Focusing on Uncertainty

After a rather contentious and ugly election process, many government regulations, both existing and proposed, have become the subject of many pundits trying to predict what will happen. It’s really not as uncommon as you think to see executive orders get reversed, pending regulations get stalled, and lots of unanswered questions swirl the internet. What we do know is that everything is up for grabs, though often times, not much really changes substantially. That may or may not be the case this time around.

So, what is an HR person to do? We all ramped up for huge changes in the overtime rules, only to see them put on hold. We just got used to ACA and now who knows what’s going to happen with healthcare. The list goes on. To get us through these times of uncertainty, try these helpful tips.

1. Stay the course – continue to do your job as before and wait to see what the changes will be, when and if they actually come about.
   
2. Be prepared – stay abreast of what the issues are and where things might be headed. Focus your efforts on reliable sources of information, and stay away from “fake news”. Also, prepare for different possibilities, if it’s appropriate.
   
3. Do what’s right – you really don’t need to wait for regulations to do what you should be doing anyway. Often times, HR professionals are advocating for going above and beyond the regulations because it’s the right thing to do.
   
4. Accept change positively – managing change is now part of most of our job descriptions. We always want to be perceived as having a positive attitude and most of all adaptable. After all, being resilient can be a competitive advantage; be perceived as part of the solution.
   
5. Stay apolitical – it is important to be seen as fair, unbiased, and objective. Regardless if you think the regulations are good or bad, or whether you prefer one political party’s approach to another, it’s best to focus on how the regulation can be integrated into the organization. You can always write to congress to change it, but stay professional and positive at all times at work.

When it’s all said and done, the only thing we know for sure is that change is the only constant. Focus on what you can control.

By John P. Savas