Professional women today have to deal with a slew of problems associated with major career paths. This is especially true within the framework of offices around the world. The modern office has a great deal of moving parts, and there are situations that arise that can cause a great deal of stress overall. This is compounded by the fact that supervisors and managers often times treat women and men differently when delineating tasks, singling out information, and much more. The anxiety and stress that can come through these situations can be difficult to manage, but there are a few things that can help ease the burden overall. It starts with understanding job roles, and keeping track of how workers are treated within the framework of any office. The following tips can help with moving through difficult events that may arise.
Always Notice Your Surroundings
When you’ve been at a job for some time, you will start to feel comfortable with the position. This comfort comes with a bit of an issue. The issue becomes a matter of work blindness. You will be so accustomed to things working as they should, that you will not be able to see when things are going awry, when people are being singled out, or when you may be next to be disciplined. For many, the status quo can be a deceitful path to stay on. To offset that, make sure that you always have a certain guard up, but without anyone else knowing. You should always know what’s going on around you, simply by paying attention, and taking note. As long as you don’t get too comfortable, you will be able to navigate the difficult issues and gain the right leverage to help you speak with human resources.
Take Detailed Notes
One of the biggest issues that women face in the office, especially when singled out or disciplined is short memory. You may remember certain events, and you may think you have your story straight but when a supervisor is convinced of other things, you may have a hard time explaining yourself or the events in question. That’s where detailed notes can save you. Always write shorthand notes and review them over time. The more you know about the days that you’ve worked, and organize specific events and notes with shorthand, the higher the likelihood that you will be able to have accurate accounts and information in these anxiety fueled meetings. Just by taking notes, you will not be a victim in the office.
Keep A Paper Trail (Or Email)
Alongside the note taking, and being aware of your surroundings, make absolute sure that you are keeping a paper or email trail of events, work, and anything that you do on your daily routine. Always keep everything organized and spend 5 to 10 minutes out of your day to put things in appropriate files and folders, and NEVER delete anything. This will help you when misinformation abounds in the office. Protecting yourself becomes easy when you have a paper trail as proof. Of course this can also sink you if you forget something and there’s evidence of that.
In order to deal with difficult situations, professional women have to pay close attention to the things that are going on around them. It’s never a good idea to put things on “auto pilot” because that’s where supervisors and managers get leverage to lay off and fire people for infractions. Organization can help in such an easy manner, and doesn’t take long.