In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) dictates that employees that work more than 40 hours in a given week will receive at least one and a half times their base pay for the additional hours worked. Though individual states may have laws that differ, eligible employees are legally entitled to the federal one and a half rate if it is higher than state law allows. [1] X Trustworthy Source US Department of Labor Federal department responsible for promoting the wellbeing of workers Go to source Note that overtime generally is only an option for hourly employees—salaried employees don’t necessarily get paid more for working longer hours. If you’re salaried, you may instead want to ask your supervisor for a bonus for performing extra work.
Present your boss with a report detailing ways that have made your work more efficient, then suggest ways to use your ideas throughout the work place. Organize and run meetings to help you work effectively on other projects without bothering your boss. Brainstorm to create a list of strategies for increasing the company profits. Organize internal office events (birthday parties, holidays, and so on).
If you find that you enjoy talking to your coworkers, you may want to invite them to spend time with you outside of work. For instance, you can invite them to get drinks with you, to play a game of golf (or your preferred sport), or to visit a mutual acquaintance. However, if you don’t see yourself being a close friend to your coworkers, this isn’t absolutely necessary.
While it’s a great idea to make a habit of turning in projects early, be careful not to do this too much. If you turn in every single project early, your superiors may get the impression that they’re not giving you enough to do and may increase your workload, making you work more for the same pay. If you can, try to focus on turning in only the most important, attention-grabbing projects early.
If asked to present a report of internal company data, do your own independent research and extrapolate meaningful take-aways from your results. If asked to clean up a cluttered storeroom, develop your own system for organizing the items and write out directions so others can use the system. If sales figures for your company are slipping, develop and test your own sales techniques, then share them with your coworkers.
If you have a family, you’ll want to avoid doing excessive amounts of work at home. While a single person can get away with doing lots of extra work at home, the commitments of a family can make it difficult to devote your entire attention to your work when you’re at home. The exception to this rule, of course, is if the nature of your job requires you to do most or all of your work from home.
For men - It’s hard to go wrong with a plain pair of khakis or slacks and a modest dress shirt. For extra class, you may want to consider adding a jacket and a tie. If you work at a casual place of business (like an internet startup), you may be able to get away with an outfit as informal as a T-shirt and shorts. It is a good rule of thumb, though, to dress one station higher than your current position, that is—dress on a par with the most sartorial stylish of your bosses’ colleagues. For women - A long-sleeved shirt and skirt combination works well in most offices. Conservative dresses are also a good option. Suits and pantsuits are smart choices for jobs that require you to interact with the public. While casual jobs may allow you to get away with a T-shirt and jeans, it is best to not go that route, or step it up a notch with a bit dressier attire.
Walk briskly and with purpose, even if you’re just heading to the cooler to get a drink of water. Articulate clearly and confidently. When you walk past people, greet them warmly, but keep walking. Sit up straight in your chair when at your desk.
At company strategy meetings, offer ideas for how the company can make itself more competitive. Ask intelligent questions whenever you are unsure of how to proceed in your work. This can make you look especially good if you do so when others seem reluctant to pose their own questions (like during an awkward silence following a tense meeting). If you’re unhappy about some aspect of your job, talk to your supervisor about changing it. However, don’t be offended if you receive a “no”.
If there aren’t any obvious ways to expand your current responsibilities at work, try asking your supervisor directly for more responsibilities. There’s a significant chance that she or he will be able to assign you additional work, and even if she or he can’t, you’ll be noticed for taking the initiative to ask for it.
If you’ve completed a project and haven’t received much recognition, try sharing it with others via a group email. You can easily pose your email as a mere “keeping everyone up to speed” message while ensuring that important coworkers and supervisors see your work. If you’ve completed a project that is relevant to a new project being discussed, bring up your old work as an example of how to proceed or as guidance for new areas of work to explore.
While you’ll want to make an effort to be friendly, you’ll want to stay away from touchy topics of conversation and racy humor. Getting a quick laugh isn’t worth sabotaging your efforts by offending a coworker or showing a lack of sensitivity.
Reduce the distraction of idle noise/chatter at the workplace by using headphones or earplugs or moving to a different work area. Cordially tell the persistent conversationalists that you’re busy and will be able to talk when you’re done. Alternatively, try placing a sign at your desk or work area politely notifying others not to disturb you. Install productivity add-ons and site-blocking programs to your browser to circumvent the tendency to pursue internet diversions (games, social media, and other time drains).
For example, if you’ve been tasked with making a half-hour presentation to a group of high-level company employees, you might want to start by focusing on creating a thorough, detailed outline. Though the outline only represents a fraction of the work needed to prepare for the presentation, it can make the rest of the project easier by guiding your creation of slides, talking points, and so on.
Take advantage to opportunities to train new employees and help them become acquainted with their duties. Design your own project, then, with permission from your supervisors, enlist other employees to help you complete it. Make a point of leading the discussion during group meetings which have no designated leader.
It’s worth noting that you may also be legally obligated to take breaks. In the United States, there are some federal laws dictating the types of breaks an employer is obligated to provide. [2] X Trustworthy Source US Department of Labor Federal department responsible for promoting the wellbeing of workers Go to source However, state laws vary from state to state. For instance, in California, employees must take a 30-minute meal break if they work for more than five hours straight unless their total work for the day is less than six hours. [3] X Research source
To ensure that you’re able to stay fully motivated when you’re actually at work, allow yourself to enjoy your days off completely work-free. Keeping your schedule clear during your time off may mean doing additional work before you leave. If this is the case, do as much work as you can before your time off so that you’ll be able to spend as little effort worrying about work as possible.
Though everyone’s biological needs are different, most medical sources agree that adults generally need somewhere in the neighborhood of seven to nine hours of sleep on a regular basis for optimal health, mood, and mental function. [5] X Research source
Sometimes, people who devote most of their energy to their work have a difficult time making friends outside of work. If this is true for you, don’t feel stressed, as this is not uncommon among workaholics. In such situations, you may find that enrolling in a singles club can help you make new connections on a busy schedule.
For instance, if you have a job that’s often described as being relatively unimportant—working as a cook at a fast food restaurant, try to focus on the positive, satisfying aspects of the job. For instance, in your position, you’re responsible for quickly satisfying hundreds of busy, working people every day. If you don’t do a good job, you can easily put some of them in a foul mood, which may affect them in other areas of their life. On the other hand, if you take pride in your work and focus on doing a great job, you can help these hundreds of people have satisfying meals, which can in turn help them be the best that they can be at home and work.
For example, if you’re working to support your children in a job you’re not crazy about, you may find it helpful to place a few small pictures of them in your cubicle or work area. When you’re having a hard time motivating yourself to stay late or take on an extra project, look at these pictures. They provide a handy reminder of exactly what you hope to achieve by working so hard.
