For many of us work and our career play a big role in our lives. Being driven and ambitious to succeed professionally requires us to focus and dedicate ourselves to our craft because there is no shortcut to success. I agree, however regardless of how driven we are, there are 3 areas you should never compromise on at work (in my opinion).
- Values & Morals
- Work-Life Balance
- Mutual Respect
Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in being ‘successful’ and ‘climbing the ladder’ we fall into the trap of sacrificing who we are. This is the equivalent to losing yourself in a relationship in an effort to impress the other person. And both are equally damaging to our mental health. It is never worth it. I am extremely career focused however there are three areas that I believe we should never compromise on at work and here’s why:
Values & Morals
Your values and morals are who you are and what you care about at your very core. They go deeper than your interests or your weekend activities. And no job or company is worth compromising on your values and morals. The thing is, in order to ensure we don’t compromise here, we need to know what those are for ourselves.
It is worth taking some time to note down the values that you live by. Some examples may be honesty, integrity and respect. However it is important to define yours for yourself and not just choose buzz words.
To give you a simple work example, one value I need is autonomy. Therefore I would not and could not work for a boss who wants to micromanage me. It is one of my values and a non negotiable. Another example; I don’t believe in putting others down to make yourself feel good, if I find myself in that kind of environment, I will leave as I cannot compromise on that. You get the idea! So, what are the values and morals that you cannot compromise on?
Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is a tricky one. When I share this with friends, family or colleagues they tell me things like “I can’t say no to my boss if they ask me to work on a project”. Actually, I believe you can. And I do. We are the only ones who can or will protect our own time. And most of us, work to live. So if I am working so much that I don’t have time to live, what is the point?
We have to navigate this carefully. For example I don’t go into interviews claiming work life balance is a top priority because they don’t know me yet. They might think that I am a lazy bare minimum contributor. Maybe that is what you think reading this. But work-life balance doesn’t mean lazy. It means you are committed to working when you should and getting your sh*t done. And living on your time.
Despite what our sometimes toxic work culture tells us today, there is no honour in working late or clocking 80hr weeks. In fact, to me it demonstrates poor time management. I understand some projects require extra hours from time to time. However, over the medium and long term, if my work life balance is out of whack, I cannot accept that. We get one life, we must protect and prioritise it. No excuses. And when you set expectations properly, you might be surprised about how people react.
Mutual Respect
Before we are anything else, we are human. Then we become employees, juniors, seniors, managers and so on. But none of those titles give any of us the right to disrespect another. Please note the word “mutual”. That means it starts with us. If you are disrespectful towards anyone in your work life, in my opinion, you can’t expect respect from anyone else.
Assuming we are respectful to everyone around us, we can expect the same back as a bare minimum. Yes, there will be people we don’t like, yes there will be disagreements however all of that can and should be navigated with respect. This is not something I am willing to compromise on and if I am faced with it, consistently and regularly I need to remove myself.
We spend a lot of time at work and we can get caught up in the “that is just the way it is here” mentally. However, we as humans collectively decide what is acceptable in any environment. I’ve worked with many people who are either being disrespected or disrespectful and outside of that environment would never act like that with friends or family. We live by the standards we hold ourselves to. Mutual respect is a basic necessity. So never feel that you are inferior or too junior to deserve and expect it.
And Remember
Having non negotiables predefined helps you to set and maintain boundaries during those tough times. It is like committing to the maximum amount you will spend on a high value item such as a house before you start bidding. Using your logical brain to make a decision before you get into the emotional state can help to keep you on track. The same is true when deciding what not to compromise on at work.
And of course, I am not saying to hand in your notice the first moment your manager tries to give you direction. Or when you have to work a late once in a while. I am not even saying to quit if you are disrespected once or twice in challenging discussions. I acknowledge that sometimes, during certain periods or busy times, we may need to compromise. However if it is happening daily, weekly and monthly, then we need to recognise that there are some things that are more important than a job or a title. And some areas we should never ever compromise at work.
Do you agree with the areas we are not willing to compromise on? What would you add? If you enjoyed this post you may also like 6 Reasons Why Making Friends At Work Is Risky, 6 Steps To Achieve 4 Promotions in 3 Years and How To Be More Fulfilled And Less Stressed.
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