Worst Office Phrases: It's time to retire some of these sayings

CNN had an article today about the 10 Worst Phrases to Use at the Office.

So let me pick your brain: what is your least favorite office catch-phrase?

Fox's Glee: Do you have a Sue Sylvester in your workplace?

Ok, I admit it.

I am a Gleek.

As a former musical theatre nerd, I am additcted to Fox's new hit show, Glee. As I watched last night's season finale, I couldn't help but want to blog about it today! But, since this is a blog relating to work topics, I wanted to focus on the work relationships between the characters.

Example 1: Emma and Will: 2 co-workers who have crushed on each other all season long and who finally appear to be hooking up. What will this mean for their work relationship and workplace dynamics?

Example 2: Sue: A classic enemy, a co-worker who seems to want to destroy any sort of competition she has. She'll go to any lengths to take down anything that stands in her way, even if it means playing dirty.

Do you have any Emma, Will or Sue-types in your workplace? Have you watched two co-workers fall in love or have you been in a work relationship? Do you know someone who sabotages their co-workers just so they can get ahead?

Bridge to Employment: Temp Worker lands dream job

While I don't normally post on Tuesdays, I just had to share this article with you from CNN.

Allison Riney, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, got over her negative perceptions of the staffing industry and once she got her foot in the door, landed her dream job.

Have you ever used a temporary service before? What was your experience like?

What are you thankful for?

With Thanksgiving hours away, I thought I would take some time to reflect on what I am thankful for this year. Now more than ever, I am thankful to have a job.

Let me clarify that point.

I am thankful to have a job that lets me explore new initiatives (like this blog) and has enough faith in me to let me try out ideas, even potentially risky ones.

So, this Thanksgiving, I am grateful that I have the opportunity to come to work each day. I am grateful not just for the paycheck, but for the fact that my employer believes in and supports me. I am grateful to work in a place with co-workers who I consider my friends. I am grateful my for successes and my failures, because they are shaping me to be a better worker.

What are you thankful for?

An employee's gift from his boss: a kidney?!?

Talk about a good working relationship....

A store manager from Pennsylvania took that phrase to a whole new level when he donated a kidney to one of his sick employees.

Watch an interview from CNN here and share your thoughts. Would you give a co-worker a gift like this?

Inventions During Recessions

Do you know what iPods, The Burger King Whopper and Kermit the Frog have in common?

All were invented either during or immediately after a recession. Apple introduced the ipod in October of 2001, Burger King invented the Whopper in 1957 and The Jim Henson company was started in 1958.

Recessions can be great times to re-focus and re-invent yourself as an employee or your company. Who knows what you may think of next!

How do you pass the time?

As the weeks pass, I’ve been hearing more and more stories about what people are doing to keep busy during their layoffs or period of unemployment.

Some are taking the time to be diligent job hunters, using their 40 hours a week to apply for jobs, network with people and pound the pavement for opportunities.

Others are taking much needed time to refocus their careers by learning new skills or improving upon their skill set. Still others are using the time to volunteer at local hospitals, animal shelters or churches.

If you are between jobs, let us know how you are spending your time. And if you can, tell us how your volunteer position led to work or how you met the connection that led to your new job at a networking event. With all the doom and gloom, I’d love to be able to see some positive stories!

Dealing with Survivor’s Guilt

We’ve all seen it happen. Co-workers being called into a closed-door meeting. The awkward goodbyes (if you even have that option). The turning in of keys/company phones/computers. The stunned silence and the eerie quiet that follows for the next few weeks.

With the thousands of jobs that have been lost during this recession, I think literally everyone either knows someone who has been laid off, or has been personally laid off.

I like to call what happens next “survivor’s guilt” (No, I didn’t coin the phrase, but I think it accurately describes the feeling). The workplace blues goes around the office for a bit, with people talking in hushed tones, secretly feeling guilty.

So, you may be asking yourself, “How can I get over this?” My answer: try to see an upside to every situation.

Taking on more work? Now you have job security. Learning a new skill? More experience to add to your resume. Look for these silver linings every time you start to feel down.

Have you experienced “survivor guilt?” How have you overcome it?

Hello Readers!

Welcome to Career Corner. For starters, let me introduce myself!

My name is Anne and I work at QPS Employment Group, which is a staffing and recruiting firm. I have been with QPS for a little over 3 years as the media relations specialist.

You’ll get to know me quite well in a short while, as I will be posting to the blog every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. What are some topics I’ll be writing about? Everything work-related (and even a few things that aren’t)!

Check back often for new posts, and leave me a message if there is anything you are interested in talking about. Let me know your thoughts on my posts, even if you don’t agree with my viewpoint (I love a good discussion)! I'm new to the blogging world, so share any tips or tricks you may have as well.