3 Career Resolutions in 2024
Publié le 10 January 2024
Stay on track to reach your goals and grow this year with 3 career resolutions in 2024.
One of the common focuses of people as 2024 begins is setting New Year’s resolutions for work. This can be a positive step to take for a variety of reasons. Gathering some New Year’s resolution ideas for your career can help you create a practical framework to move toward your ambitions. Career New Year’s resolutions can also help you to feel more upbeat and empowered to take control of your professional future.
Certainly, there will be some individual career resolutions to set that are unique to your particular needs or path. That said, it’s important to also look at some of the resolutions that could bring you more in line with the trends of the workplace in 2024.
We’re going to take a look at 3 career resolutions to incorporate into your plan for the year ahead that can lead to professional growth, development and success.
Boost Your Tech Knowledge
Technology continues to be one of the core focuses of the current business landscape. One recent report found that 75% of Canadian businesses surveyed considered tech-related modernization to be a strategic priority over the next 2 to 3 years. Therefore, it is imperative that your career resolutions in 2024 include a commitment to boosting your tech knowledge.
Some areas to focus on for this work resolution include:
- Smart manufacturing: Various industries are starting to adopt smart manufacturing solutions to better streamline production processes. This includes a range of tools, including devices in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cloud computing, and advanced analytics platforms, among others. Given how prevalent manufacturing is in Canada, it can be wise to make one of your professional New Year’s resolutions to gain a better understanding of this technology.
- Artificial intelligence (AI): AI has been a hot topic of discussion — and controversy — in business over the last year or so. There are various ways you could make understanding the possibilities and implications of AI as one of your career resolutions for 2024. This may include learning the applications of generative AI in your industry. You could also look into the ethical challenges, even making adopting certain AI-assisted technologies responsibly one of your work New Year’s resolutions.
Remember, though, that it’s most important for you to look into the tools that are most relevant to your sector for the foreseeable future. Prioritize these as a focus for your learning in your New Year’s career resolutions.
Recognize Your Value
Often, professional resolutions center on making yourself more attractive to employers. Yet, it is vital to also make New Year’s work goals that acknowledge and emphasize how valuable you already are as an experienced professional. Taking steps to encourage employers to recognize your worth as one of your New Year’s career resolutions can be a great boost to your confidence. Also, many employers are already noting the importance of recognition, with one recent study finding that 45% of surveyed employers expected to provide higher bonuses than they did a year ago.
Some of the actions you can take for this professional resolution include:
- Communicating salary expectations: Being paid fairly is always one of the key concerns for working professionals in all industries. Salary tends to be considered a delicate subject, but it’s important to stop tip-toeing around it. It is in everyone’s best interests that you are compensated in a way that is reflective of your skills, experiences, dedication, and needs. Part of your goals at work for the New Year could be performing comparative research on what the average salary is for your current role and skills. This gives you a good basis on which to request a raise or negotiate a new salary.
- Seeking professional development: Salary and bonuses aren’t the only ways to recognize your value as part of your professional New Year’s resolutions. Getting support for your ongoing professional development is a key way for your employers to demonstrate that they are willing to invest in you. Take the time to regularly discuss this with your managers and human resources (HR) team. Seek various forms of support, from subsidized qualifications to mentorship.
Remember that recognition of your value isn’t always guaranteed in your current workplace. Seeing that your employers don’t acknowledge your worth can be a good impetus to find a company that does as one of your work goals in the new year. Having evidence of your skills and contributions can help you sell yourself in applications and job interviews in 2024.
Maintain Your Work-Life Balance
It cannot be overrated how vital your mental wellness is to your professional life. Exposure to relentless workplace stress can impact wider safety for you and those around you. It can lead to making more mistakes and even overlooking essential safety protocols. Not to mention it can make you feel more distracted, which influences your decision-making and productivity. One of the primary ways to minimize the potential for stress is to make maintaining your work-life balance one of your career resolutions in 2024.
The actions you could take with your New Year work resolutions include:
- Creating boundaries: One recent study found that 34% of respondents struggled to effectively set boundaries. Often this is about creating a protective space both for your work and for your home life. This might include solidifying set working hours as part of your New Year’s resolutions for the workplace and confidently communicating these to both colleagues and family.
- Set achievable career objectives: Setting goals at work for the new year as a professional resolution is great for your career advancement. However, it’s important to ensure these are realistically achievable. Being overly ambitious can see you putting too much emphasis on professional activities outside working hours or neglecting your personal life. Perform a self-evaluation to honestly assess what you can do this year and even speak to trusted colleagues about this.
Occasionally, you’ll need to attend to work during personal time and vice versa. Your New Year’s resolutions for the workplace here aren’t necessarily about being militant in keeping matters precisely 50/50 with your work-life balance. Rather, it’s more about being vigilant of the tendency for either to encroach in unhealthy ways and taking steps to mitigate these.
For more help striking a healthy work-life balance, consider using strategies to make time for your hobbies. You could use time blocking and set aside chunks of your day for specific activities. Focus on one activity at a time and learn how to say no to distractions. Remember to be realistic and don’t pressure yourself to finish a project — rather, enjoy the process as you engage fully in your hobby, even if it’s just for a short time each day.
Conclusion
Setting effective career resolutions in 2024 can keep you on track for success in this year and beyond. It’s worth aiming to find a balance between the steps that are in line with workplace trends, such as those we’ve outlined, alongside your individual work New Year’s resolutions. Remember, though, that things can change throughout the year. Be open to adjusting your career resolutions and goals to adapt to your your circumstances.
