你是職場社交控嗎：FOMO族如何在辦公室里不被孤立？

FOMO. Even if you haven’t heard of it, you’ve definitely experienced it. That sinking feeling in your stomach when you see that your friends are all Instagramming photos of their fun night out, while your only plans involve your couch and Ben and Jerry’s? Classic FOMO. It stands for “fear of missing out,” and it’s almost unavoidable in today’s connected, competitive, share-it-all-online society.

If you’re worried that you’re being passed over for projects, excluded from meetings, or just left out of office events in general, its time to take action. We’ve created four simple steps to help you nip your FOMO in the bud.

Be honest with yourself and consider whether there’s anything in your behavior that’s making your co-workers hesitant to include you. For example, if you’ve seemed stressed and overwhelmed lately, your team might think they’re doing you a favor by not asking you to help on a project. If you spend lunches eating at your desk instead of socializing in the break room, your office mates might not think to include you when they’re putting together a new committee. Maybe it’s something as simple as the fact that you’re the new girl, and no one feels like they know you well enough to ask for your assistance.

Once you’ve identified the reasons you’re being left out, it’s time to act. One of the best ways you can do this is to spend more time with your co-workers. Remember, the better you know your office mates—and the better they know your work—the easier it will be to ask to be included on projects. Make the extra effort to talk to people about their assignments, eat lunch with the rest of the crew, and work especially hard on the teams you’re involved on.

Want to know the best way to get included in more meetings and projects—especially if you’re new on the team? Make sure that you have something valuable to contribute. This could be anything from a specific skill to a willingness to take detailed notes to a knack for thinking out of the box. Figure out what you can bring to the table, and then let your talents shine. Once your co-workers see how awesome you are, they’ll be all but begging for you to help on future projects.

If you’ve tried these tactics a few times and you still feel like you’re being passed over for workplace opportunities, it might be time to take a good hard look at your FOMO. Have you let it get out of control? After all, no one can be a part of every committee and invited to every single event. While worrying about what you’re not doing, you might be neglecting the work you should be tackling.