Beth SchaeferOctober 4, 2024Advance Your Career, For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Pandemics, Holidays & Other Stresses, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog, Workplace Wins

Politics in the Office: Part 3

Top 10 List for Leaders

By Beth Schaefer
IPD Director

Despite your best efforts for a creating a respectful workplace for civil discourse (See Part 1 and Part 2 of Politics in the Office), the day after the election, there will be winners and losers. Do not assume everyone on your team will share your own response to the election results.

And…as the first 2 parts discussed, it is not just about red and blue, but about policies that will affect people’s families, economic status, religious beliefs, and healthcare. Regardless of who wins, the people on your team will face an unknown future. And, the unknown can bring fear, and fear can bring stress.

Consider these 10 strategies to assist your team through the most-intense weeks before and after the election:

Accept a decrease in productivity. Just like the December holidays or a warm sunny summer afternoon in Minnesota, the pace of work will slow down. Plan for it rather than fight it.
Plan your schedule and deadlines. If you know that your team will be especially distracted during the weeks before and after the election, avoid creating deadlines for your most critical projects or project pieces during that time.
Focus on work. While productivity may decrease, you are still in the workplace. You can direct people to focus on work rather than half-day discussions at the water cooler. Consider tasks that are easy to complete. Perhaps that will be a good week to do some “housekeeping” work (updating files, cleaning emails) that improves productivity overall but is easy to do.
Model respectful discourse. If you set political discussion boundaries, remind your team that they are still in effect after the election too. If you did not set boundaries, consider doing so. Be ready to respectfully end political discussions that are too long or are disrespectful.
Be consistent. Treat all your team members the same even if their politics are different than yours. Make sure the guidelines you put in place are evenly enforced. If someone’s political discourse is disrespectful or harassing, as the leader, you need to address it. See Part 2 for strategies. When your team sees that you are serious about a safe space at work, it can reduce their stress.
Schedule check-ins. If you do not currently do 1:1 check-in with your team members, this may be a good time to start. Use check-in time to see if they are feeling extra stress in general. You can do this without asking about political preferences. If they are having trouble focusing, suggest work that needs to be completed, but is not too challenging. This is also a good time to address any political talk that is not following the guidelines.
Listen with empathy and seek to understand. Even if your politics are different, you can still listen to why people are disheartened by the results and provide empathy. See the article Heard! for a review of empathetic listening strategies.
Suggest a media break. If the elections seem to be stressing out members of your team, suggest they step away from media and social media for a few days. Research is clear that social media can compound stress.
Be ready with resources. Have your organization’s Employee Assistance Program links at the ready. Share them with individuals as needed or proactively share them with your team.
Care. While this article is framed through the lens of workplace productivity, genuinely caring about your individual team members is one of the best ways to help them avoid burnout– whether it is due to the election or any other endless factors that contribute to life and work stressors.

Follow Up Note: In the Part 2 article, I failed the beginning assessment for leaders. I am happy to report that since I wrote that article, my organization provided training to staff and leaders on what types of political activity are acceptable in our workplace. The session was informative and clarified several guidelines for me. Since I work in education, our workplace guidelines are probably a bit trickier than most, and that made the training all the more helpful.

Resource List

7 Ways Employers Can Help Combat Election Anxiety in Their Workforce

How HR Can Guide a Workplace Through the Fraught 2024 Election Season

Navigating Pre- and Post- Elections Tensions in the Workplace

Polarizing Politics: How Leaders Can Protect and Support Psychological Safety in the Workplace

Beth SchaeferSeptember 3, 2024For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Pandemics, Holidays & Other Stresses, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog, Workplace Wins

Politics in the Office: Part 2

By Beth Schaefer
IPD Director

Quick Quiz

Does your workplace have a policy about discussing politics in the workplace?
Does your workplace have policies on political ads in your office window, on your desk, on a button for your lapel or a T-shirt you wear?
Do you know what those polices allow and prohibit?
Do you know how to enforce it as a leader or how to diplomatically inform a coworker?

Here are the answers that I had before I did the research for this article:

Maybe
Maybe
No
No

Yes, it’s a Problem.

In Politics in the Office: Part 1, I wrote about my personal uncomfortable experience with political discussions in the workplace; however, research shows that I am not alone.

60% of American workers find political discussions in the workplace UNACCEPTABLE, yet 50% of us admit to engaging in them.
42% of American workers report that “political disagreements” with coworkers affect their work production.

Yes, it’s more of a problem now than in the past.

Elections are not new, but our political discourse has evolved along with our workplace behaviors.

Lines between work and personal life have blurred – driven by remote workers, but also by the American workplace becoming more flexible with families (like many other countries). In the past, your coworkers’ personal lives and political views may not have been integrated into workplace discussions.
Political discourse has become more divisive. Many political leaders themselves model rudeness and cancel culture instead of conversation and collaboration. Where you maybe once just disagreed with someone’s vote, now you feel pressure to be suspicious of their character for a differing political view.
Federal policies have a larger impact on our family lives from the taxes we pay, to the cars, appliances, and windows we purchase, to the healthcare we can receive, to our families immigrating and joining us. Almost 50% of Americans fear changes brought by political elections – regardless of which side wins. This fear makes it difficult to ignore the sidebar of the national election going on outside work.
In addition, the stress and fear of the election can affect workers’ mental health – which in turn affects your team.

All of these add up to politics being more intrusive to work production now than in the past.

You have options as coworkers and leaders.

Both coworkers and leaders should resist using politics as a reason to demonize people. This affects workplace relationships and contributes to a disrespectful culture that almost all workers agree they do not want as part of their workplace.

Here are some things you can do or say over the next two months to navigate politics in the office:

As a Coworker

Be aware of others.

You may enjoy a good political debate, but others may find your conversations draining and time-consuming, so much so that their work performance can suffer, adding stress they do not need.
Look at body language and listen to coworker statements to gage who may be interested in a political discussion at the water cooler or lunch room, and those who are not.
Do not assume your coworkers have the same political views that you do, putting them in the uncomfortable place of debating you or dodging you (see Part 1).
If you are passionate about a topic, consider constructive ways to share your political views and influence policy outside your workday.

Be aware of yourself.

Know your own specific triggers to help you regulate your emotions at work. For instance, if you have a family member affected by immigration policy, have a statement ready, such as, “This topic frustrates me. While I know there are two or more sides to every issue, I have family directly impacted which makes it difficult for me to have a neutral conversation with you.”
If you know that you do not want to discuss politics at work, be ready to dodge engagement. Have some phrases at the ready such as:
- “I have put myself on a newsbreak, so I would prefer we discuss something else.”
- “I have too much work to get done right now to do justice to discussing this important topic.”

Be aware of workplace culture.

- Know your organization’s policy on political discussions. What does the employee handbook say? Can you wear a political T-shirt or button? Or hang a poster in your office window? In most states, employers are allowed to make rules about political affiliation.
- Be aware of social capital. While you may not get fired for discussing politics in the workplace, being aggressive on your viewpoints could affect how others work with you (or not) beyond the election results.
- If it’s your boss making political statements that are racist or sexist in nature or your boss is not taking actions to squelch inappropriate comments from others, consider submitting a confidential complaint to human resources.
- Mind your social media. If your social media promotes racism, harassment, discrimination, or threats, employers will need to address it due to liability issues.

Be ready if you engage.

- If you choose to engage rather than deflect or avoid, view it as a learning opportunity not as the chance to change a vote or change a mind. A sidebar office conversation is unlikely to change anyone’s vote.
- To open a conversation where you aim to understand another’s point of view, you can try, “I know how I feel about minimum wage law, but I am curious to hear why you feel so differently than I do about it.”
- If confronted with political viewpoints that you do not want to agree to, have some phrases at the ready based on how much you want to engage in discussion:
  - “I have not had time to research that issue yet. It appears to be quite complex. I will need to discuss it another time.”
  - “I have a different perspective. I do not want to change your mind, but maybe we could schedule time outside of work to discuss our differing perspectives to better understand each other.”
- Have an out. At some point, you cannot spend the whole work day in the deep conversations necessary to truly understand someone else’s viewpoint on human culture or freedoms. Be ready to agree to disagree and return to work. Try a phrase such as, “I appreciate this discussion, but clearly we will not reach agreement today, and I have items in my inbox to get to.”

As a Leader

Know the rules.

Know the written policies of your workplace for political discussions. Educate your team on them as needed.
Know the unwritten rules of your workplace when it comes to political discussions. Help your team, especially new members, navigate the culture.
If you are a leader with no guidance from your organization…well, it may be too late for this election cycle, but suggest they tackle this topic before the next one.

Know your staff.

- If political discussions are polarizing and disruptive to the team’s work, consider having 1:1 conversations to raise your concerns on unintended consequences and suggest alternative times and places for political discussions to take place.
- Note the effect on your individual team members. Even if a team member does not speak up, if you are aware that an election outcome will drastically change their life, handle the emotional situation the same way you would handle other factors that affect mental health.

Set the example.

Be ready to pivot the team conversation when it interferes with work production. “While I do not think we will agree on gun laws today, I think we can all agree that we need a new strategy to streamline the invoice process. Tell me the latest barriers you are experiencing.”
Be ready to squelch conversations that are against workplace policy, “The tone of this conversation is not appropriate for our workplace culture and goes against our policy on (fill in the blank). It is time to end this discussion and focus on our work.”
Be ready to privately follow up with individuals whose comments violate HR policy. “You can state beliefs on gender outside the workplace, but when you are at work, our organization believes (fill in the blank), and you need to follow our policy.”

Hopefully, having some strategies and phrases at the ready will help you navigate this election and keep the workplace productive and respectful.

Part 3 of Politics in the Office will discuss the legalities of politics in the workplace along with supporting your coworkers post-election.

Resources for Political Discourse in the Workplace

Discussing Politics in the Workplace

6 Dos and Don’ts of Talking Politics at Work

Dos and Don’ts of Politics at Work

Career Advice for Politics at Work

Talking Politics in the Office

Beth SchaeferAugust 6, 2024Advance Your Career, For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Pandemics, Holidays & Other Stresses, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog, Workplace Wins

Politics in the Office: Part 1

Many of us are familiar with office politics – advocating for power in the workplace.

Increasingly, the angst created by office politics is taking second place to angst generated by politics in the office.

The 2024 Presidential election is being touted as “high-stakes.” This sense of urgency makes it almost impossible to keep political discussions out of the workplace. And, with all that comes with high-stakes election rhetoric, it seems almost impossible to maintain a welcoming workplace culture that is inclusive to all points of view.

During my career, I have played many roles in workplace political discussions. Here are some roles I have tried out over the years.

The Observer

The Observer listens to what is being said, but remains silent. The Observer may (or may not) have a viewpoint, but attempts to appear neutral or mysterious on political views. Never weighing in has several advantages:

You never reveal your ignorance of politics or your lack of attention to current events.
You never reveal your apathy of politics and risk having someone tell you that you NEED to care and take a stand. It is your FUTURE!
You never offend anyone because you have never said anything.
You never get lectured by someone who follows you down the hall or catches you in the parking lot trying to convince you of how wrong you are about your beliefs or vote.

The Apathetic

The Apathetic does not care. And they are vocal about it so that all who work with them know that they find politics to be a waste of time. This allows them the freedom to disengage from any political discussion. While we may find it easy to make presumptions about The Apathetic, there could be several reasons for political apathy:

Perhaps they do not feel that either side can fix anything.
Perhaps they are embarrassed by the behavior of political leaders and wish to avoid association with any side.
Perhaps they are young and free and having too much fun to worry about THE FUTURE.
Perhaps, they are too busy working 2 jobs or caring for 3 children or caretaking parents or fighting a medical illness to take the time needed to truly study the issues for an informed opinion.

The Apathetic can present as The Observer IF they do not ever voice their apathy. Once you take a pronounced Apathetic stance, you will be immersed in workplace political discussions: See #4 from The Observer.

The Worker

The Worker has definite opinions on the state of the country and is current in their knowledge of the political landscape. The Worker may even agree with most of the political rhetoric being heard in the workplace. However, The Worker wants time spent at work to be about working. They want workplace harmony so that they can get things done. If and when progress is derailed, The Worker wants those challenges to be related to the work. I am often The Worker, and I use similar techniques to The Marginal (see below) to manage political conversations in the workplace. Because The Worker is head-down productive, the Worker might be mistaken for The Observer or The Apathetic.

The Marginal

The Marginal believes their opinion is the opposite of most of the people they work with. As our politics become more combative, more us vs them, more we’re right and you’re wrong, and more all or nothing, I can often find myself in the margins. Even if I want some of the same outcomes as the majority, the approach and rhetoric being used makes me uncomfortable. I do not want to nod my head in agreement nor do I want to find myself facilitating a political discussion. The Marginal role is difficult and uncomfortable; you can feel limited on options:

Go along to get along. You pretend to agree with political platforms touted by others to avoid an argument, but you may feel like a fraud.
Speak up. You can speak up and spark a discussion, but you risk isolation and see (again) #4 of The Observer about people following you to your car. And, do you risk promotion if you disagree with the wrong people?
Divert. The weather is always a good option. This option, while a safe route, can make you feel shallow because it avoids important life topics- at least at work.
Avoid. You take steps to avoid certain coworkers or even workplace gatherings and meetings to avoid having to navigate this political situation. This option can also limit your workplace productivity.

The Majority

The Majority believes that their opinion is the opinion of everyone in the office. As a young teacher, I firmly believed that those I worked with were on the left. This appeared to make workplace political discussions easy to navigate because I thought I could predict which statements would be acceptable and which statements would generate animosity. The environment felt safe because even if I never said a word, I could nod in agreement. As I spend more time in the workplace, I realize that I am probably never in the majority, but more likely, surrounded by:

Observers
Apathetics
Workers
Marginals

When in the role of The Majority, I was making a lot of assumptions about the people in my workplace. And, most likely, I was making many coworkers uncomfortable with my “I have all the answers” political statements.

Perhaps, you have also played (or play) these same roles. In reflecting on these roles, I realize that I do not think I have ever received any guidance for how to handle politics in the office. September’s article: Politics in the Office: Part 2 will provide some resources that we might all find helpful to navigate the workplace during this 2024 election season.

Sources Cited

No resources were used in the writing of this article – just my own experiences, observations, and reflections of XX years of being a part of the American workplace.

IPDJuly 8, 2024For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Pandemics, Holidays & Other Stresses, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog, Workplace Wins

Affirmations Vs. Affirmation: Empathetic Encouragement for Your Coworkers

By Beth Schaefer, IPD Director

“She leaned forward on the couch, ‘They have affirmations on their walls…’”

– From Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

The character from the book who says this line is conveying to her therapist why she cannot take any more of her cancer support group: she cannot handle all the positive affirmations.

I am reading Maybe You Should Talk to Someone for my book club. Since this book is an interesting blend of funny and introspective, this line made me laugh out loud, but then… it made me ponder how I encourage others at work.

From my series of articles on being the office curmudgeon, it will not surprise you that the two signs hanging on my home office bulletin board are not positive affirmations, but instead say:

My cookbook says that if I do not have 2 eggs, I should substitute 3 eggs yolks. I do not think my cookbook understands my problem.

A fact of life: After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF.

I may have appreciated positive affirmations at one time; I probably even had positive affirmation posters hanging in my middle school classroom (that I am now sure were the source of many teenage eye-rolls), but they have since lost their appeal for me.

At a previous job, when I sat in my boss’s office being told that funding was slim, and I needed to lay-off a staff person, did seeing the waterfall poster in the forest on his wall with the positive affirmation make me feel better?

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

When one of my staff shared with me that they had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, would they have felt better if I had a calendar hanging on the wall with a mountain scene with this saying?

Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.

So, if a positive affirmation is not the answer, what is the correct thing to say?

I do not always have the right thing to say in every moment, but I have 2 resource suggestions that have helped me to move from affirmations (aka: platitudes) to affirmation – acknowledging the person and their emotions in that moment.

1. Brene Brown’s video: Empathy vs Sympathy

I have watched this YouTube video several times – especially when I know that I have someone in my life who needs empathy. I rewatch it because it helps me have a few things to say that actually reflect how much I care for the person. This video helps me meet the measure: first, do no harm. It is hard for someone to accept your helping hand if they feel you have just insulted them or belittled their feelings.

2. Marshall Rosenberg’s book Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life*

Despite the title, this book is NOT about curbing an urge to hit people but is about empathic listening. I will paraphrase the entire book with a few bullet points, but I encourage you to read the longer version. I have used this communication formula several times with positive results and had meaningful conversations.

Determine what you are feeling.
Determine what (not who) is causing those feelings.
State the why of the feelings.

Example: (A) I am feeling anxious (B) because the shipping order was not placed until Tuesday (C), and I do not think the supplies will arrive on time.

Example: (A) I feel sad (B) that Leo is leaving; (C) he always added humor to our team, but still worked hard for our team’s success.

If you are supporting a team member who is upset or anxious, use the same formula phrased as a question:

Example: Are you feeling anxious because the shipping order placed on Tuesday may not arrive on time?

Example: Are you feeling sad about Leo’s departure because he has been such an important part of our team?

An interesting observation about these resources is that even when I can tell that people are using these affirmative empathetic listening techniques on me, I do not mind. In fact, I appreciate that they are doing the best that they can do to support me in emotional moments.

The next time you have an upcoming difficult conversation, prepare by using a resource to help you empathize and affirm rather than rely on a cliché. Because even though the poster** with a picture of the sunset says,

“Success is a journey. Whatever your path, it is your determination to succeed that will get you there.”

I encourage you to pair that determination with professional development and learn new approaches to truly succeed on improving your empathetic communication skills.

* I do not like the title of this book. Nonviolent Communication sounds like you are navigating boxing matches. Maybe in the next printing they could go with The Art of Empathetic Expression. Besides being a more accurate title, it would sell more books. You can have that suggestion for free Puddle Dancer Publishing.

**Note for the fellow curmudgeons in the crowd, you may appreciate a search in Amazon for Snarky Workplace Posters. I discovered these existed while writing this article. IPD does not receive any money from Amazon.

Beth SchaeferNovember 6, 2023Pandemics, Holidays & Other Stresses, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

Making Your Lists and Checking Them Twice | A Workplace Blog

By Beth Schaefer

IPD Director

Thanksgiving – just a few weeks away – used to be the kick-off of the holiday season. That is no longer true. The holidays have crept into October. As soon as Halloween wraps up on October 31st, people are swapping out their spooky decorations for the next holiday.

The holiday = more parties and potlucks, more shopping and spending, more decorating and baking… more, more, more… STRESS!

Even though most of this stress is from our home environments, it can creep into the workplace. As we move into the last 2 months of the year, be aware that the stress of holiday preparations and celebrations may affect your staff and coworkers in different ways.

Read a list and cheers to reducing the stress of the holiday season.

Based on my own experience and some light internet research, here are some top holiday stressors:

Time Management – more parties and potlucks, more shopping, more pageants and festivals, more cooking, more decorating, and more wrapping – all this can lead to more decisions being made with less sleep and changes to routines. Stress.

Family Conversations – so many divisive topics and so much time together – in addition, some family members may no longer be part of the family (death or divorce) and some may be failing cognitively or physically, and seeing these changes firsthand can be jarring. Stress.

Money – while your cash reserves may be spinning downward, many do not even have cash reserves making economic disparities more visible, frustrating, and discouraging during the holidays. Stress.

High Expectations – Besides trying to plan the perfect holiday gathering, finding the perfect gift within your budget, or trying to provide idyllic memories for your children, you may also be scrambling to wrap up the goals you had for 2022. Stress.

Illness –More gatherings also mean more opportunities to spread illness. While this is a relatively new item on the list, it carries quite a bit of stress. The pandemic has made us more aware of doing our part to not spread any germs, but having to choose to stay away from a special gathering because you might have something that you do not want to spread is a tough decision to make – and can also be a no-win situation. Some will be pleased with your consideration, and some will be miffed that they missed seeing the grandkids or that you could not bring your famous dessert.

STRESS!

All this busyness and stress can lead to less exercise and more eating and more stress – which may mean weight gain and decreased immunity, or the stress can even lead to physical illness, such as upset stomach, headache, sleeplessness, or even sore muscles.

You can take some actions to manage this year-end stress.

Managing Holiday Stress at Work

As a supervisor:

Encourage team members to handle extra holiday chores during lunch times so that workers are present and focused on their tasks.
Workplaces can have extra visitors or visiting or parties taking place this time of year; provide some additional quiet spaces for those who need them to concentrate and stay focused to complete work.
Remind staff that some people, such as the finance department closing out year-end, are extra-busy during this time and to be patient when interacting with them.
Encourage employees to stay home when sick so that you do not spread illness across the department or to each other’s families
Help team members prioritize work– especially with their and others’ holiday and vacation time.

As a coworker:

Plan so that the work you need others to do can get completed amongst the extra time off and holidays.
Check-in with co-workers if you note the stress. Remind them of any Employee Assistance programs they could use or just listen.
Be mindful of those who may be alone during the holidays or are experiencing the first holiday without a loved one. Offer comfort if your co-working relationship allows, “I know that this is the first New Year’s Eve without your husband, that must be difficult.”
Partner with a coworker and take walks during your breaks.
For those who have taken the IPD communication course, remember to flex! Assess the communication style of the person you need to receive your message and then flex your communication style to accommodate them – and remember – we all communicate differently when under stress.

Manage your Holiday Stress

The tried and true include:

Eat smart whenever when you are not at gatherings.
Skip tasks (do not send out cards) or cut corners (do a cookie swap rather than baking them all yourself).
Set a budget for gift-giving and stick to it.

Some more strategic and thoughtful approaches to holiday stress include:

Generate a master schedule of events, prioritize them, and remove the bottom 10 or 15 % of the list. Fewer events and less hustle and bustle will allow you to be present and focused on the ones you attend. Choose quality over quantity. Think about planning gatherings with those you missed in December a few months into the new year instead.

Trigger your feel-good endorphins by spending time or money on others. Consider visiting a relative or friend who cannot get out to the big gatherings due to limited mobility issues. Save money on presents for friends and family and donate it to a homeless shelter or a women’s crisis center. Pack some food for those who are in need. Use technology to reach out to friends and family who may be long-distance and not able to travel back to see their loved ones.

Avoid these questions at family gatherings:

When do you plan on starting a family?
Why aren’t you engaged yet?
Remember when (fill in any embarrassing moment or past argument)?
Have you gained weight? Have you got more gray? Lost weight?
Don’t you need a job that pays more money?
What do you mean you are not working; what do you do all day?

Mark some days as “off limits.” Mark them off at somewhat equal intervals. Do not schedule anything on those days or nights and use them to get caught up, or just take time to relax, or just hang out on the couch to watch a favorite holiday film or binge-watch a favorite show.

Prepare yourself for difficult social situations (family or otherwise) with these tips:

Anticipate awkward questions you might be asked and have a light-hearted vague answer at the ready.
Try to position yourself so that you can walk away from conversations you do not want to be a part of.
Prepare a list of questions to change topics if a conversation gets heated:
- I am wondering where to travel this year. Where have people been?
- I am looking for a good BBQ Shrimp (cake, salad, chili) recipe. Does anyone have one or know where I could look?
- ____ and _____, I am not sure if I know how you met. Can you share that story with us?
- I want to binge-watch some shows this winter, what do you recommend?
- I need to pick the next book for book club. Any ideas?

Prepare a list of questions that people (generally) enjoy answering:
- What are you looking forward to in 2023?
- How is your (garden, hobby, cooking class, sport, DIY project) going?
- How was your trip to ____ last summer; do you have any pics on your phone?
- How old are your grandkids (kids, nieces, nephews, dogs, rabbits) now? Any pics on your phone? What are they up to these days?
- And follow most answers up with, “Tell me more.”

Choose. For those of you who have taken the IPD course on handling conflict, remember there are five choices for how to handle conflict with others. While you learned these strategies in a workplace context, they work for other environments as well. Review your 5 strategies for handling conflict and make a choice rather than defaulting to whatever the situation brings.

With those 6 strategies, go forth and have a happy and stress-free holiday season!

Beth SchaeferDecember 9, 2022Pandemics, Holidays & Other Stresses, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

Happy Holidays? | A Workplace Blog

By Beth Schaefer

IPD Director

Last week I attended an annual holiday party with friends that I have been attending for 30-some years. Fun! It was a potluck, and I made a pretty ordinary salad – for about $35 dollars in grocery supplies – not fun. While many of us look forward to the holiday season, it does come with extra everything – including stress.

Even though most of this stress is from our home environments, it can creep into the workplace.

As we move into the last 4 weeks of the calendar year, be aware that the stress of holiday preparations and celebrations may affect your staff and coworkers in different ways.

Based on my own experience and some light internet research, here are some top holiday stressors:

Time Management – more parties and potlucks, more shopping, more pageants and festivals, more cooking, more decorating, and more wrapping – all this can lead to more decisions being made with less sleep and changes to routines. Stress.
Family Conversations – so many divisive topics and so much time together – in addition, some family members may no longer be part of the family (death or divorce) and some may be failing cognitively or physically and seeing these changes first hand can be jarring. Stress.
Money – while your own cash reserves may be spinning downward, many do not even have cash reserves making economic disparities more visible, frustrating, and discouraging during the holidays. Stress.
High Expectations – Besides trying to plan the perfect holiday gathering, finding the perfect gift within your budget, or trying to provide idyllic memories for your children, you may also be scrambling to wrap up the goals you had for 2022. Stress.
Illness –More gatherings also mean more opportunities to spread illness. While this is a relatively new item on the list, it carries quite a bit of stress. The pandemic has made us more aware of doing our part for not spreading any germs, but having to choose to stay away from a special gathering because you might have something that you do not want to spread is a tough decision to make – and can also be a no-win situation. Some will be pleased with your consideration, and some will be miffed that they missed seeing the grand kids or that you could not bring your famous dessert.

STRESS!

You can take some actions to manage this year-end stress.

Managing Holiday Stress at Work

As a supervisor:

Encourage team members to handle extra holiday chores during lunch times so that workers are present and focused at their tasks.
Workplaces can have extra visitors or visiting or parties taking place this time a year; provide some additional quiet spaces for those who need them to concentrate and stay focused to complete work.
Remind staff that some people, such as the finance department closing out year-end, are extra-busy during this time and to be patient when interacting with them.
Encourage employees to stay home when sick so that you do not spread illness across the department or to each other’s families
Help team members prioritize work– especially with theirs and others’ holiday and vacation time.

As a coworker:

Plan ahead so that the work you need others to do can get completed amongst the extra time off and holidays.
Check in with co-workers if you note the stress. Remind them of any Employee Assistance programs they could use or just listen.
Be mindful of those who may be alone during the holidays or are experiencing the first holiday without a loved one. Offer comfort if your co-working relationship allows, “I know that this is the first New Year’s Eve without your husband, that must be difficult.”
Partner with a coworker and take walks during your breaks.
For those who have taken the IPD communication course, remember to flex! Assess the communication style of the person you need to receive your message and then flex your communication style to accommodate them – and remember – we all communicate differently when under stress.

Manage your Personal Holiday Stress

The tried and true include:

Eat smart whenever when you are not at gatherings.
Skip tasks (do not send out cards) or cut corners (do a cookie swap rather than baking them all yourself).
Set a budget for gift-giving and stick to it.

Some more strategic and thoughtful approaches to holiday stress include:

Generate a master schedule of events, prioritize them, and remove the bottom 10 or 15 % of the list. Fewer events and less hustle and bustle will allow you to be present and focused at the ones you attend. Choose quality over quantity. Think about planning gatherings with those you missed in December a few months into the new year instead.

Trigger your feel-good endorphins by spending time or money on others. Consider visiting a relative or friend who cannot get out to the big gatherings due to limited mobility issues. Save money on presents for friends and family and donate it to a homeless shelter or a woman’s crisis center. Pack some food for those who are in need. Use technology to reach out to friends and family who may be long distance and not able to travel back to see their loved ones.

Avoid these questions at family gatherings:
- When do you plan on starting a family?
- Why aren’t you engaged yet?
- Remember when (fill in any embarrassing moment or past argument)?
- Have you gained weight? Gotten more gray? Lost weight?
- Don’t you need a job that pays more money?
- What do you mean you are not working; what do you do all day?

Mark some days as “off limits.” Mark them off at somewhat equal intervals. Do not schedule anything on those days or nights and use them to get caught up, or just take time to relax, or just hang out on the couch to watch a favorite holiday film or binge-watch a favorite show.

Prepare yourself for difficult social situations (family or otherwise) with these tips:

- Anticipate awkward questions you might be asked and have a light-hearted vague answer at the ready.
- Try to position yourself so that you can walk away from conversations you do not want to be a part of.
- Prepare a list of questions to change topics if a conversation gets heated:
  - I am wondering where to travel this year. Where have people been?
  - I am looking for a good BBQ Shrimp (cake, salad, chili) recipe. Anyone have one or know where I could look?
  - ____ and _____, I am not sure if I know how you met. Can you share that story with us?
  - I want to binge watch some shows this winter, what do you recommend?
  - I need to pick the next book for book club. Any ideas?

- Prepare a list of questions that people (generally) enjoy answering:
  - What are you looking forward to in 2023?
  - How is your (garden, hobby, cooking class, sport, DIY project) going?
  - How was your trip to ____ last summer; do you have any pics on your phone?
  - How old are your grandkids (kids, nieces, nephews, dog, rabbit) now? Any pics on your phone? What are they up to these days?
  - And follow most answers up with, “Tell me more.”

Choose. For those of you who have taken the IPD course on handling conflict, remember there are five choices for how to handle conflict with others. While you learned these strategies in a workplace context, they work for other environments as well. Review your 5 strategies for handling conflict and make a choice rather than defaulting to whatever the situation brings.

With those 6 strategies, go forth and have a happy and stress-free holiday season!

Beth SchaeferApril 7, 2022Advance Your Career, Pandemics, Holidays & Other Stresses, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

The Great Resignation Transformation Part 3: Make Your Move | A Workplace Blog

by Beth Schaefer

IPD Director

“Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

If I go, there will be trouble….

And If I stay it will be double…”

by, ironically enough, The Clash

If you have been reading The Great Resignation/Transformation series, you have already done the following to assess your current career situation:

Researched that The Great Resignation has created demand for your job
Determined what you want out of a role (12 Questions to Define Your Career Wants and Needs)
Calculated the potential to gain more salary, fringe benefits, or intangible job satisfaction elsewhere (Use this form to tally your current benefits)
Ascertained if your burnout is directly related to your current organization (Quiz: Do You Work for a Toxic Organization?)

And based off that analysis, you have determined that your career is best served by making a move to a new organization.

In addition to the assessments listed above, take these additional actions to ensure a smooth career move:

Research compensation for the role you want in the area/region you wish to work.

Define your “workplace self.”

Take 15 minutes every Friday to write down what parts of your job that week were the most satisfying.

Watch for patterns so you can look for more of that type of work in your new role.
Use this information to craft questions you can ask when an employer says, “What do you need to know about us?”
And, if asked, “What do you like about your current role?” you will be ready for that too.

Do the list of 3’s. For each of the following questions, write down your top 3:

What 3 things about the work you do now generate passion and excitement?
What are your top 3 technical skills?
What 3 adjectives would your co-workers use to describe you?
What are your top 3 workplace skills or fields of expertise?
What are your 3 biggest workplace contributions in the past year?

Craft your story even though your resume is a necessary tool; it is not your whole story.

Look at the parts that make up your whole:

You are not just your job title.
Look at your history of projects; see how they add to your story.
Look at who is in your network; see how they connect to tell your story.
Create a list of work anecdotes that demonstrate your desirable co-worker traits that will transfer to any situation or role.

Build your brand about your “workplace self” using your story pieces.

Sum up your story:

Write your 1-paragraph career story.
Write your 1-sentence brand or elevator speech.
Make sure all your social media platforms use those pieces to align with the professional image you want to project.

Stay visible.

As much as you can, make sure the work you do at your current role reflects your brand.

That will ensure that those you work with can verify your self-assessment and provide positive recommendations.
While searching for your new role, keep your list of successes updated and ensure that your profile in your cover letters and resume matches.

Make friends.

Make sure you are liked by bosses, coworkers, clients, and customers.

They will be contacted for references.
Help people.
Worry about results, not credit.
Be nimble and efficient.
Be positive about your work and the organization.

Reintroduce yourself.

Broaden your circle outside your department, division, and organization.

This next ring of influential spheres may have shrunk during the pandemic- much more than you realize – while you were hanging out at home in your elastic pants…

Find an authentic reason to reach out to those you have lost touch with – both in and out of the organization:

“I saw this conference/webinar/new restaurant, and I thought you might like it”
“Someone shared this article/template/software with me, and I thought you might find it valuable”
“I am back in the office; are you? Let’s grab some lunch/coffee/HH”
“ I see your job changed during the pandemic; I would love to connect and hear about your new role.”
“Congratulations on your new promotion…”

Tap your people to influence decision-makers for the roles you hope to get.

Expand your network.

Block time each week to send invites to your network of people for longer conversations.

Write an email.
Send a text.
Make a phone call.
Message through LinkedIn.

Make a goal of conducting a networking conversation each week.

To prepare for these conversations, prepare a list of questions to ask the other person about themselves; you do not need to talk about yourself.
They will remember the feeling of your conversation, not what you said.
Run out of people? Make a grid. Across the top, list all the categories of people you have: kid’s sports teams/activities, volunteer work, neighbors, relatives, friends, retired coworkers, college buddies, etc. List 10 people under each category. Repeat when you run out of people.

Maintain your emotional well-being

For strategies to maintain emotional well-being at work, see the Blog: Return-to-Work Phobia

And, if you are leaving BEFORE you have your next role, consider doing these actions too:

Be productive with your time out of work: take a part-time job, travel, execute a DIY project, or take a class. These types of actions will help you:

- Keep a schedule so that returning to work will be a smooth transition.
- Practice desired work skills, such as project management.
- Demonstrate dedication to a schedule or self-improvement.
- Say fun and interesting things in an interview.
- Provide additional references for your potential new employer.

Plan your finances so that you have some money to live on during your transformation.

If you leave without a new role lined up, plan on 5 months to get a new job, but have 6 – 12 months of expenses saved.
If you are attempting to try out new roles, have some funds to pay into health insurance if not covered by your temporary agency.
Even if you are moving from one role directly to another, you may have some transitional expenses such as health insurance payments to bridge between the roles.

Good luck!

For additional information, check out the references used for this article.

Beth SchaeferMarch 4, 2022Advance Your Career, Pandemics, Holidays & Other Stresses, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

The Great Resignation Transformation Part 2: You’ve Got Leverage | A Workplace Blog

While a record number of people are leaving their jobs (see the series introductory article: Is The Great Resignation Time for Your Career Transformation?), you may not have to leave to get a better deal.

Because so many people are leaving, this may be a good time to negotiate a new situation at your current organization.

Here are 10 steps to improve your current work situation:

Step 1: Know what you want

Visit the article Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Great Resignation Transformation to answer 12 questions to figure out what you want from your career and the organization you work for.

Step 2: Know what you are worth

Make sure you are armed with information about the market for your occupation. When people are in a role for a long time at the same organization, they can lose touch with the “market” for that role. Occupations are influenced by the laws of supply and demand. Understand the supply for your occupation for your region (or broader if you can work virtually). Do the math to fully understand how many openings or the percentage of vacancies for your role. Also, research the going pay rate for your role. Be aware of what others at your organization are paid for similar work. Be aware of the rate you would be paid for starting that role at another organization. Remember to calculate benefits into the equation.

Step 3: Prepare your campaign

While you are not running for office, you do need to build your platform. Do not assume that your hard work, dedication, or achievements have been noted or recorded. Again, do your homework. Compile a list of your projects, achievements, impact. Did you carry the workload of others who were missing due to family or health reasons? Get that on the list. Did you implement a process to save the company money? Add it to the list. Did you win an award for customer service? Put it on the list. Go back through evaluations, coworker emails, and customer feedback and compile all the positive comments. Have “data” to support the good work you do.

Step 4: Start your campaign

Research continues to show that engaged employees are much more productive than other employees. When you are in meetings, on phone calls, interacting with customers, be positive about your role and your organization. Make sure that others know how much you like your job and indicate your interest in continuing to work for your current organization. Have a conversation with your boss and your boss’s boss (informal or formal) and make sure they know that you are interested in a clear plan to keep moving your career forward in their organization. If you can, ditch tasks that do not contribute to your plan and take on tasks and projects that demonstrate your interests and abilities for your defined career path.

Step 5: Step up

Even though there is a worker supply deficit, be ready to take on more responsibility to get more salary and benefits. With several openings, this is a good time to look at the next org. chart layer and find a role that you want. Suggest the change as a win/win to your leadership. Provide the career path you mapped out within your organization or work with your leadership to build a path to that role if you need some more experience or skills to take that step. Most likely, they will want to work with you and develop you to keep you – a known reliable quantity — rather than take their chances on an unknown hire. The important element is to make sure they know that you want to stay, achieve, and succeed.

Step 6: Seek and take professional development

Whether it is free through your company, or free through others, like the IPD Expert Insights webinars, putting these on your calendar will show others that you are interested in learning and moving forward. In addition, good training will also infuse your creativity and self-reflection while increasing your skills and abilities.

Step 7: Create the win/win vision

While you do want to make sure that changes to your role are in your best interest, they must be framed in a win for the organization as well. Do not come across threatening, “Meet my demands or I am outa here!” You want to use your stakeholder management skills to collaboratively craft changes that are mutually beneficial. Even if you are ready to leave if the organization falls short of your ask, you do not want your attitude to burn reference bridges or tarnish your reputation after all your hard work for the organization.

Step 8: Be ready to ask for exactly what you want

Especially here in the Midwest, we are not inclined to use direct language—either when touting our worth or when asking for what we feel is fair compensation. Do not hint; be prepared to state out right what you need. Also, be ready to negotiate your initial ask. If you want more than a higher salary or if you know that more money will be tough to get, be ready to ask for better benefits or for working conditions that will suit your work/life balance better. Take the Evaluate Your Employee Benefits Assessment to build the package that you want. Prioritize what you want. And know your “deal-breaking points” and what you are willing to let go of to stay.

Step 9: Create joy and happiness at work

Experts tell you that true joy is generated through fulfilling a purpose. If you want to stay with your organization, find ways to connect your work to your personal purpose, personal values and personal mission statement. Purpose and joy are not dependent on the everyday flow of good and bad moments, but transcends them. However, happiness is OK too. Find ways to have fun each day. Take your breaks so that you stay energized and productive. Be a co-worker that others want to work with.

Step 10: Find Balance

A natural instinct can be to work long hours and take on extra work to prove your worth to your organization. While most people have moments where their job requires that extra effort, consistently working longer hours does not usually lead to recognition or reward by the organization. Some roles, like sales, may be structured that way, but for most of us, working unreasonable hours only leads to burn out – which is not beneficial to you or the organization. Find outside interests for your time that will provide additional recognition and reward.

In Summary

Managing your own career maturity is not that different from managing your work projects and operations. Take stock, figure out the gaps, and put a plan in place to close the gaps that move the needle on maturing your career.

For additional information, check out the references used for this article.

A woman in a business suit leans her head on her hand, looking straight at the viewer, with a laptop in front of her. She looks tired.

Beth SchaeferFebruary 22, 2022Advance Your Career, Pandemics, Holidays & Other Stresses, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

The Great Resignation Transformation Part 1: Should I Stay of Should I Go? | A Workplace Blog

The Great Resignation Is On!

This series of blogs studies the impact through the personal lens of your career ladder.

Series Introduction

Part 1: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
(Coming in April) Part 2: You’ve Got Leverage
(Coming in May) Part 3: Make your Move

Before making any big decisions about your career, take a beat to assess your current working situation. Some of you may be saying, “I just spent the whole pandemic doing that!” Perhaps.

Evaluation is an important step because if you do not understand your current situation or what you want, you may go through a lot of change to end up in the exact same situation. Or… you could land in a situation where you are worse off.

Current research indicates that 40% of people who leave an organization boomerang back around and rejoin it. Therefore, before putting yourself through the emotions of change that go along with endings and beginnings, it is good to give the decision some thorough consideration.

Just as we teach in our business architecture courses, you need to understand the customer (you) and define the current state before you can assess gaps and make future plans.

Before making a move, evaluate:

Your reasons for leaving
Your current organization’s culture
The total benefits and upsides of your current situation

Why Do You Want To Leave?

Before making any decisions about leaving, you should make sure you understand what you are seeking that you are not finding in your current work situation. Answer these 12 questions to determine the “why” behind your desire to depart.

Am I seeking a new boss? If so, what traits am I looking for in a boss or organizational leadership?
Am I seeking better benefits? Is so, specifically what benefits do I want?
Am I leaving because I am burned out? How would a new organization rejuvenate me and prevent me from burning out again?
Am I leaving because I feel my role is being eliminated? How do I ensure my next role would not disappear?
Do I want a different work location? Do I want to go into the office instead for working from home? Do I want to work from home? Do I want a shorter commute? Do I need a job closer to my daycare?
Do I want an organization that values me more in terms of appreciating and recognizing the work I do?
Do I need a role with a clear career ladder and professional development to help me keep moving forward?
Would I like more mentoring and coaching?
Would I like to make more money? What is my range?
Do I want a role that increases my responsibility or decreases my level of responsibility?
Do I want to be a supervisor or manager, or would I prefer an informal leadership role?
Have I learned something about work/life balance during the pandemic? Do I need to adjust to my work life to strike that balance permanently?

After answering the questions, consider how far away you are from the ideal role you seek. If there are just a few items that miss the mark, can you have a conversation with your current employer to get those items aligned to your needs so that you do not need to leave?

Is It My Organizational Culture?

Do not underestimate the role that culture plays in your job satisfaction. In recent Great Resignation surveys, toxic culture was listed 10 times more than compensation as a reason to leave.

Your workplace culture is the shared values, beliefs, and attitudes of the people who work there. The workplace culture is heavily influenced by leadership’s actions, the organization’s stated mission and values, and most importantly, if those 2 things are consistent. Is the organization and its leaders doing what they say they are going to do? Are they putting resources towards the values they promise to deliver? Once there is disconnect between “the talk” and “the walk,” it opens the culture door for lack of trust and disrespect that can permeate the entire organization. This can make for a miserable work situation.

Take this True/False quiz to help you assess your current workplace.

It is really difficult to fix an organizational culture situation, but The Great Resignation may provide you the opportunity to seek work elsewhere and leave it behind rather than staying trapped.

What Are My Benefits?

If you have worked in a sector or with one organization for a long time, it is easy to think that all organizations offer the same perks and benefits as your current one. That is not the case – especially if you are switching across government, corporate, and nonprofit organizations. For example, I have worked in education for my entire career; I am still surprised when my corporate-employed friends talk about how they will spend year-end bonuses that equal 1 – 3 months’ salary for me (or more). Oh, that’s right, some corporate jobs get bonuses; very few government jobs offer any bonuses.

Without careful examination, you may discover that you have taken a perk for granted, and the ones that you used and valued the most are not present in the new job. And, in the worst case scenario – your salary increase disappears to pay for benefits that you no longer receive!

Use this form to tally your current benefits and make sure you understand your financial perks.

Now that you have your current situation defined and you know what you seek, the next 2 articles will give some tips for closing that gap by staying or by leaving.

For more information on this topic, see the list of articles used in the research.

Beth SchaeferFebruary 8, 2022Advance Your Career, Pandemics, Holidays & Other Stresses, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

The Great Resignation Transformation Intro: Is The Great Resignation Time for Your Career Transformation? | A Workplace Blog

To coincide with the IPD Expert Insights free webinar series on transforming the workplace using the Modernization Playbook, I thought I should take a look at workplace transformation on a personal level. For the first time in quite a while, workers are in demand so it stands to reason that they in a position to force their employers to “do better,” not only on compensation, but on benefits, working conditions, and even employee engagement.

America is in the midst of The Great Resignation: I found plenty of statistics that confirmed this, but this set paints the picture quickly and clearly:

24 million Americans quit their jobs between April and September 2021
4 million Americans quit their jobs in September
5 million Americans quit their jobs in November
Vacant jobs are still setting records with December 2021 showing 10.9 million openings in the U.S.

Since many of these departures were related to the pandemic and people not wanting to be in roles required to interact in-person, it is not surprising that as the economy recovers, current demand has risen for Industries related to travel, hospitality, and recreation.

However, the shift in how America works has also created vacancies in software and IT services, corporate services, and finance.

A MarketWatch article cited statistics from Glassdoor after it released its annual 50 Best Jobs in America for 2022. The IT field was on top – actually taking all top 10 spots. Enterprise Architect was in the #1 spot. You can make $144,997 annually and with 14,021 job openings, you can probably find something to meet your work/life balance needs. Think of the value-add you bring to an IT role if you added some business architecture to your resume!

Not wanting to do IT? Some non-tech jobs in the top 50 included: HR Manager (#13), Corporate Recruiter (#17) and HR Business Partner (#39). Also all roles that would benefit from business architecture training.

When I started on the topic of career transformation, I was going to write one article; however, I found so much information that I decided to write a series instead. The Career Transformation Series will help you assess your own career situation and provide some possible actions steps for you to take so that you capitalize on The Great Resignation.

Beth Schaefer, Director

IPD at Metro State

February

Part 1: Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

Evaluating Your Current Organization and Situation

This article will include information about evaluating your current work culture, the signs for departing, and a workplace asset assessment.

March

Part 2: You’ve Got Leverage:

Using The Great Resignation to Transform Your Current Situation

If you decide to stay, this article will focus on the steps you should take to move your career forward, including tips for negotiating better compensation, steering for a promotion, and building your personal career brand.

April

Part 3: Make Your Move:

Leveraging The Great Resignation to Make a Career Change

If you decide to go, this article will provide resources for casting a wide net, preparing for a career transition, and ensuring you negotiate compensation in line with your worth.

If you are interested in researching on your own, check out this list of resources to get started.

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