Work cliches - fact or fiction?

All sorts of maxims are attached to working life. ALICE SHOPLAND goes searching for the truth.

Every new job should be a promotion

With corporates aiming for flat management structures and limited hierarchy, employees are having to reassess their ideas about promotion and progress.

"I would suggest that all candidates assess each job for its new challenges and personal growth opportunities," says Richard Manthel, general manager of recruitment company Robert Walters. "We see many candidates achieving promotions, but this should not be the prerequisite or steadfast rule for accepting a new role."

Verdict: False.

Money is the most important consideration

In a recent survey conducted by Robert Walters, just 10 per cent of respondents said their main motivation for moving jobs was to enlarge their pay packets.

The majority - 41 per cent - wanted to move because they believed there were better career prospects available working for another company.

Verdict: False.

Your boss cares about your career development

"Most people, including managers, are overworked and driven hard for results," says Richard Manthel. "They don't have the time or don't place priority on truly understanding their staff.

"Employers need to ask themselves whether they are managing the careers of their employees adequately and providing them with enough challenges within their working environment ... [otherwise] good staff may become dissatisfied and leave."

Verdict: False.

Jobs aren't for life any more

University researchers Michael Arthur, Kerr Inkson and Judith Pringle in their book The New Careers (Sage Publications, 1999) found that over a ten-year period, three out of every five workers ended in an entirely different career to the one in which they started.

"Most people are going to change jobs a number of times, and you may even change occupations a number of times," says Dale Furbish, programme leader for Auckland University of Technology's graduate diploma in career development.

"The security [of a job for life] appeals to some people, but it's actually a fairly stifling concept. A lot of our students think they only have one shot at finding their ideal occupation or ideal job and they get a bit panicky. But there's no need to panic."

Verdict: True.

Attitude is just as important as skills

"A lot of research has shown that employers value attitude - including a willingness to learn and to go beyond the minimum - more in their employees than the raw skills," says Furbish.

"You obviously need certain skills to do the work, but the right attitude can separate high achievers from non-high achievers."

Verdict: True.

Who you know is more important than what you know

"The careers concept of 'planned happenstance' talks about how many opportunities come from totally unplanned events," says Furbish.

"The more open you are to happenstance, the more you can benefit. You can put yourself in situations that might lead to these opportunities by getting to know a wide variety of people, for example. A chance meeting with someone outside the dairy could lead to great things."

Verdict: Quite true, so get meeting people!

Long hours will get you to the top

Sometimes long hours are unavoidable in event-orientated organisations, says Netball NZ head Shelley McMeeken, whose organisation won the small to medium organisation category in this years EEO Trust Work and Life Awards.

"But I don't give people a tick for working long hours at other times, because it's not healthy and it's not necessary."

Staff are encouraged to plan, by taking a couple of extra days off in compensation before a two-week event that will see them working weekends, for example.

Verdict: Not true enough to be worth ruining your life.

Working from home is the key to work/life balance

It's very easy for work and family time to blend into one, says Heather Douglas of Home Business NZ. That can make working from home more stressful than a day job.

The flexibility which makes working from home seem so attractive can be very difficult to manage. "Those who master the art are often caught at their desks at midnight, but also spend some of their week days on the beach with the family or doing other things they prize."

Verdict: True, if you've got the discipline.

More qualifications equals greater success

Dropping out of renowned Harvard University didn't stop Bill Gates becoming the richest person in the world, says Pacific Business Trust chief executive Jim Mather.

For an entrepreneur, "qualifications are simply one component of a successful business formula. Other intangible factors such as drive, passion, determination and good old-fashioned work ethic are just as important, and possibly even more vital, than qualifications."

Verdict: False.