If you’ve ever seen the movie Office Space then you know about the “pieces of flair” that employees at the Bennigan’s-esque restaurant must wear. The manager is always coming down on Joanna for not wearing enough flair and for only showcasing the minimum amount. For those of you flair-ignorant people, flair refers to tacky buttons that the employees wear on their ties. The manager always asks, “Well, don’t you want to express yourself?” So this leads me to wonder if we as employees are bringing enough flair to the workplace. Are we expressing ourselves to the best of our ability?
I know that sometimes we all get bogged down in our work and taking the time to socialize or “express ourselves” to other employees is even more work. Having the required flair is a full time job on top of the full time job we already have. Ugh. But you know what? The amount of flair you have matters!
Your attitude, how much you participate, the smile you flash other employees in the hallway and taking the time to make friends with your coworkers are all very important to your career. Sure it is easy to spend the whole day cooped up in your cubicle not socializing or even joining other employees for lunch, but how far will that really get you? Involving yourself in socialization and group activities around the office shows that you care about those you work with and that the company is important to you. Showing off your personality is what will win people over when it is time for a promotion or pay raise. Coworkers and bosses will take notice of those employees who always have a smile on their face and who take the time to involve themselves with all aspects of the company.
Maybe you need to evaluate yourself in the workplace and see how much of a team player you really are. Are you expressing yourself to the fullest or are you only wearing the minimum amount of flair?
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