How to tell if your company’s headed for trouble

Dear WW: My company says it’s doing fine. But I know other companies are doing big layoffs, which makes me nervous that we could be facing layoff-city and not even know. How can you tell if your company’s in trouble? SINKING SHIP?

Dear SINKING,

Every industry has its own way of spelling trouble. In TV, for instance, it’s often spelled “shiny.” I learned this when I taped Working Wounded segments for the local ABC affiliate. One day the cameraman said that my forehead reflected light better than the rescue mirror he’d had as a Cub Scout, and hustled me to the station’s makeup consultant for a primer on foundations. Now I’m the proud owner of a “sand beige” compact (and secure enough in my masculinity to tell you about it!)

When it comes to cosmetics however, I pale in comparison to most corporations. They are the real pros at make-up, and it takes more than cold cream to get under the polish and learn what’s really going on. I’ve made some suggestions below for how you can do it. Also check out Andy Sherman’s book, “Running and Growing Your Business” (Times, 1997).

Does your company have too few clients? If one client comprises over half your business, they’re not a customer-they’re your boss. How dependent is your company on the whims of a single customer?

Does your company have enough cash? Late paychecks are a sure sign your company’s struggling, but you can spot problems long before that by noting if key projects are getting short-changed. Critical initiatives put on hold often indicate poor cash flow, and as I’ve said before, cash flow is more important than your mother.

Does your company tolerate poor performers? Every company has a few slackers, but when they’re the rule instead of the exception, you should be concerned. Companies today don’t have to be mean, but they do have to be lean.

Is your company doing a bad job of managing its accounts receivables? How together is your company at getting the money it’s owed? Make friends with someone in accounts receivable to see if they’re collecting what’s due.

What is the press saying? As a columnist, I’ll be the first to admit that the press isn’t always right-but neither is your company’s PR department. Read everything you can get your hands on about your company because the truth may come from outside.

How does your company manage information? Cash flow is more important than your mother, but there’s something even more important than both: how your company manages information. If the majority of the computer systems at your company still can’t communicate with one another, it’s probably time to find a company that takes information seriously. Because today the ability to adapt is largely based on managing information.

All employees should make the following compact: I won’t take my company’s position at face value ever again. Instead, I’ll do some homework so I won’t get taken in by appearances.

Working Wounded poll:

Which movie title best sums up your feelings about your company’s future prospects?

• Fantastic voyage, 25.2%
• Ordinary People, 30%
• Apocalypse Now, 44.7%

Working Wounded strategy:

Our winning strategy for determining your company’s future prospects comes from Buffalo in cyberspace. “I think your column missed the simplest sign: bad morale. Does everyone look either pissed off or depressed? Do you hear cynical comments and caustic laughter coming from the lunchroom? Are cubicles sprouting posters that say, “You obviously have mistaken me for someone who gives a damn”? Is sick time, or just unexplained time away from work, way up? Are people arriving late and leaving early (and the supervisors are too dispirited to say anything about it)? I’ve been there a couple of times, it’s a sure indicator that it’s time to start sidling toward the exits, before the stampede starts.”

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. Sherrie Campbell is a relationship and business professional, having applied her counseling background in a variety of challenging organizational settings. They’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than they do. Also check out their complete column archive at workmash.org, “The Boss’s Survival Guide” and “Gray Matters: The workplace survival guide.” Send your questions or comments to bob@workmash.org.

How to make your email safe

Dear WW: I recently read that even after you hit the delete key, your company can access your email. Is that really true? THEY’VE GOT (MY) MAIL

Dear THEY’VE,

Scott Smith taught me a huge lesson about email. Scott isn’t an author or consultant. He’s facing a prison sentence for stealing 800 copies of the Oakdale Leader, his hometown newspaper. No, he wasn’t a vociferous reader or running a recycling business. Scott had been arrested on drug charges and, according to the police, was trying to destroy the newspapers so his parents wouldn’t read all about it.

Scott learned the hard way that news is hard to control. And email is no different. Unfortunately, the things that make it so powerful-the fact that it’s very easy and very fast-can also be its undoing. Or more accurately, YOUR undoing. Like any power tool, email needs to be handled very carefully. Here are some basic safety tips. For more, check out “Writing Effective E-Mail” by Nancy and Tom Flynn (Crisp Publications).

Are you careful when you hit “send”? Someone recently wrote to Working Wounded saying he’d finally gotten the courage to send a love note to his sweetie. Unfortunately, he hit the wrong button and his love letter went to all 3,241 people at his company. She dumped him and his boss gave him a lecture about misuse of company equipment.

Do you hit the “pause” button before you send an angry email? Have you ever written an angry letter late at night only to wonder the next morning what came over you? Well, there are no “take-backs” with email. So it’s best to sleep on strongly worded messages before you send them on their way.

How would you feel if others saw what you wrote? Beware the “forward” button! Once you send an email, it can be forwarded to anyone. So play it safe. Write your messages assuming that the people you LEAST want to read them will. Anything else is foolish.

Do you open emails only from people you know? I’m a big believer in the preview pane, which allows you to view emails without opening them. If your current email program doesn’t have a preview option, shop around for one that does. It’s a simple and great protection against a virus.

Do you use your company’s computer for work-related emails only? Your letter was correct: most company computer systems can retrieve all emails, even those that have been deleted. So if you’re hot to send personal messages, get your own email account and send them from home. Short on bucks? Many public libraries offer free email accounts and access to the Internet. They’re your best bet if you want your personal life to remain personal.

You heard, of course, about the recent “Melissa” virus that infected corporate email systems. It was highly appropriate that the virus was named after a stripper-because email handled improperly can undress you, too.

Working Wounded poll:

Which best describes your feelings about E-mail?

• E-xluded, 13.5%
• E-tombed, 20.8%
• E-ctatic, 65.6%

Working Wounded strategy:

Our winning strategy for dealing with email comes from Jon M. in cyberspace. “For those really important memos (announcement of a major resignation or new hire, reorganization of a Division), I do NOT compose in the e-mail message box. It’s too easy to accidentally hit the send button in mid-message or before you have thought through all the key points. Therefore, I do all my composition of important memos (but not this one!) with a word processor. I do exactly what I would do with a standard paper document: I compose carefully, spell check, print out a hard copy, circulate to a few key staff to get comments, sleep on it a day. After I am comfortable that it’s right, THEN I paste it into the message field and send it on.”

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. Sherrie Campbell is a relationship and business professional, having applied her counseling background in a variety of challenging organizational settings. They’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than they do. Also check out their complete column archive at workmash.org, “The Boss’s Survival Guide” and “Gray Matters: The workplace survival guide.” Send your questions or comments to bob@workmash.org.

How to prepare for an important job interview

Dear WW: I’m going for my first job interview. Can you give me some tips? THE ROOKIE

Dear ROOKIE,

You may be too young for this story, but I’ll give it the old college try. I took some time off after my first two years of college, and when I went back for year three I found that most of the students seemed young. So I developed a test to identify the ones whose experience matched mine. I’d tell people I was in a fraternity, Mekong Delta. If they laughed, I knew I’d found a peer. (If you didn’t laugh, you ARE too young for this story. Mekong Delta is not a fraternity. It was a strategic location during the Vietnam War.)

Well, like me, many job interviewers use word games to determine if you’re worth getting to know. In fact, it helps to think of interviews as a cross between rushing for a fraternity and taking the SAT. To score, you’ve got to be gutsy and you’ve got to do your homework. I’ve suggested some tips below. You’ll find more in “The Pie Method” by Daniel Porot (JIST, 1996).

Bone up on the vocabulary. You wouldn’t take the SAT without studying vocabulary, right? Well, for an interview you have to learn the vocabulary of your prospective job. For example, are customers called clients? Accounts? Customers? Are suppliers called dealers? Distributors? Manufacturers? What are the names of the company’s products and services? Talk to people in the industry and read business magazines in order to find out.

Prepare for the math section. Just like the SAT, interviews have a math section as well as a verbal. You should know, for example, how many clients are seen during the average week, what is the average fee charged and how much more a star performer produces. Again talk to people in the industry and your local business librarian for help.

Demonstrate your comprehension. You thought those reading comprehension passages were irrelevant? Well, here’s where they come to life. Before your interview, read business mags, industry newsletters and your prospective employer’s annual report. Learn about trends in the industry, pressures facing the company, its stock performance, etc. Then use the interview to show them you’ve paid attention.

Brush up on synonyms and analogies. “I’m out of work” is to an interview as “you have bad breath” is to a date. Sucks the life right out of it. So practice “career enhancing” ways to say things. For example: instead of “I’m out of work” say “I’m facing a crossroads in my career.” Instead of saying “my calendar is wide open,” say “I think I can squeeze it in.” Instead of saying “I’m looking for my first job,” say “I’m contemplating two different careers.” There’s always a better way to say something. Make your old English teachers proud!

Prep for an interview the way you (should) prep for an exam, and I think you’ll find you’ll really score.

Working Wounded poll:

How do you really prepare for a job interview?

• I do a practice interview with a friend, 6.5%
• I show up, 26.4%
• I research the company that’s interviewing me, 67%

Working Wounded strategy:

Our winning strategy for surviving a job interview comes from Roz K. in San Francisco, CA. “In my 30 years as a staffing pro I placed 1,000s of people. No hiring manager ever said: ‘Maria was the best informed so we want to hire her.’ From trainee to senior exec, the first words I heard about a successful candidate were always: ‘We really liked Maria!’ Only after that rush of genuine feeling, does an interviewer comment about Maria’s education, experience, etc. Interviewers find reasons to hire those they like, even to the point of excusing a weakness or overlooking a failure to meet some requirement that, until then, had been ‘mandatory.’ No amount of preparation can take the place of an appealing personality or cancel out the impression left by a negative one. Your goal is to present yourself honestly, but in as positive a way as you know how. You’ll not only get the job, you’ll get the right one!”

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. Sherrie Campbell is a relationship and business professional, having applied her counseling background in a variety of challenging organizational settings. They’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than they do. Also check out their complete column archive at workmash.org, “The Boss’s Survival Guide” and “Gray Matters: The workplace survival guide.” Send your questions or comments to bob@workmash.org.

How to deal with ex-offenders at work

Dear READERS: I cherish my reader’s emails and respond to every one, but it’s rare that I get one that gets me thinking quite the way this one did. Read it and see if you find it as provocative as I did. Then let me know what you would say to the person who sent it. WORKING WOUNDED

Dear WW,

There is a topic I would greatly appreciate you covering in your column-the delicate subject of discriminating against those who have been convicted of a felony and who are now trying to put the pieces of their shattered lives back together again. Every now and then we make mistakes, sometimes a serious mistake, but life must go on. While society expects those convicted of crimes to be appropriately punished (and rightfully so), they also expect them to straighten their lives out and not to get in trouble again. The real problem lies in trying to convince a prospective employer that just because one is a convicted felon, does not (and SHOULD not) automatically mean that person is, therefore, unemployable. Whether a person draws a simple probationary sentence or is coming out of prison, there really needs to be a network of support groups for these individuals. Not every convicted felon is a serial killer-many are first-time offenders, some are guilty of so-called “white-collar” crimes, non-violent crimes, and even crimes that some consider “victimless” crimes (although I’m not sure there is such a thing). Having the support of family and friends helps a great deal, but by itself is rarely enough to ensure that the person has a reasonable shot at getting another chance.

This terrible consequence of criminal activity, the difficulty re-entering the job market, needs to be addressed. The families of criminals are also victims, and those who are convicted of committing a crime are themselves victims of their own deeds. No, I am not one of those “bleeding heart liberals” who would pamper and coddle violent criminals and treat their victims as if they “asked for it”. I did something very stupid (but non-violent) and the only honorable thing to do was for me to stand up and take responsibility for my actions, apologize to my family and friends for betraying their trust in me, seek appropriate counseling, and accept the punishment coming to me. This being the first time I’ve ever been in trouble, for any reason, maybe I’ll get a break from the courts and maybe I won’t. However, once the dust has settled, I’ll still have to go back to work at some point and earn an honest living and try to restore my good name. A solid 30-year career in ANY field is a terrible thing to just throw away. Please can you offer some advice on how to get a prospective employer to even consider looking past a felony conviction? THE SECOND CHANCE GUY

Working Wounded poll:

What would you do if you found out that a job applicant had been in jail?

• I wouldn’t hire him or her, 11.1%
• It wouldn’t factor into my hiring decision, 18.9%
• It would reduce, but not eliminate his or her chances of getting hired, 69.8%

Working Wounded strategy:

Our winning strategy for getting hired as an ex-offender is from an ex-offender, Joel D., in San Francisco, CA. “Be very open and TRUTHFUL about your past. Accept your faults and take full accountability and responsibility for your actions-starting right now. Gather support letters from family members, parole officer, prison guards, past co-workers, etc. I know this is common sense, but you must not ever get in trouble with the court system again (a Certificate of Rehabilitation takes between five and ten years to earn!). Be willing to work in any job for any price, it will keep your parole officer happy, it will give you money and it will help to keep your mind off of criminal thoughts. Go back to school. Volunteer. Never quit-stick with it-remember things come to people who wait and work hard.”

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. Sherrie Campbell is a relationship and business professional, having applied her counseling background in a variety of challenging organizational settings. They’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than they do. Also check out their complete column archive at workmash.org, “The Boss’s Survival Guide” and “Gray Matters: The workplace survival guide.” Send your questions or comments to bob@workmash.org.

How to deal with romantic relationships at work

Dear WW: I always thought it was stupid to date people at work. But that was before I met my girlfriend. I know there are risks, and that there are plenty of fish in the sea, but I don’t want to lose this one. I feel stupid writing to you but it’s less embarrassing than writing to Dear Abby! IN LOVE WITH MORE THAN MY JOB

Dear LOVE,

Speaking of fish, here’s one that really got away. A German man withdrew his life savings from the bank in order to deposit it in a bank that paid higher interest. On leaving his old bank, he put the bag of cash on the roof of his car while he unlocked the door. You guessed it. He drove off with the bag on the roof. So much for life savings.

Well, relationships at work are like that. One minute you’re sitting on top of a fortune, the next minute you’re scrambling to pick up the pieces. Love HAS blossomed successfully amidst the cubicles, but to make it work, you’ve got to proceed very carefully. The questions below will give you some guidelines. You’ll find more in “Office Romance” by Dennis Powers (Amacom, 1999).

What happens if the relationship ends? You may well be the exception to the rule, but the fact is: most relationships don’t last. So here’s a simple test: count the number of former lovers with whom you’re still on speaking terms. If the number for either of you is less than 50%, you may want to reconsider.

Do you report to each other? Work is full of little fish and bigger fish. Whenever you leave your school to date up or down at work, you hook a host of potential problems. And the problems aren’t just internal to your relationship: coworkers are quick to perceive favoritism when a boss dates a subordinate. So unless you like stress and nasty politics, avoid dating your boss or a direct report.

Full disclosure or keep it under wraps? Where corporate policies are against relationships at work keeping it a secret may be required. In the absence of such a policy it’s probably not worth the energy to try and hide your relationship.

Can you control your hormones between 8 and 5? Sure, you’re discrete enough to refrain from holding hands and making moon eyes in the hallways. But have you thought about your emails? I’ve heard of several “daters” recently whose private emails were picked up by company filters. So be discrete: don’t drop each other a line on the company machines.

Which is more important to you: the job or the relationship? This is as sexy as requesting a prenuptial agreement just before the wedding. But it’s important to keep your priorities straight: some companies routinely transfer one person when they learn that two employees are dating.

When in doubt, think of our German friend. Regardless of a high interest level, it’s sometimes better to pass on a new relationship.

Working Wounded poll:

If you felt attracted to someone at work, what would you do? (1,312 responses)

• Ask him/her out on a date, 15.7%
• Take a cold shower, 26.3%
• Try to build a friendship, 57.9%

Working Wounded strategy:

We got a ton of emails and faxes from people happily married to a coworker. But our winning entry was a bit more cautious. Jenna H. in Ottawa, Ontario wrote, “You only have to have your possessions returned through interoffice mail once to learn that even the most promising office romance can end in Dumpsville. The result: uncomfortable silences in the elevator, lethal looks at the water cooler, and having to face off against one’s ex across the boardroom table. While conventional wisdom dictates that dipping one’s pen in the company ink (and I mean this in the most non-gender-specific way) is a sure road to problems, most of us want someone to be with when the work day is done. We want the brass ring more than we want the gold watch. And that’s as it should be. So proceed with caution, respect and professionalism.”

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. Sherrie Campbell is a relationship and business professional, having applied her counseling background in a variety of challenging organizational settings. They’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than they do. Also check out their complete column archive at workmash.org, “The Boss’s Survival Guide” and “Gray Matters: The workplace survival guide.” Send your questions or comments to bob@workmash.org.

How to encourage employees to stay

Dear WW: My little embroidery business has hit a major milestone: I just hired my first employee. I lucked out and got a real hard worker, but now I’m worried about keeping him. How can I make him want to stay? NO GO

Dear NO,

You’ve probably never tried “six-day” underwear. It’s a Japanese invention that I read about in the News of the Weird. The underwear has three leg holes. Each day you rotate the garment one hole to the right, then after three days you flip it over to get three more days . . .

I don’t know how it’s selling in Japan, but given the ventilation in most offices, I’m sure glad it didn’t catch on here. Some things really need to change! And, then again, some things don’t. Like your company values-the way your company treats its customers and employees. The best way to keep your employee(s) happy is to treat them with respect, which you can do by following all those basic maxims you learned from mom. Rhonda Abrams offers them up in her new book called (appropriately) “Wear Clean Underwear: Business Wisdom from Mom.” (Villard, 1999). I’ve adapted the following points from it.

I don’t care who made this mess, just clean it up. Accidents happen! And sometimes work feels like a debating society where people endlessly dispute the blame rather than doing something about it.  Establish a different value in your company by fixing things first and asking questions second.

It’s not the end of the world. There’s a belief about workers today that they “just don’t care” about their jobs. But talk to employees and you’ll find a different story. If anything, they care too much! (A secretary told me recently that she has nightmares about disconnecting her boss.) So assume the best about your employee(s), and instead of managing with a whip, manage with a thank you.

Eat your vegetables or you won’t get dessert. You’ve got a great new employee not a slave, so don’t skim off the treats and leave him with the brussel sprouts. Everyone needs a balanced diet of projects on his plate.

Share. Many businesses get stuck in a vicious cycle. Bosses withhold key information; employees, feeling slighted, withhold their commitment to the company; bosses feel less inclined to share information; employees feel further disconnected. Break this cycle by sharing everything you can about how the business is run. Share the financial sheets. Talk about the costs of doing business. Explain the big picture. Share.

Wear clean underwear (what if you get in an accident and somebody sees it?). My mom, when I was growing up, asked about my underwear daily. But only recently did I get what she was saying: that it’s important to do the right thing even when people can’t see it. (Yes, mom, I’m wearing clean underwear as I type this.) So keep your underwear clean-and your employees are apt to stay close.

Working Wounded poll:

What is valued the most at your company?

• The employees, 7.1%
• The customers, 22.6%
• The bottom line, 70.1%

Working Wounded strategy:

B.W. in Memphis, TN had the most interesting view on values, or maybe it should be the lack of values, at work. “I am on my way out the door from my current job. Although I really like the type of work I do, I am fed up with values I see coming out of my boss. As the bookkeeper, I know my boss has two farms, a thriving business on the side, a fancy condo and, of course, the business I work for. I keep all the accounts. I KNOW how much money he makes and what his expenses are. Yet, in the two years I’ve been there, I have never gotten a raise. I had to beg for almost a week to get a box of new manila folders to begin the new year’s filing. I am constantly bombarded with how ‘broke’ he is and how he isn’t making any money. I know it’s “bunk” and I’m tired of feeling like just another expense to him.”

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. Sherrie Campbell is a relationship and business professional, having applied her counseling background in a variety of challenging organizational settings. They’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than they do. Also check out their complete column archive at workmash.org, “The Boss’s Survival Guide” and “Gray Matters: The workplace survival guide.” Send your questions or comments to bob@workmash.org.

How to find the best business books

Dear WW: My boss wants to start a business book discussion group at our office and asked me to pull it together. Can you recommend some books for us to read? (DON’T WANT TO) READ IT AND WEEP

Dear READ IT,

Speaking of reading, did you happen to read the article about the Russian thieves who’d targeted a warehouse for their next theft? They had a sophisticated getaway plan-with only one hitch. Their walkie-talkies were tuned to the same frequency as the local police . . . They were arrested as they left the building.

Unlike the thieves, you WANT to be on the same frequency as the people around you. And your boss is right: getting employees to read the same books and then discuss them is a fabulous way to do that. Don’t get fancy; just schedule your meetings over a monthly brown bag lunch. Here are some books to get you started.

Orbiting the Giant Hairball (Viking, 1998). Gordon MacKenzie explains his title by saying that “orbiting” means finding the place in your company where you can benefit from the organization’s resources without being entombed in its bureaucracy. A great book for anyone in the shallow end of the corporate pool.

What Color is Your Parachute? (Ten Speed, 1999)  With over 6 million copies in print, you’d think that Dick Bolles might rest on his laurels, but no sir. The ’99 edition is a complete re-write of his classic. When it comes to careers, all roads still lead through Bolles.

What Were They Thinking? (Times, 1998) My dad said you can learn more from failure than you can from success and Robert McMath proves it. He maintains a museum of 80,000 new product “innovations and idiocies,” many of which are described here. It’s hard to tell which the book has more of-marketing insights or laughs per page. My favorite product? Edible deodorant.

1001 Ways To Energize Employees (Workman, 1998) Bob Nelson could convince Scrooge to treat his employees better-and show him precisely how to do it. Whoever draws your boss’s name in the holiday gift exchange HAS TO give him this as a present. It’s guaranteed to make everyone’s work life better.

The Intelligent Organization (Berrett Kohler, 1998). Gifford and Libba Pinchot’s provocative book explains how to create companies that use the intelligence of all employees. If the bureaucracy’s got you down, this book will give you hope that there IS a better way.

Out of the Crisis (MIT, 1986). W. Edwards Deming not only brought the word “quality” into our business vocabulary, he was quite a character. He once asked a room full of executives, “how many of you have dead wood on your staff?” When everyone raised their hands he shouted, “did you hire them that way or did you kill them?” I barely survived algebra in high school, but this is one mathematician who’s a “must” read.

Hopefully these books will help you bust through the static at work and get to a better frequency.

Working Wounded poll:

Where do you get most of your new ideas?

• From business books, 26.2%
• From other industries, 30.3%
• From co-workers, 43.4%

Working Wounded strategy:

Our winning strategy for dealing the best business book comes from Dan Z. in Oakland, CA. “‘Underboss: Sammy The Bull Gravano’s Story of Life in the Mafia’ written by Peter Maas. I’m not suggesting that whacking unproductive employees is a fit and proper way to respond but Underboss points out that you should talk to people all the time, both when they do well and when they don’t. Perhaps a particularly fruitful truck hijacking will yield that man who showed extra incentive a bonus or well deserved “attaboy.” Underboss shows that if you communicate to employees all the time, to correct problems, as well as reward good work, fear will not be instilled from the dreaded ‘call to the office.’ Instead, a meeting with the boss will just be another chance to discuss schedules, air problems, and exchange views.”

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. Sherrie Campbell is a relationship and business professional, having applied her counseling background in a variety of challenging organizational settings. They’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than they do. Also check out their complete column archive at workmash.org, “The Boss’s Survival Guide” and “Gray Matters: The workplace survival guide.” Send your questions or comments to bob@workmash.org.