In a perfect world, we’d all have the month of December off – or at least, the tail end of it, when the holiday season starts really heating up. Let’s face it: not much is getting done during the last half of the month anyway, unless you work in healthcare or event planning. Despite the futility of working at most white-collar jobs in the waning days of the year, the majority of workers will be expected to show up and do a good imitation of someone who’s working hard. We all accept that this is so. But, what about when your boss, or your employer, is stingy about actual holidays? Answers to that question, plus advice on how to stop expecting the wrong things from yourself and others, and tips on getting the best job referrals, in this week’s roundup.
(Photo Credit: kevin dooley/Flickr)
Alison Green at Ask a Manager: Time Off at the Holidays: Can My Employer Do That?
Can your employer make you take paid time off at the holidays, or force you to work on Christmas without a comp day, or dock you a day’s holiday pay for a day when everyone else got an early dismissal? The answer to most of these questions, unfortunately, is yes, but Alison Green provides insight into how manage the situation, without feeling like Bob Cratchit to your boss’s Scrooge.
Farnoosh Brock at Prolific Living: 5 Seemingly “Good” Things to Stop Expecting of Yourself
“All your hard work toward your dreams will go to waste if you are expecting things of yourself that are not going to serve you or help you,” writes Brock. “Funny enough, some of these behaviors may sound ‘good’ and ‘useful’ on the surface. Don’t be fooled. They aren’t.”
What kinds of things? Well, expecting yourself to be perfect, for one, and others to behave in a certain way, for another. Find out the rest, here.
Hannah Morgan at Career Sherpa: 7 Things You Must Know About Getting Referred for a Job
“Referred candidates are more likely to get hired, perform better and last longer in jobs,” Morgan writes. “This is why companies, large and small, are investing in referral programs. It makes good business sense for them and for you.”
In fact, Morgan says, referrals lead to a candidate getting hired two-thirds of the time. That’s definitely better odds than you’ll get by sending your resume and cover letter down the dark well of online applications.
Find out what else you don’t know about job referrals, including how to get the most effective ones, in her post.
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