Often employees stuck in dead-end jobs are baffled. How can they advance at work, get better assignments, and earn the big bucks during the recession and hard times?
Keeping a job during a recession is hard enough. Getting a pay raise at work may mean making small changes to stand out in the crowd. Following are behaviors that may be holding an employee back from advancing within a company.
Appearing to Be Lazy Can Affect Pay Raises at Work
- Employers have seen it all. Sometimes employees wasting company time is unintentional, but most bosses can spot a goof-off a mile away. Often the goofing-off isn’t quite bad enough to get one fired, but their paycheck may suffer.
- One company owner tells the story of an employee leaning on a broom daydreaming when the boss walked in. The owner said, “Should I stand here and throw nickels at you?” to which the employee replied, “Huh?” “Well,” answered the boss, “that’s what you are costing me every 15 seconds you stand there doing nothing.” Guess who got a lower increase when pay raises came around.
Coming in Late, Leaving Early and/or Calling in Sick Often Can Stop One from Getting a Job Promotion
- These actions come off as lazy or at least irresponsible. Even if lateness is blamed on car problems, the staff member is in charge of their own car care.
- When an employee is getting ready to leave 15 minutes early, it is noticed.
- Even sickness, if often used as an excuse for missing work, makes a staff member less valuable to a company.
Being Unlikable Hurts Chances for Earning a Raise
- If a worker is not liked by co-workers or the boss or has other annoying or irritating traits, they will be less likely to get a pay raise or get a promotion.
Looking or Acting Unprofessional at Work Won’t Get One a Promotion
- Remember, staff members represent the company to the community and to clients. Coming in with damp or unkempt hair, wearing worn shoes, chewing gum at a workstation, dressing out of the norm for the company, etc. can all reflect on a person in line for a promotion. The neater person will get ahead on the job.
To Get Raises or Promotions, Perhaps Changes are in Order
- Need help with a job change or layoff? Read Unemployment & Job Loss Support.
- Get caught “being good.” Try to impress the boss.
- Leave the funny e-mails at home, tell friends not to call at work, keep breaks to break time, come to work looking sharp, be the first in and one of the last out, and in no time, you may be getting a raise or promotion too!
In good times, these tips are useful. In hard times like the current 2009 recession and bad economy, it is essential for employees to be at the top of their games in order to keep their jobs.
Other articles to read: Give or Get Fast Donations Online and Start a Cool Coffee House Business.
The copyright of the article Get a Pay Raise or Job Promotion in Career Advancement is owned by Janienne Jennrich. Permission to republish Get a Pay Raise or Job Promotion in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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