These past few months, my social media has been riddled with posts around the upcoming election. My connections have been sharing their political views and, in some cases, very adamant opinions on who to vote for.
I suspect the same is true for your employees.
The thing is, interactions via social media, both negative and positive, affect the overall workplace culture.
Whether you like it or not, social media outside of work affects relationships inside of work. You might already be seeing cliques form based on political affiliation, for example. As a result, employees are more likely to engage in exclusive behavior such as gossiping and mobbing.
Social media blurs the line between employees’ personal and professional lives, which leads to escalated conversations that wouldn’t typically happen in the workplace. With guards down, employees may not find fault in disagreeing aggressively on someone’s post or using harmful language.
Reading social media posts via computer removes empathy from the equation. We’re all less likely to be empathetic when we can’t see a face on the other side and assess nonverbal cues. This facilitates the possibility of being less careful in word choice and tone when interacting with others on social media.
These interactions easily manifest themselves in the workplace in the form of conflict, incivility, and lack of collaboration.
What’s posted on social media doesn’t stay on social media. No matter how hard you try, social media will seep into the workplace culture in one way or another – especially in our remote work environment where social media has become the new “watercooler”.
Right now, with the election quickly approaching, your culture is at risk.
The good news is we are here to help squash the incivility most likely brewing in your workplace as the election nears.
We’re hosting a free webinar next week to provide you with strategies for addressing the toxic behavior you may see erupt during the election.
We recognize how conversations around politics can escalate and want to give you everything you need to perpetuate positive, respectful behavior in your workplace. This includes training objectives for setting ground rules prior to the election, tips for diffusing conflict between employees, and ways to prepare for the post-election work environment.
Not only that, you’ll receive 1 SHRM PDC for attending. Whoot!
Join us on October 22nd at 10:30 am PST for some insight on managing your workforce during this tense election season.
You can register here at this link. It’s free!
Rebecca Del Secco, aPHR
Consultant
