Have you just come back from a holiday? Are you suffering from post holiday blues? They say all good things come to an end and never has this been truer than in the case of holidays. However long you take off it never quite feels like enough. One day you are relaxing on the beach feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin and enjoying swimming in the sea. You have no care in the world other than what cocktail...

What do you want to be when you grow up? A familiar question that gets asked to children resulting in some fabulously entertaining answers (I for one wanted to be a princess and a detective part time). As we do in fact grow up, we soon learn that this is one of the most difficult questions we all have to face. There are only a few people who as adults actually end up in their childhood dream job. Others start...

To thank or not to thank, that is the question. Thank you. Two short and simple words we say several times throughout the day to strangers for the services they provide such as making our sandwich, selling us the paper, etc. If it is so easy to say thank you to total strangers in their workplace, why is it so difficult to utter these same words to those we work with? Many managers would agree with one or more...

Do you work with a difficult boss? Is your boss making your life miserable at work? Have you tried to address certain issues to no avail? Has the time come to escalate matters and talk to their boss or HR? These conversations are never easy and can cause anxiety so here are a few ideas to try to minimise your distress. Before engaging in this type of conversation, ask yourself the following: - Can...

Do you think it is important to keep a tidy desk? Is there any correlation between creativity, productivity and the mess on your desk? Many will say that a messy desk is a display of originality and a good imagination. This is of course an excuse. The reality is most will associate a cluttered desk with disorganisation. Did you know that a messy desk can actually make you sick? In a survey carried out years...

Are you stressed at work? Do you feel strained, anxious, worried and tense? These are just other ways of referring to stress. They all represent negative emotional states that are detrimental to your well being and it is important to know some preventative measures to manage them. Attitudes and emotions can be contagious and the better you control your own levels of stress, the better others will react to you...

Do you work with someone with an oversized ego? Chances are we have all come across at least one or two people with massive egos. It can be very difficult to work with someone like this. The question is, how do you know it’s an ego problem in the first place? The answer is that you can’t know for sure. The competitive nature of the work place can lead to people looking out for themselves. You could just...

We all have a brand image. What does yours say about you? Put simply, a brand is more than just a name, it is what people associate with a company, organisation, product or person. A personal brand is no different, it is about what others would say if they had to describe you. Think of a brand. Any brand. Now think of a few more. What did you come up with? Was it Nike and the little tick? Or maybe it was Google?...

Companies use several motivational techniques and tools to motivate their employees. These tend to be a combination of tangible and intangible benefits. Unfortunately, these attempts are not always successful and the workforce is not motivated. So what motivates employees? How do people differ in their motivational needs? Motivation is a core factor for a successful business and there have been many studies...

Are you being micro-managed at work? Have you ever been? Unfortunately, a vast majority of people have had to endure this type of manager. Bosses can be tough to deal with in general and the micro-managing boss is no exception. They can be especially difficult to handle if you are a creative and innovative person, keen to make your own mark in the organisation. Some people may describe micro-managing as meddling....