The Workday Reading: May 26, 2017
May 26, 2017
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1) How to have hard conversations when you don’t like conflict. (HBR)
2) Okay, this off-the-shoulder striped bikini is pretty cute and very summery.
3) Foolproof ways to end a bad date. (ManRepeller)
4) H&M is having a huge sale. Check out this $20 denim jacket and $18 striped dress.
5) How to meaningfully connect with colleagues and stay well-connected. (First Round)
6) Must Haves at Gap: a crisp, white dress, this chic straw hat, and this eyelet skirt.
7) How Trader Joe’s can make a profit on $2 bottles of wine. (Business Insider)
8) These striped knotted sandals from Sole Society should be on everyone’s list.
9) One woman’s response to her sexist co-worker (I thought both parties were unprofessional). (Refinery29)
10) Score big at the Half-Yearly with this $15 silver clutch and this $27 cognac tote.
11) Easy Memorial Day recipes you can pull together at the last minute. (Bustle)
12) Summer Hair Tip: Apply Drybar Triple Sec to wet hair for texture and hold.
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What I’m Drinking. Follow me to watch my Instastory about Barmini’s cocktail tasting menu.
How I’m Organizing. This necklace hanger keeps them visible and untangled.
What Boggled My Mind. Why anyone would steal trucks full of walnuts.
What I Should’ve Bought Long Ago. This Hot Tools curling iron.
What I’m Loving. Being in D.C. for a few days.
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Re 1, I hate conflict, but in a professional setting sometimes you can’t avoid it! These strategies work, my favorite tack is being respectful and direct, people are often so surprised at having a civil conversation that they thought was an “argument” that they immediately drop their defensiveness.
Re 9, if someone sent me that text I think I’d be bringing it to HR, rather than lowering myself to his level. So unprofessional on so many levels, this guy needs to develop some impulse control.
Whoa you are so right! That “clap-back” to the sexist co-worker is wildly unprofessional! I can see how an HR rep would reprimand them both in that situation, she’s acting childish, unprofessional, and threatening. Also, in the guy’s mind, probably proves his point that she’s “too emotional”. Don’t respond, and save the text. Document the actions, is there are enough, take it to HR. Focus on building strong interpersonal, but professional, office relationships so that you have some defense against gossip. That would be my approach.
I was like, no. Do not be encouraging women to speak to their co-workers this way, AND IN WRITING. And since she’s the supervisor, she’s in more trouble than he is if this bubbles up.
Seriously. She should have just gone straight to HR, and if she absolutely, positively needed to give her two cents, there was no reason to bring race and vulgarity into it.
Yes, exactly. Her reply made the situation so much worse.
Definitely a good idea to think through how to react to these situations ahead of time so you don’t get caught in the heat of the moment
I just CANNOT understand why I’ve seen this on Levo and other career sites being touted as a good move.
Right, it’s one thing to vent privately to trusted friends about jackasses like him, but that was shortsighted and naive. Don’t we tend to leave impulsive responses like that behind in high school?
We can all make a dumb decision in the moment. But the accolades are perplexing. And if this actually happened, she has set a very shaky foundation for her time as a supervisor.
Re: avoiding conflict. I found Kim Scott’s book Radical Candor to be very helpful in this regard (she gave a TED talk on the same issue). Kim puts direct feedback and conflict into perspective–if you want someone to do well, and they’re not, giving them direct feedback is a way to help them get back on track. I enjoyed the book and am trying to put it into practice at my work. Many of her tips are similar to the HBR article, particularly speaking up quickly.
RE Truck full of walnuts: Thieving squirrels.