5 True Horror Office Stories

5 True Horror Office Stories

Halloween is coming up, and we all love a good scary story for Halloween, right? Fans of a good scare know that the scariest stories are the ones that happen in real life, to real people. Here are 5 true horror office stories that can happen to anyone.

Send to all

This story is at the top of the list for a reason: everyone is terrified of sending out emails that are misspelled or mistakenly sent to an unintended recipient. The most horrifying one is a badly spelled email that has been “sent to all.” You will go down in history as that person who sent “I apologize for any incontinence” to everyone in the mailing list. So proofread your emails, make it short and to the point, and please only include pertinent recipients. 

The sick co-worker

In light of recent happenings, it is a huge no-no to sneeze or cough in public. If you want to disperse a team meeting, all you have to do is cough and watch how quickly everyone disappears from the vicinity. Now, imagine having a co-worker with allergic rhinitis who has a sneezing fit of 6 to 7 sneezes but does not leave the meeting room. This used to be a mild annoyance. Now, everyone sees this as an affront to their health and safety. If you are sick, please do not go to work and see a doctor. If it’s just a case of bad allergies, be considerate and work remotely so as not to scare everyone.

The “Legally Blonde” moment

Remember the scene in the movie “Legally Blonde” where Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) shows up to a college party in full playboy bunny costume, only, it turns out to be a regular house party. Remember this when you decide to dress up for Halloween. A costume theme only works when everyone knows that there’s a costume theme going on AND has agreed to join you. So make sure that the team knows that you all agreed to dress up in costumes for the day. Otherwise, you will forever be known as “The Office Clown” if you show up dressed as Pennywise to the office.

Too much Halloween fun

Do not overindulge at office parties. This goes not only for Halloween parties but for all office parties in general. And by overindulging, I don’t mean just drinks. This goes for food, candy, and even (God forbid) office supplies. Moderation is key. Be a team player and save some for the others. 

True story, bro

I leave you with a “true” office horror story. You can read more real-life office scary stories, here.

“We’ve come to believe a terrible accident took place during the building [of our coffee shop]. The first time I noticed anything, I was in the lobby alone, no customers, all co-workers in the back room, and I heard a man ask, “Where are my hands?!” I nearly peed my pants. Since then, every now and then, weird things will happen. We’ll hear someone asking for help or saying, “Hello? Hello? Hello?!” when no one is in the store.

There have been multiple times I’m in the back alone washing dishes and see something move out of the corner of my eye or hear something fall or shuffle. I’ll check, and no one will be there. We’ll hear the bell of our door opening, but no one is there. I definitely don’t enjoy my shifts when something like that happens. —Francisca, barista for a major coffee chain in Washington”

Do you have your own office horror story? Share them with us in the comments. Happy Halloween! Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Good Plans To Have For The Coming Year

Good Plans To Have For The Coming Year

It’s October. We’re in the last quarter of the year and the holidays are coming up. A lot of us feel that the majority of the year has passed us by, and we have nothing to show for it. If you’re like me, most of your year has been spent in lockdown which kind of limits growth and experiences in a big way. We’ve all cycled through cabin fever and back again with the help of Netflix, sourdough starters, new plant acquisitions, and heavy podcast consumption.

At the rate we’re going, I think we could all agree that life isn’t going to go back to “normal” at the stroke of 12 MN on January 1, 2021. We’ve come to accept the reality that this is how “normal” is going to look like from here onward. But it’s not a bad thing to strive for a bit of order amidst this chaos, right? Besides, the year is almost up. And if 2021 is anything like 2020, we better be ready for the surprises in store for next year. It’s better to be prepared. So here are 2 good plans to have…you know, just in case.

Personal Growth Plan

Set goals for the next year and really think about what you want to achieve in life. What skills do you want to learn or improve? How can you make your life better? Once you have listed them down, assign time frames to them. For example, you can set monthly goals, with 1 to 2 goals per month. This works well for learning goals or health goals. If your goals are more long-term and would take more than a month to achieve, you can assign them as quarterly, 6 mos, 1 year, 5 years, or 10-year goals. After assigning time frames, you should list down your action plans. For example, if your goal is to gradually switch to a plant-based diet, your steps can be:

  1. Make most meals meatless
  2. Look for meat substitutes

Setting time frames and action plans to your goals is the power move that jumpstarts your dreams into action.

Emergency Plan

This year is proof that everyone should always have personal disaster management or risk reduction plan. In Japan (where they regularly experience earthquakes) all children have GO bags near the designated exits. We should all take stock of their example. At the very least, you should prepare a bag that has food, water, and supplies to last for several days. As per the recommendation of Red Cross, these are the 15 items to include in your basic emergency kit:

  1. Water: one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
  2. Food: non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
  3. Flashlight 
  4. Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
  5. Extra batteries (Similar item available in the Red Cross Store)
  6. Deluxe family first aid kit
  7. Medications (7-day supply) and medical items
  8. Multi-purpose tool
  9. Sanitation and personal hygiene items
  10. Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
  11. Cell phone with chargers (Similar item available in the Red Cross Store)
  12. Family and emergency contact information
  13. Extra cash
  14. Emergency blanket
  15. Map(s) of the area

How do you disaster-proof your life? Share your tips with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

How To Improve Employee Wellbeing By Making Small Changes In The Workplace

How To Improve Employee Wellbeing By Making Small Changes In The Workplace

It has not been a good year for anybody in terms of health, happiness, or just the general atmosphere in current events. A lot of businesses have experienced major challenges in the form of budget cutbacks, organization restructures, or business closures. Employee morale sure could use a boost as we enter the last quarter of the year and what could arguably be the busiest season for businesses, work-wise.

There is always room for improvement when it comes to creating a happier and healthier workplace. Businesses that promote health and well-being are reported to have more successful employees and have better employee retention in the long term. Improving the workplace can pose a challenge right now since there are still a good number of employees who are either working from home or working remotely. However, there are certain small changes that can be encouraged in order to create a healthier workplace be it at home or at the office.

Boost Team Health

A healthy team is a happy team. While it is not advisable for people to troop to the gym right now due to COVID-19 health advisories, we can still encourage employees to get fit. One good example is to subsidize or give corporate discounts for subscriptions to exercise apps or training apps. The DownDog app not only has yoga lessons but HIIT, Barre, 7 Minute Workout, and Prenatal Yoga as well. Other examples are Nike Training Club, Aaptiv, Lotus Yoga & Workout, Kettlebell Workouts by Fitify, and TRX. You can also hold your very own “Biggest Loser” competition as a (long-running) team building exercise. You can even create a virtual bulletin board for sharing healthy recipes.

Improve Efficiency

Check for areas where efficiency can be improved. You will find many but focus on those that have an impact on team morale. For example, are your Zoom meetings running too long? That would be a waste of resources (time, effort). Be sure to have an agenda before going into the meeting and stick to it. Don’t book it for longer than 45minutes and discuss only the essentials. Invite only the relevant stakeholders and then send copies of the summary to everyone else. Make small changes in the office, streamline your processes to avoid duplication of work or unnecessary costs. 

Recognize Your Team’s Achievements

You’ll find out more about that in this article.

Career Planning

Make sure that career pathways are clear and developed. Make sure that career opportunities are available for your team. Otherwise, they will look for it elsewhere. Your team should have goals and milestones to achieve in order to feel that they are working towards a greater good. If there are no opportunities to progress or get promoted, then employees will feel unmotivated. Give them a chance to develop new skills or take on additional responsibilities to improve their status at work.

How do you improve the employee wellbeing while working from home? Share your tips with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Are You Giving Your Team The Recognition They Deserve?

Are You Giving Your Team The Recognition They Deserve?

When you have been working really hard and feel good about the results of a project you were deeply involved in, a little recognition from the company should be in order, right? Sadly, a lot of companies have been missing out on giving their employees duly deserved recognition because we’re mostly working from home after all. However, being in lockdown should not be a hurdle for employers to give recognition to their employees for a job well done.

Recognition for great work is a very important part of team management and team engagement. By rewarding your team, you are boosting morale. Happy and satisfied employees tend to be more committed to doing better for the next projects and are more loyal to the company.

Employee recognition usually comes in two types:

Monetary: this would come in the form of bonuses, vouchers, and gift cards.

Non-monetary: verbal thank-yous, extra vacation days, flexible work hours, extra benefits, or recognition ceremonies fall under this category.

How to say “Thank you, we appreciate your hard work!”

Recognition Day

Organize an awarding ceremony or a recognition day for your top performers. It can be just a simple ceremony to hand out certificates and thank you tokens for their great work. Or it can be a big event such as a themed party or a company-wide celebration, complete with plaques and gifts.

Send it out in an email

Want your team to beam with pride while they walk the halls at work? Send out a company-wide email detailing their achievements and how they did a good job, along with a heartfelt thank you note for their dedication.

Activity Day

Organize an activity day when your team gets to kick back and relax in an out of work setting. To thank them for their hard work, you can treat them to a picnic, a lunch out, an out-of-town trip, or any fun and relaxing activity where you can practice social distancing, of course.

The most important thing to remember when giving your team recognition is to ensure that it is authentic and timely. Employers must take great care to reward genuine, exemplary work when it happens in order to make employees and teams believe that their work is truly valued. Rewarding average work or even giving recognition in an impersonal or insincere manner won’t resonate well with your team and will not give them the desired effect of making them feel appreciated. 

Employee recognition is one of the biggest drivers of engagement and is directly linked to employee satisfaction and loyalty. Remember that rewards are not always monetary and that you can get creative when it comes to showing your team the recognition they deserve. 

How does your company show appreciation and recognition? What other ways can your company show their appreciation that teams can appreciate? Share your tips with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Why You Need Tools and Apps for Your Small Business

Why You Need Tools and Apps for Your Small Business

A small business owner wears many hats. That is why it is important to learn to delegate and automate, otherwise, the small business owner will be at risk of burnout. As a small business owner, you might have to redirect your focus on tasks that produce results that are directly related to the growth of your business. Having tools and business software at your disposal can be compared to delegating the repetitive tasks that are also essential to the business but can be delegated to someone else. For example, if you would rather focus on creating quality content, then you can delegate the task of email marketing.

Like having a reliable team, having reliable software and tools can help make you and your team more productive and more organized. 

Here are a few areas you should look at when thinking about purchasing business software and tools for your small business:

Communication:

All teams rely on good communication in order to thrive. This is especially important now that teams are working remotely while on lockdown. Instant messaging apps and video conferencing tools are now considered essential. Some of the most powerful tools have team messaging and private messaging, video conferencing, screen sharing, email, and file sharing features built into one app. Zoom, GoogleMeet, Slack, and Skype are good examples of communication tools.

Productivity:

These are the apps that help your team work smarter, not harder. It helps you focus your efforts on the most important tasks and has project management capabilities that help give direction to your team. These tools help you design workflows and automate recurring processes to save time and effort and keep your team focused on doing essential tasks. Some excellent productivity and project management tools are Trello, Wrike, Asana, and Zoho.

Collaboration:

A team is only as successful as its collaboration efforts. So, in order to create successful teams, you must encourage collaboration. Collaboration software is another essential tool since the lockdown has forced teams to work remotely and/or work from home. These tools allow your team to share knowledge and exchange ideas. It also creates a knowledge bank of quick answers and shared resources. Some of the best collaboration tools have built-in communication features as well. This way, people can share ideas and talk about them in real-time. Notable collaboration tools include: GoogleDrive and DropBox.

When planning to purchase business software, consider the number of current users and if you eventually plan to scale (which means adding more users). For small business start-ups, you can check out the free plans, from which you can upgrade when your business outgrows the free plans (which will happen inevitably). 

Do you remember the first small business tool you’ve tried? What has improved since you first started using it? Is it still your favorite small business tool? Share your story and let us know in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp