Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your career, there are some rules that remain relevant over time. While some rules are openly communicated and understood, others fall into the category of unwritten rules of the workplace.
How much is your time worth?
Do you know how much your time is worth? Whether your role is in a support function (like I.T, finance or admin), a revenue generating one (sales, marketing, product development) or you’re an entrepreneur, if someone approached you for a job to be billed by hours or days, do you know how much you would charge? And is this the true value of your time?
Slowly but surely, our economy is transitioning into a skills economy. While your extensive qualifications on paper still make a significant contribution to the workplace, it is becoming increasingly clear that what you can do for your employer, what value you can add is imperative. It is why employers continuously ask questions like ‘what are/were your accomplishments in your current/former position(s)’.
Skills and delivery
If you can demonstrate that you can deliver results, half the negotiation is done as the results speak for themselves. The other half entails putting the right price on your skills by benchmarking in the marketplace or talking to other people whose role and skills profiles match yours. Never accept a lower pay cheque than you deserve, regardless of whether you’re younger than your colleagues or free of financial responsibilities.
Who controls your time?
Hand in hand with understanding how much your time is worth is also maintaining control of it. Factors in the workplace environment such as the need to be more visible amidst competition and the fear of getting laid off drive behaviour such as being the first one in or the last one out.
Working relentlessly is not the solution. Showing results consistently is. It is the difference between quality and quantity. While I am not advocating for clock watching, it makes more sense to get as much output from your day as possible than to stretch your working hours indefinitely.
Photo: madamenoire.com