What to Know Before Bringing up Politics at Work - The Muse

What to Know Before Bringing up Politics at Work - The MuseWhat to Know Before Bringing up Politics at Work Politics. It was already a taboo subject in offices before November 2016, but with rising tensions across America, it has become an even riskier topic to discuss.With that said, the current political environment is such that its hard to imagine not talking about it at all without burying a part of ourselves. One quick midday trip to social media can result in you wanting- or even needing- to say something aloud to the person who sits next to you. But even if you work in an office that encourages you to be yourself at work and youre not at risk of losing your job by speaking up, you shouldnt just assume that its a good idea to share your thoughts. Thats not to say you should stay quiet, but instead ask yourself this critical question firstAm I assuming that everyone within earshot shares my views?Frequently, when people share their political views in the office its because they feel like its safe to. In most cases, that means liberals feeling comfortable speaking up in blue states or cities, and conservatives speaking up in states or districts that are clearly red. If everyone else agrees with you, theres no risk of being controversial or offensive, right?Wrong.Unless you work for a super small company where everyones beliefs are out in the open (which is unlikely), theres a good chance that a number of colleagues disagree with you on at least some (if not all) issues. That guy in accounting who shared that hes pro-LGBTQ rights may also be pro-life or fiscally conservative. The woman on the sales team in the break room may feel alienated and unwelcome in an office with vocal Trump supporters, and therefore hide her feminist beliefs.Now, this doesnt mean that you should go around and quiz your colleagues about what they believe in (really, please dont do that). What it does mean is that you should be thoughtful when expressing your beliefs, and bringing as much empathy and compassion as you can to the table.Because even if you disagree with Sheryls voting choices- and are maybe even offended by the values you see reflected in her vote- shes still your co-worker. And as much as you (hopefully) took this job because of the companys culture and mission, work is not a place that guarantees that everyones value system line up perfectly with yours.In the office, you and your co-workers are a team, bringing your skills and passion to the table each day to make that mission a reality. If you remember that, its not hard to also remember that you owe it to your colleagues to be considerate and respectful.Pretty koranvers youre not the person being inconsiderate and disrespectful? Here are some real examples, Ive heard from well-meaning peopleA co-worker sharing information about a political event with the full team, assuming everyone would be interested and excited.Another co-worker deciding a person didnt share her beliefs because they did not express interest in attending said event.Two colleagues laughing about supporters of a specific presidential candidate around the office coffee machine, unaware that others could hear them. A person jumping to conclusions about a co-workers policy beliefs based on which candidate they voted forIf youre in the majority in your office, you may be asking yourself, So what, Im clearly in the right and theyre clearly in the wrong. But thats a pretty poor defense. Because one day, youll be in the minority on an issue and these innocent jokes by the coffee machine will make you feel excluded, and possibly unsafe. So the next time youre thinking about bringing up that political article you saw on Facebook at work, take a breath, and ask yourself if youre assuming that everyone around you shares your views. Unless you can 100%, without a doubt, say they do, dont bring it up. By pausing and asking yourself this one simple question, youll be doing your part to make sure that your office is an inclusive and welcoming environment. And in a culture thats as divided as ours is now, thatd be doing the right thing- regardless of where you stand.

Culture Fit Interview Questions and Answers

Culture Fit Interview Questions and AnswersCulture Fit Interview Questions and AnswersDo you hire employees based on your assessment of their answers to bewerbungsgesprch questions that seek to understand their cultural fit? If you dont, you are missing a critical opportunity to determine whether the prospective employee will work successfully in your company. Use these interview questions about cultural fit as a starting point to develop your own questions. The prospective employees answers help you determine whether the candidate will work successfully in your organization. These are the types of responses that will indicate your candidates fit with your organization. Assess Cultural Fit In interview question answers that assess cultural fit, you are seeking an employee who shares the values and principles that drive work and relationships in your organization. You are looking for an employee who will add value, bedrngnis an employee who will take constant work and effort on yo ur part to bring him or her into compliance with your workplace norms. You want to hire an employee who shares a common understanding of how coworkers and customers are valued in your organization. You dont want to bring an aggressive, out-for-himself person into an organization that values collaboration, shared goals, mutual respect, and shared rewards, for example. You do not want to hire a nitpicking micro-manager into a company that stresses employee empowerment and reasonable risk-taking. In conducting interviews with prospective employees, the cultural fit assessment is critical. It is so important that some companies schedule a cultural fit interview in addition to, and often before, the more traditional interviews to assess skills, experience, and potential contribution.Zappos is an example of a company that does a cultural assessment phone interview before scheduling regular onsite interviews. These examples illustrate the assessment of answers to cultural fit interview que stions. Interview Question Answers About the Core Value of Teamwork Your company has determined that kollektivwork is a core value. These are the types of answers that will help you assess cultural fit. The candidate Expresses comfort, and even a preference, for working with and on teams.Articulates his or her strengths in a team environment or working on a team.Is able to discuss the role that he or she typically plays on a work team.Describes a level of comfort how co-workers or bosses view his or her contribution in a teamwork environment.Says wewhen describing accomplishments.Attributes the success of endeavors to the group.Does not say I and me in response to many questions.When describing past approaches, problem-solving, achievements, endeavors, and projects, in response to other interview questions, includes forming a team or teamwork solutions as viable options. Interview Question Answers About the Core Value of Delighting Customers This is a second example that il lustrates how to assess answers to cultural fit interview questions. Your company has determined that delighting customers is a core value. These are the types of answers that will help you assess cultural fit. The candidate Uses examples in his or her answers to interview questions that demonstrate a commitment to serving customers and meeting or exceeding customer needs.Speaks of coworkers and other internal customers as if they are valued and worthy of service.When asked about values, the purpose of the business, goals, and other related concepts lists the customer as the key reason for existing.Has stories to tell during the interviews that illustrate serving customers. You will never find the perfect employee, the perfect manager, or the perfect boss, but you can find an employee who will contribute to, not tear apart, the work environment that you provide for employees. Carefully assessing your candidates responses to cultural fit interview questions, as suggested in the above examples, will help you select an employee who will fit well into your workplace culture.

The value of diversity in leadership roles in business

The value of diversity in leadership roles in businessThe value of diversity in leadership roles in businessIncreasing the diversity in leadership is good for business.McKinsey Company, Scientific American, the Catalyst Information Center, and the International Monetary Fund have all conducted research quantifying the value of diversity in the workplace. In study after study, the research consistently shows that there is a substantial positive correlation between diverse leadership teams and financial performance.Diversity in leadership is linked to greater financial returnsA2015 McKinsey Company report looked at the top management and boards of 366 public companies in various industries in Canada, Latin America, the United Kingdom, and the United States and found thatCompanies with leadership in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% mora likely to have financial returns above their industry medianCompanies with leadership in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversit y were 35% more likely to have financial returns above their industry median.A2018 McKinsey follow-up report looking at over 1,000 companies in various industries across 12 countries also found thatCompanies with executive teams in the bottom quartile for both gender diversity and racial and ethnic diversity were 29% less likely to achieve above-average profitability.This research establishes a correlation for large financial gains to be made for companies prioritizing diversity in leadership and the penalty of lagging behind financially for those companies that dont.Here are three additional benefits to increasing the gender and racial and ethnic diversity of leadership1 Diverse teams produce better solutions to complex problemsIn The Difference How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies, Scott E. Page presents numerous studies that show how diverse groups that display a range of perspectives consistently outperform like-minded experts on compl ex tasks. One reason this happens is that diverse groups are better at avoiding groupthink, a psychological phenomenon that occurs when groups make irrational or problematic decisions because its members value harmony and conformity over accurate analysis and critical evaluation.When there is greater gender and racial and ethnic diversity in leadership, there is not one majority group to which everyone needs to conform. Each leader is more likely to maintain his or her individuality and be less likely to blindly follow the group if he or she disagrees. Moreover, diverse leaders look through at the world through their different cultural lenses which lead those types of groups to create better solutions.2 Diversity in leadership can help with retention of diverse staffProfessionals will leave without a second thought if they get a signal that there is no place for growth and advancement at their current employer. Having diversity in leadership communicates to staff, especially divers e staff, that there is a pathway to leadership and shows them a concrete example of what it looks like.This is becoming increasingly important since it is estimated that population demographics in the United States will be over 51% people of color by 2040. Millennials are already more racially and ethnically diverse than previous generations. As millennials continue to move into the workforce, they will bring that diversity with them and are more likely to stay with companies where they see a path to grow and advance for people who look like them.3 Diverse leaders can serve as mentors and sponsors to diverse professionals and others and build multi-cultural competencies within the organizationOften, informal mentor and sponsor relationships happen organically between people who share a commonality. In psychology, the tendency of people to favor members in their own group is known as an in-group bias or affinity bias. The fruchtwein salient shared traits are related to outward appea rance. Due to the White male leadership composition of many organizations today, women and people of color often have a harder time forming these vital relationships organically with those in positions of power.When there is greater diversity in leadership, the organizations leaders can play the vital role of mentor and sponsor for a much broader group of diverse professionals. While organic mentor and sponsor relationships can be rewarding for both parties involved, they often exclude others. Organizations which have formal mentorship and sponsorship programs should intentionally design these programs to encourage employees to develop multiple relationships across lines of difference (i.e., gender, race and ethnicity, and other dimensions of diversity), thereby building multi-cultural competency within the leadership team and the organization at all levels.Diversity in leadership isnt inevitable, so companies need to be intentionalWith research showing that companies with diverse l eadership outperform companies with non-diverse leadership globally, why is progress so slow? Maybe people arent familiar with the research. Or maybe people assume progress will happen on its own.Whatever the reason is, one lesson is clear a company that is trying to increase its financial returns and be more competitive in its industry should take a long hard look at the diversity of its leadership team. One of the best investments that a company can make is to be intentional about increasing the diversity in leadership by recruiting, retaining, and promoting diverse professionals. That is one competitive business strategy with a proven and handsome return on investment.Sharon E. Jones is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard College and is the founder and CEO of Jones Diversity, Inc., which offers services to organizations looking to improve their workplace culture and create more diverse and inclusive teams. Her firms broad range of consulting services have enhanced the co mpetitive edge of law firms, corporations, and not-for-profits by enabling each organization to fully utilize, retain, and promote diverse individuals into leadership roles.