Dear Workforce

 Dear Workforce,

Do you feel accomplished and fulfilled at the end of your work day? Or maybe you don't need to feel accomplished but that you just made a difference toward the betterment of something. How do you gauge if you are truly content with your career? Everyone has different needs, but for me, I need more than a paycheck. Here are the five needs for this woman in the workforce.

1) Encouragement & Recognition. "You're so great at {insert specific thing here}." or "You're always on top of it! Great job!" Not getting this kind of praise often, makes this working-woman wonder if she's truly appreciated for her hard work.  Recognition for all the great things you do is important. Are you someone who takes a lot of pride in your work? Maybe it wouldn't matter what job or task is given, you are just driven to do your absolute best. Are you someone who would create some kind of neat process to make something more efficient, and then show others so they can do it too? Do you get praised or recognized for these efforts? I, personally, am a firm believer that employees perform much better with positive reinforcement. Positive encouragement and feedback drives employees to continue their good performance.

2) Flexibility. I don't just mean the work schedule. There is time-off, remote work, and alternative schedules. There is a lot going on in the average American's life right now. We are living at a very pivotal moment in time. I believe (and I could be wrong), but in the state Maryland it is law that all full-time employees have a right to receive 40 hours of sick & safe leave. So, that's 5 sick days in a year. For me, personally, I do always seem to contract a flu or virus annually that just lays me out for at least 3 days and will last up to three weeks. Then there is the annual migraine, digestive issues, or skin cancer removal. Not to mention, my daughter who seems to pick-up whatever virus the daycare is passing around and I may have to take a day or two to care for her. I think, I'm probably up to 7-8 days already here. The point is, something always seems to come up, that's life. If I'm given the flexibility to take care of myself and my family's needs, then I'm less likely to burn out quickly or look for another job that offers more paid time-off. And of course, just like anyone else, I value my R&R. Taking time off is so needed to come back refreshed and ready to spring back into action. I'm like a machine when I come back from some time off.

3) Education. Like some of you older millennials, it's been over 10-15 years since we graduated college. Per my experience, college didn't prepare me fully for the work-place. I went to a specialized music school. The only reports I wrote were on musical time periods, composers, and required humanities assignments. Even so, paper-writing doesn't prepare you for the real world. After 10 years of utilizing different applications within the Microsoft Office suite, I'm still learning something new every day. After almost 2 years of managing people, I acknowledge that I still have SO much more to learn when it comes to leading and inspiring others. If a company can offer you opportunities to learn and grow within your career, this contributes to the overall feeling of appreciation that every employee desires most of all. It means the company is going to invest time and money into your education so that you come back from the training utilizing new methods and training others on these, as well. Also, it makes you feel like your company wants you to grow in your career with them.

4) Relationships. I, personally, value mentor-ship the most. I think it's important for any 30-something that has a rooted career in place to identify someone at your workplace that could be your mentor. Once identified, think about the things that this person does that makes you admire and respect them. Is this person in an administrative or senior management role? Maybe this person is a technical person who just knows how to do everything? Maybe it's someone who has been with the company for many years and has an in-depth understanding of the business? Take the time to analyze how you want to grow in your career and who is going to help you get there. This person should take the time to schedule you in and meet with you. Ask them specific questions as to how it got them where they are now. Ask them ways you can improve. Ask them if they are working on any special projects that you could get involved with that will give you a step in the same direction. Secondly, make "friends" with someone at work. I've always enjoyed going into the work day knowing I was going to work with a particular person who had my back. A person who can recognize when you need a break, but also just wants to hear about your weekend. This person can add some therapeutic moments to your day. Also, being a mentor and work-buddy, yourself, can be a good way to connect with co-workers.

5) Freedom.(This one is tailored more to my own personal professional needs) I need freedom to innovate, create, and lead. Being a very creative person, my mind is always trying to think of new and different ways to do something. What is that famous quote? Oh right, Albert Einstein! "Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results." If your workplace isn't open to new and different ways of accomplishing a goal, but your mile-marker isn't moving using the "way we have always done it" method, then plain and simply put- that's insanity. Having the freedom and authority to implement processes to set your many ideas in motion is liberation. I am happy when I see others working more efficiently, expanding their knowledge, and becoming more self-sufficient. If you have a way to create more tools/resources to make everyone more efficient then there is more time on everyone's hands. More time, means more opportunities to train, empower, and lead others to achieving the company's goals.

So, if you are in the workforce, are these your career needs too? Do you have other needs? What are they? Please comment and let's discuss! I'm eager to learn from you.