Job Survival Skills
Surviving the first 90 days and beyond!
Why Do Employees Lose
Their Jobs?
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Failure to follow directions
Poor attendance
Poor quality of work
Incompetence
Insubordination
Substance abuse
What Do Employers Want?
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Honesty
 Cooperation
 Appropriate Appearance
 Active Listening
 Appropriate Behavior
 Responsibility
 Self-Esteem
 Customer Friendly
 Tolerance
 Appropriate Language
 Self-Management
Honesty
The quality that makes you
someone who can be trusted.
Which of the following is
responsible for the largest
amount of inventory shrinkage?
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Shoplifting
Administrative error
Employee theft
Damage or spoilage
Vendor fraud
What Happens to The Inventory?
Source of Inventory Shrinkage
% of Loss*
$ Lost
Employee Theft
48.5%
$15.1 billion
Shoplifting
31.7%
$9.7 billion
Administrative Error
15.3%
$4.8 billion
5.4%
$1.7 billion
Vendor Fraud
Total Inventory Shrinkage
Source: National Retail Security Survey
$31.3 billion
Pilferage
Employee theft – any stealing, use or misuse
of the employer’s assets.
What Do Employees Steal?
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Money
Time
Supplies
Merchandise
Information
Why Do Employees Steal?
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Low morale at the workplace.
 The employee feels mistreated.
 The employee feels underpaid and/or underappreciated.
 The consequences for theft are minimal.
 Lack of control over inventory.
 Opportunity.
Employee theft is responsible for 33% of all business bankruptcies.
What Are Employers Doing?
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Checking Applicant Employment History
 Personality Tests
 Drug Tests
 Security Cameras
 Under Cover Security Agents
 Statistical Analysis of Transactions
 Encouraging Reporting by Other Employees
 Requiring that cashiers be responsible for only their
cash drawer.
 Prosecution of All Offenders
 Issuing keys or access cards to gain entry into areas
that contain valuables – helps prevent internal theft.
According to the University of Florida National Retail Security
Survey average dollar loss per employee theft case is $1,341.02.
Smoking in the Workplace
 Can
your employer fire
you for smoking in the
workplace when
smoking there is
prohibited?
 Can your employer fire
you for smoking at
your home, on your
own time?
Video
Smoking in the Workplace
Shoplifting
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Teenagers between the ages of 13-17
represent 25% of all shoplifters, the
largest single age group of shoplifters.
The average theft amount per incident
is $60.74.
Males account for 57 percent of
shoplifters and 43 percent are female.
Most businesses have a policy of prosecuting ALL shoplifters
because it tends to reduce the amount of thefts.
Video
Organized Shoplifting
Corporate Criminal
Tyco CEO Dennis
Kozlowski, center,
who built the company
into a massive
conglomerate with
277,000 employees, is
led out of court after
his arraignment on
charges of avoiding
more than $1 million
in sales tax on
paintings he
purchased.
Video
Interview with Dennis Kozlowski
Cooperation
The ability to work well with others.
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Make others feel important.
Empathize with others.
Avoid arguments.
Let people “save face.”
Admit your mistakes.
Give sincere praise to others.
Be assertive – standup for yourself.
Be A Team Player
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Understand the
objectives
 Know your role and
responsibility
 Know the desired
results
 Cooperate and
collaborate
 Trust others
Appropriate Appearance
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Samantha Madden
Arvest Bank
Dress correctly for
the type of work in
which you are
engaged.
 Be clean and well
groomed.
 Don’t forget your
name tag!
Appropriate Appearance
Community First Bank
First National Bank of Berryville
Appropriate Appearance
Hudson’s Supermarket
Western Sizzlin
Many companies, such
as FedEx, require
employees to dress in
“business casual”
attire.
Business Casual
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Bare mid-riffs and
low cut tops are not
appropriate.
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Neatly pressed pants with coordinating
top.
Knit sweaters or sweater sets are fine.
Make sure shirts are not too tight and
don't expose too much skin. No
sundresses
Wear leather shoes with a low or flat heel.
Pantyhose should be worn with skirts and
dresses.
Jewelry should be conservative.
Only one earring in each ear and other
piercings should be removed.
Makeup should be natural.
Nails should be trimmed and if you wear
polish, choose a conservative color.
Avoid perfume or use it VERY lightly.
If you need to, carry a small purse that
matches your outfit
Appropriate Dress
Athletic shoes, hiking boots and
sandals are not appropriate.
Business Casual
 Neatly pressed pants
 Long-sleeved shirt or a
short sleeve golf shirt.
 Leather shoes and dark
socks that pull up over
the calf.
 Your belt should match
your shoes.
 Jewelry should be
minimal - conservative
watch is ok.
 Remove piercings.
 Use VERY little cologne
or none at all.
Active Listening
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Focus on what is being said.
 Face the person talking to you.
 Open your posture, don’t cross your arms.
 Lean towards the person, but never use your
arm as a prop.
 Non-verbally acknowledge the speaker.
 Never yawn or chew gum when your
supervisor is giving you directions.
 Maintain eye contact.
 Restate the message.
 Ask questions.
Active Listening
Don’t use your arm as a prop when
listening. It communicates boredom.
Active Listening
Discuss the body language of the 4 people sitting at
the table. Who seems “closed” to the presentation?
Responsibility
Your employer and co-workers will respect
you if you take responsibility for yourself and
your actions.
Responsibility
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Be on time – learn to use
an alarm clock.
Plan ahead – know how
you are getting to work.
Remember that others
depend on you: managers,
co-workers, and customers.
YOU should call if you are
going to be late.
Do NOT have visitors, or
unnecessary phone calls at
work.
“Life is 10% what
happens to you and
90% how you react
to it.”
Charles Swindoll
Responsible Behavior?
Actor Russell Crowe
was arraigned in
Manhattan Criminal
Court on charges of
second-degree
assault and fourthdegree criminal
possession of a
weapon.
Responsible Behavior?
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The New York Times fired 23 employees for
exchanging off-color e-mail.
Xerox fired 40 people for inappropriate Internet use.
Dow Chemical fired 24 employees and disciplined
another 230 for sending or storing pornographic or
violent material by e-mail.
Chevron Corp. had to pay $2.2 million to plaintiffs
who successfully brought a suit of sexual
harassment, in part because an employee sent an email to coworkers listing the reasons why beer was
better than women.
Employees Fired For Misuse
of E-mail and the Internet
Sending e-mail is like
sending a postcard
through the mail. Network
eavesdroppers can read
your e-mail as it passes
through the Internet from
computer to computer.
E-mail is transmitted over a public network
where you have no right to expect privacy. It is
not like a telephone call, where privacy rights are
protected by law.
According to recent surveys, 70
percent of hiring managers in
the U.S. admitted to rejecting a
job applicant because of his or
her internet behavior. For the
most part, these "internet
behaviors" refer to the posting
of inappropriate photos and
content on social networking
sites like Facebook, Myspace,
and Twitter.
Eleven Athletes Suspended
Over Facebook Photos
According to the Boston Globe, no fewer than 11 Melrose varsity
athletes were recently identified in illegal possession of alcohol or
tobacco in photos which first surfaced on Facebook. The photos were
taken from the site by a concerned parent, transferred to a thumb drive
and submitted to the school's administration as proof of inappropriate
actions by the student body.
Handout for class
Video
Teacher Fired Over Facebook
GPS Nails Education Guy
Schools Chancellor Joel Klein yesterday fired a
veteran worker whose movements were tracked for five
months through the GPS device in his cellphone, leading to
charges that he was repeatedly cutting out early.
"This individual was getting paid for not
working," said schools spokeswoman Margie Feinberg,
explaining Klein's decision to accept an administrative law
judge's recommendation to ax John Halpin, a longtime
supervisor of carpenters.
Halpin had worked in the school system for 21
years and was conscientious enough to show up as much as
two hours early for his 8 a.m.-to-3:30 p.m. shift.
He said he was never told that the cellphone he
was given in 2005 could be used to monitor his every
move and questioned the accuracy of the data it produced.
But neither argument swayed administrative
law Judge Tynia Richard, who found Halpin guilty of
submitting false time records when he left early on
numerous occasions between March and August 2006.
She issued a decision saying
the Department of Education was under
no obligation "to notify its employees
of all the methods it may possibly use
to uncover their misconduct."
Self-Esteem
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Face your fears - they aren't as bad as you think
they are. Facing your fears increases your
confidence.
 Forget your failures - learn from them. Try again,
you're wiser and stronger. Don't be trapped in the
past!
 Know what you want and ask for it. You deserve
your dreams to come true and only you can make it
happen.
 Talk - We often make assumptions about a situation
or person which are not true.
 Don't be defeated! Try something else. Everyone
fails before they succeed. All you need is a different
approach.
Customer Friendly
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Challenge yourself to 
be the best at
whatever you do – it
is a great habit to
develop!
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Give the customer a friendly
greeting.
ALWAYS acknowledge a
waiting customer.
Smile and act happy.
Be professional and be polite.
Make eye contact.
Listen to customers – they are
the most important aspect of
your work.
Always thank the customer.
Tolerance
Being able to work
with people from
diverse backgrounds
is a must in today’s
workplace.
People who are
open-minded and
receptive to new
ideas have a
positive attitude.
Diversity In The Workplace
Means including people of different genders,
races, religions, nationalities, ethnic groups,
age groups, and physical abilities.
85% of those currently entering
the workforce are women,
minorities, or immigrants.
The trend toward greater diversity
will continue for the next 50 years.
By 2050, minorities will make up
almost half of the U.S. population.
Appropriate Language
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Use the right tone of voice.
 Remember where you are and to whom
you are talking.
 Don’t tell jokes to your boss or customers.
 Avoid listening to or engaging in gossip.
 Be friendly, but NOT familiar with your
supervisor and customers.
 Use tact – don’t say things that might
offend people.
 NEVER use obscene language.
Self-Management
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Get organized – everyone benefits from a clean work
environment.
Be motivated – every situation is a learning
experience.
Control your emotions – never get angry with ANYONE
at work.
Use your initiative – look around to see what needs to
be done and DO it.
Use your common sense – be reasonable and learn
from past experience – if something doesn’t sound
right … it probably isn’t!
Keeping debris off the floor and removing trash and empty boxes
will keep the work area free from hazards and prevent accidents.
McDonald’s Case
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The felony phone call
In Dangerous Situations …
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Exhibit calm behavior during a robbery to reduce the
risk of additional danger or injury to employees or
customers.
During an armed robbery you should do what you are
told in order to protect yourself and customers.
In the event of a threatening telephone call you
should keep the caller talking and signal a coworker
for assistance.
It is best that spills of any liquid be blocked off by an
employee until the spill is removed.
Burglary Or Robbery
Burglary – illegal entry into a building to
commit a theft, usually occurs when the
business is closed.
 Robbery – theft that involves the use of force,
violence, or fear and usually occurs when the
business is open.
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Many businesses are leaving exterior and interior lights on in
the business throughout the night to deter burglaries.
Bored At Work? Don’t do This!
Photo
donated by
Ethan Case
Dedicated
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Devoted to a cause, ideal, or
purpose.
Given over to a particular
purpose.
Whole-hearted devotion.
Employers need and want devoted employees, but can
someone be too devoted to their jobs?
Don’t Do This!!
A robbery attempt and a gunshot wound to
the leg didn't stop a Tampa pizza delivery man
from making his deliveries Saturday night.
Thomas Stefanelli says it was "dedication"
that drove him to deliver four pizzas after being
shot in the thigh.
Stefanelli says a man in a Halloween mask
approached him, pointing a gun and
demanding money, when he tried to deliver a
pizza at a vacant home.
He was shot in the leg as the two men struggled. He says his
attacker fled to a nearby house.
Stefanelli says his cell phone wasn't working, so he drove to his next
delivery address to call his boss. He then made three more deliveries
before being taken to a hospital. An X-ray showed no serious damage.
The bullet went through his leg and stopped in 37-year-old
Stefanelli's back pocket.
Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press.
Branson Shoe Store Employee
Seriously Hurt in Shoplifting Incident
By KSPR News - Aug 19, 2010
An employee of a shoe
store in Branson is in critical
condition in the hospital tonight
after trying to stop a shoplifter.
Branson police say the
employee ran outside the shoe
carnival store on Branson hills
parkway after a man stole a
pair of shoes.
The employee held onto the getaway car as it sped away. He
fell and suffered a serious head injury The employee was airlifted to
Cox South Hospital in Springfield, where he is listed in critical
condition.