How to manage options at work-From time off to mental health screening

Managers and HR are often tasked with leading the way in stressful situations and global events. With the US presidential election just one day away, tensions are running high, but there are surefire ways to guide workers through the storm.

Good luck spoke to career experts and HR executives to get the inside scoop on the strategies leading up to this year’s election. Although they agree that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, there are a few important ways to eliminate anxiety and conflict among employees. Experts say leaders should remain neutral, set clear expectations about discussing workplace politics, allow for flexibility during election week, monitor employees’ mental health, and perhaps even creating group work to promote unity.

“There’s growing anxiety in this election,” Kurt Jeskulski, US regional director for Page Group, a recruitment services company, says. Good luck. “Everyone is a little paralyzed waiting to see what will happen. So let us remind people to be respectful at work, and it is important for our people to feel safe.”

Managers should remain neutral

Those experts Good luck talked about the consensus that managers and HR leaders should avoid taking sides when it comes to elections. While employees can discuss candidates and who they hope will win, executives should avoid taking sides because of their limited power in the company.

“Managers should try to stay neutral, because they have influence in those activities,” says Jeskulski. “You’re going to have employees who feel they need to adapt [leadership’s] political views. ”

If managers support a candidate, or don’t know who they want, this can cause lower-level employees to conform to their beliefs out of fear, Joe Galvin, chief research officer at Vistage, says. Good luck. “If you disagree with your boss, will you be denied a promotion? Will you be denied good plans? Will it affect your relationship?”

In general, experts say the best way to work is for managers and supervisors to empathize with their employees.

“Now is the time to listen,” says Jeskulski. If you’re willing to listen and show that you care, that’s what people want.

Create a group task

Experts say Good luck Another way to declutter during election season is to engage the workforce in a positive way. Lupiani suggests that managers who lead with empathy, compassion, and kindness should organize teamwork to facilitate that culture of connection.

“As a manager, you can build in time on election day for people to practice common sense and unity,” he says. A guided meditation or a theme event in which employees can be creative are examples of both events. “Everyone will be upset, there will be very high emotions. Anything that can bring people together in a frustrating way can be very smart. ” he says.

Set clear expectations

If HR leaders have not set an expectation to discuss workplace politics, they should immediately have an all-hands meeting or send an email to reiterate company policies.

“If you haven’t communicated yet, the first step is to send an all-employee email. The next step is to communicate directly with your leaders and managers to clearly define those expectations,” Natalie Lupiani, VP at BSG, a consulting firm, he said. Good luck.

Once the election results are in, there is a chance that some employees will brag about their victory in a way that will make their colleagues feel uncomfortable. In this case, HR should intervene.

“If you’re faced with a problem where you have a fun party that makes other people uncomfortable, you have to solve this problem. [the policies] also with compassion and kindness,” Lupiani says. “You have to pull that person aside and remind them that their actions have an impact on the people around them, and they have to be considerate of other people’s feelings.”

Allow employees flexibility

Business leaders should allow for increased levels of formality during election week.

“When it starts, everyone should have the right to travel a few hours to vote. That puts some people’s minds at ease,” says Jeskulski.

And although some companies give employees part or all of the election day to go vote, they should consider the fact that employees may need time to take care of themselves mentally. Lupiani says employers can show they care by giving sick workers time off. He points out that this is not a common practice among employers, but it should be.

He says: “I think it should be a normal thing to allow people to take time to rest their feelings when they are in a difficult situation. “My recommendation is to be flexible in your relaxation strategies related to this important event.”

Look at mental health

At the end of the day, the emotional safety of employees should come first. Politics can have a big impact on people’s mental health – nearly 77% of Americans are worried about the future of the country, and 69% are worried about the 2024 presidential election in particular, according to a recent poll from the American Psychological Association.

“The election is responsible for increasing unemployment among American workers across industries, across sectors,” says Lupiani. “And the frequency with which they often feel lonely at work because of the elections is high. Leadership needs to play a very strong role in this. ”

Galvin adds that these worries and bad mental health may return long after Tuesday – after that, the results of the last election have increased in the past days. So it’s important that managers and HR leaders stand firm in their policies, and cultivate the best possible workplace environment for the rest of the week.

“It is unlikely that we will have a clear winner on Tuesday night, like the previous elections. “It’s likely to drag on,” Galvin says. moving about this, and we have to let it go, get to work and focus on being better as an organization.”

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