Admin Gal has Failed

Admin Gal was bamboozled, snookered, beguiled, and hoodwinked by an evil rotten scoundrel of a sales person.

She had noticed a proliferation of calls from a certain organization.  Her caller ID would not register a number just a company name.  This time the caller ID came in through the company tree.  The sales person provided just enough legitimate information.

Admin Gal prides herself on being able to sort through the dross and know my legitimate callers.

Admin Gal has failed in her front line duties to block the evil phisher of information.

sigh

A Challenge

Admin Gal has a challenge for all her readers.

No, she is not asking anything of a felonious nature.

Simply, that over the next seven days you reach out do something to improve someone's day.

Random acts of kindness have been known to increase productivity and moral exponentially.

Added bonus?

It makes your boss and others wonder what you're up to.

Feel free to report on your collective mayhem.

Holiday Cheer

As the Holiday Season descends upon us, Admin Gal has a few words of advice:

1. Remember that work Holiday function is just that - WORK RELATED!  You might not remember anything you said or did, but your colleagues will - guaranteed!
2. Holiday music is to be used judiciously. Just because you LOVE holiday music, be kind to those around you who aren't so inclined. Use your headphones.
3. Scents of the season should be kept at home.  Pine, cinnamon, apple pie are popular scents for candles, potpourri, etc.  Those smells can cause serious sinus and allergy issues in enclosed places such as office environments.
4. Holiday Gift Exchanges or Secret Santa's are not the time to find your inner prankster.  Having a co-worker open something that is NSFW or immature will be remembered far longer than the season it was given.  Not the memory you want to give.

If these simple guidelines can be followed, Admin Gal feels you will survive this Holiday Season with goodwill and cheer.

Morale

Sometimes morale is a tough sell in the workplace. With budget cuts, lay offs, increased productivity in the form of more to do with less people.  Everyone is under the gun at work.  It gets really tiring, and frankly demoralizing.

At the end of the day we should be able to walk out the door each day and leave the job behind, satisfied we've done our best.  And that should be enough.

But it's not.

How do we take control of our work environment, making it healthy?  The answers are simple, the implementation, not so much:

1. Say 'NO'.  If people have a habit of dumping part of their job on you, enforce your boundaries and push back.  
2. Prioritize what comes across your desk. - When there are conflicting priorities, communicate with the parties involved and find a solution that won't send you over the edge.
3. Don't take work home.  
4. Just Breathe.  Take a moment and breathe.  Don't let the stress build.  A little stress is normal, it comes and goes.  Stress that doesn't go away is deadly.  Take the time to breathe, work through stress.

When you are happier and in a healthier place, your morale is good.  Morale is a virus that is contagious, good morale will spread as easily as bad.

The Art of the Smile

Some days a simple smile can go a long way in the office environment.  I'm not talking a flirty or suggestive smile. I'm talking about a genuine happy to see you, I'm glad you are here smile.

The smile is something so simple, yet so powerfully profound.  When the office environment is tough, someone is having a really bad day, a smile can make all the difference in the world.

Not to be too dramatic, but a smile can save a life.

When you smile at a person, it means you acknowledge them.  You've made an effort to notice them.  In an age where we are inundated by deadlines, buried in assignments, and overwhelmed by responsibilities, being acknowledged can truly make a difference in your day or someone else's.

So, Admin Gal's Challenge to the world at large is to smile at someone today.

Save someone's day, and maybe their life.

Confessionals & Morale Meters

As an Admin, we are a combination of confessionals, morale meters, undercover cops and good people trying to make their work environment better.  This can be a heavy load to bear.  We are a clearing house for information good and bad for our managers on the emotional and environmental health of our areas.  Sometimes it can be overwhelming or inspiring.

We can stop trouble before issues arise with a word of well placed advice in the ear of someone who can make a difference.  At times, we have to make the difficult choices that will impact personal relationships for the greater good of the company.

While we reflect our managers in our jobs, a good Admin also manages their environment.  Providing the best work place they can for they people they work with.

Everyone deserves to work in a healthy community.

Up & Down - Trending Morale

So at any given time in a company you can take a snapshot of morale. It can be ugly, meh, okay, good or great.



The trick is to realize that you need to be in an environment where the average is good to great.

There will always be the people who are cranky. Apparently, for them their fuel tanks are running on fumes. And to be fair, there will always be the super perky people who you just want to strangle for being to cheerful.

But sometimes, you can't help an environment that has trended to a poor morale due to the company circumstances. Layoffs, off-shoring, closures.

So, what can you do?

Work to stay out of the drama. Keep your own morale at an even keel. Stay as positive as you can. I know that these are difficult times. As an individual, I can control my reaction to adverse conditions.

I choose to trend upwards in my morale. I choose to be positive in the face of adversity.