By Amanda Brandon, NCOPE – NRWA Newsletter Editor
I have two tips for you this month – Explore a four-day workweek and call your clients!
Why I Decided to Work Four Days Per Week
When I had a regular full-time job, I asked my employer for a four-day workweek. They didn’t love it and said I could work at home when needed. That helped some, but as an introvert and new mom, this really didn’t solve the problem. I needed a day to do all the things. You know – grocery shopping, personal development, and appointments. I was also a writer sitting in a cubicle. The distractions were endless. When you need to read complex reports and whitepapers to derive value, you need more than earbuds.
This was one of my biggest drivers for creating my own career at home. However, I’ve realized that I still need that day, even though my schedule is flexible. So, I’ve been experimenting with taking one day off a week to focus on my kids and me. It’s life-changing!
What do you think of the four-day workweek? Have you tried it? Let me know your stories, and I may feature them in an upcoming issue. Send your thoughts to newsletter@thenrwa.org.
Call Your Clients! They Need a Personal Connection
I just got off the phone with a young lady I would hire for any sales role I had open in my company. She’s creative, tenacious, and dedicated to her customers. She reached out to me a couple of months ago to coach her on her next career path, after spending the past eight years in supply chain sales. I LOVED working on her resume and LinkedIn profile.
I remembered today that I needed to respond to a compensation question she asked me. I asked her via email how her search was going, and she listed off six upcoming interviews. She also mentioned that she had a meeting with her manager and HR. I picked up bad vibes from that email.
She quickly responded and told me she’d been let go. I immediately picked up the phone to check on her. It’s soul-crushing to get laid off, and I know that call of “I understand” and “You’ve got this!” helped her in some small way. This is why we do this – to better people’s lives and give them hope. I know a personal connection like that would mean the world to me if I faced this situation.
What do you do in this type of scenario? How do you help your clients keep their heads up when they get hard news? Send an email to newsletter@thenrwa.orgso that I can share responses in a future issue.
