Your first steps in the business world

While writing my last blog, I like to say that we have come a long way. We have seen various sorts of motivation, stress at work, bullying bosses, etc. So we can point out that the  employee-employer relationship is a far-reaching subject. 

For my final blog, I will concentrate me on new employees who are just landed in the labour market. In several years we will be one of those, stressed out to go to our first day at work. Hopefully we will already have made a good impression in the job interview. Unfortunately, it isn't always the boss who takes those interviews. Therefore, you have to stand out and impress your boss. In the first weeks you probably will be cautious and a silent listener, however, sometimes you must be creative and speak up to impress your  leader.

As ann-sophie already wrote, it’s important to be yourself. If you pretend to be someone else, your boss will not appreciate it.

To conclude, if you are polite and professional, you will make it to the top.

Tine Damman

http://talentegg.ca/incubator/2010/02/09/how-to-make-a-good-first-impression-on-your-new-boss/
http://www.londonukjobs.com/articles/impress-manager/

From new member to the "in-group"

In some previous blogs we learned a bit more on how employees look at their employers. I am one of those traditional people who associate a leader with the male gender as shanna mentioned. But that doesn't exclude that I would not  want to work for a female boss. I do think that they are more comprehensive and supportive. This is of course my opinion on how i look to leadership. But how do employers look at their employees?

 I would like to tell you more about that subject by explaining the leader-member exchange theory (LMX).
This theory looks at the interaction between supervisors and their subordinates. First as new member of a team, the boss will evaluate your abilities and talents. Eventually when you gained the trust and respect of your leader, you will belong to the "in-group".
I might say that it is a good thing to belong to the in-group because you will have more responsibility and probably more chance to be promoted. As an "out-group" member you will have to work hard to become an in-group member.
So you better make a good impression on your boss if you want to join the in-group.

Tine Damman

http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/leader_member_exchange.htm

How to make big impression on your potential future employer

I think we all agree that the relationship between an employer and an employee has changed. Today the employees have a ready tongue and the labour union helps them to bargain for better working conditions. This is a positive thing from the perspective of the employee because that prevents them to be abused or even bullied! Nevertheless, it is the employer who has to foresee difficulties in the future by picking out the employees who match with their vision.

In the previous blogs we accentueted on the employer. But what can be done to make the employee more attractive on the labour market?

An everlasting good impression is very important. I don't think that I have to draw extra attention to the fact that a perfect resume is essential to archieve that. Leave of course the improvised skills out because they could come back to bite you. Being creative is another great tip. So never copy and paste but link your skills to the specific vacancy.

There are 101 tips on the net but I think the most important tip is to be yourself!

Ann-sophie Buyse

http://www.emc.com/collateral/article/100-job-search-tips.pdf

http://jobsearch.about.com/u/ua/findajob/jobsearching.htm

http://www.careerbuilder.com/Article/CB-703-Job-Search-Top-10-Online-Job-Search-Tips/

 

Bully boss

Your boss can bully you, as Yaël talked about in her blog. But your boss can also be a “bully boss” (a little jeu de mots). What’s the difference, might come to mind. Well, if your boss bullies you, he is mobbing you. But a “bully boss” is a tyrannical boss.

We’ve talked about engaging your staff, but I can imagine that when your boss is a tyrant, that’s not quite motivating. But why is a bully boss a bully boss?

A study conducted by Chen and Nathanael Fast, published in the November issue of Psychological Science, provides an answer to my question.

Personal power, coupled with a feeling of imperfection, can make a boss jeer at those with less power. The problem, according to research based on interviews with more than 400 persons, is that deep down inside, the swine knows he or she is a loser.

But what to do when your boss is a despot? Because he’s insecure, using light flattery and affirming the boss's strengths once in a while, might make him more secure and thus less despotic. An other way to help yourself through the day is to seek emotional support from friends and family as well as co-workers who are in the same situation.

The article can be found here:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/DyeHard/boss-bully/story?id=8872662&page=1

Shanna Danneels

How to report a boss who is bullying

I was shocked when I read today's newspaper 'Het Nieuwsblad'. There was an article about a man who had been bullied nine years long. It made me realize that not everything on the workfloor is going the way it should. And I  think we also have to bring up that dark side. Because what does an employee have to do when his boss is a bully? How should he react in that kind of situations? What is the best plan to combat a bullying boss? Here are a few tips.

First of all determine how your boss is bullying and above all make sure that you are certain that what he is doing is really abuse. Secondly it is a good idea to keep some kind of diary. Write down the date of the abuse and also the names of your co-workers who were witnesses. After that you have the possibility to make an appointment with a psychologist and talk about how you feel. Afterwards you should contact a superior of your bullying boss and make an official complaint against your boss using the reports you made. Explain how the behaviour of your superior is emotionally harming you. Prepare yourself to a possible official interview. If you feel that you aren't able to work for him anymore, consider a relocation to another department or a whole new employment in another company.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7175476_report-boss-bullying.html

Yaël Claeys

Labour union; a keyword in the relationship between an employer and employee

If an employee wants to achieve something, he would better not stand alone. People already realized this in the 18th century. When the industial revolution forced women, children, rural workers and immigrants to work in groups in terrible circumstances, the need for a labour union association grew.

At first, this was prohibited by the law because the employer, who wanted to exploit their workers to maximize their benefit, feared insurrection and rise in costs. However, the chance to get punished (in some counties, there even was a risk to be executed) did not stop the attempt to assemble.

In these days it was a bar struggle to improve the working conditions, economic status an political power of these employees. Today the employees stands strong, they take it for granted that they can demand higher wages, more flexible working hours etc.The employee in not afraid anymore of the employer but it is the other way around. I think that nowadays the need to stike it to big.

Ann-sophie Buyse

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-union-la.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_union
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-of-Labor-Unions&id=1119684

Stressed? Your boss's gender may be to blame

I think mentioning the influence of a female boss was a great idea. Nowadays people do a lot of research on what the employees think of their female boss. 

Scientists from the University of Toronto have done a study, based on data from a 2005 national telephone survey in which they looked at the degree of stress in three situations: one male boss, one female boss or the combination. Their study has shown that women who work for a female boss have to deal with more stress than those who work for a men. Admirably those results aren't valid for men. Male employees experience the same stress level, whether they work for a male or a female. 

The findings are contrary to earlier studies which suggest that demographic similarities between a boss and his subordinate advance the harmony at the workfloor.

Study author Scott Schieman brought up some possible explanations for this contradiction. First  he points at the stereotype that a male leader is "normal". What he means is that we find it quite reasonable for a man to be "aggressive"  while we expect a woman to be more sensitive. A second possible explanation can be found in the nature of the job itself.


Yaël Claeys

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3064811/Women-find-working-for-female-bosses-more-stressful.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26630258/ns/business-personal_finance