Beat job burnout, no need to quit yet

This post came out from The Straits Times (2 July 2012)
Title - Beat job burnout, no need to quit yet

Some pointers that I've got are:

• Ask for a change within the organisation. It might involve a new project or task, a different area or a new team. This way, you would not run the risk of losing your income.
• Ask for help. If you have too much work and not enough time to complete it even though you are working nights and weekends, you can approach your supervisor to renegotiate the workload.
• Start an exciting or a fun project. This could fire up your enthusiasm for work in genera.
• Hibernate in between big projects so you do not tire yourself out.
• Take a sabbatical - again, only if your company or boss allows it and you can afford to. Do not think of a sabbatical as a beach vacation where you just sit around and do nothing. Take a course, or do volunteer work or something you have always wanted to do. 
• Go for short breaks. Most burnouts are temporary. Adequate rest and time off from the activities that led to the burnout typically do the trick. 
• Go for a retreat.

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Friendship at work? Not so much these days

This post came out from The Straits Times (13 September 2015)
Title - Friendship at work? Not so much these days

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Less face time
2. Benefits of workplace friendship

On Less face time

• The economic explanation is that long-term employment has essentially vanished: Instead of spending our careers at one organisation, we expect to jump ship every few years. Since we do not plan to stick around, we do not invest in the same way. We view co-workers as transitory ties, greeting them with arm's length civility while reserving real camaraderie for outside work. 
• Some observers blame the rise of flextime and virtual work. When more people are working remotely, we have fewer chances for face-to-face encounters that are so critical to companionship. 

On Benefits of workplace friendship

• When we see our jobs primarily as a means to leisure, it's easy to convince ourselves that efficiency should reign supreme at work so we have time for friendships outside work. But we may be underestimating the impact of workplace friendships on our happiness - and our effectiveness. Jobs are more satisfying when they provide opportunities to form friendships. Research shows that groups of friends outperform groups of acquaintances in both decision making and effort tasks.
• When friends work together, they're more trusting and committed to one another's success. That means they share more information and spend more time helping - and as long as they do not hold back constructive criticism out of politeness, they make better choices and get more done.
• What will make workplaces less transactional? Research suggest that social events are not always effective. People do not mix much at mixers, and at company parties, they mostly bond with similar colleagues. Instead, playing together and eating together are good ways to foster cooperation. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Fight Stress Effectively

This post came out from The Straits Times (27 August 2015)
Title - Fight stress effectively

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Plan your schedule
2. First things first
3. Avoid gossip and politics
4. Use technology wisely
5. Adopt a big-picture mentality

On Plan your schedule

• If you do not plan your schedule in advance, then you are likely to follow what your colleagues are doing in the office. If they work overtime, you are more likely to follow suit.
• Plan what you need to do for the week so you can finish your work in a more timely fashion.
• Make it a point to devote time to your off work schedule as well.

On First things first

• A good way to be more productive is to draw up a to do list first thing in the morning and last thing before knocking off from work. This list is your must do list - so stick to it. Putting your tasks off will just cause unnecessary stress for yourself. 

On Avoid gossip and politics

• Be firm and catch yourself in the act if you have engaged in such unproductive and malicious conversations. Gossiping and spreading office rumours are time-wasting activities that slow down your productivity.

On Use technology wisely

• It is possible to make use of technology to help us in our daily work and become more efficiently.
• It is advisable to keep mindless internet surfing and chats to the minimum (especially personal ones) so that you are better able to focus on your work. 

On Adopt a big picture mentality

• There are many stories of people who get themselves burned out and become ill, requiring long term treatment. To avoid such a scenario, it is essential that we recognise that work is only a part of our lives and keep things in perspective to stay sane and grounded, and not get caught up in the rat race that blinds us to other aspects of our lives.
• Work stress is also a reflection of our deepest fears, concerns and desires. Striving to achieve work-life balance requires us to remind ourselves that to perform at our optimum levels at work, we need other aspects of our lives - family, social, health and personal - to function well too. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Crucial to recognise the symptoms of job burnout

This post came out from The Straits Times (25 Jun 2012)
Title - Burnout: Are you at the tipping point?

Some pointers that I've got are:
1 Symptoms of job burnout
2. Why it happens

On Symptoms of job burnout

• Being chronically fatigued
• Wondering about the meaning of life, especially the meaning of own life
• Difficulty in meeting work target
• Difficulty in meeting expectations of family and friends in meaningful engagement
• Being preoccupied
• Difficulty in focusing
• Feeling of wanting to get away from your present life
• Having sleeping problems, either too little sleep or too much sleep
• Losing interest in simple pleasure in life
• Losing motivation to learn or achieve mastery in new skills

On Why it happens

• Unclear or overly demanding job expectations
• A lack of control at work
• Poor job fit
• Working with an office bully or have a boss who micromanages your work
• Monotonous work

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

The Truth about Work Life Balance

This post came out from The Straits Times (23 July 2015)
Title - The Truth about Work Life Balance

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. It starts with your mentality
2. A balancing act

On It starts with your mentality

• Understand your energy zones on being productive to tackle your work tasks.
• Survival zone - Where we usually are: Putting in a lot of energy but feeling negative - impatient, intolerant, irritable, frustrated
• Burnout zone - Where we don't want to be: Not investing a lot of energy and feeling negative - exhausted, empty, depressed, sad, hopeless
• Performance zone - Where we want to be: Putting in a lot of energy and feeling positive - upbeat, energetic, action-oriented, motivated, inspiring
• Renewal zone - Where we often forget to be: Not investing a lot of energy but feeling positive - peaceful, cheerful, relaxed, mellow, receptive, in control
• Aim to avoid falling into negative zones and proactively create positive zones to reside in throughout the day. The more you use your time and energy in a way that is aligned with what truly matters to you, the more satisfied you are bound to feel.

On A balancing act

• Effective work life balance requires a concerted effort to look at how work can be done in the most effective way, including tools and processes that manage workload, encourage engagement, and help employees cross the bridge between work and life.
• Flexible work arrangements - This can be flexi-time or flexi-placed. Employees with the flexibility to work anywhere, anytime with cloud based IT infrastructure and bring-your-own-device policies are able to work from home or remotely and seamlessly continue collaborative efforts with colleagues and team leaders on more project-driven or service-level deadlines.
• Leave benefits - This involves the allocation of leave dates for family focused activities and personal needs. 
• Employee support - Helping employees strike a work-life balance can involve providing the right facilities to meet specific needs of employees. Poor work-life balance can lead to stress, absenteeism and low productivity. Helping employees achieve work-life balance is integral to their general health, and level of work satisfaction and motivation.
• Employee engagement - Keep your employees engaged by having open communication with them, and motivating and praising them when they do good work. Employees appreciate being in the know, and will contribute to improvements when they understand the reasoning behind management decisions. This allays their fears and channels their energy into helping the organization reach its goals. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big