First Thing Monday #48
This week we appreciate companies who stuck with DEI, celebrate Demi Moore, and analyze what we really think is behind bad behavior at work💡💃🏻😡
🍂 Happy Monday! Fashion Month is in full swing in New York, and I'm already loving the energy. So far, my favorite show has been Alaïa, which is a bit surprising since they're a Paris-based company showing in New York. What are your must-see shows this season?
☑️ FTM is a weekly newsletter that includes a recap of all the news you need to know to make better career decisions. Each issue also includes four tips for developing better relationships at work and a deep dive into a pressing workplace topic. Weekly issues come out on Monday mornings!
❓ Have a work question or topics you’d like us to discuss? Drop me a line 📱 simply reply to this email or leave us a comment below!
I’m Jon Cochran, a workplace sociologist with over 15 years of experience leading sales, marketing, and product development teams and working with brands like J.Crew, Hilton, and Mattel. I want to provide resources to help you take control of your career and maximize your satisfaction in the workplace.
⏰ What to read before your first meeting:
Ford has retreated from its DEI goals. A new study says companies that embrace them are more innovative (MarketWatch): Ford Motor Company's recent decision to scale back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives is a notable departure from the growing trend among corporations to prioritize these efforts. While Ford cites legal challenges and cost-cutting measures as reasons for its change, many other businesses like Intel, Salesforce, and Johnson & Johnson have demonstrated the positive impact of robust DEI programs: training programs to raise awareness of unconscious biases and promote inclusive behaviors, mentorship opportunities for underrepresented employees to advance their careers, and prioritizing partnerships with diverse suppliers and vendors. These companies have experienced tangible benefits, including increased innovation, improved employee morale, and enhanced brand reputation. Research suggests that diverse teams are more likely to outperform homogenous teams, as they bring a wider range of perspectives and problem-solving skills to the table.
Jeff Bezos' famed management rules are slowly unraveling inside Amazon. Can they survive the Andy Jassy era? (Fortune): Amazon's iconic Leadership Principles, once a cornerstone of its success, are facing challenges in the post-Bezos era. While principles like "Customer Obsession," "Bias for Action," and "Disagree and Commit" have historically guided the company's culture, recent changes under Andy Jassy, Bezos’s successor, have raised questions about their application and effectiveness. Some employees feel that these principles have been diluted or weaponized, leading to confusion and disillusionment. Even new executives joining Amazon have struggled to adapt to the company's unique culture and practices.
5 Ways To Stay Engaged In Your Career As Attention Spans Decline (Forbes): We mostly understand the challenges of maintaining employee engagement in today's fast-paced world. The bombardment of notifications and distractions from phones and social media has contributed to shorter attention spans. Those declining attention spans can negatively impact employee engagement, leading to lower productivity and increased absenteeism. While not explicitly in the article, something else to consider is the effect our shorter attention spans also might have on our sense of career progress and development, too. There is more to think about here than simply employee engagement!
The hidden and preventable reason for layoffs (Fast Company): Outdated job descriptions can lead to significant challenges for organizations. When job descriptions are not tailored to reflect the specific needs of a position, companies may inadvertently hire for duplicate roles, leading to redundancies and inefficiencies. This can result in increased costs, reduced productivity, and ultimately, layoffs. Additionally, outdated job descriptions can mislead candidates, leading to dissatisfaction and higher turnover rates. To address these issues, organizations should ensure that job descriptions are clear, concise, and up-to-date. By focusing on specific skills and responsibilities, collaborating with hiring managers, and regularly updating job descriptions, companies can improve the quality of their talent acquisition efforts and reduce the risk of layoffs.
The Cost of Presenteeism at Work: Do We Show Up Just for the Sake of It? (Very Well Mind): This article is when I finally learned what presenteeism means—it’s going to work when you’re sick or don’t feel well. And y’all, it has negative consequences for everyone! Studies show that presenteeism costs the American economy billions of dollars annually due to decreased productivity, increased healthcare expenses, and reduced employee morale. When employees come to work sick or burned out, they are less productive and more likely to spread illness to their colleagues, further disrupting operations.
🚰 The Water Cooler
Mega congrats go to Annie Donely and Jo Scott, the hosts of Mom Stomp, on their Season 3 finale last week! If you haven’t given the Moms a listen, then let one of their most recent episodes where they met Tina Knowles be your intro!
While I’m shouting out my faves, I also want to send a huge congratulations to Ben Bolling and Luis Valero-Suarez wrapped up the Into the Omniverse digital trading card series they started in 2022. Luis’ art for this collection is amazing!
I know I like to bring up AI and its potential frequently around here. And then I read about this guy from North Carolina who used AI to create hundreds of songs that he then streamed across 1,040 bot accounts to the tune of $10 million in streaming royalties between 2017 and 2024. Maybe I need to be using AI differently!?
Have you heard about Demi Moore’s new movie The Substance? I remember when it premiered in the spring at Cannes and I got a little nauseous reading about the body-horror. Now a few months later, I feel like I might be ready to see it. Who else is here for the Demi-assance?
📖 Reflections for this week:
How to handle a situation when the shits hits the fan.
For you: To maintain composure when faced with unexpected changes in a project, an event, or even a relationship, take a few deep breaths and remind yourself that plans can shift unexpectedly. Then avoid getting overwhelmed by focusing on quick problem-solving. Get all the facts before you decide on a fix. Now you can assess the situation and identify potential solutions or alternatives. Then, communicate any changes clearly and effectively to those affected.
Your boss: When faced with unexpected changes, be proactive and communicate clearly with your boss. Inform them of any issues, mistakes, or accidents as soon as possible. Before contacting your boss, though, prepare a concise explanation of the situation, including the root cause, potential impacts, and your proposed solutions. If a decision is required, present the options and your rationale. Remember to remain calm and composed, and avoid overreacting. Demonstrate your ability to handle unexpected situations and remain flexible.
Your direct reports: Acknowledge that unplanned events can be disruptive and try to be empathetic. Ask if the other person is doing okay before launching into next steps. Sometimes just checking in during a moment of stress can deescalate the tension. While it's important to address the situation, taking a moment to understand your team's perspectives and concerns can be more beneficial in the long run. Avoid making assumptions or placing blame. By being open and honest, you can build trust and foster a supportive team environment.
Your co-workers: When faced with unexpected changes, be transparent and honest with your colleagues. Share information as soon as possible to avoid misunderstandings and minimize disruption. Demonstrate a willingness to adjust to changes and be open to new approaches. A positive attitude can help to create a supportive and productive work environment, even during challenging times. If possible, offer to help your colleagues navigate the changes or address the unexpected problem. Don’t spread rumors or negativity, creating unnecessary stress and tension.
⚡️ And one last thing…
Did you catch a recent Washington Post article titled, “Has everyone at work lost their minds?” The premise is that there are side-effects of working from home when it comes to being back in the office. For some this shows up as relaxed workwear, for others it’s a relaxed commitment to hygiene. The range of new behaviors showing up in the office, the article argues, is negatively affecting work culture.
In fact, a Gallup study in February found that only 38% of workers felt respected at work. For me, I don’t know if I buy that this disconnect at work is a product of more time working alone and missed opportunities to adjust to sharing spaces again. Some of these bad behaviors like oversharing, snubbing co-workers by not inviting them to your event, and grandstand-style monologues during meetings are not new. When employees are overworked, stressed, and emotionally exhausted, they are more likely to exhibit negative behaviors. This can manifest as irritability, decreased productivity, and even aggression. Our reliance on digital communication also contributes to misunderstandings and miscommunications because tone and personality don’t always come across in email or messaging apps. So what has changed?
One of the positive changes to happen over the last few years is a shift toward greater openness and honesty in the workplace. Growing up gay, I didn’t know if there would be a time when I would feel comfortable coming out to my coworkers. Even as recently as 2014, I remember whispering to a colleague, “Are they okay with gay people around here?” I’ve been lucky in that most of my workplaces have been supportive of who I am and how I show up at work. I get to be me! With that freedom, I think, other people have felt encouraged to be themselves, too. For some, this shows up as desk decor, how they take their coffee, or the bumper stickers on their cars.
Others, however, are really letting their freak flags fly. Unequal power dynamics can create a toxic work environment. Employees who feel powerless or marginalized may resort to passive-aggressive behavior, sabotage, or even bullying. I think with the comfort many of us have now with being ourselves and trying to show up authentically, we also feel more confident to be honest about what we see in the office when it comes to bad behavior.
It makes sense that we’d be more confident calling out and reporting toxicity or discrimination. But it cuts both ways–I once made a stink about a senior leader who would skip meetings without notice and wouldn’t respond to check-ins via text or calls. We couldn’t get on with our work because we were waiting to know if this woman was even going to show up. A few days later, she sent me a message on Slack letting me know she didn’t appreciate my behavior in the meeting she didn’t attend and let me know she wouldn’t tolerate it. It, I’m assuming, being accountability. Do what now!?
To really understand what’s happening here, we can’t just sit around complaining about people. There is actually something else going on, something that is behind the behavior. We can all acknowledge the changed world we live in, post-Pandemic. I think we’re still trying to play catch up, though, when it comes to understanding the way that changed world shows up at work.
In fact, many of the problems that plagued the pre-Covid office are still a problem today: stress, lack of training, personality conflicts, and organizational culture mismatches. These problems feel more acute now, I would argue, because we do have more words to use when we describe these issues and more words to use to explain how these problems make us feel. The improved vocabulary we have allows us to be more specific, but it sometimes feeds into a jumbled mess of corporate speak mixed with pseudo-psychological jargon that we know alienates people. We’re both better at acknowledging who we are, while also maybe worse at understanding the effect of who we are and how we act has on other people.
So if we’re more aware of who we are and less aware of how we affect other people, how does this show up? What does the impact look like? For one, an organization full of people talking loudly but not saying anything is going to experience higher-than-average turnover. If the senior leadership team changes every few months, what is the point of showing up authentically to work? As soon as you get to know someone, they leave.
You can also see the impact in meetings, where a small number of voices may dominate and the tension is palpable. Many of us experience those uncomfortable meetings, knowing what or who was the cause, but because it’s gone on for so long and the person yapping is so senior everyone is scared to push back.
Another negative consequence of bad behavior at work is the damage to your organization’s reputation. You can only keep a lid on the drama for so long; in fact, the damage is probably already done! I have friends who’ve left jobs at floundering companies and struggled to find a new position in the same industry because they felt tainted by their former company. It feels like a culture accepting of bad behavior has all sorts of ramifications!
We understand what this bad behavior looks like, that it’s probably always happened at work, and that the consequences can be dire. So how do we fix it? I hate to be simplistic or naive, but it starts with you. There was a meeting a few years ago when I said, in what I thought was a casual tone, “We can’t make progress on this project because we don’t have support from the production team.” I thought I was being direct, but my boss thought it was shots fired. Maybe I did say it with some heat. But looking back, I would have handled that differently by not bringing any heat. Even becoming aware of how you sound or the speed of your voice can help relieve some unintended tension. Control what you can, and control yourself because that’s about all we can control!
Once you’re in control of yourself, then you can start to see what may be behind the bad behaviors of others. It might just be stress, they could be hungry, or they might have had a tough night at home. Consider first who the person is, how you know them, and how they show up. Is today’s behavior consistent with how they normally act? Did something cause them to freak out? Can you actually help them in this moment of bad behavior? Working to minimize the impact of bad behavior by controlling how you respond to it can also bring down the drama.
The increased awareness and openness in today's workplace highlights the prevalence of bad behavior like never before. While factors like stress, lack of training, and personality conflicts contribute to these issues, the post-pandemic world has turned the volume up on these challenges. To address bad behavior, it's essential to focus on self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication. You can respond more constructively by understanding your own behavior and the underlying causes of others' actions. The future of work lies in building a culture of open dialogue and mutual respect, where everyone feels empowered to be their best selves without fear of bad behavior.
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I saw that Washington Post article. I appreciate you response!
Thank you for the shout out, babe!