Tips for getting through the tough times without compromising your employment.

by Dawn Rasmussen | December 08, 2011 | (0)

In these shaky economic times, most of us are making do with less—less hands, less money, less supplies. The end result: A whole lot of people are getting fried, burnt to a workless crisp. After all, there is only so much one human being can do.

There is hope. Here are some tips for getting through these tough times without compromising your own employment.

• Take your vacation days. Sure, you’ll stress out that something (or everything) will go wrong while you’re out of the office, but you need time to recharge. According to CNN.com, Americans alone coughed up 448 million vacation days in 2010—as in, they went to waste. Being your refreshed self is critical to your productivity, mental health and morale. Get away and think about things besides work; you might just come up with an insight or new idea while on your breather.
• Keep your boss informed. More responsibility means you are accountable for more bottom-line results. By keeping your supervisor apprised of your progress on key work, he or she has a better idea of what is going on in terms of the overall management of company operations. Proactive bosses will identify problems that lead to overworked employees. By giving them the tools to gauge how things are going, you can help them make informed decisions on whether to start hiring.
• Ask about hiring additional help. In some cases, everyone in the office is at breaking point. There simply aren’t enough hours. That’s when an honest, direct conversation with the boss is most timely. The worst thing your boss can do is tell you no, and if you make a clear case providing specifics on what types of activities a new hire could take on and how that might improve revenue production, your employer might listen. 
• Document everything. Your colleagues’ delays can affect your production timeline, and you definitely don’t want the blame to fall on your shoulders. Document everything. Write email recaps of conversations, so you have clear communications about expectations and processes. That way, you will always have sufficient backup should a problem arise.
• Be efficient. With more tasks on your plate, efficiency is key. Create templates for regular correspondence. Approach your colleagues and find ways to collaborate and reduce redundancies. Anything you can do to eliminate just one step in your work saves time so you can concentrate on removing backlogs.
• Separate work from personal time. It has become very easy to check email while at home waiting for the water to boil—but email addiction is dangerous. It creeps into your personal time and leads to lengthy bursts of work that interrupt the time you need to recharge and not think about the office. One+

Dawn Rasmussen

Dawn Rasmussen, CMP, is the president of Portland, Ore.-based Pathfinder Writing and Career Services. Clients from across the United States and Canada and from all career levels have benefited from Dawn’s highly- focused and results-oriented résumé, cover letter, and job search coaching services. Many professional groups as well as colleges and universities have appreciated the insights and expertise she shares during presentations on topics, and she is a frequently requested national speaker as a result. Dawn also shares her knowledge as the official “Get the Job” columnist for One+ Magazine distributed to over 26,000 meeting professionals worldwide, and Talentzoo.com, a job site for creative and marketing professionals. Recently, she was quoted on CBS MoneyWatch and also in the Chicago Tribune. Additionally, Dawn is a recognized career expert on Careerealism.com, which is a top 10 world contributor to TalentCulture.com’s weekly meeting #tchat ‘meeting of the career industry minds’ on Twitter. When not helping clients, you will also find Dawn quietly donating time at the Oregon Employment Department as a volunteer teaching unemployed workers how to build compelling career documents as part of her ‘Pay it Forward’ philosophy. With Dawn’s coaching expertise, caring nature, and well-connected networking, she is known as the meeting and hospitality industry’s leading career management partner.

TAGS: careers , jobs , column , work-life balance , One+ December 2011