July is typically a month filled with celebrations. Yet, at this moment in our country’s history, we are experiencing tumultuous and emotional times. People are afraid and stressed. The recent overturn of Roe v. Wade, random shootings, a pandemic, racial tensions, and wars around the globe are calling leaders to pull every tool out of their toolboxes. One essential tool to dust off is how to connect with one of the most human parts of us, the freedom to choose.
I am proud to be an American, and I am pleased that as we go into July, Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn into the Supreme Court, becoming the first-ever Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. I am proud I can exercise my right to choose. This weekend, you could find me at a rally with Congresswoman Maxine Waters and the legendary Delores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) union with Cesar Chavez, holding my sign “Keep Your Laws Off My Body.” My position does not change the fact that I respect choices that do not agree with mine.
Inclusion means including views that do not always match your own. Respecting the freedom to choose in our workplaces looks like providing resources, guiding conversations, managing difficult talks, opening up dialogues, and tackling barriers that would prevent someone from showing up as their best, most productive self.
As leaders, we must continue to recognize that our workplaces represent a microcosm of our society. Our workplaces should not be inflicting trauma. Unfortunately, the sad reality is that they often do. As I shared in my blog article, Creating a Bipartisan Workplace, we all know that it is becoming status quo for our views on issues such as politics to spill over into our daily jobs. Often the standard “HR response” would be to remind all employees that discussions involving such issues as politics, religion, sex, and age should be avoided at all costs to prevent the risk of offending hearers that may feel harassed by specific comments.
According to a recent Harvard Business Review article, it is time to rethink our approach to the employee experience. Instead of emphasizing many benefits and policies, HR should focus on the human experience and how employees feel cared for financially, physically, and emotionally. In addition, our current crises require leaders to be more empathetic, transparent, and authentic.
In Gartner’s 2021 survey, 47% of employees reported that their stress was higher than anything they’d previously experienced in their careers, and only 37% agreed that their organization understood what they needed in their personal lives and for their families. Employers can put together a human deal that will make workers feel valued and supported by the knowledge that employees want to feel invested in their organization’s purpose, including how it interacts externally. According to Gartner;
- 53% of employees say they want their leaders to take a stand on societal issues they care about, beyond just issuing periodic statements.
- 66% of HR chiefs report that their company acts on social issues, but only 32% of employees agree.
- 70% of employees say they feel included when their company takes a stand with which they agree.
- 68% feel included when the organization takes a stand with which they disapprove.
Leaders may hesitate to highlight their activism for fear of alienating employees and shareholders with different views, but the message is clear that taking a stand is expected by the majority. Organizations can lead employees and set the example around what it means to belong and not just “get along.” Providing safe spaces for conversations and healthy discussions is a start. Members of management should exercise their leadership muscles to lead and mediate challenging talks. Recognizing that freedom of choice allows employers to provide opportunities for their workers to feel connected and valued will also lead to a culture of teamwork and creative expression that inspires innovation and retention.
