Psychological Safety, Long COVID and Shorts at the Office: What I’m Reading This Week
It’s Friday, and that means it’s time to look back at the week that was, as well as the weekend to come.
My weekend plans include watching more of the Olympics. Thanks to streaming, I have been able to watch more sports than ever before. Coverage has come a long way from just the nightly recaps!
I’ve been so moved by the Olympic athletes, from their sheer talent and strength to the joy of the games to the compassion they show their fellow athletes. One example of that is when Brazilian athlete Tamires Araujo Frossard carried her injured opponent, Angola’s Gabriela Moreschi off the field. The images reminded me that we’re all humans, first and foremost, and despite background, belief, etc., we should help one another.
Until next time, be healthy, be safe and be kind.
Building Psychological Safety
EHS Today has been reporting on psychological safety for a while now, but I still try to read other articles I find about the topic. This one from Harvard Business Review concerned me.
In their latest study, authors Derrick P. Bransby, Michaela J. Kerrissey and Amy C. Edmondson observed more than 10,000 employees in a large organization. They discovered that new hires’ psychological safety started high, quickly declined and took years to recover.
The authors examined a handful of reasons why new employees are so likely to for their psychological safety to erode. While managers may not be entirely responsible for the circumstances that led to a drop in psychological safety, they must take an active role in the new hires’ and team’s response to the situation.
“Psychological safety is not the default in any workplace, and those who need it most — newcomers — are also most vulnerable to losing it,” they write. “Cultivating and reinforcing a climate favorable to learning requires deliberate leadership.”
Read more here.
Long COVID
A new report in the journal Nature estimates that 400 million people worldwide have had long COVID. Researchers also estimated the economic cost to be a staggering $1 trillion worldwide each year.
The study authors tried to take a 30,000-foot view at the global pandemic and its lasting effects. They cited estimates that only 7-10% of long COVID patients fully recovered after two years. Some manifestations of long COVID are lifelong, such as heart disease, there is still so much we don’t know about treating long COVID.
The pandemic may be officially declared over, but COVID-19 and its mutations are here to stay. The report calls for more research into treatments and new policies to better help those afflicted.
Read more here.
Shorts in the Workplace
This article from The Wall Street Journal has been popping up in my feed this week. Reporter Ray A. Smith explored whether it’s acceptable to wear shorts at the office. The article notes there are certain industries with strict dress codes where wearing shorts would or would not make sense.
But it’s that fuzzy nebulous of “business casual” where the discussion gets heated. Dress codes have been getting more relaxed for years, then COVID-19 arrived and the love of wearing elastic-waist pants disrupted the fashion industry. That, plus new innovations in textiles for wrinkle-free, sweat-wicking and breathable fabric have further blurred the lines.
Just under a third (31%) of U.S. hiring managers say that having dress-code guidelines is important, down from 49% five years prior, according to a Harris Poll survey commissioned by Express Employment Professionals, a staffing firm.
I’ll let those with skin—or perhaps legs—in the game debate this one. I, for one, am glad to no longer live in an age (or work for a company) where I have to wear pantyhose and close-toed shoes to the workplace.
Read more here.
