By Rachel Marcuse, Chief Operating Officer at ReadySet
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It’s the day after the election. Many are still processing results and there are bound to be members of the team wondering what the results mean for them.
Here are our top-5 tips for leaders and people professionals:
1) Acknowledge. It is likely that many people at work have varying emotions. Some may be scared. Give people permission to process over the next few weeks. If in doubt, go back to your organizational values.
2) Remind staff of resources. In politics, you need to say something 5 times for people to hear it. It’s the same in organizations. Say it again. Connect your employees to EAP’s, health plans, wellness benefits, ERG’s or whatever you have available internal and external to your workplace.
3) Focus on your most impacted employees – and be prepared to answer questions:
Some employees may require support in accessing reproductive healthcare. Explore options to offer support for those who need it. This could look like support to leave the state as laws allow.
Prepare to answer questions about visas and sponsorship from international employees in U.S. offices.
Ensure that your health policies are trans-inclusive and that staff are educated to respect the humanity of everyone in your organization.
Staff of color, queer staff and women may be particularly impacted by the administration elect. Consider asking staff what they need at this time. Now is a good time for listening sessions to focus on staff from historically underserved communities.
4) Make sure that your managers are equipped with what they need. Remind them to check in with their direct reports and prepare them to answer tough questions. FAQ’s can be particularly helpful. We recommend including the following elements:
Scripting for checking in with direct reports (e.g. “Hey, I know there’s a lot going on. How are you doing?” Or “I may not know what you’re going through but we want work to be an inclusive workplace and I’m available if you want to talk or be connected to resources.”)
Resources (above)
Learning and development tools on communicating across difference
Encouraging managers not to make assumptions about political preferences
Reminders on workplace appropriate boundary setting (our managers are not therapists)
Multiple escalation channels for reporting tricky issues and/or discrimination/harassment
5) Stay close to your legal team. The landscape is going to be complicated from a compliance perspective for the foreseeable future. A strong relationship between the people and legal teams can result in a healthy push-pull to find the best answers for your organization and your employees, in the face of these “unprecedented” times.
For more resources, check out our election resources page to see where we can support you and your team.
