9 Mistakes for Working Moms to Avoid at the Office
9 Mistakes for Working Moms to Avoid at the Office
As working moms, we have some unavoidable time constraints which can lead to extreme performance pressure. How we behave at the office can make a world of difference to our success:
1. Limit the Family Photos
Having more than two photos on your desk makes people think that you would rather be somewhere else. (Double standard alert - for men, family photos have the opposite effect.)
2. Don’t Complain About Your Personal Life
Nobody at work needs to hear about your child’s stomachache, the babysitter who called in sick or the play date gone awry. Save it for close friends and make sure the rare personal phone calls are kept at a low volume. When colleagues ask about your family, keep it light and feel free to tell a funny story.
3. Maintain a Neat Desk
People are stereotyping about how busy your life is so don’t give them a visual reason to assume you can’t handle it all.
4. Be a Self-Promoter
When you or a member of your team succeeds, make sure people know. You aren’t going to win the hours game but you can ace the results game.
5. Make Work Friends
Take the time to create and maintain these friendships. They play a dual role of fulfilling you socially and being your eyes and ears within the company.
6. Attend the Office Party
More happens at office social events than we realize. To maintain your relevance and status within the company, treat work social events as anything but optional.
7. Opt Out of Office Gossip
It is a high stakes game and you have too much on the line. Just don’t do it.
8. Maintain a Structured Schedule
Have a consistent in and out time each day. If you aim to leave work by 5:20 and colleagues know that, they are less apt to schedule a 5pm meeting.
9. Network Outside of Your Company
You need to play long ball which means that networking should be a priority. Those industry contacts can be pivotal to your future career security.
Samantha Ettus coaches working moms through her nationally syndicated weekly radio show, best selling books, regular keynotes and television appearances. .
As working moms, we have some unavoidable time constraints which can lead to extreme performance pressure. How we behave at the office can make a world of difference to our success:
1. Limit the Family Photos
Having more than two photos on your desk makes people think that you would rather be somewhere else. (Double standard alert - for men, family photos have the opposite effect.)
2. Don’t Complain About Your Personal Life
Nobody at work needs to hear about your child’s stomachache, the babysitter who called in sick or the play date gone awry. Save it for close friends and make sure the rare personal phone calls are kept at a low volume. When colleagues ask about your family, keep it light and feel free to tell a funny story.
3. Maintain a Neat Desk
People are stereotyping about how busy your life is so don’t give them a visual reason to assume you can’t handle it all.
4. Be a Self-Promoter
When you or a member of your team succeeds, make sure people know. You aren’t going to win the hours game but you can ace the results game.
5. Make Work Friends
Take the time to create and maintain these friendships. They play a dual role of fulfilling you socially and being your eyes and ears within the company.
6. Attend the Office Party
More happens at office social events than we realize. To maintain your relevance and status within the company, treat work social events as anything but optional.
7. Opt Out of Office Gossip
It is a high stakes game and you have too much on the line. Just don’t do it.
8. Maintain a Structured Schedule
Have a consistent in and out time each day. If you aim to leave work by 5:20 and colleagues know that, they are less apt to schedule a 5pm meeting.
9. Network Outside of Your Company
You need to play long ball which means that networking should be a priority. Those industry contacts can be pivotal to your future career security.
Samantha Ettus coaches working moms through her nationally syndicated weekly radio show, best selling books, regular keynotes and television appearances. .