The so-called “cancellation culture” is a practice in which a public figure or an organization loses popular support, due to a socially unacceptable action. The consultant, Walters People, analyzes how this phenomenon also affects the workplace.
public figures such as Minister Irene Montero, the presenter Jorge Javier Vázquez or the actor, Eduardo Casanova, They have already been ‘canceled’ on social networks for their controversial opinions, but this phenomenon extends beyond social networks, even reaching the media, as happened with the controversies of Will Smith, James Cordon or , recently, with Tamara Cap.
As with a famous person, a professional can also lose the opportunity to promote within their company. if you have been ‘cancelled’ by your peersso the last option you have left if you want to advance in your career is to change jobs.
To analyze when it is more common for this phenomenon to occur and thus learn to deal with it, Ramón Pérez, Manager at Walters People, reviews a series of everyday situations in the workplace that can be interpreted as toxic behavior.
The team before me
A professional spends most of his daily time with his colleagues, with whom he has common goals to meet. We are all part of a team, so it is important to avoid the carefree approach of “this is not my responsibility” or “I don’t get paid to do this”, since sometimes it is more appropriate to offer a helping hand and try to support a partner as much as possible.
open up to others
When the daily conversation is limited to talking only about work issues, you don’t really get to know the person behind the position. Showing a shell brings distrust and can cause co-workers to ‘cancel’ the person who does not show himself as he is.
Commenting that you feel overwhelmed by buying or renting a house, that you need advice to choose a future master’s degree, or talking about emotional issues is something totally acceptable to share at work and shows us who we are: hard-working people with common problems that we share with our coworkers.
ignorance is not bliss
The sociopolitical news it is boiling globally and is the main topic of conversation that can divide teammates, since each person is affected in a different way. Staying informed from various points of view is the best way to avoid making a comment that may offend others. Conversations between colleagues of different ages and positions is a source of enrichment.
beware of humor
That’s not to say you can’t have a good time while you’re working. Keep in mind that sarcasm can be easily misinterpreted and dark humor is not for everyone, especially in an email or corporate chat, as there is no body language to help interpret the tone of the joke. . Making fun of someone in the group or making a bad joke about something serious equals a high chance of offending, but that’s humor.
It is scientifically proven that having a sense of humor serves as a stress inoculator. When we laugh, we release biochemical substances such as dopamine (improves our mood) or adrenaline (greater activation) and especially serotonin, which lowers cortisol (known as the hormone responsible for stress).
stop the rumors
Getting involved in petty discussions and feeding harmful rumors at work is one of the ways in which a professional can be ‘cancelled’ from one moment to the next, since they make value judgments, usually not supported by reality.
The best advice is stay away from useless gossip and involve the human resources department if at any time a rumor could negatively affect an individual or a department.
Assume the responsibility
Sometimes things don’t go quite right at work because of something that hasn’t been done correctly or because you’ve said something wrong. When this happens, the best thing to do to demonstrate professionalism is to step up and take responsibility. We cannot only attribute successes and never errors. Wriggling out of a problem or “dropping the balls” is not the best way to be an honest or trustworthy partner, as it is the seed for future problems.
practice gratitude
As a manager, or simply as part of a work team, you have to take the time to put yourself in the shoes of the other and think about how the other person might feel about having a greater workload. Communicating and verbalizing appreciation is much better than taking credit from the person who did the job. Medals are useless, better shared trophies.
“The first step to avoid being ‘cancelled’ by co-workers is to be aware of the situations that can cause discontent and discomfort in them. Living the rejection of the team not only affects on a personal level, but can cause discomfort that leads the professional to even want to change jobs. If you feel ‘canceled’ and you don’t know what the reason might be, talk to your colleagues and find a win-win solution, sometimes a small change in attitude generates many benefits. If the problem persists, talk to your human resources department and ask for help”advises Ramón Pérez, Manager at Walters People.
