Dealing with Tough Times at Work / Job

HI today I toking about tips on dealing with tough times at work /jobs I thing in that time many people was like to going to doing the jobs and work and some people was not like to going to the jobs and work I thing the jobs and work dealing in early morning I mean 6 am to 12 am than was lunch time was finish 2 pm to 4 pm than the was work time was stopped and every one going to home so I thing every one like this comment thank you.

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Everyone needs good job, good boss, good colleagues and ofcourse a good salary.

but everybody doesn't get it. It does not mean that you will not get it. You will get it definitely.

First, try to get the job which you want to do it. If you don't get it soon. Please don't get upset.

Wait for right time.

But most important: "Love, what you do."

If you do it, you will enjoy it and get less tension at job. however, you get less salary.

Second, "Do, what you wanted to do, your work never press you down. You will have everything, quantity may vary." But you will have peace in your life.

I am very sure, it will help you.

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It happened again. Maybe the boss broke his or her word, bad-mouthed you, or torpedoed your promotion. You're not surprised. Your boss already ignores your ideas, talks down to you, and expects you to be a mind-reader. And that doesn't even count the eavesdropping. What's worse, your boss won't talk about it with you, telling you to "move on." as if nothing ever happened. OK, you've been saddled with a bad boss.

Having to answer to a boss is a fact of working life. But what are your options when you're undermined by the person whose goodwill you need? Sure, you can lash out or call human resources. Unfortunately, companies are like Vegas casinos: The house always wins. Still, you have options. When the anger starts to boil, consider the following:

Don't act immediately

Initially, you'll want to fight back. You may fantasise about writing a blistering critique of your rotten boss. . . and e-mailing it to the CEO. And those thoughts aren't necessarily harmful. But thoughts don't have to lead to action. Sure, your boss may be small-minded, two-faced, spineless, and technically inept. But would a dramatic gesture be worth the lost salary? Is it worth a 0 in your resume, the one you'll be explaining for years to come? This isn't the economy to choose pride over practicality.

Play the game

You were cheated or unfairly smeared. Welcome to the real world. But don't let it turn you sour or sloppy. And don't let your boss get to you, either. Nod and smile when he delivers another self-serving sermon. Maintain a can-do attitude, like you have your dream job. Respect and defer, even when trust is lost. You'll work with plenty of jerks over your career. You may as well start practicing now.

Prepare

Start collecting references and recommendation letters from clients, peers, industry pros, and local leaders. Keep a file of positive citations to your work too. Even more, focus on activities that position you to lead and produce measurable results. No one can take those experiences away from you. And they'll enhance your credibility when the next opportunity arises.

Forge alliances

Identify the job you eventually want. Get to know the players in that department. Grab lunch with them. Help them out during downtime to prove yourself. Build a relationship with a mentor or your boss's own boss, too. They can provide direction, intelligence, and even a reference. Beyond that, get involved in corporate initiatives, such as community outreach or strategic planning. Your boss has the power and network to blackball you. Stay visible and broaden your circle to counter that.

Don't jump to conclusions

Sometimes, there is more going on than meets the eye. The higher-ups may veto your boss's efforts. Conditions change or extenuating circumstances emerge. Your boss probably has a full plate - and you may not be his or her top priority. And your boss may simply be unaware of his or her behavior and its impact on you.

Bottom line: Management is often grueling and thankless. We all need someone to blame, but give your boss a little empathy. Don't mistake the person for the perception. They're usually far more complex than your caricature.

Keep your boss in the loop

Everyone likes to feel like an expert and give back. Your boss is no different. Maybe you need to reel your boss closer, rather than pushing him or her away. Ask what traits or skills you need to develop to reach the next level. Ask for specifics; look at establishing benchmarks to measure your growth. What's more, become a true partner with your boss.

You know your boss's flaws: Train yourself to ask the right questions, clarify, and work through the details. This is perfect training for what's really important in business: anticipation, flexibility, relationship-building, collaboration, and execution(not to mention making your boss look good).

Focus on the big picture

Your boss will betray your trust, then tell you to stay positive. Your boss will chastise you for your behavior, then act the same way. Sure, you can quit, but have you gained anything besides an ulcer? Instead, make the most of your time. Focus on gaining the right experience, building your interpersonal skills, and policing your attitude. They are your ticket out.

Absorb those daily humiliations, so you never become like your boss. Most important, don't write off the message because of the messenger. Your boss didn't reach this level by accident. Be open to criticisms and suggestions. You'll likely miss some valuable nuggets if you completely tune out your boss.

Wait

If your boss really is a jerk, chances are the clock is ticking on him or her. Charm, connections, and reputation only give bosses so much rope. They'll inevitably drop their guard and slip up with someone higher up - and it won't be pretty.

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At last I have found a review that applies to me one hundred perecent, if this can be considered as

an autobiography review that means for some like me who endured failures for forty years means

one can mend his life in the future years to come.

LIFE IS FULL OF BAD AND GOOD PERSONS WITH U.

It is impossible to get positon in life unless u face persons u work with are good with u, it takes years

to make out why bad people continue to harm your interest, no matter what happens this kind of bad

person or persons only in ur case, enjoy being harming your interest for the rest of your life.

GOOD FOR YOU, IS BAD FOR OTHER PERSON HENCE HE OR SHE TRIES TO STOP U.

When you are capable to achive greatest wealth in your life, the person who is bad for u, feels really

ill at ease, he or she can create problems for you all the time and u withdraw to improve.

BAD BOSS IN AN OFFICE FOR AN EXAMPLE.

Imagine ur a girl in twenties and not married and the most u want in work is to show enthusiasism,

integrity and hard working nature at any assignment, no matter what ever way u tries to please your

boss may be he as a manager or in any form boss, is just thinking of you and how to make u cry.

BAD BOSSES CANT STAND YOUR SMILE, JOY, AND HAPPINESS AT ALL.

Yes in the case of a girl she is in a mood to have a good life in future, a good earning, promotion

and greater results due to her hard work can make the whole office envious of her hence the

bad boss all he wants is she to surrender her self into make him do things as command.

YES BOSS, YES SIR, YESS SIR I WILL DO IT FOR U.

These rowdy type boss likes to hear her meek voice, then only he can feel happy.

THIS GIRL QUITS AND MOVES AS SHE CANT STAND THE SMELL OF THIS BOSS.

No matter what happens in real life, no girl can ever toleate a ill type boss if he is disliked by

this new girl naturally smell so bad.

BAD BOSSES SMELL LIKE ROTTEN EGG.

Actually bad bosses wont smell really like a rotten egg, but when this girl denies easy access to

him of her freedom, he will really smell so bad, whole office can feel it till she quit.

IN LIFE ONE MUST CHOOSE EVEN FOR BUSINESS PARTNER LIKE GOOD OR BAD.

If u have good partners only one can make lot of money, otherwise for decades the profit margin

is reduced all because of bad partners.

NEW FREEDOM FOR ME, SHOWS GREATER FUTURE FEEL FOR ME.

FREINDS QUIT THE MOMENT U HAVE A BAD BOSS, IT IS WORTH TO CHANGE JOB TO GET

BETTER PERSPECTIVENESS.

SHORT REVIEW THIS IS, I LIKE TO FILL UP IN COMMENT BOX HOW BAD BOSS IS DIF FROM GOOD BOSS.

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Before proceeding to read this reviw,  If you are thinking that you are being picked and targeted in your company, or unfair things happen to you only, let me tell you that  YOU ARE NOT ALONE. The intensity of your problems at office can only be as much as you impose on yourself. Everybody has tough times and tough people to cope with, and ultimately, it is only those who have the patience and perseverance that thrive in an Organisation.

4 Yrs experience in ITES industry taught me that stress may be due to a Bad Boss, A Bad team, or a Bad JOB itself.

A BAD BOSS:

*Researches and surveys have proved that most people quite their jobs because of a bad boss.

It is rightly said that  "People dont quit jobs; they quit their managers". Infact, " Perfect Boss " is an oxymoron. A Bad Boss is one who is highly critical, pushy and controlling, who exibhits favoritism, very inconsiderate and overly demanding. And **bad bosses could be the prime source of frustration or stress at your workplace.

*I have worked under several Bosses and I can tell you that if you have a Bad boss, more often than not, it is because you havent been inline with your boss'es expectations.

It is a bitter truth that ultimately  you work for a boss and not for a company - It is ONLY your boss who will do your appraisal.So just check if you are in tune with his expectations by constantly and periodically seeking his feedback. With this you can avoid " unpleasant surprises " in you appraisal. Dont catch me wrong - I WOULD NEVER ADVOCATE BUTTERING the Boss. I have never done that before and dont have any plans in future either - no matter what.

If you feel that your Boss yells at you and finds fault with you for no reason and just keeps putting you down, let your antennas go up!  It affects the peace of mind, and can have a lasting negative influence on you and can ruin your capabilities. Never take it to heart - most of the time, it is only against the work that you have done and not against you.

Your Boss is not the only person on earth who can judge you nor is yours the only company. Never lose faith in your self just because of a severe criticism or after an appraisal that hasnt gone your way. Dont sulk. There are fair chances that your boss hasnt judged you properly.

Most of us know that Narayana Murthy who was turned down as unfit in an interview with WIPRO later on, founded his own company INFOSYS which is now challenging WIPRO in the IT Industry.

Remember - YOUR BOSS IS JUST ANOTHER PERSON in this huge world - HE IS NOT GOD! This is the best way to console yourself against a Bad boss.

ACTUAL JOB / Organisation related woes :

Common complaints from Employees relating to a Job are that the Job is monotonous, involves lot of stretch work, is not  rewarding. Needless to say, most employees also feel that their **company is high on Cost cutting and do not care for employee welfare, there are no adequate perks, no hikes, bonuses etc.

Is there a company in any corner of this world which runs for charity? NO. Max profits with min investments is the essence of business. If you still feel that your company is highly kanjoosi, has least regard for employee welfare etc, you always have plenty of chances outside. No use complaining - after all we cant do much about it.

If you feel your job isnt good, is repetitive and doesnt have anything good about it, then you may have to assess your career goals, capabilities and discuss it with your manager and check for possible opportunities or lateral movements within your organisation and keep moving on.You shouldnt be a square peg in a round hole. **Always try to choose a job which suits your interests so that you enjoy doing it.

*Team members:

*Some people dislike going to office just because they cant stand the very sight of some people. A colleague's name would be the worst thing that they would ever have heard. Remember - there are many others in your workplace and there would definitely be at least one person in your office who would understand you.

As a best practice, try to be warm and friendly to all in your team. Try to be helpful and do the best that you can for others in your teamLove and help others and they wil return the favour with pleasure.You only get what you give!

Last but not the least:

1.For success in any Organisation - Remember the 2 golden rules "Rule 1. Your Boss is always

right.  Rule 2. If you have a different opinion, refer Rule 1. "

• Arguing with your boss is like wrestling with a pig in mud. Finally you find that you are getting dirty

and the pig is enjoying it.( just kidding!)

2.Whenever you feel stressed up, dont bottle up your feelings always try to share it with a

confidant. I usually listen to good music, go on frequent tours and read good books which

relieves me of stress. I am sure it would work well for you too.

3.Dont think that you are the only person in your office who works in your office that your company's share prices will fall if you do not overstretch and work. Neither over work nor dodge work. I have personally suffered a great deal because of overworking.

4.Pls remember that an office is not the only place on earth. **Dont confine yourself to your

cubicles - you may fail to appreciate the little beauties in life**. It really relieves me of my tension

wen my doggy jumps in joy we I get back home. You can think of bringing up a  pet, finding new

things as a hobby .**There are several other things in this world other than WORK!

*Remember we work only to lead a healthy life and let work not ruin our lifestyle. Never compromise more precious  things in life for a so called " JOB or ORGANISATION ".

1. *And any ppl managers reading this, remember that your actions have a great impact on

people working under you**. Your subordinates greatly contribute towards your success in an

Organisation. We dont gain much by making their lives a living hell. **Help them grow and they will

help you soar greater heights in life.

7.And finally, no matter how bad things are going, it will get OK in sometime. **Time will heal most

problems and things will get better - thats what this revu is all about - EVEN THIS DAY SHALL

PASS! and better days will come.

Thanks a lot for having the patience to read this lengthyyyyy review. If it has been of some use to

you, I am really happy for that.

Happy working! -   Smiles, Barani

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I am sure every employee keeps waiting for his promotion at least once in a year so that he can climb one step in the ladder. But there are very few fortunate soles who get it before completion of 1 year while most get it immediately after two year.

With respect to the software industry every company will have its own traits against which it will compare its employees. I am sure every company follows this strictly while the bug is in the subjective judgment of the Manager. If the employee is on the good books of the manager then he obviously get a plus points. No matter the poor guy who would have been really good in what was expected out of him. He would have exceeded all his expectations and perhaps even beyond but does not get any additional points.

The conflict now is who needs to be given more points when compared with the favourite and a hardworking guy. Obviously the one who is close to the manager gets an easy pass rather than the genuine guy who falls into all turmoil.

Thought theoretically the Manager should not have any bias, hallow effect, Horn effect etc., but practically I am not sure how many managers can be out of all these bias? After all he is also an employee and his deeds will be judged by his Boss!

practically from the lesson I have learned so far, all that should happen is:

You need to have a good relationship with your boss and definitely with your Boss's Boss as you do not know when your boss will leave you to graze green paddy fields!

Update your boss and if his boss so that you get into the good books

Ofcourse you definitely need to have some percentage of job knowledge

Share all good things and try to manage situations to the most extent possible but keep the Bosses informed - this is for your back up support.

Volunteer to take responsibility but make sure you are not drowned as you have your own things to do.

Keep even the bad things posted to your boss and if required to his boss aswell

Hope with this you will be in a better visibility and position to fall into the good books of your boss and there by a candidate for promotion nomination.

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I hate titles. It takes long to think of one; longer than to write the review itself.

Right … trying to get to the topic, you can never bluntly say “Tough times at work”; there should be something that is specific you are bothered about. That’s how you straight away start dealing with it …

Define your problem

It is not too tough to define your problem. If you are not too sure what your problem is but totally pissed off at work, even then it is easy to define the problem. At the most you would be either complaining about work or no work. Take either route and do an RCA(Root Cause Analysis) and you would invariably end up with the pointers pointing your own dirty attitude or your manager alias immediate-boss(default value for the pointer is null). There can be some exceptions like job satisfaction, pay hike, etc. But these can be handled very easily. Think whether you are worth the amount your company is paying you, that should help.

If there is anything ambiguous in the above para, you should understand that I am a programmer in Software industry. I was asked to do Problem definition at the beginning of anything; but never have been instructed to define it correctly.

*Define yourself

After defining the problem, it helps if you define yourself as to who you are in the place you are put up. With some experience, even that should be easy. You are not a person but a *resource with bandwidth *(not different from an OFC [Optical Fiber Cable] lying around in your company building) that will not be recognized of existence, unless there is a crash. Now, face the mirror and hold an OFC near your face and try to do a compare. You might end up with the hard truth that the OFC gives better value to the organization and in that case bury the OFC, sorry the truth(think I should be drunk; no, just sleepy) and move on.

Right now …

You should be feeling better having read all the confusing stuff above(or should have caught some problem, if you were happy before reading this). If you are still not OK(or OK), I strongly suggest you to iterate(loop back) to the first para.

This write-up was not to motivate you or de-motivate you or even to help you deal with tough times at work. If you still insist that I should adhere to non-functional requirement of sticking to the topic, and want me to help you deal with tough times at work, let me tell you this: babbling in the midnight in a soft-copy document might be of some use. Still not convinced? If you want to deal or not deal with tough times, you still have to get up the next day morning and go to office. You cannot avoid it. That makes this entire topic irrelevant, and I don’t write on irrelevant topics!

Smiles,

Vinayak

(Friendz .

sorry for not RRCing your revs …

have been dealing with …

shall check them all out this weekend)

Did you know: The normalization done in appraisals is nothing but a hyped-up term for compare. But when you compare, you would be asked not to

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Me, a fresher into corporate life.

"Transition to corporate life from campus" took a toll onto my brain !! Jesus!!! The toughest part in this era was undeniably my first bonus review discussion(1 :1 with my lead and my manager).

VERDICT - MANAGEMENT IS DONE AT A MICROSCOPIC LEVELS - A COLD WAR B/W the ASSOCIATE(Asc) AND THE MANAGER(Mgr.).

Unfortunately, I was unaware of the arsenal used for this war. Let me walk you through this REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT TO BE A SUCCESFUL WINNER FOR THE SAME!

Intercepts of the 1:1 DISCUSSION(Mental Wrestle)

Mgr : "You have been able to deliver work to your client on schedule with assistance from others".

(Dude, what do you expect? I am new to your team and I was interviewed for PL/SQL and have been put into Oracle Apps. Atleast I should have been trained in it.. What the ? )

Asc : I agree that I have taken assistance. But, I have a rationale behind it. I am new to this technical domain and the WRK assigned to me was complex. But, I would also like to say that, I have put in my best efforts and have come up with a solution in 99/100 situations. I am also in a position now to teach a new person who comes into the team.

Mgr : Yes, I agree. But, as of now, this is your negative point. But, we will surely note this down for your next review discussion.

MORAL : NEVER ACCEPT ANY NEGATIVE POINTS. KEEP DENYING IT IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

Mgr : "Talking about your talents and strengths, you have good analytical skills and think logically. You are very methodical in your approach. You manage to complete work within the given time."

(Mr. Mgr.. How conveniently you forgot about my "Timing extensions"/"Convincing the client for a "NO NOT POSSIBLE"/Convincing co-workers i.e testing ppl/Project analysts etc what the real problem is/Involving myself in FUN related activities/ No laptop ;)/ Irregular cabs/ OVER ALL....... AM A FRESHER.....................")

Asc :But, Mgr, I would like to cite my opinion that, for the allegiance I have devoted to this team, I deserve more positive points than these like, I have also assisted another fresher to sail through/I have extended my timings/ I have come on weekends/ I have volunteered during crisis times for other clients and..

Mgr : "See Asc, that is what every associate have to do. If you are efficient, you should complete the job in 8 hrs time."

( haa haa, chal na, it is like a chain smoker having cigarette in his hand and asking me to stop smoking. )

MORAL : NEVER ALLOW THE MGR TO INTERRUPT UNTIL YOU COMPLETE YOUR DISCUSSION. TRY TO DOMINATE THE DISCUSSION.

Mgr : "You have not come up proactively to help others. You have provided assistance only when specifically assigned to you."

Yeah right, can you name one person who came and sat beside me and asked if I need any help??? Don't you think this is your major -ve point? Tech lead? Helped me ever? Or... your manager asked this to you?

Asc : Well, I have helped others in some occasions ( cited examples).

Mgr... neatly jumped to some other point leaving this matter here.

MORAL : IF YOU EVER HELP OTHERS, TRY HELPING THEM IN FRONT OF YOUR MANAGER.(UNGRATEFUL WORLD)

Mgr : Finally, ASC lets schedule this discussion for some other time. But, you have been rated Proficient and have been given a bonus of an X amount and no designation change. This rating is decided and it is not negotiable.

ON AND ON AND ON AND ON ...............

1. Be assertive. Take the negative points and try to minimize it by a PREP(POINT-REASON-EXAMPLE-POINT).

   
   




2. There may be some major achievements of yours', which your manager might have forgotten. Re-iterate those points.

   
   




3. Do not get emotional. Jobs are plenty. If something goes beyond your dignity's acceptance level, deny it straight. Do not force yourself to degrade your ability.

   
   




4. Be prepared for a tough battle. The game is not easy, at the same time, if you have your points right, the game is quite easy.

   
   




5. Have evidence to substantiate your data.

   
   




6. Fight for something more than you got ( Atleast it will help you further).

   
   




7. Maintain harmony amongst your peers(especially your manager and the lead) to avoid politics.

   
   




8. Above all, follow the company policies and ethics; try to complete your work in given time.

   
   




9. If the fault is not yours ( say, it is the requirement clarification team's fault), please show it to all, before it comes on your head.

   
   




10. Mail relevant documents to all the people in your team.

    
    




11. Save all the required documents( sent mails/chat transcripts etc)

    
    




12. Maintain the WRK status report and MOMs ( minutes of meetings).

    
    




13. Follow the etiquette for Conf. calls and team meetings.

    
    




14. Show enthusiasm in the work you do.

    
    




15. Try not to lose the innovation in every job you do. It definitely pays.

    
    




16. Try to assist your peers, if they need it, it definitely helps.

    
    




17. Never let your learning curve fall flat, you will be digging a grave and sleeping in it yourself.

    
    

    There are much more points than these, please feel free to comment on this.

    
    

Thanks,

Navya

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‘Work sucks. That’s why it’s work.’

'If work did not suck, then it would not be work, and hence would not suck. If something did suck, it definitely must be work.'

You must have heard people say “I love my job.” If they did, they are referring to idling, slouching, grazing at work, not work at work. These people prefer cubicles of loneliness to day dream. In deference to work they have fun at office. A few such workers are below.

‘Hey Guys, checkout this website. My friend says its funny…’

20 mins later, “hold on, it’s almost finished downloading” Till we realize that the site’s down. The trouble we took to open a fun site (took us a few hours) could be called work.

It’s a Friday. Office can be a golf club with you driving frequently to the canteen for gossip. I receive a request to accept a meeting with my boss the following week. After a couple of moments of unfettered toil (Clicking the Accept button on a meeting request in Outlook - one mouse click), I do a tribal Jiggle to celebrate my rare moments of productivity… ;)

Recently, my friend was glum. The gist is below

Why so glum, chum? Are you ok?

Yeah, I’m ok.

Are you sure? You look steampressed and ironed.

Yeah, I’m ok.

Hey, I’m not just your colleague. I’m also your friend. After all, we are from the same place. Tell me, it’s ok…

Hmmm, I had a fight with her (spouse) this morning.

Except that. Now back to work.

The sweat and grind at office, your boss just passes you. You are hunched looking into the monitor perplexed.

Your boss thinks, “and finally the dude works”

Your thought process, ” Bad hangover. Should I have lassi or lime juice?”

That’s fun, not work.

And work?

Work is a dreadful noun, not a pleasant verb.If it were a verb in the same category as sleeping, yawning, dancing, eating, playing, lazing, slouching, dreaming, wooing (your girl/guy) or even Hic!ing, we would have loved it. And as nouns go, work is an uncommonly common ‘activity’. Picking up your clothes, washing, cooking are a few of them. Of course you ain’t earning anything from it, but then you save from ‘outsourcing’ work to the dhobi or the cook. Now that’s work.

So work is an activity to derive or save money. If money were not invented and you were able to get food for free, would you work? Ummm, I dunno, you need to think it over before you make a choice. That’s too much hard work. Let’s just say, if all the pleasures of life were free, then I am all for it. Why work?

If you were to watch a movie, then you still need to pay for it. Pleasure /leisure activities cost. Those trips to an amusement park can cost a packet (Joy for the kids). Of course, sorting out those 50 fun mails you receive on a Monday is also work. But then, you don’t earn from it, do you? In other words, you work to have food, survive and fun. But then, what is work?

A mechanic loves to slouch in the comfort of your car when you service it. Any work inside of the car takes hours while it takes a jiffy to fix anything exterior. An oil change takes about 15 mins while replacing a flash bulb (in the interiors of the car) might take an hour. (Of course if you ain’t looking)  This new method of work is slouching at work. A few tips on slouching at work

When you really feel you can’t take it anymore, ignore people around you. When they call you the first time, act busy with a tough nut. The second time when you know it’s time to respond - Just say yes, ok or no (with your trademark frown of course)… That way you look too busy even to answer.

Talk loud when you have some activity. Let your boss overhear you. That way, you are discussing about it even without working. You can also say Work sucks when your boss knows you have oodles of work. He might even lift your burden and give it to someone else…

If you are a programmer, write a complex program with all the irritants in the company though the output is to print the words Work Sucks. Print it - whichever font, bold or italics. The next hour muse on how it could have been done better. That’s slouching at work along with work while we try to define work. So what’s work?

A Rupee coin has fallen down. Pick it up. There - That’s work!!! Unfortunately you have this severe back pain as you bend to pick it. Though it may not be back breaking work, it still is breaking your back. Is it wrong to assume that the weight of the coin has given you the backache? Does work need to be that painful? Actually no, though it might be. If you are a techie and sit long hours at your chair, expect that back pain to increase or begin. If you are a construction worker, you are not working. You are exercising. ;) Given the same food and living conditions, the construction worker has a much better rate of surviving longer since he exercises all day long.  Though both are defined as work. One is paid to exercise physically and the other to exercise mentally. Keeping this in mind, let’s define work again.

Work is defined as back breaking Oops, ok a painful routine to exercise oneself either mentally or physically or both to gain or save money… So work.

Next time anyone says he likes his work, ask him to work 7 days a week 365 days a year without a raise. Of course I am working, why else do you think I said it sucks? Now get back to work. Uhhh  before you pick up a big brick or those hard bound Mahabharata books to throw at me - bye…

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Intro

Jobs are integral part of our life. Most jobs are carried out for living, termed as profession or business, compensated by money. Others are more as duty, rewarded in better ways, like, a mother bringing up her child. Some jobs we can quit, duties we must not.

I wish to share some thought about quitting or changing the remunerated jobs we do in offices for living. There are great books and articles on the subject; my review is based solely on my personal experience. This might be helpful for less experienced professionals, than fresher or veterans. The topic is obvious predecessor to the excellent reviews we have in MS on “being successful at interviews” or “10 suggestions to write a good resume”.

Background

I was brought up by working parents. Both my mom & dad had served for 35 & 30 years respectively in their own organizations. I was taught about patience, principles and loyalty to the employer. So job change is something what shouldn’t have been in my gene. But, since I have started working, I have gradually learnt the game of changing jobs during my career and made various impulsive, quick, calculated, slow and high-risk decisions to quit my job and switch to another organization. I have pondered upon the situations faced in my life and workplace and tried to analyze whether and how the decision were based on analytical reasoning. I will summarize what I have concluded, so far.

Understanding the need to change The most vital part is to understand whether you really need to quit or it’s just a short-term adversity you are facing in your job, which can fade away. I will list, including but may not be limited to, the basic troubles we normally encounter in a working environment, which leads us thinking about changing our present job-

People or relationship

Problem with immediate supervisor/ boss.

Problem with colleague(s), office politics, harassment

Work-life balance

Working days in a week and prolonged working hours.

Distance to work place from home.

Travel frequency & duration.

Lack of job-satisfaction.

Disinterest by performing repetitive tasks for a prolonged period.The classical overworked and underpaid syndrome.

Slow or lack of financial growth.

A sudden offer with great raises and perks from a reputed organization.

Emotional

Problem with working environment, work culture etc.

Less or no appreciation for jobs well done.

The list may not depict the exact order of importance. Reason being, the weight to these factors may differ with Industry, organization, position & experience of the employee in the org and city. These reasons are well experienced by all who are working in India, so doesn’t need much elaboration.

Circumstances

I have experienced that the most compelling factors are problems related to people and emotional, than professional. Second most important reason is related to work-life balance, which most of us consciously ignore till we fall seriously ill or have an adverse impact on our by then diminished personal/ family life. This point is best understood by a newly married, a pregnant lady of someone who is blessed with a child recently. People working in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore may agree with me.

In India, for most of the professionals, work gets boring after few years in the same organization. The challenges are reduced of nil, all tasks seem to be mundane and dull and there’s nothing to look forward from the organization. In this situation a sudden offer from a competitor may compel you thinking of a switch.

There may be another situation of “Golden handcuff”- where you are so well compensated you tend to sacrifice everything in life, irrespective of job satisfaction or growth.

Guidelines

You should try to work out around the situation and give yourself & your employer some more time before looking out for a change-

1. You tenure with the present organization is only less then a year.

   
   




2. Your performance evaluation was not justified.

   
   




3. You dislike all the Projects or tasks you have been assigned.

   
   




4. You feel you can’t work with your boss due to the difference in opinion.

   
   




5. You feel your boss is partial to some colleagues.

   
   




6. You have been insulted or degraded in front of your juniors.

   
   




7. Your last three leave applications has been curtailed or discarded.

   
   

If you have a well-balanced work-life and your professional aspirations are taken care of, try to workout the relationship problem. This calls for one to one discussion with your boss or colleague. All the above can be discussed with the organizations management and corrective measures can be taken. Note, this works better in corporate sector.

However, a stage may come soon when all dialogues fail and negative impressions build-up stress. After all theory and wisdom, time comes when you should really change for betterment of your career and your life in general. Flyingelephantsays, one should consider job change seriously, only and only when-

1. Your job is making you physically ill.

   
   




2. Your personal and family life is harmfully affected due to your prolonged absence from home.

   
   




3. You don’t feel like going to office at least 3 times in a week and you long for the weekend.

   
   




4. You have encountered unethical practices, which is in defiance with your principles.

   
   




5. You are subjected to indignity at your workplace.

   
   




6. You have worked for 5 or more years and feeling insipid.

   
   




7. You don’t remember last when you have seen a movie, read a book, had a drink with a friend or have taken family out for a drive.

   
   




8. You have to borrow to live within your earnings! :-)

   
   

In a nutshell

We as human beings tend to work with emotions. True professionals should work with mind, not heart. We must understand that we are working to live, not living to work. If we can’t keep own self and our family happy, can’t give time to our children where are we heading in life? I may sound theoretical and philosophical, but its our family and children we must care for. Companies can and will run without us.

PS: This review is not meant for workaholics. My personal belief is MS is not right a place for them.

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How do your co-workers behave in your office coffee/break room?

Over the years I have observed some traits and ... well let me share them.

The Coffee Machine is Mine!

Such folks always tend to take over the coffee machine. They stand in adefensive stance protecting the entire coffee machine. They alwaysfidget with the machine though the dumb machine is just dripping coffeein a glass pot. Such folks will not relinquish control till they havefinished taking enough coffee to wake up the entire office.

I love Decaf and so should you

I am sure every office has a few people who are health freaks. Theywant everything decaffeinated. So they come in bright and early andbrew two to three pots of decaf coffee. In walk the regular folkslooking for a cup of joe and find all pots filled with decaf!

Our break rooms have two coffee machines. Early morning or after lunch I always find two pots of decaf

Why drink coffee at all if you dont want caffeine to perk you up? Why not drink warm water instead??

I love tea

These people are usually meek about their activities in the break room.They will politely wait for you to fill up your cup with coffee. Allthey want is to use the hot water tap on the coffee machine to maketheir tea.

Algorithm inventors and the world is on my shoulders

Yes this category sounds weird but you will notice these folks. Usuallytwo or three folks will be discussing some deep topic related to work.Some will talk some techno stuff. Some will be talking of how great ajob they have at hand, etc. etc.

I have no problems with these people, but after taking the coffeeplease MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. Dont crowd around the coffee machine. Letothers come easily near the machine and take coffee without having tosay 'excuse me'.

I have a 100 foot long kitchen platform

These people are the most irritating. They will take coffee and thenplace the cup at the end of the break room platform. Then they willcome back to the coffee machine to pick up the creamer. Off they go tocream their coffee. Then they have to come back for the sugar orsweetner. And off they go. Then they have to come back for the stirrer.

Please take a minute and make the coffee at one go. Stop interferingwith others trying to take coffee. I guess they love to do this as thisgives them some purpose to be in office.

I have work to do, so let me out quick

These folks come into the room, take their cup of coffee and leave.They dont crowd the coffee machine. Sometimes they will take the extrastep to put on a new cup of coffee to brew if the pot is alsmot emptyafter they have taken coffee.

I save cooking gas at home, I cook in office

These types of folks are microwave hogs at office during lunch time.They put their lunch box inside the microwave, set it for 5 or moreminutes and then go away. Now you have to wait till they come back andremove the lunch box.

Why 5 minutes? Are you cooking in office?? Dont you have a gas stove at home???

I wish to spread my culture to your nostrils

Some folks heat up God-knows-what and the whole microwave and the breakroom smells of something so bad, that not a single hair in your nostrilsurvives and you almost feel there is a bio-terror or chemical-weaponattack. Gaaawwwd, did the cat die in the microwave??

I can take the foulest of far t smells, but some recipes!! I give up!!

The microwave is for me alone, please wait as I reheat

Such folks will put their lunch boxes to heat for 2 or 3 minutes only,but they go off to the restroom or back to their desks and expectothers to wait till they come back.

Sometimes others waiting in line will remove the lunch box after theheating is done so that they can heat their lunch. Now our specialfolks come back and put the box in again. Its fine they reheat it, butthey dont stand in line. Just shamelessly break the line.

Phew, Thou name is Life :-)

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Now unless you have a Government job or you have inherited a large fortune or you have won a million dollar lottery, tough times at work is something you would have to face daily.  I work as an IT professional, and mind you for all that glam façade which the media portrays of us, we walk on the knife edge daily. Tough times at work is something we have on a routine basis. I remember a particularly tough project I worked some time back, where barring having a bath , I spent the rest of the time in office itself.  Demanding clients, idiotic bosses who just outsource everything to you, crazy schedules, cumbersome procedures everything adds up to a work environment which is the equivalent of an Air Conditioned Hell. Having faced 6 years in the snake pit of the corporate world, I felt like sharing some experiences about how to face tough times. *

Be Prepared. Accept the basic fact that there is no perfect company, no perfect people to work with, no perfect work atmosphere and most important of all a good boss( **a perfect boss is an oxymoron). You go to a battlefield knowing well that you are going to be shot at, well the corporate world is no better, only difference is the shooting is done in a more sophisticated way. When you know you are going to face tough times, you become more mentally prepared to handle it.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew, just to show off that you are a hero. You are a human being, and you can handle only up to a certain amount. Prioritize your tasks well, and handle only those which you can take up. If you are not comfortable with a task, or have no knowledge of it, never even take it up. Remember companies don’t often give you time for a learning curve, and taking an assignment with no knowledge of it, is akin to walking blindfolded on MG Road at rush hour. Mind you multi tasking is a very chaotic approach to doing things, and you are only likely to end up making mistakes in a hurry to get things done.

      Schedule and prioritize your assignments properly. At times you have to handle many assignments, and this is where the real challenge comes.Take a look at the tasks which can be finished off soon, and  get them done. Are there tasks which require you to interact with other people to get them done? Get on them quickly, because sometimes they might take time to complete.Now comes the biggest challenge, you are assigned to a task, about which you have no knowledge at all. In such a case, find out if there is enough time for you to learn about the task. Meet the person who has experience in this and take their help. And draft a plan to handle your tasks. You might not stick to it, but at least you know in which direction you are going.

   Play along with the team.  Nothing beats overcoming tough times than interacting with your team members. Don’t try to be a smart know it all, no one is on this earth. Don’t consider it below your dignity to ask some one for help on a contentious issue. If you go with an attitude of hey I know everything, who the hell are these jokers to tell me, you are in effect shooting on your own feet. Interacting with the team during tough times, also helps you on a personal level. When you know that there are other people who are also having to face the same pressure like you, it makes you feel mentally better. Discuss with your team members, get their inputs, and most of the times they would always be willing to help you.

Keep communicating effectively. You are in the thick of a project, and you find that nothing seems to work at all. You have discussed this issue with your peers, superiors, colleagues, team mates  but no solution appears in sight to the problem. This is one of the toughest challenges you will likely face. In such a case, communicate this clearly to your reporting manager. If you hide the fact, and on the day of delivery, you admit shame facedly that you could not deliver, because of so and so problem, the first question your boss would ask is “Why was I not informed of this?”. And that is the most embarrassing moment you can face. Give a proper status of what progress has been made, what issues are being faced, what are you doing to resolve this?

Don’t push yourself too hard. You have to resolve that critical issue urgently, but you find that you are not able to, not because you cant do it, but because you are held up. You know the solution for it, but you are not finding time because of meetings and other tasks. You have to sit up all night to do the work. In such a case, go home, have a dinner, refresh yourself and be back. You can never work effectively with an empty stomach and tired mind. Always keep yourself fit and energetic for work, that’s what I want to state effectively. Or take time off to wander, chat with your friends, read some magazines. Or listen to your favorite songs. Mind you,  unless your mind is in the work, no amount of pushing yourself will help you.

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~~~This review is inspired. It is my way of saying a thank you to someone at my office who helped me in my tough times and is moving on now. He helped me in his own ways and I must say that they were not the pleasantaries one would expect. They were sharp criticism & disappointments but they were not personal. They were always to help me improve and I am glad that they worked too! For all those times, when I thougth...why !, he has given me an answer. He will and would always be someone who would be admired and respected for what he taught me directly and indirectly. Thank You,is what I can say from the bottom of my heart!

Coming to why a dry and dull topic like this on a hot and humid Thursday night? To begin with, I have reasons to believe that I may not be sticking around on MS for long and so the feeling to write on something that can be spontaneous and personal.As to why my doubts on MS, that is a different review altogether.

The topic says "Dealing with tough times in work/office". I work in an office and and I have faced tought times. But why the need to pen down something that happen to each of us each day? The issue that most of us face is dealing with those tough times when the world looks much bigger and meaner and the most hated person is the BIG BOSS!Yes, I am talking about why the boss can make the tough times tougher...Remember, he is always right and you may not agree to it but you have no right to deny it :)

My professional life is just 2 years now and I have had the opportunity of working with the best and the worst...in both of my organisations. My first job was in a call centre and the working culture was totally new to me. It did not had any major bogging down effects on me. My trainer and my team leader were best and the worst respectively and I learnt a lot from them. The tough times made them yell, lose temper and think out aloud. But the anger and the frustation was always work related and it was never personal but I left before it got to me. So one of the lessons that you learn in a tough time is : " Tough times never last, tough men/women do"...I was'nt tough and so the exit happened.

My next job was and still is where I am presently working. I started here as a temporary employee but managed to work with the best and worst again. My luck!!! Working with the "so called best" made me realise that you learn, you work and if you make mistakes, you are told to rectify them. Simple and sweet!

The lessons that the worst taught me were not simple neither were they sweet. You make a mistake and you yourself rectify them. Lessons are taught but no time is wasted on the please’s and thank you’s. You do well and you get a praise and you make a mistake and pay for it!Tough it was:(

Now that I have become non temporary in this present organisation, I still have the best and the worst "working" with me.The bosses are still around me and they still crib and shout. They still make more mistakes than you expect them to make and they stil make you cry out in frustration. But with all this comes "sudden smiles", a "thank you mail" and a "word of praise".The anger vanishes, the frustration lessens and the tough times look simpler.

Tough times in office can be a pain or more worse. It can break your day, crash ambitions and make dreams unreal. I have faced some tough times in the recent past where I felt all these and more. In times like these, there have been people who helped me sail through and made me survive. The team support is what I wanted and got it as well :) A lesson learnt again: " Tough times cannot be handled alone, you need tougher people standing with you or behind you atleast!"

Tough times have passed but they are not gone for long. They may come up anytime soon or late. We all need to be prepared for it...some more lessons to be learnt and unlearnt. I hope, we do not have to face a tough time in our offices but if we do, remember:" you are not alone!"The key to fight the tough times is believe in yourself and you would sail through :)

I am not sure if this made sense! If not, excuse me this time. If I made sense, thank god for it! We all are welcome to tell me what more you would like to say on something as common as this and I can add it up there...I am sure Mayunk, Zulu, Shyam, Paulose and others would have something worthwhile to add on...so speak on!

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You have attended many interviews and have landed with a job. What a joy of relief isn’t it? Sure it is, but it is the start of another struggle; the struggle of establishing yourself. It is not very difficult if you do the right things. When you establish yourself in the organization, you will etch a place for yourself (your own place).

Here are ten pointers that you can follow:

1. Have the right attitude

Most of the youngsters are worried about what the others think of them, if someone else will take their place, how they can replace someone else. What they fail to understand is that initially they have to concentrate on their projects and do good and quality work. Every individual have their own identity and their own place in an organization No one can replace you or take your place and similarly, you can’t replace anyone. So instead of thinking of taking someone else’s place, concentrate on making your own place.

Having the right attitude constitutes of many factors. The most important are:

• Do not take project reviews personally. It is the review of the project, not about you! Use the inputs to be more perfect and productive than start viewing the reviewer as a personal enemy.

  
  




• Do not always insist that you are right and that others are wrong.

  
  




• Do not always point fingers to the others.

  
  




• Do not try to create tension between team members.

  
  




• Communicate the project required project related information with the team members. Do not hide information (what are you going to do with it anyway? Make project pickles?)

  
  




• Do not lie to your superiors about your team members or to your team members about your boss. (Remember all these will boomerang and will come back to you with a larger impact).

  
  




• Do not take credit for the others work in sly.

  
  

2. Do not be a politician

The negative thoughts in the above scenario breeds dirty politics. In this era of competition, the youngsters are in a terrible hurry to climb the corporate ladders (as though there is not tomorrow). They are ready to take help of any means to do that. In the process of digging graves for the others, they unknowingly dig their own graves. Leave the play of politics to the politicians. We don’t need more of them in corporate lives.

3. Create your own identity

When you enter an organization, it is up to you to create your place in the new space and to become part of the existing setup. The setup already exists, the organizational culture is already there, people and processes are also in place. So it is up to you to become a friendly, useful, and contributing member of the team. For this, you will have to try to create your own identity.

You must try to understand your potential and the requirement of the team and then work towards making a place your yourself in the team. This the only way you can create and develop your own identity.

I have seen a few youngsters waste their talent in trying to show the others down by picking their piece of work on sly and working hard on it and reporting to the supervisor saying that they have completed the task much ahead of time. This is the wrong way of doing things. Let the others do their work and live in peace. You do your share of work. Help others if required, don’t steal their work. Instead, identify and do things you excel in, improvise on what you are doing. These should fall within the goals, the needs of the team (or department). Keep your supervisor posted of when you do so.

4. Be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.

Do not take reviews and feed back personally. The first thing you have to learn is to separate the person from the issue or the problem. Don’t see them as one. If your boss tells you that you have to improve in some area, don’t think that your boss has some thing personal against you.

Work to overcome that problem instead of viewing that comment to be personal pointer towards you and starting to behave in a manner that makes you the problem.

5. Avoid extra baggage (in your mind).

Today’s youngsters are working under pressure. You can hear the youth in their early and mid twenties talk about work pressures and stress. Even I did when I first encountered work pressures and I still do.

The five most common sources of stress at workplace are lack of planning, inability to establish priorities, poor time management, taking things for granted, and unnecessary fears (will I get promoted or will she be promoted, will I be considered as a better performer than he is, will I get the attention for the completion of the project etc.).

6. Communicate the required information

We all know that communication and presentation skills form a very important part of a successful career profile. Why only in career, communication is very important in any relation that is formed---personal and/or professional. Knowledge, expertise, and opinions are only a part of the career centric process. Communication in any form must be simple and straightforward.

Communicate your problems and issues to the person you report to. Communicate the project status and information with your colleagues who are involved in the came project. With holding some information will not make you important. On the contrary, it will have a negative impact on the project.

7. Get a feel of the big picture

After having spent some time in an organization try to relate to various processes and the related activities. Get a feel of the big picture and see how your job/project/work assignment relates to the big goal/target. Then, you will have a better understanding of your job responsibilities. This will widen your perspective and vision. Relating it to the big picture will help you enrich your job.

8. Do not complain or criticize unnecessarily

Criticism and complaints arises when you do not accept the organizational culture, circumstances, people, and/or situations. If your cribs are justified, it is OK, otherwise, the colleagues who were there before you are likely to get defensive over your behavior.

If your criticism is sharp and open without any reasoning, you may be labeled as a nuisance and as an unfriendly person. You may thus lose the support of your colleagues and team mates. So if you have any concerns or issues, talk and discuss with the concerned person.

9. Use the right words

Do not use words like should, might, and so forth, because they show the vagueness of your thoughts. Instead use positive words like can, must, and will. They mirror your confidence and resolve to attain what you suggest. Also avoid using words loke I, me , myself, specially if you are working in a team. Let the team spirit reflect in we. Allow the team members to speak up for you and your work.

10. The right choice

Do not have a laid back attitude at the workplace (specially when you are new to the place). Look for challenges and learn to meet them. Take initiative, come up with newer ideas, new processes (or updates). Pick challenging situations and handle them successfully and you will be rewarded for your work. Do all these in the right way, and get the attention that you will get as a result.

Let the management felt that they have made the right choice by selecting you. They are happy, you are happy and all are happy. All is well if it ends well isn’t it?

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SUCCESS STORIES ARE ALWAYS HIT BUT WHAT IF YOURS IS A DIFFERENT ONE.

After all its only 4000 students out of those lakhs of engineering aspirants which are able to reach the destination.

AIEEE comes as a rescue to especially those students who miss JEE,that is the majority , because though it can not provide them with the prestigious 'IIT ' mark but provides them with NIT s & IIIT's which too offer bright opportunities & placements later.

It is rightly called a cake walk for all those who are seriously involved in JEE preparation & the top AIEEE ranks are usually captured by such students (this is my idea of what I observed ,there may be a huge no. of exceptions to this!!!) AIEEE is one of the well organized exam of India by Central Board of Secondary Education. Clearing it makes you eligible not only for NITs & IIITs but also many good deemed universities

Since 2002 when it was introduced it is held after JEE screening, so all those students esp freshers who had just faced their XII boards & could not perform as expected in JEE screening have a chance to save a year but thats not easy .

Yeah, its difficult to see your friends who always was below you or at par with you in your earlier mock tests to prepare for JEE mains (& you are left with only objective books heaped around you )but you have got to carry your patience with you till your other exams coz' you never know you may be in a much better position then your friends later .This is one of the most crucial period of your career.

This is where you need something more than your academic intelligence & if I am not mistaken this is where EQ( Emotional Quotient )is required. If you feel bad that you have lost one of the best opportunities of your career after failing in JEE (coz' clearing IIT-JEE is infact a great launchpad to your career )then this shows that you were really capable for it & feeling sad for this is natural.This shows that you have been left behind maybe just coz of your stupidest mistake & you have AIEEE to amend your mistakes ( the MOST IMPORTANT thing after making a mistake --- to learn from it).

This is why they say that battles are lost & won in minds & not in a battle feild.

So, you have to just keep your spirit alive, focussing on only basic concepts even found in your NCERT books(must for AIEEE) & be confident as we know that some of us need patience too along with our hardwork to meet that sweetest thing-SUCCESS .

BEST OF LUCK

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I have heard of a concept in economics ?Higher the risks, higher the profits?. Sure, this is a very positive way of looking at it.

But how practical is it? A wise man said ?it is not hard to work hard, but what is more hard is to get the opportunity to work hard?.

It is fairly true. There are a lot of people who are ready to give more than hundred percent but are unable to find a right job.

There is never a yes/no answer. There is nothing called a perfect job.

Life as a consultant is very strange. You are either completely with no time for your family or you have all the time in the world to go for bowling during office hours.

I guess that is how most of the jobs are. Imagine, being a bus conductor in any of the cities in India. I feel stressed looking at him during the peak hours.

In a city like Mumbai, there is nothing like an off-peak. The best way to reduce stress is:

?Delegation: sounds like your manager! Yes! But do this only if you are in a position to do so else all your work will be delegated to your best friend. Then I will see you selling tickets during peak hours.

?To do list: this will give you an approximate idea as to how your day will look like. There is a chance that you will disappointed right from the time you make that list.

?Learn to say ?no?: this is the trick but make it polite and professional. It is an art that will come only with experience. Do things that your role demands unless you have a lot of time in your hands.

?Enrol for a course: this is my style. I was tired of working for that last 1 year (too short but yes). I informed my manager that I?m enrolling myself for a certification and require time to complete my assignments. I see a relaxed life at office for the next 6 months and also I do only the designated work and increasing my career prospect. This is not a long-term solution. Important question is what if you don?t clear your exam? Then you have neither worked nor certified? Oops! I need to know how to get a job in BEST.

?Call your boss for lunch and family functions: would you do that if you were a boss and how would your opinion about that staff change because he treated you with same old pulav six months back.

None of these are going to reduce your workload and stress. If you are young then slog and learn as much as you can. If you are in the middle age then try doing it. If you are old then retire. Folks, no excuses, if you think you have been working hard for a long time convey this to your boss and he will find a solution. He is paid to do this. I feel we need to work hard where we need to, there is no formula. Another practical way is to go and talk to your girlfriend/family so that they can atleast make your life outside work less stressful. If I ever know a perfect formula I shall let you guys know.

Slog it off baby! When the Going gets tough, the tough gets going!

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Value of a man

I am inspired to write this article based on the true experience of the life of ?ONE OF MY FRIEND?

Well there is an old saying that ?Those who progress so fast in the early stages of their life finds it very hard to maintain it?

Take the example of a well-known Film Personality ?Kumar Gaurav?. He had a dream Debut in his first movie ?LOVE STORY? but after that his association with the tinsel town was not satisfactory?

But the question here is that they?re been so many times when all of us go through a stage of life when life seems impossible. Nothing is working in our favor..?People who used to depend on us starts criticizing us for our work everything in life seems to be wrong and we think ourselves as ?worthless??

Does that mean that you are ?FINISHED??.

I will answer this based on a real life experience?.

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by Holding up a Rs. 100/-note.

In the room of 200 people, he asked, who would like this Rs.100/-?

Hands started going up. He said, I am going to give this to one of you, but First, let me do this. He proceeded to crumple the note up.

He then asked, who still wants it? Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied What if I do this? He dropped it on the ground, and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

Now, who still wants it? Still hands went into the air.

My friends, you all have learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted It, because, it did not decrease in

value. It was still worth Rs.100.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel that we are worthless, but, no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do, or whom we know, but by whom we are. You are special, don't ever forget it! Pass this on to those you care about. You will never know the lives it touches, the Hurting hearts it speaks to, or the hope that it can bring. Always count your blessings, not your problems.

So whenever you pass in any such circumstance be at your best do not give up stand alone and deliver. You will find your way to success?__

Believe me friends this is real life experience of a person who has seen the top at a very young age and than again raised from ashes when everyone has discarded him in life?___

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Suj, the Big Boss at Huge Super-Modern Office, observes this on a secret inspection...

09:00 hrs

Huge Super-Modern Office

José Veteran, dressed in a crisp two-piece, tie adjusted with geometric precision exactly seven centimeters off the collar button, walks determinedly down. Just then, one of his colleagues Desmond Doyle joins him.

“What’s on the sched?” asks Desmond in a very crisp and clear accent.

“Interesting,” says Veteran as he nods briskly. “Have a coffee appointment with Charlotte—she has something to share—at StarBucks at ten. Afternoon, we have this long-ish ‘social’.”

“Longish social. French?”

“French. 3 to 6.”

“Evening appointment?”

“That too. We’re signing this color off—apparently the bull-hunt hit a wildcard.”

''You have scope for a DiM at the Social?” asks Doyle a little shyly.

“I think we do, minus the M, eh?” replies Veteran.

“I’ll be there then—three? Where?”

“Main hall.”

Shortly after 09:15 hrs

Heart of Big Office

His secretary, Amanda Simpson, spots Doyle clearing his office desk devotedly. Amused, she confronts him. She has just been transferred to this office because of a little reshuffling and though she’s been in the firm for a while, she hasn’t seen the likes of Doyle before.

“New appointment are we?” she asks sweetly.

“Yes, how do you know?” he says, politely and moderately flirtatious.

“Into office ethics, eh?”

The word “office ethics” seems to bring him back to reality. As though he’s repairing an act of great unethicality, he blurts out:

“Amanda, will you please marry me?”

Amanda is reassured: He is into office ethics.

A little while, 11:45 hrs

Big Office

José Veteran corners Suj.

“Morning, ma’am,” he greets with a toothy smile from end to end.

“Morning José,” she says, with just as much interest as her husband would have in her telling him that he doesn’t keep his things tidy enough (judge it by it’s frequency—four times a day).

“You look nice today, ma’am,” he butters on.

“I see, you notice,” she says, skillfully hiding the yawn.

“Nobody sees the goodness in their bosses any longer! Everyone regards “boss” as synonymous with “exploitative and rude”… I beg to differ, I think that most bosses are…”

“I’ve got an assignment for you José,” she says, apparently humored.

“Pleasure, my pleasure!”

“I want you to clean some grease.”

He’s nonplussed.

“Go to the men’s room—there are mirrors there to help you.”

Meanwhile 11:40 hrs

Big Office

As Suj was strolling down another corridor, she heard a conversation a little beyond.

“Charlotte?” It’s Desmond Doyle. “You heard about the social?”

Charlotte, a pretty and shockingly fair girl with ample everything’s looks up from behind a pile of folders.

“Yes, I did. You mean, French?”

“Yes. I’m on as DiM.”

“Minus M,” she says, blushing profusely.

“Right,” winks Doyle.

“You updated the last Glossary?”

“Technical terms? Down the fourth alley?”

“Aisle. Yes.”

“Yes, fourth aisle. I updated it, yeah… Fun eh?”

Discreetly, Suj alerts one of her assistants to go down to Fourth Aisle and search the Glossary for “DiM”. Meanwhile, she’s planning to barge into this “social”—French.

Later 13:40 hrs

Over a phone

“DiM found,” declares assistant.

“And it stands for?” asks Suj impatiently.

“Dog in the Manger.”

Suj is more confused by this than by most February budget sessions.

Later that evening 22:20 hrs

Forgotten Street, LostsVille.

“How was your day?” purrs Mrs. Veteran as the front door closes behind her and Mr. Veteran, pulling him into her arms, tenderly, planting an unnecessarily sugarcoated kiss just below his lip on the left side.

“Oh so busy,” purrs Mr. Veteran back.

“Tell me about it,” she says, fiddling with his suit collar.

“Oh dear,” he says, slowly, tightening his arms around her, “we had this big tête-à-tête with this honcho—colored, see? He got a wildcard, apparently, on a bull-hunt and it was all too gaudy for us to clear so it took time. And then we had this long-ish interdepartmental social,” he says, making a look as though he’s been asked to lick a loo.

Mrs. Veteran seems to, firstly, understand everything he said and to be listening with deepest attention. Onlookers (none other than me of course, no Suj around, Jesus!) would be surprised to see why she’s listening so carefully.

“Then,” continues José, “we get a huge outlandish giggle-goose, trying to loosen up a few blue-heads, but little worked. So we tried tying up three’s at one time, and we got through the HK to the FF. I think the LA should pass on—deal on my hands, eh?”

Unbelievably, she’s listening with rapturous attention. And the reason is ununderstandable if you only consider his words…

The real reason could, of course, be below their waists…

Long Before, 16:43 hrs

Big Office

Suj barges into the Hall, expecting a party of sorts. Instead, it’s pitch dark. She instructs one of her accompanying assistants to turn the light on. Oh, lord, she’s embarrassed. But she’s very tactful, taciturn, and of course, cooperative.

“Charlotte,” she says kindly, “you can continue. I’m not looking. Can we meet later then?” and she escapes as fast as she can.

Shockingly, back at the Big Hall, the empty Pepsi bottle is rotating on the floor again. Everyone’s sitting in a circle.

The DiM (minus M) got a BiM of course. Decipher “B”. For help, refer the Glossary.

The author later learnt from Suj’s hubby that it took him several hours to console her. She was in a state of extreme shock and depression.

Who’s having the hectic time?

Several days later, 00:06 hrs

Suj’s home, study table

Suj is reading the Glossary after having found the best way to handle her hectic job (refer 1st comment) as a boss.

Honcho: Barman with interesting recipes.

Tête-à-tête: Barman’s birthday party.

Social: Round table kissing conference.

French: Round table French-kissing conference.

HK, FF, LA: Dummy variables.

Bull-Hunt: Search for replacement if barman retires.

Giggle-goose: Charlotte on a Social—French.

Color, Wildcard, Blue-Heads: No comments.

Check 1st comment

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Dear Suj, I am always wandering around my boss’ room. The moment he comes out, I jump to hold the door for him with a polite smile. I often clean his desk all by myself, I order coffee for him and generally make myself useful for him. Yet, my boss does not seem to appreciate me. He looks irritated with me constantly. What am I doing wrong ?

Suj : The question is, what are you doing right ?Stop this apple polishing and being such a pest ASAP. Your boss hates that yucky coffee that you order thrice a day for him. He empties it down the drain everyday. Your ‘polite’ smile is actually oily and greasy. Stop throwing his useful papers in the bin in the pretext of cleaning his desk. I am not surprised that your boss is not climbing walls or eating paper in exasperation. Get down to work if you even know the meaning of the word ‘work’ ?

Dear Suj, I am back. Like you said, I stopped bugging the boss. Now another problem arises. With so much time at my hand, I sit around day dreaming or I gossip with some like-minded colleagues. The boss goes around making snide remarks about me to anyone he can lay his hands on. I am under severe stress. What ails the old man ?

Suj : Youare under severe stress ? In my opinion, bozos like you should be hung upside down from the ceiling. What do you think you are getting paid for ? To keep tabs on the latest gossip ? The ‘like-minded’ colleagues are actually lazier bums than you. You all need to be herded en masse to a concentration camp in Siberia where you should be made to work for twenty hours a day and flogged fifteen times every morning. And what d’ya mean by calling him an ‘old man’ ? He’s younger than you, you twerp.

Dear Suj, it’s me again. Now the boss has really done it. In a meeting, he chalked out the work plan for the coming year and guess what I am supposed to be doing - nothing ! Nothing at all. I have been given a minor project and I am not sure he cares what I do with it. Am I a nobody ?

Suj : You said it, mate. You have finally said it. Yes, you are a nobody. Your work output is zero and all you do is complain, complain, complain. Pull your socks, roll up your sleeves and get down to work. And if you have to die in order to accomplish that then go right ahead. Do yourself and everyone a favor and go jump off a cliff.Your loss will be your boss’ gain. And mine too!

Dear Suj, I could not manage the work. So just like you suggested, I attempted to jump off a cliff. Guess what, I could not do that. I mean, it was so goddamn hard to jump off a cliff. Who would believe that it’s impossible to take a dive in the air ? It’s easier to just sit and watch the view from the cliff. Now what do you say ?

Suj : I say, that while you are sitting on the cliff, do yourself another favor. Slap yourself repeatedly, periodicallyand enjoy the sensation. When you get tired of that, attempt to stick pins in your tongue. When you are finished with that then pluck out your hair, one at a time.When that’s over, then repeat the periodic slaps and sticking pins in tongue. I can guarantee you that after twelve hours of these repeated exercises, jumping off a cliff would look very easy. What ever you do, DON’T COME BACK !

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For all my MS friends,

I have written this piece only for humor and mainly to take a light-hearted break from Monday-morning work blues. At the same time, it’s a kind of satire on some of the employees I see around me who complain of getting ‘stressed out’ at work. This may not have very useful tips but do take this with a sporting spirit. Amen !!

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Our vedanta philosophy offers some valauble guidance on how to have a better life.

The four yogas discussed widely can be used to improve our lifes

Gnana yoga:-

it proposes constant self enquiry introspection and musing over your mind to disccriminate between what is unreal (this nature &life) and what is real(God). It offers valuable insights into the nature of mind and the influence of mean insticts on mind.

Raja yoga:-

it contains methods of body control and mind control which are supposed to lift the kundalini energy through the spinal cord to higher levels. It offers good techniques of body and mind fitness

Karma yoga:-

it proclaims that you work for the sake of sheer pleasure of enjoying work not for the fruits. Inculcation of such an attitude helps to avoid unnecessary frustrations in life for not getting the expected fruits.

Bhakti yoga:-

Surrender at the feet of God and you will get empowered. Through the stories of bhaghavatha it proves that God is always there to save you whether you are a born bhakta like prahlada or you approach him in difficulties like Gajendra. Belief in God helps you to never loose hope since he is always there for everybody who pray him.

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