Office Space: Professional Feelings

Tomorrow is Election Day in what has proven to be a challenging year. And all over the country the push towards “keeping it professional” will be in full force. But what does that actually mean?

On the surface, being “professional” at work is about creating boundaries between your personal life and professional life. It is a code of conduct that helps a business manage differing personalities and beliefs in a system. Below that surface (sometimes just below), keeping it professional is a way to keep people disconnected from their authentic selves. It is often about compliance rather than connection.

Sometimes the hair that comes naturally out of your head is deemed unprofessional. The cadence of your voice or your accent can be deemed unprofessional. Your feelings in response to real experiences within the office can also be deemed unprofessional. This is because what we determine to be professional or not is subjective.

The pandemic has shifted our lens for what is professional as many of us work from home but it is still subject to individual biases.

The invitation today, and throughout this week, is to be human rather than professional. To see the humanity in others, especially as things keep hard in the world at large.