Have you ever been asked what are your biggest pet peeves? One of my employees was just asked this recently, and mentioned that it’s a question posed to her quite often. Pet peeve is just a more common and light-hearted term for something we all experience, triggers.
On our HR Community Hour last week, we discussed triggers and how to address them. One recommendation I always stress is spending time to diagnose and recognize your own emotional triggers, to learn them and in turn minimize the effects they can have on your wellbeing.
Just like being asked about your pet peeves, start to consider how you would respond when asked about what gets you ticking. If we can be aware of our trigger points, we will be able to begin dissociating ourselves with them and stay focused instead of losing our cool. Some of the triggers we discussed on the following:
A Glimpse of Some of Our Triggers
Diversity and Inclusion
If you haven’t sensed an increased focus on the DEI front across our nation’s workplaces then you’re among the few that have not. This article published by SHRM on August 3, 2020 states that change is coming, “One-third of those surveyed have hosted or plan to host an employee meeting—such as a town hall—to discuss the stance and actions they plan to take against racial injustice, SHRM found”.
The article continues:
One-fourth of organizations surveyed are creating new policies and systems to reduce systemic and structural bias, and nearly one-third have modified, expanded or plan to change their existing policies and systems. There also is a new emphasis on training about implicit bias, with more than half of organizations teaching their employees about racial inclusion and other diversity-related topics.
So what about the progression of a necessary workplace and cultural movement triggers people?
Unsurprisingly, it’s the fakeness behind it. The facade of putting on a good show and doing little real work. In some cases this trigger is catalyzed by the harsh reality of the timely struggle it takes to bring about real change.
Gender Stereotypes
During our call we talked a lot about industries that associate certain adjectives with masculinity and others with femininity. For example, words that were used to describe women were “caring, nice, etc”, while men were “confident, powerful, etc”. Anyone, regardless of gender, can be caring, kind, confident and powerful. The belief that otherwise is true is based upon years and years of conditioning, that we should work to reverse.
Tips for How to Avoid Triggered Reactions
- Don’t bite the bait, after all it’s a hook.
- Practice behaving with a high level of emotional intelligence
- Let people know how their words made you feel and allow them permission to clarify what they meant.
- Visualize your ego as a physical object and place it elsewhere.
- This will allow you time to process, reframe, and then react.
Just like being asked about your pet peeves, start to consider how you would respond when asked about what gets you ticking. If we can be aware of our trigger points, we will be able to begin dissociating ourselves with them, and stay focused instead of losing our cool.
If you would like to discuss triggers in your life and come up with an action plan for the next time we face them, please reach out to me.
