, is the person “walking the talk?” Comfortably, you should be able to take a colleague's or partner's word and vice versa at face value. Nothing beats a person doing what he/she said. Keeping your word and living up to your commitment are foundational principles. If you can’t satisfy those terms, you may as well close the book altogether. In order to make substantial progress and be in agreement, being on the same page is fundamental. If you have to see, discern, or ask what page you're on after a substantial period of time, there is undoubtedly a disconnect. Being on the same page may not be the right question; remaining where you are with who you are with may be a more suitable ask! This theory applies whether it is a personal or professional relationship. Trust is too essential!

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