Sleep well, be a better worker
By Dana Knight
Indianapolis Star
There was one morning you clocked in 30 minutes late. There was another when you just couldn't force yourself to pull on khakis and opted for faded jeans instead. And then there was the day you snapped at your boss.
A better employee? Yes, you could be. But how?
Plenty of people out there teach you how to do your job. But not so many give advice on how to behave at your job.
"Anybody can be a better employee, no matter who they are or what they do," says Martin Yate, a workplace guru known for his witty and down-to-earth advice on office behavior and strategy. "If your New Year's resolution doesn't include getting a new job, it's probably about making more money and getting a promotion."
And that won't happen unless you learn to be a better employee.
Take a look at five ways to become that worker every boss wants to keep — and maybe even reward with a little extra cash:
Take the breaks you're given — especially lunch — and eat. Crankiness and sluggishness come when the stomach is growling.
"There are some simple strategies workers can incorporate that will help them work more effectively, stay fresh and increase their opportunity for career success," says Ray Roe, president of Adecco, a work-force solutions company.
It's the simple stuff that may not get noticed by management if you do it right. But that's what you want. The only other alternative is to be singled out by your boss, who definitely will notice when you don't follow the rules.
Consider this little tidbit: If there is a piece of trash on the office floor, who will care if you pick it up? Probably just two people, says Yate. The janitor and the CEO.
"They are never going to the people in the outer circle," says Yate, author of "Knock Em' Dead 2007: The Ultimate Job Search."
Evaluate which circle you fall into. If you find yourself standing on the sidelines a lot and not involved in workplace discussions, you're an outie. If you do your job well, but don't take much initiative to go beyond that, you're an outie.
The only way to change your position and move to the inner circle is to recognize where you rank.
"There isn't a boss in the world that wouldn't give their right arm for an employee that starts the year off like that," Yate says.
Don't just do it for show. Apply what the boss says through continuing education classes and by reading books. Then every two months or so, take five minutes to fill the boss in on what you're doing.
"Begin sucking up those jobs," says Yate. "You will increase your visibility."
The job could be something simple, like hanging an erasable board so employees can write where they are going when leaving the office and when they expect to be back. It could be more complex, like creating a database of contacts your company has yet to secure as clients.
