Workplace Readiness Skills

Stereotyping is always based on fact.

False. It is based on assumptions.

You become stronger by keeping information to your self.

False. You should share your knowledge and experience with others to make the company stronger.

"Fair- weather" friends are not good friends.

True. "Fair- weather" friends are friends in good times, but not in bad times.

Manipulation can be subtle.

True. Manipulation is not always apparent.

Demonstrating good behavior tells what you are really about.

True. What you do tells more about you than what you say.

Slang belongs at home or with friends.

True. You should keep slang out of the workplace.

Behaviors reveal ethics.

True. Your ethics are revealed through the way you act.

Appreciating other cultures helps you understand your own.

True. It gives you a greater understanding of your own culture.

Celebrating diversity expands your world.

True. It helps you understand others.

Do not let yourself be dragged down to the level of the person intimidating or bullying you.

True. It makes things worse if you let yourself be dragged down by a coworker trying to antagonize you.

Let yourself cool off before saying something hurtful.

True. It's always wise to think things through and cool off before saying anything hurtful that you may regret later.

Choose your words with the specific listener in mind.

True. It's important to communicate in a way that specific listener understands.

Negativity pulls people down.

True. Negativity in the workplace pulls you down and can also affect the attitudes of others.

Self-esteem increases with practice.

True. Practice makes you better.

Praise increases employee morale.

True. Praise gives positive feedback about how they are doing. They usually try harder when praised.

Professionalism is a set of rules for business behavior.

True. Professionalism includes following written and unwritten rules in the workplace.

Knowing your job well helps reduce mistakes.

True. Reduction of mistakes will be a natural result as you learn your job better.

Responsibility covers every part of your work.

True. Responsibility at work means being responsible for everything you do.

Talking down is a form of power play.

True. Talking down to a coworker indicates you feel superior, and this behavior is demeaning and unprofessional.

If you do your work correctly, you have nothing to cover up.

True. The only time you would be tempted to cover up would be if you did your work incorrectly.

A reprimand should not leave an employee feeling worthless.

True. When counseling employees on behavior or performance, always be constructive.

Preferential treatment causes resentment in the workplace.

True. When you give special treatment to select individuals, it cause resentment in the workplace.

"Stick with the winners," means to pick good role models.

True. Winners tend to be successful.

You are accountable for what you say.

True. You are accountable for what your words.

Giving a full day's work is being honest.

True. You are being paid to work a full day. When you do, it shows you honesty and dedication.

If you don't pay attention, you may miss important information.

True. You may miss important information if you're not paying attention.

No documentation equals no solid evidence.

True. You need to have documents evidence against the other person to prove wrongdoing

Problems can't be solved without considering the facts.

True. You should always get all of the facts before you address an issue.

Language should reflect the occasion.

True. You should always take the setting of a conversation into consideration as well as the person you are addressing.

Just say no to personal email at work.

True. You should not use company time to send or receive personal email or text message at work.

Set boundaries when offering coworkers personal support.

True. You should offer help help if the coworkers is showing good ethics and if your help is ethical.

You only need to be truthful if someone asks you a direct question.

False. Being truthful means providing information that is needed, even if you are not asked a direct question.

Body language is irrelevant.

False. Body language is a very important way of communicating either in a positive sense or negative.

"Borrowing" money from petty cash is okay if you pay it back quickly.

False. Borrowing money without permission is dishonest, even if the intent is to pay it back quickly.

Bullying is a sign of strength.

False. Bullying is a sign of weakness that creates negative atmosphere for everyone.

Adding personal expenses to your expense report is acceptable if you don't do it often.

False. Charging personal expenses to the company expense account is dishonest.

Cliques help people meet each other.

False. Cliques are small groups that exclude other people

At work, everybody should be the same nationality.

False. Companies hire people from many different backgrounds.

Company guidelines are rules based on instincts.

False. Company guidelines are based on company standards.

Details are a nuisance that make little difference in a product or service.

False. Details are what make the final product or service outstanding.

There is no need to look beneath the obvious facts.

False. Digging into a work situation beyond the obvious facts often results in valuable new information.

Double checking is the same as being obsessive.

False. Double checking work is a good habit that often leads to uncovering mistakes.

All employees should be able to do work at the same level.

False. Every employee has different skills and talents that should be utilized to benefit the project or company.

Good managers push their employee's at all costs to make themselves look better.

False. Good managers provide leadership and guidance, but should never use their authority to advance themselves unfairly.

Routines are just to make you look busy.

False. Having a routine is a good work practice that will help you be successful.

If annoyed at another person, sarcasm helps.

False. If someone annoys you at work, try to ignore the person and focus on your work.

It is more important to finish quickly than to turn in top- quality work.

False. It is more important to take your time and be through than make a mistake that will cost your company money.

You automatically learn to trust after your probationary period at work.

False. It takes time to earn trust.

You should stay away from unfamiliar ethnic neighbors.

False. Its valuable to understand them and they way they live.

Most foreign languages are too difficult to attempt.

False. Learning simple phrases can help you talk to others.

The only bad consequence of lying is getting caught.

False. Lying is a bad learned behavior that gets harder to quit over time.

It is easy to break that habit of lying.

False. Lying is a bad learned behavior, and the longer you lie, the harder it is in the long run.

Off-color humor is usually okay at work.

False. Off- color humor has no place at work. It can offend others and possibly expose your company to a lawsuit.

Company comics make work more fun.

False. People need to concrete at work, and a company comic is disruptive.

Power should be used to make people do what you want.

False. Power should not be used like a hammer to force people to do what you want. Using motivational techniques is a better way to lead people.

Making schedules just eats up work time.

False. Schedules are made to ensure company goals are met on time.

Keeping company knowledge to yourself ensures your job security.

False. Sharing workplace knowledge with other employees makes your company stronger.

Always give the most credit to a project's leader.

False. The whole team should be given credit for a project to help promote team unity.

There is little to be learned from other cultures.

False. There is much to be learned from other cultures.

Assume that everyone shares your interests about your family and personal matters.

False. Try to keep your conversations to topics that are of interest to others.

Traditions just divide people.

False. Understanding cultural traditions brings people together.

Verbal insults are obnoxious but never illegal.

False. Verbal insults can turn into a legal issue.

When asked for the facts, give additional excuses that help your story.

False. When asked for the facts, give the facts with no excuses.

The reason for leaving the door open during and interview is to let in fresh air.

False. When discussing matters with a disgruntled employee, it is best to leave the door open so you cannot be accused of wrongdoing.

Email is as effective as face- to- face conversation.

False. When you communicate via email, you lose the body language and tone of voice of the speaker and receiver.

Employees like praise more than pay.

False. While most people like being appreciated for their contribution to company, they always welcome and increase in pay for their hard work and dedication.

What you have to say is more important than how you say it.

False. While the content of what you say is important, your tone of voice leaves a stronger impression.

Most companies don't mind people who swear.

False. With few exceptions, most companies don't tolerate swearing because it is unprofessional and could become a legal liability.

Not reading the company standards excuses you from getting fired because of poor ethics or bad behaviors.

False. You have no excuse for not reading and following company standards.

How you live away from work does not influence how well you work.

False. You need to have a balanced personal life to do your best at work.

Forcing an employee to do things your way will make that person more productive.

False. You need to make assignments based on the employee's abilities and let them complete their tasks.

Don't waste time consulting employees about schedules and deadlines.

False. You need to work with employees to set realistic deadlines that can be me.

When you finish a project you should stop thinking about it.

False. You should continue to follow the status of a project.

Defend others at work at all costs.

False. You should not defend someone who is wrong, or help them by doing something wrong yourself. Always follow your good moral guide.

Stand up for what matters. Yell at your manager if the manager is wrong.

False. You should to stand up for what matters, but never yell at your manager.

Confidence has little to do with how you act.

False. you show confidence through your actions.

Perseverance means staying with something for the long haul.

True. In order to be a success in the workplace, sticking with a task is important.

Ethical standards are not always clear.

True. In some situations, it can be hard to know what is right.

Body language varies among cultures.

True. Body language varies between cultures.

Company mediators can bring a fresh eye to personality conflicts.

True. Bringing in an impartial third party to listen to both sides can sometimes help resolve an issue.

Person-to-person dialogue reduces bias.

True. By talking to others you understand them and who they are.

Telling the truth might save your job.

True. By telling the truth, you will gain the confidence of your employer.

You should not use company resources for everything you do.

True. Companies buy supplies and equipment for business, not personal, use.

Customers who feel mistreated take there business elsewhere.

True. Customers are the reason a business succeeds. When they are dissatisfied, they take their business away.

Good organization = good product

True. Good organization most likely will result in a good quality product.

Intimidation can cause legal problems.

True. If intimidation threatens the employee's job or earning, it could be a form of harassment, which is illegal.

Be the toughest critic of your work.

True. If you hold yourself to a high standard of work, it will show in quality performance.