We’re hiring!

We’re hiring! Exciting, yes! Easy, no.

The process of hiring can always be intimidating, especially to a small, close-knit company with a very distinct “personality,” aka company culture.

Our company culture comes naturally from being our authentic selves, caring about each other and working with our individual talents. Our titles and roles are ever-evolving to play on our strengths, instead of trying to fit a cookie-cutter job description. The collaborative and open environment encourages creative brainstorming and accessibility for help or advice. We even spend time with each other outside of the 40-hours a week that we “work” together.

As the most recently hired designer (almost 3 years ago!), I’ve had the privilege of growing my skills and my love of design with Worx. From my first business card design to, more recently, complete re-branding packages, growth is apparent all around me. Our lovely new office with teal walls and room for more team members; of course the creation and ongoing initiative of The Green Couch Project!

I personally happen to be in the desk position to potentially play footsie with the new Worx employee. I look forward to having another team member to encourage, help and learn from! We’re looking for a Junior Graphic Designer with strong logo and branding skills, who is team oriented and loves to collaborate!

So, what can you do to really define your company culture and invite growth to come your way?

- Be authentic.

There are times to be more relaxed and times to be more professional, but always be yourself. People like REAL.

- Be realistic.

Having very high goals set for yourself and your company is always a great thing. However, having a realistic plan of attack for reaching those goals, one step at a time, makes the short-term goals more achievable.

- Be honest.

With being authentic, comes being honest. Do you have an open door policy? Do your employees or co-workers feel intimidated or feel that they don’t have access to help or resources? Create open, helpful and encouraging dialogue to ensure positive communication and honesty.

- Be intentional.

Be intentional about each team members’ strengths and weaknesses and work with them. While it’s important to fill a “role” that needs to be filled, let it morph into what works best for them, you and the company. There’s no job title that’s one-size-fits-all for all companies.

-Be fun.

Everyone likes to have fun. While everyone’s definition of fun is different, finding common ground of something enjoyable to do together as a company will build the team up as a whole and just lift everyone’s spirits. If everyone feels appreciated and is presented an opportunity to relax and have fun, when it’s time to get back to work, they will feel refreshed, motivated and ready to go!

Cartalk

It is funny; one can call in with car questions; they’ve mastered the punch-line delivery and they know their stuff. On the rare occasion I remember to tune-in, I catch them on the radio, and I make up for my disloyal fandom by following them on Facebook.

 

Rumored to be the winner of NPR’s “Most Likely to be Canceled Show” for 25 years, straight, I’m talking about Cartalk - known as an interactive radio talk show where dynamic brother duo Tom and Ray Magliozzi - the voice and DNA of the show - discuss all that is vehicular and peculiar.

 

More recently I experienced my own version of car talk.

 

What do you get when one stages an event that sticks two introverts in a car, seatbelts them in (remember – click it, or ticket!) and sends them downtown?

 

Well; we encountered a few mechanical difficulties, that even extroverts would be inexperienced with; had some coughing that mimicked barking dogs; came to complete stops around cops; listened to some fist pumping music; outsmarted construction crews, but more importantly we had a breakthrough: We didn’t just small talk, “So how is work?” and we explored more than the weather and what we would be eating for supper.

 

We were introverts who spent a lot of time around people and on the ride to and fro we learned how important it is to surround one’s self with positive people. Because over and over I learn that sometimes my own company is like stale, moldy pizza. The all-American food gone bad; a total mood killer.

But, you know, these truths are always more enlightening when someone points it out while simultaneously a light bulb (or dashboard light) flashes above your head.

 

Ask anyone who has been anywhere. If they have lived a little, it doesn’t take long to learn a lot and this is something you learn fast: Whom you spend time with… You become.

  

Who are you hanging out with? Who have you made plans with this weekend? Tonight? Tomorrow? Heck, do you work commute with, work with or, even, with whom do you putt-putt golf? Because, that’s you*.

*Okay, by You, I mean me. I made plans tonight. I made plans this weekend. Heck, I have co-workers and a boss who give me questionable looks when I open my mouth and start pacing and practicing my lunges mid-day.

And this is not the “In-ten-years-version-you.” No. This is the live edition: unfiltered, streaming up-to-date you.

 

Now, what if those same people are asking those same questions? Are *you the type of person they want to hang around? Do they want to rub shoulders with you? Will that chip on your shoulders fall from yours to theirs?

 

Be a person worth becoming: Exercise kindness, sweetness, morality, ethics, courage, honesty, faithfulness, peacefulness and you will have many strengths. Give them your shoulders, lift them up you will create giants.

Relax!

Take a breather to take on the world.

Recently, I went on a weeklong camping trip in the wilderness of New England with my family. We had sporadic cell service, and even had to pull over and break out an ATLAS to find our way around. It was a nice escape from being available 24/7. It is no secret that taking time off can make you more productive. There is scientific evidence to prove it!

The more we try to keep up, the more trapped we become in the proverbial hamster wheel. The notion of accomplishing more by doing less seems absurd. A new and growing body of research across multiple disciplines shows that planned breaks – including daytime exercise, naps, longer sleep hours and more time away from the office can re-energize you; boosting productivity, creativity and job performance. I guess the boss was right all along in making us eat lunch away from our desks and encouraging walks outside on nice days.

In many work environments, downtime is considered wasted time. We rely on time to get things accomplished, but there is only a finite amount. We can’t make more hours in the day, but we can increase our energy. Energy also has a limit but, unlike time, it is renewable. Humans are not designed to burn continuous energy. We need periods of recovery to function. Our bodies are great at telling us when we need to recharge, but warning signs are often hidden by caffeine, sugar and stress hormones (adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol; respectively).

Working in 90-minute intervals with short breaks in between is a step in the right direction. Go outside: nature is more affordable than therapy. So is spending time doing things that matter. Taking the time for self-renewal can help you to be excellent at anything.

Mind If Cut In? Managing Interruptions at Work.

It occurs as part of the natural flow of things in the workplace and it is virtually impossible to avoid. It can make you lose your train of thought and hinder the progress of projects that require full and focused attention. I am talking about interruptions, my friends. While we all have to deal with it, some handle it better than others. Our office has a unique situation- the four of us are in one room with nowhere to hide.

Some interruptions are important, and it is a fact of life that from time-to-time your expertise will be needed outside of your regularly scheduled workday. Aside from in-person interruptions, we are constantly dealing with phone calls, emails and IMs. Good news; I have a few ways you could minimize the impact of interruptions on your productivity. They aren’t one-size-fits-all and the application depends on your work environment:

Plan for it. Your coworkers are not purposely trying to sabotage your carefully planned day – but as mentioned before, some interruptions are important and inevitable. In fact, you are probably aware of when certain interruptions are going to happen. When planning out your schedule for the day, allow some gaps in your day so interruptions won’t be such a big deal.

Take control. It is OK to tune out every once in a while. Just be sure to respond to emails, phone calls and the like in a reasonable timeframe. In our office, we “plug in” with our ear buds and tune everything out with music. This is our “Do Not Disturb” sign. If you are lucky enough to have your own office, you can place a sign on your door (but not all day). Share your system with coworkers: more than likely they will accept and respect it. They may even adopt your strategy!

Don’t interrupt others. We have all heard the advice to treat others the way you would like to be treated. Be a model for what you would like to see. Before launching into a full-on conversation, ask if it is a good time to talk.

Hide. I’m serious. If you have a smaller office where there isn’t a quiet place to focus, leave the office. If you cannot leave, find out if a half-day out of the office is possible. A few hours of focused time may allow you to accomplish more than you would in days of interrupted time.

Just say no. Some interruptions are necessary, but many of them can wait. If you are not available, ask the person if you can talk about it later. Don’t beat around the bush or make up an excuse, just be honest and matter-of-fact. Learning to say “no” is not always easy, but with time it can prevent a lot of headaches.

We are all in this together. If you communicate your need for focused time and establish a system, most people will appreciate and respect it.

A Bulging & Brawny Brain

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: The prequel to the New Year’s ball dropping, it’s the much anticipated revealing of how many urban dictionary words have made it to the big leagues: The Oxford Dictionary.

And, yet, even the picture-perfect new word of the year Selfie doesn’t adjust the wise words of football coach Vince Lombardi, “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Oh Vine, what great timing to appear as a Pinterest quote full of sassy wisdom. Just in time to be on a waiting list for our resolution list.

I suppose Lombardi understood and experienced the glorious after effects of an intense, successful workout. When muscles acknowledge that you put in the work and effort.

Try to workout your brain; challenge yourself daily and stretch the boundaries with a curiosity of whom you can grow into. Embrace the new tasks that find their way in your to-do file. Not only does it signify the promise that your employer or your client has newfound trust in your capabilities, but it’s a great way for you to elevate a job into a career you are passionate about. Set yourself time related goals, track your progress on your smart phone and then beat your record.

Just as the 20 curling reps can tone your body, so can reps of mental exercise at work tone your outlook, creating a driven mindset to better yourself and the lives around you.  And so, Vine, we accept the underlying challenge, to workout our mind. We’ll stretch and we’ll push one more paper into a complete file. We’ll stick to our mental exercise regime to buff up, to achieve a bulging and brawny brain. Through this we’ll find glorious success in the repetitions of work.

And who knows, maybe we can capture a flexing Selfie of the moment, too!

Mr. Happy Pants

It’s always been a struggle for me to not take work home with me. Pulling out a document I had been working on several hours ago at the office: it’s a giddy, rush-of-adrenaline moment. Now, in a new environment, it’s a more intense battle. I really love what I do!

Being the new girl at work, however, I’m the outsider looking in over shoulders. Or so I thought. I’ve found it’s a safety zone for sharing. Even if I wrapped my emotional baggage in designer bags, it’s baggage nonetheless. When I noticed that the level of communication at work was essential to the momentum of the team, I realized how the empathy and wisdom they gave and gained made taking work home an even more positive thing. That baggage I carried in? It’s been lightened and can now be refilled with encouragement.

I’m learning to listen; I’ve been listened to. Now I feel like an insider.

I thought I was alone in some of my quirks and hang-ups. I told myself to shut up if the urge to speak arose. But as I listened, they listened in return and turns out, we aren’t as unique as we think when it comes to mishaps of life.

And Mr. Happy Pants? He’s the gentleman who inspired me, long ago, to smile, laugh at oneself and move on. Every time he came into my old store, he wore his ripped pants; a big L-shaped tear that created a flap right over the seat of his pants. If only his boxers had smiley faces: ) He was aware of this clothing defect, but he always smiled through the recounting of his stories… even when the things in his life were ripping him apart.

The next time I go into work I can be Mr. Happy Pants, because I work with a group of Happy Pants. They too have been ripped, but when they brought their home into work, they slipped on Happy Pants, and could take that renewed work energy home with them. Today, especially, I saw how my co-workers and boss take those Happy Pants everywhere, and I see sharing -tears, rips and all- really is caring.