On THE jOB

In this weekly post....

I present and discuss different situations that happen on the job involving management and other co-workers. I discuss how situations were handled and leave room for you readers, to place your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of this column post. Your thoughts on how YOU think it should have been handled or you just sharing your personal experiences is a great outlet! From That perhaps, We, ALL OF US "on the job" can get some valuable information on how to grow!

THAT'S WHAT this particular weekly column IS ALL ABOUT! Growth.

I believe that this is necessary to have an open forum about this VERY, VERY important topic because of the amount of time we spend at work!

Do you realize that your job is the second place behind your home life that you spend the most time AND where some of the most important relationships in your life are? For some people, it's the other way around. They spend more time on their job and with their co-workers friends than they do at home!

Still, this weekly post is necessary because we all need outlets! Spending hours, on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis on your job (just like any where else) guarantees that certain situations will come up that you may not want to deal with. But you will find yourself having to deal with them, including bad attitudes, gossip, dis-respectful behavior from bosses and co-workers alike! Unless you work all by yourself (even then you still going to have to deal with someone, a client, the mail carrier, package deliverer etc.) YOU ARE GOING

to find yourself in some VERY UNCOMFORTABLE and tense situations on the job at some point! How you handle them so that you get the positive outcome that you need while maintaining your integrity, self respect and not to mention, maintaining your employment at that particular workplace, IS A HUGE ISSUE! At least, it should be to you, for your own sake!

It is absolutely necessary to have this post to express thoughts on how to positively go through some tough times while we are at work. We need to share and get it out! Most assuredly, most all of us working adults, have either seen on the news or been witnessed to some destructive behavior involving the workplace. Sometimes people have cursed people out, they've gotten into get into physical fights, unnecessarily quit or get fired, unnecessarily.

A great many things have occurred because situations on the job, got out of control! Some of these things have caused great destruction to both property and to peoples lives. So lets talk about this stuff people! Lets talk about what bothers you on the job, how it was handled and how it could be handled better! OK?

Me, I am a talker AND a writer! So whenever I get upset OR even on good days, if I have a lot to say, I naturally talk it out or write it out and that helps me! Now, some of you may be different! You may be a person who does not feel comfortable talking or writing your feelings out. On jobs throughout my life, I've been a witness to a wide range of how people deal with certain situations on the job.

For example, some people, though they have the right to speak to management or co-workers about certain things, they refuse to do it out of fear or passiveness! There are others who won't say anything to the people they should be saying it to. Nope, they just WON'T DO IT! Instead they mumble and complain to other workers who have absolutely NO POWER in which to change things! All the while though, nothing has changed in their work life except that they are now in a situation where frustration and stress could set in. Did you know that stress is the basis for a number of serious health issues like Cancer, ulcers (holes in your stomach lining) and premature balding as well?

Another example of negativity happening on the job include bullies. You know there are bullies on the the job! Some of them are our peers, but what do you do when the bully is your boss? Your boss may be taking advantage

of you in ways that are not in your job description, asking and EXPECTING you to do work under your regular salary that contractors would get paid separately for doing! Maybe your boss makes snide comments directly to you OR

in your presence about you and others. Why people NOT say anything and rightfully so, is ALL BECAUSE OF FEAR! Fearful of losing their job, being blackballed, especially now! Still, your fear empowers the bullies and unless you take action against them, at least for yourself, you have a lot more to contend with than just your bully! That bully at work, more than likely

WILL NOT STOP on their own! If you don't take action,

if you know that you should, you may find yourself needlessly

compromising on other things down the road!

YOU MAY NOT WANT TO HEAR THAT, BUT you may not be as strong as you think!

Fear can paralyze you and cloud your judgement!

BULLIES operate in fear! That is their fuel!

That is their vehicle in which to maneuver ALL OVER YOU!

So when you are scared to stand up for yourself or others in wrong situations, then you are accommodating that bully and making there hold on you, stronger. THAT'S SCARY!

What's even more scary is that there are people on the job who just take the abuse from these people!

So, I've found that talking about it gives a positive outlet and can provide clarity on the subject of problems on the job. In this column, I do give examples using my own life experience as well as stories from other workers from other places of employment from their past employment. This column IS NOT to bash employers. I WILL NOT list names or places.

So DO NOT include them in your comments, please. Thank you!

REMEMBER, THIS COLUMN IS TO HELP US GET IT ALL OUT and

to help us stay healthy and GROW!