Slacks – $24.95 – hm.com
Loving these easy patterned slacks from H&M. They’re the perfect relaxed yet still professional slacks for work. As a bonus, they can be sported on the week-end too with an easy tee, as pictured.
These easy, breezy pants are $24.95 at H&M. Happy Friday!
The Corporate Sis.
Sabotage your week-end – Photo credit: madamenoire.com
I wrote about how your hectic week-ends are actually ruining your career. Well, the opposite can also (and does very much) happen…How many times have you ended the week on a frazzled note due to time and resource mismanagement during the week? And how often have you spent your week-end wishing you handled that project or this meeting better?
While we may think our personal and work lives are largely separate, in reality, the two just really happen to be one continuum. Hence the concept of work-life integration (which in my opinion makes much more sense than the elusive work-life balance). In other words, mis-managing one almost always results in more or less screwing up the other (put mildly)…
Blocking off some time at the beginning of the week to plan the agenda for the week is one of the most effective, if not the most effective, way to manage your work week. Prioritize the urgent tasks, plan to complete at least one full project, and set some deadlines for yourself.
Notice I didn’t say avoid multi-tasking altogether. I strongly believe women are wired to some degree for multi-tasking, and it’s part of what makes us efficient. However, too much multi-tasking can have the unpleasant effect of starting a lot and not getting as much done! So save your multi-tasking skills for more repetitive, less important tasks, and challenge yourself to complete at least one entire project during the week!
Notice management’s uncanny ability to spring up a last-minute project on you mid-day on Friday? Or how your manager will ask you a random question on a report you submitted a few days ago (and as a result, the report needs to be “slightly” edited). Yes, it happens, and no, it’s mostly not your fault. I learnt only on the art to “stay on top of management” to limit last minute surprises (which mostly seem to pop up on Fridays). Provide frequent status updates, check on submitted projects, and generally keep the lines of communication open to avoid surprises (and week-end headaches…)
The Corporate Sis.
Should you invest in your 401K – Photo credit: beyondblackwhite.com
Duh. Yeah. Many of us find it obvious to invest in our 401Ks as a source of retirement income, and even as a savings pool. And rightfully so, considering the perks a 401K plan can offer to employees including, but not limited to, employer matching, ability to borrow against it to purchase a home or pay for your child’s education, and the sheer fact that your money is growing tax-deferred.
Well, this is all fine and dandy, but because I like to keep my snack and money options open, I’ve always wondered…
1. If your employer’s plan is really not the cat’s meow: if your contributions are not matched at all, and the plan is frankly antiquated, think about setting up an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Some good companies for this include Schwab, Vanguard or Fidelity.
2. If your debt is higher than your heels (i.e. You’re drowning in debt): if high-interest consumer debt is keeping you up at night, PAY YOUR DEBTS FIRST! If you can live with the moderate interest or can write off some of your debt (such as mortgage), your 401k may be a good option.
3. If your 401k is costing you your first born child (read: outrageous fees and costly funds): Scour the market for decent cost, deductible IRAs. You may get a better deal (and get to keep your first-born too)…
The Corporate Sis.
Nico stripe skirt – Photo credit: nordstromrack.com
Black and white is trending this season, and frankly, it’s always a classic combination. Can’t go wrong with this Yoana Baraschi Nico stripe skirt from Nordstrom Rack. Love the geometric originality of this skirt that can be paired with your most basic black tee for work or on the week-ends, or your favorite white button-down blouse to up the ante.
And the elasticized waist won’t stand between you and a good (ok, healthy) lunch…This skirt is on sale for $79.97 (down from $238!) at Nordstrom Rack.
The Corporate Sis.
The “Lean Out” generation – Photo credit: http://blog.timesunion.com
Happy Thursday!
I remember witnessing at some point in my career two women tendering their notices only a couple of months apart from each other. The reason cited was the same, to spend more time with their respective children. It struck me at the time since I was myself a young mother, and suffice it to say, I did not exactly have such a choice. As I looked around, I was struck even more to notice that beyond the two competent young women in my department, women tend to “lean out” of the workforce more and more.
This “hidden brain drain” as dubbed by economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett of the Center for Talent Innovation, who argues this “leaning out” phenomenon negatively impacts both businesses and families, is also leaving the rest of us professional women at a loss for words, and at a loss for motivation. According to the Washington Post, nearly one in four women took some voluntary time out of work, while for mothers, the percentage goes up to 43%. Whether women opt out for personal or family reasons, or are effectively being pushed out by the lack of flexibility in today’s demanding and still male-dominated workforce, the fact is women are leaving work in record numbers. And for the rest of us still plugging along, by choice or necessity, it is starting to feel lonely as we start questioning even our own motives for working…
So what do we do in response to this mass exodus of women out of the workforce? Do we “lean in” even more, just stay out of need, or follow suit? Despite all the talks around women’s empowerment at work, breaking the glass ceiling with a pink hammer, and raising our careers, can we keep turning a blind eye to this silent female brain drain?
As for me, every time I receive yet another notice from a woman exiting the workforce, yet another good-bye email, as much as I’m happy for these women hopefully making their choices on their own terms, I can’t keep but start silently, guiltily questioning mine…
The Corporate Sis.
