By Carol Kleiman — Chicago Tribune

Have a heart: Richard Harris, president of Sales Recruiters International in Bedford Hills, N.Y., says he has ”no qualms” about being called by the much-used term “headhunter” – despite the fact that sometimes that term isn’t very friendly. But Harris adds this: “We may be characterized as headhunters, but we’re really recruiting hearts.”

Joyce Gioia, president of The Herman Group, an employee retention consulting firm based in Greensboro, N.C., agrees wholeheartedly, saying that Harris “is right on the money. The key (to retention of employees) is to win the hearts, as well as the minds, of the people who work with you.”

What the two experts are talking about is a kinder, gentler way of doing executive recruiting. Which I agree sometimes is needed – with all my heart.

Absolutely, positively: If you have the kind of personality that consistently accentuates the positive, you “are less likely to burn out on the job or to be looking for a new one.”

That’s the finding of researchers at Tulane University in New Orleans, who did an analysis of 205 studies on workers’ attitudes toward their jobs. The studies represented 62,527 employees nationwide and the results were published in Psychological Bulletin.

At the same time, another conclusion of the research, whose prime author was Carl Thoresen of Tulane, was that workers with negative attitudes are “likely to feel burned out, distance themselves from co-workers and think about finding a new job.”

Does this mean it’s not always your boss’ fault if you’re unhappy at work, that it’s your basic personality that determines your reaction to the daily grind? Whatever the reason for negative attitudes by workers, being dissatisfied about the work you do and where you do it seems to be on the rise.

“Americans are growing increasingly unhappy with their jobs,” according to a report by The Conference Board, a nonprofit business membership organization based in New York. “The decline in job satisfaction is widespread among workers of all ages and across all income brackets.”

The report, based on a survey of 5,000 U.S. households, shows that today 50 percent of employees indeed are content – but that number is down from 60 percent in 1995. And the largest decline in job satisfaction was reported by workers ages 35 to 44 years. Another finding: “Approximately one-quarter of the American work force is simply ’showing up to collect a paycheck.”‘

Resume rules: As the Internet continues to expand its job boards and Web sites of employers seeking workers, the requirement to post resumes expands. It’s a fairly new way for job seekers to apply for work, so the questions continue.

One common concern is the pragmatic one of how to e-mail your resume and cover letter once you complete them. Some good advice comes from Kevin Donlin, a resume writer and contributor to CollegeRecruiter.com. “Attach your resume to the e-mail, sending it as an attached file,” advises Donlin, author of the self-published book, The Last Guide to Cover Letter & Resume Writing You’ll Ever Need ($17).

But that’s not enough: “Send your resume in the e-mail, too,” he urges. “Attachments can and do get scrambled during transmission, making them impossible to open. … So copy and paste the material into the body of your e-mail.”

And that covers all cyberspace possibilities.

Carol Kleiman is the author of Winning the Job Game: The New Rules for Finding and Keeping the Job You Want.

More Education Helps You Move Up

Positive attitude will certainly affect your altitude, but your smile will get you a lot farther when you have the training to back it up. If moving your way up in the accounting and bookkeeping field is in your future, you owe it to yourself to check out the Professional Bookkeeper course. In four short weeks, you will get the hands-on training to become an accountant. Don’t let lack of certification hold you back. Find out more today!

See How Learning Accounting with the Professional Bookkeeper Program Brightens Your Future

The Do’s and Don’ts of Changing Jobs in the Accounting Field

Perhaps you began your accounting career with the idea that you would move up or quickly switch to a job more compatible with your interests and goals. Whether you’ve been in your current job for ages and need a change, or if you’re just interested in the opportunities available, accounting is a wide field that offers many options. From controller to tax manager, from senior accountant to senior analyst, from credit manager to bookkeeper, the job possibilities are endless, so there’s no reason to feel gridlocked in your accounting career. But as you consider a change in occupation, remember the following Do’s and Don’ts:

Don’t be rash simply because you’re unsatisfied with your current employer. Sometimes we want a change because the current situation is undesirable. If this is the case, take the time to consider whether it’s the employer or current work environment that’s unappealing rather than the job itself. In this case you may consider switching employers rather than switching occupations.

Don’t worry if the thought of changing careers makes you nervous. Change of any kind, especially in a career, makes most people nervous. It’s perfectly normal and shouldn’t scare you away from accomplishing what you desire. Taking it slow and creating a plan will help ward off any fear you might be experiencing.

Don’t get discouraged. It may take awhile to 1) discover what you really want, and 2) find that perfect job for you. Recognize that changing jobs will take time and require patience.

Don’t rule out staffing agencies. Sometimes you have to date a few employers and jobs before you commit to just one. There are staffing agencies that specialize in accounting and by taking a few months to test drive a few employers and occupations you’ll get a good idea of which might be best for you while getting your foot in the door.

Don’t begin applying for jobs before you’ve considered exactly what you want. Again, you don’t want to be rash. Switching from one job to the next without careful reflection will do you no good.

Do take the time to research and consider all the possibilities. Take the time to consider your interests, your objectives, and your ultimate career goals. Do the research necessary to determine which job and employer will be right for you.

Do take advantage of all your networking contacts. This is where your contact list will come in handy. Call around and talk with your contacts. This can accomplish three things: one, it will aid in your research to determine which accounting occupation could be right for you; two, it can help you discover job opportunities you may not heard about otherwise; and three, you might win an advantage on a job you’re interested in.

Do find a mentor. Once you determine the occupation for you, find a mentor who can help you move through a job search most effectively. A good mentor will provide encouragement, advice, and networking opportunities.

Do remember your transferable skills. Because you’re moving from one accounting job to another, recognize that your transferable skills are invaluable. Update your resume so that it targets your desired occupation while highlighting those transferable skills.

Do get training that will help you advance. Often you’ll have a better shot at getting a job if you’ve had advanced training. For example, enrolling in UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program could give you the advantage in finding just the job you want. It will bolster your resume and give you a talking point in those crucial interviews.

Whichever occupation you choose in the accounting field, the important thing is that you find the right one for you. In following this list of Do’s and Don’ts you will have a better chance of doing just that.

Learn More about the Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program

If you would like to see how the PB Program could benefit your career, order our DVD “Introduction to the Professional Bookkeeper Program.” For less than $10 you can advance your career and open yourself to more accounting possibilities than you may have otherwise imagined. Don’t delay professional success. Order your copy now!

Serving Subscribers with Our Free Newsletters

We enjoy sending you information that we hope improves your efforts to advance your accounting career. Our three newsletters, AB Tips, Tax Tips, and Career Tips, are intended to help professionals like you advance in whatever their current position in the financial field. The AB Tips Newsletter is designed to share accounting and bookkeeping tips with subscribers. Intended for individuals with their own accounting practice or for those who would like to start their own practice, we specifically include tips on how to market your services, how to streamline tasks, how to organize your office space, etc. Our Tax Tips Newsletter is for tax preparers or those interested in tax preparation. We provide tax news, information on starting your own business, tips on building your clientele, etc. And finally, we have our Career Tips newsletter, for those of you who work or would like to work in the accounting field. In this newsletter we include information on getting the right job, advancing in your field, moving into management positions, etc.

As we learn more about your needs, we alter our approach in order to better serve you. We’re adding a few things to the newsletter that we hope you enjoy. Here’s a breakdown of what’s included and how we hope it helps you.

Two articles

Since we began running our free ezines over two years ago, we have included two articles every issue that offer accounting and tax information, tips on running and marketing a small business, career guidelines and promotional pieces. The newsletters provide us with the opportunity to share our products and services with those we believe they best serve. Universal’s programs are top of the line and life-changing; we promote them because we know they help people like you achieve career goals and realize your business dreams.

We also use the newsletter as an opportunity to expose you to our many free resources, including personalized information from our President and CEO, Allen Bostrom in Allen’s Blog, UAC’s accounting and tax forums, the newsletters, and the Universal video tour.

Recently we’ve responded to requests for purely informational pieces as well. Last summer we asked newsletter subscribers to tell us what you wanted to read about. For the past six months we’ve tried to include articles on all suggested topics. Each newsletter contains one, if not two, informational pieces. We continue to welcome your feedback as we write articles intended to help you improve your accounting career. Please visit our forums for a chance to give us feedback on past articles and suggestions for future articles.

Press Releases and New Products

We want you to be in the know about everything Universal, so we include all press releases, enrollment offers, and information about new products in our newsletters. From our new interactive testing center to our customized Professional Bookkeeper Program for Canadian residents, we want you to be the first to know what’s happening at Universal Accounting Center.

Quotable Quote

Everyone could use a little inspiration now and then, so we like to include a quotable quote in each issue of our newsletters. Funny quotes, somber quotes, quotes that make you want to get up and accomplish something, we try to include a variety that inspire and uplift.

“The Bottom Line”

And last but certainly not least is an upcoming addition to our newsletters: a video clip we call “The Bottom Line.” In the serious world of financial statements, taxes, and projected profits, the bottom line is that we like what we do and can enjoy a good laugh about our profession. The humorous clip is intended to help lighten your load and improve your day. We hope you look forward to this new feature and share it frequently with coworkers, family, and friends.

We want our newsletter to help you move forward in your goals as a financial professional.So stay tuned as we continue to improve our newsletters so that they can better serve your needs. We appreciate your support.

Why You Should Always Negotiate a Better Wage

While women have advanced considerably in the workplace, there still exists a significant difference in salaries when compared with their male counterparts. While gender discrimination may be one cause of this disparity, a lack of salary negotiation may be another.

In his article entitled “For Women, a Failure to Negotiate,” Pallavi Gogoi reports that while women represent nearly 50% of full-time professionals, including executives and managers, they only make 72% of what their male counterparts make. And while many may assume that’s gender discrimination residue, executive coach Lee E. Miller argues it may simply be the result of a lack of negotiation. “Most women hardly negotiate when they get a job offer,” says Miller, co-author of A Woman’s Guide to Successful Negotiating. “That’s because they look at the offer as the goal, not the beginning of a relationship.”

That 28% represents a significant difference that adds up over a career-time. Joann Lublin discusses this in her Wall Street Journal article “Paying the Nice Price.” She references Linda Babcock, a Carnegie Mellon University economic professor who calls it “the accumulation of disadvantage.” Babcock explains that a 22-year old professional who fails to get her first job offer of $25,000 increased by $5,000 will lose more than $568,000 by the time she reaches retirement.

Whether you’re a man or a woman, you don’t want to loose half a million dollars by failing to negotiate. It’s important that you acquire this valuable skill. Here are five things to remember when negotiating for a better salary:

Avoid desperation. No matter how badly you want the job, curb your enthusiasm. Employers can smell desperation and will use it to their advantage by offering you a lower salary. The more confident and self-assured you are, the more appealing you will be to potential employers. When they sense that you won’t settle for less, chances are they won’t offer it.

Be enthusiastic. When purchasing something, like a car or home, experts tell you to act like you don’t want it; you’ll get a better deal that way. This concept doesn’t apply to the job hunt. If an organization senses apathy on your part, they’ll choose someone else. So it’s important that you be enthusiastic and show your interest in the employer and their position.

Show them why you’re the best fit. To get the best salary you should illustrate why you’re the best candidate. When you shine above and beyond the other applicants you become the best person for the job, and as such, the person deserving the best wage.

Wait until you know they want you. Don’t start talking about salary before they’ve made it clear that you’re the candidate they want. Once they make an offer you can be assured that you’re their best pick and now that the ball is in your court, you can begin negotiations.

Keep looking. It’s important that you don’t become emotionally invested in one job. Regardless of how much you want a particular position, don’t stop searching. In fact, one good way to negotiate a better salary is when you’ve received competing job offers.

All professionals, men and women, need to be able to negotiate a better salary. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but we promise that it will pay off in the end. Literally.

References
Gogoi, Pallavi. “For Women, a Failure to Negotiate.” 22 April 2005. BusinessWeek.com
Lublin, Joann S. “Paying the Nice Price.” The Wall Street Journal

The 8 P’s of an Effective Accounting Manager:

Do You Have What It Takes?

Being promoted to accounting manager is quite a feat. This means you’ve proven to your boss that you are a competent and responsible accountant who can be trusted to manage other accountants. Unfortunately, like most accounting managers, you’ve been trained as an accountant, and not as a manager. So how do you rise to the position? Experience will provide you with the best schooling, but to avoid major obstacles and find success more quickly, here’s a crash course in managing that will put you on the right track.

1. Permit others to do their jobs
Because you’re a good accountant, it’s tempting to look over shoulders and micromanage a time or two. But remember, your new job is more about managing than it is about accounting. You can best promote success by enabling your team to succeed. This means that rather than telling them how to do their job (which you might occasionally have to do), you enable them to do the best job they can. Be sure they have the resources they need, eliminate unrealistic deadlines, and, if possible, provide them with proper training. You need to change your mindset and see yourself as a facilitator.

2. Provide vision and support
Good managers inspire success with clear vision. In essence you are the sage for your department, they will look to you to get the long range vision as well as the details in the minutae of each task. It is your job to look to the future and envision positive changes within your department. Once you’ve shared this vision, you need to provide your team with the necessary support to accomplish the vision.

3. Practice good communication
Without good communication skills, you’ll find it difficult to lead your team anywhere, because without clear direction they won’t know where to go. You must clearly communicate your vision, your objectives, and your expectations. Facilitate the communication with your team. Don’t become the “preacher” but the “teacher” or your team will quickly tune you out. Communication runs both ways; you must listen well and engage in productive discussions with your team.

4. Pilot< your team
It is the Captain of the ship that has the wheel, and your department is no different. Someone has to steer the department, and as the accounting manager, that would be you. The first requirement in becoming a good leader, is in having the confidence to lead your team. Recognize that you were promoted to this job for a reason, and if you don’t have confidence in yourself right now, at least trust that your boss does. If you see yourself as “one of the accountants,” working shoulder to shoulder with everyone else, the team you manage will see you that way as well. You must take charge and lead your other team members along to the goals set for the department.

5. Plan for success
Who set’s the goals for the department? Sure, sometimes the goals come down from above you, but most of the time you and your team will have the discretion to set goals that you can not only meet, but stretch your abilities as a group. It’s cliché because it’s true: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Managers look ahead, anticipating difficulties, critical events, and opportunities to move forward. If you want to succeed, you must take the time to evaluate the department’s current standing and make plans for improvement.

6. Pose questions
How could we change this procedure to save time? What about the current system is/isn’t working? What can we do this year to increase the company’s tax deductions? Asking questions is a good way to boost success. Don’t be afraid to question the way things have been done, or even the changes you have made upon becoming a manager. If you give yourself permission to question, you’re giving yourself permission to improve.

7. Problem-solve
Much of your job as accounting manager will be dedicated to putting out fires. Learn to problem-solve and resolve conflict with as little smoke as possible. If necessary, read up on critical thinking skills and negotiation. Always search to hear before you seek to be heard. Many times a difficult situation is mitigated just by the composure the manager has in the situation.

8. Protect your employees
You provide a buffer between your team and the BOSS. I remember being cornered by my boss for the approach I took on an important project. I was relieved when my manager stepped forward in my defense. We talked about this project extensively, he explained, and I made it clear that I trusted him to complete this project using this approach. Imagine how my loyalty for this manager increased when I realized he was on my side. Obviously, there may be times when a member of your team makes bad choices and needs to be held accountable. But you should see yourself as an advocate for those you manage.

Becoming a manager can certainly be daunting, but give yourself the time to learn how to manage, realizing that this new position is very different from your role as accountant. With a little time, and the 8 P’s of managing success, you’ll find that maybe you’re more of a natural than you first thought.

Learn more about the accounting business

10 Winning Characteristics

Courage-not complacency-is our need today. Leadership not salesmanship. – John F. Kennedy

As we finish out the year, now is the perfect time to do a little self reflection and determine what you want from your career in 2008. If you’ve considered moving up in your current organization or perhaps within another, you must decide whether or not you possess the necessary leadership characteristics to truly lead your company to success. The following 10 characteristics are found in many great leaders. How many of them do you possess?

1. Positive. You don’t find many Negative Nellys in leadership positions. Most are extremely positive, looking for ways to see the glass as half full regardless of current circumstances.

2. Proactive. Leaders don’t wait for things to get better, they make them better. This requires you to be thinking of innovative ways to approach problems and devise solutions. You are active, not passive, about your job.

3. Good communicator. In order for a leader to be able to lead a team, he/she must be able to communicate clearly and effectively.

4. Open-minded. Some may think leaders have all the good ideas. That’s not true. Leaders are able to recognize good ideas, regardless of who came up with them. This requires them to be open-minded and willing to give credit where credit is due.

5. Confident. That’s confidence not arrogance. Coworkers are not interested in working for an arrogant leader, but they do appreciate being led by someone who has a quiet confidence about them, recognizing that they can lead a team to success.

6. Passionate. Enthusiasm can compensate for a lot of weaknesses. When a leader is passionate about the job they do, the direction they’re heading, and the goals they’ve established, it’s contagious, getting everyone excited about a project.

7. Respectful. It’s important that leaders treat everyone with respect, regardless of whether or not they deserve it. People want to work with a leader who shows them respect. And you’d be amazed at how much respect you earn by being respectful yourself.

8. Inspiring. Good leaders are able to communicate a vision that inspires everyone on the team. They can motivate team members who may have been resistant, and they move others to believe when they may have previously been doubtful.

9. Delegator. The best leaders recognize that they can’t, and shouldn’t, do everything themselves. They delegate well, divvying out tasks to team members who can adequately perform them. They also recognize that team members have unique skills and abilities that can contribute to the success of a team.

10. Motivated. You don’t become a leader by sitting back to watch others do all the work. Leaders are motivated to keep moving, to work hard and see the fruit of their labors.

Becoming a good leader is a process. Most work to develop these characteristics over time. So if you don’t possess all ten right now, it doesn’t mean you can’t lead, it just means you have a few things to work on in order to improve your leadership abilities. So focus on which character traits you need to develop and get moving! 2008 could be your year to shine as company leader.

“The quality of leadership, more than any other single factor, determines the success or failure of an organization.”
– Fred Fiedler & Martin Chemers, Improving Leadership Effectiveness

“People ask the difference between a leader and a boss . . . . The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

When your practice grows enough to sustain one or more employees, you must exercise good leadership skills in order to direct your staff with inspiration and focus. When a team feels that it’s lead by someone with powerful vision who values their participation and inspires them to do great things, the business will thrive and the employees will contribute greatly to its success. But as an accountant or bookkeeper, the leadership role may feel a bit oversized or awkward. Don’t let that stop you from running a winning business. You can develop into a strong leader as long as you are willing to focus on a few things. Here are 4 traits of influential and inspiring leaders. Try a few on for size.

1. Vision

Theodore M. Hesburgh, retired president of the University of Notre Dame, once said, “The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” Leaders envision what can, but hasn’t yet, been achieved. They have a clear picture of where they want their business to go and how it can get there. Unwilling to settle for the status quo, leaders are striving for improvement, progress, and continued and amplified success. But more than that, good leaders can share this vision with their staff and communicate it in a way that makes it clear, reasonable, and most importantly, inspirational.

But how do you do that? First you must have a vision. What do you want your business to become? Be willing to release limitations and think big. Imagine that success in your mind. What does it look and feel like? Then create a strategy. What will it take to accomplish that vision? Design a 5-year, 10-year, or 15-year game plan and take the actions necessary to achieve it. And most importantly, develop a dialog about that vision and plan; share it with employees. Practice talking about your vision in a way that is dynamic and exciting.

2. Passion

I once taught part-time at a university. I didn’t have as much experience or expertise as my colleagues, but my students seemed to enjoy my classes. On teacher evaluations the reason became clear. The most popular response I received was, “The teacher is passionate about the subject.”

Passion is contagious. One way you can ignite your vision is with passion. If you’re truly excited about something, that excitement will spread throughout your office, touching everyone who works for and with you. If you don’t currently have something that impassions you about your business, find something quick. That passion will drive you, and your team, toward your vision.

3. Team Leader

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” Remember that you’re trying to lead employees in the direction you would have them go, not push them. We trust that you’ve already hired competent individuals who you trust to do the work you assign. You should do the best you can to motivate and inspire your employees with clear direction, and then let them do their work. Also remember that some of the best ideas will come from your own employees. Be open to their feedback and willing to learn from what they share.

4. Character

Employees are more likely to follow leaders they respect. And employees respect leaders with good character. In all that you do see that you’re honest, hard-working, reliable, equitable, and trustworthy.

While you may not feel like a leader right now, you can become one that employees would be proud to follow. Evaluate your current leadership style and see how you might implement two or more of the above traits. And give yourself the time to learn and improve. You may be surprised at the natural leadership instinct within you.

The Value of a Good Accountant:

How to Recognize Your Potential and Become a Priceless Employee

“It has been my experience that competency in mathematics, both in numerical manipulations and in understanding its conceptual foundations, enhances a person’s ability to handle the more ambiguous and qualitative relationships that dominate our day-to-day financial decision-making.” –Alan Greenspan

Look in the mirror and tell yourself, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.” We promise this article won’t be a humorless version of Stuart Smalley’s SNL’s daily affirmations. But sometimes it’s good to recognize your value, and accountants are valuable employees. But recognizing your value alone is not enough; accountants generally have untapped potential that can turn them into their employer’s best friend. How? Here are just five things that can turn you into a priceless employee.

1. Become the Profit Center Expert
What if you became the local expert on company profit? What if you were the employee coworkers and supervisors went to in order to find out what was working and what wasn’t? That’s an enviable position most would love to have. And as an accountant you are perfectly suited to become that Profit Expert.

You probably already know that accounting, marketing, and production are the three functions that must work well together to ensure business success. Any business function that acts independently of the other two can doom a company. For example, if production has not told marketing what it currently produces, marketing dollars are wasted. Likewise, if accounting does not tell production what products are profitable, the company losses money. The more closely these three functions work together, the more profitable the company will be. And because you are an accountant with access to crucial financial information, you can become the go-to person when it comes to profit. But the key here is you don’t want to wait until people come to you; begin communicating with marketing and production today! That will increase the profitability that you as an accountant are expected to monitor.

2. Practice Effective Communication
And that brings us to number two. Without effective communication skills, it’s fairly difficult to become the profit center expert. Unfortunately, accountants are stereotyped as quiet bean-counters who hide in back offices. In order to break that stereotype and become a more dynamic employee, you need to practice effective communication. Mingle around the water cooler, get to know your coworkers, and determine the best methods for sharing information with crucial players in the business.

3. Learn How to Use Accounting Software
If you haven’t t already, you should research different types of accounting software that would help you record and track crucial financial information. Finding the right software could help you be more efficient and, perhaps, more accurate. It could also help you produce valuable reports, thus encouraging your position as Profit Center Expert. Intuit’s QuickBooks Pro is the leading software used by small businesses. If your employer hasn’t yet purchased accounting software, you should suggest they do. And if possible, see if your employer will pay for software training.

4. Acquire Tax Knowledge
Accounting and tax services are no longer expected to be performed by the same person. Accountants don’t necessarily offer tax services and tax preparers don’t necessarily offer accounting services. But you increase your value when you can offer both. By acquiring tax knowledge you accomplish two things: one, you have more to offer your employer, and two; you can become a freelance tax preparer in your spare time.

Universal Accounting Center Can Help You Tap Your Potential
Universal Accounting Center (UAC) can help you accomplish all of the above, and it won’t take you years to do it. Learn more about training to become a Professional Tax Preparer, a QuickBooks Specialist, and a Profit Center Expert. In fact, UAC is currently offering a year-end special where all three training packages are bundled together for one low price. Increase your value as an employee and learn more today!

Personal priorities: Determine what’s important

Gen-Xers learning the realities of the workplace

By Dawn Sagario — The Des Moines Register

Amy Ward is 32 and married, with four cats and one dog.

But no kids.

In former jobs, being sans child meant her commitments outside of work were often considered less important than those of co-workers who had kids.

When deciding who would be available to work a weekend, Ward said children’s baseball games, school conferences or doctors appointments trumped having dinner with her husband.

She said it was those kinds of judgment calls that fostered work environments that squelched her desire to express what was important to her.

A special date night with her husband would not be respected as much as a child’s baseball game, Ward said.

“It’s really hard to object because you remember how important it was for your parents to go to your baseball game. And you think, ‘Well, I guess I could reschedule my date night with my husband.’ It’s hard to speak up.”

In contrast, her current employer has been supportive of her personal priorities, Ward said. That’s included her employer making arrangements so she could observe Jewish holidays.

“The thing that impressed me with this company so much is that no one judges what is important to you,” said Ward, human resource manager at Sogeti USA in Des Moines, Iowa. “Whether it’s some people have a husband or wife, some people are taking care of parents, some people are living on their own — it’s all what matters to you.”

Experts say more employers are establishing work-life initiatives to address the broadening scope of needs for an increasingly diverse work force. For some, that may not involve parenting, but does include caring for elder parents or relatives, going to school or participating in church and community activities.

The common thread heard among experts and workers was that regardless of an individual’s lifestyle, it’s imperative to acknowledge his or her personal priorities. When that’s lacking, resentment and conflict can build up at work among co-workers and toward management.

Recent statistics suggest that 40 percent of America’s full-time work force is composed of single adults.

Mary Young, a workplace researcher in Boston, said work-life programs will need to be redefined as the work force ages. People are delaying marriage and having children, and living and working longer.

“A shrinking percentage of one’s adulthood will be spent being a parent, or married or partnered,” said Young, who in the late 1990s analyzed the quickly growing number of single and nonparent workers.

Young said she foresees elder care benefits in workplaces as the new hot topic on the horizon.

Experts also agree that bosses and workers still clash daily over what are considered “legitimate” reasons for taking off work, for example.

One study from the University of Tulsa found that a majority of single workers without children — 62 percent — felt they were treated differently at work than married people or parents.

That double standard included: Single workers were expected to put in longer hours, volunteer for additional work and do work not expected of those with spouses and children, the survey showed. Single people also felt their personal concerns were under-appreciated and free-time undervalued. They were also perceived as not having important responsibilities outside of work.

There was no real strong backlash against family-friendly policies, like on-site child care or flex schedules for parents, explained Wendy Casper, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Tulsa, and researcher involved in the survey of 37 singles.

“There’s more of a subtle phenomenon — like ‘What about me?’” Casper said. None of the singles reported overt types of discrimination in pay or promotion.

“Changing attitudes at the manager level would trickle down to how flexible schedules and other policies would be implemented,” she said.

Experts say employers are implementing a variety of other resources and referral services, in addition to child or elder care issues — everything from legal and financial services, to information on boarding for pets and pet insurance and party planning.

“Those companies realize that everybody — regardless of where they are in their cycle of life — are struggling with quality time in their life,” said Linda Roundtree, co-president of the Alliance for Work-Life Progress, based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Roundtree said 57 percent of business school graduates said that attaining a balance between personal life and career was their primary career goal, according to a study in 2000 by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Experts also say the interaction between bosses and underlings is shaped by similar experience: The boss who has kids is more likely to be empathetic to an employee-parent who needs to leave to take care of a sick child.

“For people who are child-free, I think having a supervisor who understands those issues — when that person asks to leave early to watch a baseball game, or go to a class for school or participate in a community activity or meet some friends — that this is just as important as a parent seeing their child’s play,” Roundtree said.

The company culture and managers are integral in recognizing that everyone’s life is important, she said. Having a bid or rotation for who works on certain holidays, discussing time off and personal priorities with the work team, having floating holidays and expressing your feelings to your supervisor are ways that everyone’s needs can be met.

Rob Beeston uses his vacation and sick time when he’s had to tend to his 5- and 7-year-old kids.

In a past job, and before he had his own children, Beeston remembers being irritated at seeing his boss take off to pick up his kids when they were sick.

Beeston said now that as inconvenient as it may be — for himself and others at work — there are times when emergencies pop up or things just need to get done.

“As far as the time works out, it works out pretty evenly,” said Beeston of his work hours. The 36-year-old is married and a Web developer for Polk County, Iowa.

Attorney Jennifer Jaskolka-Brown said having a child hasn’t afforded her additional consideration in her job, but has allowed her more flexibility. She comes into work at 5:30 a.m. and leaves at 3:30 p.m. to pick up her 11-month-old son. Having a computer at home lets her get additional work done on Sunday mornings and during her child’s nap time. Her workload increases when it’s a trial week.

“I’m very cognizant of the demands of my profession,” said Jaskolka-Brown, 30, who practices in areas of litigation with Sullivan and Ward PC in Des Moines. “But I’ve been fortunate that my employers have been supportive to the demands of my family life. I do believe that everyone should be afforded the opportunity to have a flexible work schedule, regardless of whether they have children or are caring for an elderly or disabled relative.”

Career Alternatives

It is an unfortunate fact that the best-paying jobs typically are anything but 40-hours per week. Management jobs tend to be the most demanding on one’s time. Once you earn a salary, the expectation is not normally that you will be in the office eight hours and then go home. Nights and weekends often get sacrificed.

If your personal life is more important to you than climbing the ladder to the top, but you want more income than what you bring in now, what is the answer? The Professional Bookkeeper (PB) program shows you how to work a few extra hours per week to increase your spending cash significantly. What’s more important, you set your own hours and can even work from home. If earning $30 to $60 per hour with a source of additional income that you work around your schedule (rather than the other way around) is appealing, click on the link below to learn more.

Learn How to Make Great Hourly Income Part-Time

There’s no “I” in Teamwork: How to be a Great Team Player

These days, the corporate team is a popular approach in working on projects or preparing for business events. In order to succeed in this environment, you need to be a good team player. Otherwise, you might find yourself on the bench or fouled out. Here are some do’s and don’t on playing for the team, and winning.

Do:

Be friendly

• Oscar the Grouch may have friends on Sesame Street, but let’s be serious, no one wants the Office Grouch on their team.
• Build good relationships with your teammates.

Communicate

• Without effective communication, even the most brilliant team will fail. Listen to your teammates and contribute when appropriate.
• Never become the Loneranger; always get the “go-ahead” before moving forward on crucial tasks.
• Be ready to accept and give feedback.
• Read and respond to all team correspondence.

Be open

• Sometimes ideas don’t sound plausible simply because you didn’t think of them first. Listen to your teammates, and don’t be quick to criticize. Give everyone a chance to contribute.
• When testing out a teammate’s plan, be supportive, only giving constructive criticism when appropriate.
• Encourage brainstorming and free-thinking. And don’t shoot down ideas simply because they’re unusual or unconventional.
• Learn from past mistakes, and listen to teammates’ concerns. One concern may represent a larger flaw that could be avoided with a little foresight.

Contribute

• Volunteer, especially when your skills and experience match the task.
• Attend all meetings (try not to be late) and respond to team correspondence when appropriate.
• Work towards not only your success, but the success of your teammates.
• Give compliments when deserved.

Be responsible

• Fulfill all your obligations.
• Go above and beyond what is required of you. This sets you apart as a dependable teammate who can be trusted with any task.

Don’t:

Watch theaction

• No one enjoys working with someone who sits back to watch the team work tirelessly, rarely contributing except to criticize.

Be a know-it-all

• No one likes a smarty-pants. It’s good to contribute your thoughts and ideas, but your teammates will roll their eyes once you begin to have all the answers. Be willing to sit back and give others the chance to shine.
• Don’t say “I told ya so…” Even if you voiced concerns over a teammate’s ideas, never come back to say you thought a plan would fail once it actually does.

Whine or complain

• Whining and complaining only generates negative energy. You also create a reputation as a wet blanket, and colleagues won’t want to work with you again.
• Never complain about others. And gossip about teammates will always come back to haunt you.

Steal thunder

• Never take responsibility for a teammate’s work. That does no one any good, especially you.

Working as a team is often the best way to generate great ideas and have access to the necessary skill-set to carry them out. Sometimes being a team player means you have to put yourself second in order to earn more points in the end. Whatever the effort it requires, you will be a better employer in the end if you learn how to work well with others.

How UAC Can Help You Contribute More to a Team
In the Universal Business Model, accounting, marketing, and production are the three functions that must work well together to ensure success. Without teamwork among these functions, businesses fail.

Accountants and bookkeepers are invaluable players on any business team; they have access to financial data that can inform crucial decisions and make the entire company more profitable.

If you’re interested in becoming an accountant or bookkeeper, but don’t want to spend years studying at a university, come visit Universal Accounting Center, where you can be trained in accounting for the small business in as little as 16 days. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2008 accounting jobs will increase by 20%! With more and more accounting positions available each day, you’ll be working towards not only a valuable job, but job security as well.

Universal Accounting Center’s Professional Bookkeeper Program trains students on accounting for the small business. With over 25 years of experience training students in small business accounting, UAC has a solid track record. Our graduates have a lot to say about how UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program has helped them succeed. Come visit Universal today, and see what the Professional Bookkeeper Program could do for you.