10 Attitudes of Successful Workers
By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor

I love careers section on msn.com.  I can always count on them to publish some really good career advice.  Here is one to check out:

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/custom/msn/careeradvice/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=666

When the Cat's Away.....*

This mouse does not play.  My boss is out of the office on business for the next 4 work days.  And boy did I raise the roof, shout hallelujah and did any and everything else to celebrate my much needed break away from the "man".  But the funny thing about me - is that I get my best work and the most work done when my boss is out of the office.

Unlike the idiom - I generally do my playing when my boss is in the office.  It is better to maneuver the "play" aspect: shuffle papers, pick up the phone and pretend I am taking a business call, and take a long stroll to the vending machine when my boss is in.  No one else is keeping their eye on me, because if I look like I am chilling and my boss is in, no one will think any of it.  They think, would I dare play around with my boss in town??  However, beware, one false move when your boss is out, you will sure call attention to your schemes!

My boss's absence allows me to work without any interruptions, my to-do list actually serves its purpose and my talk breaks to my colleague are shorter, because I am so motivated to get the things on my agenda done! 

Later in the day, a colleague invited me to a slack fest, but I declined; she was shocked that I had the audacity to actually get some work done during this so-called vacation!  If you don't listen to nothing else I say, don't fall victim to this idiom.  Handle your business with or without your boss or supervisor around.  If you need a break to surf the net, talk to your friends, or try to leave early - do it when your boss is there.  This leaves you free from unwanted speculation and it's easier to talk your way in or out of something when it comes straight from the horses mouth.  How is that for another idiom!

*Idiom: 

Without supervision, people will do as they please, especially in disregarding or breaking rules. For example, As soon as their parents left, the children invited all their friends over—when the cat's away, you know. This expression has been a proverb since about 1600 and is so well known it is often shortened, as in the example.

We are all customers

Customer service matters. We all have or will be on the giving or receiving end of customer service at some point in our daily lives or careers. By day, as a Human Resources professional administering benefits to a company with over 2,000 active employees, retirees and COBRA participants and their dependents, I choose to perform exceptional customer service for the following reasons:

• Benefits (Medical and Dental to be exact) are sensitive subjects for all, including me. No one wants to arrive at the doctor only to find that they're not covered. Respect what is important to the customer.



• I never know who is on the other end of the phone. Great customer service should be blind to status, title, gender, race, etc. One day I may talk to the mail guy and on another day it might be a former CEO, either way they would have received remarkable customer service.



• Do unto to others as you would have them do unto you. I recently had the worst experience with an airline whose name I will not mention. I have written a very detailed letter and have made numerous calls to their corporate customer service office and am awaiting a response. Its well-known that one tells more people of an unpleasant experience than a positive one. Don't put your reputation on the line - just think about your reaction to unacceptable customer service.

Check out the 2010 Customer Service Champs listed on BusinessWeek.com and see what they did to make the list. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/10/02/0218_customer_service_champs/index.htm