Casual Fridays have made informal dress increasingly common in the workplace and a backlash is developing, said Toronto business image consultant Linda Allan, president of Linda Allan Inc.
“A number of clients have contacted me recently to present workshops on appropriate business attire. They’re realizing that employees who are lax in their dress aren’t good representatives of their company’s brand,” she said. “The rest of the world is still much more formal than North America, so laxity in dress or grooming could stall or derail a deal with their global partners.”
It’s wise to put a little more thought into your wardrobe and come dressed for a work day – not a weekend – even on Fridays, she said. Your credibility could be at stake.
Celebrate silver linings
While the coming year may be brighter than the past one, “the good times are not going to roll for a long time. This is not a time to add one more burden on the leadership and bring down morale with complaining and negativity,” said John Izzo, Vancouver-based leadership consultant and author of Stepping Up: How Taking Responsibility Changes Everything.
Focus on what is going well, he said, and celebrate success. “Even if they are small successes, staying positive is going to gain you a lot of credibility with managers and peers. When things do pick up again, they are going to remember the people who were trying to find solutions.”
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AND A TIP FOR MANAGERS
Here’s a new year’s tip for managers: Give telecommuting workers more slack, said Harold Jarche, chairman of workplace consulting firm Internet Time Alliance in Sackville, N.B.
While information technology has liberated many employees from their offices, many managers have been slow to accept that staff who are out of their sight can still be productive. “For many employers this has created expectations that telecommuting employees check in with the office regularly,” Mr. Jarche noted. “This can require an unnecessary layer of extra work for both workers and their bosses and can stifle individual initiative.”
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YOUR REALITY CHECK
Even if you don’t feel your job is at risk, it’s in your best interests to be as valuable as possible in the labour market, said Lou Clements, managing director of career transition consulting firm Clements United Inc. in Toronto.
A simple self-evaluation can be done in a few minutes and can highlight gaps you should be addressing, he said. “Do that today, to assess your situation before you have a change imposed on you.”
Here’s a checklist to evaluate how marketable you are and what flexibility you have:
Personal presentation: No matter what your age, it’s an advantage to be in good physical condition and to dress for success.
Education: What courses or certifications could improve your knowledge and marketability?
Functional experience: What responsibilities could you add to your current role? A variety of experiences and tasks could help you move to a new role.
Professional reputation: What steps could you take to enhance your professional profile, such as getting more active in an industry association or online issue discussion group?
Personal motivation: Are you inspired by what you’re doing? If not, that should be motivation to start to transition into a more rewarding role.
Sector experience: Are you in a growing industry, with an organization at the top of its business? If not, even if you love what you do, you should be creating a safety net now for a move if conditions deteriorate.
Personal network: People can become isolated by their work and its demands. You can never be too well-connected in both your profession and personal life. Don’t let auld acquaintances be forgot.
