You may think the most important person in your office is the CEO or your boss but here are five influential people in the office who can potentially make your working life a living hell.

The receptionist

The receptionist is the assigned gatekeeper of the office. He or she knows exactly what time you arrive, what time you leave for lunch and more importantly what time you come back and leave the office for the day. They are often the first to know when trouble is brewing in the office, are an amazing resource for information about people in the company and are a good source for gossip. The receptionist is often the one person in the office that people think they can trust and is the holder of all the secrets in the office. Don’t get on their bad side or you’ll live to regret it.

The executive assistant

They say behind every great man is a great woman and if so, they were talking about an executive assistant. He or she is the gatekeeper to some of the most important people in the office and they are paid to keep important top level secrets. You won’t be able to schedule a meeting without going through the executive assistant. Get on their good side and you’ll be privy to valuable information such as when the managers are away at meetings and when they are coming back. The executive assistant is top dog in the office but don’t let them intimidate you as their bark is often worse than their bite.

The mailroom assistants

The courier dock often located in the basement is a very mysterious place. It’s very well known for a parcel to go missing at the mailroom or be misplaced even if they have signed for it. If you’re in the habit of getting personal items shipped to the office, the people in the mail room are an important bunch to know. Not only can they notify you on the quiet in case of brown package deliveries and other things you don’t want people in the office to know about, your items are less likely to go walk about if you’re friends with the crew with no view.

The IT assistant

The IT assistant can be your biggest friend or foe in the office. They might seem like they have a friendly gaze behind the slightly smudged glasses but don’t underestimate them for a minute. If you show them the slightest bit of disrespect or show no interest when they are recounting the latest Dr Who episode, you’ll be placed last in the cue and that important PowerPoint presentation that you accidentally deleted will become a distant memory. Remember IT can read your emails, know what internet sites you’re surfing on when you’re boss is in a meeting and know where you’re resume is saved on your PC. Stay on their good side – you have been warned.

Payroll assistant

Never annoy the person who looks after your money – remember this rule … it will serve you well in life. The payroll lady or man may look innocent sitting behind their desk but they know they wield a lot of power in the office and are one of the first to know who will be hired or fired. One slip of the finger and next week’s pay may just not end up in your bank account or your annual leave paperwork may go missing. Befriend this person and you’ll get your petty cash payouts and invoices paid promptly and with a smile.

Keep these five people on side and your established network can give you an advantage over your less connected workmates, help you negotiate office politics and open the door for career advancement and promotions.

The Christmas party can make or break your career. It should not be seen as your annual opportunity to make a move on the office babe or show your colleagues how you can drink them under the table. It’s an extension of your work day and a great networking opportunity so standard office rules apply.

Follow these ten Christmas party dos and don’ts to make sure that you’re on your best behaviour and put your best foot forward for a promotion in the New Year.

Party do’s:

• Attend the party: It is a career killer to miss out on the staff Christmas party. Put aside your misgivings, your gripes about your colleagues and try and get into the spirit of things. It’s not an option to miss out on the Christmas staff party.
• Turn up on time: You wouldn’t turn up to work late so it is also inappropriate to walk into an office party halfway after it is started. It is also bad manners to leave a Christmas party too early to time your exit appropriately.
• Adhere to the dress code: If your Christmas party has a strict dress code (link to article about how to dress for office Christmas party), make sure that you follow this to the letter whether it be a formal gathering, casual attire or a fancy dress party. It’s always better to be overdressed then underdressed.
• Watch your alcohol intake: A good rule of thumb with alcohol is to have one alcoholic drink and then one bottle of water, soft drink or juice. In addition, make sure you have a meal first before you start drinking.
• Network with your colleagues: This is your chance to speak to the decision makers of your company in an informal setting. Approach them at the start of the night when you have a clear head but don’t monopolise their company.
• Bring your significant other (if applicable): This means a husband, wife or a long term (over one year) girlfriend or boyfriend. Don’t consider the office Christmas party to be an open bar or a first date venue.
• Show respect to others: Mingle with everyone and not just your work clique. Acknowledge your colleague’s spouses and speak to everyone at the office Christmas party regardless of their status in the company. Not everyone in your company may celebrate Christmas, drink alcohol or eat meat so be mindful of this and show respect to your colleagues.
• Be politically correct: Basic dinner table manners apply – do not discuss politics, economics or religion, make inappropriate jokes or swear.
• Be a good sport: Get into the Christmas spirit. If games are being held or volunteers are being asked for, this is your chance to step directly into the spotlight and get the attention of the decision makers of your company.
• Arrange transport home: If you are planning to drink, make sure you know how you are getting home before you start drinking. Grab a taxi voucher (if your company is providing them), arrange to sleep over a colleague’s place or catch public transport home.

Party dont’s:

• Don’t bare too much flesh: You are still representing your work at the Christmas party. It’s better to dress conservatively and appropriately than dress skimpily at the Christmas party no matter how hot your party dress or the weather conditions.
• No shop talk: Leave work back at the office. The Christmas party is a time to get to know your colleagues on a personal basis without deadlines looming over you.
• No complaining: The Christmas party is not the forum to air your complaints about your boss, colleagues or lack of promotion.
• Don’t gossip: Don’t engage in gossip about what other people are wearing at the Christmas party, your thoughts about the CEO’s partner or the hot wait staff. You never know who is listening around the corner, in another toilet cubicle or sitting at your table.
• No talking about personal issues: Alcohol can loosen the tongue and you can find yourself talking about your intimate details of your relationship or money woes but your colleagues are on a need to know basis. Personal information can be used against you.
• Don’t be a bore: No one wants to hear stories about your great promotion, your quick career jump or monopolising the conversation about your work achievements. Take an interest in the person next to you and try and engage them in conversation about things they are interested in. You don’t want to be labelled as the office bore.
• No hanky panky: This is not the time to make your move on the office secretary, be touchy feely with your colleagues, flirt with your colleagues or act inappropriately. Sexual harassment rules still apply at the office Christmas party and it is seen as a work function in the eyes of the law.
• Don’t show off your dance moves: This is no time to show off your MC Hammer dance moves or go crazy on the dance floor to try and impress your colleagues. It may have worked in Saturday Night Fever but this is no quick-step to a promotion. Similarly, the karaoke machine should be left to the professionals.
• Don’t overstay your welcome: Keep to deadline. If the party invite reads 6pm-11pm, make sure you are not there beyond 11pm. Try and leave before the party finishes. If, despite all the warnings, you do find you have drunk too much, then leave immediately – in a taxi.
• Come to work hung-over: Having a ‘sickie’ the day after the work party or turning up late after the Christmas party is incredibly unprofessional. If the directors of the company can come in at 9am sharp, so can you.

An office Christmas party can be a great networking opportunity, a chance to get to bond with your colleagues and get to know them on a personal level. By following these simple tips, you can ensure you’re not the water cooler topic the day after the Christmas staff party for all the wrong reasons.

Organising the work Christmas party can be stressful and a lot is riding on the office Christmas party but offering to organise the office Christmas party can single you out as a team player and fast track you to promotion. It’s a challenge as you may have to cater to a lot of different age groups who may have different interests but also keep the staff party fun, interesting and engaging. Here are five ideas to  make your party an event to remember for all the right reasons.

Restaurants

A no-fail venue for the Christmas lunch or Christmas office party is at a restaurant which will cater to your every need. Make sure that the restaurant caters for vegetarians, vegans or anyone at your workplace who will require special food requirements. Restaurants are ideal for intimate lunches with clients or a small office party.

Cruises

Cruises are a fun venue for an office Christmas party. You may need to give people directions on where they need to board the boat as this is sometimes a bit tricky, give them an adequate time to get changed and make their way to the dock. You may need to even provide transport or detailed maps or instructions to ensure everyone gets there on time and doesn’t miss the boat.

Comedy clubs

Comedy clubs can help break the ice amongst your colleagues and help with the Christmas cheer. As well as a show, colleagues can enjoy a sit down dinner and refreshments. Most venues can provide an all-in-one night of festive food, drink, comedy and a disco under one roof.

Action

Depending on the age and tastes of the people who work at your company, they may prefer to do an activity like paintballing, go-kart racing or going to a theme park for their Christmas party. This may backfire if you have conservative or older colleagues at your office who may prefer a sit down lunch or dinner so make sure you take everyone’s opinions into consideration.

Themed nights

Some companies prefer a fancy dress night and themed nights such as casino nights are also popular. It might be a good idea to research locally based costume hire places and include these websites on the invitation to make it easier for your staff to get into the spirit of things.

Make sure you specify in your invitation the expected dress code, the time of the party, the address of the venue, a map or directions and any special instructions your colleagues may require. Make it essential for colleagues to RSVP to Christmas party invitations so you know exactly how many numbers you need to cater for to make the party a success and make sure no one is left out.

A Newspoll survey done by the Australian Lactation Consultants Association discovered that more than one in four Australians viewed breastfeeding in public as unacceptable making it harder for breastfeeding mothers to return to the workforce.

The research also found adults aged 18 to 24 were least supportive, with up to 36 per cent considering breastfeeding in public such as in a cafe or at work as unacceptable.

Just 29 per cent of the 1,000 males and females surveyed strongly agreed that women should be encouraged to breastfeed publicly, yet 65 per cent of people believed breastfed babies had a better chance of surviving their first 12 months, RMIT University Lecturer in Midwifery and Breastfeeding and Human Lactation and Vice-President of the Australian Lactation Consultants Association, Dr James said.

“It’s unacceptable to expect that women should be locked inside their houses to breastfeed.

“Part of the reason why young mothers wean their babies too early is societal pressure and isolation from other mothers experiencing the same difficulties,” she said.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that 118,000 Australian new mothers with breastfeeding babies return to paid work when their child is aged 6 months or younger. Therefore, workplace support is crucial if we are to follow the recommendations of The World Health Organisation which strongly recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and ongoing breastfeeding for two years or more.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association says providing a family-friendly workplace for new mothers helps with retention rates and demonstrates a commitment to equal employment opportunity, workplace diversity and corporate social responsibility.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association offers a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Accreditation (BFWA) for companies to show their commitment to providing a supportive workplace for women who are breastfeeding. This doesn’t only address having appropriate facilities in the workplace to assist breastfeeding mothers but also changing the mentality of management and staff members who work at the company.

Australian companies which have BFWA accreditation include Australian Parliament House incorporating Department of the Senate, Department of the House of Representatives & Department of Parliamentary Services (DPA), Westpac Banking Corporation, National Gallery of Australia, ANZ Bank, the Australian Zoo and various government and regulatory bodies.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association offers some key tips in which employees can address their manager about breastfeeding at work and promoting a family-friendly workplace:

• Discuss your intention to continue breastfeeding with your employer well in advance of your return, ideally before you go on maternity leave.

• If your employer has not stayed in touch with you whilst on maternity leave, you may need to raise your request again about 2 months before you return. The frequency of lactation breaks at work will depend on the age of your baby and your hours of work. You will have a better idea of your requirements just prior to going back to work.

• If you have an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer, Human Resources Group or Personnel Group, or are a member of a union, check their attitudes and knowledge of breastfeeding policies.

• You will require a private room (not the toilet area) with a comfortable chair, a refrigerator where you can store expressed breast milk, somewhere you can store an electric breast pump or manual breast pump, and time to express milk during lunch break and other breaks if necessary.

• The International Labour Organisation recommends one or more daily breaks or a daily reduction of hours of work, counted as working time and remunerated accordingly.

• Discuss also the possibility of breastfeeding during breaks and lunchtime, and flexible work hours and breaks.

• You may be able to have your baby brought to you at work. Or if your baby is in child care nearby, you may be able to go and breastfeed the baby there. Talk about this with your employer.

• Consider the purchase of an electric breast pump to make expressing sessions at work quicker.

• Contact a trained Australian Breastfeeding Association counsellor for support and advice.

• If your workplace continues to be unsupportive, or if you think you have been discriminated against please contact the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in your state for advice and to lodge a complaint.

New mothers with breastfeeding babies returning to work can experience high levels of anxiety, choose to delay their return to work, reduce their work hours or leave their jobs altogether.

Promoting a family-friendly workplace for new mothers and encouraging a life-work balance can have a positive effect on all employees and make them happier and more motivated. This in turn increases productivity, decreases absenteeism and disruption to work and improves the bottom line of a company.

You may want to read our article on Preparing for Pregnancy.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says a Jobs Compact with young Australians, agreed by federal, state and territory leaders will provide up to 135,000 young people with higher qualifications. Teenagers must ‘earn or learn’ while jobless under-25s will be guaranteed a training place as the federal government prepares Australia for rising unemployment.

Mr Rudd said the focus of the meeting was on handling the impact of the global recession, in particular equipping young people facing unemployment with new skills. Anyone aged under 17 must be in school, work or training. As part of the compact, COAG committed to increasing the school Year 12 retention level to 90 per cent by 2015, a target brought forward by five years. It also requires people under the age of 20 who do not have a Year 12 certificate to be in education or training before they can receive the Youth Allowance payment. Jobless under-25s will be guaranteed a training place to ensure they have necessary skills for the economic recovery.

Revised forecasts released last week by the International Monetary Fund show unemployment in Australia will rise from its present 5.7 per cent to 7.8 per cent by 2010. Mr Rudd said as part of the job compact the federal government will provide incentive funding for the states for the achievement of the 90 per cent Year 12 retention rate. He said this built on the government’s Education Revolution, which includes a $2 billion commitment to provide over 700,000 extra VET places.