What Are You Saying?

I saw a poll this morning asking, “Should employees be prohibited from wearing MAGA hats to work?”  Interesting question. 

The workplace is to put the needs of the company first.  Part of those needs include the well-being of the employees as without employees you will have no company.  That being said, what prompts the question?  Is it that MAGA hats inspire certain members of the Left to come unglued?  Is the purpose to try to avoid workplace upheaval?  Perhaps even workplace violence?

Let’s look at this for what it is.

I do not believe the MAGA hats are the problem.  I understand that people are passionate about their politics.  But the root cause (IMO) of this issue is that society has lost the ability to communicate civilly with one another.

We all have a touch of keyboard warrior in us.  For over a decade, most of the world has sat behind a computer screen, laptop or phone and voiced his/her opinion without interruption, contradiction or opposition; myself included.  We type – we hit send and we shoot it out into the universe.  It is only when we are in a person-to-person situation where we must ensure sensitivity to one another. 

In an excerpt from an article written in 2015 found on the web,

lbert Mehrabian, a major figure in the study of non-verbal communication, introduced an equation about contradictory feedback in his 1971 book Silent Messages: “Total feeling = 7% verbal feeling + 38% vocal feeling + 55% facial feeling.” In other words, “the degree of liking conveyed by the facial expression will dominate and determine the impact of the total message.” (Vanderkam, 2015)  I encourage you to read it in its entirety – see link below

Social Media has its value – do not misunderstand.  But allowing social media, texting, tweating, etc to replace face-to-face contact in its entirety is a huge mistake.  My recommendation is for each of us to make a concerted effort every day to have a face-to-face conversation (not a mere interaction) with someone about a relevant topic for that day.  Hone the art of communication before we lose the ability altogether. 

As for the MAGA hat, your time is your business….but work is work time and I believe the workplace is no place for political statements.  That includes vagina hats as well.

R-O-A-R!!!

References:  Vanderkam, Laura; The Science of When you Need In-Person Communication, retrieved from the world wide web on January 10, 2020 from https://www.fastcompany.com/3051518/the-science-of-when-you-need-in-person-communication