Chaos: three observations about change from the workplace trenches
This week, I left a job I had been in for three years. I came to this job licking my wounds from another workplace that didn’t work out so well. In that workplace—which I entered with the hope of finally building some sort of career—I exited within five months, feeling completely disempowered, my confidence shattered. I questioned
Life’s disappointments (Part 2)
I wrote the first part of this post back in March 2014. Thought it was about time I finished it off! My career has been an endless succession of ultimately unsatisfying jobs In the late 1980s, I left a series of bank jobs and temporary employment, and got myself university edumacated at the ripe old
Recruitment: still a flawed (bullshit) process
About six years ago, when I was desperately looking for work, I became so disenchanted with the recruitment process, I started a blog/website called Even It Up! in an attempt to even up the power imbalance between the jobseeker and recruiter. Here was I: a Masters student with a GPA so good I was awarded
The One Thing every new employee needs (and never ever gets)
This post was first published on 4 February 2012. It’s still a rare workplace that onboards new employees effectively. Information and communication are key tools, but are used inadequately. What every new employee needs – and never, ever gets – is a So You’re New Here and You’ll Need to Know This Stuff Handbook. As
On entitlement, work and career
To my horror*, I have recently discovered that I have a sense of entitlement. If I examine where it comes from, I can see it’s premised on my education and being smart. I have several degrees, and when I work, I bring my education and my knowledge to the cubicle. I have to, because it’s
The challenge of being a knowledge worker
In the 21st century, the workforce of the western world is supposed to be forged around knowledge. You can see this trend very clearly, with the slow, strangled death of manufacturing (despite being propped up by handouts from the government) and the rise and rise of digital work. Who knew coding apps would have been
Cards on the table
I have found in my 30 years in the workforce that there are two types of workplaces. The first kind is where information is freely available and moves in predictable, organic currents between people. The flow of information changes as and when it is needed to do the work that is required. In this workplace,
On truth and honesty
I have written here about honesty, and more particularly, about me being an honest person. It is part of my essence. It is who I am, almost like a personal brand. My brand promise, which is part of my underlying core values of integrity, authenticity and courage, is that I will always be honest. Without
Five good things
Last year, I was having all sorts of challenges at work. As a result of a restructure, I ended up with a manager who had great difficulty translating his ideas and thoughts into relationships with people. His views, his ideas, his way of doing things, his personality, his ego had to be navigated carefully. Suffice
Time vs. money
While my daughter was young, I worked part-time. I was also living on government support to supplement my income; I was as poor as the proverbial church mouse, but happy. I had time to be creative, to cook, to read, to study, to write. I lived a very simple life and I enjoyed it immensely.
Why I quit teaching
At 29, I decided to become a teacher. I was pregnant with my daughter and needed to do something practical with my Arts degree (silly me for thinking that a tertiary education would open doors! I was even sillier for thinking doors would open for someone with an ordinary Arts degree!). I had always enjoyed
On the benefits of intolerance
On matters of style, swim with the current; on matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson I was told last week (by one of my colleagues) that I needed to be more tolerant. When she said this, I didn’t really pay much attention to it, and it was only when the words