Cooperating means committing, uniting, and collaborating with coworkers or other teams to solve an issue collectively.

When disagreements emerge, they should generate a positive confrontation in a perspective of exchanging and sharing of points of view. A shared solution is after all possible with the respect of these rules:

       1. Addressing positively and not criticizing

       2. Focusing on an issue and not a person

       3. Focusing the confrontation on one or more specific elements.

       4. Aim for improvement without seeking to obtain apologies.

Thus, it is possible to cooperate while disagreeing. What matters is that colleagues commit, progress and consider together a favorable outcome through a constructive communication.

Be neat – Your work, workspace and your appearance should always be orderly. Being untidy, cluttered and unkept sends a message that you don't really care how you look or whether it brings down the professional image of the office.

Be discreet – Keep your voice down and your personal phone calls private and wear headphones if you're playing music at work. If you have an open-space set-up don’t have calls on speaker phone. Be a good neighbor!

Be decent – Leave your personal grooming for home. Don’t floss, clean your ears, give yourself a manicure, put on make-up or clip your nails at the office. Personal grooming should be done at home or at least in the privacy of the bathroom.

Although it is lesser known than “burn-out” or “bore-out”, “brown-out” is no less a danger to workers. It is the manifestation of professional exhaustion caused by a lack of motivation in which you do not understand the point or use of your work.

“Brown-out” literally means “a decrease in current” – the discomfort felt as a result of the loss of meaning in the objectives of one’s work. It is a condition that describes a decrease in a worker’s commitment resulting from a loss of meaning at work, a lack of understanding of the “why” in their mission and a lack of perspective regarding their duties.

Without a purpose and a common thread, work be or disenchantment. People suffering from “brown-out” mentally resign from their job and work without really worrying about the quality they produce. These people are looking for work with meaning. In a context where everyday tasks lose meaning, one is alert and capable but completely unmotivated and disengaged.

Therefore, a loss of motivation is the number one symptom of “brown-out”. You drag your feet, you divest yourself, meetings are mundane, you lack attention, you have no interest in what you are doing, you lose your sense of humour, you cave into yourself. Even your family and social life can be affected by professional disinterest.

The French sociologist and philosopher, Edgar Morin explains this feeling well by saying, “meaning at work is often never as essential as when it is missing”. comes useless, futile and discouraging, leading to a sort of disillusionment

Effective communication is a connection between people that allows for the exchange of thoughts, feelings, and ideas, and leads to mutual understanding.

People tend to take the communication process for granted, but in reality, communicating is actually very complex.

To improve the effectiveness of your communication, consider these basic principles:

       1. The message sent is not necessarily the message received.

       2. It is impossible to not communicate.

       3. Every message has both content and feeling.

       4. Nonverbal and paraverbal cues are more believable than verbal cues.

When people are aware of these principles and apply this information, they significantly reduce the likelihood of misunderstanding and conflict and increase the chances of successful and skillful communication.

Nowadays consumers seek a more and more satisfying experience and, in order to gain their loyalty, the staff must go beyond simply taking their order or answering their questions. They must become champions.

They must develop the necessary competences to better serve, inform et satisfy customers. The customer expects their problem to be taken care of personally.  Acting on behalf of the customer means listening to them, discovering their worries or needs, asking insightful questions et offering a solution. To be able to do so, we must be a skilled communicator in order to negotiate and resolve conflicts and problems.

Gaining customer loyalty requires the development of the whole staff interacting with them. If we wait for customers complaints to develop the staff’s competences, it is too late. Studies have shown that 90 % of dissatisfied customers don’t complain…They do business elsewhere!

If you are too shy to assert yourself and if your message is not well articulated, you are missing a lot of occasions and opportunities.

You may have the best ideas, but if you can’t communicate them effectively, you may put a lot more time and effort into persuading others compared to someone who knows how to speak with ease.

If fear, shyness, or stage fright stop you and prevent you from reaching your goals, the best way to do so is to leave your comfort zone and to put yourself out there. Intervene more often, express yourself at your next meeting… Be bold!

Speaking with confidence is a skill you learn … And like any other skill, it is mastered through practice.

A work environment fostering enjoyment stands out by its positive energy. Nowadays people seek for more than money in their work. They want to bring something to table and see it make a difference; they want learn and grow; and they want to feel part of a united and prosperous organization.

Gaining this kind of satisfaction is what keeps people coming back to work, day after day, to make a difference.

Armed with a bit of creativity, a touch of innovation, and a lot of enthusiasm, it is possible to promote a caring and positive work environment that will empower your team.

Adding some fun to your workday remains one of the best things to do.

Having fun doesn’t necessarily mean going crazy or laughing your heads off from 5 to 7. It’s as simple as having fun in what you do.

To sum it up, the one who gets some enjoyment at work enjoy it and probably succeeds at it. Having some fun doesn’t mean not taking the work seriously or not doing a good job.

Bore-out, also known as occupational exhaustion syndrome caused by boredom at work, seems to be the opposite of burn-out, yet it also leads to psychological suffering. It affects people who do not have enough tasks to perform or challenges to overcome and thus, experiencing dissatisfaction with their professional path.

It is a psychological condition that is found among employees with a certain level of education and skill-set but who perform a job devaluing their knowledge and experience. Minutes and hours seem like an eternity in these situations. You ask for more work to avoid twiddling your thumbs, you start to work slower or stretch out tasks to avoid being paid for doing nothing… You invent work… which reinforces the feeling that your presence at work is not essential. It’s a situation that does not provide any intellectual stimulation, it is very demoralising and paradoxically, very stressful. It is bore-out.

When you are about to have a delicate conversation, whether it is with a colleague, a customer or your superior, it is important that you become aware of your assumptions.

Your assumptions are the ideas and beliefs you hold about yourself and others, as well as the terrain and playing field you operate in.

Before you assume, check! Instead of trying to read their mind or come to conclusions, ask yourself:

      •What is the story in my head? Because it might not be the same from this person’s perspective.

      •What’s driving me in this conversation? You may be guided by beliefs that are outdated, inaccurate, left over from previous experiences, or simply wrong. In this case, your assumptions might be betraying you, rather than supporting you and maybecome self-fulfilling prophecies

Make sure your assumptions are respectful by acknowledging that the other person may think or see situations differently than you and by giving them the chance to explain themselves.

By giving them the benefit of the doubt and by challenging your assumptions of who they are and what they want from the conversation, youcan avoid confrontation and ensure your voice is heard.

Some people are just born to talk. They don’t even mind if you’re not really listening so long as they’re talking. So, they talk and talk and talk and talk, and you simply "uh huh" and "oh" and "I see" and hope that eventually they’ll run out of steam and let you off the phone.

They won’t.  Don’t play that game, and don’t fear that they will be offended if you try to end the conversation.  They won’t – if you do it in a courteous and direct manner. You may have to jump in when they pause for breath, but don’t beat around the bush or drop hints.

Make statements that psychologically lead the customer toward the end of the conversation:

•  "Before we hang up, I want to be sure to tell you ..."

•  "I don’t want to take up anymore of your time so let me give you ...."

•  "One last thing I need to tell/ask you..."

Dress codes have been relaxed to the point that we don’t know what to wear anymore. Dressing for work is a problem going beyond the simple “What am I going to wear today?”. You’d be interested to know that in a business setting, your outfit can be read as an indicator of your judgment – Although a nice outfit won’t get you promoted or respected, the wrong ones cansure get in your way.

Your goal when dressing for work is to project a professional, competent image, regardless of your employment level or career path. Professional image is mainly defined by the sector in which you work. When picking out your outfit carefully gauge the situation, the client, and the location. Assess the nature of your profession, your employer’s dress code and know the guidelines.

This question refers to working methods that help seta certain number of rules in order to work as a team.The method illustrates the path the team lays out to perform its activities, achieve its goal, and follow procedures.

The method is twofold: 

Delivery

Define activities to be performed in order to develop a sequence of actions. It is not recommended and unusual to start working on a project without having previously decided upon a delivery-related working method.

Interpersonal Relationships

Define the forms of interactions between teammates to create order in the relations. Usually, everyone agrees on the importance of developing a working method, but developing a method for the interpersonal aspect of teamwork is often ignored or deemed pointless and costly. It’s a shame, because the group atmosphere could suffer from this lack of preparation.

The phenomenon of occupational pathologies began in industrialized countries with the "burn-out", which is a manifestation of a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion resulting from overly demanding work situations.

Stress and tension can be triggered by a new or unforeseen circumstance, a feeling of lack of control or even a threatening or destabilizing situation. Stress is a physical reaction that puts the body on alert when in danger. The modern work experience is constantly changing and demands are incessant, and this generates an elevated level of stress that can become chronic. While you are in a constant state of urgency, your defence mechanisms are functioning without respite and your body ends up exhausted. This fatigue will have an impact on your morale and emotional exhaustion will add to physical exhaustion. To burn out literally means “to burn from inside out, to consume oneself”.

Cultural awareness is the understanding of the differences between oneself and people from other countries or environments, especially differences in behaviour and values.

Cultural awareness is the very foundation of communication, involving the ability to step back and become aware of our cultural values, beliefs and perceptions. Why do we act a certain way? How do we see the world? Why do we react in a specific way? Cultural awareness becomes key when we have to interact with people from different cultures.

 
People see, interpret, and evaluate things differently. What is considered appropriate behaviour for one culture is often inappropriate for another. Misunderstandings occur when we use our own frame of reference when trying to understand another person’s reality.

Remember your experiences in customer service, as a customer, and what made them so good (or bad!). In terms of customer service, we mostly remember the extremes, the parts awaking the strongest emotions, being positive or negative… and we talk about them for a while.

Memories linked to emotions linger in the brain. Therefore, in our work, we seek to spark pleasant and positive emotions in our customers through the provided service.

However, it is not your perception of who and what you are that matters, but the way others perceive your behaviour, what they feel towards you and how they respond to these perceptions. That is the real test!

Mental imagery is a mental training technique that productive people use to prepare for action, repeating and training their thoughts, feelings and behaviours in order to optimize their performance and well-being.

It is used effectively in many areas, including elite sport, psychiatry, therapy, teaching, and personal development to induce physical, cognitive or behavioural changes.

This science-based technique conditions our brain, making it more likely to act according to mental representation, resulting in true learning and development of this imagined skill. If you have prepared for said situation, you can simply take the appropriate action you have previously developed and practiced.

It is very important to maintain a safe environment. What can you do to secure your environment against angry customers' physical aggression?

•Plan a path or an exit strategy allowing youto leave the premises, if needed.

•Plan a physical barrier to protect you (counter, glass panel).

•Don’t leave any objects that could be used as a projectile or weapon out on your desk.

•Have an emergency button.

•Establish a buddy system with your coworkers.

People striving to make their work fun enjoy it more. They tell jokes, give themselves personal challenges, have a positive attitudeat work, or even try to make other people’s work enjoyable. And all these efforts pay off.

Enjoyment in the workplace is not only a question of work itself; it has a lot to do with demeanour. Are you always negative towards your work? If so, you will never enjoy it. We always have the choice of how we work, even if we have not chosen the job itself.

It is on you to set the tone! Enjoyment does not arise by itself, without your help. You have the power to make your coworkers and customers pleased in what they do. Be present, spark up some wonderful memories! Simply ask yourself this question: How can you engage with them to improve their day? Once you have the answer, acknowledge it, share it and foster it at every desk, at every opportunity, everyday.

And if you want to wear that ridiculous hat that you hide in the closet, ring the bell from the reception, or even dance to a catchy song, go for it! You would be surprised how many people will follow your lead. And this is when work becomes a reward in itself, instead of a way of getting one.