Stress is nothing new for any career woman. Ambition and perseverance comes with a heavy dose of stress. If you care about your career and are good at it, you will push yourself hard to achieve success. Day in and day out the same grind can wear you down.

When you experience physical symptoms like a headache and a runny nose, you know what you need to do. When you aren't getting enough sleep, you tend to get headaches. If you know your workload is not easing up, then it's time to slow down and take time out for yourself.

A mental health day is necessary for your peace of mind. You work hard and are constantly on go. Your employer wants you to be your best self and sets aside paid time off for you to rest and relax. No, really! If they do not, you need to really consider if your organization is right for you. Your employer should support mental health days. It's that serious. 

Don't be afraid to call it what it is, a mental health day. It's quite common for organizations to now offer mental health days in their paid time off packages. There is less of a stigma associated when an employee asks for a mental health day. In the past, some organizations would equate mental health days as a form of weakness indicating an inability to handle the rigors of the corporate environment. Now, organizations understand that today's workforce is more connected to their job than ever before and are unlikely to power down. Connectivity is such a concern that many employers incentivize mental health days by offering gift card geared toward activities that promote relaxation.

You work hard and you give your all to your career. Ambition is great, but you have to take care of your total self to be an effective employee. Total health includes mental health and life with balance is vital. So go ahead and give yourself permission to Get. Your. Mind. Right. Because #MentalHealth is #SoMoxie!

January is perfect to be designated National Human Resource Month. Now, I could go on with the obvious and discuss the business of human resources, but I’d rather speak to each of us having an obligation to be a “human resource” on this earth.

According to Merriam-Webster online, one definition of “resource” is a place or thing that provides something useful. As humans, we each have a divine purpose that makes us an automatic resource and allows us to provide something useful to our friends, family, co-workers and community.

Whether it be individuals, organizations, or institutions, they ALL can benefit from what you already possess, and you’d be surprised to know that it doesn’t take much at all! Here are three points to consider when determining your own human resource:

TIME - Time is a great resource because it’s something we can carve out of our schedule that will benefit your spirit as well as others.

TALENT - Your talent is another great resource because your God-given ability can help cut administrative costs or expenses that many non-profit organizations incur.

POSSESSIONS - The most obvious and also important resource is something you may already have in your home that’s in good condition and/or has never been used. Go through your pantry, linen closet, attic or garage, and you will see a treasure trove of items that can be donated.

See how easy it is to be a human resource? You definitely have what it takes, so let’s celebrate this month with a spirit of giving! And of course, that's always Moxie!

Previously, I revealed an outline of a basic structure for progressive discipline in hopes you could use it as a foundation. You could add to the disciplines and rearrange according to the need of your business, however, I do not recommend implementing any less than the following:

• Verbal Discussion
  
• Written Warning
• Final Warning
  
• Termination
  

With that stated, let’s breakdown what verbal discussion really is. Just because it is a conversation does not mean that you don't document the discussion. It doesn't have to be formal, but you must document the date and the subject of the conversation you had with the employee. Do not get in a habit of having a verbal discussion and not being able to recall the date and subject matter of the verbal discussion. 

If that goes well, then you can just state the date and a very brief description of the subject. For example, June 28th - tardiness. That is enough information. However, if the verbal discussion does not go well, then you have to make sure that you document the date and subject, but also add the reason the employee took exception to what was discussed. To be on the safe side send an email to Human Resources and/or your supervisor to alert others of how the employee received the verbal discussion if within a team environment.