Each week, Dr Kirstin Ferguson tackles questions on the workplace, career and leadership in her advice column “ Got a Minute? ” This week: forgotten flexible work arrangements, a frustrating colleague, and workplace favouritism. It can sometimes be helpful to imagine what advice you’d give a friend if they were in your situation. Credit: Dionne Gain I ended my job with the agreement of my employer after some issues with my flexible work arrangements.
In my return to the office post-COVID, it was conveniently forgotten that I had already negotiated a range of formally documented and informal arrangements. When I tried to formalise the informal arrangements, they were rejected. Upon realising they had broken the law, my employer offered me a severance package.
I have since started a new job, but I find myself fairly traumatised by what happened. I miss the role and the people I worked with. How do I move forward with gratitude for what I had, rather than bitterness over how it ended? Part of reframing your experience might be to think about how fortunate you were to have several years that allowed you to work flexibly, gain additional work experience and have the opportunity to understand the work priorities that are important to you.
All of these factors will have set you up well for the future. It is sometimes helpful to try and think about your situation from a distant perspective: what would you say to a close friend who went through the same experience? How would you.
