Let's talk political unrest at work

So, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Or donkey, depending on your political leanings.

Last week was rough. I don’t know about you, but when the news started to break about the Capitol riot, work was done for the day. In a perpetual doomscrolling on my phone, I was simultaneously shocked and jaded as our Capitol was being breached. Coming back to work the next day and into this week has been difficult. I wasn’t sure if and how to bring up the recent events with my team. I found myself asking, how might we talk about political unrest at work?”

Step 1. Create space for active, inclusive reflection.

Step 2. Please don't ignore it.

Here are some tips:

❌ Instead of sending out a highly scripted and heavily reviewed email of your thoughts.
✅ Try sending out an unscripted recording of yourself answering questions from the team.

❌ Instead of opening meetings with blanket statements like "last week was crazy, huh?" only to jump right into the agenda.
✅ Try adding current events/political unrest as a topic in your team meetings. Socialize the agenda ahead of time, so your team knows what to expect. Rather than preparing a speech, prepare a set of questions to facilitate.

For example: "What's one word to describe how you are feeling after the riots at the Capitol? Feel free to say one word, and expand on the word if you'd like." Allow each person to share their word without responding.

Not a people manager? Influence without authority by:
✅ Request this as a topic in your team meeting agendas
✅ Share that these conversations are important with your manager.

Feel free to share your stories and examples around productive conversations about political unrest at work!