Do You Feel Like You Can Be Yourself at Work?
As a nanny, you spend a lot of time with the families you work for. Naturally, you wish to make the most of the time you do spend working so that it’s the best it can be. You want to love your families, and for them to love you in return!
There’s a lot of pressure put on Atlanta nannies to be perfect. So much so, that it can sometimes feel like you have to stifle your personality and adopt a persona. While the “be who they want me to be” strategy may seem like a solution, it’ll quickly leave you burnt out and feeling resentful. Rather, being your authentic self benefits both you and the families you work with. We’ve come up with a few guidelines that will help you feel like you can be yourself at work.
Be comfortable with yourself
It all starts internally! In order to feel okay with being yourself, you need to develop confidence and self-assurance. Sure, we all have things we have to work on but you’ve got so many wonderful qualities so recognize what they are and embrace them! Yes, there’s a ton of competition in Atlanta, GA and but your families hired you because they saw something wonderful, so let that shine through.
Be authentic
The phrase “fake it ‘til you make it” shouldn’t apply to nannies. To be truly happy in your position, you need to be authentic. Don’t hide behind the persona you think the family is looking for because that will quickly become evident, eliminating trust. Instead, emphasize the parts of your personality that you think will connect with the family like your fabulous sense of humor or always-positive attitude!
Maintain professional boundaries
You should be comfortable opening up to your families but it’s important to understand that you’re still at work and should remain professional. Take care in not oversharing or discussing topics that may cross a line, such as religion and politics. Sharing your hobbies is great, but chronicling your Friday night Atlanta, GA adventures is taking it too far. Know where to draw the line so that you can still be yourself without overstepping.
Know if it’s a bad match
Working with a new family requires an adjustment period. Even families with whom you’ve worked with for years will change, presenting a new set of challenges. This is nothing to shy away from and will usually disappear in time. Sometimes though, things might not work out. During the interview process, it may have seemed like a good match but now you and your employer are finding that, through no fault of your own, it’s not a natural fit. It happens! What’s important is to be able to identify when you’re not a good match with a family so you can both move on and be yourselves.
Feeling like you can’t be yourself at work makes for an uncomfortable environment that will leave both parties unhappy. If you’re honest with yourself and follow these guidelines, you’ll be able to remedy the situation and let your authentic self shine.
