Navigating Resumption and Workplace Brouhaha in 2024!

New year, and the same ol’ you. 

Were you expecting me to use the ‘new year, new me’ slang? My dear let us not deceive ourselves. It is 2024 biko (Biko is the Igbo word for ‘please’), the year of self-reflection and truth. If you were tall, short, fair, or dark in December 2023, you are still the same now.

So let us get down to the crux of why I am writing about workplaces & resuming in the new year.

Late last year I had conversations with contacts on my list about work, and communicating at work. Some of the people that reached out were those who at that time, were contemplating resigning from work due to some issues they were having with workplace structure and some colleagues.

What I ended up doing in those conversations was to help them fully understand the root cause of the frustration they were feeling. Over 90% of these conversations about resignation ended with these amazing humans changing their minds towards how they view their current working experiences and going back to reflect on their resignation decisions.

See ehn! You probably are still reading this because you want to avoid any mishap at work this year, and I can tell you for a fact that you can. First, I need you to place your right hand on your chest and repeat after me “I will not desire violence, or vawulence, or kata-kata this year.” Say it like you mean it! C’mon!

First, I need you to place your right hand on your chest and repeat after me “I will not desire violence, or vawulence, or kata-kata this year.” Say it like you mean it!C’mon!

 

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, I will tell you something I have known for a while. You can never run away from challenges, but you can manage them like a badass. Every workplace comes with its own culture, style, likeability and drama.

How you decide to approach things can make a difference, and in this new year, I hope you make good decisions.

As you resume today, take some time during lunch to converse with one or two colleagues about the holiday, share only positive things because that will help you build a positive aura people want to be a part of.  Genuinely listen when they share their own stories and converse. Connect with the people you work with. No matter how few. 

When you can, make a priority list of what you want to achieve with your skills this year for your work, and your personal ambitions. Write the list down. Writing them down makes them feel a bit more achievable and helps you make space to think of ways to achieve them.

After you’ve written your goals down, move on to breaking them down into smaller goals. For example, if I have a goal of building a flat this year, breaking it down into smaller bits would be me writing about how I need to get land first, and what I need to do to be able to afford getting land.

Make your goals into really simpler bits so you can affix timelines to them and work towards achieving what you best can afford.

All my big grammar points to the facts that you need to make calculated decisions, backed with intensively positive actions to navigate life with work. Stay focused on your goals.

No matter your position, please find ways to be kind to people in your workplace from bottom to top. Be your best self, and present your best foot forward. Work harder every day than you did the previous.

Know when to talk, and how to talk. Be an avid team player but also know when to showcase your personal achievements for the company, especially during quarterly reviews.

Remember, you cannot negotiate for higher pay this year if you do not contribute to the goals or success of the company you work in.

Lastly, smile. Smile because it can trick your brain into thinking you are happy. Don’t bring frustrations from home into workplace energy. Make people feel good with your kind words, actions, helpful attitude and excellence, and do all these without compromising on what your values are.

I look forward to reading happy stories from you on how you were able to shine this year at work. For those of you still searching for work, and wondering when it would be your turn to have work stories, don’t worry.

Be patient with yourself, work will come. Use the spare time you have now to build who you want to become even before the paycheck arrives.

With total & professional love,🤣

Yogi of Africa.

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