Times of crisis, whether personal or professional, may not exactly bring to mind more successful careers. As we’re navigating the coronavirus crisis at the moment, so many jobs are being moved online to be performed remotely, while many others are unfortunately being lost to a seemingly declining economic outlook. Additionally, this crisis is disproportionately affecting women, as a result of the already existing disparities between men and women at work.
As the future may appear gloomy, many, as a working woman and/or mom, you may be wondering what can be done to remedy the situation. While there are many elements outside of your control in times like the ones we’re currently facing, there are a few things you may be able to do, as challenging and counter-intuitive they may seem. One of these is to strengthen your career in times of crisis:
Re-center and re-focus!
Crisis have an uncanny ability to help bring us back to ourselves, as we re-center and re-focus o who we truly are, what is important to us, and what drives and motivates us. “What am I here for? What is my purpose? How is my current career aligning with who I am and my true purpose?” These are a few of the questions that may arise during challenging times.
The urge to re-center and re-focus in times of challenge is actually a gift, one that has the potential to help bring us increased clarity and strengthen us, thereby indirectly strengthening our careers.
Cultivate your adaptability to change
The only constant is change. More than intellectual ability or street smarts, it’s your adaptability to change that really determines whether you just get to survive, or thrive. As you re-center and re-focus on your priorities, you also free yourself to adapt to different, more challenging contexts.
It’s this same adaptability to change that constitutes one of the most vital skills for any long-term career, and can propel you from shaky economic ground to stable and positive professional re-invention.
Never stop learning!
Last but not least, times of crisis are also times of learning and tremendous growth hidden behind hardships and challenges. These are the lessons, insights and growth spurts that end up becoming your most precious competitive advantages, both on a personal and professional level.
All in all, strengthening your career in times of crisis may sound counter-intuitive, but is actually a by-product of challenging times. It’s when your career may seem the most strengthened that paradoxically, you may just be on the brink of discovering your best professional assets and strengths.
How are you managing your career in times of crisis?
Dear Working Mom is our weekly letter to working moms everywhere, where we talk about motherhood, life, work and everything in between…
Dear Working Mom,
As the coronavirus pandemic is beating our emotions and confining us home with our families, many of us may be tempted to think, more than ever, that we’re not enough. Much of it may stem from our own inadequacies, our insecurities, and society’s constant message that we have to constantly do more in order to be more, or at least to be perceived as more…
This crisis has probably stretched you to the maximum, increasing your daily to-do’s and confirming the heavy burden you were already carrying. It may have made you question your own sanity, and wonder if you can adapt to this new normal made up of homeschooling, remotely working, cooking, cleaning, and everything else in between.
As you worry about your family, elderly parents and grand-parents, and watch your children grow up in a world that looks like nothing you’ve ever experienced, you may fluctuate between hope and despair. As you consider the job you’ve lost, the bank account that is rapidly declining, the tragic news buzzing around on television and social media, you may be wondering if things will ever go back to normal…Add to this the guilt that you’re not doing enough, not protecting your family enough, not caring for your elderly parents and other family members, not caring enough for your friends and yourself, and an overwhelming sense of inadequacy may settle in…
Yet, you get up every day and manage to put a smile on your face. Despite it all, you’re still running a whole household, working through online meetings, teaching your kids, cooking, cleaning, and still keeping your sanity, or at least a sliver of it. You’re still getting back up on your feet after the layoff, the financial challenges, and the worry and anxiety that seem to invade your thoughts…
But although you may not feel this way, you’re enough, you’re doing the best you can with what you have, right where you’re at. You always have. It’s not business as usual, and it may not be for a while. Whatever may happen, you are always enough, as an individual, as a mother, as a friend, daughter, sister, and any other role you may be filling…
As the coronavirus crisis is affecting the market in quite negative ways, many of us are wondering what will happen to our 401K accounts. Many are also wondering if we can actually use our 401k savings in case of emergency during the crisis.
My $0.05:
Here are a few guidelines you may want to consider:
If you’re able, keep contributing to your 401k:
If your employer matches your contributions, it’s basically free money that you would pass up if you stopped contributing.
While the stock market may have experienced many losses in the past few days, this also means there are opportunities to buy some shares of stock on sale. If your 401k contributions are going towards building a diversified portfolio, you should be able to see positive returns in the long term
Emergencies can definitely happen in a crisis, especially considering this is a largely unexpected one. However, tapping into your emergency fund first before tapping into your 401K may be best. If you really need to tap into your 401k funds in this period, you are in luck!The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act now allows you as a retirement account participant to withdraw up to $100,000 for coronavirus-related expenses. Loan limits on your 401k have also been increased to 100% of the vested balance, up to $100,000. Individuals taking the coronavirus emergency also have the option of reimbursing themselves at any point
In addition, the related income tax due on such withdrawals can be paid over three (3) years.The contribution deadline for the 2019 IRA contributions has also now been pushed to July 15, 2020.
Last but not least, retirees over 72 years old now have the option of delaying taking their minimum distributions as required in 2020.
Welcome to Let It Be Friday!, where I say hello (and TGIF), and round up the lifestyle, career and business news that inspired, excited, made me smile (or laugh out loud).
I hope you and your loved ones are well and keeping safe, and wishing us all strength, patience and courage through this crisis!
Working Mother details what the new coronavirus relief bill means for working parents;
Are you a small business owner? Forbes lists who is eligible for small business loans in the economic stimulus package;
Got video calls for work? The New York Times lists the do’s and dont’s of being on camera for work;
For all the married couples, beware of the quarantine! Black Enterprise reports divorce rates could spike as a result;
The Glassdoor Blog answers the question: How do we achieve work-life balance when working remotely?;
Online meetings are getting increasingly more popular with the increase in work-from-home arrangements. As the current coronavirus crisis is pushing most people to work remotely, online meetings are becoming the norm more than the exception.
If you have been working from home, you may have already been in a slew of online meetings. Over the course of my career, and especially in times of crisis like the current coronavirus pandemic we’re facing, I certainly have. I’ve also had the opportunity to learn a tremendous amount, especially in regards to ways of conducting and participating in online meetings in an effective and respectful manner.
Here are a few tips to be more effective (and mind your manners) during online meetings:
Please dress appropriately
If you choose to show yourself via video (depending on the meeting in question, it may be required or not), dressing appropriately is a must. When we’re home, we may be tempted to dress more casually and relax our upkeep in general. However, looking professional is as important remotely as it is in person, so please make sure to present a polished appearance (even if this means you’re wearing exercise shorts under your pussy-bow blouse).
Test your equipment beforehand
Technology is not always 100% reliable, so make sure to test your equipment beforehand. A quick check of the audio and video quality can go a long way towards ensuring that the meeting is not interrupted, delayed or canceled altogether due to avoidable technical difficulties.
Arrive early
As with in-person meetings, punctuality in online meetings is crucial. Arriving five to fifteen minutes early not only makes you look professional and reliable, but can also help address any connectivity and technical issues that may arise early.
Make sure to avoid photobombing as much as possible
Remember Professor Robert Kelly’s interview on BBC, when his children actually became the inadvertent stars of the show by photobombing the entire process? As a working mom, I could certainly relate, as my kids have been serious photobombing perpetrators in some of my online meetings and classes. As much as possible, try to schedule meetings at times when there is a lessened risk of your kids or family members interrupting you. Let your loved ones know of meetings in advance, find a somewhat secluded space to hold the meeting (if possible), to avoid instances of photobombing as much as possible.
Have a backup option available
Having more than one option available for online meetings can help you quickly adapt when your video call slows your computer down, or your Internet bandwith starts giving up on you. You can use your phone as a backup for instance.
Get some headphones if necessary
To get the most out of an online meeting, you must make sure you’re able to speak up and be heard well, and also be able to hear others well. Unless your computer audio quality is top notch, investing in reliable headphones may be the way to go.
When you’re not speaking, use the mute button
After having my share of online meetings interrupted by kids screaming in the background, or by the mailman delivering yet another pair of shoes I didn’t need, I’ve become best friends with the mute button. Rule of thumb: when not speaking, use the mute button. Just don’t forget to unmute yourself when it’s your turn to speak up.
Be courteous!
Even in online meetings, respect and courtesy remain key. This means allowing others to speak, not speaking over other people, and using the tools at your disposal to be courteous. Many online applications offer the option to raise your hand before speaking up, along with using the chat function to add additional information.
When in doubt, use humor
There are a number of factors that can impact online meetings, many of which are difficult to predict and/or prepare for, especially when you’re a working parent. When in doubt, or faced with your toddler wagging his diaper in your face or throwing an unplanned tantrum (aren’t they all?), don’t be afraid to use humor to deflate the tension. After all, we’re all human, and things happen.
What other tips would you suggest to be more effective in online meetings?
