Deadlines, tricky clients, budget drama – the office can be a pretty stressful place, without wasting precious mental energy on things that won’t impact your career. Here are some things you can feel more at ease about today.
1. Clocking out at 5 pm
You don’t want to look like a slacker, hitting ‘shut down’ at the stroke of five, right? Wrong. Provided you are productive during the work day, you don’t have to feel guilty for leaving on time. ‘While a little overtime may be occasionally necessary, you cannot allow it to take over your life.
2. Taking a sick day
People who abuse their sick leave often get a bad reputation, which may have left you with the impression that taking any will annoy your manager. But your health is important, so you should never feel bad about looking after it. The days of soldiering on when you look and sound like death are over. We understand you’re trying to prove you’re a trooper who won’t let the team down, but your co-workers will be happier if you just quarantine yourself at home.
3. Not being buddies with the entire office
It’s common today for an office culture to be casual and highly social, and you may think you have to be everyone’s bestie in order to remain well-liked and respected. But there’s a difference between being
friendly and being friends, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with sticking to the former.
4. Making a mistake
Whether you bulk-order fabric in the wrong colour or forget a decimal point and cost your company thousands, you are bound to mess up at some point in your professional life. Rather than beating yourself up about it, realise that how you deal with the aftermath is almost more important then the mistake itself. Accept responsibility and learn from the experience, starting with ways to prevent a recurrence.
5. Admitting you’re not a robot
Nobody expects you to pretend that your career is your only priority. Whether your other allegiance is to your family, your fitness journey or making it on to MasterChef, it’s okay not to eat, sleep and breathe your job. You have the right to a balanced life that makes you whole, and you should be proud of achieving that!
[Image by ben Kolde via Unsplash]
