#5: Dear Self-Starting Team Player..
Hey You. Y‘know, you’re really special.
No, we mean it. Your collective experiences and skills polished over your lifetime make you uniquely qualified to do the work you’re doing. Maybe you’re an architect with an anthropology degree that makes you particularly adept at predicting behavior and use patterns within a building. Or perhaps you’re a designer with an English degree that makes you a valuable — if at times insufferable — collaborator on marketing materials. The point is: The way you do your job is unique to you, and your one-of-a-kind background and skill set makes you a valuable asset to your team and your company.
And look, we all know you’re a self-starting team player who gets the job done. You are fantastic. Seriously.
But, please, don’t come to the office if you’re sick. We all feel like no one can do our job as well as we can. No one has all the information and insights that we have. No one can demonstrate a can-do work ethic quite like we personally can.
But, please, don’t come to the office if you’re sick.
We’ve all been there: At our desk, demonstrating gritty resolve and fortitude in the face of imposing deadlines, a splitting headache, runny nose and a scratchy throat. But, please, don’t come to the office if you’re sick.
If your company is anything like SERA, then it is made up of many uniquely qualified people. And while they may not do your job exactly the same as you, they can in fact do your job. So, please, don’t come to the office if you’re sick. Of course, sometimes it feels like a looming deadline compels you to drag yourself (and your indefatigable work ethic) out of bed, chug some DayQuil and persevere for the sake of your team. But, again: Don’t.
A new period of human history has suddenly been thrust upon us. A period in which personal wellness must finally win out over workload. This should put deadlines in perspective. Between submitting your drawings a few days late and spreading high viral loads to seven of your coworkers, maybe let’s consider the former option as the better one.
But remember: You rule.
Join us next time when we’ll chew the fat on chit chat.