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6 Ways To Rekindle Your Love For Work

In these uncertain times, waking up and going to work is an achievement on its own. We have gone through a lot and we continue to adapt to our dynamic environment. Much like your personal life, your professional life is a work in progress.

When you start a job, it is all new and exciting. Do not get me started with the honeymoon phase! As time passes by, the job that once seemed so flawless may lose its luster. You may become complacent or disinterested without even noticing it. Before you call it quits, give yourself the opportunity to reconnect with your current job.

#1: FIND THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

If you find it challenging to drag yourself out of the bed for work every morning, the first step is to admit that your motivation to go to work is slowly dwindling. You are not as passionate as you used to be. Similarly, you may want to know the root cause of having unpleasant days at work. That said, this is nothing to be ashamed of! There are many factors that can affect your feelings such as the significant changes brought by the COVID-19 restrictions.

Instead of lamenting over it on your Twitter or Facebook feed, sit down and reflect. What are the possible causes of the issues you have at work? You must first examine the things contributing to what you are feeling in order to change for the better. Once the root of the problem is clear, you can start making small changes in your personal workspace and within yourself.

#2: PERSONALIZE YOUR WORKSPACE

Whether you are staying on a partially enclosed office workspace (i.e., a cubicle) or sitting in your home office, filling your workspace with special items can help boost your mood. Gather your favorite souvenirs, your favorite family photographs, your favorite indoor plants, or anything that sparks joy into your life. In those moments when you are feeling down and frustrated, being surrounded by things you love can help lift your spirits.

Do your best to make your personal workspace comfortable. If permitted, you may even collaborate with your colleagues to decorate the communal areas of your office. Fill it with items that everyone enjoys.

#3: LEARN NEW THINGS

Learning does not stop in school! You can broaden your knowledge and skills to ignite the curiosity from within. Sometimes, people feel frustrated at work because they lack certain skills that are necessary to succeed. On the other hand, you may be well-versed at your current job and still lack the knowledge to take on a desired new role. Not knowing how to approach an obstacle at work can affect your motivation levels.

The best way to tackle this roadblock is to invest in continuing education and to update your skills. Talk to your boss about the available trainings or certifications that will benefit you and the organization. Does the company offer in-house training? If not, you can search for online training programs that interest you. Look for online courses, in-person workshops, international conferences, and other training programs.

#4: PRACTICE GRATITUDE

One of the profound ways to reframe your relationship with your work is to identify all the good things about it. Practicing gratitude may seem hard at first, because you must see through the unpleasant circumstance and recognize the positivity. However, you have to realize that what you focus on – grows.

The good things are there, you just have to keep digging deep. For example, you appreciate your respectful supervisor, or you simply value the paycheck that keeps a roof over your head. What made you fall in love with the position in the first place? Go back to that moment. Writing down all the positive aspects of your job can remind you that these things exist. Use its positive energy to keep you going.

#5: MIX THINGS UP

“Habits can save us time, but they can also make us feel stagnant,” said Helen Godfrey of The Authentic Path.

Thinking outside the box or doing things beyond your usual routine can help you approach the day in a different light. If you always eat lunch in the same place, consider ordering food from a different store. If you rarely leave your desk, try taking a 5-minute exercise break. Approach tasks through new lenses to help you shake things up. Perhaps, a little variety or a change in perspective is what you need to refresh your relationship with work.

#6: TALK TO SOMEONE YOU TRUST

As we search for the elusive “perfect job”, we often lose sight of the good things in our current position. It is easy to get stuck in a loop of negativity and internalize frustrations during difficult times. Acknowledging that frustration exists can prevent it from being bottled up. Talking to someone who understands where you are coming from can help.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

You can approach a mentor, a peer, a friend, a family member, or significant other. Your trusted confidant can offer a different perspective or a shoulder to lean on. It helps to pause and reflect.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

Consider these responses to cope with hostile colleagues

It’s been a month since we’ve been given the green light to head back to the office.

But with the increase in COVID-19 community cases in recent days, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has advised employers to allow their employees to work from home as far as possible.

Whether it be reporting to the office or clocking in from the comforts of home, we inevitably have to face our colleagues, occasionally hostile ones. If that is you, consider these responses to counter the unfortunate situation.

#1: Self-examine the case

We think it’s easy to point fingers at others when things go wrong. But why not take this chance to do some self-examination?

Ask yourself if the unfriendliness from your coworker could be a reaction to your actions? Maybe you’re a relatively straightforward person who speaks your mind without considering much. If so, then learn how to catch the right opportunity to share an opinion and keep mum when you should.

#2: Stay respectful but firm

Let’s say you’ve done some introspection and realised that the unpoliteness comes from your colleague despite you having done no wrong. Okay, fair enough. However, don’t rush to counter hostility with aggressiveness.

Unless you want to aggravate the already less-than-ideal work relationship, stay respectful but firm. Perhaps you are partnering with someone who likes to delay his or her work and then gets defensive when you ask for the output. Instead of asking an open-ended question, stick to this:

“Our presentation to the boss will be scheduled this Monday, so I would greatly appreciate it if you could send me the reports by mid-week.”

#3: Don’t blame yourself

Image Credits: The Independent

Have you noticed that whenever a new hire enters the company, there will be a period where “work kakis” get awkward? From schools to the workplace and social groups, there are “cliques” everywhere.

Sometimes, your colleagues’ coldness towards you may not be that they dislike you or have something against you. Everyone responds differently to a new face, so allow time to pass and conversations to flow naturally.

#4: Incorporate little kind gestures

A little kindness goes a long way to make someone’s day brighter, and in return, yours too! It could be as simple as guiding a table buddy on using a function on Microsoft Excel or offering to buy tea or coffee for a bit of perk-me-up.

But as with all things, don’t get overboard with being helpful. Since it may appear too “fake” when your actions don’t tally over the months or years, use little gestures when opportunities present themselves.

#5: Ask for advice

To round us up our list of responses to coping with hostile colleagues, we would recommend that you ask for advice from your HR department. Since HR personnel are usually trained in their field, they will know how best to handle workplace relationships.

Often, there are people in the office who get too comfortable “bullying” their fellow workers but have not been formally reported by anyone. Trust your gut and do what is suitable if you want the situation to be rightly dealt with by the management.

Essential entrepreneurship takeaways from Zoom’s founder & CEO

Say “Zoom”, and the average person would instantly get what you mean.

In recent times, the pandemic has brought about various changes in the way we work and communicate. Job interviews are shifting from in-person encounters to video calls, and connecting with friends and family members based overseas are also done through the webcam.

“Let’s hop on a Zoom call soon” or “I’ll drop you the Zoom link in a while” have become phrases we hear all the time. But do you know the creator behind the trending software used by millions now? Eric Yuan’s the name to note. He is also Time’s 2020 Businessperson of the Year, and we give him credit for that.

Here are some essential entrepreneurship takeaways from the 51-year-old Chinese-American billionaire businessman himself.

#1: Just do it

We will start by reinforcing Nike’s catchphrase. Do you know that Zoom was founded in 2011 when Eric Yuan was 41 years old? If he had allowed his age to deter him from creating Zoom 10 years ago, we wouldn’t be having the ease of communicating across time zones in this COVID-19 era.

#2: Remember the helping hands

Zoom came to life thanks not to just Eric Yuan but also his supportive friends and family who trusted him. They backed him up financially, and because of that, he was able to garner a total of $3 million in capital. Together with funding from venture capitalists, Zoom was able to progress to where they are right now.

#3: Keep at it

Image Credits: immigration-ways.com

For quitters, the startup life may not be for you. Yuan shared that he got rejected eight times and accepted only on the ninth in his visa application to get to the US. This was after he had heard Bill Gates’ 1995 keynote speech regarding the future of the internet and wanted to get there to be part of the first wave of the internet revolution.

#4: Provide better solutions to problems

A startup usually exists because the founder wants to create a solution to pressing issues. But it has to be not just a mediocre solution but one that can set yourself apart from what’s already out there in the market. “Lead with the focus on the customer,” Yuan noted. While it’s good to know your competitors, don’t get overly obsessed with the research.

#5: Aim for user satisfaction

Those who’ve eyed the local startup scene or are well aware of new international ventures will know that sometimes startups waste time marketing the product when it’s not ready. On the other hand, Eric Yuan believed that happy customers would bring in money for the company eventually. Let your wonderful product speak for itself, and then leverage that word-of-mouth strategy to grow your business.

#6: Pay attention to employees & company culture

Image Credits: unsplash.com

As we come to a close, know that certain startups are bound to see a high turnover rate. While you may not be able to satisfy your workers with a market-rate salary or a speedy promotion raise, at least pay attention to them and your company culture.

“As a CEO, you need to think about your employees. Zoom’s culture is: Deliver happiness. If we are happy, the customer is happy. It’s a simple formula, and we lead by example,” Yuan remarked.

For more entrepreneurship insights, catch the entire webinar with Zoom’s CEO here.

Local brand Naiise owes some vendors up to S$10,000, closes its last Singapore physical store today (11 April)

If you’ve been a Singapore resident for some time now or all your life, chances are that you must have heard of Naiise.

Naiise is a homegrown creative marketplace for creatives and makers to connect with their customers through the platform’s online and offline initiatives. But things aren’t looking good for the brand, apparently.

News has it that the brand has owed its vendors thousands of dollars. According to its founder, Dennis Tay, the company is struggling with the payouts because of the pandemic situation. However, it seems like the vendors’ payment defaults happened way before COVID-19 started.

Anyhow, Naiise will close their last local physical store at Jewel Changi Airport today (11 April) after attributing it as a significant investment at the wrong time. The decision follows after the closure of its Paya Lebar Quarter mall’s outlet in July 2020.

Naiise vendors’ side of the story

Ex-owner of Canvas Avenue, a brand specialising in handmade wooden accessories and printed clothes, created a Facebook group named “Naiise Vendors” in June 2020 after she was due to be paid S$5,000.

Image Credits: Facebook

Ms Wendy Wang said: “I thought it was a bad sign, and I put up the post to get the news out there in case we may not get our money back.” The 35-year-old was referring to the resignation of Ms Amanda Eng, chief marketing and buying officer of Naiise, during the same period.

While Ms Wang has received her due payment in full, other Naiise vendors aren’t having a pleasant time dealing with the company.

Another vendor named Ms Suzianna Mohd Sofiee noted that Naiise had been late on payments since she joined them as a merchant in December 2019. The 36-year-old added that she was denied S$1,800 in sales made from January to March 2020. Based on her contract, she was supposed to receive the amounts from April 2020 but did not.

Until she threatened to file a case with the Small Claims Tribunals in October 2020, Naiise responded. But the agreement to repay her in S$250 monthly instalments were not met, and she only got one payout in December last year. The company later requested to make S$30 recurring repayments this year instead but has yet to fulfil it.

Some merchants have given up

The co-owner of Freshly Pressed Socks said he had dismissed the debt of about S$4,000 considering the time and costs needed to chase for payments.

“Naiise used to be about supporting local designers and — yes, on principle, it is about establishing Singapore’s brand — but at the back of it, brands are all suffering because of them,” Mr Vincent Teo of Freshly Pressed Socks remarked.

Similarly, the founder of Bespoke Parfums Artisanaux shared that she had already wasted S$700 sending two official letters in 2018 and 2020 to settle a total of S$10,000 in outstanding payment.

Ms Faizah Lokman added that it would cost her up to S$4,000 if she were to file a lawsuit to enforce the demands. This is not forgetting that it may take up to six months for the entire procedure to happen.

“They can close anytime, and our company’s civil proceeding fees would go down the drain,” she noted.

Image Credits: TODAYonline

Are you one of the affected vendors, or know someone seeking claims? Maybe the Small Claims Tribunals via the State Courts of Singapore’s website can help. Click through the link for more information, and we hope you will receive a favourable outcome soon.

Do these things if you want a work promotion soon

Peeps who’ve been with the same company for some time now, it’s normal to be thinking of a pay increase or title raise.

Well, who wouldn’t want some extra cash in the bank each month for savings or investments? We could all do with a bit of perk-me-up via a position raise from “executive” to “manager”, right?

But if you’ve been working for a decade or longer, you would know that a career advancement doesn’t come that easily. Do these things if you want a work promotion soon.

#1: Seek feedback from your superior

One of the best ways to get promoted is to ask for one. Set a time to meet with your boss, and bring your case for promotion to the table.

But before you do that, make sure you’re ready to share your achievements over the years, your upgraded skills, and the potential value you can bring to the company should you be given a title raise.

If your boss seems to be sitting on the fence amid the discussion, don’t leave the conversation hanging. Seek specific projects that you can undertake or accomplish to get the promotion, and then follow your superior’s directions to earn yourself a chance in the subsequent months to bring the topic back on the radar.

#2: Observe promoted colleagues

Image Credits: Her World

Look at your coworkers who have been promoted ahead of you. Do they have something in common? Are there some aspects of what the company seeks that has made them better candidates than you do?

Maybe there is a specific certification or credential that your company finds very appealing in an employee. To find out, it’s time to be a social butterfly. Attend social work events where possible and be engaged with your peers in the same industry to get updated on what’s up and coming.

You may also volunteer to work on team projects headed by those promoted to give yourself a chance to see for yourself the skills your promoted colleagues hold.

#3: Add value to everything you do

The management team will judge you based on whether or not you add value to the company. In other words, it’s the assessment of worth and your indispensability for the company’s growth.

Give them the very best, no matter how small the task may be, and they will likely see you as someone worth keeping. A job well done will never be overlooked as the benefits it brings add up over time.

#4: Search for ways to be noticeable

Image Credits: moneycrashers.com

Being a great employee and an eligible candidate for that promotion may not be enough if nobody notices you and your hard work.

If you want to start being more visible, being helpful is a great way to get noticed at your workplace. Volunteer to be on projects or initiate leading challenging tasks if you think you’re up for the job. Look out for opportunities to display any relevant niche knowledge you have.

At the end of a project cycle, see if you can set an appointment with your direct supervisor to check in on what they think of your contribution. Should they be unsatisfied with your performance, work on their feedback and take it positively instead of being defensive over it.

#5: Lead whenever you can

As you advance, you will require progressively more leadership skills in the company’s hierarchy. Leadership skills can refer to conflict management and an ability to motivate or steer your colleagues in the right direction.

Keeping up with excellent work performance through taking the initiative is a way to get noticed. Both your coworkers and superiors will come to know of the good shepherd that you are. In the long run, the company will trust you with more significant projects, and if done well, a promotion awaits.

#6: Be a positive presence

a female colleague motivating her coworkers

Image Credits: HealthHub

It can be easier to dwell on negativity amid workplace stress and criticisms. But negativity won’t get you anywhere.

Companies want leaders who have a positive outlook and can inspire people, not pessimistic and off-putting ones. Being a positive presence in the office will set you apart from the crowd and distinguish you when that promotion opportunity opens up.

#7: Recognise workplace issues and solve them

Have you ever worked with someone who complains about anything and everything? Such people can be viewed as toxic as they are consistently whining about things.

Instead of making a fuss over a particular business process and grumbling about it non-stop during break times, craft real solutions to improve the situation. Find specific business cases to convince your manager that it’s worth spending some money fixing a particular process. Then do your best to pitch it to them.

Take it as an excellent way to show that you’re a self-starter and keen on doing something that can benefit the company and its employees.

#8: Keep up with your work ethics

Image Credits: europeanceo.com

One factor that all of these suggestions have in common is that they require hard work to set yourself apart from your peers. One of the best ways to do so is to show an exceptional work ethic.

Work ethic can be defined as an attitude of determination and dedication towards your job. Maintain your focus at work, be punctual for all work meetings, and make sure you’re keeping up with the deadlines. You can’t be asking for a promotion if you can’t even get your foundations right.

Final thoughts

We’re not going to lie because it will take a lot of effort to get ahead and receive that promotion. Besides the tips mentioned above, you will need to find a way to stay motivated as you work towards that pay raise.

Organise your thoughts by making a plan to achieve that long-awaited promotion. When you have it all written down, it’s easier to check back and evaluate to see if you’re on the right track. Your time will come. Keep at it!