Managing Conflict

Your boss commends various members of the team for their work on an important project but forgets to mention your name. A co-worker invites some people from the office out for drinks but doesn’t ask you. A friend throws her hat into the ring for a job in another department that she knows you’ve been eyeing.

Many schools are taking part today (Oct. 1) in Blue Shirt Day: World Day of Bullying Prevention. Wearing the color symbolizes unity in the effort to reduce and prevent bullying, cyberbullying, hatred, and violence. According to the group STOMP Out Bullying, as many as 160,000 students stay home on any given day because they are afraid of their bullies and/or just can’t take the pain anymore.

• Brutally Honest Ways to Describe Co-Workers [HR Communication]
• How to Argue with the Boss and Win [CBS News]
• Ways to Quickly Rid Yourself of Stress [Lifehack]
• Things to Never Tell Your Boss [Jobacle]
• Ways to Not Mess Up Your Video Interview [Glass Door]

• Determine if a Manager Will Be a Good Boss Before Taking the Job [Lifehacker]
• Rebuild a Broken Down Office Team [Jobacle]
• Three Ways to Deal with Disaster [Inc.com]
• Most Common Workplace Anxiety Dreams and What They Mean [Forbes.com]
• Stay on the Hunt After You Get the Job [US News]

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• After Messing Up, Should You Quit or Wait to Be Fired? [CBS News]
• Is Your Home Office Prepared for a Disaster? [Jobacle]
• 10 Ways to Not Get Hired [Glass Door]
• The Five Best office Chairs [Lifehacker]
• Handling Negative Feedback at Work [US News]

Look out bosses! If your charges had a vote, many of you would be without a job. A recent survey by Parade magazine/Yahoo! Finance asked some 26,000 workers this question: Would you fire your boss if you could? More than a third of respondents (35%) answered “yes.”

Admit and apologize

A brief statement acknowledging your error and a genuine, face-to-face “I’m sorry” is due to whomever was affected. This action shows that you are taking responsibility and not trying to hide anything or blame others.

Before your children head back to the classroom, it might be worth reading this interesting article entitled “10 Things You Should Never Say to Your Kid’s Teacher.” When emotions get involved, sometimes parents don’t act in the most respectful manner, but keeping your cool is imperative to resolving the situation in a way that benefits your child.

If you are wondering why you can’t seem to find enough time for your persona life, or your family is complaining that they never see you, this may be a clue that your work-life balance isn’t balanced at all, and is too heavily weighted on the work part.

• Crafting the Perfect Elevator Pitch [CBS News]
• Why Remote Workers are More Engaged [HBR.org]
• Dealing with a Harassing Co-Worker on Facebook [Jobacle]
• How Generation Y Will Transform Office Life [CNN.com]
• Send Smart Emails at Work [US News]