Getting Involved at the Office

Give more meaning to your time in the office. There are plenty of opportunities to learn new skills and network among your peers, clients, and bosses in most office settings. I’m talking about special committees, projects and events offered to you. I don’t believe enough people take advantage of these opportunities, but there are so many benefits. Below I have listed my top 4 reasons for getting involved at the office beyond your regular workload.

1. Networking: If for no other reason to join a work committee or special project, you should join to continue or start the networking process. It really is a world of who you know gets you places. This is a great opportunity to network with higher ups in your company as many of these groups are led by somebody with a senior level executives in the company. Being able to get your name out there helps to put you on everyone’s radar. This is a great way to increase your chances of promotion by making sure nobody forgets who you are or what skills you have to offer.
2. Team building: Joining committees and special teams allows you to meet new individuals that could help you with your day to day office work. Team building is a great way for your work team to be more productive and happy. It also allows you the opportunity to do something extra with your coworkers and allows you some freedom to chat about things beside the next deadline.
3. Continued Learning: Whether you are joining a cultural committee or a special project at the company, there is so much to learn. This is a great way for you to learn leadership skills or even more specific job skills that you may be interested in. Companies that offer these opportunities want their employees to take advantage and use this to their benefit. Having skilled employees benefits the company, so they will often make it easy for you to continue to learn and grow as you work with them.
4. Fun: Joining in any type of workplace activity can be fun for you and your coworkers. It’s not all about ‘work, work, work’ as Rihanna puts it. Sometimes you become more productive just by taking a break and enjoying a little time focusing on something new that interests you or lets you connect with coworkers. Learning new skills can get the mental juices flowing and help to relieve stress at work.

Think about your future and where you want to be in the next couple of years. It really is about who you know and who knows you. Even if you have no plans of getting promoted, getting to know your peers can make your life easier and more enjoyable while you’re working. I encourage everyone to join in some sort of work committee or special events and projects. You may feel that you are too busy, but the benefits can spring your career to the next level and may even offer you a balance you’ve been looking for in your current role.