Aging with Intention

We spend a lot of time learning how to get a job, do the job, and keep the job. But as with most things in life, there will probably come a point when that job ends. People leave jobs for all kinds of reasons. You may have accepted another position, decided to change careers, gone back to school, relocated, or realized that the position is no longer a good fit. Sometimes the decision is planned months in advance. Other times, circumstances change and you need to leave sooner

Criticism is inevitable. It happens in school with grades, it happens with friends when you make a bad joke, it happens anytime anywhere by anyone. But work criticism can feel a little bit worse when your income is dependent on your performance. Even when feedback is intended to help, it can be difficult to hear that something you did could have been done differently. Many people naturally feel defensive, embarrassed, or frustrated when someone points out a mistake or area fo

Starting a new job can feel overwhelming. There is the actual job to learn, but there is also the workplace around it. You have to figure out how your team communicates, how your manager prefers to be approached, how much independence you are expected to have, and what is considered normal behavior in that particular workplace. Some of these things will be explained during training. Others you will figure out by paying attention to the people who have already been there. Work

When you start a new job, you are often given a stack of paperwork to complete. Among those documents is usually an employee handbook. Many employees skim through it, sign an acknowledgment form, and never look at it again unless a problem occurs. This is a mistake. An employee handbook is more than a collection of workplace rules. It explains how the organization operates, what is expected from employees, what benefits are available, and what procedures exist when problems a

Almost every employer has an attendance policy, and it is usually one of the first things you are expected to acknowledge when you start a new job. It can be tempting to skim past it. After all, you already know you are supposed to show up for work. The part that is easy to miss is what happens when you do not. Missing work can affect more than your own schedule. Depending on the job, someone else may have to cover your shift, a manager may have to rearrange the schedule, cus

Paid time off (PTO) is one of the benefits employees tend to think about most, especially when they need a break, have an appointment, get sick, or have something unexpected come up. Each employers sets its own rules on when, what type, and how much paid time off you can use. Your employer may have specific rules about how PTO is earned, when it becomes available, how much notice you need to give, and what happens to unused time. Those rules can be very different from one wor