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What Would You Do?

It occurred to me that I had not really had a post about what was on my mind recently. Like so many people, I have been so busy just getting through the day and navigating life somewhere between new normal, old normal, and what exactly is normal now. As I talk to people, I think everyone is existing somewhere in that plain with feelings of being not really sure about anything anymore. Life is just making up the rules for most people and individuals are just trying to play the game.  Every day is just another fun day in #Uncertainty2021. All of this applies to the world of work just as much as it applies to a trip to the grocery store.

Here are some thoughts:

Handshaking – In American society, we used handshaking at work, when meeting people, and as an overall polite gesture. Pandemic life called for us to avoid touching people due to germs. We learned to fist bump, elbow poke, waving, and the “air hug arm gesture” while not actually hugging or touching anyone. Now that the pandemic is coming to a conclusion, what is the protocol? Should we go back to handshaking or just wave at people? This subject might not be so complicated until you consider there are people currently job searching and may have to try to navigate this very dilemma in the near future. Imagine in the next couple of weeks you get called for an interview for your dream job. You show up in your finest interview attire and the interviewer extends his hand to you upon conclusion. You are really not ready to touch a stranger yet, but you want this job so badly. What do you do?

Masking – We are currently in the in-between part of life where some people mask and some people don’t. If you are required to or not depends on the rules where you live, but if you live in a mask optional place, rules of masking and polite society collide. Let’s consider our job seeker ready for his interview. He is fully vaccinated and has completed his number of days for full immunity to take effect. He is ready to go on his job interview. Should he plan on wearing a mask or not if the business does not mandate it?  What if he ready to be fully mask-less, but arrives and everyone is wearing a mask? What if he is wearing a mask and no one else is? 

Group meetings, events, etc. – Eventually most people will have to be in a group at work. What if you have to have a meeting in a small room that does not allow social distance? What if your daily tasks and duties require you to be in a group? Vaccinated or not, what if you are still unsure of or psychologically ready to be in a group?  How do you navigate? Do you disclose your discomfort before the meeting or during the meeting?

Vaccination – Depending on the workplace, some employment situations may require their employees be vaccinated. What happens if you are opposed to vaccination and do not want it? How do you navigate?  Do you look for another job? Do you disclose to a new employer your reason for leaving is not wanting to vaccinate? If you are vaccinated do you disclose? How do you tell someone you do not want to discuss vaccination?

Now imagine all of the above are questions in your mind that are unanswered and you are a person who has to counsel another individual about how to navigate. These are current and upcoming items for workforce professionals everywhere. What if those same questions are areas you as a worker are thinking through while trying to help someone else at the same time? What if a job seeker flat out asked you to tell them the right thing to do?  For workforce professionals in the coming months, these will be just a few of the real subjects and topics that will be coming across desks.

 ~Karen Cirincione

Email: kcirincione@gmail.com        

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/karenjcirincione

Twitter: @kcirincione 

 

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