5 Seemingly Minor Mistakes That Could Cost You Your Job

5 Seemingly Minor Mistakes That Could Cost You Your Job5 Seemingly Minor Mistakes That Could Cost You Your Job We all make mistakes on the job, whether its botching a presentation or showing up late more often than not. But while certain blunders are clearly bad news, what you may not realize is that minor on-the-job errors can hurt your career just as well. Here are just a few seemingly trivial mistakes that can come back to bite you.Lifting office supplies is something fruchtwein of us are familiar with, and its something most companies have come to expect to a certain degree. The problem, however, is when you take the concept too far. Rest assured that if you happen to bring home the occasional pen or notepad, your manager probably wont bat an eyelid. But if you make a habit of sneaking supplies for your personal use, someone in charge is bound to take notice. And if that happens, your job could end up on the line.Most of us complain about work at some point in tim e or another. And theres nothing wrong with airing your grievances when you sit down with your friends and confidantes. But be careful about bashing your company on a public forum, because if word gets back, you could easily find yourself out of a job. Youll need to be particularly careful if you know you have coworkers following you on social media.Now this isnt to say you cant ever seek sympathy for a long day or tough project. But keep your commentary employer-neutral. Its OK to say something along the lines of, Its 900 p.m. and Im still at the office. But stay away from posts like, Stupid boss made me work late again. This company bites.Its nice to be social during the workday. Not only can it help reisepass the time, but it can also help strengthen your relationship with your colleagues . That said, there is such a thing as being too social, so if you come to find that youre spending more than 30 minutes a day outside of your lunch break shooting the breeze with your coworker s, its time to start cutting back on that chitchat. You dont want to get a reputation as that person who distracts others and is too busy talking to get things done.Weve all been known to make a personal phone call on our office landline, or use the copier on occasion. And theres certainly no reason to rethink that activity if its indeed infrequent. But if you abuse the privilege of using office resources for your own needs, it could come back to haunt you. So resist the urge to print out 100 copies of your sons soccer teams flyer without asking. Youre better off spending a little money at your local print shop than risking your job.Whether its a department-wide happy hour or your company holiday party , youre likely to encounter a work situation where alcohol is being served and youre tempted to enjoy it. But while theres nothing wrong with having a few drinks, dont let things reach the point where youre obviously intoxicated. Not only will this make you look irresponsible, but wi th your inhibitions dangerously lowered, you could end up saying something out loud that you come to regret. Youre better off taking it nice and slow, and indulging in moderation.You never know when a series of small mistakes might end up derailing your career. Avoid these blunders, and youre more likely to remain an employee in good standing.This article was originally published on The Motley Fool . It is reprinted with permission.

Editors Note Pickle Suit to Executive Suite

Editors Note Pickle Suit to Executive SuiteEditors Note Pickle Suit to Executive SuiteThoughts and notes on making the transition from military life to civilian workDont underestimate the power of military experience for executive roles.While they may appreciate the tafelgeschirr of those in uniform, some hiring managers dont recognize the qualifications veterans can bring to their organizations.To prepare this exclusive coverage for Ladders, former naval officer and freelance journalist Sean Gallagher talked to a variety of sources on both sides of the desk and learned about opportunities and impediments that face folks on the move from a military career to a civilian one.Some paths, such as positions with the Department of Defense, are smooth for veterans. (You just take off the pickle suit and put on a regular suit, and youre ready to work at the Pentagon, Col. Dick Crampton, director of placement services for the Military Officers Association of America, told Sean.)Others require more ingenuity retooling resumes translating military jargon into corporate parlance and, frequently, disabusing hiring managers of the idea that military training limits flexibility in the private sector.As Jim Deimer, a member of Ladders whos now a human-resources manager for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said, preparation is the key So you dont feel like, I won a Silver Star, and I cant get a job? Somethings wrong with that picture.

What we can learn about happiness from Iceland

What we can learn about happiness from IcelandWhat we can learn about happiness from IcelandThe World Happiness Report comes out every year, providing some data about how well-being varies from country to country and how it shifts within a countryfrom one year to the next. But what makes some countries happier than otherbeis?Dra Gumundsdttir is one of many researchers around the world studying happiness and well-being at the bevlkerung level. By analyzing large data sets, she has helped to uncover the epidemiology of well-being- how different groups within a country are faring in response to changing social and economic forces, such as inequality, recessions, and education policies.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraBy understanding these effects, she helps a countrys politicians and policymakers make better decisions to support the well-being of their citizens. To date, she has wo rked with the government in her home country of Iceland, where she is the director of determinants of health and wellbeing at the Directorate of Health.I recently interviewed Gumundsdttir about her research and what we can do to build more flourishing societies.Jill Suttie What made you interested in studying social or environmental factors influencing happiness?Dra GumundsdttirWhen I started studying the causes of happiness, I became very interested in the causes of the causes of happiness- meaning, the environmental factors that keep people from feeling connected, safe, and autonomous, all of which contribute to happiness. Even though many individual choices affect happiness, how easy or difficult it is to make those choices often depend on social or environmental factors, like government welfare programs or gender equality, for example.JS According to the World Happiness Report, happiness has been decreasing around the world (as a whole) and there is more happiness inequality wit hin countries. Why do you think thats the case?DGThere might be many reasons for a decline in happiness. One of them might be higher expectations. In many countries, people are faring better each year- living longer, healthier lives. So, maybe people have a stronger sense that they have the right to feel good.It may also be that many people are more open about their mental health- so, they are more willing to say when they are unhappy. Or it might be that younger generations have less tolerance for adversity and pain (both physical and mental) than previous generations.In terms of inequality, there has always been more happiness inequalitywithincountries thanbetweencountries. We also see that there is more happiness inequality within municipalities than between municipalities in the same country. It would be helpful to look at those who score high in happiness and those who score low, and then monitor changes in both, to see how policies impact these groups differently. But our curr ent measure of happiness gives us only a very limited view of the situation. We need broader measures of mental well-being to better understand differences.JS This year, Iceland was ranked as the fourth-happiest country in the world. What is it about Iceland that makes the people there so happy?DGAccording to studies around the world, it seems that the most important contributor to happiness is ones social relationships. In a small country like Iceland, it is quite easy to be in good contact with your family and friends. The majority of the population lives within an hours drive from the Reykjavik capital area.Another important factor related to happiness is health, and the health status in Iceland is quite good compared to other countries. We have the lowest infant mortality rate in the world and one of the highest life expectancies the majority of citizens have access to good-quality health care.Iceland is also a very peaceful nation- for example, we have never had an army. There is a high level of trust in the society, too. Children can go places freely and play outside without supervision. Icelanders also have quite a bit of control over their lives. They have access to quality education, whatever the educational background of their parents. And Iceland is the country with the narrowest gender gap in the world, where it is now illegal to pay women less than men for the same job.All of this makes it easy and acceptable to try out different things, so people do not feel that they are stuck in a particular path they have not chosen. Their level of safety and autonomy probably has a big impact on their happiness.JS How much- and in what ways- is happiness affected by economic forces, according to your research?DGIncomeonly predicts1 percent of the happiness in Iceland when other factors are taken into account. That means making a higher income is not going to lead to more happiness, necessarily- its a fairly low predictor of happiness compared to social relati ons.At the same time, the biggest predictor for unhappiness is having financial difficulty. Those who find it difficult to make ends meet have the lowest happiness score of all groups, lower than those without a job and those with the lowest income. This means that those with the lowest income are not necessarily the same group as those with financial difficulties. There are people with high incomes who have financial difficulties, and that is worse for your happiness than having a lower income with no financial difficulties.JS Youve been looking at research around how economic disasters affect well-being in a country. What are your most surprising findings?DGWhen westudiedthe effects of the banking system collapse in Iceland, we found that happiness among adolescents went up after the collapse, even though the happiness levels of adults went down. Thats because after the collapse, adults were working fewer hours, which meant parents had more time to spend with their adolescents. As it became easier for adolescents to get emotional support from their parents, their happiness increased, even though working less may have resulted in a lower GDP Gross Domestic Product for the country.JS Do you think that having greater levels of happiness in the population acts as a kind of buffer against strong economic downturns?DGYes. When a person faces a challenge, it is likely that the level of well-being before the challenge would play a role in the impact of the challenge. A person who has low well-being and has few resources to handle adversity might be more vulnerable than a person high in well-being with more resources.In our study, we saw that adolescents who had strong relationships with their parents were not harmed by the economic crisis, while those who had weak relations with their parents had a decrease in their happiness. So, good relations with parents are not only good for your happiness but can also act as a buffer (protecting factor) for your well-being in times of crisis.JS How have governments responded to your research and used it to create policy?DGIn 2007, public health authorities in Iceland decided to include public mental well-being measures in a national survey on Health and Wellbeing. That decision had an impact on both health policies and policies for the whole society. Well-being measures were then used as an indicator in the development of theHealth 2020 policyfor Iceland, as well as in the broader governmental policy for the economy and community, namedIceland 2020and led by the prime minister.Public health indicators, including indicators of happiness and well-being, are published every year for seven health districts, providing profiles for each district. These profiles reflect the strengths and challenges in each district, which enables health authorities, municipalities, and other stakeholders to prioritize, plan, act, and evaluate according to the best available knowledge. For example, this information has been used to distribute financial resources for mental health services around the country. Additionally, municipalities (who score below the country average in happiness) have used the results to develop an action plan to increase happiness among their citizens.JS What still needs to be done to increase resilience in your country, in your opinion?DGIn order to increase resilience, it is important to teach skills in schools- like, coping, self-efficacy, social and emotional learning, and mindfulness. Fortunately, we got funding fromEU Horizon 2020for developing a training program on mental resilience in schools in five European regions.The project is calledUPRIGHT, and its general objective is to promote mental well-being and prevent mentaldisorders by enhancing resilience capacities in youths. It was designed by psychologists,pedagogists, methodologists, and technology experts from around Europe, and will focus on increasing resilience in adolescents (12-14years of age), their families, and schools validating the effectiveness of the program and providing scientific evidence on specific resilience factors that contribute topromote positive mental well-being.JS What do you think other countries can learn from your research?DGCountries need measures beyond GDP to help them with policy planning. Its very important to measure happiness and well-being on a national and local level and offer the results to the public, because what you measure gets attention When you present well-being results to the public, it opens peoples eyes about differences in well-being and creates a desire to understand why the situation is like this and what can be done to improve it. Its only when citizens ask for change that politicians listen and act.This article originally appeared on Greater Good, the online magazine of The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.