Vacay

Now that I work for a bigger organization, I am pumped (Hanz and Franz style) about my new benefits package. I now have access to better health care options, several pre-tax savings plans, matching retirement contributions, and on and on. However, there is one big caveat to my amazing benefits plan: I am back to only two weeks of paid vacation a year. TWO. WEEKS.

You're probably wondering what I'm whining about. Don't most people get two weeks of vacation a year? What is the big deal? Well, the big deal is that I had built up four weeks of paid vacation a year with my last employer, which was pretty amazing. I took Fridays off for long-weekends. I never thought twice about the week between Christmas and New Year's. And I still had enough time left over to plan a two-week vacation to Europe last year. In other words, I was spoiled rotten.

My new reality means scrimping and saving throughout the year and planning trips far more in advance that I'm used to. The good news is that every year I stay with this new organization, I'll receive a few more days in the annual vacation bank. While I have no regrets from my transition (indeed, fewer vacation days is a small price to pay for sanity), it got me thinking about paid vacation and why there never seems to be enough to go around. Business Insider has a great infographic about paid vacation around the world which really brings this point home: Americans do not receive any mandatory paid vacation days off. All of a sudden, "Kazakhstan" (24 days) has a different ring to it, don't you think?



www.businessinsider.com/countries-that-require-vacation-2013-5



Choose Your Own Adventure - Office Edition

So what can we, worker bees of the world, do to create a successful and productive environment at the office?  We can't give each other raises. We can't move into a Google-like campus. We probably can't even lobby for a cappuccino machine or yoga break room.  But there are a few characteristics we have control over and can promote from within. 

Fast Company highlighted a new book recently titled Passion Capital: The World's Most Powerful Asset promoting 8 simple "rules" for creating a great work culture that, in turn, leads to lifelong career success. 

1. Surround yourself with passionate people.

2. Communicate regularly and transparently.

3. Weed out the whiners who pull everyone down.

4. Work hard, play hard.
5. Be ambitious! Be extraordinary!

6. Respect diversity in all of its forms.

7. Promote dynamic interaction with bosses, coworkers, other departments, even interns!

8. Keep your eye on the prize. Not all success is short term.  Be focused on long-terms goals everyday.

As the new kid on the block in my office, I've paid a lot of attention to Numbers 2 and 7, making sure I get to know everyone one-on-one, understand their role on the team and figure out how my own activities can help and enhance their projects. I could probably give a little more effort toward #5. I hope that as I grow more comfortable with everyday responsibilities, I can shift into the extraordinary by connecting the dots among programs, anticipating solutions to problems and identifying opportunities to take my contribution to the next level.  

For more detail and examples on these rules and others, check out Fast Company's recent blog on Creating Passionate Work Cultures!  

Culture Shock

As I transition to a new job, I've been thinking a lot about work culture. It is amazing how adaptable we are as employees: sliding into and out of habits based on interaction with bosses, colleagues and the internal structures around us.

It's not always seamless, though.  

My new work environment is 180 degrees different in tone than that of my old one. There is a dramatic lack of emergency: e-mails aren't red-flagged, no competition for attention, accolades or funding; no late-night calls; programmatic timelines are realistic and respected; budgets adhered to. For the last two weeks, I've floated from task to task in a state of genuine culture shock. I keep waiting for a desperate freak out or a deadline to pop up like whack-a-mole. In addition, I notice a real shift from individual accomplishment to teamwork, from go-it-alone to accomplishing things together. 

I don't believe that this is a product of good versus bad or old versus new. Instead, I think it's more about the culture surrounding everything we do. We can't control everything around us in the work place, but in a transition, there are ways to bring the best with us and leave the rest behind. That's what I'll be writing about this week: those qualities that bring out the best in me that I want to cultivate (and those that I hope to leave in the dust).

It's Not You, It's Me

I broke up with my boss.

It was a tough decision. One that was months, even years, in the making. Truth be told, we were no longer a good pair. I needed freedom; he was overly-dependent. I was dissatisfied; he couldn't get enough. I was ready for a new challenge; he got anxious and sweaty just thinking about trying anything new.

So, I did what every Selfish Half of a relationship must do when faced with a similar situation: face the facts and break it off. It didn't go well, I must say. I should have been better prepared for the negativity that followed. Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Lots of blame, guilt and finger pointing. 

But now, a few days removed from D-Day, I am feeling light, energetic and ready for what comes next. In case you were wondering, I already have a new boyfriend boss lined up. He is eager and driven and ready to work together as a team.  

The transition won't be easy. There is a lot that goes into evolving from one relationship to the next and I am a sucker for loyalty and commitment. The hard part is over, however, and I know I can handle whatever tasks come with making the switch!

Life in Graphs

Want some great lessons on interviewing life? Check out this amazing website, created by Liz Fosslein. She has a unique knack for boiling down big, complex things (emotions, cities, news, economics, etc.) into simple, easy-to-understand infographics. At a glance, you can learn about crime statistics in Chicago or get relationship advice thanks to her clever use of pie charts, line graphs and dots.

Why is this relevant to work-life balance, you may ask? Well, check out her take on how to get hired. It includes excellent tips on making the best impression possible to a potential employer, but with funny twists along the way. A few examples...

The Suit

http://fosslien.com

Describe A Time You Had Difficulty With A Coworker

http://fosslien.com

What Was Your Biggest Mistake?

http://fosslien.com

Why Do You Want This Job?

http://fosslien.com

I know an inspirational someone whose motto is "Show up." That's a big part of what I get out of these interview infographics: be thoughtful, show up, be yourself and success will come.  Good advice for interviews and life.

Office Lust: Mod Squad

Does your office need a groovy renovation?  You may need to go ahead and ask for that big raise to incorporate these 60s-inspired pieces into your work space, but they look cool, man.

SquareME Palm FoldOUT Desk: www.inmod.com

Gabe Desk: www.inmod.com

Maltese Table: www.inmod.com

Afraid of Failure? Maybe You Should Be.

Turns out, there's a reason - an actual physical reason - to avoid failure. "There is a part of the brain called the anterior insula, and that's where we process losses," says Dr. Richard Peterson, psychiatrist and managing partner of MarketPsych. He specializes in behavioral finance and neuroeconomics research, two fancy ways of saying that he studies the inner-workings of the mind in order to make better financial and business choices. In a New York times article about individuals who change career course only to fall flat and ditch their projects, Dr. Peterson notes that there is real pain associated with poor financial decisions and outcomes, aka "losing money".

I've written before about my own hesitance to hang a shingle and go out on my own as a consultant or freelancer. It is just not in my nature to step out alone without a business, organization or network behind me. I always thought this was a major weakness in my professional career. Shouldn't I be confident enough in my own skills to brave the workforce alone? 

Well, bravery may not have anything to do with it. Neuroeconomics research demonstrates that we humans are pre-wired to overestimate our ability to tackle risks, especially when they involve a major investment in time, money or other resources. Again, Dr. Peterson: "We overestimate our ability to control outcomes that have some element of chance, tend[ing] to overestimate the extent to which good things are going to happen, especially to us." I read that to mean that we like to minimize the risk and maximize the benefits that stem from our decisions. 

Yep, sounds about right.

I empathize with the entrepreneurs in the article (really, you should read it!) who gave their all only to realize too late that they had no hope of success. The lesson I take from their stories is that I should cut myself some slack. Perhaps I am not the cowardly lion after all but, instead, someone who takes self-assessment seriously, who constantly weighs and works on the value of my skills for professional growth. That can't be a bad thing.