CATEGORY | Workplace Experiences

Underpaid Project Manager - How To Get A Raise Or Promotion
Career Planning

Underpaid Project Manager? Here’s How I Got A 43% Raise In 24 Months

Let’s be honest. Even if we love project management, we still want to get paid. Not only that, but we want to be paid what we’re worth. While many of us manage projects – even difficult, challenging ones – our salary does not always line up with our skill level. Some of us grind away at our job for years on end while feeling like we should be getting more. Despite growing immensely in skill and experience, we simply don’t ever seem to get that big raise or jump up the ladder like we think we deserve. It can be frustrating to work at an organization for while, having far surpassed the skill-level we had when hired, only to find out a new-hire for a similar position is making a heck of a lot more money right off the bat. What gives? If you’re an underpaid Project Manager looking to get a raise, then stick around. In this article, I’ll be talking about how I got a 43% increase in pay over a 24 month period and what I did to get there!

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Why Do Idiots Get Promoted? 7 Reasons To Consider
Workplace Experiences

Why Do Idiots Get Promoted? 7 Reasons To Consider

We all know at least one person at work who’s…….not great. They make mistake after mistake, act like jerks, gossip, bring negative energy and seem totally incapable of doing any job well, let alone a job in upper management. “They’re so stupid, a trained monkey could do a better job!”. Dumb managers and coworkers are so common that it’s a storyline repeated all over TV and movies. We can all relate to this regardless of industry and geographic location and in that, we at least have each other. But it does beg the question – how does this keep happening? Why do idiots get promoted? In this article, we’re talking about 7 common reasons why this is the case.

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How To Deal With A Coworker You Don't Trust - The Do's & Don'ts
Project Manager Soft Skills

How To Deal With A Coworker You Don’t Trust: The Do’s & Don’ts

Trust is a vital aspect of any relationship. This applies to our family, friends, romantic partners and coworkers alike. Just like our family and romantic partners, we must see our coworkers for an extended amount of time every day. In most instances, we spend more waking hours with our coworkers while working full-time than we spend with our families – that’s a lot of time at work! When we have great coworkers who we can trust, this doesn’t feel nearly as harsh as it sounds. What happens when we just can’t trust coworkers? It could be something they’ve done, rumors we hear or just our gut feeling – regardless, a situation like this puts a tremendous strain on our work life. In this article, we’re talking about how to deal with a coworker you don’t trust!

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Do We Really Need To Work 8 Hours A Day? The Truth On Full-Time Jobs
Career Planning

Do We Really Need To Work 8 Hours A Day? The Truth On Full-Time Jobs

The 40-hour workweek is the hallmark of full-time employment in many countries. Five days per week, eight hours per day with weekends off. This experience has been so well-engrained in our society that many of us never question it. After all, we want to be hard workers. We want a ‘real job’. If we don’t work an eight hour day, some of us think we didn’t work hard enough. The answer? It depends. What are we doing during that time? How much effort are we putting in? How efficient are we working? All of these questions lead us to an even bigger question – do we really need to work 8 hours a day? Today, we’re exploring the truth about full-time employment.

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Managing Jerks As A Project Manager - What To Act On & What To Accept
Project Management

Managing Jerks As A Project Manager: What To Act On & What To Accept

As Project Managers, we get the ‘pleasure’ of working with people of every variety. Not only are we expected to work alongside everyone else involved with the project, but we’re also expected to help them, answer questions and provide direction. Simple enough, right? Well, on paper it is. Management gets difficult when personalities begin to clash. Maybe a teammate thinks you’re stupid and doesn’t want to listen to you. Perhaps they think you’re too smart and are threatened by you. Even more vague – they might just not like you for their own reasons. While this seems like a big deal when it’s happening to us, it’s statistically inevitable – no one can please everyone. Manage enough people over time and you’ll run into difficulty with some. Today, we’re taking about managing jerks as a Project Manager, along with which behavior we should act on vs. let slide. Let’s get into it!

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Is Dating A Coworker A Bad Idea? My Honest Opinion
Workplace Experiences

Is Dating A Coworker A Bad Idea? My Honest Opinion

Ah, dating in the workplace. The stuff sitcoms, dramas and movies are made of. We live in a society that idealizes the concept of finding ‘the one’ for you at work. But maybe that’s not what we’re after at all – perhaps we just want a casual fling with a coworker. Whatever the case may be for you, we’re going to go deep on answering this burning question: Is dating a coworker a bad idea? I will also give my honest opinion. Let’s begin.

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Are You Experiencing Anxiety About Going To Work Everyday? Read This!
Workplace Experiences

Are You Experiencing Anxiety About Going To Work Everyday? Read This!

If you wake up with a pit in your stomach every workday, you aren’t alone. According to ADAA, nearly one in five adults suffer from anxiety. That’s 20% of the adult population in America! With so many people experiencing anxiety every day, it’s no wonder it manifests itself in our work lives. How could it not? While anxiety as a whole must be treated and tended to, there are a few things you should keep in mind when it comes to workplace stress. If you’re experiencing anxiety about going to work everyday, check out our list of thoughts to consider – you may find that your anxiety at work deflates easier than you thought! Let’s dive in.

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How Long Should I Stay At My Entry Level Job?
Career Planning

How Long Should I Stay At My Entry Level Job? A Few Things To Ponder

We all start somewhere. Our entry level jobs are often our gateway into our respective industries. They’re an experience that will forever mark your humble beginnings; memories that will last your whole career. That’s if we’re lucky. Entry level jobs can also be a crap experience! Whether it be the pay, potential or environment, we find ourselves questioning our career choices. Regardless of which situation resonates with you, it’s a question nearly all new employees ask themselves: “How long should I stay at my entry level job?”. In this article, we’re going to try and help you answer that question!

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Signs Of A Positive Work Environment - Our Top 10 Indicators To Look For
Career Planning

Signs Of A Positive Work Environment: Our Top 10 Indicators To Look For

Nobody like to work in a negative, crappy environment. Not only is it not enjoyable in the slightest, but it’s difficult to excel, stay motivated and envision a future there. According to statistics, only 12% of workers leave their jobs for more money (via Forbes) – the majority leave due to some level of unhappiness in their present jobs. You may recall an article we wrote in the past titled “What Are The Signs Of A Toxic Work Environment?”. Today we’re talking about the antithesis of this – in this article, we’re exploring our top 10 signs of a positive work environment and what to look out for.

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Going To The Office On The Weekend - 5 Situations When It's Beneficial
Project Management

Going To The Office On The Weekend: 5 Situations When It’s Beneficial

Let’s be real here – nobody wants to work on the weekends. Weekends are supposed to be the time where you spend time on anything BUT work. Most of us don’t even want to think about work during the weekend, let alone go to the dreaded office. In modern times, though, we’re juggling more and more on a daily basis. Our personal and work lives are merging more than ever. Most of us work more on average than we did in the past, too! In this article, we’re discussing going to the office on the weekend, and 5 situations when it’s beneficial. Let’s dive in.

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About This Topic

The workplace can be a modern-day jungle, full of issues, disputes, difficulties and a host of other things. If you’re interested in reading about common workplace experiences, browse our archive of dozens of article on topics like working with different personalities, managing egos and emotions, professionalism, career planning, workplace practices, bad bosses, manipulative coworkers, office politics, work-life balance and so much more. Browse our archive of free articles related to common workplace experiences!