The Closest Thing I Had To A Workplace Bully (So Far)

I have worked a few “big-boy” jobs by now, and I have worked and interacted with countless people during my times at these jobs. I have read about the topic of workplace bullies before, which lead me to think about who would be the closest thing to fit the description of a workplace bully. A workplace bully is someone in the workplace who engages in verbal, physical, or psychological abuse towards another employee. I have talked about some previous employees in one of my posts about changing jobs, and there was the infamous microwave story where a former co-worker told me that the microwave in a vacant office is more important to the company than me. I want to talk about another former co-worker of mine whom I have had dealings with. For the sake of this blog post, I will name her “Sandra”.

My Old Company Cannot Afford My Services

I want to share something with you. I would not call this a dream, or a fantastical thought I had, but it is a blend of the two. This is a blend of something that actually happened to me, with a mix of a fantasy scenario, and it combines two things that I have spoken about in length about this blog. These two things are my value and the time I worked at an old company. Let me briefly go over these things and then lay out this scenario that had been buzzing through my head for the last little while.

Corporate-Mandated Fun at Cirque du Soleil

Last week, I had a work outing at Cirque du Soleil, which is a circus producer of many travelling shows around the world. As of last week, they had their show Kooza playing in Toronto (as of writing this post, Cirque's run of Kooza shows have finished in Toronto) and I always wanted to go see the show, but I could never justify paying $150 for a decent seat. Luckily, because this is a work event, my company covered the Cirque ticket. Also, because this is a work event, I must go socialize with many of my co-workers at the event, which is (for an introvert like me) a complete nightmare. I decided to suck it up, because I do not think there would be a time where I would willingly go to a Cirque du Soleil event.

Labor Shortage?!?

I want to use this blog post to talk about an experience I had while looking for a job earlier this year, but before I do that, I need to add some context to this experience.

I hear talk from experts saying that Canada is currently facing a labor shortage, meaning that companies are having a hard time filling job positions as there are either not enough people applying to these roles, or job candidates are not able to match the qualifications of the job itself. From my observations, it seems like most of these job openings are low-paying job openings from the service industry. As awful as the COVID-19 pandemic is, there is a strange positive that came out of it. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a positive shift in how we work in our jobs and the overall work culture (such as working from home). I also find that more people are better able to gauge their overall worth to an employer, and it led to another shift of people leaving their current jobs and finding better-paying jobs and more convenient job environments.

Changing Jobs (Again) And Trying To Fit In

FYI: Post was written last week, during my last week at my previous job.

I cannot believe that I am going to write another entry in my "Changing Jobs" series of blog posts. So, as of writing this post, I am changing jobs yet again. I will be joining a new company that is offering even more money, with better benefits and increased vacation time. All of that is fantastic, but I want to talk about my time at this current job (at the time of writing) and how I ended up leaving this company after around 20 months of employment.

Changing Jobs And Suppressing Lingering Feelings

I initially did not want to create a third blog post about changing my job, but there were unaddressed feelings that I could not stop thinking about. I talked about my old company's lack of action of making me feeling important, as well as keeping in contact with my friends in the midst of a pandemic. However, I did not talk about what leaving my old company meant for my co-workers, especially in my old department. I realized that in order for me to move forward in my life and in my career, I might have to hurt the people I care for.

Changing Jobs And Keeping In Touch

As I have recently switched employers in my career, I have wrote about the negative aspects of working at my old company as it pertains to my life and at the current stage of my career. Switching employers is currently looking like a good move for me, but that is not to say that I miss certain things about my old company. I want to talk about the biggest challenge that I am going to face about leaving my old company.

Changing Jobs And Trying To Realize My Value

If anyone has seen some of my posts from late last year and early this year, I talk about my struggles in working at the company I was working for at that time. Around that time, I was working evenings and weekends without any financial compensation and I was suffering from job burnout. Well, I have some good news! At the time of writing this post, I have accepted a new position at a new company and the previous week was my last week at my old company. There is no doubt that I am excited for this new challenge and opportunity. This post is going to sound like I am complaining about my previous job, but honestly; I do not care if this is how the post sounds. During my job search and my subsequent job offer, I have been thinking about why I wanted to leave my current job, as well as what I have learned about myself and what I want to do in my career path.

Building Confidence Through Self-Promotion

The first course that caught my eye on Google's Digital Garage is 'Building Confidence with Self-Promotion'. The course explains how speaking about your successes and achievements can help increase your confidence. This course can also help with your ability to persuade others, whether it is trying to land that dream job, or for some other reason.

The Symptoms of Job Burnout

I have touched upon my mental health issues due to my current exhaustion from my work in one of my previous posts. I want to explore these issues in this post.

The Dangers Of An Imbalanced Work-Life Balance

I have been working at the same position for some time now. While my boss is a big proponent of having a life outside of work, it feels like lately, I have been having to work after-hours and on the weekends on a semi-normal basis. I want my work-life balance back.

Why A Logic Concert Has Me Thinking About My Current Situation

I went to a rap concert not too long ago, where YBN Cordae, J.I.D., and Logic (the headliner) performed on stage. This was my first arena concert and my first concert since university (where I tried to make friends by going to see Metric at a makeshift stage on the university grounds). The concert was entertaining, and the rappers were constantly interacting with the crowd in unique ways. I was particularly impressed with the creation of the lighting effects at the concert.

Comparing Myself To My Microwave: Which Is Better?

This is actually a picture of my microwave. Not pictured: My angry co-worker.

One morning, I was not able to come into work, as my car was full of ice from the previous day's snowstorm and I was not able to get out of my driveway. I had the only key to my office at work, where it also had the department microwave, so my department co-workers can make use of it. Of course, because there is no access to the office, a senior department co-worker of mine was completely livid that day because she was not able to heat up her coffee in that office which I had the key.

Why I Choose Not To Be Drunk Around Co-Workers

I like to enjoy a good drink sometimes. A little bit of alcohol helps me to socialize, and it helps me to engage in great laughs with the company around me. However, there are a group of people in my life where I am hesitant to drink alcohol around, and that would be my co-workers. Before I dive into why it is dangerous to drink a large amount of alcohol around co-workers, allow me to share a little story of a night out with former co-workers that went sour. This night out serves as the basis of my feelings toward drinking around co-workers.

The UpNextAjax Program

I had the honour of being a participant of a wonderful youth initiative that took place over a three-week period over the summer. The Town of Ajax created the "UpNextAjax" program as a way to help improve participants chances of landing a job or starting their own business by training them in digital marketing and offering real-world experience to use these skills with small business owners. This program came as perfect timing for me, as I was resigning from my current job and beginning a new one after the program ended, so this program kept me busy during my transition.

Youth unemployment is a serious and chronic issue in Ontario, and it is particularly bad in the Durham Region. For example, the youth unemployment rate in the Oshawa CMA is around 20%, which is higher than the national rate. I can imagine the youth unemployment rate for Pickering and Ajax to be a similar number to Oshawa. In my opinion, the federal and provincial governments do not do enough to reduce youth unemployment in the province, but to see a municipal government like The Town of Ajax attempt to take this problem head-on is refreshing to see. Not only do The Town of Ajax want to reduce youth unemployment, but also by collaborating these young professionals with small business owners, they have a desire to make Ajax an attractive place to work and to keep jobs in the area. Personally, I would rather work here in Ajax than drive or take public transit to Toronto, as The Town of Ajax is a great community to live and work in. The UpNextAjax program has reaffirmed that in me.

Every day in the three-week program consists of a presentation in the morning by an industry professional/small business owner or a group, and the afternoon consists of a technical session where we would learn how to use social media for businesses. We would then have time to work with our businesses to create and post content on their social media platforms to maximize reach and engagements. The morning presentations consisted of everything it takes to market yourself to potential employers, from writing a good resume and how to network to something like how to dress properly for an interview. All of the morning presentations were informative, and I always found myself learning something different every day that I can use in my future career. All of the presenters were memorable in their own way, and the stories and insights that they have provided were interesting.

I gained valuable experience in digital marketing, through the afternoon technical sessions where we would learn how to use social media for business use, and from actually working with our assigned businesses to apply what we have learned. The businesses that I have worked with were very excited to work with me, and they understood the fact that I was learning the aspects of digital marketing myself. These businesses presented unique challenges, which had me thinking of different ideas for each business in order to market themselves. I did not expect to make miracles, but as long as I could make a positive impact, by getting more likes and engagements and extending the reach of the business, then I am happy.

I was also happy to meet many other young professionals that were just like me. They all came from different backgrounds and I could sense that they all had their own personal motivations as to what they wanted out of this program. From talking to many of these young professionals, it was fascinating to hear their stories about what motivated them to sign up for this program and what they hoped to get out of it, from gaining new skills to find a job, to growing their professional network.

Overall, I am glad I signed up for the UpNextAjax program. I could have remained at home and kept my free time between my jobs, but I wanted to further my personal and professional development, as well as to continue to build my professional network. The wonderful thing about all of this is that I can use the digital marketing skills I learned here in my new job where I can be a more valued employee. I have met so many great, motivated people here, and I hope this program was an asset to them as it was to me. I also hope that they can take what they learned here and apply it to their future careers, instead of putting this knowledge in the basement of their brain. The Town of Ajax should continue this program for years to come, so that other young professionals can absorb things that they can use in their careers. This experience is something I will never forget.