Every now and then, you’ll experience a slowdown in your workplace, and it is at this time where some of you might wonder, “What to do when there is nothing to do at work?”
Many spend their free time surfing the Internet, such as checking their social media, going online shopping and watching YouTube videos for recreation.
However, if you’re working towards a successful career growth, you’ll need to take advantage of your slow workdays by doing things that are useful and productive to you.
Here are some beneficial activities that you can occupy yourself with during your free time at work:
Volunteer yourself
If you find that once you’ve completed your tasks and are quite free
until the next project lands in your lap, one of the best ways to make
yourself stand out in the eyes of your superiors is to volunteer
to help out on other ongoing projects.
In some situations, there may not be that many opportunities for you to join ongoing projects but if the opportunity does arise, look at it as a way to improve your skills and add to your experience rather than as an additional burden on your work day.
Improve your capability
Whether you’re enhancing your current knowledge/skills or learning
some new ones, improving your capability not only makes you a better
employee, but also
increases your value in the job market.
There are many ways to go about this.
For example, you can read articles, watch educational videos or take up free online courses related to your field of work or to a new area of interest.
Build online presence
More job recruiters are searching for job candidates on the Internet,
which is why it is very important for you to ensure that you can stand
out amidst a highly competitive job
market through your online presence.
A solid online presence showcases skills, experience and passion, thereby giving credibility for potential employers to see and boosting your network as more people connect with you.
If you’ve yet to build a professional one, you can start off by developing your own personal website/portfolio, opening a professional social media account or creating your own content.
Review your job performance
Your slowdown at work can also be spent on reflecting on how you have performed at your current employment so far.
Ask yourself questions like “What kind of assignments have I been undertaking so far?”, “Have I done well in them?”, “Do I feel that I need to take on more challenging ones?” and many others.
Make sure that you follow through with actions that should be taken based on your work review.
Plan your next move
Since your mind isn’t preoccupied with work, you’ll have some time to plan what you intend to do in the next few years of your career and life.
If you find that you’re about to go through a slowdown for several days, list down tasks that you can do throughout these days to keep yourself from being idle.
Always keep in mind though that not having much work to do in the office could signal that your company may be going through a business slump and in the worst case scenario if could mean a restructuring may also be in the cards.
So always make sure that you bring value to your company even in the slow days and more importantly be prepared for uncertainties especially when the overall economy is not doing so well.
This is a weekly column by SarawakYES! – an initiative driven by Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd and supported by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (AZAM) Sarawak – to provide advice and stories on the topics of education and careers to support Sarawakians seeking to achieve their dreams. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
This article first appeared on The Borneo Post, visit this link: http://bit.ly/2G7gGUx
