If you're working (or job searching), you probably have a stack of questions you'd like to float to the HR department … anonymously.
We asked two Life Kit experts to answer those anonymous questions for you: Kimberly B. Cummings, a career and leadership expert and author of “Next Move, Best Move,” and Lorrissa Horton, vice president and general manager of Cisco's Webex Calling and Strategy.
Read their advice below, and submit your own questions (about anything) to Dear Life Kit, here.
As an introvert in the workplace, I know these casual exchanges can be a little difficult to maintain during the workday while still getting work done. No. 1, I really recommend you see if you can find a quiet place to work. I've heard of colleagues who go to a different floor or go to the cafeteria during off hours so they're not distracted by their team, or better yet, your team isn't reaching out to you.
Workplace communication is needed though, so if you have to sit around your colleagues, try and find ways to say things like 'Hey, I'm working on an urgent project now. How about we grab lunch later?' Or “How about we grab a coffee at 2 p.m.?” So you can still make sure you're connecting with your colleagues while getting all of your work done at the same time. — Kimberly B. Cummings
My main advice for folks like you is to really look at all of the opportunities available. I've said to many folks that I've mentored before: Now is the time to look at every opportunity — not just where you live, not even just in the industry that you're working in, but across the world. I think now more than ever, people are so open to changing the way things are working — changing the type of people they're hiring, as well as hiring from absolutely anywhere. That to me is the most exciting part, and hopefully, there's an opportunity out there that excites you out of that burnout stage. — Lorrissa Horton
The first thing I would recommend is to have a conversation with your employer. You'd be surprised to see how many people are feeling the same thing you're feeling, and how many employers are actually very open to having a conversation about a different type of hybrid work. I think many have assumed that we all want to go back to the office — that we miss having lunch together, that we miss the culture. But for some, that's not going to work moving forward.
I think the conversation will open up a lot of doors. And maybe trying it out for a while will prove that you're more than capable of doing your job, and actually even growing in your job, while remote. This is a trend that is happening worldwide, so I definitely recommend you have the conversation before looking elsewhere. — Lorrissa Horton
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