70 Skills Challenges

Money worries can affect how well you do your job and can also negatively impact your relationships with the people who care about you most. The situation is likely to deteriorate if you do nothing about it. To make informed financial decisions, you need to take time to assess your income and expenditure.

If you’re an employee and get paid through a payroll system, you should receive a payslip. Understanding the information on your payslip is important. It shows the money you earn, the allowances you are entitled to, and the taxes you pay. Armed with this information you are in a better position to make financial plans.

Age discrimination can affect workers of all ages. Everyone is capable of having misleading preconceptions about a person’s ability and willingness to learn.

Personal financial circumstances sometimes result in people working for longer, or in returning to work after a break. The official pension age in the UK is also increasing. That means managers are managing teams with a diverse age range, often managing people older than themselves. Being able to take full advantage of the skills and experience of all team members, regardless of age, is key to ensuring everyone feels included and valued.

Think about the different spaces where you work. How often are you with other people? Whether you are physically with others or virtually with colleagues online, you’re working in a shared workspace.

Think about how your actions and behaviour impact your surroundings and cause distractions for others. How do other people’s actions influence your ability to concentrate? A shared workspace requires us to plan ahead and anticipate the potential for distractions. How can we minimise them for ourselves and others? Wherever and whenever we are working in a shared space, we need to show respect for the people around us and the participants in our virtual meetings.

Networking with the people at work who you don’t yet know provides opportunities to exchange ideas, insights, and interests. It creates an open atmosphere of possibilities which is beneficial to your own professional development and the progression of your organisation.

Once you’re in a routine where you talk to the same people every day, it can become hard to break out of the habit and reach out to new people. But it’s always worth reaching out and striking up a conversation with a colleague you have never spoken to before.