27.11.2024
DO YOU REALLY WANT A HIGHER POSITION AND HOW TO REFUSE A PROMOTION
The question do you really want a higher post may sound silly only at first reading. True, in almost all companies and institutions, a higher position brings more money, prestige, power, opportunities, etc. Only in this world
nothing is free
and all this comes with more responsibilities, work, challenges, stress, etc. The result is less peace, free time, pleasures, communication with family and friends. So be careful what you wish for - if a raise won't make you happier, you don't need one.
This is the first question you need to answer yourself - would you be happier if you had a higher post.
Only then comes the second - do you want a promotion.
The third has variants. It could be how to achieve it. Or it might be how to turn down a promotion if your boss offers it without damaging your career. You may also get only the most tempting extra - a higher salary.
You can take a week off to decide. It is a good time to think. You have freed yourself from the usual workload, you have gone out of the everyday rhythm, you have changed the environment, you have relaxed and your head works better. But most importantly, you feel the value of paying attention to yourself and your family.
Analyze the possible new post with what responsibilities it is associated with. If you will have to be on a business trip very often, is there someone who will take over your obligations to the family, how much will it cost him in terms of effort and will he manage without risks to himself and others. And are you personally ready to often miss your children's school celebrations, let's say because you are somewhere far away.
If you and your family are going to be miserable because of it, will most of the money you get compensated enough. With them you will afford a great weekend, but can it balance the sacrifices in the other 5 days.
Money is an important point, but it's probably not just about money. Everyone needs to grow in their profession, and a promotion is usually just such a step. You have gained enough experience, you want to do something different, you need new challenges. The very step up the hierarchy is an assessment of your abilities and efforts, counts as success and therefore brings satisfaction. It will increase your self-esteem and also the opinion of others about you. This is also not to be underestimated when you think about how you will feel.
There are probably many more facts, circumstances and probabilities to analyze. If the account shows that you will still be happier, then
it's your turn to judge if you can handle it
with the new job. There is no way it will be the same as the one you have been doing before, because that means there is something wrong with your company's job characteristics.
In the higher position, you will have to make decisions, take initiative, be inventive, lead a team. In order to successfully cope with everything, you will need to acquire more knowledge, acquire new professional qualities, develop leadership skills. In short, at the same time as most of the duties, you will also need to study. You also need to find time for that, and it should make you happy.
The last stage of the analysis is
to draw the line
and with a great deal of certainty you can tell yourself that you will be successful in your new post.
Otherwise, you risk your career. Better to excel further down the hierarchy than fail after the promotion. Indeed, from every failure many valuable lessons can be learned for the future, but right now even the most philosophical person feels unhappy. And some cannot recover for a long time.
The worst thing is fear itself
to take on new challenges, but by doing a good amount of preliminary thinking, the answer to the second question - do you want a promotion - comes quickly.
Once you want it, it's time to make a plan to get it. There are many and specific details depending on your profession, the company you work for, the situation in your department, and the like.
It is basically what is needed
to show your boss three things.
First, that you have a desire to develop in your career, to grow, to take on new responsibilities and challenges. If he doesn't feel this, you may not come to his mind as a candidate at all, even if there is a vacant higher position in the company.
Second, whoever your promotion depends on must be pretty sure (there's never a 100% guarantee) that you'll do as well as you do in your current position. No boss is willing to risk the good results of the company. And his own career because he promoted the wrong person. It's up to you to show him you're ready by finding a way from your current position to demonstrate the qualities and skills needed for the next step up the ladder. Be sure to signal that you have already started learning new skills so that nothing can hinder you in your new post.
If the position is management, it will be useful for your boss to see that you are one of those people who are not only excellent at working in a team, but also at organizing, leading, motivating, inspiring, appreciating your subordinates.
The third is to show unequivocally that the new work will bring you satisfaction, that you will do it with pleasure, which will help you achieve high results. Every boss knows that happiness is the most effective motivator.
How to decline a promotion
The result of mental work well done may be that you don't want a promotion. Reasons many, exactly the opposite of those for which you consider yourself ready for a higher post.
However, it is delicate how to refuse it if it is likely to be offered to you. This also needs a good plan.
It is commonly believed that every soldier wants a marshal's baton. And suspiciously, he refuses to take it out when offered to wave it around. The boss has evaluated you, makes an offer, and you pull yourself together and give him bad thoughts - that you plan to leave and go to the competition, that you have your eye on an even higher position (his) or that you are a person without ambitions develops. These and other similar assumptions are still not in your favor in the current position in which you want to stay.
Honesty is a good approach, but not quite. By declining, you can communicate that you appreciate the offer and that you really have the skills to handle the new position. You are ready to learn more and take on challenges. But you're fully aware that more responsibilities will cut into your free time, and right now that's not good for your family. You don't have the opportunity to travel, for example.
You need to be persuasive and carefully choose what arguments you make so they don't sound fake and drive down your price.
It's not good to say that you won't put in the effort to acquire new skills - this will still be necessary at some point in your current position. It will be misconstrued that you value your free time because you prefer to go fishing or on trips with girlfriends instead of negotiating with foreign partners on the weekend. It's bad to admit that you won't feel happy leading people because you hate conforming to others. With children or with elderly parents, you can justify yourself, but if it is with a healthy and upright, but capricious woman, it will turn out that you are under a slipper.
A really good promotion waiver plan can allow you to reap dividends. If the management has decided that you are fit for a higher position, then it values you. Deftly offer to get something to your current one - for example, a higher salary or some other extras. Naturally, not for nothing, but by using your abilities and increasing your duties to a tolerable degree.
21.11.2024
YES AND SUCCESS IS A HABIT
You have heard a thousand times that after failure you should not wallow in suffering, but coolly analyze why it happened to you. It's the same after success.
Celebrate, of course, but remember that after the initial euphoria, you need to honestly analyze why it happened to you. It is useful because success is also a habit.
More precisely, the right habits lead to success. If you read the interviews or books of people who have achieved something significant, you will notice that they pay special attention to the things that lead them to success. Sometimes these things seem cliché to you. That they are optimistic. That they are focused on their goals. That they are not afraid to take risks after weighing the risk. That they know each other's strengths and weaknesses. That they are not worth their efforts. That the most resilient wins - the one who doesn't give up.
All of this sounds painfully familiar indeed. But it's painfully true. And the question of how to implement it at home is painfully difficult.
You can't buy a formula for success, you have to find it for yourself. Ultimately, success depends on identifying the beneficial actions and building habits that help you be productive, personal development experts say.
Imagine it like this. You want to lose weight. You try 5-6 diets recommended by experts, colleagues, neighbors. The seventh turns out to be effective. You lose weight. When next spring you decide to lose a few kilos, you won't waste your time with those 5-6, you'll go on the seventh diet again, won't you?
So it is with success. Once you have achieved this, it is quite logical to realize which of your actions have generated positive results. When you realize them, you will repeat them. Gradually, you will create the right habits that work for you and help you achieve your goals.
In practice, it's not that simple, because there are always new circumstances to consider. But still the first is self-knowledge. Strategic selection is the second. And it won't work without the first one.
Elementary example. There are people who can think and talk at the same time. Others are stronger when they organize their thoughts in writing. Let's say you're one of the latter. If you realize that it is because of this feature of yours that you have achieved your current success, then you should try to act in the same way in the next task.
It is a matter of strategic selection to choose a job that allows you to utilize this strong point of yours. Obviously, occupations or positions with many situations where you are required to think and speak at the same time are not for you. For example, you don't become a politician or a boss. But when you find yourself in the right place and have developed the right habit of coping, your chances of success increase manifold.
Probably sometimes tactical selection will also be necessary – i.e. to decide how to get out of a situation where you don't have time to organize your thoughts in writing. But it won't be too often, once you've done the main thing - you have self-awareness of how you succeed and, according to him, you've made a strategic selection of your goals and actions.
Therefore, after every success, the question "why" is key. And maybe every time you will discover something new for yourself - an action that you will develop as a habit and it will lead you to further success.
No matter how strange it is, a person always thinks he knows himself, but throughout his life he discovers new things about himself. You may not have had to bargain before, in this task you did it for the first time, and precisely because of your persuasiveness you achieved an excellent result. By realizing it, and in the second case you will act in a similar way, you will improve the offer that the partners offered you and save costs for the company. And that will mean bonuses for you.
Also, a person changes with age and experience. Were you not successful because you came to work early in the morning and were much more efficient in a quiet office? Until now, you thought that you were not from the so-called larks, but here the good ones have done something to you.
"Achieving self-knowledge is not easy, because the human personality is not static. If you want to know yourself well, you must constantly make a purposeful effort to renew your idea of your own identity. This is extremely important for achieving success in any sphere of life, since without the necessary self-knowledge, a person can easily become a victim of thoughtless decisions and the pursuit of a wrong goal," the experts point out.
No one else knows what is best for you. The opposite statement may be acceptable, and only to a certain extent, for children at that period of their lives when parents bear the entire responsibility for their well-being. But when it comes to building a worthwhile career, the probability of success is directly proportional to the amount of actions that you yourself think are right. The most important thing is to listen to yourself and learn to cooperate with your own intuition.
However, the pursuit of self-knowledge is an often overlooked ingredient of success. Maybe because it sounds kind of philosophically hijacked.
At the expense of this, the advice is compulsively repeated, for example, to keep learning. "It is absolutely true that one should never stop learning, improving and developing. It is prudent to contact people who are smarter and better than oneself in order to 'buy' from them - say the experts. - But it's completely irresponsible if you don't learn from your own victories. Look for clues and evidence of success, get to know what works for you, make it a habit and nothing will be able to stop you."
And if it does happen to stop you? Well, then you get into that other "why" - finding the action that led to the negative results and not repeating it.
Such is life, and the only consolation is that along the way up and down you gradually develop a "sixth sense" - the habit of intuitively feeling what to do and what not to do.
----- Banalities don't help -----
When you succeed, you have every right to be proud. But when analyzing why you achieved it, beware of banal explanations. They're a must if you're giving a public speech - that's what people expect to hear from you. When you talk to yourself, they are completely useless.
o "I worked a lot". It must have been, success is seldom achieved with little work. But unless it happens to you for the first time, this general finding has little practical meaning. Try to recall your actions step by step to find what made a decisive contribution to victory and turn it into a habit.
o "I believed". Undoubtedly - if you didn't believe, you wouldn't fight for success. However, your task is to find the roots of your confidence and carefully water them in the future.
o "I risked". The risk was probably measured. By tracking how you weighed the pros and cons, you'll build a pattern. Assessing risks correctly is also a habit.
o "I was lucky". A favorable confluence of circumstances helps in any work. But luck is only important in lotto and lottery. In most other cases, it comes with good preparation.
20.11.2024
THE ANTIDOTE TO WORKPLACE TOXICITY
Think about the last time you had a conflict with a colleague. It doesn't have to be so dramatic that it involves screaming at the top of your lungs or throwing objects. This might be a time you noticed a passive-aggressive hint from a colleague during a team meeting.
The discussion surrounding "toxicity" and how it relates to workplace culture has been heated in recent years. This toxicity in question can take a myriad of forms. According to a 2023 survey by the American Psychological Association, 19% of employees said their workplace was very or somewhat toxic, and those who experienced workplace toxicity were more than three times more likely to report an impairment of their mental health than others who enjoyed a healthy work environment (52% vs. 15%).
The evolving dynamics of the workplace and increased awareness of toxicity is a reality that employers must face. One way they do this is by investing in employees so they develop "toxicity-proof" skills such as emotional intelligence.
What is a toxic company culture?
At one point or another, we've all been through unpleasant situations with our supervisor or colleague. But are all these moments representative of toxicity? What if the negativity or anxiety the employee is experiencing is not direct or intentional aggression from a colleague? What exactly are the conditions under which a company culture becomes toxic?
According to Business Leadership Today, a toxic workplace culture "is one in which conflict is common and the work environment is negative due to unethical behavior, lack of inclusion, and disrespect." Let's take a closer look at this definition:
First, the qualifier that workplace conflict must be a “common” phenomenon suggests that one or two adverse incidents are not necessarily indicative of a persistent culture of toxicity. Employees are human and as such can be guilty of lapses and poor judgment from time to time - especially in a work environment full of daily pressures and differing views. Labor conflict even has the potential to lead to healthy growth and build a stronger foundation of mutual respect if all parties approach it with the goal of resolution.
The other key part of this description of a toxic workplace culture relates to another important qualifier: that the work environment is negative because of certain behaviors or intentions. The employee's dissatisfaction with the lack of daylight in his office cannot fall into the category of complaints of the type of "unethical behavior" and "disrespect". But what if the employee simply asked his supervisor if there was a workstation available that offered more sunlight? And what if the boss retorts that the employee is being paid fairly and should be happy with the job he has, and then mocks him for months for having the audacity to ask for a sunnier job? In these cases, a strong argument can be made for the presence of a toxic workplace culture.
What is emotional intelligence and how can it help fight toxicity?
One of the root causes of building a toxic workplace culture can be the relative lack of emotional intelligence (EQ) among company employees. Lower levels of emotional intelligence in an employee can even create toxicity and worsen workplace culture. So what is emotional intelligence and how do workers with higher levels of emotional intelligence help foster a healthier work environment?
Emotional intelligence is a person's ability to identify, understand and manage their own emotions as well as those of those around them. If this sounds ambitious and complicated, especially in a work environment, that's because it is complicated and ambitious. A high level of EQ is not easily achieved and must be constantly refined and reassessed against the backdrop of a changing workplace. But in the end, the effort is worth it. The World Economic Forum ranks emotional intelligence as one of the top skills needed to gain a competitive edge at work. Additionally, McKinsey claims that the need for social and emotional skills will grow at a faster rate than the need for cognitive skills.
Work often creates a fast-paced, high-stakes environment for employees, who naturally tend to have an emotional response to this environment. Real-time processing of these feelings is at the heart of emotional intelligence. Basic research has led to the cascade model of emotional intelligence, which suggests that strong EQ is characterized by a progressive sequence: 1) emotion perception, 2) emotional understanding, and 3) emotional regulation and management.
By observing and practicing this consistency, employees—and especially supervisors and managers—have the ability to change the work landscape by better managing conflict, navigating interpersonal relationships, strengthening teamwork, building resilience, and promoting customer satisfaction. High levels of EQ in customer service have even been shown to help improve customer retention rates over a longer period of time.
How to avoid a toxic culture and create a healthy work environment
Now that we understand toxic workplace culture, its potential consequences, and the importance of emotional intelligence in combating toxicity, how can companies apply what we know to build healthier, more stable, and ultimately more rewarding workplace environment? Here are three solutions:
Historically, determining the emotional intelligence of job applicants and existing employees has always involved mostly guesswork—if it was considered by employers at all. Organizations now have the ability to measure EQ through psychometric assessments. In one case, workers with the highest and average job scores scored higher on an emotional intelligence assessment, and those with higher EQ made more calls, had more conversations with prospects, and were able to convert more sales calls.
EQ assessments can help hiring managers and HR departments identify red flags of candidate toxicity. Emotional intelligence exists on a spectrum, so a company shouldn't necessarily reject an experienced and qualified candidate based on a single negative metric. But EQ assessments can help organizations build more accurate holistic profiles of job candidates, avoid costly hiring mistakes, and create a more inclusive and supportive work culture.
Employees do not have to remain low on emotional intelligence. Although some people may inherently have a greater ability to manage their emotions and connect with others, it is possible for an employee, if they want to, to develop their EQ through training and achieve tangible and lasting results.
Until the world becomes fully populated with self-aware, empathic, and well-adjusted people, there will be levels of toxicity to be found in almost any work environment. But with an understanding of individual emotional intelligence, the role of EQ in the workplace, and tools to optimize workforce emotional intelligence, organizations are now empowered to identify and address toxicity and build a company culture that prioritizes respect, productivity and employee satisfaction.
14.11.2024
HOW HYPERCONSCIOUSNESS CAN PROGRAM YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS
"Hyperconsciousness. Revolutionary techniques based on scientific research for reprogramming the subconscious" is a book that combines the long-term research of psychologist Monika Balayan and the accumulated experience of Petya Minkova as a science journalist from the magazine "Cosmos" and "24 hours - 168 stories" . It is for those who have convinced themselves that the old methods do not work and are looking for something revolutionary.
The book contains innovative techniques and specific practices that can be used to reprogram the subconscious. "With it, we will understand how many different programs in the subconscious block us - with fears, with laziness, with obsessive thoughts of failure, etc. to make our wildest dreams come true. We will learn what the codes are to the subconscious, how to communicate in its language, how to "capture" the right answers, to start the brain waves of the hyperconsciousness, to program success", the authors promise. This unique system is based on ancient knowledge that Monica discovered in Matenadaran - one of the largest repositories of manuscripts from the dawn of civilization, and on joint research with professors from the Orbeli Institute of Physiology.
Success is achieved with properly built unconscious habits
Changing a habit is not easy, but there is a simple algorithm that can be followed by anyone.
First, to build a new habit, it takes multiple repetitions to make it the unconscious program. Most people make the same mistake - they decide to end a habit and start very ambitiously, but after a few weeks the enthusiasm suddenly disappears, laziness awakens.
Therefore, it is good to know that in order for something new to make its way to the subconscious, exercises, techniques with repeated repetitions are necessary, and only then can we expect a result. The explanation is that then the "program" will start automatically. Therefore, everything must be repeated until it becomes easy - this is the signal that the new habit has become a built-up subconscious program. If the brain understands that this "software" is important, it turns it into an automaton - we stop spending energy on it and do it imperceptibly and with ease.
Practice: At night before going to sleep, we imagine that we are healthy, slim, successful, that we have enough funds, that we are happy, living in the dream house, with the dream family and having the dream job. That we are useful to everyone and to the community.
Second, to get rid of "toxins". Toxic people and situations abound, we ourselves also become toxic with thoughts, moods, fears, disappointments, envy, suspicions, etc. All these toxic people, situations and our inner state are signals that we are not doing something right. And if we react to a toxic state with an outburst, with nerves, with self-suggestion, with a desire to take revenge, with self-winding, the toxin begins to poison us. In a state of anger, the brain does not work adequately. Therefore, we must first calm down - by breathing, by walking, etc., in order to restore our inner state of well-being. Only then can we see if the situation, person or emotions are showing us where our mistakes are. Or that all this does not deserve our attention at all. In other words, the most important thing is to be able to manage our emotional reaction in order to build a correct program at an unconscious level.
Important advice: Let's not take toxins personally - neither our own nor those of others. "Why did this happen to me", "Why me", "Why am I the black sheep", "What does he want from me" - when they appear, it means that we take them personally.
Practice: We need to understand that not everything is about our personality. Maybe the boss doesn't attack us exactly, but explains what part of the job he doesn't like or wants something done in a certain way. The focus is not on us, but on what we do. I.e. it's not personal. So let's stop thinking that everything is directed against us. It's much better to ask ourselves the question - is this a toxic situation, or is someone telling us honestly that they don't like it? Is it talking about our personality or something else entirely?
The most important thing in such a situation is to look for ways to calm down and our first thought should be: Calm down! This is not personal against you! Let's not take all situations personally, but try to correctly assess what is happening so that the brain can give us the right answers.
Practice: If we still have to put up with a "terrorist" who "produces" toxins in the family or at work, the important thing is to develop a healthy inner distance. We can sing to ourselves or let out an inner laugh, but without revealing ourselves. There will always be negative emotions and people, but only we determine our reactions to them.
Third, to stop creating "black holes". One of the most popular is when someone compliments us, to reply: "Can't you see how old I am?". These phrases are a big red sign: "Caution". The program of blackness has been activated in us, which will suck us like a "black hole". Therefore, let's stop creating tension around ourselves, stop constructing negative scenarios, the habit of self-criticism because our expectations are too high.
Practice: Three questions are asked - What do I want? Where and how do I get energy? When does it dawn on me?
It all depends on whether a person is happy and how he "calculates" it. When we define what quality of life means to us, the desire to support ourselves will emerge. We will stop criticizing each other, blaming each other, telling each other how stupid and stupid we have acted, complaining. Then we will know that we are each other's best friend: "I'm a very lucky person! Everything will be alright!" To always be grateful for all the good things in our lives. Gratitude is like a powerful "nuclear power plant" that charges us, and dissatisfaction sucks us in the opposite direction. Moreover, gratitude begins to change the quality of our lives in a flash.
Second practice: On a sheet of paper, write down what we have promised others and what we have promised ourselves, then analyze what we can and cannot do. To those to whom we have promised and cannot fulfill our commitments, we tell them the truth. We remove the "black hole". Then we look at the promises we made to ourselves - we assess what is realistic and what is not. We give each other a month. With each black hole removed, we will receive additional powers and energy.
Another rule is to live with the thought that we have already achieved the desired success.
Practice: We stand up and imagine our success - we hear the applause, we see the delighted looks of the people congratulating us, we smell the flowers that are brought to us, we can hug each other and say out loud: Well done!
If at this moment in the body we do not feel a rush of energy, desire, emotion, joy, this goal is definitely not ours. Conversely, if there is an emotion, an impulse, this is the right path.
It is good during the visualization to add movement of the body, to open the window to feel the fresh air, to play the sound of applause, which is an indicator of success.
If we do this every day, the principle of repetition will inexplicably begin to improve the quality of our lives. The important thing is that there is repetition to reach the subconscious - only then will there be success. Before falling asleep, it is also good to say to each other: Well done! Thus, the brain accepts it as a possible reality for us.
The second approach is to create a memory garbage collector. At the end of the book, you'll find QR codes to free Mneuro video programs and "Instant Negativity Release" that can accomplish just that. The moment the "garbage" is eliminated, the brain starts working again in a normal mode.
Practice: We take two sheets, black and white. In black, we mentally send worries, unpleasant experiences, dissatisfactions, insults, disappointments. We can help each other with our hands, as if we were physically throwing them into it. If it's easier for us, we can describe the insults on different sheets and throw these sheets away.
When we're done, we start looking at the white sheet - that's where we start fresh. The past no longer hinders us. Nothing prevents us from starting anew, clean, white, like a white sheet of paper. In this white paper, we describe stage by stage how we envision success over time. In three months, in six months, in a year, in three years, in five years.
13.11.2024
HOW TO DEAL WITH WORKPLACE BURNOUT
What is burnout? In short, burnout refers to a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion that occurs in relation to your workplace. If work-related stress is not regularly managed, it can have physical, mental and cognitive consequences.
You may feel that you have to work extra hard to maintain satisfactory results. At the same time, you may feel like you're putting in your usual effort, but your results are still suffering.
When your activity levels exceed your energy levels, you will experience severe stress. And when high stress is consistent in your life, there is a cumulative effect of symptoms that can lead to burnout because you have put the needs of others or your work before yourself.
What are the common symptoms of burnout?
Although the symptoms of burnout are ultimately work-related, they often cause an effect that blends into other areas of your life. Here are some of the most common symptoms of burnout.
Insomnia – this can include sleep disturbances and difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, which can also lead to physical exhaustion and irritability.
Aches - You may experience headaches, muscle tension or other physical discomfort. It is also quite possible that you suffer from migraines.
Gastrointestinal problems – early stages can include nausea, constipation and diarrhoea. Doctors add that stomach pains and symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome are also common.
Detachment – You may feel detached or have a negative attitude towards your colleagues and tasks. This can be especially harmful for people who work in team dynamics.
Decreased concentration – brain fog is one of the most common ways this symptom manifests itself. You may also experience a reduced attention span or impaired cognitive performance.
Decreased sense of achievement – You will begin to feel that your efforts are not paying off, which can lead to feelings of helplessness or lack of motivation. As a result, you may step back from your responsibilities or take medical leave to rest.
Isolation – You may feel inclined to withdraw from your friends and family, or they may complain of a lack of your presence.
How to prevent burnout?
If you are in a position of authority in your company, take active measures to create a work environment that encourages others, and therefore yourself, to prioritize their well-being. For those who don't have as much authority in the workplace, doctors suggest practicing setting boundaries early and often and using your "no" when necessary.
Of course, this can be easier said than done, so a good first step is to clarify what boundaries you want to start setting, and be prepared to be specific about your needs when you talk to your manager.
Before having a discussion with your superiors, it may be helpful to practice your preferred form of mindfulness to ease nerves or anxiety. Note that depending on your needs, it may take several calls.
For daily refreshment, you can turn to exercise or meditation to relieve stress between meetings or before and after work. Whether it's yoga or meditation, the goal is to do something to engage your mind. Pausing and reflecting can ease your physical symptoms.
You should also go back to basics and focus on eating regularly and getting a good night's rest. But if you need extra support, don't be afraid to reach out to friends, family, a therapist, or even coworkers.
How to treat burnout?
When it comes to burnout, the best form of treatment is prevention. Once you realize that you are experiencing a similar problem, you may need to increase the intensity of your approach to your self-care routine. But if you feel like you're still struggling to cope, you may need professional help.
The type of help you seek will depend entirely on your burnout. For mild symptoms, you may be better off with a trainer or therapist. Meanwhile, a person with more severe symptoms may need to see their GP.
What happens if we ignore burnout?
If you don't take steps to treat your burnout, you may find that your symptoms begin to escalate. It's the body's way of signaling to you that it's time to stop, take a breath, and recharge. Ignoring the symptoms can lead to some of the following consequences:
– Regular panic attacks.
– Decrease in working capacity.
– Increased absenteeism from the present moment.
– Weight gain or loss.
– Long-term strain in personal relationships.
– Low immunity.
There is also the possibility of burnout, which leads to other mental complications. It's not hard to imagine that if the problem goes untreated for a long period of time, it can mutate into other psychiatric disorders and illnesses such as clinical depression, where people are at increased risk of self-harm or worse.
What is the difference between burnout and depression?
As mentioned above, spotting the difference between the symptoms of burnout and depression can be difficult, but there are things that distinguish them.
The big difference is that depression is considered a psychiatric disorder, and burnout is a result of workplace conditions that have psychological symptoms associated with it.
Both can range from mild to severe and debilitating, but depression is not directly related to work. If you have burnout and make specific changes in your work life, you may start to see improvements in your personal life. On the other hand, depression can lead to lower mood despite these changes.
If you're not sure what illness you have, talk to a counselor or psychologist for more guidance.
07.11.2024
HEARDING "WITH ALL MY RESPECT" WILL NEVER RESPECT YOU. AND MORE PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE REPLIES
Even if a person gets along well with his colleagues, he still sometimes has to enter into an argument. It's part of the job. And it even helps her when arguments are exchanged to the point, calmly, really respectfully, without punches under the belt.
Sometimes, however, during a meeting, you can relax from the polite tone, sleep through the beginning of the argument and find it difficult to recover where it started. If you are only a witness, you will concentrate and catch up. But if you are the object of the colleague's objection, you should immediately listen carefully and prepare counterarguments.
Communication experts say there are phrases that prompt you to perk up your ears. Although they mean the exact opposite of what will follow.
One of them is "With all my respect". As soon as someone said it, he was certainly preparing to object. Even more - to smash into dust, especially if he addresses not the boss, but a colleague of equal rank.
This bookish phrase is an introduction that is only rarely something of an apology. The person may be new or anxious in nature and feel a little uncomfortable, but still want to correct something someone else said or express their opinion. He does not prepare to criticize and fiercely argue. This is usually the case when it is said hastily. Pronounced that way, it might just be a cliché that someone thinks makes them look interesting.
But when you hear it spoken clearly, with emphasis and with a significant pause, you immediately become aware of the intonation, so that you can guess what is coming. There is probably a hint of irony and the words actually mean "Here nonsense is being spoken by completely incompetent people, now I will say what needs to be done".
If the addressee of "all respect" is you, start paying attention and even taking notes, because your colleague is attacking you and you will have to defend yourself.
In most cases, what he will proceed with will not only not be respectful, but also not productive. The man is deeply insincere and betrays himself with this phrase. It does not make any sense, because it is normal for the team to exchange opinions and even argue. No one expects another to be disrespectful, so there is no need for a special declaration. As soon as your colleague does it, he reveals his true intentions, psychologists explain.
If you want to show him that you understand his hypocritical politeness when you reply, you can start with the same words - "With all my respect".
"If I may remark" contains so much politeness as to raise suspicions of irony. Even unfamiliar business people do not talk to each other like that, because it is a waste of time in parasitic words. So what is left for colleagues who constantly communicate.
The phrase is harmless if a young colleague says it to a superior and really wants permission. Or if someone wishes to interrupt another in a relatively polite manner. But if your colleague takes the floor and starts like this, then he is preparing for a fierce verbal battle.
You can enter it with "And let me note that".
"I could be wrong, but" just sometimes betrays uncertainty. Usually this expression is also like "Excuse me, but" - the speaker has no intention of apologizing. He wants to object. However, it seems to him somehow more intelligent to make an introduction to attract attention. Or he uses a psychological trick - creates a deceptive impression of insecurity and then shines with true, convincing, unbreakable arguments.
So again, be careful when a colleague starts talking after you like this. And if you can break down his arguments and it won't sound like a nag when you answer him, elegantly return the ball to him "You made the deal 'I could be wrong'. You're really wrong because".
"I'll try to explain" only at first listen means that your colleague is trying to enlighten you. In fact, he is most likely stating something else entirely - "Why don't you try to understand". In general, it questions the capacity of others to grasp his clever thoughts and suggestions. But he thinks it's more polite than saying it outright. He looks less puffy. In fact, he presents himself as a sufferer dealing with half-wits.
The phrase may be aimed directly at you if the argument has already started. Your colleague suggested something, you expressed a different opinion or criticized him. And now he tells you that you don't really understand him. Since his demeanor is slightly arrogant, consider whether you respond in the same style. After his "I'll try to explain," you might interject with a beaming smile something along the lines of, "I hope you succeed this time."
"I was very curious to learn" is another typical phrase from the so-called passive-aggressive. Your colleague does not say that he learned something new - then he would directly state "I did not know that". Veiledly announces that he is about to attack.
At the same time, he is not exactly set up for a constructive argument in which both sides respect each other - then he would say "You are wrong about" or "I was surprised to learn that". The phrase "curious" contains sarcasm and condescension.
And to this, as well as to the other passive-aggressive phrases, consider whether to answer with a light dose of irony - "I'm glad that you were able to learn something new".
------------- How to react ---------------
It's really a matter of specific judgment in the specific situation, but many experts advise showing a colleague who uses hypocritical expressions that you understand his attempts at manipulation and are ready to meet them, for now without malice.
Very often, when you argue only on the point and pretend not to notice their ironic phrases, arrogant colleagues misunderstand you. They think that if you don't resist, you can be an easy victim, and they start to exercise more and more nasty wit. If you reciprocate - ie. with an ironic expression, you demonstrate that you will not give up.
However, do not be abrupt. Passive-aggressive types have this going for them - they seem to be acting nice.
The conscious or subconscious goal of the passive aggressor is to get you out of your skin. And then, as soon as you seem rude, you are blamed for the conflict - you don't know how to argue, you don't tolerate criticism, you don't accept someone else's opinion.
So keep your cool and don't let him take advantage of the situation. You will damage your professional reputation just because you were more honest in your reaction.
06.11.2024
WHAT SHOULD WE DO IF WE ARE INSULTED AT WORK
Insults, raising the tone, threats, as well as mental and physical harassment, unfortunately, are common phenomena in the working environment of many workers in Bulgaria.
Crossing these boundaries in the work environment has a negative impact on both the mental and physical health of workers, as well as on the quality of the work performed and productivity. What are our rights in such situations?
Similar phenomena are undoubtedly observed both in private business and in administration, with all parties involved suffering negative consequences - both the aggressor and his victim.
One of the main problems is the lack of effective mechanisms to monitor and sanction such behaviors. While laws and regulations exist to protect workers from harassment and discrimination in the workplace, they are often inconsistently applied or ignored by employers.
To deal with this problem, it is necessary to introduce stricter measures to monitor and control the working environment. This could include regular training for workers and managers on their rights and responsibilities, as well as more effective enforcement of existing legislative instruments.
In addition, it is important to foster a culture of respect and cooperation in the work environment. Employers should be made aware of the importance of maintaining a positive and healthy workplace for their employees, which will ultimately contribute to a better work environment and higher productivity.
The work environment must be a place of respect, cooperation and safety for all employees. However, workplace bullying is a problem that many workers still face. In the event you feel harassed, it is important to know your rights and know how to respond.
According to the legislation of Bulgaria, the employer who has received a complaint from a worker or an employee who is considered to be subjected to harassment at the workplace is obliged to immediately carry out an investigation into the case. He must take all necessary measures to stop the harassment and to impose disciplinary liability if the harassment is committed by another worker or employee.
If you have been the victim of harassment at work and have not received an appropriate response from your company or organisation, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Anti-Discrimination Commission. This institution aims to prevent and sanction discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
It is important to remember that workplace harassment can take many forms, including discrimination, insults, threats or isolation. Regardless of the form, bullying is unacceptable behavior and should be dealt with immediately.
In order to ensure effective protection against harassment in the workplace, it is important to report cases of harassment as well as to take preventive measures. Training to inform employees of their rights and responsibilities is essential to creating a culture of respect and fairness in the workplace.
In order to reduce the impact of insults, harassment and threats in the working environment, it is necessary to take concrete and targeted actions by all interested parties - workers, employers and state institutions. Only in this way can we create a fairer and healthier workplace for all.
Reference:
Art. 4 of the Law on Protection from Discrimination
Art. 148 of the Criminal Code
31.10.2024
YOU NEED CREATIVITY TO SUCCEED IN ANY CAREER. TRICKS TO WAKE HER UP
Ideation - to use this word in the 90s was not very prestigious, because it reeked of partisanship. And the English words smelled of modernity, so without any attempts to find a Bulgarian equivalent, creativity became a term.
Because you're not poets, you think you'll get by without her. Nothing like that, be sure that your employer is very interested in your creativity, whether you are a turner, a salesperson, a journalist, or you write advertisements (which is called with the sonorous Bulgarian word creative director). In other words, it likes you to be creative, harness your imagination and come up with interesting ideas on how to perform your tasks better or what market niches the company you work in should focus on. In other words, to create something new. This is what the English word creativity means.
Some bosses really seek out and value employees' ideas. Others talk about creativity only because it is fashionable, but in fact they only like their ideas, they like to command and control their subordinates. They don't give them any freedom, so they kill their imagination and initiatives in the bud.
But if you work in a company where your career depends on a creative approach to the fulfillment of your responsibilities and is even mandatory according to your job description, the problem is how to get that creativity out of yourself.
Naturally, the initial and troubling question is do you own it.
Rest assured, experts believe that most people are capable of creativity. They are not exactly geniuses, but they can come up with something new if they try to get out of the routine.
However, most people are of the opposite opinion. In a survey of 5,000 employees from five countries, only a quarter of them said they considered themselves capable of creativity.
If you've never asked yourself how you could do your job better and harnessed your imagination to that end, you probably don't know whether you're in the three-quarters majority or the one-quarter minority. Well, check it out, but prepare yourself in advance.
Experts say you can start by doing small and simple things to spark your creativity.
Because the most important thing is to get out of the rut you're in, make a very literal change. Change the route to the office and back to your home every day. If you're walking and notice how people have cut a path through the grass to get more directly to the bus stop, it might stimulate you to figure out how you too can shorten some distance in the execution of your tasks.
In the break, you go to drink coffee in a new place. Have lunch at another restaurant. Talk to colleagues you don't communicate with often. In the evening, meet up with friends you haven't seen in a while or contact complete strangers.
Do not think of all this as small, it will refresh your brain with new sights and impressions, it will push it to create. Change leads to innovation because it forces your mind to look for other solutions in purely mundane activities, thus opening it up to different solutions at work, experts say.
And meeting new people can give you ideas. Not directly. A useful idea sometimes comes from a related incident or from an analogy with something that at first glance has nothing to do with your work.
Analogies to another world help organize yours. Specialists often give the example of Steve Jobs, who introduced "folders" into technology. In the dawn of software, they sounded extremely old-fashioned, but he was not afraid to be considered old-fashioned, and today everyone creates precisely folders on their computer to organize their many documents.
Comparing your work to seemingly distant ideas can improve their understanding and ignite a spark of creativity, experts say.
Read because that in itself stimulates the imagination. Fiction makes you imagine what it tells you, and your mind gets creative. Sometimes from a novel or from a fairy tale that you read to the child before falling asleep, an idea for the work can unexpectedly come to you.
For this preparation to be useful, you must still set a goal, direct your creativity to something specific that you want to improve, resolve, create. It helps to let your mind just wander when you're tired or stuck on a task. Otherwise it is not fruitful.
Experts even say that endless freedom is harmful to creativity. Usually you have to come up with something concrete and within some framework. Setting limits may seem at first glance to be counterproductive to stimulating the imagination. The truth is that they encourage flexible thinking because they act as a challenge - one harnesses one's abilities to solve the problem.
An emblematic example of this is the publisher Bennett Surf, who argued with one of his authors that he could not write a children's book with only 50 different words. The writer's name is Theodor Geisel, better known as Doctor Seuss. He won the bass with Green Eggs and Ham, which became one of the best-selling children's books in the United States to date.
Naturally, inspiration will come to you if you step out of the routine and into your direct work. Get rid of everything that is unnecessary detail. Don't waste hours on trivial activities. They will overwhelm your supposedly refreshed and creative brain. Even organize your desk so you don't get distracted by the chaos. Creativity needs time and space, experts point out.
When you start thinking very purposefully about a new solution to a task, be careful to strike a balance between constraints and scale. You have to keep boundaries - ie. to create something actionable, not some phantasmagoria.
But if you really squeeze yourself into the frames, you won't think of anything unusual.
Creativity is really not infinite freedom, but a subtle mechanism in which imagination and reality work together like cogwheels. Even the poet must wonder if anyone understands his spiritual inventions poured into verse.
And you are probably not a poet, although your boss wants you to be creative.
---- Ideas are fragile ----
It may sound silly, but when an interesting idea comes to you, drop everything else and go for it. If you're driving, stop the car, take out your phone or notebook and write down what comes to mind. You may even interrupt your loved one to catch what's on your mind.
After a while, it may be too late, because the idea was born from a specific moment. When he's gone, it's very likely that she'll go with him. And when you immediately start writing it down, you will formulate and refine it. Or at least you'll be throwing it away so you have something to develop later.
A good manager is one who knows how to stimulate and manage the creativity of his employees. If the boss does not master this art, even the most brilliant ideas become waste.
It is very reasonable for you to be a good manager of your own creativity. It is necessary not to violate only three rules:
30.10.2024
VAT WHEN PURCHASING FROM ROMANIA THROUGH AN ONLINE PLATFORM
Many companies buy goods through a Romanian online trading platform. Therefore, in the "Law consultation" column, we present the position of the National Revenue Agency on what is the procedure for paying VAT in these cases.
Purchases from Romania through an online platform
A company buys an office chair through an online platform from a company in Romania. Initially, a VAT invoice was sent with the delivery of the chair. A telephone conversation was held with the online platform, in which it was explained that this invoice does not meet the requirements of Bulgarian legislation and VAT should not be charged, but the company needs to issue a protocol under Article 117 of the VAT Act and charge VAT. The Romanian company sends a second invoice for the sale of the chair, but again with VAT charged on it. The Bulgarian company again alerted the online platform via email, but no response was received. The company has the possibility to request a refund of the tax paid through the NRA platform, but cannot reflect the invoice in the VAT journals, as it is not a tax document.
The following question was asked: How should the Bulgarian company proceed in the described case?
Article 13 of the Value Added Tax Act (VAT act) comprehensively specifies the scenarios in which there is an intra-community acquisition. According to paragraph 1 of the same legal norm, intra-community acquisition is the acquisition of the right of ownership of goods and any other right to dispose of the goods as the owner, as well as the actual receipt of goods in the cases under Article 6, paragraph 2, which sends or transports to the territory of the country from the territory of another member state, when the supplier is a taxable person who is registered for VAT purposes in another member state.
The intra-community acquisition tax is charged by issuing a protocol no later than 15 days from the date on which the tax became due - art. 117, para. 1, item 1 in connection with para. 3 of VAT act.
The invoice issued by the trader from another EU member state to the Bulgarian trader on the occasion of the intra-community transaction should not contain the amount of the tax.
In the event that an invoice is issued by a registered person in another member state and the Bulgarian company is the recipient and the conditions of Article 13, Paragraph 1 of VAT act are met, for the Bulgarian company there will be an intra-community acquisition, regardless of whether in the issued VAT (at the applicable rate for the respective member state) is indicated on the foreign supplier's invoice.
The rules on the taxation of VAT on intra-Community acquisitions cannot, in principle, lead to a situation where tax is charged to both the supplier and the recipient. Similar cases can only occur in the absence of good commercial communication, or incorrect application of the tax law.
In the event that during an intra-Community acquisition, albeit unlawfully, VAT has been charged by the supplier, the entire amount documented by the supplier (the sum of the tax base and the tax charged to him) should be taken as the tax base of the intra-Community acquisition. Since, according to Art. 64, Para. 1 in conjunction with Art. 26 of VAT act, the tax base of an intra-Community acquisition is determined on the basis of everything, which includes the remuneration received by or payable to the supplier by the recipient in connection with the delivery without the tax under this law, and the amount charged as VAT is not a tax "under this law", the same should be included in the tax base of an intra-community acquisition. In the event that the tax amount is subsequently recovered by the supplier to the recipient as unduly paid, it should be make a correction by issuing a protocol under Article 117, Paragraph 4 of the VAT Act, based on a corrected document issued by the supplier (credit note or canceled erroneous and issued new invoice).
25.10.2024
WORKING REMOTELY COMES WITH RISKS
Remote workers are exposed to safety risks, warns the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.
Digital technologies such as personal computers, smartphones, laptops, software packages and the Internet allow people to work remotely, ie. off the employers' premises for most or part of their working time. During the covid pandemic, remote work became more common, and hybrid work — a combination of remote and on-premises work — gained popularity after the emergency. In 2022, 18% of workers in the EU-27, Iceland and Norway worked mostly from home.
In addition to remote workers, among the people who are in remote mode are also those who work on customer premises (6%); outdoors, for example on a construction site, on city streets or in agricultural areas (5.5%); in a car or other vehicle (3.5%) and in public places such as cafes or airports (2%). Although the majority (65%) worked on employers' premises, telecommuting was the practice for a third of the workforce in these countries.
Digital technologies have many advantages and are crucial for remote working, but their use is associated with a number of psychosocial and physical risks:
Advantages:
- Saving time and reducing travel stress;
- Better balance between professional and personal life;
- Increased productivity and concentration.
Disadvantages:
- Increase in prolonged sitting and stress from work deadlines;
- Long working hours and social isolation that can endanger health;
- Risks of musculoskeletal disorders (pain in the neck, wrists and fingers) due to improper arrangement of work equipment;
- Eye fatigue from poor lighting and long time in front of screens.
Organizations have a critical role to play in preventing the risks associated with remote and hybrid work. The first step is a mandatory risk assessment, which should cover teleworking in accordance with EU and national legislation. When the work is done off the employer's premises, the workplace conditions and the associated risks to safe and healthy work are more unpredictable and beyond the direct control of the company.
Therefore, the participation of the employer and the employees in the risk assessment process is very important. In addition to providing background information on taking next steps toward an action plan, the risk assessment process creates mutual awareness among remote workers and an organization's management. Telecommuters increasingly perform their work duties in different locations, such as on the move, while traveling for work or leisure. They use fewer standard workstations.
Any public space can potentially be used as a place to work, for example parks, public transport, airports, train stations, libraries, etc. Traditional places where local communities gather - cafes, bars and restaurants - are also used as workplaces. Although accessible, these spaces are unpredictable because their conditions do not depend on the workers or employers.
Depending on the location, the number of physical risks may vary. For example, working outdoors can have consequences from exposure to ultraviolet light, widely recognized as a risk factor for cancer, or have negative consequences for the eyes given the inappropriate lighting conditions when working with laptops and smartphones. Long and frequent work on a train or plane can lead to greater exposure to noise and vibration.
For prevention in this connection, work is being done diligently with regard to the work with video displays. The working group on Directive 90/270/EEC is discussing changes regarding the definition and scope of the concept of workplace and the use of screen equipment. In addition to the use of a stationary computer, the directive can also be applied when the worker uses portable screen equipment - laptop, tablet, etc., for which new minimum requirements are provided for its use, as well as expanding the scope to include risky factors - ergonomics and psychosocial risk in the workplace.
Both workers and employers can contribute to ensuring safety and health in telework and hybrid schemes by providing workers with equipment, digital technologies, technical support and guidance on their safe use. Employers can provide training and educational activities to raise awareness of safe working anywhere and put in place a clear policy on remote and hybrid working. So remote workers can optimize the ergonomics and environment of their workplace, move around, change their posture, be active and take regular breaks.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work emphasizes that safety and health in the workplace are fundamental factors for the general well-being of workers and operational efficiency.
The European Week for Safety and Health at Work is an important tool for raising awareness of workplace risks and promoting healthy practices.
