How can young women maintain respect at work?
What you need to know:
- Maintain decorum when dealing with your colleagues, and never seek to advance in your career by making your peers look bad, or to take all the credit when you’ve worked on an assignment as a team.”
I have heard scary stories of young female employees being preyed on by senior employees and I am frightened about interacting with my colleagues and bosses. How can I establish clear boundaries with co-workers without being cold? Grace
Dear Grace,
Do not let your fears cause you to isolate yourself from your peers and supervisors.
To advance in your career, you must work with others. Some colleagues will be pleasant while others will be difficult to work with, but you must find a good formula to associate well with all your colleagues.
Besides being cordial, you must meet your objectives and add value to the business, as this is the only way to keep your job and grow in your career.
To deliver on your roles, you will need to establish a good relationship with your supervisor because he or she can determine the trajectory your career takes.
First, understand your boss’ management style. Knowing how your supervisor likes to operate will help you relate better with him or her, and may prompt the supervisor to give you additional responsibilities which could speed up your growth at the workplace
Maintain decorum when dealing with your colleagues, and never seek to advance in your career by making your peers look bad, or to take all the credit when you’ve worked on an assignment as a team.
Maintain appropriate personal space when dealing with your workmates, but be cautious about sharing details of your personal life with colleagues as this might make you vulnerable to harassment. When invited to attend company social events, don’t overindulge in alcohol. Maintain the same professional space even when interacting with your peers.
Jane Muiruri
Senior HR Manager,
Nation Media Group
[email protected]
