Who are you voting for in the upcoming midterm elections, and did you vote for President Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? Those two questions, and particularly the latter, are loaded with emotions. According to Jonas Kaplan, research professor of psychology at the University of Southern California and lead author of a scientific study, we get worked up over politics because “political beliefs are important to our identity, to our sense of who we are. They are part of our social selves as well and can define who we spend time with and how they relate to us.” A recent study by Randstad U.S. shows that the political climate is impacting stress at work as well as employee engagement and retention.
Lifestyle values are an essential element of career change. Randstad U.S. found that 64% of people say political discussions at work have grown more heated over the past five to 10 years and 72% feel stressed or anxious when heated arguments occur. Political views also impact employee engagement as 44% percent say their productivity decreases when heated political arguments arise. The findings also showed that millennials feel greater stress and alienation.
Here are a few ways to navigate the stress of politics in the workplace:
Get clear on your work
When things get heated, minimize other common causes of job stress and burnout. Research by the State of the American Workplace indicates a lack of clarity on job expectations as a leading cause of employee burnout. More than 35% of employees say they don’t know what’s expected of them at work. Find out what’s expected of you regarding key duties, key performance indicators and the core values of your company. You can then go on to perform small, concrete actions on a daily basis to improve skills related to your job.
Your discussions around clarity on job expectations should also include time. When you have adequate time, you’re 70% less likely to experience high burnout….
