by Solange Lopes | Jul 30, 2014 | Career |
Building tough skin at work – resourcesfortyouth.ca
Happy Wednesday!
I’m a Cancer, I tend to err on the emotional side of things, and I also prefer my skin soft (no pun intended). In high school, I was a nerd (albeit a stylish one), and although I was no punk, I was busier defending my grades than my tough kid reputation. Fast forward a few years (emphasis on a few), turns out thick skin as an ambitious, driven career woman is just as important, if not more, than brains (albeit pretty ones)…
Growing a tough skin at work is not just important, you won’t survive without it, let alone strive. Put in more realistic (and somewhat graphic terms), if you wanna make it as a career woman, you’re going to have to learn to dish it and take it right back, all the while maintaining your professionalism, composure and perfectly tight bun on Developing a thicker skin at work is not just for those of us who strive in more male-dominated fields, such as STEM fields for instance. Neither is it reserved to those at the top of the corporate game. From the administrative assistant to the CEO, women’s career paths are paved with minefields of all kinds. For most of us, it’s a fight-or-flight scenario, except the second option is no longer viable:
1. Get your facts straight! A large portion of the criticism you’ll face at work is merely someone else’s subjective opinion of you. Learn to distinguish fact from interpretation. Any criticism, remark or attitude not objectively based upon the quality of your work or character is NOT based on fact, and thus should not negatively impact you!
2. Check yourself…before you wreck yourself! Building a tougher skin also has a lot to do with knowing oneself. What sets you off? What types of remarks or attitudes cut you to the core? What do you react to, and what leaves you indifferent? Know your triggers, both internal and external, and build a strong barrier to negativity!
3. Feedback is Queen! In the commercial world, the customer may be king, but in your career, feedback is the Queen Bee! Learn to value and receive feedback as a positive enhancement to your performance. Think of it as a competition with yourself! If you can work on every item of feedback you receive and improve on it, you’re better off for it!
Got tough skin at work?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 25, 2014 | Career |
Happy Hour – clotureclub.com
I enjoy happy hour, it’s a nice time to bond with the team, have a drink, and unwind. And it’s outside of the office, no files, emails or meetings in sight for a bit…Except you may be able to take the happy hour out of the office (not all offices partake in this happy practice), but you just can’t take the office out of the happy hour! As happy-go-lucky as your co-workers and managers may seem, they are still…your co-workers and managers, so as you sip on your blueberry sangria, remind yourself that there is this thing called happy hour etiquette:
1. Happy Hour is fun, and so should you be! There’s a fine line between being a great employee and being a great and boring employee! Work extends beyond your cubicle or office, so extend your network outside of your traditional work environment! So do loosen up a bit and go enjoy! It’ll give you the opportunity to show a different side of yourself, and interact with colleagues on a more relaxed and personal level.
2. Set your pace! Whether you choose to down one margarita or five, or if you opt to stay away from alcohol, remember you can set your own pace. I still like to be cautious and keep it to one, two drinks at a maximum. After all, it’s still work, except you have the option of getting hammered.
3. Keep professional! Did I say it’s still work? So whatever you do, do not ruin your career by getting sh…-faced, punching your boss in the face, and telling your annoying co-worker what you really think of him. Keep professional, watch the gossip, and when/if you start catching yourself laughing excessively at your boss’s accounting jokes, it may be time to quietly proceed to the nearest exit…
Any rules for happy hour?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 24, 2014 | Career |
Perfect career – dreams time.com
I’m a perfectionist, always have been, probably always will be at this point. And as a perfectionist, I’m always looking for…ummm, perfection. The perfect job, perfect commute, perfect work-life balance, just the perfect career!
Not surprisingly, I’m a proud Gen-Yer. And unlike the dedicated, company-loyal, house-with-a-white-picket-fence prior generations of career women (and men), we are NOT looking for jobs. We are looking for meaningful, life-changing, make-a-difference careers. And ideally, we’d like to get paid for being so darn awesome. Yet compared to prior generations, 70% of us are having a hard time finding a job (as compared to 30% for baby boomers). And even though we are unjustly labeled as “selfie posting, social media crazed underachievers”, we are still considered as largely unemployable.
As outlined by Mashable, we are inspired by the likes of Steve Jobs and Michelle Obama. Although salary is our top priority (how else would we be able to afford the latest iPhone), passion and corporate culture are more important to us than benefits or job culture.
Like Jennifer Benz, the poster child of the new millennial model, we want to learn, earn, and give back at work, while we’re changing the world! Oh, and we want gender equality too, and we’re on a mission to reach the glass ceiling, break it in a million (recyclable) pieces, and use these to build LEGOS with female superheroes.Except, practically speaking, most of us have not exactly found the perfect career (or a job), and running the risk of having our smartphones disconnected is not exactly an option…
So how do we stop searching for THE perfect career without settling:
1. Repeat after me: “There is no perfect career”! Even if Oprah, Forbes or the Huffington Post called today to offer me to write for them (getting spine tingles writing this), it still wouldn’t be the perfect job (although it’d still be pretty darn close). Because there is no perfect job, career or shoe for that matter. You will still have annoying tasks, bad days and challenging moments. That’s what work does, hence the reason for after-hours libations, but I digress…The sooner you realize there is no such a thing as a perfect job or career, the lesser the left part of your skull will hurt…
2. Take out your toolbox! Not that one, your skillset toolbox. That rusty box of the sum of your know-how, education, experience and expertise. In other words, all that stuff you know. At the end of the day, it’s about your skills, what you’ve got! Instead of racking your brain trying to find the perfect job or career, take out that toolbox, consider the skills you’ve got and assess whether you’re still getting the skills you need. Or if that rusty toolbox of yours is getting rustier by the minute, in which case it may be time for an upgrade…
3. It’s about the journey! I know, it’s a corny catch phrase, but I’m in my self-motivational phase of the month, so excuse the hormones…Too often, we’re too worried about making it to the top of the mountain before even putting the right shoes on. And when we fall or get blisters, it’s the stupid mountain’s fault. You get the point. As you acquire the skills and experience you need along the way, you’re not just charting a path, you’re building your career. Aspiring to be a writer?Well, improve on your writing at work! Whatever your dream job, you’re building it now, so please check your grammar on that report (or run spellcheck, do something…)
Oh and log off Facebook too….
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 14, 2014 | Career
Fighting against discrimination at work – the guardian.com
Happy Monday!
Today, we have the pleasure of introducing our guest contributor Zena Thomas, PHR, in our new Ask HR feature. A fellow corporate sister and blogger extraordinaire, Zena blogs at hersavvycareer.com. She will tell us today about what to do in cases of discrimination at work from an HR point of view. Thanks, and welcome Zena!
I always advise employees that they are their own first advocate in cases of discrimination. When faced with discrimination, employees must decide if they want to take action. I encourage employees to stand up and advocate from themselves if they find that they are a victim of discrimination in the workplace. If employees do not report cases of discrimination, then no action will be taken to resolve the problem. Most companies have a documented policy prohibiting discrimination and Human Resources and Senior Management are responsible for ensuring employees have a discrimination-free work environment.
If an employee faces discrimination at work from her Manager then she should immediately turn to Human Resources for assistance. Human Resources is responsible for making sure the company is free from discrimination and harassment. Most HR Departments have an open door policy and would want to know if there is illegal conduct in the workplace. In the case that an employee is not comfortable in going to HR for assistance, there are a few other options available for reporting discrimination.
An Ethics hotline is a great place to start when an employee is a victim of discrimination. The Ethics hotline is a valuable resource for employees to speak with a professional about unethical behavior in the workplace and they are trained to guide employees in the right direction. Also, Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are available at most companies for employees that may need help in dealing with inappropriate behavior at work. Discrimination has a mental and emotional effect on employees and an EAP is a good place to turn. Whenever an employee is in a difficult work situation and needs guidance, I encourage them to talk to their Mentor. Most mentors have years of experience and have seen the good and bad of corporate America. A Mentor can provide the support that employees needs as well as help guide them through the process. Sometimes a person outside of the organization is needed to help an employee get through this difficult time in their career.
Finally, employees can always turn to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to report a claim of discrimination. This organization is dedicated to investigating claims of discrimination in the workplace based on a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. Discrimination based on any of these characteristics is illegal and the EEOC is the agency that enforces these laws. I again recommend that employees report discrimination internally first but if there is not any notable action taken to resolve the issue, then the EEOC is another resource to help victims.
Discrimination is a very serious offense and should not be taken lightly. Employees should know that their Human Resources department and leadership team want to deter discrimination in the workplace and in order to do that, they must be aware that there is a discrimination issue within the organization. Employees have several resources available to report offenses and it is their right as employees to stand up and advocate for themselves against misconduct.
Do you have any further questions about what to do in cases of discrimination at work? Please post a comment below, email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com or hersavvycareer@gmail.com!
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 6, 2014 | Career
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News round-up – huffingtonpost.com
Happy Sunday! Hope everyone had a great 4th of July week-end, and is enjoying whatever’s left of it. And despite the fact that we all really need a day between Saturday and Sunday (and we’re seriously thinking about petitioning for it), it is still Sunday, and as we’re trying to annihilate any thought of this upcoming Monday, here’s what we enjoyed reading this past week:
- In honor of the 4th of July, the Huffington Post shows us 50 photos that prove America is totally beautiful (and we couldn’t agree more!);
- In other great 4th of July week-end news, the 2014 Essence Festival was and still is going on full speed in NOLA, featuring great, inspirational members of our community. I loved this Essence article about songstress Alicia Keys and our favorite nerd land lady Melissa Harris-Perry educating women;
- Struggling between your entrepreneurial guts and your day job obligations? Lifehacker tells us to channel our inner entrepreneur to excel at work;
- In the midst of all the pay gap controversy, the Washington Post revealed this week the male female pay gap remains entrenched at the White House;
- We all went “Wow” (sometimes followed up with interjectional phrases we’ll spare you from reprinting today) when we heard about the Hobby Lobby ruling. The Huff Post tells us how 9 women reacted to the controversial ruling;
- On a positive historical note, as we look back on the 1964 Civil Rights act, Forbes provides us with great leadership lessons from Admiral Michelle Howard, the highest ranking woman in naval history;
- Still looking back at the Civil Rights Act’s 50th anniversary, this Colorlines article depicts the current workplace environment where, unfortunately, segregation remains;
- Last but not least, our own The Corporate Sister asks the question as to whether business casual hurts minorities and women.
And to motivate you as you get ready to go back to work tomorrow (yes tomorrow is Monday!), check out this video from Global Montreal TV channel featuring Women on the Fence’s founder Erica Diamond:
Happy Sunday!
The Corporate Sister.
