Things Your Mother Told You…

If you can’t think of something nice to say, then don’t say anything at all… People seem to have a mental blockage when it comes to social media. They get all caught up in the hype of saying stuff online, showing off to mates and generally big noting themselves and it’s all fun until they lose their job. Take this guy – he was having a great old time until someone contacted his employer and now he isn’t having a great time at all. Remember this one thing people – once you send a message, a picture, add a comment or share something dodgy, you have lost control of where that message ends up. There is no such thing as private. No such thing as confidential. The law might be behind the times when it comes to revenge porn, but it is definitely NOT behind the times when it comes to being sued for defamation. If your employer can claim that your actions online have brought them into disrepute, it’s sayonara baby. And considering just about every future employer is likely to google you before offering you a job, your online indiscretions are going to haunt you worse than that tattoo of your ex boyfriend’s name on your left buttock.

Your face will freeze like that when the wind changes.. Moping around with a long face is not going to do you any favours in the workplace. Smile, smile and smile a bit more. Fake it until you make it if you need to…but a warm approachable manner will help your career enormously. Take a deep breath, put a smile on the dial and look people in the eye. Positivity is your friend in the office.

Hold my beer and watch this… OK, I don’t think anyone’s mother has said this last one, but it’s a favourite in my household when we talk about stupid things that people do. What is a hold my beer moment? I have a 10 year old with a bmx. It’s pretty much anything he thinks is a good trick on a bmx…including jumping it over a group of mates lying on the footpath or trying to balance it on a brick fence with your eyes closed. So, overall – it’s a stupid idea. It’s not uncommon for people to have hold my beer moments in the workplace either.

Getting drunk at the Christmas party, photocopying a body part, replying all to a group email with a cartoon picture of a male appendage with the boss’ name written on it. Having a hold my beer moment will inevitably result in a…. don’t come running to me if you fall down and break your leg moment.

In other words, if you fall foul of any of these sayings…I told you so!