Many of us believe that doing more results in achieving more when it comes to our professional lives. It makes logical sense, right? This has led us to think that the best employees are those that arrive at the crack of dawn and are the last to leave the office every day. But this doesn’t have to be the case.
Working overtime isn’t the only way to get yourself noticed by your manager and it isn’t the best way either. If you want to be a star employee without racking up the extra hours in the office, here’s what you should do:
1. Be engaged
When you attend work meetings and have conversations with your colleagues you should make sure that you are present and engaged. This means no browsing on your laptop or checking your phone which others can find highly annoying.
Show your colleagues respect and that you are interested in what they are talking about by listening carefully, asking questions, and providing helpful feedback. By doing this you will strengthen your working relationships, earn the respect of your colleagues and help build yourself a fantastic reputation.
2. Help others, but know when to say “no”
Helping your colleagues and volunteering to take on extra responsibility are great ways to get ahead at work. If you can see others struggling and offer your help before they have to ask for it, that’s even better.
By putting yourself forward and lending others a hand you will show that you are a team player who is eager to learn and progress. Your manager will certainly notice, and your colleagues will appreciate your help.
However, while it’s great to help others you also need to make sure that you don’t just become a yes person. You don’t want to fall into the trap of taking on too much, becoming overwhelmed and ending up working all hours while making mistakes due to rushing. The key is to learn for yourself how much you can realistically take on and execute at a high quality.
If saying no makes you feel uncomfortable. Take a look at this article >
3. Communicate regularly and honestly with your manager
The one-on-one time you have with your manager is really important. It’s your opportunity to tell them about your achievements and progress, to ask for help, talk about your career goals and address any problems/difficulties you may be having.
You should take every meeting you have with your manager seriously and do make an effort to have a conversation and build a relationship with them. Your manager will appreciate that you care about your performance and your career.
If you don’t have regular meetings with your manager, then it’s definitely worth requesting them.
Bringing it all together
We all have to work a bit of overtime now and again, however it isn’t a good habit to get into all the time. You can still be an awesome employee without giving up your personal life, just put the three actions above into practice and you’ll still be able to get ahead at work.