June 29, 2010

June 29, 2010 - Categories: book, career

This is the first time I’ve read a comprehensive guide for debugging your work environment. “Making Peace with Your Office Life” by Linda Glovinsky (ISBN 978-0-312-57602-8) has a great way to track and analyze your work envirnoment. It’s packed with concrete advice for each situation. Not only is a book to keep, it, it’s a book to give to friends who need the help.

The table of contents is too high-level, so I’ve written down the situations described in pages 175 to 304 to help you decide.

Peace with the Place

I feel like I’m in jail: Confinement
All I do is sit: Inactivity
I’m sick of beige, white, and gray: Sensory Deprivation
I’m working in Grand Central Station: Sensory Overload
My ____ hurts: Ergonomic Issues
The &^%@#! _______ is broken again!: Equipment Issues

Peace with the Chaos

I can’t find that report: Paper Management
I have 400 unread e-mails: E-mail Overload
Oops! I lost that file: Hard Drive File Problems
I don’t have the information I need to do my job: Information Access Issues

Peace with the Overwhelm

I never get caught up: Unrealistic Workload
I’m not allowed to make a mistake: Unrealistic Quality Standards
I’m getting it from all directions: Conflicting Demands
I’m constantly hitting roadblocks: Obstacles
People keep barging in on me: Interruptions

Peace with the Tasks

I hardly ever do the same thing twice: Excessive Task Variety
I’m afraid I’ll get fired if I don’t look busy: Task Insufficiency
I do the same things day after day: Repetitiveness
I’m working on an assembly line: Task Fragmentation
Why did I go to college?: Intellectual Deprivation
I just can’t do this: Daunting Tasks
I have no control over how I do my job: Autonomy Issues
I can’t tell if I’m doing a good job: Lack of Measurable Outcomes

Peace with the Disconnect

I miss the people I love: Separation Issues
I don’t really know the people I work with: Isolation
I’m nobody, who are you?: Status and Identity Issues
I just had a huge fight with so-and-so: Conflict
So-and-so and I got our wires crossed: Communication Problems
I hate serving on committees: Meeting Issues

Peace with the Boss

My boss expects me to be a mind reader: Unclear Instructions
My boss watches every move I make: Micromanagement
My boss is an idiot: Incompetence
My boss doesn’t know what I look like: Avoidance
My boss is a crook: Ethical Issues
My boss is a wuss: Lack of Authority
My boss is the boss from hell: Bullying

Peace with the Coworkers

If my coworker does that one more time…: Annoying Little Habits
I can’t get my coworker to do anything until the last minute!: Procrastination
My coworker always has to win: Competitiveness
My coworker always does things by the book: Rigidity
My coworker doesn’t toe the line: Laziness
My coworker is an idiot: Incompetence
My coworker is a slob: Messiness
My coworker is a whiner: Griping

Peace with the Culture

I have to wear a mask: Anonymity
Why do even the smart people talk like idiots?: Office-speak
I hate having to wear a tie: Clothing Issues
I don’t know what the rules are: Romance and Sex
It’s just because I’m…: Discrimination

Peace with the Game

They don’t pay me enough for what I do: Financial Issues
I only hear about it when I’ve screwed up: Lack of Encouragement
The performance appraisals aren’t fair: Unjust Evaluations
I’m just a secretary: Low Prestige and Rankism
I don’t believe in what this organization is doing: Meaninglessness

“Making Peace with Your Office Life”, Linda Glovinsky (St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2010; ISBN 978-0-312-57602-8)