Right Attitudes

Ideas for Impact

Workplace

Can’t Ban Political Talk at Work

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When politics and social issues are increasingly divisive, workplaces find it challenging to forbid political conversation entirely from the workplace. In April, project management software company Basecamp faced uproar when trying to ban politics at work. Co-founder Jason Fried announced that Basecamp would no longer tolerate discussions around political or social issues “where the work happens,”

Today’s social and political waters are especially choppy. Sensitivities are at 11, and every discussion remotely related to politics, advocacy, or society at large quickly spins away from pleasant. You shouldn’t have to wonder if staying out of it means you’re complicit, or wading into it means you’re a target. These are difficult enough waters to navigate in life, but significantly more so at work. It’s become too much. It’s a major distraction. It saps our energy and redirects our dialog towards dark places.

Basecamp’s ban was meant to prevent distraction and souring of work relationships, but the mandate swiftly backfired. Twenty out of some 60 employees threatened to quit.

Banning Political Discussions Isn’t That Simple

Can't Ban Political Talk at Work I think banning political talk is a lazy way for leadership to not deal with issues like racism, misogyny, stereotyping, and contempt that may be festering among employees.

Often, when people say they want more political discussion in the workplace, they actually mean that they want more political discussion about viewpoints they want others to conform to. Workplaces with lots of political discussions are ones where most of the staff has identical socio-political leanings. Employees with divergent political leanings tend to be reticent and stay out of such talks.

It’s neither productive nor possible to not talk about politics and society at work. Companies can’t tell employees to not bring their real selves to work. People are opinionated about politics, and everyone has views and tries to defend them. Besides, politics isn’t a neatly self-contained issue that doesn’t overlap with anything else. When an employee’s attitudes aren’t in line with the company’s—or even the majority’s—attitudes, “put up or shut up” policies end up more damaging than the bickering or backlash they are intended to avoid.

'I Think You're Wrong' by Sarah Stewart Holland Beth Silvers (ISBN 1400208416) Group settings are better when divergent opinions are known. An inclusive workforce must be able to embrace a diverse range of views. Conversations will come up anyway, and instead of banning these conversations and encouraging employees to take them outside of work, employers must institute protocols for airing and understanding opposing opinions and dealing with offensive behavior.

Idea for Impact: Canceling conversations about the significant issues of the day simply silences those with unpopular attitudes instead of encouraging a culture of growth.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. How to Have a Decent Discussion with Those You Love but Disagree With
  2. The Problem of Living Inside Echo Chambers
  3. Couldn’t We Use a Little More Civility and Respect in Our Conversations?
  4. How to Start a Hybrid-Remote Work Model
  5. Entitlement and Anger Go Together

How to Start a Hybrid-Remote Work Model

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As the pandemic subsides (at least for now,) many companies are summoning employees back to the office. Some companies are giving workers a combination of remote and co-located work.

To initiate a hybrid-remote model for your workplace, first reconstruct how your team gets its job done. Ask, “What activities can be remote?” instead of “what roles can be remote?”

Not every activity can be equally performed in a remote setting. Take into account the level of human and physical interaction needed for every task.

How to Start a Hybrid-Remote Work Model

Consider breaking down business activities that were formerly bundled into a single job. Mix and match responsibilities and tasks in keeping with employee competencies and individual needs.

Every employee responds to work circumstances differently. Some employees are eager to return to work—especially if they’ve struggled with blurring home and office during the pandemic, or if they fear disadvantages such as a lack of visibility for promotions.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. How to Handle Employees who Moonlight
  2. Create a Diversity and Inclusion Policy
  3. How to Manage Overqualified Employees
  4. Keeping a Diary on Employee Performance
  5. Seven Real Reasons Employees Disengage and Leave

Why Corporate Culture is the Unlikely Barrier to True Diversity

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Corporate Culture - Barrier to True Diversity

As much as companies like to tout diversity, the definitive rule of getting ahead at work is to be likable—to follow the unwritten set of norms and adhere to your company’s culture. That is, you must fit and mix well with the rest of the “gang.”

As I’ve written before, likeability is a significant predictor of success. Well-liked people, especially those who work well with others, will advance. Those who aren’t very likable don’t usually get as far. If your company is conservative, you should be conservative. If the leadership is aggressive, snappy, and rule-bending, be the same. It’s better to be “one of them” to progress your career and endear yourself to your colleagues and higher-ups.

Every grouping of people, whatever the institution, community, or population, has an unwritten set of norms. It’s true for nations, in social groups, sports teams, and businesses. Wherever people form a group, they organically form rules. They institutionalize ways of doing things, traditions, and unquestioned assumptions. Such norms give the group a sense of identity. It’s natural. It’s tribe mentality. We, humans, are social creatures, and this is how we foster a sense of belonging.

Affinity Bias

Per affinity bias, human nature is such that people instinctively associate other people with labels, relate, and play favorites. Groups establish the norms and embrace and propagate them. The resulting categorization not only resists differences but also initiates prejudice and favoritism.

In professional settings, most workplaces tend to hire similar people and encourage them to think and work in the same way. I’ve previously written,

Even if nearly all corporate mission statements extol the virtues of “valuing differences,” managers stifle individuality down in the trenches. They are less willing to be receptive to different viewpoints. They seek to mold their employees to conform to the existing culture of the workplace and to comply with the existing ways of doing things. Compliant, acquiescent employees who look the part are promoted in preference to exceptional, questioning employees who bring truly different perspectives to the table. The nail that sticks its head up indeed gets hammered down.

Defining, fostering, and defending a corporate culture often becomes an exercise in clarifying ‘this is who we are’ and ‘this is who we are not.’ It engenders a strong norm, which builds an even more significant incentive to get people to think alike, get on, and tolerate or repel incompatible people.

Idea for Impact: Culture is a barriers to diversity and inclusion

Culture is the unlikely—if unintentional—barrier to true diversity. Culture has a pernicious effect on hiring. It gives people ample reason to favor and engage who they believe to be “the right people.”

Wondering what to read next?

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  2. [Rating Errors] Beware of the Recency Bias
  3. Don’t Surround Yourself with People Like Yourself
  4. Not Everyone is Chill About Tattoos and Body Art // Workplace Norms
  5. Fight Ignorance, Not Each Other

Create a Diversity and Inclusion Policy

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The moral and business cases for diversity are well known—a diverse and inclusive workplace earns deeper trust and more commitment from their employees.

Create a Diversity and Inclusion Policy Having a diversity and inclusion policy is simply the right thing to do—leaders have to make their values and intentions clear.

As a company, you’re not legally required to have a written diversity and inclusion policy. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to create and actively use one.

Diversity and inclusion are ongoing initiatives—not one-off training. (Sadly, diversity classes are sometimes just a tactic for reducing employee lawsuits.) A policy encourages your employees to treat others equally with civility and decency and helps managers value employees for their strengths.

In many discrimination claims, employers may have a defense if they can show that they took all reasonable steps to deter discrimination. A comprehensive policy and recent appropriate training can help employers distance themselves from liability for acts such as harassment by an individual perpetrator employed by your company.

A policy also demonstrates that your company takes its legal and moral responsibilities towards being a diverse and inclusive employer earnestly.

Idea for Impact: A strong diversity and inclusion policy can help your company embed good practices—not only across your organization but also throughout your supply chains, including the customers and the communities your company serves.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. The Duplicity of Corporate Diversity Initiatives
  2. How to Handle Employees who Moonlight
  3. Eight Ways to Keep Your Star Employees Around
  4. How to Manage Overqualified Employees
  5. Fire Fast—It’s Heartless to Hang on to Bad Employees

Leaders Need to Be Strong and Avoid Instilling Fear

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Fear is many a leader’s dirty little secret. He can use it when he’s either unwilling or unable to persuade his team to work together to achieve a specific goal.

Sure, fear gets results. However, it does so at a great cost.

Fear can be enormously helpful for spurring change, particularly during periods of acute threat. But fear can backfire under certain circumstances, especially when creativity is necessary. Using fear and intimidation as a motivator only shuts down people’s brains.

Leaders Need to Be Strong and Avoid Instilling Fear People don’t always think and act rationally when they’re afraid. Fear and anxiety make it more difficult to have their energy and enthusiasm to keep going.

A leader needs to be strong without instilling fear. Often all a leader can do to motivate people is to foster a workplace wherein people feel safe bringing themselves to work.

People can contribute, be creative, and be motivated internally. There’s no need to watch them like a hawk, micromanage excessively, track every move they make, question every decision, or enact rules that make people feel constrained and under surveillance.

Idea for Impact: Steer clear of a tyrannical management style. Use feedback and coaching to be considerate and encouraging whenever you can be, and tough when you must be.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. The Difference between Coaching and Feedback
  2. Seven Real Reasons Employees Disengage and Leave
  3. 20 Reasons People Don’t Change
  4. Eight Ways to Keep Your Star Employees Around
  5. How to Manage Smart, Powerful Leaders // Book Summary of Jeswald Salacuse’s ‘Leading Leaders’

Good Boss in a Bad Company or Bad Boss in a Good Company?

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Who would you work for: a good boss in a mediocre company or a bad boss in a good company?

Without a doubt, your boss matters more than you realize. Having a good boss is one of work-life’s greatest experiences. A good boss can make work fun and meaningful and enriching.

Alas, the system of finding jobs is designed to let bosses pick employees, not the other way. You can’t expect to work at all times under a good boss.

Neither will you always have a chance to choose your boss (or your subordinates for that matter.) You’ll need to learn to get along with all sorts of people.

The Surprising Benefits of a Bad Boss

There’re quite a few reasons you’ll be better off for having endured a boss who’s insensitive, moody, manipulative, bad-tempered, or just plain incompetent.

  • The Surprising Benefits of a Bad Boss If the boss is very good at doing something that you aspire to become good at, it worth your while to learn from a master in action. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, portrayed brilliantly by actress Meryl Streep in the movie The Devil Wears Prada (2006,) may be a terrible pain to work for, but she knows more about the fashion business than just about anybody else. Working as her assistant is a priceless experience, not to mention the exposure to some of the most influential people in the world of fashion.
  • If you have your antennae up, you can learn a lot about good management by working under a bad manager.
  • A stint at a company with an excellent reputation will give you a precious career credential down the road.

A Bad Boss Doesn’t Last Forever

All bosses—good and bad—will leave in due course. They’ll move up, out, or sideways. Organizational changes are widespread in good companies, and personnel departments tend to identify bad bosses and move them around.

Most companies make it easy to move between teams and groups. You can network your way into a fresh opportunity—perhaps with a better boss—within the company.

Think in terms of short-term pains and long-term gains. For the time being, working for a bad boss can a nightmare even in a good company. But in the long-term, until you or your boss can move on, you’ll have to make the best of the learning and networking opportunities.

You Can’t Always Pick Your Own Boss

Be mindful of the organization’s perception of you—do not allow your rocky relationship with your boss to typecast you as a “can’t-get-along.”

One of the best things about working in good companies is networking and becoming known to the people who matter. You can seek doors to new worlds, look for mentors who can guide your career’s progress, and scout job opportunities in other departments. Managers tend to fill up many internal job openings with candidates they have in mind already.

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  2. Before Jumping Ship, Consider This
  3. No Boss Likes a Surprise—Good or Bad
  4. Could Limiting Social Media Reduce Your Anxiety About Work?
  5. Going Over Your Boss’s Head After She Rejects Your Idea?

We Live in a Lookist Society

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From Irmgard Schlögl’s The Wisdom of the Zen Masters (1976,)

Wealthy donors invited Master Ikkyū to a banquet.

The Master arrived there dressed in beggar’s robes. His host, not recognizing him in this garb, hustled him away: “We cannot have you here at the doorstep. We are expecting the famous Master Ikkyū any moment.”

The Master went home, there changed into his ceremonial robe of purple brocade, and again presented himself at his host’s doorstep.

He was received with due respect, and ushered into the banquet room. There, he put his stiff robe on the cushion, saying, “I expect you invited the robe since you showed me away a little while ago,” and left.

That what you wear affects how others will perceive you is well-known empirically and has been established in scientific literature. People dressed conservatively, for example, are seen as more composed and trustworthy, whereas those dressed bold and suave are viewed as more attractive and self-assured. Women who wear menswear-inspired dress suits are more likely to be perceived well in job interviews. Men are shown to misperceive women’s friendliness as sexual intent, particularly when the women are dressed suggestively.

In the Second Quarto (1604) of Hamlet, Shakespeare, in the voice of the Polonius, declares, “For the apparrell oft proclaimes the man.” Mark Twain seemingly pronounced, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.”

Several maxims remark about the notion that an individual’s clothing is confirmation for his/her personal, professional, and social identity:

  • In Egypt: “لبس البوصة، تبقى عروسة” or “Dressing up a stick turns it into a doll”
  • In China: “我们在外面判断这件衣服, 在家里我们判断这个人” or “Abroad we judge the dress; at home we judge the man”
  • In Japan: “馬子にも衣装” or “Even a packhorse driver would look great in fine clothes”
  • In Korea: “옷이 날개다” or “Clothes are wings”

Idea for Impact: We live in a lookist society. Always dress the part. Ignore this at your own peril.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Want to boost your self-confidence? Dress sharply and look neat.
  2. No White Socks with Black Shoes
  3. How to Address Employees with Inappropriate Clothing
  4. Party Etiquette: Can you take your leftovers home?
  5. Accidents Can Happen When You Least Expect Them: The Overconfidence Effect

Let Your Work Do the Bragging for You?

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From American clergyman Madison C. Peters’s Wit and Wisdom of the Talmud (1900):

All the other rivers said to the Euphrates: “Why is the current of thy water not heard at a distance?”

The Euphrates replied: “My deeds testify for me. Anything sown by men at my shores will be in full bloom within thirty days.”

The rivers then addressed the Tigris: “Why is the current of thy waters heard at a distance?”

“I must direct the attention of the people to me by my tumultuous rapidity,” the Tigris replied.

The moral: The less the merits of a person are, the more he will feel urged to proclaim them to the public.

If you know that you’re great, you shouldn’t feel a strong need to tell anyone about it. “It is always the secure who are humble,” noted the English writer, philosopher G. K. Chesterton in his insightful essay “In Defense of Humility,” included in The Defendant (1901.)

Your Good Work Should Speak for Itself, But …

Reminding that there is nothing that says more about its creator than the work itself, the Canadian entrepreneur Matshona Dhliwayo has said,

Let your work speak for itself:
If poor, it will remain silent.
If average, it will whisper.
If good, it will talk.
If great, it will shout.
If genius, it will sing.

Your feelings of self-esteem and self-confidence hinge on being able to take pride in your achievements. However, be mindful of the thin line between confidence and conceit—confidence is believing in yourself, but conceit is bragging about yourself.

Unfortunately, in the current world of work, it pays to promote yourself—you must speak up about your accomplishments because no one else is going to do it for you.

Let Your Work Do the Bragging for You? Use your work to lead others to view you favorably—but beware, nobody likes blatant braggarts. If other people sense that you’re trying too hard to blow your own horn, they’ll be turned off, and you’ll achieve the opposite of your intended effect on them. This is especially true if the attributes you’re trying to flaunt aren’t the ones that interest the others.

With competition more intense than ever before, what really matters is “who knows you” and “what they know about you” than about “whom you know.”

Do more than is asked. Deliver more than is expected. Show up where the action is. And make a show of your work.

As the boxing legend Muhammad Ali once declared, “It’s not bragging if you can back it up.”

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Work-Life Balance: “Accomplish What You Want, Not What You Think You Have to”
  2. Job Interviewing #2: Interviewing with a Competitor of your Current Employer
  3. The Truth About Work-Life Balance
  4. Not Everybody Wishes to Climb the Corporate Ladder [Finding Work-Life Balance]
  5. The #1 Cost of Overwork is Personal Relationships

Do Your Team a Favor: Take a Vacation

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Everyone understands that a manager should make time to check out and recharge. Yet, there’s an expectation that he remains available, plugged in, informed, and accessible while on vacation. Therefore, even when he does go away, he doesn’t truly get away.

Do Your Team a Favor: Take a Vacation Even the hardworking manager, when overwhelmed and overcommitted, can become a bottleneck. Refusing to take a break not only burns him out but also wreaks havoc on his team’s productivity—it hinders necessary skills building and succession planning. By butting in whenever he can, he subtly undermines his team by insinuating that his team members cannot run things on their own.

In 2012, the contact management company FullContact was in the limelight when it announced a “Paid PAID Vacation” policy. It offered its employees $7,500 every year to go on vacation with the stipulation that the employee totally disconnects. FullContact CEO Bart Lorang explained why employees and their teams can be better when they disconnect:

Once per year, we give each employee $7500 to go on vacation. There are a few rules:

  1. You have to go on vacation, or you don’t get the money.
  2. You must disconnect.
  3. You can’t work while on vacation.

If people know they will be disconnecting and going off the grid for an extended period of time, they might actually keep that in mind as they help build the company. For example:

  • They might empower direct reports to make more decisions.
  • They might be less likely to create a special script that isn’t checked into GitHub [software development repository] and only lives on their machine.
  • They might document their code a bit better.
  • They might contribute to the Company Wiki and share knowledge.

Get the picture? At the end of the day, the company will improve. As an added bonus, everyone will be happier and more relaxed knowing that they aren’t the last line of defense.

Idea for Impact: Take a vacation. Empower your team. When a smart manager goes on vacation, he leaves clear directions about the critical situations under which his team should contact him. While he mentally checks out, his team members get the opportunity to stretch and show their individual and collective mettle.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Advice for the First-Time Manager: Whom Should You Invest Your Time With?
  2. Self-Assessment Quiz: Are You A Difficult Boss?
  3. Four Telltale Signs of an Unhappy Employee
  4. How to Prevent Employee Exhaustion
  5. Don’t Lead a Dysfunctional Team

7 Alternatives to Working From Your Home Office

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Working from home is convenient and saves you a lot of money that you would spend on gas and food. It also saves you the stress of traffic. However, working from home can get a bit boring especially if you are isolated.

To solve this problem you get alternatives to working from home. There are many options available that can make freelancing work more interesting. Whether you like quiet places or slightly robust places, there are options that are suitable for your needs. Most have the amenities you need such as Wi-Fi. Here are some of the alternatives to working from home.

Alternatives to Working From Your Home Office

1. Co-working Spaces

Most co-working spaces have office equipment including printers, scanners, Wi-Fi routers and fax machines among other things. A fee is usually charged either on an hourly basis or a monthly basis. These spaces are great work from home alternatives as they give you an opportunity to collaborate with others and network with people working in different fields.

The only challenge with co-working spaces is the set business hours which may limit how much you want to work. You can research on the co-working spaces available in your area to know the charges and working hours so that you choose something suitable for you.

2. Coffee Shops

Coffee shops are among the popular alternative working spaces among freelancers. Most, if not all, coffee shops have Wi-Fi that can be accessed once you make a purchase. They have comfortable working spaces and the best part is that you can work as you eat snacks or take coffee.

Coffee shops are ideal if you are working alone and are not required to make or answer many phone calls. You also get to network with various people which solves the problem of isolation.

3. Libraries

If you are looking for quiet spaces but a different environment from home, the library is a good option. It is also ideal if your work involves doing research. The library has Wi-Fi and some offer meeting spaces in case you would like to hold a meeting.

An advantage of working in libraries is that you can stay there all day as long as it is within their operating hours. You can also choose to be completely isolated from being seated with others on a shared table.

4. Local Outdoor Areas

When you are tired of staying indoors all the time, take a break and work in outdoor areas such as parks around your area. Outdoor areas have a soothing and calm effect on people and this may help you work even better.

If you are tempted to relax when you get to the park, you can hire write my essays service to do your paper work for you as you take some time off.

5. Museums

Working in museums is almost similar to working in a library. The atmosphere is peaceful and quiet. Free Wi-Fi is also available to those inside the museum. For some museums, you will be required to pay an entrance fee if you want to access WI-FI or make use of the facility. Working from a museum filled with art can also be inspiring for you as you work.

Alternatives to Working From Your Home Office - Restaurants

6. Restaurants

A restaurant is a good alternative to a home office if your job involves meeting clients. They have a good atmosphere to socialize, affordable food, and Wi-Fi access. Restaurants can be a bit noisy so if you need some peace when working, u poo u can go during off-peak hours when people are few. An advantage of working in restaurants is it creates a comfortable atmosphere to network with people.

7. Hot Desk

Hot desks work by renting a desk in a particular office for a specified amount of time. It is a good option since you have almost everything you require including printers, Wi-Fi, and essential official equipment. This is a cost-friendly option that also allows you to network with other people.

Conclusion

According to Sandra Larson, a professional freelance writer, working from home is good but at times you need a change of environment. “There are many alternatives to working from home,” says Larson, who loves spending time outdoors during her free time. She has managed to make her freelance work more interesting by changing her working environment from time to time and has shared her experience through such blog posts.

Whether you prefer total peace or just a measure of peace when working, there are options suitable for you. For those who prefer to work in a quiet environment, the options available include museums and libraries. Wi-Fi is also accessible in both places.

If you prefer spaces where you can still socialize with others, your best options are coffee shops, restaurants. As much as public Wi-Fi is n advantage, you should exercise caution while using public networks. Avoid accessing sensitive information such as your bank details when using public Wi-Fi networks.

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  2. Mental Health Issues are Much More Common Than Acknowledged
  3. The Time to Think
  4. Thou Shall Attend the Office Holiday Party
  5. Nobody Likes a Tattletale: Do Not Play the Office Cop