Navigating Work-Life Boundaries When Colleagues Party
At the end of the business day, some organizational cultures move the office to the bar, drinking together long into the night as coworkers talk about work and more. Many times, the night out ends just hours before employees are expected to be back at their desks in the morning. But if tipsy colleagues are closing the bar, new-hires who wish to have a clear boundary between life and work should be mindful of the consequences of socializing and drinking at after-hours gatherings.
Many workers realize that important conversations about business occur during these late-night events, so they feel obligated to attend and go against their “don’t get drunk at work events” policies. But breaking such rules ultimately causes the reluctant partyer to feel resentment. Experts advise that workers set their boundaries, even if they will miss out on consequential conversations. As new employees become more ensconced in the organization, they should look for alternatives to after-hours activities. After all, the “don’t get drunk at work events” policy has merit and shouldn’t be abandoned despite what others are doing.
Gay, R. (2022, December 14.) It’s happy hour, not “happy every hour.“ The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nyt.com
Dealing with Cryptic Notes from Boss All Part of The Job
Young professionals are often confused when they receive this curt message from their bosses: pls fix. It’s a buzzword, especially in consulting or finance, that is shorthand for fix this ASAP and don’t mess up like this again. It’s so frequently used that the term has entered the Urban Dictionary.
Other iterations exist: please action or make better. Whatever the note says, it lacks specificity but it means the recipient should drop everything and return a new version of whatever the boss has sent. The time of day (or night) these messages arrive means nothing to the manager, who expects that the employee will jump on the request and somehow figure out how to improve the task.
Those who work in high-powered industries such as finance and consulting need to be able to figure out what’s wrong and what it takes to get it right. Sanchit Wadhawan, a 25-year-old consultant in Atlanta, received an urgent pls fix message from his boss on a Friday night with an attached 50-slide PowerPoint. Wadhawan figured out the problem–too many fonts, inconsistent colors—and made the fixes. As a high achiever in a demanding job, he says this sort of work ethic is de rigueur.
So far, the practice appears to be confined to these two demanding industries.
Ellis, L. (2022, October 10.) The two words that terrify junior employees. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com
5 Dos and Don’ts During Internship
Deloitte, one of the Big Four accounting firms and a frequent hirer of college interns, offers up advice for a successful internship experience.
Dos
- Be prepared. Dress appropriately and always take notes at meetings.
- Ask questions. Clarify any doubts with a more senior staff member so that you can do your job.
- Be proactive. If you’ve finished a task, ask team mates what else you can do to be helpful.
- Add value. Go the extra mile and be a proactive team member by offering relevant suggestions.
- Get involved. Participate in any social events at the organization, and take the opportunity to mingle and get to know colleagues.
Don’ts
- Don’t be unprofessional. Accept feedback without taking it personally. Learn from mistakes and move on.
- Don’t be late. Better to be a few minutes early than late.
- Don’t let stress paralyze you. If faced with a challenge, ask for help.
- Don’t lose your temper. The office is no place for a temper tantrum.
- Don’t be a pessimist. A can-do attitude will net better results.
Deloitte. (2019). Decisions Magazine, Issue 12. Retrieved from https://www2.deloitte.com
