Fractional Chief People Officer | DEI Consultant | Building Vibrant Communities | International Keynote Speaker
I'm a strong advocate for bringing our authentic selves to the workplace. We can't simply leave our personal challenges and struggles at home, just as we can't leave a broken leg behind. Our emotional well-being and mental health come with us wherever we go. However, I do think that some type of compartmentalisation can be helpful. While it's essential to acknowledge our emotions and challenges, it's equally important to strike a balance with what is expected of us in a professional setting. This looks like not taking out our frustrations or negative emotions on our colleagues or team members and instead carving out time later to address our personal challenges and emotions in a supportive environment. Some takeaways to help you navigate this: 🌟 Acknowledge Emotions: Recognise that personal challenges and emotions are a part of our lives, and it's okay to feel them. 🌟 Compartmentalise Effectively: Understand that there is a time and place for everything. It's crucial to be able to focus on your professional responsibilities when you're at work, but that doesn't mean denying or suppressing your emotions. Instead, it's about managing them in a way that minimises the impact on your work or relationships. 🌟 Avoiding Negative Impact on Others: Refrain from taking out frustrations or negative emotions on colleagues or employees. Treating others with respect and kindness, even when you're going through a tough time, is essential for maintaining a healthy work atmosphere. 🌟Designate Time for Self-Care: Set time outside of work to address your personal struggles and emotions, on your own, with a therapist, or with a trusted person. This allows you to embrace your feelings and work through them in a supportive and appropriate environment. 🌟 Embrace, Don't Avoid: Rather than avoiding your emotions, focus on finding the right time and place to address them. It's really important that you don’t repress your emotions or pretend they don’t exist. The key is not avoidance, but dealing with our challenges in a healthy way. It's about striking a balance between personal and professional life, fostering emotional intelligence, and creating a workplace culture that values empathy and understanding. Let's work together to build a workplace where authenticity is encouraged, professionalism is maintained, and we support each other through life's challenges. 🤝 #EmotionalIntelligence #Professionalism #Authenticity #Belonging #psychologicalsafety #DEI #DiversityInclusion
