A short siesta in office

According to a survey, after 3-4 hrs of working in the office, if you nap for 10-20 minutes, you will perform reasonably well in the next 3-4 hrs. The survey done on 200 people and it has been noticed that professionals, who take regular naps in the lunch hours at office, are professionally far better than their counter parts. The survey also says that difficult and complex works can be done quite easily after napping. But napping should be proper even if it is of 5 minutes.

The survey gives a picture which is quite astonishing and hilarious. How can someone take a short sleep in the office? In my professional career of 9 years till date, I never nap in the office. And I believe my performance is OK. In my opinion, napping in the office will makes you fishier in the office. Although it is a fact that most of the government organization’s employees are doing the same after their lunch hours. I, myself, have seen this trend in the government sector. 5 years back, I went to install a Base Station for TETRA in one of the state of central India. There I have seen that all the government officers were not available in the offices between 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. I was shocked to see that at that time. When enquired for the same, I got the answer that the officers take a sleep after lunch. And I am sure that after 5:00 PM, those guys must be waiting for 5:30 PM to leave for the day. It means they were working for only half a day. Should government cut 50% of their salary as they are working for only 50% of their allocated time?

And this is not enough. Three years back, I joined the largest US telecom MNC in India. And there also, I have seen a room with proper sleeping bed and blankets (with AC). When asked, I got the answer that this room is for napping. But most of the time, I have seen the professionals used that room for more than 3-4 hrs a day. Is it napping or wastage of time in the office? Well, I never used that room in my tenure.

Sometimes, I also feel sleepy in the office. But I always take a short walk or drink water to ignore the same. In my opinion, this is a better option to ignore the nap and work in the office.

-- Sanat Sharma

Maintaining a job

Some of our young professionals have a different mindset about the job. They thought that now there are no worries in the life, as they got the job. But this is not a right way.

Today’s world is of Globalization and open economy. It was a good sign in the past to stay in a single job for a long time. But now, the word “stability” has different meaning among the youngsters. Stability now means a stoppage in the professional carrier. Now the youngsters are regularly updating their skill sets by doing short term or long term courses and moving ahead in their career by switching the job regularly. This way redirects any professional to achieve a good designation in the office at a very short span of time with a good salary package. If you also want to succeed in your life using the same way, you have to add something in your personality.

1. Keep yourself updated: One need to keep updated in each and every front of life. Reading of newspapers and magazines should be a regular practice. Try to understand the new technologies and areas coming in the market. Better to understand the new products and their characteristics and use them in your day-to-day talks.

2. Keep an eye: Time is the only asset in life. So one should better utilize the time. And to do this, one should be aware of the new opportunities and use them at the right time and right place.

3. Networking: Networking plays a major role in the success of your life. It should be a part of your life. Do not ignore it in your daily pressurized professional life.

4. Do not tension: You have to encounter numerous problems and issues in your life. So no need to tension and better to fight the same and come out as a winner. Make a habit to consider each and every issue as a normal event and react accordingly. Better not to set many expectations from others because if they do not fulfill, they will give you tensions only.

5. Know your strengths: SWOT analysis should be a part of your daily life. SWOT – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It means one should identify SWOT in his life. Better to identify your strengths and switch your job accordingly. If you are not aware of your strengths, how come you will get an appropriate job?

6. Keep control: Try to be emotional intelligent. Keep your control on your feelings and think from your mind, not from your heart.

7. Think positive: How far will you go in your life, depends on how you are thinking for each and every situation. Be optimistic in life and set your aims in life. Try to achieve them continuously by doing hard work as well as smart work. Take a break whenever you feel that you are thinking pessimistically.

8. Improve skills: Improvement is a never ending exercise. So don’t sit relaxed after getting a job. Regular update and add new skills. If you will add more eligibility and skills in your professional life, you will get more and better job offers.

I have seen many colleagues and sub-ordinates in my professional life, who wants to achieve a lot in their life but are not following the above points. Some of them are so much relaxed in their current job that they are working like a “Fool Employee” in the organization. The paradox with those “Fool Employees” is that they always criticize whatever is happening in their professional life but have no plans to come up with all those stupid things.

To survive and grow up in a particular job, one need to do hard work habitually.

-- Sanat Sharma

Staying in same job – A Passive Candidate

Are you satisfied with your job? Are you not uncomfortable with any of the company policies? Have you never think of about the job switch in the recent past? If the answer of all the questions is “YES”, you are definitely a “Passive Candidate”. Passive candidates are on hot table among all the recruiters and HR professionals. But it is very difficult to identify the Passive Candidate.

Technical saying, a Passive candidate is the one who is working great in his/her current role in the office and not even thinking about the job switch in near future. Companies are now trying to identify the Passive candidates by doing a simple technique. The company, itself, is providing the information of the employees to the HR person of another company. Those HR people are calling the employees and asking for a job switch. They are offering good packages also, but only on the phone. Actually they are exploring whether the employee is willing to change the job or not. The report is then forwarded to the concern company and identification of Passive Candidate is done.

The real fact of the job market is that there are plenty of Active candidates. Active candidates mean those who are always ready for a job switch. As per the recruiters, dealing with a Passive candidate is much easier than dealing with an Active candidate. Passive candidates always think towards a single direction while Active candidates have numerous mindsets. Passive candidates will be more sincere and reliable resources, than the Active candidates.

Job market always requires eligible and capable candidates. Passive candidates are more stable, career conscious and loyal. These kinds of employees are like an asset in the organization. On the other hand, Active candidates have more chances to switch the job on a short time. Risks and costs both play a major role in case of Active candidates.

In one of my previous organization, I have a colleague who was like a veteran in the group. He was the first member of a particular group and was working there from the last five years. He has all the qualities of a Passive candidate. But one thing that always troubles me is the answer that he provides whenever he had been appreciated by anyone for being a Passive candidate. He always said that I am not getting the job anywhere and will not get the job in the market as I am compatible for here only. The answer sounds very depressing and unhappy. In my opinion, he must be very happy to consider himself as a Passive candidate in the organization.

The world is changing and thoughts too. Our young generation is under impression that to become successful in professional carrier in a short span of time, job switching is necessary. But companies are looking for the stable employees i.e. Passive candidates.

-- Sanat Sharma