The Work Advisor Definition Of A Manager

In order for an employee to succeed, a manager must be competent, understanding, knowledgeable about both the company and its products as well as the employees and what they are being asked to accomplish. A manager must be able to establish clear and realistic goals for employees and be able to support them, direct them and literally inspire them to succeed. A bad manager can ruin a colleague’s career, poison a workplace environment and place a mood of depression that can literally make employees physically ill, non-responsive and unproductive. A bad manager reaches beyond the workplace environment and will affect employees home and intimate personal lives that have no bearing on the workplace at all. In short a bad manager should be avoided at all costs by employees.

For every great manager there are many mediocre ones and lots of bad ones. Here are ten tips from The Work Advisor on how to spot a Bad Manager.

10 Work Advisor Tips On Spotting A Bad Manager

1) Today we live in a world of high-tech gadgets and instant messaging. Yet if your manager cannot give you their undivided attention for a short period, this is a sign of a bad manager.  If during an interview your prospective manager continually checks email, blackberry, iPhones and all manner of devices you may be considering a job in an environment where the manager does not have control. This is a good clue of a chaotic workplace which you may be stepping into. A good manager knows how to delegate their time and job responsibilities. An interview requires their undivided attention. Bad managers are rarely organized and have limited time management skills.

2) Does your manager give vague answers to specific questions? Do you leave a meeting more confused than when it started? Does your manager pause often, appear awkward in their answers and often give general answers to specific questions? These are all signs of a bad manager.

3) Have you ever received an email from your manager that only did not make sense, but addressed none of the concerns expressed by you or other employees? Is your manager so busy that they cannot find the time to even answer your email? Is your manager always insistent that all questions and concerns should always be sent to them by email? In other words, does your manager actually have no answers to the every day workplace stresses and issues and fails to address them? This is a major work advisor tip: a manager who cannot answer and resolve conflicts or issues in a short time period is a bad manager and should be avoided. Unresolved problems will only become bigger when left unsolved.

4) Bad managers appear busy all the time. They have no time to answer questions, resolve issues, meet with their employees, set goals, monitor those goals and show employees how to meet those goals. Bad managers exhibit a lack of being able to apply time management skills to their own work as well as those of their employees.

5) Bad managers set low goals for their departments. They tend to set goals that are easily achieved and require less effort on their part as well as their employees. They do not do this to assist their employees, but because they themselves cannot handle the touch work of setting higher goals. This is often because higher goals need team work, dedication and effort. They require a manager that can lead by example and motivate employees. Bad managers rarely set departments records but instead meet minimum requirements set out by upper management.

6) Bad managers know how to make excuses. They know how to pick a scapegoat within their department who will be blamed for department problems. They know how to select everything from health issues to employee’s personal issues to deflect responsibility for the department not meeting established guidelines or goals. Bad managers know how not to accept blame.

7) Bad managers pretend to listen to employees and their ideas for change, but they never act of them. Bad managers believe only they know how to make the department function properly. They rarely accept the advice of employees and fellow managers alike. Along the same theme, bad managers often lay out “big” department plans with employees. They discuss lofty goals but have no concept how to reach them. When the lofty plans fall apart they immediately turn to the “blame game” rather than examining why the project failed and how not to repeat the mistakes for the next project. Bad managers do not learn from past mistakes but repeat them endlessly.

8) Bad managers tend to use the word “You” a lot rather than “I” or “we” when discussing projects and goals. This is often a work advisor clue that this manager will not accept responsibility for failed projects or unmet goals. “You” is a good term meaning that someone else will be held accountable for a bad manager’s decision.

9) Find out how long your manager has worked in the present department. Bad managers move around a lot. Many move to a new managerial position every two or three years. When asked why they have moved, often they complain that employees could not do as asked.  Bad managers do not realize that they do not have the skills needed to properly manage and motivate employees. They cannot instill confidence in them and show them how to meet goals. If your manager has moved a lot, watch for those signs.

10) Bad managers pick office favorites and pit colleagues against one another. They fail to stand up for their employees when confronted by upper management. Bad managers never lead by example. Bas managers rarely handle office politics but often make them worse.

The Work Advisor Summary Of Bad Managers

Being a bad manager is easy and requires very little effort. This could be why there are so many of them. Bad managers are easily spotted if as an employee you contemplate what goals, if any, have been laid out clearly for you along with the steps needed to reach those goals. Bad managers do not lead but often bully. They pit colleagues against one another as it deflects attention away from the underlying problem which is the lack of proper management.

Many bad managers fail to use proper office etiquette but instead will use inappropriate language or send emails that are not in keeping with professional management. Recently I was asked to comment on an event within a corporate department that concerned upper management. This was an office environment where an employee was given the task of designing the departmental website. No direction was given, no advice applied. The project was assignment with no goals and no clearly defined steps to reach a successful conclusion.

The employee worked without any assistance and launched the department site with the help of the company’s tech department. The manager failed to like the site and sent inappropriate emails to various employees except the employee who was responsible for the project. With the department in disarray upper management saw the department website, approved it and advised the department manager how much they liked it. The manager took full credit for the website explaining how much effort and direction they had provided to the employee. The department manager did not give credit to the employee. Nothing was said to the employee at all.

Three months later the employee asked to be transferred from the department, complaining to HR that he felt ostracized from fellow employees. Upon being transferred the employee was asked to design another website for the this particular department since Upper Management liked the original project so much. The employee, unaware of Upper Management’s approval of the original site, declined and was fired.

Upper management was unaware of how the employee felt and how the manager had treated him. When asked to return the employee refused and found work with another company. The bad manager was moved to another department. 

 The company in the end lost a strong employee who obviously was self motivated and had skill. They retained a bad manager who was then moved to infect another department.  This scenario is typical of bad managers and ineffective upper management. Employees can protect themselves from bad managers by learning how to spot them and avoid them. If a bad manager cannot be avoided, employees need to discuss concerns with HR or at the very least realize that a bad manager will not last long before being transferred and attempt to accomplish their work as best they can while avoiding the office politics and poisoned atmosphere that so often accompanies bad managers.

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Good night rest

Good Night Rest Internet Discount Hotel & Travel Sites

Hotwire.com meets the Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval

Select this Good Night Rest Link to get to Hotwire.com. I have used Hotwire.com many times and they do have cheap prices on everything from hotel stays to airlines to cheap cruises and cheap rental cars. You can also book activities and complete vacation packages. I have used Hotwire.com for airlines, cruises and hotels for business purposes. I have never used Hotwire.com for a vacation. I have always had a good night rest when booking through them. Hotwire.com are prompt, the website works and I they do answer their phone. They do not have a phone number on their front page because like all discounters they would rather you did not call but use their website. Hotwire.com phone is 1-866-468-9473. I have found Hotwire.com better for bookings in North America and the Caribbean but not as great for other destinations. I would recommend reading my article on how to use internet discount booking companies to make sure you get a good night rest. They more than meet my Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval.

Hotelclub.com meets the Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval

Select this Good Night Rest link to get to HotelClub.com. I have used HotelClub.com many times and unlike some other discounters, their phone number is on the very front page and they are pleasant and knowledgeable on-line. I have even had them walk me through the complete online booking and they have also done it manually for me. I have used HotelClub.com outside North America as well and they are good. They also rebate back a portion of what I spend and I can save that up and use it to help pay the cost of my next hotel stay. They are HOTEL BOOKING DISCOUNTERS ONLY and partner up with many other discounters for everything from flights to car rentals.  They more than meet my Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval.

CheapTickets.com meets the Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval

Select this Good Night Rest link to get to CheapTickets.com. One of the partners of HotelClub.com, I have used them for booking flights and hotels and in combination with HotelClub.com. As their name implies they have pretty cheap tickets for flights, especially last-minute flights. I have used CheapTickets.com within North America and found them responsive and cheap at times. Cheaptickets.com phone number is 888-596-5860 but wow is it hard to find it. They much prefer you email them. CheapTickets.com keep that phone number pretty well hidden as obviously they would rather respond by email. I have never had to call them but because of their cheap flights and easy website interface they meet my Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval.

Hotels.com meets the Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval

Select this Good Night Rest link to get to Hotels.com. They are one of the older internet hotel discounters and as such they have the system down pretty well. Hotels.com phone number is on every page and they have separate phone numbers for the country you are in. Hotels.com are often the cheapest but not always. They are pushing more and more their last-minute deals which I have found to be excellent. Hotels.com have great reviews by other travellers who have stayed at specific hotels and that makes a lot of difference in my having a good night rest. If the hotel has a poor rating I don’t even bother to book it. Hotels.com are friendly on the phone, can fix most mistakes I make such as booking the wrong dates which apparently is pretty common among discounters. Also I have found if I find a better deal elsewhere Hotels.com will more than match it and that makes a significant difference. Hotels.com specialize in hotel bookings in most countries and I have used them in North America, South America, Asia, Australia and Europe. Hotels.com more than meet my Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval.

Travelocity.com meets the Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval

Select this Good Night Rest link to get to Travelocity.com. They advertise everywhere including other forms of media such as television. Travelocity.com are aggressive in their marketing and in their prices. I have used Travelocity.com to bid on rooms and to simply book rooms.  I have used Travelocity.com for cheap flights, cheap hotel rooms, cheap car rentals, cheap cruises, even cheap rail passes. I have booked cheap Disney passes and Disney vacations often a lot cheaper than the poor soul in the room beside me. I have rarely not had a good night rest when booking through them, and Travelocity.com has refunded me on a couple of stays that were pretty bad. Travelocity.com are cheap so sometimes it’s not the best hotel I ever stayed at. Travelocity.com phone number is 888-872-8356 and it is right on the front page. They are friendly on the phone, will book at the same prices on the phone, can answer my questions on the phone, fix a problem on the phone and they more than meet my Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval. Travelocity.com have a great guarantee, stand behind it and their daily deals are often pretty amazing. I check Travelocity.com weekly for specials and often will book a business hotel weeks and sometimes month’s in advance. Travelocity.com website is simple to use, always has worked for me and overall I use them a lot.

Expedia.com meets the Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval

Select this Good Night Rest link to get to Expedia.com. Probably the very first internet discounter I used was Expedia.com. They have an easy to use interface, often cheap rates and perhaps because I used them first I still use them. Expedia.com phone number is well hidden but the Expedia.com phone number is 800-397-3342 and they are not as helpful as other hotel discounters. They can answer some questions but if I need to cancel a reservation I have to do it on-line which sometimes is inconvenient if I am in an airport with no wireless connectivity or the side of a road somewhere. I can book just about anything from hotels and cruises to flights, rental cars, activities and more. Expedia.com are often not the cheapest and they will not take reservations on the phone. However they stand behind what they promote and the hotels they represent. I have had Expedia.com refund me for a bad stay more than once, although not without some arm twisting. They meet my Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval but Expedia.com need to update their offerings and indeed their customer support to be more competitive.

Priceline.com meets the Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval

Select this Good Night Rest link to get to Priceline.com. Priceline.com got its start as a “name your own price” bidding site for hotel stays. Priceline.com did a lot of advertising at the outset and then settled back to doing the odd bit of promotion here and there. It worked though as Priceline.com have done a very good job at offering discounts with some exceptional prices at various hotels. You can book more than hotels through Priceline.com including vacation packages, hotels, activities and more. The problem with bidding is I never know how convenient the hotel is going to be and often I find 5 star hotels I won are more like 3 star hotels in my mind. If I want something specific because of a business stay, then I just don’t bid. Priceline.com again hides their phone number which is strange because it is 800-774-2354 or 1-800-PRICELINE. With a vanity number like that why hide it? I found out why when I had to call Priceline.com to cancel a room from the side of the highway. They cannot help. Priceline.com basically can confirm that I won the bid on the room but I was not able to get a refund. Their bidding service is very good and because of that they meet my Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval but if you are on a business stay, applying for a new job or your first job, spend the extra and forget about bidding. Stay at a hotel that is as close as possible to where you have to go. The money you save is never worth the aggravation of finding that your 5 star hotel is 25 blocks from where you are going for a job interview.

RatesToGo.com meets The Good Night Rest Seal Of Approval

Select this Good Night Rest link to get to RatesToGo.com. RatesToGo.com is connected with HotelClub.com and you can easily tell. They have the same phone number right on the front page and the user interface is exactly the same. RatesToGo.com phone number is 1-800-877-1261 and they will do everything on the phone if you need help. They are friendly and always available to  help. Prices are sometimes better than on their other site HotelClub.com and I am not sure why. You can book flights and hotels in countries around the world and I have used them for Europe, Australia, Asia and New Zealand. They have some excellent last-minute deals and they meet my Good Night Rest Seal of Approval. RatesToGo.com also have a best price guarantee and my experience has been good.

GOOD NIGHT REST – Internet Hotel Discounters Summary

When using any internet discount service make sure when you enter your credit card details the site shows as https: and there is a proper Security Certificate show in your browser. The above hotel discounters I have used many times with good results and only a few times have I not had a good night rest. When I don’t I make sure I let them know. With Hotels.com I make sure to post my experience at the hotel so it helps others. If you want a good night rest you can check out the ratings at Hotels.com and then find the hotel you would like to stay at. Then check out the above websites for the best rate you can get. There is a bit of work involved with internet hotel discount sites but its worth it for a good night rest.

When

10 Tips For A Good Night Rest At Hotels

1) Drink your last cup of coffee with your lunch and then avoid any caffeine drinks or products including chocolate, many teas and coca cola or pepsi. Many pops contain caffeine. Instead stay with water, milk or decaffeinated tea or coffee. For obvious reasons caffeine is a product you will not want to take late in the day if you want a good night rest.

2) If possible take a nice warm bath for at least 15 minutes before bed-time. It relaxes the muscles and starts the rest pattern for a good night sleep.

3) Turn off the television and your computer at least an hour before bed. Read a book or browse a magazine. Computer screens emit a glow that keeps the brain active and studies show that they can alter the body’s biological clock, suppressing the production of melatonin, a critical component needed for a good night rest. Make sure you go to bed at the same time as when you are at home. The same with getting up in the morning. Maintaining the same sleeping and waking routines as when at home, are important when travelling.

4) Keep a small pad of paper beside the bed. When trying to fall asleep if you recall something you want to remember for the next day, write it down. Once you have written it down it’s off your mind and you will have a good night rest without thinking about the next day’s task.

5) After dinner avoid many fluids to help ensure you don’t have to get up during the night. Avoid drinking alcohol late at night as well. Despite popular belief, drinking alcohol does not help a person sleep soundly.

6) During the day avoid catnaps. Short naps during the day make it more difficult to sleep soundly through the entire night.

7) Turn the temperature down in the room. A cooler room will help you have a good night rest. If your hotel room is noisy, you can turn on the TV and unplug or turn off the cable or satellite service. This will create a white noise like affect covering some of the noises of the room like door’s slamming in the hallway, water running in other rooms, people speaking loudly and other typical hotel noises. Turn the TV away from you or if it is in a cupboard close the doors. As well the remote may allow you to dim the brightness of the screen. Some people try turning on the radio in the room and select a position between stations so there is just white noise.

8) If you use the exercise facilities or the pool, try not to use them before sleeping. A better time is prior to dinner. Exercise is important when travelling but exercising too close to bed time will not help you get a good night rest.

9) Take clothespins with you so you can close the drapes securely, blocking out the early morning light. If the curtains are of poor quality or your room faces the early morning sun, ask for an extra blanket and use the clothespins to hang up the blanket on top of the existing drapes. Taking a wife roll of painter’s masking tape with you and use it to tape shut corners of the window where the drapes do not close tight enough to block the early morning light. Painter’s tape works very well but it does not mark walls or the drapes and is easily removed daily. I have found painter’s tape an excellent aid in a good night rest.

10) Upon entering the room make sure the bed mattress is comfortable. If not call down to the front desk immediately and ask to be moved to another room. It’s important to check right away before the hotel fills up and no additional rooms are available. The bed mattress is a priority for a good night rest when staying at a hotel and remember watch for bed bugs.

Many people fail to understand the importance of a good night rest in a Hotel.

1 Extra Tip For A Good Night Rest

While there is a lot of controversy today over the abuse of water by hotels, when travelling for business, if staying longer than one night, you will be amazed at what a good night rest you will get by having the bed linens changed each day. Most hotels will not change the linens until you have stayed a week but you can ask for them to be changed daily and tip accordingly.

Getting a good night rest when travelling and staying away from home is a priority for a successful trip and/or meetings. I have used all of these tips when travelling and after more than 30 years of staying at hotels in countries around the world I know they make a difference. The value of a good night rest when travelling is under estimated by many employees.

Read this other article on a good night rest when booking through an on-line hotel discounter like expedia.com or travelocity.com

Use this good night rest link to search for travel on-line discounters.

Use this good night rest link to get a list of internet hotel booking sites.

There is nothing worse than making a presentation and yawning every 5 or 10 minutes. A good night rest ranks as a top priority when travelling, and your choice of hotels can impact the amount of travel sleep you are going to get.

For many people they like to use the discount online hotel booking companies to save a considerable amount when reserving a hotel room. The problem is, there are no agents to talk to who actually know the hotel and when you want a good night rest, booking online can work against you.

I have done a lot of travelling over the years and here are my top 10e tip for getting a good night rest when booking through a discount online service.

Good Night Rest 10 Tips:

A) Good Night Rest Tips When Booking Through An Online Service (or On-Line Discount)

The secret to getting a good night rest when booking through a discount online service is knowing what the hotel is like before making the booking. When using an online booking service such as hotels.com, travelocity or expedia BEFORE booking the room, call the hotel directly and ask these 10 questions:

When booking a hotel through an online discounter there are many pitfalls to getting a good night rest.

1) Is the hotel currently being renovated. If it is, forget the hotel. You want peace and quiet to get a good night rest and often workers start at 6 AM and can work into the evening hours.

2) If the hotel has been renovated recently ask if  all floors or just some. You want to be on the renovated floors but only if it has been completed in the last 6 months. If it is brand new everything will have smells, the flooring, paints, rugs, glues for counter tops, caulking and lots more which will not assist a good night rest. If the hotel has been recently renovated completely ask if All the mattresses were newly upgraded.

3) When you need a good night rest you must know if there is a restaurant or a nighttime bar within the hotel. If so what floor is it on and do they have live music. If they do when does the bar/restaurant close. Make sure you book a room higher up and away from the bar.

4) How many floors are there to the hotel. The higher the hotel, the better the chance to rise above the noise level which will help with a good night rest.

5) Are icemakers on every floor? If not, this is excellent since fewer ice makers means fewer chances you will be situated near one. Again noise is the worst culprit in not getting a good night rest.

6) How is the room heated or airconditioned. Room or wall airconditioners are the worst. Noise levels are incredibly high. It will be very hard to get a good night rest in this type of room. If the room is central heated/cooled then the noise levels will be lower. If the room is centrally heated/cooled is there a thermostat in the room allowing you to control the temperature settings. This is the most ideal situation for a good night rest.

7) Is there a refrigerator in all the rooms? If there is you want to know if the refrigerator is inside a cupboard or sits out open in the room. A small fridge in a cupboard is quieter and again will assist in a good night rest. If you do not need the refrigerator make sure it can easily be unplugged.

8) Is there a banquet hall in the hotel you are staying at. If there is then what floor is it on. Hopefully it is in the basement or normally the first floor. Are there any functions such as a wedding planned during your stay. Book as far away from any events as possible.

9) After booking through the discounter, call the hotel a few days later and see if they can upgrade your room at no cost to you or if they can move you to a higher floor. If not, check in early and ask for a room higher up with a newer mattress. Once inside the room check for noise levels and mattress comfort. If they are unsuitable tell the front clerk immediately so you can be moved to another room.

10) Check the hotel on google maps, mapquest or such sites to find where it is. Most online bookings have direct links to mapping. If it is located on a major traffic route or in the core of a city, make sure to ask for a room at the back of the hotel and higher up. Explain you are a light sleeper and need as quiet a room as possible for a good night rest.

Good Night Rest – Conclusion

You can see from the above questions that you should be concerned about the quality of the room, the mattress, hotel location and noise level. Once you have asked the above questions you can then narrow down the hotels you would consider. Remember to check in early and inspect your hotel room, mattress and noise levels.

Ask for an upgrade. All they can say is no. Explain that you need a good night rest because of the important meeting, presentation or event you have to attend or host. Many hotels will try to be accommodating, especially for frequent travellers.

To see the discount online services I use select this good night rest link. (this link goes through an ad first)

I hope these 10 tips will help readers get a good night rest when booking through an online discount hotel service.