It’s time to give our careers some TLC and start resuscitating your professional relationships and reassess priorities.
Career coach Leah Lambart, says many employees are feeling quite disconnected from their work, managers and colleagues.
It’s heightened for those who started a new job during the pandemic. “In many cases, these employees have spent only a handful of days in the office, if at all,” she says.
So, how to turn this ship around?
Lambart suggests being strategic about two to three people you’d like to build a relationship with in your team or company in the next six months. Many workers will find the return to the office – when Omicron permits – overwhelming, so it’s important to avoid coming on too strong.
“Whilst it will be really important for employees to work on building relationships again, it is important not to rush it,” she says.
“Don’t be too pushy when it comes to setting up face-to-face meetings or client visits if you sense that the other person may be resisting.”
The pandemic may not have had much impact on “reluctant networkers” because they wouldn’t have been deliberately building relationships anyway.
However if you fall into this category, there are some fairly painless ways of building your professional relationships in 2022.
Being active on LinkedIn – even if it’s just updating your profile, or commenting on posts – keeps your name out there.
The good news is that Australia is currently a candidate’s market.
And even once you’re ready to start career planning, you don’t have to do everything at once.
Start small with just one action each day – whether that is sending out an email, making a new LinkedIn connection or applying for one job.”