Posts Tagged ‘employee-employer relationships’
Written by Ji Hyun Lee on 22 October 2009
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We spend 40-plus hours of week at work so it comes as no surprise that the office is the number one destination spot for singles looking to make a love connection. But most people are ambivalent about mixing business with pleasure and if the relationship sours, one or both of you could be in jeopardy of losing a good job. What’s a lovelorn employee to do?
“Office romance enhances something called ‘engagement’ which is the Holy Grail of an employee’s commitment to a company’s success,” says Stephanie Losee, co-author of the book, Office Mate: The Employee Handbook for Finding— and Managing— Romance on the Job. Losee and her writing partner Helaine Olen, have been married for 16 years to men they met at work. “We weren’t looking for love at work, but it just turned out that’s where we were meeting the men we ended up dating. Of course we had both heard the warnings about how God awful it’s supposed to be.”
According to an online poll conducted by the Society of Human Research Management (SHRM) and CareerJournal.com, a Web site of The Wall Street Journal, 40 percent of workers engaged in office romance and 42 percent of those ultimately got married.
So if you’re in a work environment in which there are many more attractive coworkers than you cacan count, is it truly okay to pursue love while hammering out the edits on the article due for that week’s deadline?
Five reasons that romancing the coworker is a do
Brad Pitt met Angelina Jolie on the set of a movie and today they have six children together. Possibly the greatest example of romancing the coworker is that of Michelle and Barack Obama who met as associates at a corporate law firm. The story of their office romance began with Mrs. Obama’s one month long refusal to accept the romantic gestures of the future president over concern that a relationship would be deemed inappropriate— she was his advisor at the time. Thankfully, she caved in to the charms of Barack Obama and the rest they say is history.
“HR professionals who say they are firmly against all office romance are perhaps not divulging the degree to which they recognize its ubiquity and benefits to the company,” Losee points out.
Research from SHRM shows that while company HR verbally frown upon interoffice relationships, a 72 percent of companies do not have an existing written or verbal policy prohibiting romantic relationships between their workers.
It’s tragic to think what would have happened, or not happened, if Michelle and Barack Obama’s law firm had a “no love between coworkers” policy.
Still, if you’re considering a relationship with a colleague or are currently in one, here are some tips to keep in mind for a successful professional and personal relationship.
5. Coworkers involved in romance tend to work better and more efficiently together because they’re involved. They will often bring the work home and collaborate better in the workplace as a result of the time they spend together— there’s a 20 percent increase in productivity after a couple falls in love, Losee adds. “When both paychecks are coming from the same corporation, you can imagine the importance to the couple in helping that corporation succeed. Everybody wins,” she says.
4. Do understand that making your work a priority is a great way to make a positive impression on the coworker that has your attention. Use this as an excuse to collaborate, exchange ideas, and produce great work. You’ll not only have your love’s attention, you’ll have the adoration of your boss as well.
3. Do use the work environment to gauge a future mate’s character. If you’ve got a coworker who works hard, is open and honest with their opinions but not overly critical, you’ve got yourself a winner. Stay in close proximity with your coworker love interest and with any luck you’ll both rocket to the top together.
2. “Make sure your romance has a life outside the office and that you weren’t driven into each other’s arms because you are the battle-scarred victims of a rotten boss,” advises Losee. If you’re coming together purely for work reasons, there’s a strong possibility that the relationship will fizzle outside of the office. You’re probably spending too much time on work projects so make time to enjoy each other’s personal interests and hobbies outside of the office.
1. Do make your job and its duties your number one priority. As long as you can be realistic about your expectations of the relationship, you should be fine if it doesn’t work out. All good things do sometimes come to an end, but it doesn’t mean your responsibility as a worker ends too.
Five reasons that romancing the coworker is a don’t
You’ve read all the reasons to pursue love on the job but now it’s time to seriously think about the repercussions that this can have on your future with the company. While there’s no denying the joy of being in a romantic relationship with a colleague, there are some very obvious perils of mixing business with pleasure— for employees and employers alike.
Likewise David Letterman has gotten himself into a bind with his office romances. The best thing about these celebrity sex scandals is for you to learn what not to do.
“I have a pure generalization that I think people should try to live by at work— ‘no fishing off the company pier.’ I also had a manager who used to say, ‘don’t get your honey where you make your money,’” says Chris Rafter, senior human resources professional. “In my opinion people should soberly consider whether getting into a relationship is worth what may be at risk,” he says.
Here are some tips on things you should not do when it comes to office romance:
5. Don’t go chasing coworkers if your intention is just for a casual hook-up. People go to work to earn a living and people go to bars for a drink and a good time. Your job is not the place for pick-ups and quickie office flings. It hurts the integrity of the workplace and your reputation as a serious worker— not to mention that you could be putting yourself at risk for a sexual harassment suit if you play the field with too many coworkers.
4. “Don’t use company email, IM, or text. These technologies are not private,” Losee warns. So remind yourself and your sweetheart that while you are at work, you should not be using the company Internet to exchange romantic or sexually explicit emails.
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3. Try not to get involved in a relationship in which one partner is a boss and the other is a subordinate. According to the SHRM research, most workers discouraged this type of pairing— 80 percent of employers and 60 percent of employees agreed that this was off limits.
Definitely do not get involved if one or more of the interested parties are married and/or involved in a committed relationship. Hold tight and withhold from acting on your desires because the consequences of being found out could end with one or both of you having to leave your jobs.
2. “It’s called an office romance because you met at work, but that doesn’t mean you conduct your romance at the office,” says Losee. While sex on the job has the thrill of secrecy and intrigue as Hollywood would like to have you believe— you saw the sexual escapades of Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhall in the storage room of Retail Rodeo in the film The Good Girl— in reality, this kind of behavior is bound to land you and your partner in trouble with the coworkers and the bosses. Coworkers who publicly flaunt their love are prime targets for office gossip and this will inevitably filter back to the management, which is never a good thing.
Radiah K. Givens, a social media strategist met her husband on the job five years ago and says that the best thing that she did was to keep their relationship private. “Office romance can work… if one compartmentalizes the workplace and your private life,” she explains. “No one ever knew we were dating because we stayed away from each other during work hours. When we got married it was truly a jaw dropper because… we kept it on the down low for two years,” Givens says.
1. Don’t get jealous if one partner gets promoted over the other. Competition between lovers can cause a major rift in any relationship. Losee recommends reminding yourself that you started the relationship as office buddies. “If your best friend got a promotion, how would you behave? Would you be petty, would you act jealous? No, you would be happy for your friend—genuinely happy.”
If tension continues to brew over the success of one partner, it’s likely that a long-term personal and professional relationship is not going to succeed for either of you. It doesn’t matter that your professional successes are measured by the same meter in the same company— couples who can’t be supportive of one another’s success is not a well-matched pair and should look elsewhere for fulfillment.
So do remember that office romance can and has worked for many couples. But also remember that there is a lot more at stake than just a broken heart. So before you start pursuing that attractive coworker with all the right words and ideas during meetings, do think it over and ask yourself, is this office love worth your job, if it came down to it?
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For more articles on work-related issues, please check out:
The Politics Series: The Politics of Facebook Friending your Colleagues | The Politics of being a Woman on the Job: Why can’t we all just get along? | The Politics of Being Young on the Job: Managing the Kid Boss | The Politics of being cute on the job: Are you too Sexy for the Workplace? | The Politics of the bad boss | The Politics of Office Romance
The Lists: | Five Ways to Battle the Office Backstabber | Ten Signs that You Might be a Difficult Employee
Everything in between: Tips for managing the Millennial Generation | When You’re Smarter than the Boss | Knowing When to Speak Up and When Not to |Equal Work, Unequal Pay: What to do if You’re the Victim of Gender Discrimination
Do you need advice dealing with awful coworkers, bosses and other workplace issues? Find the author on Twitter @JiHyun42 or email, jihyunnyc@gmail.com, and tell her all about it. You could be featured in an upcoming article!
Tags: Bias & Discrimination, competitive coworkers, dating coworkers, employee-employer relationships, good-looking coworkers, human resources, office romance, sexual harrassment
Posted in The Politics Series | 12 Comments »
Written by Ji Hyun Lee on 22 October 2009
You’ve got more than 300 friends on Facebook but what do you do when you get a friend request from your boss or coworker? 
Lately, companies everywhere are using Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, but more and more employees are discovering that their management is using social networking tools for purposes other than socializing. For this reason, many employees feel awkward and defensive when approached about opening up their networks to their work colleagues.
“I find it very invasive when professional contacts with whom I am not socially connected contacts me through a social networking platform. If it were ten years ago and you called my home phone for personal reasons, it would be considered inappropriate. Why is this different?” says Chris Linn, vice-president of business development at InsideVenture.
Human resources department frequently research job candidates’ background and existing employees through their Facebook profiles. Inappropriate comments and images surfaced on Facebook have shown quite a few employees the exit door. Even more are denied job opportunities. So given the circumstances regarding the regularity of social media usage in workplace, many workers and management are at crossroads about what is appropriate and what isn’t.
To friend or not to friend, that is the question
Jim Gould, president at I Support, agrees to the benefits of Facebook interaction with colleagues. “It would probably help me to improve my business to see the uncensored and probably incidental comments of my colleagues, but I cannot see any advantage to them including me in their private conversations,” he says.
LinkedIn professionals were asked where they stood on friending workplace colleagues and more than 90 percent of respondents said that adding bosses to Facebook is a no-no. Adding coworkers were deemed more acceptable: More than 60 percent said they have or expected to add coworkers to their network. Still most agreed that the best solution was to keep the two worlds separate.
“I firmly believe that LinkedIn is for professional use and Facebook is for personal use,” says Jason Chu, executive recruiter at Shulman Fleming and Partners. “My personal life, as tame as it is, is still my person life. It has no relevance in my work environment.”
If you must accept, here’s an idea
Many employees who want to maintain a level of privacy from their employers find it hard to deny a friend request from a supervisor. After all, how can you say to a boss, “no, I don’t want to be your friend.” Doing so could also raise serious questions about your loyalty and create tension in your working relationship. To avoid getting tangled in the office politics of social networking, some employees will even go so far as to create a second Facebook profile just for work relationships so as to not appear rude to colleagues and supervisors.
“Create two different profiles: One you share with your closest friends and one you share with everyone else. Facebook allows you to manipulate your settings so people in the latter group only see what you want them to see,” advises Trace Cohen, chief marketing officer at Brandyourself.com.
But many also argue that keeping two profiles is easily searchable and that it just makes you look like you’re trying to hide something. Some even believe that refusing to accept a boss or coworker into your social network puts a shroud of suspicion on your character.
With the constantly evolving landscape of networking platforms, workplace ethics is as complicated as ever. It’s a case of damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Friending the boss after all
Perhaps you’re the exception to the case— you have a wonderful relationship with your boss and coworkers and you’ve decided to include them into Facebook page. Are you being sensible or have you just committed job-sabotage?
“I am absolutely comfortable with adding supervisors and professional contacts as friends on Facebook,” says Scott Hale, Social Media Marketing Specialist. Hale keeps his profile an even mix “between professional and personal and I believe it represents my ability to balance my hobbies with my professional interests.”
Likewise, Erica D, an associate director at a nonprofit organization agrees. Because she is a shy person by nature, she admits that adding coworkers to her Facebook page has helped develop a camaraderie that she would typically find difficult to achieve in person.
“Having positive relations in the office is so important. I think [Facebook] has helped,” she says. Erica uses updates as a way to start a conversation with someone at work. “When I ask for information or assistance to do my job, they are more likely to be receptive or willing to help.” She also points out that while she has witnessed some indiscretions with others, she herself is careful to recognize that Facebook, like all the other networks, is a public forum. “Everything I post is something I wouldn’t mind seeing posted on the bulletin board at work.”
Yes, there is an upside to having a boss and coworker in your social circle—it’s easier to build trust and loyalty within the confines of a Facebook page. For those that are judicious about sharing appropriate information, the benefit of having developed trust and friendship from a supervisor can be immeasurable.
The best advice in using any networking tool is to always be a bit guarded about what you share. Keep your Facebook page and other social networking platforms entertaining and as non-controversial as possible. While it’s easy to get carried away with posting pictures of yourself doing a wild strip tease at a friend’s party, it’s also wise to remember that a quick laugh can just as easily leave an unfavorable impression on those that are unfamiliar to you. Bottom line is you just never know who is watching.
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For more articles from Ji Hyun Lee, please check out
The Politics Series: The Politics of Facebook Friending your Colleagues | The Politics of being a Woman on the Job: Why can’t we all just get along? | The Politics of Being Young on the Job: Managing the Kid Boss | The Politics of being cute on the job: Are you too Sexy for the Workplace? | The Politics of the bad boss | The Politics of Office Romance
The Lists: | Five Ways to Battle the Office Backstabber | Ten Signs that You Might be a Difficult Employee
Everything in between: Tips for managing the Millennial Generation | When You’re Smarter than the Boss | Knowing When to Speak Up and When Not to |Equal Work, Unequal Pay: What to do if You’re the Victim of Gender Discrimination
Do you need advice dealing with awful coworkers, bosses and other workplace issues? Find the author on Twitter @JiHyun42 or email, jihyunnyc@gmail.com, and tell her all about it. You could be featured in an upcoming article!
Tags: Baby Boomers, employee-employer relationships, Facebook, friending your boss, Gen X, Millennial Generation, social networking
Posted in Employee Relations, My Generation, The Politics Series | 2 Comments »
Written by Ji Hyun Lee on 22 October 2009
It’s been said that with age comes responsibility so it comes as a surprise to some workers that many companies are hiring
young workers to manage the older and more experienced ones. But in an economic downturn it makes sense that older workers get shed from company payroll to be replaced by younger workers with less experience and less onerous salary demands. And for some this isn’t always been a bad thing. A research conducted by The Family and Work Institute reflects a surprisingly positive opinion of younger bosses from their older subordinates. Majority of the older employees with younger employers believed that their young bosses were more
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competent, and more responsive, and more supportive of their needs than managers of any other generation. Fifty-nine percent of Gen X and Baby Boomer employees believed that their young bosses were competent and capable, and an astounding 79 percent of Matures (aged 60 and over) believed that their young bosses were competent and capable in their positions.
“I appreciate the way she has come up to sit in that position. One thing I get to learn from her is to innovate. I get to know the latest way of looking at the world and the business, which we never did when I was of her age,” says Prashanth S, senior manager at CareerBuilder.com. “We were assertive then and very aggressive now. The current market needs aggression, which she infuses.”
Still this does not belie the fact that many of the older workers are not always enthused about having to report to a younger figure of authority. For many who are old enough to be the young boss’ parent, taking direction from a “kid” is a bitter pill to swallow. Research also indicates that Baby Boomers are typically the generation at most odds with the conflicting management styles of the Gen Y group.
With the ever-changing face of the workplace environment, some employees are finding it difficult to contend with the colliding ethics of the multi-generational work force.
Anything you can do, I can do better
Often times, an older employee facing a manager decades younger feels that they have more knowledge and expertise for the position. The young boss may feel threatened and feel his confidence diminish in the presence of an older subordinate.
“I had several younger bosses. I’m not inclined to repeat the experience,” says Deni Tavares, advisor at Cultivating Our Sisterhood International Association (COSIA), an organization dedicated to empowering women and youth. “It’s a case of ‘they don’t know what they don’t know’ which is a problem within any work environment,” she says.
Workplace conduct is largely dependent on one’s opinion of one another so a young boss, especially if it’s a first time in a management position may feel inclined to overcompensate and distrust any employee, young or old, who question his authority.
According to Rick Brenner, management consultant based in Cambridge, Mass, trouble can develop “if the boss feels it necessary to assert dominance over the capable older subordinate— the boss can feel threatened. This can lead the boss to behave in ways that are insulting to or demeaning for the subordinate,” he says.
Some examples of inexperienced young boss conduct may include refusing to be accountable for his mistakes, or blaming others for them, Brenner says.
And while there are particular issues at stake for a young boss managing an older staff, the bottom line is that anyone in a leadership role is bound to feel offended if people underneath him question his capacity to lead.
Trust is the best advice here. While the elder statesman may have all the answers, it’s important to realize that someone else might also have those answers but reach them in a new and different way. It could take a little longer but any employee, old or young, should trust and wait for the young manager to figure things out.
Th know-it-all who knows very little
“If a young boss comes into the job with the attitude that they know it all, they will undoubtedly run into problems,” says Mark Vance, chief marketing officer of Aquion Water Treatment Products. “I made my fair share of mistakes usually driven by inability, at the time, to see the value of input from others.
Usually, this type of young manager will be the one with least amount of management experience— perhaps it could be his first time in a management position. He may have an MBA from Harvard and have several years at a high profile company. As impressive as his credentials may be, if the new kid on the block doesn’t know how to convert past experiences with the current work climate, he is headed for disaster.
He will give orders, commandeer radical new ideas, and refuse to listen to anyone or let anyone else contribute. These are the typical signs of an overcompensating boss trying to do too much too fast. And this often translates to micromanagement of employees, which is never a good thing.
“Micromanagement destroys employee morale, increases staff turnover and negatively impacts work performance,” says Dana Dixon, a claims specialist at the Association for Child Development. Dixon, like many of her peers, doesn’t take issue with the age of a supervisor, but rather the management style of those in charge. “Practice coupled with management courses can produce a more effective…more successful, younger manager,” Dixon says.
Vance agrees that employees will give the young boss a fair chance at success if they are treated with respect and are acknowledged for their efforts. So give the kid a break and emphasize the strength that each side has to offer to the company. If differing generations can build on teamwork, soon inconsequential errors will be just that. Inconsequential.
Old enough but not good enough to lead
Resentment can also arise out of older workers reporting to highly competent and experienced young employers. This happens
when the older worker is passed over for the same or similar position. Jealousy plays a large part in creating tension in a multi-generational workforce: Older workers often feel usurped by a younger, vibrant worker with a completely different set of skills and ethics.
“The younger boss is in itself a statement about the status of the older subordinate’s career. That statement can be difficult to accept,” says Brenner and this can lead to shame and loss of self-esteem for the older worker. “It is the expression of these hurts by the older subordinate that takes the form of difficulty in the relationship with the boss.”
To alleviate the tension, the one in the leadership position must make an effort to bring the team together under the same umbrella. Older workers in turn need to appreciate and value the contributions of the manager so that the young leader can show a similar deference to the subordinate.
“It can be tough to take orders from somebody younger than you are. And it can be hard to give direction to somebody older than you are. But good managers and good employees find a way to make it work,” writes Donald Trump, CEO of the Trump organization, in his blog. “Just like younger workers can bring fresh ideas and new techniques, older workers bring incredible insight and knowledge,” he says
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Tips for building trust
For any employee, the key to good workplace relationship is trust. To accomplish a mutually beneficial relationship, here are some suggestions for workplace harmony for all generations.
Start by listening to what the other is saying. Listening is sometimes just as important as doing, and people who are doing the talking will greatly appreciate you for it.
Acknowledge the accomplishments of your boss. It may be a simple, “good idea” or “the meeting went well” but letting someone know that they’ve done a good job makes them view you with profound appreciation which is likely to be reciprocated.
Ask for help when you don’t know how to handle a situation. There is nothing more flattering than being asked for someone’s advice.
Recognize and respect your differences in age. Even if your young boss has a style of dress and speech that is less deferential than yours, respect it and appreciate it— differences are what make new ideas happen. The manager with a penchant for indie-rock can just as well respect you for your immense love of the Beatles.
Speak up if something is bothering you. Trust is best built on open communication so if there is an idea that you want to share, don’t be shy. Even if it’s not always received and implemented, a boss of any age will appreciate the initiative you take in helping the company grow its bottom line.
Learn from each other because as much as you have the years on your young boss, he or she will likely have some new ways to resolving an issue. When you look around, the workplace is filled with learning opportunity from every colleague, boss and CEO. And who can’t do with a little more education?
For more articles from Ji Hyun Lee, please check out:
The Politics Series: The Politics of Facebook Friending your Colleagues | The Politics of being a Woman on the Job: Why can’t we all just get along? | The Politics of Being Young on the Job: Managing the Kid Boss | The Politics of being cute on the job: Are you too Sexy for the Workplace? | The Politics of the bad boss | The Politics of Office Romance
The Lists: | Five Ways to Battle the Office Backstabber | Ten Signs that You Might be a Difficult Employee
Everything in between: Tips for managing the Millennial Generation | When You’re Smarter than the Boss | Knowing When to Speak Up and When Not to |Equal Work, Unequal Pay: What to do if You’re the Victim of Gender Discrimination
Do you need advice dealing with awful coworkers, bosses and other workplace issues? Find the author on Twitter @JiHyun42 or email, jihyunnyc@gmail.com, and tell her all about it. You could be featured in an upcoming article!
Tags: conflicting personalities, employee-employer relationships, Gen X, human resources, Millennial Generation
Posted in Bosses, Employee Relations, My Generation, The Politics Series | 5 Comments »
Written by Ji Hyun Lee on 20 October 2009
The work place is full of some seriously educated and experienced workers. That means competition is fierce and sometimes knowing what to say and what not to say can mean the difference between getting promoted or getting fired.
A great example of this is making suggestions about the workflow. Many career specialists will tell you that speaking up is a great way of making a good impression. This is often just a myth and many working professionals have experienced the opposite effect of speaking up.
If an employee is heard too often wanting to do things differently, coworkers and supervisors often perceive this as a sign that the outspoken employee is dissatisfied or arrogant. However, if an employee doesn’t speak up, that can often be perceived as lack of interest.
Here are some key tactics to remember in balancing proper work place dialogue:
Timing— Knowing when to make suggestions is crucial in getting your ideas implemented. As a general rule, Mondays and Fridays are not good days to pitch new ideas. People start the week off with a large workload so getting your point across might be a bit challenging with all the new to-do lists for the week. Fridays, likewise, aren’t good either— people are winding down and putting many of their projects to bed. Best time to suggest new plans for work would be any days in the middle of the week. But you know your work environment best— if your supervisor loves to work late on Mondays, maybe this is a good time to start a casual conversation about the “great idea” you just had this morning.
Delivery— If you have an idea for cutting costs, decide first if your boss is approachable. You might just “throw it out there” for your supervisor to think about or if you want to make it more formal, you could ask for a lunch meeting. A social setting is inviting and your ideas are apt to be received more positively by your boss.
Your Manner— It’s how you say it that often makes the difference. Just declaring, “we should all start using the same printer to save the company money” sounds less appealing than if you said, “what do you think if some of us shared one printer? It could save some us some money and help the environment.” Putting your ideas in the form of a question sounds like you’re asking for people’s input, which generally promotes a collaborative spirit and this often puts people at ease.
Know What Matters— If you have an idea that you think could help increase the company’s bottom-line, then by all means, speak up and let your suggestion be heard. But if you want to complain about a coworker, your workload, your hours, keep your mouth shut. Rule of thumb is, anything positive is a go. Anything negative is usually a no.
Remember that in navigating the tricky work environment, often times, you are your own worst enemy. Use common sense and avoid negative situations as much as possible. And, smile. It’s not as bad as you think.
For more articles from Ji Hyun Lee, please check out:
The Politics Series: The Politics of Facebook Friend Requests from Your Colleagues | The Politics of being a Woman on the Job: Why can’t we all just get along? | The Politics of Being Young on the Job: Managing the Kid Boss | The Politics of being cute on the job: Are you too Sexy for the Workplace? | The Politics of the bad boss | The Politics of Office Romance
The Lists: Five Ways to Battle the Office Backstabber | Ten Signs that You Might be a Difficult Employee
Everything in between: Tips for managing the Millennial Generation | When You’re Smarter than the Boss | Knowing When to Speak Up and When Not to |Equal Work, Unequal Pay: What to do if You’re the Victim of Gender Discrimination
Do you need advice dealing with awful coworkers, bosses and other workplace issues? Find the author on Twitter @JiHyun42 or email, jihyunnyc@gmail.com, and tell her all about it. You could be featured in an upcoming article!
Tags: employee-employer relationships, friending your boss
Posted in Bosses, Employee Relations | 6 Comments »
Written by Ji Hyun Lee on 01 September 2009
There are many things that are wrong in the workplace— backstabbing employees, gender bias, young bosses and bad
bosses— but let’s take a moment to celebrate some of the good things in the America, in spite of the backstabbers.
This past Thursday marked the 45th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, which made it illegal to discriminate against people based on their race, national origin, sex, age, disability and religious preference. It is the law that made it possible for everyone to have an equal chance at success in the workforce. It is what gives us the multicultural society that we live and work in.
The workplace is filled with conflict and for all of us, that conflict is possible because the Civil Rights Act was enacted. For many of us that were laid off recently, it’s easy to get discouraged with the unemployment now at a dismal 9.5 percent. Although many of us think back on all the jobs we quit and the promotion that we didn’t get, the great thing is that we all have the opportunity to compete and fight equally for the jobs and the promotions that are out there: It’s quite a wonderful privilege to have.
On this July 4 holiday, if you’re a frustrated worker or jobseeker, lets take a moment to reflect on all the advantages that is available in America. Hopefully, we can use some of these reasons to remain calm and assertive in these turbulent economic times.
10. Everyone can fight for a promotion if wrongly denied. Connecticut firefighters were denied promotions in favor of less qualified black firefighters. 
The Supreme Court ruled that reverse discrimination was illegal and allowed the white and Hispanic firefighters their due raise and promotion.
9. We work, friend and marry people of diverse backgrounds and everyone is just fine with that.
8. Though there is a recession happening in this country, most of us still have the means to survive on good food, good television and the Internet. Because it’s too cruel of a society to have to do without the Internet.
7. Our workplace issues have more to do with personality conflicts than race, gender or age conflicts.
6. Conniving bosses don’t discriminate— they’re equal opportunity backstabbers so whether you’re white, black, Asian or gay, everyone has an equal chance to be sabotaged.
5. Even if you hate your job, you’re lucky to have something, which is always better than nothing.
4. This year, we have our very first black president in Obama, a woman secretary of state in Clinton, and soon-to-be the very first Hispanic Supreme Court justice with Sotomayor. Diversity in the government makes it possible for the country’s workplace to be that much more level for everyone.
3. The Equal Pay Act was amended this past Jan. 29— The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was enacted which made it possible for the victim Lilly Ledbetter to receive compensation for lost wages when she was paid less than male coworkers. The new bill extends 180-day statue of limitation to reset with every new paycheck and for Ledbetter who worked as a supervisor at Goodyear tires for 19 years, that is 19 years of back pay that she is now entitled to receive. Appropriately enough, this is also the very first bill signed into law by President Obama— America’s very first black president.
2. The growth of Social media makes it possible for the unemployed to find opportunities with other like-minded individuals. And this has everything to do with the brilliant, diverse, and educated people in America.
1. Barack Obama has made some mistakes and we’re okay with that— so far.
Got an office politics tale you want to share? Find the author on Twitter @JiHyun42 and tell her all about it. You could be featured in an upcoming article!
© len green | dreamstime.com, ap photo | jessica hill
For more articles on work-related issues, please check out:
The Politics Series: The Politics of Facebook Friend Requests from Your Colleagues | The Politics of being a Woman on the Job: Why can’t we all just get along? | The Politics of Being Young on the Job: Managing the Kid Boss | The Politics of being cute on the job: Are you too Sexy for the Workplace? | The Politics of the bad boss | The Politics of Office Romance
The Lists: Five Ways to Battle the Office Backstabber | Ten Signs that You Might be a Difficult Employee
Everything in between: Tips for managing the Millennial Generation | When You’re Smarter than the Boss | Knowing When to Speak Up and When Not to |Equal Work, Unequal Pay: What to do if You’re the Victim of Gender Discrimination
Do you need advice dealing with awful coworkers, bosses and other workplace issues? Find the author on Twitter @JiHyun42 or email, jihyunnyc@gmail.com, and tell her all about it. You could be featured in an upcoming article!
Tags: Bias & Discrimination, conflicting personalities, difficult employees, employee-employer relationships, gender bias, generational conflict, human resources, micromanaging bosses, office backstabbers
Posted in Minority Issues | No Comments »
