You may relish the freedom, sense of control, and efficiency you get working remotely, but there are risks.
If you decide to WFH and you almost never drop into the office, you’ve got to fret about FOMO (fear of missing out), the constant worry about being out of the loop and out of mind. For many remote workers, it will simply be MO.

You can miss out on the camaraderie and connection that take place naturally between coworkers. You can miss out on the impromptu meetings in the hall with senior leaders and colleagues that bloom into something bigger.

People who work together in a traditional office have a much “richer” personal experience not to mention exposure to senior executives and coworkers. It’s easier to collaborate and build relationships when you can look someone in the eye, read their body language, and hear their voice. Interacting in person is critical for company culture, innovation, and collaboration many managers believe.

So you do have reasons to worry about missing out unless you have a strategy. Read my article in Fast Company for seven ways to cure your FOMO. https://www.fastcompany.com/90805314/7-ways-to-manage-your-very-real-fomo-as-a-remote-worker 

One of my passions, as many of you know, is women’s success in the workplace.

The good news is women are getting promoted into executive roles at the largest US companies faster than men. It’s a trend that began in 2001 and was still true in 2021 according to a recent study by the Wharton School of Business.

Yet: Women, who hold about a quarter of leadership roles, still rarely break into the highest levels: CEO, president, or chief operating officer. Only about 6% of women hold these titles, a number that has been flat for two decades. Women tend to hold the top job in support roles like legal, finance, marketing, and human resources.

How can more women break into the top echelon?

I believe that personal branding can help. Promoting yourself by communicating your strengths and actively seeking out leadership roles, especially ones with P&L responsibility, are areas where women can have some catching up to do according to studies.

Whether your ambitions are great or more down-to-earth, you need to avoid becoming invisible in the new world of work. Even if you don’t want the corner office, you do want to be recognized and fairly compensated for your accomplishments. And you want balance in your life.

In the new world of work, women are more likely to seek remote, hybrid or flexible roles according to studies, and that can leave women visibility challenged and hurt career advancement. That is unless you have a personal branding action plan so that you’re not overlooked for important assignments and promotions. After all, if no one knows your accomplishments, they don’t really count. It’s your job to make them known.

Come to the Virtual Women’s Conference Kicking Off on September 26

The sixteen women’s leadership experts speaking at the Unleash Your Inner Power, Break Through Barriers, and Step Into Your Greatness Summit will show you how. I’ll be sharing my tips and story with the summit hostess, Maria Victoria, on September 26, and I’ll talk a little bit about my new book, The New Brand You: How to Wow in the New World of Work.

I have a complementary ticket for you to attend. You can register using this link:
https://mariavictoriasummit.com/CatherineKaputa

I couldn’t stop watching the Queen’s procession and lying in state culminating in her funeral in Westminster Abbey today. I am an American. I’ve never met the queen. Yet I couldn’t take my eyes away from the spectacle, the miles of mourners, and the pageantry. I realized the importance of taking part in history, showing respect for a woman who achieved so much, a woman who represented duty, goodness and leadership.

That’s why I was so thrilled when my friend Maria Victoria told me that she was hosting an online show on women and success. The idea was born out of her own experience as a wife and mom who found herself trapped and not having the life she really wanted. I’ve been there too and will share my story and talk a little bit about my new book, The New Brand You: How to Wow in the New World of Work.

The Summit is: Unleash Your Inner Power, Break Through Barriers, and Step Into Your Greatness summit.

I have a complementary ticket for you to attend. You can register using this link:

https://mariavictoriasummit.com/CatherineKaputa

At a time when hereditary monarchies are not popular, the popularity of Elizabeth II was amazing. She was the embodiment of Britain: the foundation of the country’s national identity.

And she was amazing to behold in her brightly colored coats and matching hats as she spoke of duty and courage in the face of difficulty in her public addresses.

Elizabeth II was the epitome of royalty. She was polite, reserved, and obedient to the constitutional mandate of her reign.

She has all the trappings of royalty—the regalia – the palaces, the throne, the jewels, and the crown. And ceremonial pageantry – the processions, the carriages, the palaces.

Her regal monogram: E.R. for Elizabeth Regina appeared everywhere. Her image was on pound notes and stamps.

Yet she seemed down-to-earth and interacted well with ordinary people. I watched her getting a case of the giggles speaking via Zoom to the Jamaican bobsled team who were training in the UK before they set off to compete in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.

There is also the feeling that she is not just a steady hand at the wheel, but a savvy leader. She insisted on personally driving Crown Prince Abdullah, of Saudi Arabia, the leader of a country that didn’t allow women to drive at the time, when he visited her at Balmoral, Scotland.

No wonder she is admired throughout the world. She stood for tradition, virtue, national unity, duty. Truly a timeless personal brand.

Honored to have been interviewed by @wearesubkit to discuss the Power of an Inspiring Leader. You can read the full interview here: https://gosolo.subkit.com/selfbrand/. For more on career success and personal branding, look for my new book, THE NEW BRAND YOU, in stores Nov. 15.

The new world of work isn’t all about power to the people, flexibility to work at home, and Kumbaya. You have to keep on your toes in the new world of work.

Big Brother may be watching. There’s more monitoring of how you spend

your day such as virtual clock in and out, tracking work computer usage and

monitoring emails and other internal communications through surveillance

software.

It’s “The Rise of the Worker Productivity Score,” according to Jodi Kanto and Arya Sundaram in the New York Times, August 15, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/14/business/worker-productivity-tracking.html

“Across industries and incomes, more employees are being tracked, recorded and ranked,” according to NYT reporting.

Worker productivity surveillance fosters productivity and accountability says companies using surveillance softer. It’s inhumane and inaccurate say many employees. The problem is that most of the surveillance software doesn’t track offline activity like mentoring, thinking, writing on paper, or talking with colleagues. Unless you constantly jiggle your mouse in meetings or other off-line activities, you’re just labeled as “derelict” in many systems. (Check out TikTok for videos on fooling the trackers.)

As timeless wisdom says, “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that is counted counts (attributed to Albert Einstein).

Watch out if you are using devices provided by your company. Best to

have personal conversations and activities on your own devices.

The metamorphosis of the workplace can make anyone feel uneasy. We

have to accept that change is no longer unusual, it’s the rule.

Transformation is the new status quo. You can’t rely on the company to

take care of you. That went away with the gold watch upon retirement. Most

companies are fighting for their own survival anyway.

You have to take care of yourself. #surveillance #employeesurveillance  #workerproductivity