Learn how to advocate for yourself at work, address challenges of being heard and supported, recognize and honor personal boundaries, explore the inner critic, and discover the ease of expressing needs and setting boundaries in the workplace.
Advocating for yourself at work means understanding and communicating your needs and boundaries effectively, even if not everyone is receptive.
Asking for help in a professional context can facilitate collaboration, enable faster progress, and create an open and supportive work environment.
Deep dives
Struggling with Self-Advocacy
The podcast episode explores the challenges of advocating for oneself in a professional setting. It discusses the common experience of feeling the need to constantly justify one's presence and expertise in the workplace. The episode highlights the exhausting nature of trying to convince others of one's value and the toll it can take on one's well-being. It emphasizes the importance of understanding and communicating one's needs and boundaries effectively, while acknowledging that not everyone may be receptive. The podcast encourages listeners to prioritize their mental health and make decisions that align with their self-worth and values.
Navigating Undervaluation and Minimal Support
The podcast episode addresses the issue of being undervalued and undermined in a professional setting. It features two dilemmas from individuals working in content-related roles who struggle with gaining recognition and support. The episode discusses the impact of feeling like one constantly needs to justify their place in the organization and the emotional toll it can take. It offers insights into setting boundaries, advocating for oneself, and seeking understanding and collaboration within the team. The podcast encourages listeners to prioritize their well-being and consider whether their current environment supports their growth and fulfillment.
Facing Overwhelming Workload and Boundaries
The podcast episode focuses on the challenge of managing an overwhelming workload and setting boundaries in a professional setting. It presents a dilemma from an individual who finds themselves burnt out and unable to manage the workload of an embedded research model. The episode discusses the importance of recognizing personal limits and advocating for oneself to avoid burnout. It explores the idea of communicating needs and limitations clearly to the team and managers, and the potential impact of creating change by stopping unsustainable work practices. The podcast emphasizes the importance of self-care and finding a healthy work-life balance.
Overcoming Hesitation to Ask for Help
The podcast episode addresses the common hesitation to ask for help in a professional context. It highlights the belief that asking for help can be seen as interrupting others' workflow and explores the impact of this belief. The episode encourages reframing the narrative and considering the positive aspects of seeking help, such as facilitating collaboration and enabling faster progress. It suggests exploring different perspectives, checking in with teammates and managers, and normalizing the act of asking for assistance. The podcast underscores the importance of self-advocacy and creating an open and supportive work environment.
What do you do when your needs aren’t being met or your boundaries are getting trampled? On today’s episode, Jen and Sara walk listeners through ways to advocate for yourself at work—without justifying your existence, begging for your boundaries to be respected, or feeling like a failure if it doesn’t work.
You’ll come away with a few scripts you can try in your own workplace—and our very sincere permission to drop some of those balls you keep juggling.