03/18/2024

Let's Talk

Why now is the time to stop avoiding taboo topics at work

Few people enjoy talking about succession plans, performance problems and pay, but sometimes you must. Christina Wing offers five rules for navigating thorny conversations in the workplace, and makes the case for tackling even sensitive topics, like age, health and politics.

You feel your career stalling, with no clear path for advancement or a raise. You know the right conversation, artfully navigated, with the right individual at the right time is necessary—but approaching that moment requires ingenuity and skill.

From politics to sex, hot-button topics arise all the time in the workplace and can be addressed wisely—or poorly—says Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Christina Wing, whose forthcoming book Unspeakable offers advice for managing weighty interactions. She has also created a research-based guide that includes best practices for steering sensitive subjects.

Please select this link to read the complete article from HBS Working Knowledge.