About this episode
Show Notes: [0:01:12] Intro Brief Recap on the Last Episode of AIB [0:02:05] “How to not turn your coworkers into your crazy Facebook uncle.” In a polarized world where everything is extreme, our society has a habit of pitting us against each other on most topics and issues. We evolved to be able to read body language and in-person communication. But now we need to adapt to modern technologies and to the landscape of changing industries, and distributed workforces. Unlike Facebook, you can’t just turn off your coworkers. How we humanize each other goes a long way toward creating a healthy and safe work environment. [0:06:03] Things we can do to humanize our perceptions of others and eliminate our own biases: Give people spaces to discuss things that aren’t work-related. Find out where you all have common ground. Avoiding apathy out of anger, frustration, or as a symptom of poor communication. [0:12:06] Things you can do to ensure broader interaction between coworkers: Personality Profile Workshops & Team Discussion Enneagram Strength’s Finders Etc All-Team Video Calls Cross-departmental discussion encouraged. Don’t mandate or assume you’ll have every person on the team for every call. “Off-site” Events Company Retreat/Summit Sporting Event Etc Any & All Common Ground Interactions Experiment. Find what works for your teams and company culture. Friendly Unmandated Coworking Calls Automated Check-ins Unrelated to Work E.g. “What’s something you saw recently that you found interesting?”, or, “Have you read any good books you’d recommend of late?” Regularly Recorded and Publicly Shared Shoutouts Hearing someone praise your work, or the work of others makes it really hard not to like them. :) [0:25:50] Parting Words & Last Minute Insights Take the time to get to know your coworkers, beyond just their roles and opinions, political or otherwise. You don’t have to be friends with everyone you work with, but there is no harm in liking everyone you work with. And that is more on you than it is on them, so put forth that effort to get to know them. At the end of the day, the choice is yours.
