Recognizing an unhealthy work environment - TheJobNetwork

Recognizing an unhealthy work environment - TheJobNetworkWhen it comes to our professional lives, fruchtwein of us have a clear hierarchy of needs, including a viable salary, acceptable benefits, and responsibilities that align well with our abilities. After all, we spend so much of our lives at work (nearly 90,000 hours over our lifetimes, according to a recent Business Insider article) that it stands to reason that our core needs and wishes should be met in order to make it all seem worthwhile. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) But all too often, having a healthy and productive environment doesnt make the list of priorities when we think about whats really important for us to be satisfied at workand thats a real miss when thinking about your overall career happiness. Need some convincing? Forbes recently reported that a toxic workplace environment will overtake the culture of any organization, interfering with employee performance, destr oying relationships and demotivating top performers. It is important to understand your organizations exposure to such an environment so that strategies are implemented to either eradicate or mitigate its effects.The question that likely remains for many of you is this Am I stuck in an unhealthy work environment? Good questionand dont be ashamed if you dont have a clear answer. The truth is, it can be hard to tell whats unhealthy and whats normal and acceptable in a high-pressure, high demand modern workplace, in which doing mora with less is the new normal. But dont worry, were here to help you figure out what side youre currently on. Use the following indicators to determine if youre currently in an unhealthy workplace.Monitor the avoidance factorDo you find yourself regularly going out of your way to avoid both people and situations at work? If so, then chances are youre working in an environment with some real unhealthy elements. These can include everything from toxic coworkers to an unsavory and insincere corporate culture thats misaligned with reality.The effects are similar you dread going to work in the morning and cant wait to leave at the end of the day. Many folks tend to take a bare minimum approach to their jobs when in this sort of unhealthy environmentthey do just enough to squeak by and stay under the radar. The result? They often deny themselves the ability to evolve in their positions. Staying in a job like this is not a formula for career satisfaction and positive growth.Do a regular office mood checkMost of us make it a point to check the weather each day before we head out to work, but not nearly enough of us stay on top of our mood temperature. An unhealthy work environment often has an unfortunate trickle-down effect on peoples moods, which makes it a great diagnostic tool for determining if your workplace has problems.Everyone from top management to their direct reports on down through the organizational chart can feel the impact of an unhealthy environment. If the overall mood of your colleagues (or a few key personnel who have a significant impact on others) is more doom and gloom than happiness and sunshine, you better believe that this has a significant impact on the companys productivity, employee turnover, and long-term success.Beware of negative spillover into your personal lifeThe unfortunate reality is this what happens at work doesnt always stay at work. On top of encroaching on your personal time (if you choose to spend more hours working than youre required to), the effects of an unhealthy workplace can spill all over the rest of your life.According to a recent Psychology Today article, If you are so miserable at work that you find yourself miserable at home, in your relationships and with your hobbies than your toxic professional life is seeping into every other aspect of your life. You may find yourself constantly talking about work and complaining about your boss when you should be enjoying your ti me off. Eventually, your loved ones will become tired of your negative talk and complaining, and your personal life will take a major hit.If this sounds all-too-familiar to you, then youre likely in an unhealthy work situation and may warrant taking a closer look.If youre curious about whether or not youre currently in an unhealthy work environment, do a serious self-assessment using the information provided here to help diagnose your workplace. If you find more negative than positive, consider taking active steps towards either improving your satisfaction and happiness at work, or finding a new job that will meet your needs.

Everything You Need to Know Before Taking out a Personal Loan

Everything You Need to Know Before Taking out a Personal Loan Andrea Woroch, nationally-recognized finance expert and Marcus by Goldman Sachs ambassador, says that it doesnt necessarily mean youre irresponsible with youre money if you find yourself in debt. Debt happens.Debt is something that happens to a lot of people, and its not something you should be embarrassed about, Woroch says. We should all open up and talk about it more because it gives us a option to share tips and solutions that have worked for ourselves. Then we could help other people figure out ways to better manage their debt and get out of it faster.Woroch has her own experiences of going through debt after college, and she learned that you dont need to make huge sacrifices or radical changes to your lifestyle in order to get yourself out of that debt. Instead, you do have the option to take out a personal loan.Generally 38 percent of leistungspunkt-worthy Americans find themselves in leistungspunkt card debt, and 7 7 percent of leistungspunkt-worthy Americans who are in leistungspunkt card debt dont even know that a personal loan is an option, according to a Marcus survey. Marcus is an online lending platform that helps consumers with good credit (660+) end the revolving cycle of high-interest credit card debt with a fixed-rate, no-fee personal loan, ranging from $3,500 to $30,000 for periods of three to six years.We reached out to Woroch to share some insight on how to take out a personal loan, as well as the benefits and risks involved. Heres what she had to say.Can you tell me a bit more about what Marcus by Goldman Sachs?Andrea Woroch There are no fees ever no sign-up fees, no pre-payment fees and no late fees Thats something that sets them apart from other loan offers out there.A lot of people dont realize that some lenders could charge up to five percent for a sign-up fee. That means, if youre applying for a $10,000-loan, youre only going to get $9,500 thats $500 just for signing up. I f youre trying to utilize that loan to pay off your debt, its just another hindrance from getting there. The whole idea of a personal loan to consolidate your debt, if thats what youre using it for, is to get ahead.With Marcus, you can customize your loan date with your payment date, which I think is so helpful because, if you get paid on a certain day and all your bills are due that day, you might feel more comfortable paying your loan later in the month. And after 12 consecutive months of paying on time, you can defer a payment and theres no penalty.When should someone consider exploring debt consolidation options like a personal loan?If youre carrying debt across a couple of credit cards and you just feel like youre not getting ahead But you do have to have that credit score at 660 or higher. So if you have good credit, this is a viable option to help consolidate debt.Consolidating through a person loan is going to offer you some relief with that interest rate, too. Youre going t o save money consolidating to a personal loan. And you can use Marcus saving calculator to binnensee how much youd save before applying to see if thats really worth while for you.Aside from debt consolidation, could you identify other situations in which itd be smart to take out a personal loan?Credit card consolidation is definitely a popular alternative to paying high interest rates on credit cards. But lets say you want to make a big purchase or your water heater breaks, which can cost a few hundred dollars and you might not have that in savings instead of using a high-interest credit card that you cant pay off the balance at the end of the month, it might be an instance that youd want to take out a personal loan.If you want to make small business purchases or an expansion, those could also be good opportunities to look into a personal loan, which might offer you a better opportunity than small business loans.Then there are some people who talk about taking out a personal loan w hen theyre getting married or going on a vacation. The only thing you really want to be careful about is that you dont necessarily want to pay interest on those kinds of occasions those you ideally want to save for in advance. But I understand that, when it comes to a wedding, there are some expenses youll have to put on a credit card. So it might be a good idea to take out a personal loan to help save money on those expenses that you were going to put on your credit card. Its just another alternative.As we see healthcare changing and out-of-pockets growing and deductibles getting more expensive, thats all a huge financial burden on a lot of families. Using a personal loan can be helpful to pay off unplanned incidents such as health care emergencies.What should one research and understand before considering taking out a personal loan?There are lenders who will charge up to five percent, so ultimately it comes down to reading all the fine print, researching and comparing. Dont just run off to one lender and apply. You want to make sure that youre getting the best interest rate, that youre understanding what fees, if any, are being charged and that youre comparing offers.Its important to understand what your payments are going to be, when you have to pay off that entire loan, if there are going to be any late fees, what the interest rate is, what the APR is. And figure out if perhaps its better to save to make a big purchase than it is to take a loan out and have it now.What are the risks involved with taking out a personal loan of any kind?Any time that you request a line of credit, if you arent approved, it could dip your credit score. So thats something to think about. Its so important for consumers to be aware of what their credit scores are. I recommend that everyone take advantage of getting their free credit score from all three credit bureaus. This way you understand what is on your report and what your score is that is all going to play a part in what interest rates you get and if youll be approved for the loans that youre applying for.What are the benefits of taking out a personal loan?The best benefits from my perspective, especially if youre consolidating credit card debt, are that youre going to get a lower interest rate with a personal loan and its a lot easier to manage your payments when you only have one payment at the same time every month rather than a few due at different times throughout the month. Thats when a lot of people get in trouble. They forget when payments are due, the charges on them and what the interest rates are, and they get slapped with late fees, penalties and retroactive interest. That can also ultimately affect your credit score, which can make future borrowing opportunities harder to obtain and more expensive with higher interest rates.You also know how much is owed every month. Its not going to be a surprise. And you cant borrow any more until youve paid off that loan. With a credit card, you mak e your payment but you can still use whatever credit there is left, so that doesnt limit you or prevent you from digging yourself any deeper into debt.For a more comprehensive look into what the application process looks like for a personal loan, check out Marcus by Goldman Sachs resources here. Youll be asked for some voreingestellt information and Marcus will provide you with some general options this wont affect your credit score until you select an option and actually apply with background information like your social security number.--AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist and an adventure aficionado with a keen cultural curiosity and an affinity for solotravel. Shes an editor by day and a travel blogger at HerReport.org by night.