Below you will find a selection of the most recent entries from bloggers in our Work/Business section.
To view the entries from individual bloggers, click on the links below:
- Claire Doole - Claire Doole Communications
Claire is a former BBC correspondent and international spokeswoman who is passionate about helping people communicate with confidence. Since 2006, she has successfully trained hundreds of professionals in the art of presenting and public speaking, talking to the media, managing communications in a crisis, and writing for the web. In addition, she has coached C-level executives and public figures to give powerful TEDx and TED style talks in Europe and the Middle East. A Swiss and UK national, Claire trains and coaches in French and English.
- Elizabeth Ballin - Life Coach
As a long time member of the international community in Geneva, Elizabeth Ballin has been coaching adults and students from all parts of the world. She has coached business professionals, musicians/artists, couples, families and adolescents. She is a fully accredited Life Coach by the International Coaching Federation. Elizabeth Ballin, Life Coach
- Patrick Hoza - US Tax & Financial Services
Since 1990, Patrick has many years of experience with US individual expatriate taxation under his belt, including High Net Worth Individuals, streamline/voluntary disclosure filings and tax consulting, as well as working with large multinationals like Novartis, BP, Hewlett Packard and General Electric. He has extensive knowledge in serving both US expatriates and resident and non-resident aliens with their US tax-related issues. Patrick Hoza is a Tax Director at US Tax & Financial Services, with extensive experience in all aspects of Individual US tax and Expatriation, including Hight Net Worth Individuals and large multinationals.
Patrick started his career in 1990 in California, with Westpro Ltd., as a Senior Tax Consultant, then spent the middle part of his career working at KPMG and Ernst & Young. During his time with Ernst & Young, he worked and lived in Russia, France and finally Switzerland. He has gained a valuable working knowledge of the respective income tax regulations in all of these countries.
Patrick holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Colorado, is a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents and is a Certified Acceptance Agent.
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Melitta Campbell - Business Coach
Business Coach and Mentor with nearly 3 decades of business experience and a passion for helping women confidently build a business they love. She is also the founder of the Swiss Entrepreneurs Club and president of the Swiss Riviera Toastmasters Club in Montreux. Originally from Wales, she now lives in Montreux in a chalet she has renovated with her husband overlooking the Swiss Alps. - Sunita Sehmi - Walk The Talk
Founder of Walk The Talk, Sunita has been training, developing and now coaching Business Communication skills in both companies and educational establishments for over twenty years. She has a passion for helping people to maximise their potential and created Walk The Talk with the sole aim to drive each and every client to perform their best.
- Robert Harris- Forth Capital
With over 25 years experience working for some of the major financial institutions in the City of London, Robert is a founding partner of Forth Capital, the leading expat financial advisory company in Switzerland. Regulary quoted in newspaper articles and magazines, he is well placed to advise expats on a variety of financial issues that may arise during their time living in Switzerland.
- Debbie Croft - Croft Coaching
As the founder of Croft Coaching, Debbie has a passion for helping people overcome challenges, embrace change and live life to the full; with an ethos of “work hard, play hard”.
- Sarah Santacroce - Simplicity
A certified social media, internet marketing, and virtual event specialist, Sarah enjoys every aspect of small business marketing. Through her own business, Simplicity, it is her mission to help other small businesses and solopreneurs increase their visibility and use social media tools as part of their marketing strategy.
- Diana Ritchie - SSC Sàrl
A Director at Swiss Career Connections, Diana will provide you with some useful tips for job hunting.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici, www.freedigitalphotos.net
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
Whilst under extreme stress, it is very normal to withdraw from the world, concentrate and to be consumed by the problem that is causing the stress.
We all have networks of people who can help us. This network extends professionally and socially, including our family, friends and public services. Within your organization, your professional networks include relations with your boss, mentors within the organization, colleagues, your team, previous colleagues and organizational support services. Outside your company, they can include your friends, clubs and social organizations. In acute stress make sure you use these resources and don't try and do it all on your own.
Here is second part of the Blog entry regarding Burnout and some useful resources below.
Photo courtesy of lockstockb
By Crissy Mueller, Writing that Works
Here’s a little secret: I am not an extravert. I am not a dreamer. At least, not the “see-opportunity-around-every-corner” kind. But I went ahead and started my own writing services business anyway, and I am very happy that I did.
It turns out, there is a way to be successfully self-employed, even if you don’t have all the typical qualities we associate with successful entrepreneurship. The answer, in my experience, is that you have to know your weaknesses, and take action on them.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici, www.freedigitalphotos.net
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
Burn•out /ˈbərnˌout/ Noun
Ref: Merriam-Webster - The Free Dictionary
This blog entry is a little different this time and I hope you will enjoy it. Over the last four weeks I talked to three professionals, (with three completely different roles), regarding their understanding and thoughts about “burnout”.
Next week we will look at their views on how stress can be managed more effectively and how to listen out for the alarm bells before it’s too late.
Question: What are your views on burnout?
HR Professional “ I think it is something that we are definitely seeing more and more in businesses and I believe it is something that we need to be very concerned about. I think, despite it being an emotive issue, very often we forget about the human factor. People do have stressful periods in their professional and personal lives and they need the resources from work and from home to help them. I do think, very often, burnout is due to an accumulation of stress and not confined to an isolated incident at work…very often something is not going well at home. The good thing is nowadays we are talking about it. I have been in HR for over 25 years and it’s only in the last few years we realize it as a genuine concern for the individual, the team and the organisation. In a report published in 2010, the Federal Statistics Office highlighted the exposure of workers to psychosocial risks: 41% of those interviewed said they were under strong psychological pressure at work and we all have to be concerned about that. I encourage employees to come to me with any difficulties they are having but I don’t always have the power to change the situation, and that’s frustrating.”
Psychiatrist “I see patients who have experienced some form of personal professional burnout. Without generalising, these types of people are often smart, kind, and sensitive and so are at higher risk for burnout. The burnout fogs logical thinking and reasoning and even the most intelligent individual can find it hard to think straight. Unfortunately, frequently they do not demonstrate or confide in anyone until its too late…. We know that stress manifests itself in different ways, namely psychological, behavioural and physical. If the duration of the stress is sufficiently long, the body eventually enters a stage of exhaustion; a sort of aging due to wear and tear - prolonged or intense stress could sometimes lead to disease even death. The problem is when the accumulation of stress, and the reluctance to use the resources available to patients, results in a gradual depletion of energy and eventually burnout. I understand that deadlines have to be met and the changing method in the way we work now means it doesn't even matter where you do your work any more…So now you can work around the clock. Crouter et al. (1989) coined the phrase Work-Life spill over and this is exactly what is happening now.”
Burnout survivor “In 2008, I began an assignment with a very difficult and demanding client. I began to notice that I was not sleeping well, I was irritable and I was starting to get bad headaches. The client whom I was working with was very controlling and demanding. He expected over and above what was required from me. In September 2008 I felt the increased strain of working with this client and thus went to consult a doctor. The doctor advised me to take a week off work but I took only two days off work. This enraged the client even further and thus decided he would not pay for the services that I had provided. A legal battle began and I gradually became tired, withdrawn and fatigued by the situation. I knew I did not have the right technical skills to manage the project and told my company that I was not going to deliver what they had promised to the client. I felt physically and emotionally drained, and isolated, and the situation made me feel frustrated, misunderstood and angry.
I tried to signal to my colleagues at my company that there were a series of core issues with the project and that the problems would worsen if not dealt with collectively. Physically I was beginning to feel increasingly tired and mentally exhausted due to my professional situation. I also began to feel irritable at home as a consequence of the stressful situation at work. I started questioning the purpose of my role in life and feelings of worthlessness and despair began to surface - these were manifested by me through anger and irritability at home.
The situation did not change for me despite my protests and everyone was dissatisfied with the progress I had made. From all sides I felt I was getting all the blame for the failure of a project.
The climax came in February 2009. I woke up but could not get out of bed… I was washed out, kaput, completely defeated, I felt physically ruined. Never did I expect that the emotional stress and my working conditions would lead me to this physical state. So many times the alarm bells went off but I did not listen to any of them.”
Tips
If you now feel that you are completely fed up with work and that you lack the energy to do anything about it, the first solution is to:
- Step back from the situation; take a day off.
- Focus on those important priorities and put them into action at once
- Refuel your energy
- Think about what you expect of yourself, what others expect of you and what you have committed to fulfill
- Talk about how you feel to someone you trust and listen to their response
- Give yourself positive feedback as you succeed in achieving your revised goals
- Listen to your body before you surpass your limits, to return to normal
Ref: Geneva Business News | Actualités: Emploi, RH, économie, entreprises, Genève, Suisse.
Ref: Crouter, A. C. (1984). Spillover from family to work: The neglected side of the work–family interface. Human Relations, Crouter et al. (1989) Work-Life spill over
Bio
Sunita Sehmi was born in London and is of Indian origin. She has a Psychology degree and a Post Grad in the Development and Training for Adults from the University of Surrey.
She began her career in the recruitment industry where she worked in Executive Finance Recruitment in the city of London. Upon her arrival in Geneva, she completed the advanced level Cambridge University training certificate (CELTA) and thus began a career in teaching, training and development. She has taught English and Communication skills both in companies and in educational institutions for over twenty years. She is now the founder of Walk The Talk. www.walkthetalk.ch
Sunita lives in Geneva with her husband and their two boys. She has a Masters from the University of Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchatel and Fribourg, specializing in Career Management and Coaching
Photo courtesy of nellart
By Crissy Mueller, Writing that Works
One of the challenges you might face as an expat building up your own business here is how to attract local, non-English speaking customers/clients, especially if you don’t speak the language (well). Can it even be done? How?
I would say the answer is YES. It’s possible. At first, it might seem daunting. But with just a little effort and perhaps investing in the right resources, it could make a huge difference to your bottom line. Here are some ways to get started:
1.Learn about the local business and consumer culture
The gap between the “international” and the “local” might seem larger than it actually is simply because of lack of knowledge. The best place to start is to research the business culture in Switzerland. Switzerland is a bit complex because of the four different language regions – but there are some overarching commonalities as well. Many helpful points on doing business in Switzerland are summarized here. Also, observe the ways other companies in your niche advertise and market their businesses. Gather samples of flyers, etc. Watch some Swiss TV commercials. What do people seem to like.
2.Meet local people
Getting to know local people is key, and not just necessarily in a business networking setting, but in any setting. Good options are networking opportunities available through organizations such as OWIT Lake Geneva (mostly geared towards women). The Workshops and Seminars section of the knowitall.ch calendar is also worth keeping an eye on. For an excellent opportunity to meet other local entrepreneurs, look out for the “Free for Lunch” events organized by the Business Club of the Vaud chamber of commerce (CVCI). This event brings together local business executives for an informal networking opportunity over lunch. While the Business Club itself is open to members only, anyone can attend events like this one as it’s organized in cooperation with International Link (an organization created by the CVCI to promote the integration of expats in the region). Look out for the next “Free for Lunch” event (and many others) on the International Link calendar.
Photo courtesy of spekulator
By Crissy Mueller, Writing that Works
If you are thinking of setting up your own business, one of your first decisions will be what to call it. The name you choose will be the basis for your whole branding/marketing strategy – and will hopefully create a powerful first impression.
The fun part (at least, for us right-brain thinkers) is coming up with something catchy and original. There are lots of resources and tools to do this, many just a mouse click away, including everything from articles written by experts on latest trends to mind mapping and other tools to get your creative juices going.
But then there is the whole, legal/administrative side to consider, which is what I want to focus on here. There are a few limitations particular to Switzerland that it’s good to be aware of before you launch into the creative part. If you’re an expat lacking fluency in one of the country’s official languages, finding information about these legal guidelines in English all in one place is not so easy. I am by no means an expert on all this, but here are a few useful things to keep in mind from my personal experience as a fellow expat, to give you a place to start.
