15 Things Your Boss Is Tired of Hearing

The boss-employee relationship can be a precarious one. Even the best managers may have difficulty communicating at times, especially if an employee’s behaviour is frustrating. Whether you’ve been at your job for a few months or more than a decade, it’s important to realise that your words make a big difference in how your boss perceives you. Here are a few phrases you should avoid.

1. “That isn’t my job.”

You may have a very specific job description, but employees excel by doing whatever it takes to make an employer succeed. Always be ready to do more than expected or learn how to do something new. The result could be more job stability.

2. “I’ll quit if…”

Ultimatums tend to come across as threats, which likely won’t get the results you want. You may even find your boss calling your bluff, sending you straight to the unemployment line.

3. “I can’t come in today.”

An occasional sick day is to be expected but over time, a pattern of calling in can become a problem, whether it’s due to childcare issues, your own ongoing illnesses or just because you don't feel like it.

4. “I can’t afford to pay my bills.”

Frankly, it's not your boss's problem that you can afford things or not. When you accepted your position, you agreed to a salary, which may or may not have increased over time. Your employer’s sole responsibility is to issue that salary in the form of a pay check.

5. “I’m just here to earn a paycheck.”

It really isn't smart to mention this, whether it's true or not. Employees who go the extra mile and put the needs of the business first will be at the front of the line for raises or promotions. Also, get a hold of yourself and go find a job that you have some passion for, if you find that you are always "phoning it in" at work.

6. “It’s not my fault.”

When something goes wrong, avoid playing the blame game and instead focus on how you can work as part of a team to make things right.

7. “My last boss did it differently.”

Whether you’re talking about your previous employer or your boss’s predecessor, this information is irrelevant. Your current boss has every right to come up with a new approach.

8. “I can’t.”

In general, you should strike the word “can’t” from your vocabulary, but this is especially true when your boss asks you to do something. Always show a willingness to give your best effort.

9. “You didn’t tell me to do that.”

Even if your boss neglected to mention something, pointing that out won’t win you any points. Instead take the high road and promise to get right on whatever task needs to be done.

10. “I’m so sleepy.”

Even if you’ve been up all night working or caring for your infant, your boss doesn’t need to know about it.

11. “It’s unfair.”

Comparing yourself to coworkers only makes you look petty and jealous. Instead highlight your own attributes and impress your boss by executing your duties well. Avoid pointing out any preferential treatment you believe others may be getting.

12. “Sorry I’m late -- I had a job interview.”

It may seem crazy, but this happens more than you might think. No matter how strong your relationship is with a supervisor, there's no need to mention this. If you choose to look for a job, do so behind the scenes, during lunch breaks or after hours.

13. “I’m bored."

Instead of complaining about your empty to-do list, look around for ways you can help others lighten their workload. If you’re ready for more responsibility, let your boss know you want to tackle additional challenges and name specific things you’d like to learn.

14. “You’re wrong.”

At some point in your working relationship, your superior will be wrong. When that happens, point it out diplomatically, using words like, “I might be mistaken, but I thought…” instead of bluntly insulting your boss. If you correct your boss the right way, they may end up respecting and trusting you more.

15. “I quit.”

No matter how hard things get, never utter those two words in the heat of the moment. Always resign with two-weeks’ notice and only after you have a plan for replacing your income. More than that, look for a job or a team of people that won't leave you on the edge of quitting so easily.

Communication is essential to career success. When you’re trying to impress your boss, it’s important to know the right words to use. Even a small, offhand statement could send the wrong message, damaging your career for years. Remember, if you're not sure whether what you're about to say may be received well, give it a second thought. You may just need to rephrase it, or keep your mouth shut. 

Written By: John Boitnott 

Credit: Entrepeneur.com

3 Ways to Maintain Harmony While Discussing Politics at Work

Generations of workers avoided discussing politics at work but ubiquitous social media has undone that custom

Can we talk politics at work? Thirty years ago, you'd never have heard this question asked. Political discussion was discouraged at dinner parties and taboo at the office.

But things are different today. Thanks to social media, the lines between personal and professional connections have shifted and blurred. Where we used to categorize Facebook for friends and LinkedIn for work colleagues, we now regularly intermingle the two, often without realizing it. The proliferation of online news and user-generated content is vast, and we share it -- along with our corresponding opinions -- because it feels good to have these places for open discourse. When we "like" something online or update our profiles with various affiliations, we're painting a public picture of ourselves. And we can't un-ring this bell. Once we start voicing our thoughts online to our various connections, we begin to see and know things about each other that we can't simply un-know. This is why, in the recruiting industry, experts repeatedly caution candidates to pay attention to what they post. Unless you work very hard to maintain it, there is really no hard distinction anymore between your private and your work life.

I think the question, therefore, isn't really a matter of whether politics should be discussed in the workplace. If you're talking about it online, you're indirectly bringing it into the office already. So it's more a question of when it happens, how do we handle it -- both as employers and employees? Is there a way for colleagues to converse about political issues that not only isn't detrimental to our ability to collaborate, but that might actually help us work better together?

1. Express yourself -- with empathy.

I think a good first rule of thumb is to remember that we all have a right to an opinion. And yes, we have a right to express that opinion -- even at work -- if we can do so responsibly and respectfully. Our opinions and unique perspectives are part of our authenticity, and authenticity is how both companies and employees set themselves apart in today's competitive landscape. But how we express our thoughts and opinions also matters greatly, especially when you're a manager or executive. No one should be made to feel uncomfortable or threatened in their work environment, so you have to walk a very fine line. There will always be people who agree with you and disagree with you and that's how it should be.

Here's an example. I recently posted something on Facebook in the wake of the nightclub shooting in Orlando. I didn't do it by accident or not knowing my employees would see it. In fact, I knew some employees specifically who would see my post and disagree with me on the point I was trying to make. But after this tragic event, and because I'm 53 years-old (and a former journalist) and I have been reading three newspapers daily since I was a teenager, I felt like I'd earned the right to articulate a point of view as a citizen. I also felt, as the chief executive of a company, that I had a responsibility to communicate to my employees that they have a boss who is interested and invested in more than just company profitability. They have a boss who cares about our country and social issues. At the same time, I understood that I had to share my thoughts in a way that would not demean or belittle or insult those employees of mine who would read my thoughts and have a different perspective.

2. Silence is cool, too.

The second thing to remember is that we live in a democracy, where we get to vote alone inside a booth. In fact, one of our country's bedrock principles is that citizens should feel safe voting their consciences without explanation or defense. So as political discourse creeps further into our social and professional lives, we must be absolutely certain that our open discussions don't inadvertently coerce employees into articulating views they'd rather hold privately. Just because you can assess a person's political standing by looking at their social profile doesn't mean they want to discuss it with you.

3. Corporate culture is the great equalizer.

What I've decided is that the question of politics in the workplace comes down to company culture. Either you have a culture that can handle disagreements without detriment to collaboration, or you don't. Period. And here's the other thing: You can't just have the culture on paper. You have to have a workforce that sustains and supports this culture, that was hired because they sync with this culture and that chooses to stay with you because they believe in this culture.

At Jobvite, our culture is defined by a set of five values, and for each value, we have three commandments that clarify the things we will do or not do to support those values. Half of our commandments have the word "don't" in them. Some people thought that might come across as negative -- but I firmly believe that a company's culture should define the behavior that's not okay. You can't just talk about behavior that is valued: "Thou shall have a team-oriented environment." That's positive, but it's not clear. A clearer picture is painted with the commandment: "Thou shall not waste other people's time." My point is that if you want to hire people to fit your culture, you are looking for people who won't do the things that you don't want to see in your company.

Why does this matter so much right now? Because the political pendulum is swinging to extremes. This election season is ridiculously contentious, and people are starting to hold more passionate points of view on very different sides of the political spectrum. It's vital that CEOs foster and encourage the kind of company culture that doesn't allow the suppression of authentic yet respectful thought. But that takes work. You have to work to create an environment where different points of view don't define employees as good or bad people. This isn't just for the sake of safe political discussion; it's because honest disagreement is a proven catalyst to innovation. I've said before that diversity in the workplace, in everything from personality to work style, is what makes a team productive.

At the end of the day, we're all still citizens of the same country and employees of the same company -- and the corporate culture should state that we don't have to agree on how to achieve company goals as long as we agree on the goals themselves. As our discourse continues to open and emotions run heated for the next few months (and maybe longer), make sure your culture encourages the type of environment where mutual respect abounds and the inability to listen without judgment is not permitted.

Written by: Dan Finnigan

Credit: Entrepreneur.com

Five Shortcuts for Maximizing Efficiency At Work

As a business owner, you want to develop systems that help you get the job done quickly and properly while reducing expenditures. Your employees can use shortcuts to increase workplace efficiency. A shortcut doesn’t have to be a computer program or internet tool; it can be something as simple as improving processes and incorporating cloud systems.

The Holy Grail of Productivity

Every company I encounter is trying to do more with less. I know numerous executives and managers who seem to acquire additional titles as often as they receive year-end bonuses. Employees at every level juggle To-Do lists more prolific than rabbits. Unbelievably, most accept this fate and persevere the best they can. Since they’ve been told repeatedly to “work smarter, not harder,” many, especially the high achievers, assume responsibility for their long hours and blame themselves for not being smart enough to avoid working so hard. In their spare time, they surf the Internet hoping to find the holy grail — that magical tip that will finally end their suffering and let them please their bosses while also enjoying their evenings and weekends once again.

4 Steps to a Complete To-Do List Clean Out

We all have them -- those onerous, boring, or socially awkward tasks that haunt our to-do lists for days or weeks as we struggle to motivate ourselves to actually tackle them. Over time these dreaded items pile up, making you feel unproductive and guilty, and creating a further drain on your energy.

Isn't it time you just checked them all off already?

Of course it is, but actually accomplishing such a to-do list clean out is easier said than done. But Better Than Before author Gretchen Rubin can help. A procrastinator like the rest of us, she recently wrote on her blog about the sort unpleasant tasks she routinely puts off, as well as the lovely feeling of relief that comes when you finally conquer them. Here are a handful of the tips she offers to help you finally unclog your own to-do list:

Why Your Coworker Gets Special Privileges

our co-worker seems to get special treatment all the time and it drives you crazy. Now, it's possible that your boss is simply a bad manager who plays favorites (or who is too wimpy to stand up to an employee who doesn't take her job seriously). However, while some managers totally stink, most are doing the best that they can and have very good reasons for why your coworker gets privileges that you don't have. Here's why her life seems to be better than yours:

Ways to Keep Employees Focused on Work and Not Their Phones

The smartphone is arguably one of the best and worst technological advancements in recent years. Thanks to the smartphone, people have quick access to information and apps that make their lives easier. But these devices are also an addictive productivity-killer.

In a 2016 CareerBuilder survey of more than 3,000 employees, 82 percent of respondents said they keep their smartphones within eyeshot while working. Understandably, that degree of proximity contributed to 55 percent of respondents also calling cellphones and texting the biggest distraction in the office.

The Mistake 99 Percent of LinkedIn Users Make

Last week, LinkedIn celebrated its 13th birthday. It's officially a teenager. With more than 414 million users, it's the largest professional social network. And it's getting bigger by the day, making it the biggest pool of talent online as well. When it comes to LinkedIn, we're all little fishes in a big pond. Which means, if you want to be contacted about great business and career opportunities through LinkedIn, you need to stand out. However, that's where many users are making a critical mistake.

Want a Better Employee Experience? Start By Simplifying Tech

Technology is intended to make things easier -- especially in the workplace. Employers are implementing more and more platforms in the hopes of simplifying everyday tasks and communication.

However, technology can inadvertently contribute to a negative employee experience, if you’re not careful. When tech suffers from clunky integration, non-intuitive interfaces and weaknesses in the configuration department, employees get frustrated by the complexity and poor design of the very thing they rely on every day to succeed at their jobs. Plus, working with too many software platforms at work can contribute to information overload.

How to boost productivity as a remote employee

Telecommuting continues to climb in popularity among workers and employers, hitting 37% in 2015 according to a recent Gallup poll. Interestingly, that study also states that remote employees were just as productive as in-house teams.

While it may appear that way from the corporate perspective, any remote employee will tell you that they face some unique challenges when the watchful eye of leadership disappears.

“Losing that structure provided by a regular office job can be detrimental to success, “ warns Andrew Rosen, founder and editor of the career advice blog Jobacle.com in a conversation with Glassdoor.

Do we really have to work from 8 to 5?

“As a child, I often found myself standing in front of the house many evenings, waiting for my dad’s return from work. Sometimes, he got home at about 8:30pm. Most times, he got home after I had gone to bed and in the mornings, he left home at around 6:15 am just so he could get to the office by 8 o’clock. That

is how I grew up; barely seeing my dad’s face during the day except for some holidays. I used to complain, however, now, I am working and guess what, I have the same routine; getting to work by 8 o’clock and closing at 5 o’clock” -

Samuel Fosuhene, a young university graduate. The question of “How long should we work in a day?” has for long been given little attention

basically due to the belief that people who desire to work less hours are lazy.