Blog

Political Pitfalls and How to Survive Election Season at Work

As election season rolls around, the workplace often becomes a hotbed of political discussions, opinions, and sometimes disagreements. While engaging in political dialogue can foster a sense of community and connection among employees, it can also lead to discomfort and tension.

How to Boost Company Culture & Get to Know Your Coworkers

In the debt recovery industry, the work can be demanding and the challenges intense. At Viking Client Services, fostering a strong, positive company culture is essential in helping us maintain balance. It's not just about creating an environment where people can work; it's about building a community where employees feel connected, supported, and motivated.

Is It Toxic? 5 Culture Red Flags and How to Recognize and Address Them

In the complex and often demanding world of business, maintaining a healthy workplace culture is essential. However, toxic work environments can silently grow, impacting productivity, employee well-being, and overall company success. Recognizing the signs of a toxic culture early can help business owners, managers, and employees to address issues before they escalate.

Habits to Practice for a Better Work/Life Balance

Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is essential for long-term success and overall well-being. In today’s fast-paced business environment, where demands and expectations can be overwhelming, it’s crucial to develop habits that support both professional productivity and personal satisfaction. Here are our most critical habits for cultivating work/life balance.

Small or Big Business? Advice You Need to Choose What's Best for You

The choice between working for a small business or a big business affects many factors when it comes to your career path. Each setting offers distinct advantages and challenges, which can impact professional growth, job satisfaction, and work-life balance. Here, we hope to provide a thorough overview and meaningful insights which will help you navigate the decision with a clear understanding of what matters most to you.

Why and How to Disclose an Invisible Disability at Work

Navigating the disclosure of an invisible disability in the workplace is a significant and daunting decision. It can provoke emotions of anxiety, vulnerability, and embarrassment and opportunities for isolation and mistreatment. The choice of if, when, and to whom to disclose is deeply personal, but with information and knowledge about the experience, it can be a manageable journey. Here, we outline several considerations to help you discern what choice is best for your circumstances and needs, and how you can move forward.

Money Can't Buy You Happy: What Really Affects Job Satisfaction Now?

In a post-pandemic world, the dynamics of the workplace have changed significantly. More than ever, job seekers are committed to their holistic human needs at work, prioritizing flexibility, balance, and culture factors over traditional benefits. Modern employment takes a variety of forms including remote work, hybrid setups, and traditional in-office roles. Each employment structure comes with a unique set of perks and challenges that impact professional culture and job satisfaction. Let's delve into the nuances of each position style and how they influence employee happiness and productivity.

What To Expect In 2024: How To Get Results In An Evolving Job Market

As we move through the new year, the job market is transforming, influenced by a competitive landscape, technological advancements, and the shifting priorities of employees. Whether you're a seasoned professional or a recent graduate, understanding these changes is crucial for navigating and succeeding in a job search. Let's delve into what to expect when looking for a job this year, and how to move through the evolving landscape.

5 Things You Need To Know For An Amazing Relationship With Your Boss

A good relationship with your boss is critical for job success and career development. Supervisors have a great influence on your stress level, your team and company culture, and ultimately, whether you succeed or fail in a role. They’re also your best resource for support, problem-solving, and personal development. Building a strong relationship with them can be transformative for your work experience and professional growth, but navigating this connection can be complex. Here are five key values and characteristics that will help you along the way.

Bad Work Habits that Will Break Your Brain and Exhaust Energy

In today’s modern workplace, the pursuit of productivity can often overload professionals and lead them astray. We find ourselves grappling with bad habits that are silently draining our focus and sabotaging our efficiency. From the allure of multitasking to the never-ending stream of distractions, these habits hinder our progress and jeopardize our mental well-being. It's time to unmask these focus killers and explore alternative behaviors that can help us reclaim our energy and thrive in the professional realm.

Career Transitions: Everything You Need to Succeed When Switching Gears

Although a career shift is a daunting task, there are many reasons one might consider the change. While the stability of our work is critical for income, growing families, unmanageable stress, and evolving goals often motivate us to change things up, professionally. We’ve provided a thorough outline of how to go about seeking a new career or industry, regardless of what’s driving the change.

How to Build the Career of Your Dreams: Try These Tips and Strategies Today

Career development is a continuous journey of self-improvement with the goal of advancing your skills, increasing your knowledge, and expanding experiences to serve your professional aspirations. While it's primarily your personal responsibility to generate this growth, employers can play a significant role in supporting their employees' career development by providing resources, coaching, and learning opportunities. This collaboration between employees and employers can be a win-win, where individuals achieve their career goals, and companies benefit from a skilled and motivated workforce. Let’s explore strategies to take advantage of your current employer’s resources, as well as advice for creating your own career development plan.

The Art of the Search: What You Need to Know to Land Your Dream Job

In today's up-and-down job market, finding your dream job can be a daunting task. The search for your ideal job requires more than just scrolling through job listings and sending out resumes. It's about honing your skills, understanding your values, and networking strategically. In this blog post, we'll delve into the art of job searching, providing you with essential tips and techniques to help you land a job that really works for you.

Building a Diverse and Inclusive Workforce: Why It Matters and How to Achieve It

Why it Matters: The Right Choice for People and for Business

Diversity and inclusion have been a point of focus in the business world for a long time. With more cultural education and Gen Z now included in the general workforce, the priority has skyrocketed in recent years, especially for job seekers. Employers are being pressured to deliver on big promises, and many of them have good intentions but just don’t know how to accomplish such an enormous shift. This blog will touch on several reasons why diversity matters and how to start building more diversity into your business.

Advance Your Career Today with These 6 Simple Habits

Career advancement is the process of moving through various organizations and/or positions in pursuit of your ultimate professional goals. There are many motivations behind advancing one’s career, including the desire to be a boss or leader, the inclination to expand one’s skillset, the pursuit of expertise in a certain field, and more. Here are 6 habits that can help you start advancing your career right now.

How to Benefit from Rest, Positivity, and Planning After a Layoff

Receiving the news that you’ve been laid off is often shocking. There is instant grief, fear, and uncertainty to navigate. It may be overwhelming to even think about searching for a new job (luckily, that’s not the first step.) You deserve to take your time through this next season. Take a deep breath and recenter yourself before moving forward; your efforts will be more productive with a clear game plan and a solid footing. Here are 5 steps to take after a layoff and fortunately, none of them are applying for jobs (at least, not yet.)

5 Actionable Tips for Achieving Better Work-Life Balance

Between digital business models, remote working, and hustle culture, our work is pushing its way further and further into our personal lives every day. If we are not intentional, it will easily take over, leading to burnout, excessive stress, poor mental health, and deteriorating relationships. Work-life balance is a personal goal that suggests that working is not our highest responsibility, but instead being whole, healthy people is. Developing work-life balance is an ongoing practice that involves prioritizing our values, creating boundaries, taking care of ourselves, and being accountable for how we spend our energy and our time – with the overall goal of feeling healthier and more stable in our everyday lives.

How You Can Ask Your Boss for a Raise or a Promotion

Asking your boss for a raise or promotion can be a daunting task, but it's a necessary step in advancing your career and increasing your earning potential. While it may be uncomfortable, approaching the conversation with confidence and a clear plan can increase your chances of success. Here are some tips on how you can ask your boss for a raise or promotion.

Networking Mysteries Revealed: How to Build Rich Relationships and Unlock Exciting Opportunities

Networking is a critical skill to develop and an important tool in your professional toolbox. Whether you’re currently employed, unemployed, switching industries, or otherwise progressing on your current track, networking will provide countless opportunities throughout your career. Building relationships through connections enables us to meet new people, link up with mentors, learn about new industries, and develop unexplored opportunities. Let’s consider several essential tips for networking and turning connections into opportunities.

Six Smart Questions to Ask at Your Next Job Interview

Congratulations! You've landed that interview for the job you were hoping for! While you're likely to be grilled with questions by the interviewer, don't forget that you should also come prepared with your own set of smart questions to ask. Asking thoughtful questions shows that you are genuinely interested in the position and the company, and it also gives you an opportunity to assess if the job is the right fit for you. Here are some smart questions to consider asking in your next job interview. 

Work Burnout: What It Looks Like and How To Recover

Your job is your livelihood allowing you to pay your rent or mortgage, put food on the table, make your car payment, pay for soccer gear for the kids, and hopefully spend at least a little time having fun. But your job shouldn’t control your life, make you eternally exhausted and cynical, or cause you to start becoming apathetic at work (or in life). If you’re able to relate to any or all of this, you likely are experiencing work burnout. But before you quit your job altogether, learn to recognize the signs and how to recover.

4 Time Management Skills to Help You be More Productive

When it comes to being productive at work, it can take a lot of work to stay on track for 8 hours a day. If you let yourself get distracted from goals or priorities or with new tasks that land on your desk, you can start to feel overwhelmed with everything on your plate. Practicing good time management skills can help you keep up with demands and feel confident that you’re going to meet your deadlines.

4 Great Ways to Increase Job Security

Since the start of the pandemic, the economy and the job market have been tumultuous and unreliable. A multitude of people lost their jobs and had to search for new ones. Even if you were able to keep your job, there still seems to be uncertainty as we move into a post-covid world. While some layoffs are unavoidable, here are some ways that you can increase your job security.

3 Tips for Talking to Your Boss When You're Struggling

Life inevitably brings struggles for each of us and balancing these with our day-to-day work life has the potential to become unmanageable. It might be in your nature to handle things on your own, but sharing your struggles with others can allow for support and understanding as you face life’s challenges. Whether your struggle involves work or not, when it starts affecting your job performance, sharing them with your boss can be helpful. Here are some tips on how to have this conversation.

The Best Ways to Give and Take Constructive Criticism at Work

Part of working for any company is giving and receiving feedback to grow your career and your business. Many people want to avoid criticism, but if done correctly, it can be a beneficial tool for everyone involved.

How You Can Be A Great Team Member at Work

While hard skills such as graphic design, data analysis, or accounting experience can help you land a job, the truth is that many employers are looking for workers who are team players, great communicators, and can adapt to changing plans or dynamics. While these soft skills might call for self-awareness, they require no training or experience and they are abilities that will help you land the job you want - and keep it!

Six Tips to Help You Overcome Meeting Anxiety with Confidence

You’re getting ready to go into a meeting and that old familiar feeling starts bubbling up. Your heart rate increases, your chest starts to tighten, you start sweating, and you feel nauseous. Meeting anxiety is common, but you have the opportunity to overcome it and step into the conference room (or click into the video call) with confidence. Here’s how:

How You Can Set SMART Goals and Boost Your Career

Feeling stuck in your job or your career overall? Setting goals is a great way to make headway when you’re feeling in a rut and can give you the boost you need to get where you want to be. Without goals, getting that new job or promotion you’ve been hoping for could be difficult.

How You Can Learn to Manage Up & Reach Your Career Goals

Some of the most difficult-to-manage relationships in our lives are our work relationships. We don’t usually get to choose who we work with or who manages us at work. Many bosses and people in middle management are promoted not because of their ability to manage people but because of their skills, knowledge, or experience in a particular field. 

7 Bad Work Habits to Quit this Year

After you’ve been at your job for a while, it can be easy to get into a routine or go on autopilot - that’s when you start developing bad work habits. You’ve likely been caught up in at least one of these seven common work habits, and we’ve got some advice on why it’s time to kick them to the curb.