Can you train yourself to be happy at work?

You can train for a marathon, you can train employees to follow safety rules at work, but is it possible to train yourself to be happy at work?

Karl Staib, author of Work Happy Now!, believes that by eliminating complaining out of your day it can force a positive change in your life and at work.

Karl recently signed himself up for a personal “No Complaining” 30-day challenge and discovered how putting situations in a positive light had the power to change attitudes of people around him, as well as his own attitude.

He explains how it basically comes down to how you phrase things:

“I might say, “I don’t feel like going to work today. I’m tired. My job doesn’t give me any incentive to work hard.” This is just whining. If I rephrase it and say, “I’ve been working really hard on this project and I need a break.” Then we start to turn the complaining into something more positive. If I rephrase it again and say, “Going to work is probably not the best choice for me right now, but I need to work on this important project.” Then we get into more of a “sharing complaining” territory.

You could say in a boisterous voice, “I’m going to work today and even though I’m tired, I’m going to accomplish great work.” It doesn’t sound so much like complaining, but reinforcing a positive state of mind. We all know it’s still complaining, but it’s a lot easier to handle for the people who have to listen.”

He followed two methods to reduce complaining:

1. If you complain about something, redirect your thoughts to something positive.

Instead of saying, “Arrgh, why do I have to do this report over? I wish they would make up their minds.”

Say, “Okay, they might not be right, but I don’t know all the reasons behind their decisions. I’ll redo this report and also take mental notes on how I would handle this situation. When I become an owner/manager I won’t make the same mistakes.”

Understand that the experience, whether positive or not, can be used to improve our skills. Looking at it in a positive light makes you feel like you have control over the situation where you may have felt powerless before.


2. Rephrase the complaint before you say it.

You’re thinking, “Arrgh, why do I have to do this report over?”

Rephrase that thought by saying, “Hmm, it’s interesting that they want me to do this report over.”


Flipping the complaint into a positive statement or rephrasing it can mean the difference between having a horrible day or a great one. Finding a way to enjoy the situation, even if it’s not how you originally intended it to turn out, will help you have a better day and be happier at work.

Here’s how Karl sums up his 30-day “No Complaining” challenge:

“No Complaining” for thirty days made me aware of many areas of my thoughts and emotions that were invisible before this challenge. This month has given me the most personal improvement I’ve seen all year. It helps to take a microscope to your inner thoughts. I’ve taken my work happiness to a whole new level.

Read more about Karl’s “No Complaining” challenge at Work Happy Now!

So, do you think you can train yourself to be happy at work? Do you think it’s a worthwhile experiment to try?

Is talking politics in the office avoidable?

With the Vice Presidential debate last night and the Presidential election entering its final weeks, it may be hard to find an office free of political discussion these days.

Half of workers openly discuss politics in the office, according to a 2008 survey of U.S. employees conducted by human resources firm Adecco USA. A staggering 61% of Millenials and Generation Y employees think it’s acceptable to talk politics at work.

While it may be acceptable in some workplaces, if political discussion turns into a heated political debate you may have a serious problem on your hands.

From ABC News:

“Reveal which candidate you’re backing to a boss with opposing views, and you risk being penalized on the job by a petty partisan.

... But addressing the election in the workplace is sometimes unavoidable, especially if you work in an ultra-casual small office, or your manager is politically, shall we say, exuberant. So, what should you do if you find yourself staring down a political debate with your boss or another colleague?”

So, is it possible to avoid talking politics at work? Some may think so, but here are some tips to handle situations where it may be completely unavoidable:

• Ask questions. Buy yourself some time by asking the other person questions like, “So, you’ve made your decision?” and “What convinced you to make up your mind?”


• Plead the fifth. If the other person insists on hearing your opinion, simply explain that you like to keep your political opinions to yourself.


• Say something funny. If a coworker or boss continues asking your political opinion, say something to diffuse the situation like, “Will my answer show up in my quarterly review?”


• Agree to disagree. Stay calm and explain to the other person that you respect their opinion, but would rather not talk about it at work.


• Discuss rather than debate. Again, stay calm. Do your best to have a political discussion, not debate. If things start to get heated, tell the other person you’re late for a meeting and leave the room.

Dealing with domestic violence in the workplace

With bad news about our faltering economy flooding our computer and TV screens everyday, it’s almost impossible to avoid thinking about our nation’s financial worries. What’s even harder is checking our personal financial stress at the door when we show up to work.

Whether you see it or not, it’s likely people in your workplace are experiencing some financial stress. Studies show that 71% of American workers are living paycheck to paycheck, according to the American Payroll Association.

One of the most unfortunate effects of our lagging economy is an increase in domestic violence incidents across the country. Various states have reported spikes in the number of reported cases of domestic violence, and “they are merely the tip of the iceberg,” according to Julie Ferguson at HR Web Cafe.

Employers should be concerned because domestic violence directly impacts employee health, productivity, absenteeism and frequently enters the workplace, Ferguson says. Abusers may harass an employee on the job over the phone, at the worksite or cause injuries that affect an employee’s work.

From Human Resource Executive Online:

Many people think that domestic violence is what its name implies -- domestic -- and that it only happens at home. But, we can't expect someone who is experiencing domestic violence to leave the worry, uncertainty and fear of what may happen to them or to their children at home when they come to work.

And, we can't expect those employees to perform at their best when dealing silently with domestic violence, or for their co-workers to understand how to behave.

And that’s where training comes in.

As a corporate leader in raising awareness of domestic violence, Verizon Wireless recently shared their commitment to the issue and how they’ve created a judgement-free culture to support abused employees with Human Resource Executive Online.

After deciding to develop and offer specific training on the impact of domestic violence in the workplace, Verizon partnered with a top victim assistance organization to educate managers and increase awareness within the company.


How Verizon successfully implemented a domestic violence training program:

• Outlined the company’s needs for a training program: accessible to all levels of employees, easily replicated in different locations and cost-effective.
• Identified and trained human resource leaders to become certified trainers.
• Incorporated informative, “powerful” videos in the program to illustrate how domestic violence carries over into the workplace.
• Certified trainers led discussion sparked by issues brought up in the videos

Since implementing the new training program called SafeWork, more than 3,000 Verizon employees have participated.

“We emphasize that our team does not have to be the "expert" when it comes to domestic violence. Our job, and the goal of the training, is to give our employees the tools they need to recognize when someone may be experiencing domestic violence, to understand both the impact on the employee and the business, and to respond appropriately to the situation,” said Martha Delehanty, vice president of human resources for Verizon Wireless.

Backed by company policy and a code of conduct, domestic abuse employee training programs can be successful in recognizing and addressing such a serious issue in the workplace.

Training employees how to identify and handle domestic abuse in the workplace along with the comfort to approach managers with problems will help any business achieve a safe and healthy workplace.

Visit the Workplace section at the Family Violence Prevention Fund for more facts on domestic violence and examples of how other employers have created strategic responses to domestic violence in the workplace.

When employees are talking about you online

Chances are most of your employees are members of popular social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or LinkedIn. They’re publishing and commenting on blogs, and writing reviews on their favorite products.

Employees’ online behavior can pose a serious threat to business. Take the example of the Home Interiors & Gifts employee who spilled the beans about a major pending transaction in a casual email to a friend. The employee meant no harm by sharing the news, but executives were furious.

Earlier this year, CNN caused an uproar after firing Chez Pazienza for his blogging without having a policy regarding “personal writings online” in place. Since then, CNN has written a policy which Pazienza was happy to blog about.

While you may have some sense of control over what employees say about the company over instant messages in the office, how do you guide what employees are saying about the company on their own time, outside of work?

When speaking online as an employee it’s important to have a clear set of rules that everyone in the organization can follow, according to Denise Shiffman at Engage Daily. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but companies should train employees on how to act responsibly when talking about their employer online.

Take a look at how the BBC, Sun Microsystems and IBM have put their social media guidelines into writing. After drafting your own policy, Schiffman advises running them through the legal department before passing the document out to employees.

Here are some online behavior guidelines Shiffman would include (read the full list):

• Use your real name and identify the company you work for.
• Everyone speaks for themselves, not “on behalf” of the company. Only designated spokespeople speak for the company.
• Protect confidential and financial company information.
• Follow the same rules you would if speaking inside of the office.
  

Writing policies on employees’ actions outside of the office can be a bumpy road to travel. As always, seek out legal advice before publishing any guidelines on employee online behavior outside of work.

Do you think it’s right to have guidelines on employee online behavior while on their own time? What problems have you come across in writing your own company policy?