7 Key Career Considerations

Vaccinations are underway.  Businesses are opening up again.  Some cities and travel destinations are hosting concerts and fairs this summer.  Whoo hoo!  Are you as excited as I am to get out and experience something other than your neighbourhood???
 
It’s been a long 15 months.  We’re nearly there.
 
Which means your employer is already planning for what the post-pandemic workplace will look like.  Which means you have some decisions to make that impact your long-term career.
 
Many employers are exploring something called a hybrid workplace.  It’s a blend of remote and on-site work that will offer different options for how we work together in the future.  There are many versions of what hybrid will look like, but a component of them is the option to work-from-home, full-time or part-time (what’s on offer will vary by employer).  
 
It begs the question:

• Do you want to continue working from home full time?  The kids will be back in school and your spouse may be back at work, so you might just (FINALLY) get the house to yourself.
• Or do you miss the hum and buzz of the office?  Going back means getting out of the house, having more social time with colleagues and a clearer break between home and work.
• Do you want both?  Some employers may offer hybrid options that let you do both, but it may come with “hotel seating” (no assigned desk) and you may not be in the office at the same time as your workmates; good opportunity to expand your network throughout the organization, but it might not offer the team environment you crave.
• What happens if you opt to work from home and everyone else on your team opts to be in the office (or vice versa)? How will you feel about your choice then?

 
The wider acceptance of working-from-home opens up your employment and career options; you can literally work for any office-based organization, regardless of location, without having to move. Remote work and distributed teams are here to stay. As exciting as that prospect is, you still have to understand, and then advocate, for what will set you up for career success.
 
Hopefully your organization is creating opportunities to consult with employees so there is input into what the future of your workplace looks like.  Being part of this process (whether that’s reading the e-mails that come through or volunteering to be part of a committee or focus group) provides insight into what your employer is planning and how they see it supporting both employees and the business moving forward.  You can then decide if it works for you in your career.
 
Here are seven career considerations when making the decision on how you want to work post-pandemic:

• How’s it been working so far?  You’ve had the opportunity to work from home for a few months now, does it really work for you?  Do you like the autonomy, or can you feel your motivation slipping the longer you are out of the office? Are you feeling lonely and distant, or connected and vital?  Do you see how this way of working supports your long-term career desires?
• Are you set up for success?  Internet connectivity is huge!  Working from outside the office means having a strong, reliable connection (strong enough to leave your video on when you want to for conference calls); if you’ve been making do until now and want to work-from-home for good, this is one career investment you cannot skip.  You may also need to consider investing more in your home office to ensure it is highly functional and ergonomically supportive (not something you may have attended to during a temporary arrangement for the pandemic).
• Is your organization, um, organized?  Organizations/teams with clear objectives, robust processes, and defined communication channels (that are used consistently and to good effect) are needed to make everyone’s careers successful no matter where they are working, but is critical for remote working success.  Not all organizations and teams are well organized – is yours?  Will it be in the future?
• How do you like to be lead?  You may either “blossom” or “wilt” (and so will your career) under various leadership styles; having a leader who will need a period of adjustment to catch their leadership efforts up to the demands of a hybrid environment is one thing.  If your leaders’ style is not a good fit for you, this can be aggravated by distance.
• How do you like to work?  If you are a highly collaborative person, working-from home can support that when your organization does too.  Heading into a hybrid model, what is your employer’s commitment to inclusion and equity between the people present and those who work remote?  If you prefer more individual and focus-based work, working-from-home is awesome, but how will you stay connected and visible so you (and your career) don’t become irrelevant?
• Consider your commute.  One advantage to the pandemic was it wiped out the commute to the office, putting valuable time back into people’s schedule and life.  If you’re considering a return to the office (part-time or full-time) don’t forget to consider the commute and how well it works for your career and lifestyle (great way to get errands done on the way to and from work or a major time-sucking hole of frustration?).
• Can you thrive with time-shift? A time-zone difference may mean you are always “late” to start work (it can feel that way if everyone is 2 hours ahead of you) and your lunch-hours are booked full of meetings because it’s the afternoon, or morning, at head office.  You may also be out-of-country (or province/state), meaning your stat holidays may not line up with your employers, and that can create a pinch-point when your friends and family are at the beach for the long weekend and you’re stuck on career-critical conference calls.

 
Whatever is on offer from your employer after the pandemic, make sure it works for your career, both now and in the future.  If it doesn’t, it could make the difference between having your dream career, or working in a nightmare.

Not sure how to navigate your career needs post-pandemic?  I can help.

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