Sunny Skies in San Diego

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EA professionals, EAPA, San Diego, Town and Country Resort and Convention Center, World EAP Conference

I’m really looking forward to next week’s World EAP Conference at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in beautiful San Diego, California.

The event, sponsored by the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA), features scores of informative sessions, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities with both current EA acquaintances as well as the chance to meet new EA professionals.… And attendees are from all over the globe!

The conference, to be held Sept. 29-Oct. 2, has been a great way to connect with EA professionals to learn about important EAP trends and solicit articles for the Journal of Employee Assistance (especially) and (to a lesser extent) the Employee Assistance Report.

To find out more about the Journal or this event, visit http://www.eapassn.org

To learn more about EAR, check out the “Employee Assistance Professionals” tab at http://www.impact-publications.com.

My blog will feature highlights from the 2015 World EAP Conference the week of Oct. 5-9. (I may even have a little sightseeing news to report.)

In the meantime, why not check out some of the more than 300 posts on this blog? Happy reading!

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Outsmarting Your Smartphone

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" Internet obsession, "Wicked Success is Inside Every Woman, smartphone obsession, smartphones, Vickie Milazzo, www.wickedsuccess.com

There’s no denying that everyone loves their smartphone. For starters, they allow us to remain plugged in to what is going on in the office and at home.

But smartphone obsession is a different story. Smartphone obsession prevents us from getting the most out of a conference, workshop or other event because we’re too busy texting and emailing to take full advantage of being in the present. Smartphone obsession can also make you prone to burnout because if you aren’t careful, you can always be “plugged in” to work. (Could smartphone/Internet obsession be a future disorder in the DSM? But that’s a topic for another day.)

Vicki Milazzo, author of “Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman” offers tips to help take back your life from your smartphone. Here are two of them.

* Turn off cyberspace. How many of us, without even thinking, reply to an email or text as soon as it comes in? Milazzo points out that no award will be handed out at the end of the day for the person who responded the fastest! “If you’re doing nothing but responding to emails and texts, you’re bouncing around like a pinball. It’s important to keep in mind that the purpose of email and texts is not generate more email and texts,” she states.”Unless a response is necessary in order for the sender to move ahead on a task or project, it’s okay to let this person have the last word.”

* Tame the social media beast. Smartphone apps make it fun and easy to read friends’ status updates and to see the photos they’ve posted, or when we’re tagged in a photo. “That’s one reason social media is so addicting – it’s like experiencing hugs all day long,” Milazzo writes. “But remember, Facebook and Twitter won’t be evaluating your work performance and probably can’t qualify you for a raise either.”

Also, this is a real pet peeve of mine… when you’re sitting down for lunch or dinner with other people, don’t pick up your smartphone unless you are expecting an important call. If you are, that’s different, but otherwise, whenever someone interrupts me to “pick up,” it makes me feel like I’m not important. Besides, isn’t that what voice mail is for? Smartphones are great tools, but they don’t have to be obsessions. We are supposed to be the truly “smart” ones, not our devices.

Does Working from Home WORK for You?

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telecommuting, telework, working from home

With Labor Day just past us, I am reminded that I have been working from home (WFH) for roughly four years. It definitely has its pros and cons (mostly pros). The flexibility in being able to work whatever hours you want is a plus. I’m not a big morning person, so I really enjoy being able to ease into the day. It’s also a real bonus not having to worry about commuting to work during the sometimes brutal winters we have here in the Upper Midwest.

But WFH does take a lot of self-discipline, which is still not always easy for me. In fact, WFH is darn near impossible sometimes on a gorgeous day when I’d much rather be walking my dog or going for a bike ride. (That’s not all bad mind you; just work more a different day that week!)

One thing that helps regardless of the weather is to set little “mini-goals” for yourself. For instance, tell yourself that you ARE going to get project X done today. Just make it something attainable or you’re just setting yourself up for a letdown. It doesn’t have to be a single project… in fact, it’s been my experience that sometimes it’s more realistic to set multiple goals for the same project; steps that you know you can accomplish in a given day, but which, taken altogether, will keep you on track for getting the work done when you are supposed to have it completed. For instance, let’s say you’re writing a grant. Tell yourself on Monday you are going to have the narrative written by the end of the day on Tuesday, and so on.

A detriment of WFH is definitely the lack of interaction with co-workers. Picking up the phone or emailing can help, but it often isn’t the same thing. Most of us don’t handle isolation very well, so mix things up. If a big project keeps you chained to your computer on a given day, give yourself a break the next day and take an hour-long lunch at a local diner. Even better, invite a friend to join you!

However, if you are an extremely social person at work, chatting with everyone from the janitor and executive secretary to co-workers most of the day, I would NOT recommend WFH — at least not very often.

Many of us are working from home more than ever, and so while I hope these tips have helped, the truth is that you will probably have to experiment and find whatever schedule (and breaks) work best for you. A brief word of caution: Be prepared to explain a barking dog or meowing cat to an important client you are on the phone with! Good luck.

Dining Alone a Reality for Many

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Accountemps, eating at your desk, lunch bunch

The “lunch bunch” isn’t a reality for most workers, a new survey from Accountemps suggests. When asked how they spend their lunch hour, nearly half (49%) of professionals said they typically spend it eating alone. Yet almost as many (46%) people said they would rather have a co-worker join them for the meal.

“Even with demanding workloads, employees should try to step away from their desks during the workday,” said Bill Driscoll, a district president of Accountemps. “Sharing a meal with co-workers not only strengthens business relationships, but creates a more relaxed environment for collaboration and the exchange of ideas.”

Added Driscoll, “The simple act of taking a break – even for a few minutes – can help clear your mind and broaden your perspective, especially when facing challenging business problems.”

*** “I’m too busy to take a break,” many workers will say. “My response has always been, ‘Busy-ness never goes away, so take a break anyway! Wolfing down a sandwich at your desk doesn’t count!”

Accountemps, a Robert Half Company, is the world’s first and largest specialized temporary staffing company for accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. Its temporary staffing solutions match highly skilled professionals with the best companies in the world. Visit: http://www.roberthalf.com/accountemps