Six strategies for managing a professional crisis

Six strategies for managing a professional crisisSix strategies for managing a professional crisisAt some point in your career, you might be at the unfortunateend of aprofessional crisis. Lets say you accidentally sent out a mass email. Or worse, you committed the ultimate career suicide and hooked up with your boss. Whether it be a small or large faux pas, here are six damage control tips from two PR prosSay somethingThe first 48 hours of a crisis is critical. To ensure you remain in control of how the story is told, first acknowledge the situation. Next, youll start taking the necessary steps to shape the outcome.Create a strong response in a firm clear languageUsing weak words or phrases such as maybe and just strip your authority and make you seem powerless. Manyspeech expertsrecommend eliminating those words from your vocabulary altogether. Replace these phrases with I think, I believe, and I feel. For even stronger options use Im confident, Im convinced, and I expect.Build con sensus among natural allies potential rivalsYou may have to dig but in every situation, there are at least a handful of things everyone can agree on. Find those few things and use them as a tool to bring people to your side.Drive the storyTheres always an informationvacuum surrounding every story. Fill it or it will be filled for you. Set the record straight by addressing misinformed parties of your side of the story.Dont lie or spin the truthTheres nothing is worse than being caught in a lie. Most people have a short memory, and can be pretty forgiving if you are open and honest. Share as much information as possible todemonstrate credibility.Have a planBe prepared to communicate quickly over all forms of social and traditional media. If you usually find yourself lost for words, jot down a few talking points. This will make it easier to get your point across in a clear and concise way in high-stress situations. Have pre-developed answers to awkward questions will show that you are grace under pressure. Hesitation is death.Joy Lammie is a crisis communications expert with more than 6 years of experience in the Washington, DC social and political scene.Michael Hardaway is a crisis communications advisor who guides professional athletes, policymakers, and corporate leaders.This article first appeared on Capitol Standard.close dialogAdvertisement close dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012255 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012255 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-transform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from transform rotate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside-1012255 top 0 right 0 /* KD - Remove padding from video wrapper and set height to 100% */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper padding-top 0important height 100%.bx-custombx-campaign-1012255 bx-creative-1012255 .bx-wrap height auto/* KD - Change positioning to static as that was not necesaary and here you can adjust the height of the video element */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper video position static/* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012255 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child width 100%.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color erkennbarborder-style nonemax-width 900px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground-color blackborder-style solidborder-color whitebor der-width 1px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-group-1012255-AFvXBOB padding 10pxdisplay blockwidth auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-element-1012255-J0EiS8Y width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-element-1012255-J0EiS8Y *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)background-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34)

Reasons Not to Give Two Weeks Notice

Reasons Not to Give Two Weeks NoticeReasons Not to Give Two Weeks NoticeThere are plenty of good reasons to quit your job. In a perfect world, youd always quit one gig because abedrngnisher, better opportunity appeared. Here in the real world, sometimes the decision to move on will be motivated less by exciting new horizons and more by wanting to escape a job you cant stand. When that happens, the first question on many peoples minds is, Do I have to give two weeks notice? The Law Is on Your Side (But Beware) Can you quit a job without notice? Whats the best way to leave a job when you need to quit right away. Under normal circumstances, its best to give the standard notice but theres probably no legal reason why you cant quit on the spot. The vast majority of states in the U.S. have at-will employment, which means that either the employer or the employee can sever the relationship with no notice and for no stated cause. This means that your babo cannot prevent you from walking out the door without giving two weeks notice, even if the employment handbook says that this is the standard for the company. However, if your employment is covered by an employment agreement, the terms of that contract may apply unless you are leaving for good cause. Your employment contract may also require you to forfeit benefits like unused vacation leave if you dont provide sufficient notice. That said, most of the time its in your best interest to give notice, even in difficult employment situations. You never know when a previous employer might be contacted by a prospective one, so it is wise to leave on the best possible terms. It can impact your future employment options if a prospective employer is told that you quit without notice. Think about it from an employers perspective would you want to hire someone who might leave you hanging? Theres also the possibility that there could be financial repercussions for quitting. If youre a contract worker, for example, and you lea ve before your contract is up, you might find yourself paying penalties. Sticking It Out May Be in Your Best Interest I often hear from employees who are working under very difficult circumstances, or just started a job and know it isnt going to work out, and arent sure what to do. Generally speaking, if you want to quit, the answer is to give notice and then tough it out for two weeks. When you have considered all the reasons where staying might make sense, and they dont, its time to think about the timing of your departure. Should you stick it out for another couple of weeks or are there times when you can give less than two weeks notice or no notice at all? Reasons Not to Give Two Weeks Notice There may be some circumstances like the following where leaving sooner might be advisable An employee has been physically abusive.A supervisor has sexually harassed you.The work environment is unsafe, or it is unsafe to carry out your assigned responsibilities.Your mental health is being seriously endangered by job stress.You have not been paid the agreed-upon wage or wages have been withheld for an unreasonable length of time.You have been asked to do something which is clearly unethical or illegal.Personal or family circumstances are such that you need to leave the job.A crisis has happened in your life, and there is no way you can continue on the job. Before You Quit Your Job In most cases, it will make sense to contact the Human Resources department or management officials not directly involved with your grievance to discuss your situation. HR might be able to help you explore possible remedies or accommodations prior to giving notice. In some cases, it will also make sense to consult a counselor or therapist to help you cope with job stress. Do keep in mind that the company cant force you to stay. However, if you quit a job without good cause you may not be eligible for unemployment benefits. (Heres information on collecting unemployment benefits wh en you quit a job.) How to Quit Your Job Even if youre not giving much or any, advance notice, there are ways to resign gracefully. A conversation is always best, but if its not possible to discuss your resignation with your supervisor in person, you can use a phone call or email glaubenszeugnis to resign. Heres how to quit your job with class, including when to quit, what to say and how to resign via email or a phone call, if necessary. The information contained in this article is not legal advice and is not a substitute for such advice. State and federal laws change frequently, and the information in this article may not reflect your own states laws or the most recent changes to the law.

Checklist for an Employment Termination Meeting

Checklist for an Employment Termination MeetingChecklist for an Employment Termination MeetingEmployees leave your organization for good reasons and bad reasons. On the positive side, they find new opportunities, go back to school, retire or land their dream job. Less positively, they are fired for poor performance or poor attendance or experience a layoff because of a geschftsleben downturn. In each instance, you need an employment termination checklist to help the employee exit process go smoothly. Heres a sample employment termination checklist. Employment Termination Checklist Employee NameDateNotify Human Resources _____ Notify HR As soon as you are aware of and/or receive a letter from an employee that notifies you of the employees intention to terminate employment, notify your Human Resources office._____ Official Notice If an employee tells you of their intention to leave your employment, ask them to write a resignation letter that states they are leaving and their te rmination date. (Companies request a minimum of two weeks notice, when possible and desirable.) Permissions / Access Termination _____Notify your network administrator As soon as you know that an employee is leaving, notify your network administrator or another appropriate staff person of the date and time on which to terminate the employees access to computer and telephone systems. Make arrangements for how behauptung accounts will be routed to ascertain that your organization will not lose contact with clients and customers. Additionally, disable the employees building entry alarm code, if applicable._____Disable employee building or property access Effective on the termination date, whether immediate in a firing situation, or at a mutually agreed upon end date, you need to terminate the employees building access. Depending on your access methods, you will need to disable the employees building entry code, disable the entry swipe card, or collect the employees keys. It is in both your best interest and the former employees that he or she cannot access any company property.Return of Property _____ Return of company property Exiting employees are required to turn in all company books and materials, keys, ID badges, computers, cell phones and any other company-owned items._____ Passwords Employees should provide their supervisors with passwords and other information pertaining to accessing computer files and telephone messages. (You may want to keep email and phone accounts active for awhile to field customer contacts.) Status of Benefits _____ Vacation pay and unused sick time Terminating employees are paid up to a maximum of 30 days for unused, accrued vacation time. If the employee has used time not yet accrued, payment to the company for this time is subtracted from the last paycheck. (If your company designates a certain number of sick days and they are accrued, you would also need to pay the employee for the time accrued.)_____ Benefits status l etter Following termination, former employees receive a letter from the Human Resources office that outlines the status of their benefits upon termination. This includes life insurance, health coverage, retirement plan and expense account plans. (In the United States, organizations comply with the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1980 (COBRA), and extend to eligible employees and their enrolled dependents the right to continue health care plan coverage for a specified period of time at their own expense and at full cost.)_____ Repayment of advances Any unpaid payroll advances will be subtracted from the employees final check._____ Payment of money owed the employee Any unpaid expenses for company business purposes (turned in on an expense report), unpaid commission and bonuses will be paid in the final paycheck. Confidentiality and Non-compete Agreements _____ Review of theconfidentiality agreement or non-compete agreement Any confidentiality agreement or non-co mpete agreement that the exiting employee signed when commencing employment should be reviewed to make certain the employee understands what is expected. Even if the employee never signed such a document, most employee handbooks have a clause or code of conduct paragraph about not sharing company confidential information or trade secrets. Review this and remind the employee that any breach of this confidentiality will be addressed. Exit Interview _____ Confidential exit interview Exiting employees are encouraged to participate in a confidential exit interview with the Human Resources department. (Exit interviews are an important process you can use to gather information regarding the working environment in your organization. When notified that an employee is terminating employment, your HR office will schedule an exit interview. All information gathered is confidential and is reported periodically in summary form._____ Written permission for reference checking Exiting employees, w ho plan to seek employment, must sign a form giving the company permission to provide reference information when tauglichkeit employers call._____ Give the employee an address update form to fill out if they move. Especially for large companies, or those with high turnover, W-2s will come back as non-deliverable if the address has changed. Without new contact information, it is difficult to provide needed information to the former employee. As a backup, verify that the employees emergency contact information is up-to-date and that you can contact that person to locate them if you have trouble getting their W2s to them.