with Deanna Baumgardner
Set boundaries to Prevent Politics From Disrupting Your Work Culture. There are the ground rules that I just mentioned but it’s also leading by example and knowing the boundaries that you as a leader need to stay within. Pushing your personal agenda isn’t going to help the team know the boundaries to stay in during these conversations.
In an age where political discussions have become more polarized than ever, workplaces are increasingly becoming arenas for political debates. While it’s essential to respect diverse opinions and encourage free speech, unchecked political discussions can create rifts, hinder productivity, and disrupt the harmony of a work environment. How can organizations strike a balance? How can they create a culture that values diversity of thought while preventing divisive political discussions from overshadowing work objectives?
As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Deanna Baumgardner, President and Owner of Employers Advantage LLC.
It’s a combination of things that happen in order to make this work but the biggest thing, I think, is recognizing that politics is everywhere and it impacts everyone. As a leader, recognizing that and then being the one to make space and time for these types of discussions allows the opportunity for there to be more control over the flow of the conversation. Setting boundaries and expectations at the beginning of the any of those conversations is important, but also making sure people stick to those boundaries and expectations. By making space with boundaries for these types of conversations, it gives people an opportunity to express themselves in a more controlled environment rather than the potential for any one of conversations that may somehow go off the rails.
"Can you share an experience where political discussions began to impact team dynamics and how you addressed this situation to maintain a positive work environment?"
Being a Human Resources firm, a lot of what we do revolves around workplace and employment compliance, which are federal, state, and local regulations, so we are a bit entrenched in politics and what happens in the political space. When we are in our HR roles and working with clients, we have to be neutral when delivering the information to clients why. Sometimes with that, we have clients that will veer off into their political opinions and why they don’t agree with the employment regulation that they now have to abide by. In those situations, we stay pretty neutral and keep the focus back on the workplace itself and the purpose of the law to protect their company and the employees. Because of that, even though we do as a group have open discussions, we haven’t had any that I believe had an impact on team dynamics. Everyone is pretty respectful of each other and knows what the boundaries are.
"Five Things You Need To Do To Prevent Politics From Disrupting Your Work Culture"
Hire right.
Set expectations.
Make space and time.
Set boundaries.
Immediately address any issues.
Click here to read the full interview by Authority Magazine (Medium) and see what Deanna has to say about these 5 things and how to prevent politics from disrupting your work culture.
Article by: Cynthia Corsetti