Unless you have been living in a world with no social media (does that still exist?), you may have come across loads of chatter about how 2020 will be the year where everything is changing – on the corporate side
Pandemic management meant working from home for many. For others (and way too many), it meant seeing their careers put on hold as their jobs were eliminated, either temporarily or for an undetermined time.
Does that mean doing nothing?
Nope, and nope.
In a previous post, I talked about the necessity to find your own personal renaissance despite the chaotic feeling around.
But is that enough?
Let me ask you.
What do you want your post-covid world to look like?
- Flexible work schedule?
- On-demand vacations?
- Changing function without the eye roll?
- What else?
Do you think this is not attainable?
Think again!
Dreaming the impossible?
Do you recall what happened in 2013, at Yahoo!?
It was also the case in other places, such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard?
Yahoo!’s then CEO, Marissa Mayer, banned any telecommuting for Yahoo!’s employees.
The reasoning behind it?
The Company observed that sharing the same open-space cubicle increased productivity, innovation and collaboration.
Fast forward, 7 years later, remind me, 2020, again?
Times have changed, I’d say!.
And Corporates are being asked to adapt to a new normal, that is yet to be shaped.
A brave new (corporate) world?
Let’s not kid ourselves, things were already changing before those ‘unprecedented times’.
Wall Street Banks, Finance heavyweights, mega corporates, all had been having trouble attracting the younger talents for some time.
Mainly because new graduates have been lured by the opportunity of working in start-ups, in a shared communal space where a break meant beer on tap and a ping pong match. Annnd..no wearing a suit.
I don’t blame them!
You can be productive without the need for a rigid and punishing structure.
True I am exaggerating a tad here, but it remained that many companies had been ‘pivoting’ (buzzword alert) into offering a more relaxed work environment to attract the new talents.
But even as current unemployment rates have reversed the balance of power, the increased social awareness have prompted corporates to compose with another form of pressure: adapt to new times, when employees have also a voice, that can get amplified by social media.
And it’s now 10x tougher to get back from bad publicity, especially when you are branded as insensitive and tone-deaf.
A quick research on social media, and voila some of the buzzwords du jour:
- Remote working
- Gig economy
- Shared economy
- Sustainability
- Shared values
The good news? As I mentioned in my previous blog, t’is a good time to know what differentiates you from others, your skills, your experience, your personality…in another word, your personal signature.
But let’s take this a step further this time: what do you want your new or next workplace to be?
Where to start? What about drawing your master wish list for some must-haves.
Here are some themes to consider.
Your vision board (ish)
OK, so not a vision board, but a good snapshot of your own vision of an ideal workplace.
What are your essentials, your must-haves; what makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning (and even tolerate a dose of commuting…).
First step, start with the bigger picture. How do you want your day to be?
Start from your current day, note what you like, love, and what definitely you would live without.
- Your ideal day
- What does it look like?
- What needs to happen to make you feel accomplished?
Now second step (or first step if you are feeling inspired): what are your values, what makes you tick, positively and negatively. Why is it relevant to you?
Because one of the causes of dissatisfaction at work is when your values are not aligned with your workplace; the sooner you know what is non-negotiable for you, the better you will be at filtering out what is not in alignment.
- Your values
- What is important for you?
- What is non-negotiable?
- Of those values, which can you make concessions on in exchange for something that you really want?
And finally, where and how do you want to work.
- Your corporate environment / your colleagues:
- Where, what, who with, how?
- What sector or industry, ideal location, what flexibility, hours, company size…
You can expand on these themes, until you find your perfect avatar job.
Will you get exactly what you are looking for?
There is no way to know until you 1/ start the process, and 2/ keep in mind that unemployment, in transition, unprecedented times or not, you are still in the driver’s seat when it comes to what you are looking for, and to taking action.
Has that time come for you yet?
Coaching Executives