When Donald Trump upset Hillary Clinton to capture the presidency in 2016, I was a bit surprised.
But a few of my acquaintances treated the result more like a death in the family. One otherwise rationale person was predicting the end of democracy. As it turns out, that hasn’t quite happened. At least, not yet.
I’m sure that many of the 70 million-plus people who voted for Trump this year may also be going through a rough patch. That’s understandable. Let’s face it, there’s a reason most of us must be taught to be good sports. Losing really hurts.
Chances are pretty good that not every person working in your facility was pulling for the same candidate. Which is more than fine. What’s not so fine is when an election’s outcome causes relations between coworkers to get frosty, or worse.
So how should you approach the matter of keeping the peace during this potentially delicate time?
William Doherty, Ph.D., is a professor in the Family Social Science Department at the University of Minnesota. In a Wall Street article, he offered some advice that might prove helpful.
- Don’t gloat because your candidate won, and don’t predict the end of the country because your candidate didn’t.
- Don’t continue an argument that will get you nowhere.
- If you need to vent, do so with people who have similar views.
- Put the presidential campaign in a box, leave it on the shelf and move on.
I know, easier said than done. So here’s some additional advice: Just be nice.
Compassion, respect and empathy never go out of style. Especially when it comes to dealing with caregiving duties, of course — but also with colleagues who are suffering. And right now, many are.
John O’Connor is editorial director for McKnight’s.
