Many people struggle to be assertive at the office – especially when they're just starting at their job or internship. Navigating office hierarchy and tackling the workload while still advocating for yourself can be challenging. Though it’s important not to complain about work or shirk responsibilities at the office, it’s crucial to maintain boundaries and be assertive.
You’re donating your time and energy to a company – you deserve respect too! We’ve made the tricky task a little easier if you're wondering how to be more assertive.
Firstly, what is assertiveness and why is it important in the workplace?
Assertiveness can be defined as confident and forceful behavior without fear. Having a level of assertiveness at work or during your internship abroad will ensure you're taken seriously as a worker, your opinions and valuable insights are being heard, and it can make it easier to deal with conflict or negotiations.
It will help you focus on your career goals without feeling guilty and will prevent people from taking advantage of your willingness to help, whatever the cost.
Check out our 5 top tips for being more assertive at work during your internship:
1. Establish boundaries.
Generally, it’s important to say “yes” as much as possible during an internship. You want to build a reputation as a good worker and someone in the office who's reliable. That said, whatever work you do should be of excellent quality. Your work won’t be as beneficial if it’s been rushed and full of errors because you're taking on too much at work. If you feel like your workload is piling up, it’s important to communicate this to your supervisor and say “no” when you need to. Make sure to give a valid explanation if you aren’t able to take on a project, though, so your team knows what's on your plate. Setting boundaries at work can be scary, especially when you're new, but it'll be completely worthwhile physically and mentally.
2. Don’t feel guilty for advocating for yourself.
Nobody knows your needs better than you. That means you need to perform some self advocacy: speak up for yourself and prioritize your well-being and success. You can do this in a way that is both respectful and respectable, but first, you have to let go of any guilt that you may feel for advocating for your own needs. Sometimes you can’t stay late, for example, because you have a personal commitment that’s been planned for weeks and is important to your happiness. Celebrate yourself for knowing your limitations and prioritizing your pleasure instead of beating yourself up. The happier you are, and the more open you are about your needs, the better colleague you’ll be.
3. Communicate your needs.
If particular needs aren’t being met at the office, it’s important to express that to your supervisor in a clear, open, and friendly way. Ask if you can grab a coffee with them or get together for a short meeting in their office. There will be limitations to what your manager can do in certain cases, but they will most likely be happy to work with you on making the internship a better situation, as long as it's in line with company policy. Improving your communication will help you assert yourself, and this includes non-verbal communication. Maintain eye contact, keep yourself sitting/standing upright, and don't cross your arms or legs.
4. Write down points before you say them.
It happens to all of us at some point. We have thoughts, critiques, or comments that we want to express and then we shy away from saying them when the spotlight’s on us. To avoid clamming up for confident and assertive communication, write down the most important points that you'd like to make. Write them out how you would like to say them. Having these thoughts down in a clear and concise way will help remind you of what you want to say and how to say it when it’s time to speak up.
5. Practice.
Becoming more assertive happens over time. People who are shy, non-confrontational, or introverted aren’t incapable of being assertive – it just takes a little more effort and practice to confidently assert yourself. Challenge yourself every day to do something that forces you to assert yourself. It may be minor, like asking to change the temperature on the thermostat or speaking up in a meeting about a change that you think needs to be made in a presentation. Practicing assertiveness will make it easier to weigh in when bigger issues arise in the future.
