Take one part adults, two parts high stress situations, half a cup of clashing personalities and just a pinch of competitive nature and top it all off with a giant helping of sexism you have a recipe for a whole ton of Workplace Drama. Everyone's got it, and everyone deals with it in different ways. I've been a manager's position for almost a year and I have found it one of the biggest day dampeners and mood killers on the planet. Nothing is more frustrating than someone who won't take you seriously or is rude to you for no reason. Anyone can experience it, but from my perspective nothing is harder than being a twenty something woman in a professional setting. In the short time I've been fighting my way through it, I've come up with a few full-proof tips that have never let me down. From not letting it get to you to putting on your boxing gloves and fighting it out here's my top five ways of kicking ass and taking names whatever your employment situation is.
1. Kick ass outfit/makeup.
Speaking of kicking ass my firm policy to life is feeling awesome about your outfit is one of the best ways to set off a good day. Nothing helps you put on your "don't mess with me" attitude like your favorite shoes or your best lipstick. This is a bit harder when, like myself, you have to wear a uniform to work every day. In my case I never fail to make my hair and makeup look top notch to my standards. Now I'm not saying you need a full face and blowout to be taken seriously at work. But I know I feel fantastic when I know I look damn good. Let's face it, if you're a women in a workplace you probably have dealt with inappropriate advances and looks, it's disgusting and frustrating but inevitable. And my favorite way to deal with it is smiling because I know I look great and every guy can swallow their comments because I could care less.
2. Power song playlist
Another thing I live by is that a song can change your entire mood. I put together the best songs that give me a "men can go to hell today, because I'm awesome". If I'm dealing with day to day drama nothing gives me a bigger boost than taking a few minutes on my break to jam out and let the lyrics of some of these songs make me remember that I can take on anyone and everyone patriarchy be damned.
1. Brave - Sara Bareilles
2. Wild - Jessie J
3. Tightrope - Janelle Monae
4. Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson
5. Roar - Katy Perry
6. Run the World (Girls) - Beyoncé
7. Man Like That - Gin Wigmore
8. Fireball - Dev
9. Dancing On My Own - Robyn
10. How To Be A Heartbreaker - Marina and The Diamonds
11. Bulletproof - La Roux
12. Do It Like A Dude - Jessie J
13. Fighter - Christina Aguilera
14. Titanium - Sia
3. Smile through bull
And by smile I mean take none of it whatsoever for even a second and do it with a big fat smile. Seriously the one thing I cannot stand is women being told to "Just smile at him! Just pretend it isn't getting to you!" Nope. Not even a little bit. This is not okay, and here's why. Remember back in our playground days when we were told that Sammy just pushed us down because that's what boys do and we should just ignore him and he'll stop? Did that work? Probably not. Even if Sammy stopped pushing you down he probably moved on to push other people down too because no one told him it wasn't okay. In recent experiences I have discovered that this method never did and never will work. If you're dealing with a man at work, or anyone really, who is treating you in a way you shouldn't be do not stand for it. The way I have found that gets to tough guys is to not let him get away with anything. In fact, give it back to them. I'm not condoning doing something that will get to fired but don't sit down and smile. If this person is treating you with no respect you're probably not alone and if you do nothing, no one else will either. And if everyone lets them run the show, no one will be happy. You have resources and the power in yourself to stop them.
4. Observation
make friends where useful and watch evildoers like a hawk.
This might sound a bit manipulative but watch the people around you, see who would make a good friend should you have to stand up to someone who is making working uncomfortable for you. Along the same lines, be careful who you talk to. When you throw a lot of adults together you get something that is no better than a high school cafeteria. And navigating it can be like walking through a minefield in a pair of Armadillo Heels.
5. Remain 100% professional no matter what.
I can't stress this part enough. Let nothing get you down. let no one stop you, and follow the rules to a T. When it comes to being professional you can't go wrong, should things come to a head for you and your office bully you need to be able to say you followed every guideline and did it with all the damn flair you could muster. No one should be able to bully you into submission, and you should always feel safe in your environment.
Got any tips for your fellow working girls?
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