Most of us work in teams at our respective workplaces, but there are many jobs out there that can not be done in teams. Tina is one such person who is a lone ranger, part of no team or as she likes to call “Team of one.” She is a small cog in a gigantic wheel. She goes to the office every day and sits at her designated position every day in the office. When people who work in teams are out on “team events,” she is at her desk working alone. When she attends corporate events, her role and contributions are rarely mentioned. As a matter of fact, when other workers mingle with each other post-work hours, she stays back late to complete the work off her shoulders.
She feels over-burdened, worn-out, and demoralized. Many people like Tina work as lone receptionists, office runners, and someone who is left out after a project lay-off. Some people manage one person department in some situations like a person HR department or one social work department. There are also examples of people who work in teams, for example, working from a different time zone or someone who works in the night while the rest of the members work in the daytime.
Challenges faced by people working alone
Like mentioned earlier that people who work alone could be independent members or part of a team. Although there can be varied circumstances based on the specific work, the challenges they face remain largely similar.
They often have to take more responsibility on the individual level than the people working in the teams. They have absolutely no or very little support from others. No support from seniors or colleagues can add to the feeling of isolation and make them feel helpless. It also increases the likelihood of things “going wrong” and making mistakes as there is no one to guide at the source. All of these things add together to make the individuals working alone all the more prone to burn-out. Not just that, in the absence of support from others and high workload, there is a constant risk of falling ill and making mistakes.
If you are also a team of one, you might resonate with all the challenges discussed so far. You might be feeling over-worked and under constant pressure with responsibilities. In the following article, you will know how to help you cope with the ‘work alone’ situation.
Strategies that can help you cope better
1. Make active attempts at engaging with others
Teams of one are naturally looked at as separate entities altogether from the whole team-based organizations. If you are one of those who work alone (in no team), you might face challenges like having no one to discuss ideas with, be challenged by, or chat with for recreational purposes. This further exacerbates if you are working in a separate physical working space. It can build feelings of isolation and make you feel left out in general.
Research indicates that healthy interpersonal relationship is a key to a good working environment. People generally accept the fact that they are bound to feel lonely and isolated. It lowers down their overall morale. You do not have to put yourself in a ‘lockdown.’ Instead, try and put yourself out there and make active efforts to engage with people across teams and departments. If you are working remotely, make plans to connect virtually over MS Teams or Skype. It will help you feel that you are valued and a part of something bigger. You will also get to hear feedback and people’s opinion about things. All these engagements will be instrumental in celebrating your small and big success and will also help you stay motivated.
2. Make yourself heard to others
A major problem when working remotely is that people are mostly unaware of your workload. They do not understand the limits of your responsibility as a lone ranger. They unempathetically can bombard you with work requests when you are not in the position to help. It is sometimes hard to say a flat “no” to people’s faces when they come to you. But you need to protect yourself on your own and tell others that it is impossible to do everything people expect of you. There is nothing to feel bad about or be ashamed of. Just go easy and be as clear about things as you can.
It is all about hitting the right balance between your right/ wants/ needs and considering the other person’s needs/ wants/ desires. When you display assertiveness, you make sure you get your point across firmly in an empathetic manner.
3. Get Noticed
Conversely, there are high chances of slipping under the radar as a team of one. Especially when you do not hold a prominent position within the company; therefore, it is more than important to get noticed. People must know what you are working on. It is your responsibility to build a channel of communication and to get your points across. Make sure you set aside some time to show how your work contributes to the organization’s greater good.
4. Take outside help
No human being is great at doing all things. It is natural to seek help from others and work cooperatively. Furthermore, when you are not part of any team, you are unlikely to have much time for your own growth and skill development. If you fall sick or suffer some kind of setback, there won’t be anyone who will willingly cover for you. Therefore, you must seek outside gaps. Knowing your limitation and taking help from people who bridge the knowledge/skill gap is important. There are high chances that you will find someone from another department, freelancer, or an external business associate who can be of great help to you.
You can use various networking tools to build up a bundle of contacts who can provide you with enormous support. You may also employ your persuasion and negotiation skills to leverage as much as you can from other’s expertise. Know that this is a give-and-take situation. You will also have to be there for all those who help you if you want them to stick around. It will help you garner some goodwill for yourself that will further help you seek help from people out of the network. Even if you are a team of one, it does not mean that you can be a conspicuous player in the overall business.
Also, we tend to ignore the help that technology is capable of providing. For example, if you are a one-person HR department, you can leverage the technology on multiple fronts. It can help you tackle recurring tasks like onboarding, payroll, and incentives.
5. Focus on Self Care
Self-care is something that you do willingly to take care of your physical health and your mental and emotional health. Self-care doesn’t mean always picking yourself over others, it means being aware of your own needs. When working alone, we often tend to forget to put ourselves and our needs out there. If you won’t guard your rights, you will be bound to get overworked and feel miserable. If you start to take care of yourself, you will be able to sort things easily and help others.
When you work alone, you are the one exerting yourself physically on an individual level. This may increase the risk to your health and safety. It is wise to discuss all the things in advance with your manager before you start working. Invest in ergonomic furniture for your long-term health and comfort. It would help if you also looked after your emotional and mental needs. You can be part of clubs and societies within your organization. Socialize with people from various departments and verticals, expand your social network, and you can also enroll in the buddy program.
6. Focus on your growth
People who generally work alone or are not part of any team are often not invited to take up internal courses. They often miss out on various learning opportunities as they are not part of team chat groups where all these things are discussed. High chances that you might be too busy to even think about taking new courses for professional growth.
To tackle these difficulties, try and take ownership of your own personal as well professional growth. Start by carrying out a personal SWOT analysis to analyze your strengths and weaknesses on an individual level. There is another thing, which is perhaps my favorite habit for growth, i.e., Journaling. Maintain a journal and record all the skills you have and skills that you think can help you do your job better. Once you can list things, please find time to develop your self-learning plan and execute it.
7. Keep yourself motivated
It is common to get surrounded with negative thoughts easily. Thoughts like “I don’t think I will be able to get through” and “I will not be able to get back on the track.” The kind of thoughts that run through your head determine your actions. When you do not have other team members to look after you close, if you start to go down the spiral of negative thoughts, there will be no one to pull you out.
It is essential to develop habits that can help you elevate from distress and enable you to stay motivated all the time. One such way of lifting yourself is giving yourself positive monologues. It is scientifically proven that positive monologues to yourself can increase your happiness. Even though it does not change your environment as such, therefore, replace your thoughts with positive ones. Thoughts like “I know, and I will do better next time.”
8. Stay focused
It is easier to get distracted and lose focus when you are working for yourself. You tend to procrastinate more and consequently become much less productive. You may put in your best efforts to keep yourselves as organized as possible, thinking that it will help us focus better. But in today’s date and time, digital distraction is another reason we feel over-run all the time. You, more often than not, will yourself jumping from one task to another without sticking to any of it for long enough to get the work done.
There are multiple tools available these days that can help you focus better and for long hours. One such tool is Focus Timer. The focus timer is based on the famous Pomodoro Technique. You make a promise to yourself to buckle down and work for twenty-five minutes straight and take a brief break of five minutes after your session. Make sure you have set a task ahead of time, start the sessions of twenty-five minutes each, followed by a break. Repeat these sessions four to five times and then take a bigger break.
9. Stay Organized
Your ability to stay organized and take control of things plays a huge role in determining your success, especially when working in a team. Believe it or not but organizing as a habit is contagious. In the absence of an organized plan, there is a possibility that you will never be able to align your skills and actions in one particular direction. You will not have a clear idea of how to get where you want to? What resources do you need to get there? How do you ensure that you are motivated all the way through the journey towards your goals? This can be really challenging when you are sailing solo. Without a plan in mind, you are much likely to get sidetracked or distracted from your path. Ensure you keep a to-do list handy and refer to the project dashboard to stay on top of everything.
