Workbeat

Your disability doesn’t mean you’re unqualified. Image courtesy of Rowan Jordan on iStockPhoto. Superb organizational skills. Exceptional attention to detail. Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment. Such qualifications — seasoned with nearly every adjective or adverb known to humankind — are quite common in job postings.

New research finds workers changing their personalities to fit in. Image courtesy of Bulat Silvia on iStockPhoto. For years, workers have been told to bring their “whole selves” to work. But that promise may not entirely be true. New research from Express Employment Professionals and The Harris Poll found that 67 per cent of job seekers have changed aspects of their personality to fit into a company or team culture.

Whether you’re a chronic job seeker or happily employed, you’ve probably heard some version of the same career advice: You need to network. Whatever you do, you need to constantly be putting yourself out there. Of course, there’s truth to that advice. As we know, who you know can lead to opportunities you might never encounter on a job board (cough, hidden job market, cough). A former colleague might recommend you for a position. Someone you meet at a conference might become a client.

Image courtesy of seb_ra on iStockPhoto. You probably know your coworkers’ names. You might know what they did last weekend or their dog’s — or cat’s — name. You may even spend hours every week talking to them on Teams. But do you actually know what they do all day? Recent research suggests that a lot of workers in fact don’t. According to a new survey from GCheck, 52% of workers say remote and hybrid work has made it harder to truly know their coworkers.

Image courtesy of Kenneth Cheung on iStockPhoto. You’re struggling to prioritize your workload. You want feedback on a project but aren’t sure whether it’s ready. Or maybe you’ve run into a problem and need help figuring it out. Who do you ask? The answer might not be your manager, as research has found that many workers are bypassing their supervisors in favour of talking to AI.

Image courtesy of Pressmaster on iStockPhoto. There’s no denying that the promise of a four-day work week has become one of the most sought after possibilities when we talk about the future of work. For many workers who are burnt out by the traditional five-day work week, the appeal is inherently obvious. Who wouldn’t want a three-day weekend? There’s certainly a case to be made as this long-desired reality is linked to reduced burnout, better employee engagement and even increased productivity.

Image courtesy of Nimito on iStockPhoto. One of the biggest criticisms about job interviews is how they feel more like performances rather than conversations. Both sides – the candidate and the employer – are trying to impress the other, in a corporate game of cat-and-mouse, while the prospect of a job opportunity hangs in the balance. Traditional job interviews are an imperfect format, often identifying the best candidate as the one who interviews the strongest and sells themselves the best.

Image courtesy of Jacob Wackerhausen on iStockPhoto. Daniela, who has Generalized Anxiety Disorder, once worked as an insolvency counsellor in Toronto. It’s already a stressful job, as the work involves working with individuals and businesses facing financial difficulties, and the job’s stress brought Daniela’s anxiety bubbling to the surface.

Image couresy of BrianAJackson on iStockPhoto. Workers aren’t just worried about inflation anymore – they’re losing faith that their pay will ever catch up. For years, employees have been told that inflation would eventually cool, that wages would rise and that things would ultimately balance out. But for many workers, that optimism appears to be fading.

Image courtesy of Aun rach on iStockPhoto. I started freelancing in 2010 after completing my education in journalism, and then subsequently in marketing and communications. It was already tough for me to get a full-time job in the field — after yet another rejection for a full-time journalism job at a trade magazine, they offered me the chance to write for them on a freelance basis.