by Solange Lopes | Jul 3, 2014 | Career
Technical cotton trousers – $125 – cosstores.com
Lunch break, and time for a bit of corporate fashion around the office! I’ve been on the hunt for lightweight, cotton trousers for summer that do not necessarily fall into the “cropped” or capri” category. Love, love these technical cotton trousers from COS for their summery, yet classic and professional-looking cut! One word comes to mind when I look at these pants, and it’s “fresh”!
The clean and easy cut (and did I mention the delicious sorbet hue) of these trousers, made from technical cotton-mix with a bit of stretch, is perfect for warm days at the office. They are loosely shaped and look pretty comfortable on a hot summer day! They are $125 at cosstores.com!
For those of you who have not heard of COS before, this H&M-owned label has been at the origin of much fashion frenzy in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, before opening its digital doors for US online shoppers. As for a brick and mortar store, the first one is slated to open this Fall, although reports have not exactly been confirmed. And if you’re wondering what all the hoopla is about this COS fashion thingy, read this older Vogue article, and munch on this one too to calm your fashion nerves.
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 3, 2014 | Career
motivation in the summer – blackdoctor.org
Happy happy Thursday! Well, for most of us on this side of the blogosphere, this is technically our Friday (please note audible pleasure gasp!). And with all this sun, warmth, kids on vacation, and thoughts of laying on the beach with a good summer novel, how does one manage to stay motivated during the summer?
Staying motivated at work during the summer months is nothing short of a challenge. Just looking out the window, or taking a short stroll outside, makes you realize how much of a sunny, warm, beautiful day you’re missing out on, cooped up in your office of dark cubicle.
During my time in Public Accounting or Big Accounting as we used to call it, summer months were the reprieve from the grueling busy season during the winter months. It was the time when the office was empty, workloads were lighter, and flexible schedules were in full swing. And things haven’t changed much today.
However, in hindsight, it was also the time when the most motivated associates differentiated themselves. While they still took vacation time and allowed for some flexibility in their hours, they still kept their productivity up and took on the challenging assignments everyone else carefully avoid. How did they manage to stay on and gain a competitive advantage when the rest of us were professionally on a standstill? And how do we, as corporate sisters, keep our motivation up when all we want to do is crawl under our desks and find the nearest beach (in that order):
1. Re-evaluate your goals! Mid-year, and the onset of summer, is a good time to reset those goals and priorities established at the beginning of the year. Are these goals still valid? How much progress have you made? What changed, and what needs to change? All these are important questions to ask yourself as you hit the mid-year mark. While you may not like all the resulting answers, re-focusing on your goals will re-energize you and pump up the motivation.
2. Flexibility is key! Now is less about putting the pressure than setting an effective pace. As vacation time comes up, the kids are out of school, and distractions are piling up around you, you have to allow for some professional wiggle room. Instead of building condensed (and painful) blocks of activity on your calendar, spread your assignments and projects out over time so you can still meet your target without sacrificing your summer. And as you’re planning ahead, speak to your managers and teams to keep everyone on the same page.
3. Take some time off! The Q1 2014 Glassdor.com Employment Confidence Survey revealed the average American employee takes half of earned vacation or paid time off, while 61% report working while on vacation. Now that’s a way to kill motivation and productivity with one overworked, grumpy professional stone’s throw. Besides, other than replenishing your productivity reserves and making you sharper on the job, the benefits of taking vacation include alleviating stress, reducing anxiety, and improving overall health. So yes, take a load off and book that getaway, your boss will thank you later!
For more tips on how to stay motivated during the summer months, enjoy this article here, and this one too!
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 2, 2014 | Career
Business casual – moi-meme.com
It’s summertime, and in case you haven’t noticed, business dress is getting more and more…relaxed, to say the least. Considering most companies and businesses nowadays have adopted business casual dress codes, office fashion’s standards have definitely changed.
While some of us celebrate this more relaxed approach to dressing for work, women and minorities are left wondering if the trend is really in our favor. According to the 2012 Catalyst’s Alliance for Board Diversity census, minority women represented 2.6% of Fortune 500 board leadership positions. With a blatant gap in leadership representation, minority women, and women in general, may not be as inclined to adopt a relaxed approach towards anything pertaining to their careers, including the dress code.
Not to mention obvious perception issues associated with women and minorities’ dress. Not only is it easier for women to be recognized as leaders when they’re more formally dressed, but it also helps that their fashion choices err more on the masculine side. Remember back in 2007 when Hillary Clinton was the topic of a vehement (and lengthy) article in the Washington Post around her…“dip into neckline territory”? Yes, that neckline…
And while the Mark Zuckerbergs of this world can certainly afford to conduct business in sneakers and hoodies, and actually stand out in a positive light, as described here, the rest of us may not enjoy as much professional bandwidth.
So really, as the temperatures rise and the business casual trend follows suit, does the whole business casual thing hurt us more than we thought?
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 2, 2014 | Career
Cutout Neck Double Knit top – $188 – nordstrom.com
Lunch fashion time! We’re featuring today this Classiques Entier cutout neck double knit top.
Loving the clean, almost architectural cut of this top featuring elegant cutouts around its leather neckline. The pintucked waist is oh so elegant and flattering, while the short sleeves keep it sophisticated and office-friendly.
While I’m usually partial to colors, especially in the summer, the solid black color of this top adds to its basic but contemporary elegance. I would pair this with a flowy pair of white linen trousers, or a colorful pencil skirt for a classic look with a modern twist.
It’s $188 at nordstrom.com!
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 2, 2014 | Career
Add value – blackenterprise.com
Happy Wednesday! It’s hump-day, already, and since this is a short week, hump-day feels even better…
The perennial question in our careers is, How do we advance our careers? What can we do as corporate sisters (and brothers) to get ahead, climb the corporate ladder, break the glass ceiling, I mean, simply put, how do we get to the top? Do we work harder? Play politics? Lean in, lean out, lean to the side, do the happy dance? You get the drift…
Career advancement, especially for women, is a complex animal. According to a recent study by Catalyst, the percentage of senior management roles filled by women globally is 24%, while 21% of the same roles are occupied by women in G7 countries.
While the discussion has long been centered around gender parity (or rather lack thereof), little has been said about value. Regardless of gender, are we adding value to the workplace? What unique qualities, perspectives and talents, as women and corporate sisters are we bringing to the table?
Instead on focusing on more masculine attributes of work and business, such as assertiveness for instance, why not look at and positively present what we bring to the professional forefront. As natural-born leaders, nurturers, advocates and decision-makers in the natural, we are bound to add value to any professional environment we may step in. Whether through our resourcefulness, managerial abilities, people skills or resilience, we are naturally equipped for professional challenges.
Yet, we tend to not perceive our contributions as valuable simply because we compare them to our male counterparts’. As a direct result, the marketplace’s general perception of the value we bring declines in proportion to it.
Maybe the question should be, instead of how can we advance our careers as women and corporate sisters, what intrinsic, personal, real value are we adding to the workplace?
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 1, 2014 | Career |
Golf polo- $70 – nike.com
We were talking this morning about how important it is for women in the corporate sphere to learn to play golf! Well, we’re following up on the conversation with this coffee break sports fashion pick for any and all the corporate sisters who would like to give golf a fighting chance!
Loving this golf polo from Nike, for its simplicity and versatility. It’s conservative and classic, and the short sleeves keep it appropriate for an informal business meeting on the golf course.
While I’m usually partial to colors and prints, the basic patterns and colors of this polo keep it almost business-like. Also love the skort it’s paired with on the picture! Perfect for a first time golfer like myself!
This golf top is $70 at Nike.com!
What would you recommend a first-time golfer wear?
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 1, 2014 | Career
Peep toe pumps – $49.99 – ninewest.com
It’s lunch time! And today, we are shoe-shopping on our lunch break, especially with these Jillianne peep toe pumps from Nine West! I stopped dead in my shopping tracks when I saw these! Love, love the combination of the wedge and the pump styles, and the preternally classic cut of this shoe.
Love the golden chuck heel detail, which adds a nice touch to the shoe. I’ve recently become a huge fan of wedge heels for their great comfort and adaptability to most environments. And since I still love my traditional pumps, having a shoe that combines both is definitely a plus!
These peep toe pumps/wedges are on sale for $49.99!
Pssst…Nine West is having up to 50% off on select styles!
Seen a great, work-friendly shoe you’d like to share with our readers? Please email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
The Corporate Sister.
