Government bailouts and loans! I want one too.
For the past six or seven months I have been working so hard to keep jobs for my employees. We have evaluated every policy and procedure that I built the company on. I have worked on ensuring About Staffing’s core values are intact: Loyalty, Enthusiasm, Sincerity, and Stability!
The economy jumbled up and scared the employers out of hiring, which affected our stability core value. So, I took full responsibility! I evaluated, and double checked; I supervised and loaded up with meaningful meetings. I found some loopholes in our procedural structure! OK, so time to work on filling in those gaps!
It is time to accept responsibility, and work hard at becoming a better agency of service. It is time to take responsibility for failures or mistakes, and learn to be better. It is time to make decisions quickly, and determine better processes, more efficient and valuable.
OR, I could just demand some royalties, and some bailout money from the government. Come on, I want to work less, and take some bonuses, and give myself a big raise, like the city did. I want to reward myself for overspending, and not saving over the years. I want to get some cash back from the government because we are not making as much PROFIT as last year! Profit???? If I don’t work my butt off, and create, and think, and solve problems, and evaluate constantly, I don’t have profit. As a small business owner, I don’t take a wage if I don’t make the money!
So, I think the government should send me a cheque! I would like to dictate that the City of Calgary send me a 5% increase in pay, because I did not do a very good job of being proactive in my business. I would like to request a bailout of say, not much, $1 million, to make up the difference of the loss of profits that I was expecting! I want it, so cough it up government! And give my friends some too.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Mother Nature Rules Over a Recession
The conversations at About Staffing lately have been about the topic of recession proof industries. One we discussed was insurance. Insurance is supposed to protect us just in case something happens. We pay upfront so that we will mitigate the costs of potential loss. Recession or a booming economy doesn’t make one bit of difference in the insurance industry!
For all drivers, insurance is necessary because accidents do happen, no matter how careful or defensive drivers are. That is why the term is “accident”; we just don’t see it coming. This past winter is proof that Mother Nature is going to rule the roads. Our economy should be booming just based on how busy our insurance agents, estimators, and auto body shops have been this past season!
As Canadians we are pretty trusting of others, and we more or less like people. But the world is getting smaller, and Mother Nature is getting fiercer each year. We need to plan for accidents of all kinds, and hope that it doesn’t happen to us, regardless of the economy. Mother Nature doesn’t guide the economy.
For all drivers, insurance is necessary because accidents do happen, no matter how careful or defensive drivers are. That is why the term is “accident”; we just don’t see it coming. This past winter is proof that Mother Nature is going to rule the roads. Our economy should be booming just based on how busy our insurance agents, estimators, and auto body shops have been this past season!
As Canadians we are pretty trusting of others, and we more or less like people. But the world is getting smaller, and Mother Nature is getting fiercer each year. We need to plan for accidents of all kinds, and hope that it doesn’t happen to us, regardless of the economy. Mother Nature doesn’t guide the economy.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Hardships Create Opportunities
Employees have about 48 weeks of employment insurance to draw on if they get laid off.
No work creates more stress, right? For awhile maybe, then people settle into not having to get up and go to work, maybe even to a job he or she didn’t like anyway. Being laid off gives people a chance to reassess what is important in life. Time off can lead to people looking for opportunities never thought of before.
When we look back in history at the many times our economy has taken a nose dive and mass layoffs occurred, people started by panicking and freaking out about the future. But then, when a little time passed, those laid off started to look at what they really wanted to do this time around. They looked to their true strengths and what they would love to do, rather than what they had to do or had done for all the past years of working.
Sure, some people got negative and chose to not put full effort into a new job because they may end up laid off again. But, for the most part, people took the time to look at what they did really well, working on hobbies and taking more time for family and friends, instead of a million hours of overtime.
Fabulous new opportunities always come from times like these. Once we get through this economic crunch, watch what will happen. People will generally be happier, more thoughtful, better with their budgets, and more caring about the important people in their lives. People will be looking for more fun in their jobs, new and exciting opportunities will arise, with more positive outcomes this next time around.
Hardships create opportunities, through creativity and priorities, keeping our eyes open, and evaluating who and what we love, we can skate through this economy right into the next 20 years of possibilities.
No work creates more stress, right? For awhile maybe, then people settle into not having to get up and go to work, maybe even to a job he or she didn’t like anyway. Being laid off gives people a chance to reassess what is important in life. Time off can lead to people looking for opportunities never thought of before.
When we look back in history at the many times our economy has taken a nose dive and mass layoffs occurred, people started by panicking and freaking out about the future. But then, when a little time passed, those laid off started to look at what they really wanted to do this time around. They looked to their true strengths and what they would love to do, rather than what they had to do or had done for all the past years of working.
Sure, some people got negative and chose to not put full effort into a new job because they may end up laid off again. But, for the most part, people took the time to look at what they did really well, working on hobbies and taking more time for family and friends, instead of a million hours of overtime.
Fabulous new opportunities always come from times like these. Once we get through this economic crunch, watch what will happen. People will generally be happier, more thoughtful, better with their budgets, and more caring about the important people in their lives. People will be looking for more fun in their jobs, new and exciting opportunities will arise, with more positive outcomes this next time around.
Hardships create opportunities, through creativity and priorities, keeping our eyes open, and evaluating who and what we love, we can skate through this economy right into the next 20 years of possibilities.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Reducing Workplace Stress During Tough Times
The number one issue facing our workforce today is managing or dealing with stress. I think we need to look at ways to manage our stress while we are still working, before a layoff or company closure.
Staying physically healthy is certainly a part of handling stress effectively, but mental health is equally as important. Having a fulfilling job, where the work being done has some important impact on something or someone can really help when dealing with workplace stress.
We can become overwhelmed pretty easily these days, being bombarded by negative headlines and conversations. Learning to do only what is most important today and being able to leave the rest until another day can help a little with the pressure.
During these tough times, we need more support and social activity than we did before at work and at home. Create a social calendar and invite people from work, and other friends and family.
The human connection is what we need now more than ever to help alleviate the stress of the workplace, so go for coffee with a friend or enjoy a fabulous lunch with a co-worker.
Staying physically healthy is certainly a part of handling stress effectively, but mental health is equally as important. Having a fulfilling job, where the work being done has some important impact on something or someone can really help when dealing with workplace stress.
We can become overwhelmed pretty easily these days, being bombarded by negative headlines and conversations. Learning to do only what is most important today and being able to leave the rest until another day can help a little with the pressure.
During these tough times, we need more support and social activity than we did before at work and at home. Create a social calendar and invite people from work, and other friends and family.
The human connection is what we need now more than ever to help alleviate the stress of the workplace, so go for coffee with a friend or enjoy a fabulous lunch with a co-worker.
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Meaning of Stuff
We moved About Staffing this past week. Inadvertently, during the move, things got broken and things got tossed that should not have been.
We did try to purge the last 13 years of saved stuff, things that we really did not need to keep. But during this process some things got accidentally purged, things that meant something to some people. We are all attached to our own "stuff", whether it is important or not. And, we are all different in the way we like our workspaces to be.
Most people think and care about their own square, where they sit, where their desk goes, where their pictures go, and don't really think about the people sitting in the next square, or what kind of a "stuff" person they are.
I don't know the reasons we become so attached to our stuff, but I am sure many workplaces have had issues because of the invasion of the stuff stealers/tossers/movers. Whether we like our stuff all around us, just as we left it, or tucked neatly away in its place, or scattered everywhere, we each need a small square we can call our own; somewhere safe to keep our stuff.
We also need to be more aware of the squares that belong to other people we work or live with.
We did try to purge the last 13 years of saved stuff, things that we really did not need to keep. But during this process some things got accidentally purged, things that meant something to some people. We are all attached to our own "stuff", whether it is important or not. And, we are all different in the way we like our workspaces to be.
Most people think and care about their own square, where they sit, where their desk goes, where their pictures go, and don't really think about the people sitting in the next square, or what kind of a "stuff" person they are.
I don't know the reasons we become so attached to our stuff, but I am sure many workplaces have had issues because of the invasion of the stuff stealers/tossers/movers. Whether we like our stuff all around us, just as we left it, or tucked neatly away in its place, or scattered everywhere, we each need a small square we can call our own; somewhere safe to keep our stuff.
We also need to be more aware of the squares that belong to other people we work or live with.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)