11/06/2024

Election Stresses Could Impact Worker Productivity

Here’s what you need to know and how to manage it

Although Election Day is over, tuning out political tensions and anxieties could be an ever-challenging feat for employees–or a flat-out fruitless endeavor. And without a plan for handling political tensions at work, your team’s productivity could suffer.

Historically, the week before U.S. elections, both employee well-being and productivity falter, according to data from BetterUp, the mental health and coaching company. But this year’s presidential election has been especially close – and contentious – finish, with a final national NBC News poll showing a 49 percent-49 percent split for Harris and Trump. And that could add additional strain.

"No matter the outcome, roughly half the people will be upset in our country," said Jennifer Dulski, 52, founder and CEO of Rising Team, a Palo Alto, California-based team development platform, and a lecturer in management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. And considering the closeness of the election, it's possible that the outcome won’t be clear for days, Dulski added: "That will only make it more tense for employers and employees inside workplaces."

Please select this link to read the complete article from Inc.