About a month after starting my first full-time job, I celebrated my 20th birthday in the office.

Yes, I started young.

I had graduated from polytechnic earlier that year, and having decided that uni life wasn’t for me, eagerly stepped into the working world.

Don’t get me wrong, I had all the usual anxieties back then:

Would I be able to cope with work life? Would my colleagues like me? Would I still be cool?

But at the same time, I was also young, idealistic, and felt like the world was my oyster.

Fast forward four years, I’m still (somewhat) young, more pragmatic, and feel like the world is weighing down on me.

And the anxieties? Yup, they’re still there. In fact, they’ve only doubled.

[Disclaimer for my boss: Work is great and I’m doing well, I swear!!!]

In all seriousness, I’ve learnt a lot the past four years, both about work and life.

Now that I have younger colleagues around me, I feel myself having to step up and be — or try to be — a good role model for them.

I see my past self in them — the stress and anxieties of being a newbie, masked behind the burning passion to prove themselves to the world.

As someone who has barely made it through that stage in life, I hope to offer some useful advice and solutions to youths — and the more mature workers — in the workforce.

Here are some scenarios you probably have faced or will face, and how you can handle them.

1. Feeling like a fish out of water? It’s going to be okay.

When I started my first day of work in 2020, it was immediately made known to me that I was the youngest full-timer in the company.

It felt odd. I was used to being around peers my age in school.

On top of having to adapt to an entirely new environment, being the “baby” of the company made me more insecure than I already was.

While it can be stressful, it’s only natural to feel this way, especially when you’re starting out.

According to NTUC’s Poll of Youths at Roving Youth Exhibition, conducted between July 2022 and February 2023, 18 per cent of youths are concerned about adapting to their new workplace.

And it’s not just the youths too.

NTUC’s engagements and surveys with mid-career workers in their 30s to early 50s revealed that they also encounter difficulties when starting over in new fields of work.

So how do you overcome the challenge of being a newbie?

It’s easier said than done but essentially, you have to first observe and then be open.

You can spend the first month at work observing your different colleagues, the culture and processes, and how things are in the office.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll have a better understanding of the environment you’re in.

The next step is to open yourself up to others, and be open to what others have to say.

It’s important for you to respect the space and those who have been in the company longer, and learn from them.

Be open to anything and everything.

To do so, you can adopt these practices:

• Be aware of your biases and don’t be quick to judge others
• Take other people’s suggestions or comments into consideration
• Ask questions whenever you feel unsure about something. Always keep learning and stay curious.
• Get to know your colleagues better (you can have informal conversations with them at lunchtime)
• Embrace the challenges you face at work and don’t be scared to show some vulnerability

2. Work-life balance is possible with the right discipline

NTUC’s Poll of Youths also found that 23 per cent of youths are worried about not being able to achieve a good work-life balance.

Again, this is a worry that workers of all ages have.

Now, I’m no expert in this area. In fact, I still struggle with my boundaries sometimes.

But the past few years taught me that it’s important to be strict with yourself.

You need to know your limits and list down your priorities in life, whilst still not compromising your professionalism at work.

For instance, I literally carry around a physical notebook with me every day.

I’ll jot down my to-do list both for work and personal matters in the notebook, in order of priority.

From there, I can decide what I must settle first and slowly work my way down the list.

And if you still struggle to shut off after work hours, I’d suggest putting your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode and having an after-work routine.

For me, I set aside at least two hours per day after work to read a book or watch a film.

It might not seem like much, but I find that it has greatly helped me to de-stress from work.

So find a routine or a hobby that works for you.

Another vital tip: Listen to your body.

I’ve been nagged at by my mother countless times for overworking myself to the point where I have fallen sick.

In times like these, it’s important for you to take a break. (I would advise you to do it before you fall sick, unless you want to get nagged at by your parents.)

For me, I would take a few days off from work to recuperate.

But of course, you have to also ensure that all the work that needs to be submitted is done before you go on leave.

Work-life balance can be especially difficult for workers who have other major responsibilities or commitments outside of work, such as caring for children or elderly parents.

In an NTUC online survey of 1,000 workers with caregiving responsibilities, employed respondents most frequently reported needing to:

• Take time off (52 per cent)
• Take no pay leave (43 per cent)
• Take leave frequently (42 per cent)

If you find yourself in this situation, it would be best to speak to your bosses to discuss a suitable working arrangement for you.

Here’s a short guide on how you can speak to your bosses:

• Drop them a text or go up to them and inform them that you have something you’d like to discuss
• Before you speak to them, list down all of your concerns and what solutions you require
• Refer to that list when you speak to them and be honest
• Offer any working arrangement that you might have in mind
• Listen to their response attentively and understand any form of limitations
• Work together to find a common ground that works for both you and your company

3. Dealing with high expectations - it’s tough, but not impossible

You can’t escape from pressures at work, be it pressure from your bosses or pressure from your own expectations of yourself.

The pressure put on you will eventually take a toll on your mental health as well.

NTUC’s survey found that youths’ expectations of the workplace and themselves portend a high level of mental stress in their early years of work.

As someone who is quite hard on myself, I have experienced my fair share of mental stress at work.

But on a personal level, I’ve learned to forgive myself and understand that I’m only human.

You should too.

We all make mistakes. It’s inevitable. And there will always be moments where we fail to meet certain expectations.

The most important thing is to learn from these instances and not repeat them.

Once you’ve clocked in this mindset, you’ll be able to cope with the pressure better.

Beyond that, you can also take the opportunity to do something practical to improve yourself, such as upskilling and taking up training courses.

Mid-career workers have a strong awareness of the critical role that upskilling plays in their continued professional development, NTUC’s survey found.

So instead of dwelling on your mistakes, you can actually do something about it.

And if everything still gets a tad overwhelming, you should talk to others and see if they can offer you any sound advice.

For me, I would speak to my supervisor to see how we can both deal with the issue and reduce the mental stress on me.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have understanding supervisors over the years, but this might not be the case for everyone else.

If you’re not sure how to talk to your supervisor, my advice would be to plan what you have to say before you meet them.

Take some time to think through all the points you want to convey.

Write down everything that has been bothering you so that you can properly talk about them with your supervisor.

You don’t have to share everything with them if you’re not comfortable - just the important things, such as how the workload has put a strain on your mental health.

You should also ask your supervisor some questions to get their advice, such as what you can do to cope with the pressures at work.

Besides my supervisor, I would also talk to my family and friends to get their different perspectives.

Plus, talking about your problems is always better than bottling it all in.

While these are my personal takeaways that I’ve gleaned from my own experiences at work, there are other avenues that you can tap on for professional support.

Whether you’re thinking of speaking to a professional career guidance coach, attending workshops, or going for upskilling courses, here are some useful links for you:

• Meet a career coach
• Career Agility Hub
• Courses
• NTUC LearningHub Learning eXperience Platform

For more information on NTUC’s ‘Every Worker Matters Conversations’, you can click here.

This sponsored article by NTUC made this writer evaluate the past four years of her life at work.

Top images via Unsplash.