Til Death – By Travis Catlett on YouTube

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Here is just a sampling of his work!

1. You will likely be completely on your own (no team) and be responsible for everything IT-related (hardware, software, networking, EDI, datasynchronization, email, internet… you name it).

2. Not only will you handle all IT, you will be given responsibilities dealing with the operations of the company, usually for the departmnet that shares the same manager as you (as if you don’t already have plenty to concentrate on).

3. No one will use a form or email to notify you of their issue or request (no matter how many times you ask), they’ll call or come over or just catch you in the hall or department – of course, when you are already busy working on something else.

4. Since your job is usually “as needed” (which translates to all of the time), managers tend to come to you to handle special tasks (un-related to your job) because you have the most “flexible” schedule.  Nevermind the many projects you are constantly behind on from having to set aside your time for everything, as you have become the “catch-all”.

5. You just shouldn’t.  The only way it would ever be worth it, is to work as a consultant, setting your own hours and rate.  Unless you go native, you would never have to worry about being used as a catch-all and you wouldn’t have to trouble yourself with handling any of the operations of the company.

There you have it.  No working in IT for a small business, period.

Keep them challenged, don’t let them get bored.  They will take pride in their accomplishments.  This doesn’t mean overload them with difficult tasks that cause them to be stressed.  It means make work exciting for them.  Drive them to do a good job by giving them reasonable goals.  Encouragement is key.

Not only do employees need to be driven, but they also need positive morale.  There are several ways to do this.  Let’s name a few:

1.  Offer Schedule Options:  Everyone is different.  Some people have children (or others that they need to take care of ) and would prefer a steady eight hour a day schedule.  Others would rather work longer hours and have a three-day weekend.  For some, a 10 hour day might be too long, but they’ll work nine, allowing themselves to leave a half a day early, once a week.  Some way want to start early and leave early.  Others may prefer to have a later start. Offering employees modified schedules to chose from is usually easy, free to the employer, and lets the employee pick the best one to fit their wants or needs. Not to mention, it saves the employee transportation costs.

2.  Allow Employees to Work From Home:  Who doesn’t want to work from home?  Letting an employee work from home, one day a week, once every other week, or just once a month will definitely boost morale.  It shows them that you trust them to work under minimal supervision and lets them spend less money on gas and less time away from home due to driving time.  That extra hour or two a day of personal time is valuable!  They can start as early or late as they want and even split their shift if they need to run special errands.  If their job can’t be done off site, give them something they can do.  Allowing them to spend a day working from home once in a while will help employees appreciate their job more and they’ll be more productive for the company.

3.  Reward Them:  When employees get little extras, they’ll definitely be happier and more productive.  Most likely, money will always be the number one desired reward, but if a company can’t afford it for their employees, there is always extra paid time off.  Yes, PTO is the next best thing to cash and it’s virtually free to the employer.  A day, an hour or two, or even 15 minutes of extra PTO every so often will work wonders in improving employee morale.  Employers aren’t sacrificing much to give it, because the employee either finishes their work before they leave, or they are covered while they are away.  If these extras are earned, employees will be more motivated to work harder to acheive their goal.  Don’t make the reward impossible to earn, or it will become more of a discouragement.

4.  Hang the Code:  Employees don’t like to be uncomfortable when they work and they don’t like to waste their money on work attire. Enforcing a dress code that is above what is sensible is counter-productive to keeping morale up.  Don’t force women to wear nylons (they’re a waste of money, and bad for the environment anyway).  Offer lots of opportunity for casual days.  They don’t have to be on Fridays alone.  Technically, tennis shoes are safer that dress shoes and healthier to spend all day in.  If there is no real need to dress up, don’t force it.  Jeans and a T-shirt are way more comfortable and more affordable.  Employees will cover more territory when their feet don’t hurt.  If they really care about looks, they’ll pay the price.

Employers, we would like you to share your methods of boosting employee morale. Tell us about what works, and what doesn’t.  Employees, let us know what would make you want to get up and go to work every day.  Maybe we can all learn a thing or two.

 Is this really what we want?  Obviously not, however, who wants to give up their computer?  Well, then we need to find some ways stay healthy

while still being able to work and play on our pc’s.  There are lots of places online that give you tips and hints on exercizing at your desk.  There is an interesting article on Gearfire.net that focuses on good posture and stretching, as well as one on HowToDoThings.com .

To tell you the truth, there are lots of things you can really do to help control your weight when you spend so much time on the computer.  Here are some other ideas:

1.  Take breaks frequently.  Stop every 45 minutes and take a break from your keyboard. Preferably, do something to get your heart rate going, as this will continue to help you as you are seated as well.
      a. Get up and walk around picking up things that are out of place and putting them away.
      b. Jog in place for a few minutes, lifting your knees high with each joggin step to really get your heart pumping.
     c. Put a load of laundry on or fold a load, the arm and body motion will help get your heart going.
     d. Try sit-ups and push-ups, these things will help strengthen your muscles, which in turn, will help you keep your posture.
The key is, don’t just sit there, get up and move around.  Finding something productive to do will help you find the time to get things done, since the computer takes up so much time.  Don’t do anything that hurts or strains you body.  Just do what you can to get your body moving in some fashion, and it will help.

2. Eat right.  Don’t devour the candy and junk food.  Stop with the softdrinks or other drinks high in sugar.  Water is obviously a better choice to keep your body hydrated.  You can also consider flavored waters if you need something a little more interesting some healthy snacks to consider:
      a. carrot and  celery sticks.
      b. apple slices and cheese cubes.
      c. tomato, cucumber and bell pepper slices.

3.  If you have a laptop, take it to different areas of the house or office so that you are not always sitting in the same position.  When you move, get up and stretch.  Also, the change of scenery is nice and probably better for your eyes.

Keeping ourselves active will keep us healthier.  If you can’t remember to take your breaks, then set an alarm or timer. Pretty soon, it will become habit.