In our latest survey results we discovered that 43% of individuals WOULD work harder when their boss is in. Although, more respondents said that they didn't and that they work just as hard when the boss is in to when the boss is not, 43% is still a very large proportion of people who need constant supervision and guidance.
So, why do people need this constant control and direction? Are there just too many distractions with the open access to the World Wide Web that when the boss is not around it allows employees to do their shopping or catch up with friends on social media? Are colleagues developing better friendships at work that they just chat, have a joke and mess around at the expense of getting their daily tasks completed?
Whatever it is, you need some motivation to focus on your day to day activities without requiring the boss to be a around! If this is you, maybe you need to consider having some benchmarks and guidelines between you and your colleagues on how long you are going to "chat" for before then turning your focus on your daily chores. Maybe give yourself 10 minutes in the morning to have a natter. And if you are serial Facebooker or shopper and click back and forth from your task in hand, maybe stop yourself from shopping through working hours and only so this in your break or lunch break.
Do not forget, you are being employed to do a job so you want to make sure you are performing to the best of your ability. You do not want to get the sack and have to move on without a reference. Our advice is to try your best all of the time :)
Our latest survey results reveal that 73% believe they are "hard" workers compared to 25% who felt they were "smart" workers.
Funnily enough, less than 1% of people admitted to being a slacker and 1.7% a chancer. It was an anonymous survey so it is not like people did not feel they could tell the truth! We are pleased to have this feedback :)
So, why are more people "hard" at work, than "smart" at work? Quite possibly because people feel that because they work long hours and put in as much effort as they possibly can, then they quite simply feel they work "hard" and maybe do not understand the difference between the two. Smarter work involves using others to assist you, managing your time, organising your diary, networking, working within the right industry, being creative, recruiting the right people around you, asking for help and knowing when to cut your losses, to name just a few.
Reading that, we do wonder if people may feel they are more "smart" workers now.....do you? Let us know here.....
Our latest findings around office gossip compared how common it was in the workplace across the UK.
67% of workers in London and the South said that is common and rife in their workplace leaving only 33% that do not experience it.
Workers in the North of the UK were the least gossipy of the lot with only 20% experiencing office gossip as common and rife.
We also asked those in the Midlands and East Anglia who were very closely matched like in Scotland and Wales. 54% felt it was common in their workplace around the Midlands and East Anglia areas and 46% in Scotland and Wales.
If we have not covered your location, tell us here if you find office gossip to be a common practice in your workplace?
In a recent study, we found that 4 out of 5 individuals would take a demotion and pay cut to secure their dream job.
Taking a pay cut may not be a viable option with the current increase in the cost of living but IF it is affordable many would take the jump into a job of their dreams. Not only will moving into the perfect role help with overall job satisfaction and happiness moving forward, it could also help to path the way to further career progression in the future. At times, taking an initial step backwards can help to achieve a persons longer term goals.
This, however, can be a very difficult decision especially if you have a family, mortgage and other financial commitments. So, how can you make the decision? Here are 5 top tips to work out if you should take the leap.
1. Work out financially if it is a viable option and whether you can realistically cover the cost of living. If you can, then it is worth a shot!
2. Sit down with someone impartial and go over the pros and cons of staying at your current role versus moving on. Someone impartial will help you to think about things you may not have!
3. If the move is a total career change, then have you thought long and hard enough about whether you will enjoy the role you are going for. It is a huge decision so it is important to spend a good amount of time deciding if your skills will fit truly. Maybe consider volunteering to give yourself some practical experience.
4. If you are considering a location move, talk to your family and ensure they are all happy. This especially goes for the children, if any are involved. It may take some time for them to consider the move and come to terms with it but it is important to consider how everyone else will feel.
5. Be confident once the decision is made. Even if you have a small wobble it is important not to outwardly show these nerves or worry and to knock them on the head straight away. If you have spent enough time making the decision to change your role, this should not even be an issue.
Good luck!
In our latest survey we asked if people took "holiday" from their quota at work to look after their children through half terms, Easter, Christmas and Summer holidays.
We all know that holiday camps, kids clubs and child-minding can add up to total more than what you could be earning so unless there are grandparents on standby, many have to use their "holiday" allowance to care for their children through the holidays.
Although our survey found that 56% of employees DO NOT take their holiday allowance, a massive 44% DO!
If you are part of this 56% of people, what do your children do through the holidays? Do they attend holiday camps and kids clubs, do you do parental swaps or do you have grandparents, family or friends to help out?
Let us know below.
And finally, take a moment to answer our next survey question on the homepage of our website about your dream job.
We have recently issued this press release highlighting our latest findings about office romances. Take a read here....
We have all watched an office romance brew, develop, fizzle out or indeed last. With them being such a common act in the workplace and Valentine’s Day around the corner, TipTopJob investigates how office romances end up.
TipTopJob surveyed over 1000 users to find out if office romances ended in long term love, a short term fling, they were left as friends or if it was the end of a once friendship. 52% of people have witnessed an office romance end in a fairy-tale with long term love and the couple remaining together happily.
The survey also found that a quarter witnessed short term flings, slightly more (23%) ended in an amicable friendship and 17% sadly saw the end a friendship all together.
Spokesperson, Corinne at TipTopJob commented, “Office romances are not uncommon. It is important if you are getting involved in such a romance that it is handled correctly as you do not want to end up without a job. It is easy to become unfocused when you are falling for someone. We have some tips in our Career Centre should you want some advice on dealing with a blossoming office romance yourself to make sure you handle it in the best way!”
Are you one of those people who wants to change jobs or careers…but never does? Do not worry, you are not alone in feeling this way and because it is so common we wanted to find out why it is that people remain in a job and delay the process of the dreaded job search.
Our latest survey asked why people would put off applying for a new job.
We found that 51% of people had just not found the right opportunity for them. 26% did not want to leave the friends they had made at the workplace behind which is a comforting factor showing that the workplace is a fantastic opportunity to make new and good friends that you want long-last relationships with.
15% of people are put off with the time and effort that has to go into the change and so just leave it and leave it. Finally, 7% are actually scared of change.
Whatever the reason for putting off the job search, it is a hugely common issue and a daunting one for many. It can often feel overwhelming with all the information, especially the number of agencies, job boards, aggregators, organisations to visit that help you that it becomes more off-putting than actually helpful.
Well, if you are not happy in your current role and want a change, then we can help. Get over to www.tiptopjob.com where you can search for any kind of job you are looking for and apply to suitable vacancies online. As a job board, the process needs to all be done online and the client advertising the role will come back to you to let you know if you have been successful. Do not delay this job hunt anymore - no need to be scared or daunted - there is no time like the present!
We wish you all the luck in the world and hope we have something suitable for you at some point :)
Have you had help with putting your CV or Resume together recently? We are looking into what kind of help you may have had and want your input :)
Our question is asking you to choose between the following options...
- Professional Service
- Friend/Family
- Internet Research
- Myself
Take THIS LINK and make your selection to help us find out the most popular choice of help.
Have you ever wondered which social media platform was the best for sourcing a new job?
Well, in our latest survey, we asked over 537 people in one week which of the social media platforms they HAD managed to get a job via.
Can you guess which site was the winner? Yes, you got it. Linkedin hands down won the poll. Almost half of the respondents said they had got a new job via the use of Linkedin. Linkedin IS the more professional network and constantly displays new vacancies that are relevant to you. With the networking opportunities available through this platform, it is no doubt the place to start looking when using social media.
These are the results of the survey:
Linkedin: 228
Facebook: 171
Twitter: 15
Google+: 39
Instagram: 12
Other: 72
If you have found a new job via any OTHER platform, do let us know below where!
A survey
questioning 1000 jobseekers about how they deal with stress at work found that
almost a third of people take a walk to instantly reduce stress at work. 27% of
people revealed that going for a walk was how they dealt with stressful
situations in the workplace.
Second to this, a
quarter of the respondents “treated” themselves. This took the form of treating
themselves with some food they do not normally eat or visiting the shop to buy
themselves something to cheer them up! Who can deny retail therapy to lift the
mood?
Surprisingly
no-one reported reading as a de-stresser, only 10% went out to see their
friends and luckily, only 3% sunk their heads in alcohol after work. 19%
decided to take some time off from work to combat stress and 17% exercised.
Just as stress can
affect people in different ways, handling and dealing with stress also varies
from one person to another. What works for one person, may not for a colleague.
It is about finding what makes you feel good and what reduces your stress and
dealing with it in your own way.
Corinne
Hutchinson, comments, “Stress is rife in today’s busy, complex lives. People
have to work out their limits and find situations that make them feel less
stressed. If not, the knock on effect on individuals can be severe and second
to that can impact on performance at work which nobody wants. We have some
articles in our Career Centre about dealing with stress to help people to get
through difficult times.”
