Muslims, Ramadan and the Workplace - a Guide for HR

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins next week. Millions of people from Morocco to Malaysia will fast everyday from sunrise to sunset for 30 days. Among these will be significant numbers of Muslims working in offices in Europe and North America where Ramadan slips past unnoticed. This lack of awareness can and does cause inconvenience, stress and unhappiness to practicing Muslims in the workplace. Kwintessential, a leading cross cultural communication training provider, has released a free guide for employers with Muslim staff to help them better understand the month and what it means to Islam's adherents.

Depending on the sighting of the moon, the Islamic world will once again begin their annual exercise in spiritual and physical cleansing through fasting and other religious exercises next week. In countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Indonesia where the majority of the population will be fasting, the social cycle changes to accommodate people's needs. Work may start later due to people praying late into the night, it will certainly finish earlier to allow people to prepare for iftar (breaking of the fast) and the general pace of life drops down a couple of gears, especially for the important last 10 nights.

However, in Europe and North America the pace of life continues as normal. Although many Muslims will be going through the same rigours as people in Syria or Singapore, Ramadan can be that little bit tougher. This is mainly down to the lack of cultural awareness within businesses nowadays. Although people may know who a Muslim is they may not appreciate what a Muslim does. Unawareness of aspects of the religion such as food & drink, interaction between genders, moral obligations, prayers and holidays is widespread.

As a result there are always stories of Muslims being invited to business lunches, not being provided with time or space to break their fasts at sunset or expected to work on the Eid holiday following Ramadan.

"We know of Muslims working in organisations that had no idea what Ramadan was and what it entails. Stories include buffets being set up next to someone's desk at work who was fasting, a manager insisting on a Muslim colleague attending a working lunch and adequate time not being given at the time to break the fast to drink and eat properly," explains Kwintessential's Managing Director, Neil Payne.

Respecting cultural diversity in the workplace is simply best practice. If staff feel that they are being taken care of and understood on a personal level, a business will experience greater retention, morale and ultimately productivity.

In order to provide businesses with access to timely cultural knowledge on Muslims, Islam and the month of Ramadan, Kwintessential have released a free downloadable file that offers employers a summary of the main issues. These include looking at what Ramadan is, what it means to Muslims, the impact it has on their daily lives for a month and how in turn this impacts their working lives.

"The future is culturally diverse and if we are all to have a successful future, then cultural awareness is critical," adds Payne.

The invaluable guide is available at http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/Ramadan%20and%20the%20Workplace%20-%20A%20Guide%20for%20HR.pdf

Work Etiquette and Making a Good Impression

The guy in the cubicle on one side of you insists on sharpening his pencil every five minutes (or so you are convinced). In the meantime, the woman who sits in the cubicle on the other side of you is equally as strange. You've stolen glances at her on occasion and caught her pulling pieces of tape from the scotch tape dispenser and...eating it! Suddenly, you're beginning to wonder whether or not you work in an office anymore or in a special office building where everyone around you has obsessive compulsive disorder.

While some people may simply have weird habits, there seems to be an extremely fine line between what is considered weird, normal and downright rude. All of this ties into something called work etiquette. I (quite foolishly, I might add) used to think that what would seem like common knowledge to me would be common knowledge to the next person. For instance, when you know that you are going to a job interview at a company, don't you think that you would want to put your best foot forward and work a little hard to make a good impression? From the time you write your resume and cover letter and send it off to the moment you walk through the door for a job interview, you always want to present your best self to show potential employers the kind of person that they want to hire.

What I have since discovered is that there are an alarmingly large number of people floating around out there who don't even have the first clue about work etiquette. I remember reading through resumes for job positions that others had applied for within my company and being appalled at the grammatical errors, inability to follow directions and improper formatting all around. Needless to say, these people were NOT called in for a job interview.

When I was in college, I remember going to several job fairs as well as a career class that was geared towards helping us understand the interview process as well as what most employers were looking for from applicants for various positions. We learned how to write a resume in the proper format as well as how to meet and greet job prospects. I'm not saying that every person should have to go through this type of training, but it would certainly help them in the long run where work etiquette is concerned. All of that aside, if you work in an environment where there are other people, always make sure that you shower; but be careful not to shower yourself down with too much perfume or cologne because as nice as you think it may smell, you may secretly be drowning out your co-workers. Also, depending on the time of year, it may be considered especially inconsiderate to those who suffer from allergies. Keep phone calls to a minimum, and if you are in the middle of doing work, ignore the phone call until you finish your work and can give a quick call. It may also help to let others know that when you are working, you may not get to their phone call immediately but will call them back as soon as you can.

DIY Solar Panel Made Simple

As electricity costs continues to skyrocket out of control, many of us are left with the dilemma of how to keep from throwing our hard-earned money down the drain, and still utilize the household electrical devices we've grown accustomed to. With a fairly large handful of energy option available, thank God for the DIY solar panel! Basically, this system stores radiated energy into special battery units and turns it into a power source we can actually use to run our everyday appliances and gadgets, to add significant supplemental electricity to that which you receive from your local power company.

Solar panels give people a means of reaping the vast benefits of the greatest natural resource known to man, while remaining "green" in terms of the ecosystem - and saving TONS of "green" in terms of cold hard CASH!

If you feel the time is right to install your very own DIY solar panel, first you'll want to know exactly WHAT power you'll need for your intended use, and just WHERE the best location is to install it. Naturally, you'll want a location close enough to your house to be MOST effective. You'll need a space large enough to fit your panels. And, of course, the area should be abundant with sunlight for a significant part of the day. Understand that one panel alone is not enough to power EVERYTHING in your home. You CAN, however, dramatically reduce your electric bill by hooking up the solar panel to certain specific power-draining appliances. You could have NO-COST electricity in no time!

DIY solar panel kits are available all over the net, so get online today and begin checking out different instructions on installing your very own system for your home. With just a few clicks of the mouse, you'll find TONS of useful information regarding DIY solar projects. You'll find many extensive step-by-step instruction manuals, assorted building supply options, and a wealth of knowledge pertaining to various ways you can get the MOST out of a solar panel. Please understand that the initial capital investment may seem quite pricey, and installation will be somewhat time-consuming. The advantage of saving some SERIOUS MONEY in the long-run, though, will certainly be the big pay off for all your diligent work and initial expenses!

How Movies Can Help You Deal with Romance at the Workplace

Mixing business with "pleasure" has never been a recipe for a "happily ever after" and sex in the workplace seems to cause pain more often than satisfaction. Every year, an average of 15,000 claims are filed for sexual harassment in the workplace; news headlines about sexual scandals between prominent bosses and work subordinates provoke public contempt and outrage; more families and couples split as a result of an extramarital affair that one of the spouses began in the workplace; and more psychotherapists treat patients experiencing the aftermaths of a workplace romance gone sour. Such aftermaths may range from feeling angry, confused, humiliated and depressed to having been fired from the job, sometimes without even a letter of recommendation.

More companies today are enforcing work dating policies, providing training about work romance, or choosing to show lenience toward romantic involvement among employees, so long as it doesn't threaten productivity and team effort. And yet, so many people are not clear about the rules of romance at work. Still a taboo and a subject for tabloid gossip, sex and romance at work is considered a thorny issue most of us wish would go away.
Whether you are an employer or employee, here is how to prepare your personnel and yourself to deal with Cupid striking at the office:

Know The Definition of Sexual Harassment. Sexual harassment occurs when one employee makes continued, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, to another employee, against his or her wishes. This unwanted behavior affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with this person's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.

The film "Disclosure", illustrates how sexual harassment is the abuse of power that violates another person's moral, ethical and emotional boundaries. The films shows how a computer specialist is sued for sexual harassment by a former lover turned boss, whose purpose is to incriminate him and destroy both his career and his personal life.

If you are being sexually harassed don't stay silent hoping it will go away. This behavior usually escalates if you don't stop the harasser with a firm, proactive stand. Call the person on their behavior immediately, ask them to stop and warn them that you will report them if they continue. If it continues, report the harassment. Your employer has the responsibility to take each complaint seriously and investigate.

Deal Appropriately with Sexual Advances from Coworkers. A sexual advance may be a straightforward expression of sexual attraction to a coworker, a blunt invitation for a physical relationship, or flirtatious behavior that has gone overboard.

In the movies, Andy, the central character of "The 40-Year Old Virgin", neutralizes his female boss's advances by staying loyal to his values. His boss understands. When he gets promoted, it is not because of sexual favors but because of his job performance.

Real life often resembles the movies. If you stay loyal to your values and keep your work priorities straight, you too can achieve success without losing your integrity.

Honor Your Work First, then Your Sex Fantasies. In the film "A Time to Kill" a young and handsome Mississippi lawyer is handling with admirable strength a tough criminal case and a very attractive assistant. Even though the sexual chemistry between them sizzles, he chooses to channel his passion into the case, which he wins.

If you ever feel irresistibly attracted to a coworker, before you give into your fantasies do a reality check. Examine how it would affect your work if you consummated your sexual attraction. If you realize that it would jeopardize your work--and your relationship with your colleague--then you should honor your work and look for a different outlet for your fantasies.
Don't ever Start An Extramarital Affair in The Workplace. In "The Firm", young attorney Mitch is the victim of a corrupt law firm that throws its employees into extramarital affairs and then blackmails them to extort their loyalty. He has a company-induced affair that costs him his marriage and his sanity. The movie has a happy ending only because Mitch fights very hard to recover the love of his wife.

In real life, extramarital affairs in the workplace never have a happily ever after. Besides the agony of being discovered at home, the parties involved live with the constant stress of being discovered at work. When this happens be prepared to cut your losses. And those losses may include your reputation, your family, your job, the person you have the affair with, or all of the above.

When You Date A Colleague, Set Post-Breakup Rules from The Beginning.In the classic film "The Apartment" C.C. Baxter climbs the career ladder by lending his apartment to his boss for his extramarital trysts. He's also falling in love with his coworker, Fran. All seems to work fine, until he discovers that Fran is also his boss's mistress. How will they all emerge from such perplexed dynamics and keep their jobs?

In real life, a romance with a coworker always has some impact on your work life. Once you know each other intimately, you become more vulnerable to each other. This is why you must draw up a contract in which you specify how you will preserve your working relationship, should your personal relationship not last. Sign it and honor it, in case you break up. It's a smart thing to do. You don't want a situation like Baxter and Fran's.
Stay Away from Office Sex Gossip. In the French comedy "The Closet", the main character François spreads false rumors at work that he is gay, hinting that he will sue the management if they fire him for sexual discrimination. As sex gossip spreads in the office it creates havoc in his coworkers' careers and personal lives with consequences that vary from hilarious to severe.

In real life, you should avoid office havoc by staying away from gossip about your coworkers' sexual orientation and sex life. When a coworker confesses to you an affair with another coworker, politely decline to become their sounding board. Protect your self and your job. You never know how office sex gossip may backfire or used against you, whether you have generated it or not.

When Cupid Strikes at The Office, Keep Your Romance Private. In the movie "Kindergarten Cop", tough guy detective Kimble goes into a school undercover as a kindergarten teacher to investigate a case. He ends up falling in love with Joyce, another school teacher who is also the very subject of his investigation. But this is true love and it changes Kimble's destiny. Leaving the police force, he returns to Joyce and her school as real kindergarten teacher.

In real life, if you have found your soul mate in a certain coworker and you want your budding romance to have a happily ever after, you must keep it private until it becomes a serious, mutual commitment. Never transfer in the workplace personal conflicts with the person you date. Always respect each other as coworkers. Make your romance public only when it's a solid relationship that you know will last. Then, it's a time to celebrate. Congratulations! You have shown discretion and good judgment!

Knowing how to navigate successfully the dark waters of romance in the workplace, should be part of your job training. Follow these guidelines as rules of conduct to ensure your career and safeguard your personal life, every time Cupid's arrow threaten to pierce your bubble at the office.

Signed Sealed Delivered - Business Etiquette Letters

Professionals and entrepreneurs are constantly staying up-to-date with news, technology, trends and marketing. Being well informed and knowledgeable helps retain customer loyalty and attract new customers. Although business is always evolving, there are a few business practices that will remain tried and true. In regards to customer service or appreciation, sending hand written cards or correspondences is a great and inexpensive way to please customers and build the image of your organization or company.

Listed below are tips that professionals and entrepreneurs alike can use to impress their customers for future and on-going business success:

#1 Create a Lasting Impression

Sending a handwritten note of appreciation is almost a lost art in this day of emails and e-cards and other advanced technologies. Your client would probably be surprised and flattered at the time spent, writing and sending a personal note. The note should be on plain stationary and include your business card. The note should not be a solicitation or sale for products or services, it is simply a courtesy note.

#2 Show Professionalism

Be courteous and polite in your correspondence. When writing the business letter, always show professionalism and use the correct grammar. It would defeat the purpose of the letter to misspell your customer's name or company. Therefore, please make certain that all words are spelled properly. Practice writing the letter or writing a draft to avoid common mistakes. When writing the letter, use complete and accurate sentences. Also, write in the date on the letter and use the appropriate salutation or greeting and end with your signature.

#3 Be Sincere

In the letter, let your customer know how much you value their loyalty to your company or organization. Impress upon them, the importance of their business and support to your company and its success. Insist on helping them and being a resource for information or problem solving dilemmas. Extend yourself by leaving your contact information so that you are available or accessible for further assistance. Express to the customer confidence in you and your company.

Nail Gun Safety Tips

Nail guns are highly useful tools for fastening wood and other materials together quickly and efficiently. They have made hand nailing virtually obsolete for professional builders and now for do it yourselfers as well.

The biggest advantage of nail guns is their ability to rapidly fire a fastener into the substrate and to do so repeatedly. In high speed applications like framing and roofing nails, the nail guns are usually set to fire a nail anytime the muzzle makes contact with the surface as long as the trigger is pulled. They can fire rapidly almost like an automatic weapon.

Last week, while doing a minor carpentry project in my barn, I was reminded of just how fast a large framing nail gun can deliver three inch framing nails.

While nailing in some bridging between floor joists, I was holding the bridging lumber with one hand and the nail gun the other. As I was building some overhead storage to get some of the clutter off the floor, I was standing on some of the soon to be stored clutter. Not exactly stable footing.

When using a nail gun with a contact trip, like most framing nail guns are set for, you have to have just the right touch to prevent the gun recoil from causing it to fire a second nail right on top of the first one. Normally this is easy as you just swing the gun and let it bounce off the work as the nail fires.

However, if you are trying to put a nail just where you want it, you can also compress the muzzle and then pull the trigger to fire the nail. This works well when you develop the right touch to let the gun recoil off the work piece. Experienced carpenters do it all the time.

However, if you happen to loose your balance just as you pull the trigger, I found it is possible to fire not just two but three nails into the same hole. Only the first one makes it in - the other two go off in random directions.

Fortunately this time, I mostly missed my body parts that were in line with the nail path and got by with just a minor scratch on my thumb. It did swell up nicely and still hurts a bit today.

So here are some nail gun safety tips to add to the list in the owners manual:

1. Understand the difference between sequential trip trigger and contact trip triggers. Be sure you are using the right one for the right work. The Bostich catalog has a good description of how each trigger works and when they should be used.

2. When trying to accurately place a fastener with a contact trip nail gun, be as sure of your target and the backdrop as you would if you were firing a pistol. There is always the possibility of a double shot that will not be contained by the wood. Keep body parts out of the possible line of fire.

3. When using a pneumatic nail gun, be alert to the added hazard of the air hose. Compressed air has its own hazards, but having an air hose stretched through a construction site adds to the already hazardous environment. Watching roofers with pneumatic nail guns always reminds me of the story about Mark Twain in the city: He said one day he saw a fellow on a ledge threatening to jump. A large crowd had gathered below but Mark Twain said he was the only one in the group with the presence of mind to throw him a rope and pull him down. The air hose always looks like someone has already thrown the roofers a rope.

4. When holding a work piece to be nailed, be aware that the force of the nail gun will drive through any obstacle in the wood like knots or other fasteners. The path through the wood is not always certain however. Nails have been know to come out the side of wood and in some cases even made a U turn and come back at the gun. Keep you hand at least the length of the fastener you are shooting away from the muzzle at all times when joining wood.

5. Don't use rusty fasteners. Using old nails in a nail gun can not only damage the gun, but they can send rust and scale out toward the operator. Be sure to use new clean nails for safe operation.

6. Wear your safety glasses or face shield. Not only can the nail gun send errant nails your way, but the force of the nailing operating can splinter the substrate as well. And if you ignored number six above, rust and scale can be ejected as well. So protect your eyes. It is a lot easier to use a nail gun safely when you can wee what you are working with.

7. Maintain the nail gun properly. Regular maintenance and lubrication will reduce the possibility of jams and misfires that require potentially dangerous repairs and unjamming procedures.

8. Read and follow all the manufactures safety rules and procedures. They have likely already been sued over something there

DISC Profiles - Major Abilities

When using DISC profiles in the business setting it is important to look at the major abilities that each style possess. This tells us what positive these styles bring to your organization. One of the key things that good managers do is to maximize the strengths of individual team members. These are the strengths that these styles bring.

Dominance styles are excellent at making decisions and providing direction. They are strong at delegating and demanding results. The dominance personality is comfortable with the leadership position and using their power. Team members can appreciate their ability to move ahead and take risks.

Influence styles may be recognized for their ability to motivate people and generating enthusiasm. They can excel at reconciling differences and releasing tension. The influence style is good at verbal skills and rephrasing ideas. Team members often feel that their influence style teammates make work fun.

Steadiness styles are excellent at maintaining and following standards. They are recognized for their ability to maintain focus and concentration even when performing repetitive tasks. The steadiness style is strong at analyzing and developing alternatives. Team members can appreciate the steadiness team member's ability to be sensitive to others and to develop effective systems.

Competence styles are recognized for their ability to be accurate, correct, and exact. They are strong at fact gathering and listening. The competence style is comfortable working alone and maintaining a routine. Team members will appreciate the competence style teammates ability to be neutral or calm in crisis and to maintain consistency.

As you can see, a good organization needs all of these strengths. As a manager, it is your job to identify those strengths within your organization and to make sure that you are maximizing those strengths.

Corporate Communication - Internal and External

Communicating with others is challenging to some, while it comes naturally to others. This is a quality that some people are born with, while some others chisel it to shine.

There are different forms of communication, some explicit while some are implicit.

Some are verbal while some are non verbal.

In corporate world, communication plays a vital role in the health of the organization and its presence in the business world. Different industries require different standards of communication which can also differ from time to time and region to region.

The three main channels of communication with business are: face to face, email/fax and phone. The two classes of communication can be denoted as external and internal.

External communication describes the communication that one has with external entities; such as, a vendor, supplier, bankers, principals, agents, competitors, franchises, consultants and finally - with the customers. Those with whom communication can be considered as internal are employees, resources and partners.

Communicating with such entities, both internal and external, should always follow some basics of corporate communication. It should be done in a way which adheres to the company's policy and presence. Care should also be taken on the positioning or branding strategies of the organization.

We need to follow some basic rules while taking part in any of these forms of communication, be it a note/letter/email/fax/or through human interaction in the form of a face to face conversation or a telephonic one. They form the basics of customer service as well as the image of the organization on the society.

Most corporate companies provide basic induction training on the corporate rules and policies. A secondary training is also imparted in many organizations, which deals with these time proven techniques of communication. Such training sessions/ workshops helps the company to help the employee align its behavioral pattern with the organization as a whole.

In most corporate communications we can follow a standardization of telephonic customer service communication, or a template form of the email s that its employees send out to the business. Such checks are done to standardize actions and reactions of accompany vis-à-vis other entities and also to impose business ethics among its employees.

Thus a study of the basics of communication techniques and procedures should be understood for each and all. This helps all of us in developing ourselves in a more meaningful way in the corporate world.

More articles on communication can be found at Myblogppartner.com. http://myblogpartner.com/personal-development/2009/internal-and-external-communication/

Office Cleaning Supplies

When you hear the term "office supplies," you usually think of products such as pens, paper, paperclips, and staples. Everyone always forgets that the cleaning supplies used in offices are also considered part of the office supply category.

Products

The cleaning supplies used in the office can include dusters, vacuum cleaners, rags, and cleaning solvents for desks and computer monitors. These products are a necessary part of a business. Even with their high level of importance, these products are usually underappreciated, as well as always forgotten.

The reason these products are generally forgotten is because cleaning is usually seen as a lower form of work. People who work in an office are generally all highly educated and have a certain status symbol. People who work in the cleaning industry are usually seen as simple laborers who do not have a high level of education. When people think of office workers, they usually think of the person wearing a suit working in cubicle using the computer. People generally will not even think about those who come in and keep the office clean.

Uses

A business cannot run successfully without cleaning supplies. Being able to maintain a clean building is beneficial to the maintenance of the company's electronic devices. The dust and dirt that can collect on the equipment can adversely affect the condition of its functions.

Costs

The cost of office cleaning products for businesses will vary depending on how large your office space is. The larger the office, more cleaning supplies will be necessary to clean the office. The unit cost of cleaning supplies is generally inexpensive compared to the other products used in offices. For example, the most expensive office supply is the computer, which can cost over $1,000 per unit, whereas the most expensive cleaning supply for offices will be the vacuum cleaner, which can cost as little as $100, depending on the model.