Workplace Myths: Are you Guilty?

We are all guilty of thinking that we are not replaceable at work or that we have the inside track with the boss for one reason or another but do we really?  This blog is for you if you have ever thought your job was your life, your co-workers were your best friends, or that you get the same salary as someone else doing the same job.  This is eye-opening for most of us if not all of us.  Maybe it will help a few folks avoid embarrassment and event hang on to that job you love so much. 

Carolyn Kepcher, who is a former Apprentice contestant as well as an author, has put together a list to debunk those workplace myths that we are confused about called: Workplace myths debunked: Bosses care if you slack off and your job is not your life.  The entire article can be found at New York Daily News, but here are a few highlights:

Here are the top nine areas in which it's important to maintain a healthy sense of reality:

MY JOB COMPLETES ME: Avoid the Work, Sleep, Repeat cycle. Otherwise, your sense of self will erode any time your job disappoints you.

MY BOSS READS MY MIND: Many workers make the mistake of not engaging in any self-promotion at all - and then suffer the crushing disappointment of not receiving a pay raise (that they never asked for), or a promotion (that no one knew they were interested in).

CO-WORKERS ARE FRIENDS: Unlike friendships or romances gone awry, you have no choice but to see your co-workers every single workday.

SALARIES ARE SET FAIRLY: They may not be, and that may not be illegal or even wrong.  Employers will pay what they feel they need to pay to hire and keep an employee, and nothing more.

H.R. IS HERE TO HELP ME: There are certain areas in which it may be best not to seek the h.r. department's assistance, such as using them as a shoulder to cry on for your every workplace woe.

THEY DEFINITELY NEED ME AROUND HERE: Being valuable is realistic, feeling irreplaceable is not.

MY PERSONAL LIFE IS MY BUSINESS: Your private life is private, until you do something that reflects poorly upon your employer.

I'LL SUE!: Filing - let alone winning - a lawsuit is a daunting and expensive task. A large organization can afford to tie up a lawsuit for a very long time while you pay a lawyer by the hour to hang in there. Righting wrongs can be a very costly mission.

MY BOSSES ARE COOL WHEN I SLACK OFF: If your job is not for you, do your best to find another. But while you're accepting their pay, it's important to honor your end of the bargain, or expect them to reward your poor attitude by bestowing your job to someone who actually wants it.

Now get back to work before the boss catches you slacking!