Jenny

Let’s face it.  If you work someplace long enough, you will develop friendships with some of the people who are also your work colleagues.  In some instances, we end up developing very close friendships with one or two people that we have met through work.  The question is, even though you have this really great friendship at work, should you take that friendship out of the work realm and bring it closer to your private world?

Of course, in situations like this, I think it would come down trust.  Do you trust that friend who is both a colleague at work and a personal friend will be able to keep the two situations separate if needed.  For example, if you both work in the same department, and you are both up for promotion, you get the promotion but not your friend.  Can you trust that your friend will not allow your success to affect both your work and personal friendship?  Another thing to consider in situations where a work friend has crossed over to being a personal friend, is whether that friend/colleague will be able to keep personal things that you share with them about your life, out of the office.  You certainly don’t want personal issues becoming fodder for office gossip. 

If you do have one of these rare and unique friendships develop, one way to ensure that you sustain a lasting friendship is to always have mutual respect for those work/personal life boundaries.  Knowing and respecting those boundaries will provide both of you with the security and comfort you need to perform as colleagues at work, while keeping your personal relationship outside of work intact.  Having a friend and ally at work could enrich your work experience.  A good work ally can keep you sane, and help turn difficult days into manageable ones. 

If you have one of these unique friendships, we would like to hear from you.  Feel free to leave a comment below.

Donna

Yesterday, I received an email with an invitation to attend a seminar.  I truly enjoy continuing education seminars, and I think this is one worth attending.  Here is the description of the seminar:

“Personality clashes are one of the workplace’s inevitable frustrations. There is that one person who sucks the life out of the air upon walking into the office. That co-worker who seems to be out to get you for reasons you just can’t figure out. He or she is negative, whiny, pessimistic or just plain difficult to work with or for, where all you want to do is stay away, but you have to work together.  Please join us for this 60-minute audio conference where you and your colleagues will discover how to:

** Stop toxic people from crushing your morale.
** Implement coping skills when all else fails.
** Confront the people who are making your life difficult.
** Work with a difficult boss when your livelihood depends upon it.“

Hilarious! 

The audio seminar will take place this coming Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 -1:00-2:00 p.m. ET,  For more information about this seminar, click here.

Please, if you do attend, can you shoot us an email and let us know some tips.  I certainly have some of those whiny people around!

Donna

A woman was helping her husband set up his computer, and at the appropriate point in the process, she told him that he would now need to enter a password.  Wife explained that the password should be something he could remember easily and will use each time he has to log on. The husband was in a rather amorous mood and figured he would try for the shock effect to bring this to his wife’s attention.

When the computer asked him to enter his password,  he made it plainly obvious to his wife that he was keying in…

P…

E…

N…

I….

S..

His wife fell off her chair laughing when the computer replied:

PASSWORD REJECTED…..... NOT LONG ENOUGH.

Donna

DayOfDecision.org has announced that California’s Supreme Court will announce its decision on Proposition 8 tomorrow Tuesday, May 26, 2009.  Proposition 8 is a California ballot poroposition that was passed in the November 4, 2008, general election that changed the State of California’s Constitution; to restrict the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples and eliminated same-sex couple’s right to marry.  The passing of this proposition did not affect the existing domestic partnerships in California.

What is interesting, is the fact that the campaign in favor of proposition 8 raised $39.9 million and the campaign against it raised $43.3 million, becoming the highest-funded campaign on any state ballot that day and surpassing every campaign in the country in spending except the presidential contest. 

Call me liberal or whatever you want to call me, but I strongly feel that our society has so many issues that requires funding that spending 80 million dollars for this is really a waste of money.  As Americans, we like to tell the world that we live in a free country where people are free to live up to their goals and ideals.  Let’s talk less and do more.  Let’s let them get married. 

Donna

The doctor, after an examination, sighed and said, “I’ve some bad news.  You have cancer, and you’d best put your affairs in order.

The woman was shocked, but managed to compose herself and walk into the waiting room where her daughter had been waiting.

“Well, daughter, I am going to call the office and take the day off.  I am sure my boss can survive without me today.  Let’s go out and let’s celebrate.  We women celebrate when things are good, and we celebrate when things don’t go so well. In this case, things aren’t well.  I have cancer. Let’s head to the club and have a martini.”

After 3 or 4 martinis, the two were feeling a little less somber.  There were some laughs and more martinis. They were eventually approached by some of the woman’s old friends, who were curious as to what the two were celebrating.

The woman told her friends they were drinking to her impending end. “I’ve been diagnosed with AIDS.“

The friends were aghast, gave the woman their condolences and beat a hasty retreat.

After the friends left, the woman’s daughter leaned over and whispered, “Momma? I thought you said you were dying of cancer, and you just told your friends you were dying of AIDS! Why did you do that???“

“Because, I don’t want any of those bitches sleeping with your father after I’m gone!“

And THAT, my friends, is what is called, “Putting your Affairs in Order.“