7 New Rules of Workplace Professionalism: Post-Pandemic Edition - Dallas Fort Worth Nonprofit Business Journal (2024)

Hi everyone, a couple of things before we get started: If you’re free onJune 27^that 10am Pacific Time, please join me andCommon Future’s Co-CEO Jennifer Njugunain a conversation where we discuss our sector’s propensity for fear and risk-aversion, especially in light the pushback against DEI, and what we need to do about it. It’s free, and auto-captions will be enabled.Register here.

Also, around the summer solstice, June 20^ththis year, is when folks in our sector host PEEP (Party to Enhance Equity in Philanthropy) events, where funders and nonprofit leaders can get together in casual, no-agenda settings just to chat and see one another as human beings. Let folks know in the comments if you’re planning to have one.

The past few years have been eventful, and by that, I mean brutal and horrifying. And I am surprised by how all of us continue to follow the same rules of professionalism we were used to following. A colleague, for example, wrote on LinkedIn about the importance of “writing handwritten thank-you notes after job interviews”!

Oh heck no,HWTYN after job interviews are out! With the pandemic, the f*cklessness of our political leaders, and the cumulative effects of late-state capitalism leading to the collapse of society, I think we need to agree to some new rules of workplace professionalism if we are all expected to carry on doing our work. Here are a few I’ve thought of. Add yours below:

1.Pajamas are acceptable for work. Remember when all of us would dress up from the waste up in business casual, and then wear pajama pants because no one could see what we’re wearing on our bottom half on Zoom meetings? Well, time to go all-out and commit! Why shouldn’t we be comfortable all the time when working? Who says my Cookie Monster jammies are unprofessional when leading a staff meeting or meeting a major donor? While we’re on this topic, unbrushed hair, lack of makeup, and a general haunted visage, are now acceptable.

2.Crying breaks should be standard: Society tells us it’s unprofessional to be overcome with emotions and break down crying or beat our chest in despair or slide dramatically down the door inside the supply closet. But everything is all too much. I think we should each be allowed time to cry in despair. Kind of like how smokers have their smoke breaks, and no seems to have a problem with it. And crying is way healthier than smoking!

3.Cussing is a professional skill to be honed: You know they didexperimentsto see whether cussing helps with pain tolerance. They had people stick their hands in buckets of ice water, which becomes very painful after a few seconds, to see how long they can last. The people who were encouraged to cuss were able to endure the pain longer. So there you have it, there’s science behind the positive effects of cussing. Just try not to cuss AT people, especially clients or donors. Unless they deserve it.

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