Tip: Good relationship advice in a judgmental work world

SHEPA LEARNING COMPANY WEEKLY POSITIVE NETWORKING® TIP 

By Gayle Hallgren and Judy Thomson

Tip: Good relationship advice in a judgmental work world.

Roxanne Gay, a New York Times opinion columnist, answered a question from a reader who wondered what to do about a colleague who was on a Zoom call and vaping. The title of Gay’s column answers that question succinctly: The Freedom of Caring a Little Less What Other People Do.

Gay says while vaping might not be very professional, and it may be a little distracting, she says, “I wonder why we spend so much time policing the behaviors of others? If your colleague made valuable contributions to the meeting and otherwise comported herself well, why does it matter if she was vaping?” Gay makes a good point--that person isn’t vaping in her space, and it was a meeting with colleagues, not clients.

We think it’s good to cut colleagues a little slack, in particular when on video calls where people are operating from their home which may not be an optimal ‘office’.