fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Workplace Negativity : A Silent Killer In Your Office!
By: Arpita Gulyani
Tags: Workplace, HR, Employee Engagement, Workplace Culture, Hrtech

Workplace Negativity

“Weak people take revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent people make a CHANGE”

Many facets of the workplace are affected by negativity. It has an impact on everything from employee engagement to productivity, as well as employee morale.

No one wants to work in a toxic workplace, plain and simple!

Combating negativity is not an overwhelming task; you simply need to approach it in a strategic way. The days of socializing around the water cooler are gone, and people now just hide behind screens thinking less about the consequences of their words and deeds, posing a new issue.

Workplace negativity should be taken seriously because it can jeopardize your organisational success. Employee engagement suffers as a result, and more time and effort is spent on tackling negativity rather than focusing on tasks that actually need to be done.

Imagine what could happen if your employees are unable to come up with fresh ideas to achieve company objectives. What do you think would happen?

The company’s growth will get stagnant!

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, businesses in the United States lose roughly 3 billion dollars every year as a result of workplace negativity. Whooaaaaa!

Negativity costs businesses a lot of money and ruins workplace relationships. So, what should you do?

Identifying a fundamental cause is the first step in reducing workplace negativity. Check with your employees to see how they are feeling, for example:

– Lack of confidence

– Burned out because of too much work or stringent deadlines

– Misunderstood or ignored in the workplace

– Unappreciated or undervalued (According to global studies, 79 percent of employees who left their jobs do so due to “lack of recognition”)

– Unable to manage issues with peers

– Lack of resources and support

Once you’ve figured out what’s causing the negativity in your company, you can work to eliminate it.

Negativity in the workplace is a huge problem that can have serious financial implications for your company. It has the potential to lower employee morale and deplete your employees’ energies. Dealing with unsatisfied and unhappy coworkers can be stressful, and the toxicity can spread from one person to the next. I hope that this post will help you in avoiding negativity and creating a joyful, productive, and healthy workplace.
The Stages of a Thriving Workplace Culture
Tags: Workplace, Technology, Future Of Work, Workplace Culture, Diversity

Stage 1: Personality

When a company takes its first breath, its culture largely reflects the personality of its founder(s). How work gets done, what aspects are prioritized / emphasized, communication practices — all of it naturally stems from the founder’s personality and working style. In the very beginning, this is natural and expected, but it shouldn’t stay this way for long.

Stage 2: Foundation

This stage occurs when the founder(s) begin to look outside of themselves and think about the overall mission, vision, and core values of the company. While still reflective of the founder(s) personality, this stage begins the process of the company’s existence as a separate entity from the founder(s) themselves.

Stage 3: Flux

Once the founder(s) start to build out the team, the culture starts to take on a life of its own that the founder(s) cannot as readily control. Other business leads may have different ideas of how work should get done and have fundamental differences regarding what they look for when hiring new people.

This stage can be especially challenging for leaders to work through as the company’s culture requires persistent attention. Leaders need to proactively invest in culture through time, money, and resources.

Stage 4: Stabilization

At this stage, the company’s culture begins to stabilize. The mission is clear and the core team is solidified. The question of “What is it like to work at your company?” (staff perspective) or “How would you describe their product?” (client/customer perspective) should garner consistent answers.

Stage 5: Nurture

This stage is often taken for granted, and therefore requires the most work.

Once a culture has solidified, thinking that it will remain stable without constant thought and attention is quite dangerous. Similar to a long-term relationship, it is what happens after the honeymoon stage that determines the quality of the culture and whether it will last.

At this stage, leaders must constantly develop themselves and their people, monitor industry trends, and make necessary shifts, and frequently remind themselves of the classic Marshall Goldsmith quote: “What got you here won’t get you there.”
We Hosted Diversity Chats and You Should Too— What We Learned
By: This Dot Media
Tags: Change, Inclusion, Ngatlanta, Workplace Culture, Diversity

There’s something about diversity that brings everyone together. Whether you’re interested in developing a more inclusive team or you already live and breathe it, discussions about equality can spark opportunities and build communities.

Some of the Angular community’s most talented speakers came together to discuss diversity and inclusion at January’s This Dot Fireside Chats during the ngAtlanta conference, in partnership with the Paved Road Foundation.

The consensus was clear: Changing the gender ratio in the tech workplace is paramount. Together, speakers and attendees were able to dive deep and get personal, while remaining judgment-free, on all things diversity and inclusion.

One of the liveliest hot-button topics we discussed was, “What does it mean to stand up for yourself?”

Speakers and audience members chimed in with their thoughts on what it means to value yourself and expect dignity and respect.

The biggest takeaway? “No matter your level, you still have valuable input.”

It’s more important than ever to encourage everyone to get involved at every level. Developers coming from various non-traditional backgrounds are learning to code and hungry to participate in the growing tech market.

But without mentorship and guidance, new developers will never be able to ramp up to their full potential. Everyone has something to offer the tech world. But first, we must set an example by creating a level playing field.

We strongly encourage all organizers to host Diversity Chats at their conferences! Create conversations around inclusion and the new workforce that’s starting to enter the tech world.

Have questions? Email us about our experiences! hi@thisdot.co.

This post was written by Kaelyn St James, a team member at This Dot Labs.
Why It’s Important to Align the Three “Boards” in Your Organization? — Leadership I.M.H.O.
By: Don Varela
Tags: Culture, Employee Engagement, Customer Experience, Workplace Culture, Leadership

Creating an aligned message across the three different boards within your organization will ensure successful and the sustained delivery of the culture you intend your company to represent.

What are these three boards?

Board Room Billboards Break Room Bulletin Boards

Board Rooms

The board room represent the senior level of leadership in your company. The folks at this level, and those who closely relate to these individuals are those who have the most influence in creating strategies, policies, and it’s where the big decision-making happens. Most importantly, this is the board where the overall culture and messaging of the company is developed and decided upon.

Billboard

Billboards are the outward channels where the messages are being relayed to the public, specifically clients and potential clients of your organization. Imploring to the public your organization’s culture and philosophies, basically everything your company stands for, is an important point of execution to earn the interest and the trust of your market.

Bulletin Boards

Bulletin boards represents the dwellings of every single team member in your organization. These are boards found in break rooms, team areas, intranet sites, and many more. This is one of the many ways middle management can ensure the overall culture and messaging is posted for every eye to see, through the lens of the various divisions, departments, sections, and teams. It’s also a place where your team members can have a voice to make their own declaration of what “their” organization stands for.

Why is this important?

What’s the point of having well-defined corporate culture and messaging if that message doesn’t leave the four walls of the board room? What if both the board room and the billboards match in the messaging of “delivering every service with a smile,” if one of your retail managers doesn’t ensure that each team member under their care understands this promise? What if your frontlines are empowered and fully engaged in delivering that promise, but the folks in the board room are only focused on sales and revenue, not investing resources to grow employee engagement?

Proper alignment is an imperative. Without the seamless and unquestionable connection between the three boards, there wouldn’t be a unified compass for each member of the organization, and those with whom they involve with to be business partners, to undeniably gauge their actions and if those actions align to what the organization stands for. This type of consistency is an important ingredient to build great organizations that last.

How does your organization ensure that there is this type of consistency across the different “boards” in your company? Can you share some tactical ways you do that within your organization? Please share in the comments below.
THE FUTURE IS NOW: 4 WORKPLACE INNOVATIONS MODERN ORGANIZATIONS ARE RIDING TO SUCCESS
Tags: Workplace, Coworking Space, Workplace Culture, Leadership, Coworking

THE FUTURE IS NOW: 4 WORKPLACE INNOVATIONS MODERN ORGANIZATIONS ARE RIDING TO SUCCESS Altspace Feb 12, 2019·2 min read

Boring workspaces are quickly being relegated to the annals of the past. Fixed routines are for baby boomers. Millennials and millennial organizations are all about efficiency, technology and work life balance. In the last decade, workplace changes like co- working spaces, flexible timings and VR meetings have spread far and wide. And the trend of innovation and experimentation looks to continue in the upcoming years. We list some trends that successful organizations are sure to adopt in the next few years:

Flexibility in timings and spaces: Organizations are heeding to employees now more than ever, and this will continue in the coming years. Co- working spaces, Flexible timings and the option to work from home means employees are finding work less stressful and are more likely to stay with the organization for a long time. Smart Buildings: In the era of IOT, workspaces are changing to become more lifelike than ever before. Sensors and cameras are being used to optimize temperatures, notice unused spaces and control lighting and make user experience more and more comfortable. Cutting edge technology: Concepts like VR and AR might have been more fiction than reality a few years ago, but they are slowly becoming efficient means of business. From better sales pitches to more natural meetings, technology is stepping up to help forward thinking businesses grow exponentially. The cool factor: All the tech and flexible aside, having ‘cool’ workspaces has become a very tangible accessory for the new work force. Working at a comfortable, unique and aesthetically pleasing place is more enjoyable and productive for the employee.

The new work culture is a result of multiple factors. Careful strategies on the employer’s end, pop culture, a shift in priorities towards mental well –being all have played a role in the restructuring of workplaces in modern times. The rise of co- working spaces has been one of the most impactful contributors to this shift. With the option of choosing exactly how and when they want to work, the worker has started wielding the power that is shaking up the way organizations work to the core.
The Life Changing Magic of Small Fixes
By: Kate Tokley
Tags: Workplace Culture, Burnout, Charity

Not my actual blind. Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash.

A few weeks ago I bought a new blind for the office. For at least a year, people had been putting using a combination of a broken blind and paper selotaped to the window to shield their computer screens from the sun. Nobody complained, but when I moved desks to that side of the office I found it unbearable.

It took time to check how much money there was left in the office supplies budget, research affordable blind options, order a blind, and (with the help of another colleague) install the blind. But in total, it only cost a couple of hours and £100 to fix the problem.



It’s fair to say it has transformed the working environment. Every time we adjust the blind somebody comments on how much better it is. Any time somebody comes to visit the office they remark on how much nicer it looks. I wonder why it took so long to fix.



Every day we devote ourselves to transforming society for the better, but we didn’t think it was worth doing one tiny thing to make our own lives so much better. It frustrates me when the working culture of charities and campaign organisations are so self-sacrificing — when people think that £100 on a new blind is too indulgent, that they can’t afford to take a lunch break, or that the work they do is more important than their own rest and recuperation.



To me, how you do something is as important as what you do. It might be just one blind, but to me it’s a sign that people’s comfort is valued in a space that they give so much of their lives to.



It’s insulting to make people work in an environment where they have to squint to see their screens, or block out all natural light with sheets of paper. Just as it is insulting to make people work for lower then the living wage. For organisations who are supposedly values-led, it amazes me how staff can be treated.

I’ve heard of people who have asked for much-deserved pay rises, only to be told that “our donors don’t give us money so that we can give it to our staff”, or who have been told that their maternity leave is putting too much pressure on already stretched resources. Countless friends of mine have burnt themselves out working long hours for no extra pay. People who work for charities really care, but often this passion means that they are exploited, intentionally or not, by organisations trying to achieve more than they are funded for.



It doesn’t have to be this way. Culture is created and reinforced by behaviour, including yours. We all have a responsibility to lead by example and challenge negative working practices — whether they are unsustainable and exploitataive or just a bit unfriendly or unpleasant.



Go home at 5pm. Take a lunchbreak. Make tea for your colleagues. Buy the god damn blind.
Covid-19: Our Continuity Plan
By: Arekibo Communications
Tags: Covid 19, Workplace Culture, Work Life Balance, Continuity, Working From Home

Arekibo’s Covid-19 plan

We decided to mobilise our team to work from home last week. This was done to support the measures announced by the Irish Government to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We had been developing a continuity plan and were able to activate this plan quite quickly. Our team are now 100% up and running across the globe.

Thankfully unlike many companies, we are a cloud enabled company. All our tools, systems and data are hosted in the cloud and our team can access and manage our systems and tools anytime and anywhere.

This week we have been in constant contact with our customers and where possible, we will all try to continue to collaborate to keep the ball rolling.

Some of our team are remote working veteran’s and have been supporting the newbies to adjust and adapt to our new working environments. This is difficult but this week I’ve been amazed at how quickly the team have embraced the changes and are all looking after by each other.

Over the coming weeks, we will all have to manage family and work, which up until last week for many didn’t happen all in the same place. We have several guiding principles at Arekibo and one of them is Family First. Never has a principle meant so much. It’s important that we can be with our families during times like these. Hopefully one of the lasting benefits of this will be a greater appreciation of family, friends and community not to mention a greater global focus on looking after our environment.

Some interesting findings this week include:

Microsoft Teams is our MVP product this week and has been busy helping us to communicate. The team have created various activities to keep us collaborating and these include the Movie and Book library and the Step Challenge. The Friday Learning Series, first one today where our remote working veteran’s and other Arekibian’s will share their best practices of working from home. Weekly all hand video call to check in, say hello, show each other our coffee cups and just shoot the breeze for 30 mins. Comedy has helped and it’s amazing how many of the team are using it to cheer each other up. Structure — we have quickly found our cadence and are getting on with it.

Taking into account that we will all be doing more conference calls, I’m reminded of a great quote from Nelson Mandela — “Appearances matter — and remember to smile.”

Please feel free to contact us if we you need any additional support. We wish you and your family the best over the coming weeks. Stay safe!

Onwards 🚀

Martin

About the Author
The State of Diversity & Inclusion — Insights From Gloria Feldt
By: Emilia Picco
Tags: Workplace Diversity, Womens Rights, Workplace Culture, Diversity And Inclusion, Diversity

This article is part of Hallo’s new State of Diversity and Inclusion Series which will feature interviews with a wide range of professionals and thought leaders to learn more about the state of D&I, the progress made in 2020, and predictions on the trends that will shape 2021.

The following is an interview we recently had with Gloria Feldt, co-founder and President of Take The Lead.

How would you describe the current state of diversity and inclusion in most organizations today?

More talk than do.

How has COVID-19 impacted diversity and inclusion initiatives?

COVID-19 has cracked open egregious racial and gender disparities in our culture. Organizations can’t hide from them anymore. Many companies started throwing money at Black causes but without a strategy to end systemic racism which is at the root of the problem. And women have been ignored, resulting in four times as many women as men leaving the workforce.

What are the most common challenges and roadblocks organizations face when it comes to implementing their diversity and inclusion initiatives?

The commitment has to come from the top. CEOs, leadership teams, and HR have to be on board. This requires power sharing and learning that power sharing doesn’t decrease their power — it multiplies their credibility and profitability.

As a provider of training and coaching proven to accelerate women’s leadership advancement and create a culture of inclusion for everyone, I see that organizations fail to invest adequately in the very outcomes they say they want. It takes time and money to develop diverse leadership. But the payoff far exceeds that cost. Companies that operate in an inclusive culture outperform their peers by 80%, according to Deloitte studies.

What are 3–5 pieces of advice you have for organizations looking to improve the impact of their D&I strategies?

Invest in supporting diversity initiatives for all employees and intentionally support professional development for diverse employees.

Involve top leadership every step of the way. Consider expanding the executive team if need be to model inclusivity.

Ditch ineffective implicit bias training and focus on recruitment, advancement, and consciously shifting to a culture of Inclusion. It’s actually fun.

Support public policy that levels the playing field such as subsidized quality childcare and elder care.

What trends will shape D&I in 2021? How can organizations prepare for these changes?

Employees will push leadership to take public stands for social justice. They will expect more transparency about promotions and compensation.

It will be essential to put women and especially women of color at the center of recovery from the pandemic. Failing to do so will cause organizations to lose the investments they have already made in women and make it harder to fill their talent pipelines.
Crisis Perspectives Series: Learning at Home Amid COVID-19
By: Pmg Digital Agency
Tags: Working Parents, Covid 19, Covid 19 Crisis, Workplace Culture, Digital Marketing

As I was standing in line at the grocery store with the rest of the U.S. getting diapers, milk, and my rationed allotment of toilet paper and paper towels. when I heard that school for the kids would be canceled. I could feel the anxiety building by the second. My gut reaction-buy more coffee and wine.

The sick day protocol of snacks and TV to pacify them was not going to work long-term.

This was not the one-off day where the kiddos would be at home — this would be the new norm for who knows how long. Kids thrive on structure. Therefore, my husband and I would need to be more proactive about scheduling dedicated working hours to coincide with new routines for the kids. These new routines would include educational content despite being home.

Luckily, there are a lot of resources available to help.

First things first: Set a schedule. Here is a good example but it’s important to be flexible and do what works best for your family. Don’t feel like you need to schedule every 15 minutes; that’ll only stress you out and drive the family crazy!

Now, what to do with the Academic time…let me tell you, trained educators are special people, and this is not my trained craft. There’s no way I can teach my kids like Mrs. Walker or Mrs. Leggett. Thanks to technology, that’s not a matter to worry about. Below are links to online resources that can help:

Science & Math:

Reading & Writing:

Social Studies:

Indoor Recess for bad weather:

Additional Resources:

Pinterest has slews of free worksheets and STEM / Art Projects

Things don’t have to be so structured. All this time together could present unique opportunities for applied learning.

Do puzzles or play board games

Get the kids engaged in spring planting and gardening

Cook and bake healthy foods; this requires learning in following directions, measuring, and fractions

Engage in regular tasks with the kids; shoe-tying and riding without training wheels are still important life skills!

The period of COVID-19 will always be a time we remember. My husband and I can have crazy schedules with different planes passing in the night. Several weeks hunkered in the house together 24/7creates a once in a lifetime opportunity. It will be stressful trying to balance work, housework, and the kids’ education, but try to enjoy the little moments. This too shall pass.
Perhaps the closest relation which I can draw from the topic of capitalism is the nature of my…
By: Tele Me
Tags: Sociology

Perhaps the closest relation which I can draw from the topic of capitalism is the nature of my father’s job as an auto-technician mechanic. Being a member of the working class, I grew up witnessing how his struggles and the fruition of his labor became an advantage to the car-owners, whom I preferably refer to the “economically privileged”. As my inherent social reality, I am not estranged to the basic principles and evils of the free market.

For Karl Marx, there is an immanent relation between man’s labor and human nature, that is man’s species-being — his sense to work beyond his needs which separates him from other living things. In the prevalence of the bourgeois society, however, his work simply loses its character and becomes subsistence, therefore only exemplifying the exploitations and alienation from his own labor. As presented in Ritzer and Stepnisky (2018), this alienation of the working class, is identified from either their productive activity, product, fellow workers, and human potential. To elaborate, first, man is alienated from his productive activity when he toils for the capitalist and in the end receives wage for the labor he did not decide himself. For my father whose job is basically repairing cars under the direction of a company he works for, the fulfilling end is earning money for survival not by owning his work. Second, the working class is alienated from their own creation as in the case of NutriAsia factory workers who are not only working for capitalist Joselito Campos, but are reportedly exploited (Rey & Bautista, 2018). Third, capitalism promotes isolation and interpersonal hostility with other fellow workers which is observable with call-center agents. Lastly, man is alienated from his human potential as in the case of the sales lady whose smiles and greetings are scripted in a controlled environment.

Marx presupposes capitalism as structurally unequal — the capitalist benefit more at workers disadvantage. This creates arbitrary distinctions on the part of the workers, setting them up to compete against one another (class conflict). In a capitalist society, profit generation rests on the exploitation of proletariat who inevitably will increase and be soon capable of revolution that necessitates political action, birthing a communist society. The evils of capitalism are hence, can only be resolved through social change. Participating in the free market while fighting for the rights of those victims of it, is therefore a disguised privilege.

References:

Rey, A., & Bautista, J. (2018). LOOK: Why NutriAsia workers are on strike. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/reason-nutriasia-workers-on-strike

Ritzer , G., and Stepnisky, J.,(2018) Sociological Theories. 10th Edition . Sage Publishing, 80–116.
Genealogical Privilege
By: Vi Alekseevna
Tags: Culture, Foster Care, Adoption, Dna, Sociology

Family trees are often blank for foster kids and adopted children.

I have discussed the concept of “genealogical privilege” a variety of times before. The reason I keep going back to it is because it is such an important matter to discuss, especially whenever discussing matters that deal with being adopted and/or out of the foster care network.

Geneoalogical privilege is having access (or “privilege” in this case) to information about one’s family and personal history. This includes but is not limited to: one’s family tree, having a general understanding of one’s ethnic background, knowing one’s family medical history, knowing the culture of one’s ancestors and knowing what populations of people one came from (Romani, Jewish, indigenous Americans, etc.).

A lot of people grow up with easy access to this information. They show off their ethnicity with pride. They have family stories to tell of when their parents first traveled to the Americas. They are able to trace their family tree back numerous generations. Culture is not technically past down through DNA, but for those who are cut off from their family tree (such as those who are adopted and/or have gone through the foster care network), DNA testing kits are their only option to learn who and what they came from.

Another added challenge is being considered “Not ___ enough” because the adopted and/or foster child did not group up surrounded by their newly discovered ethnic population. Many adoptees and foster children have faced rejection from their discovered ethnic and/or cultural identity populations because they were not raised by someone of said ethnicity or cultural identity.
Foucault the Postman
By: Post Philosophy
Tags: Philosophy, Michelfoucault, Foucault, Sexuality, Sociology

“What is peculiar to modern societies is not that they consigned sex to a shadow existence, but that they dedicated themselves to speaking of it ad infinitum, while exploiting it as the secret.”

One Monday morning, the postman is walking through the neighborhood on his usual route. This postman happens to be Michel Foucault. As he approaches one of the homes he noticed that a bunch of cars were in the driveway. His wonder was cut short by Albert, the homeowner, coming out with a load of empty Champagne and liquor bottles. “Wow Albert, looks like you guys had one wild party last night” Foucault comments. Albert, in obvious pain, with a Gauloises cigarette dangling from his lips replies “Actually the party started on Saturday night. We had about fifteen couples from around the neighborhood over for some weekend fun and it got a bit wild; we all got so drunk around midnight that we started playing: WHO AM I” Foucault thought for a moment and said “How do you play WHO AM I?” Albert flicked his cigarette, took a sip of water and explained: “Well, the guys go in the bedroom and we come out one at a time with a sheet covering us and with only our ‘privates’ showing through a hole in the sheet. Then the guys and girls in the living room try to guess who it is.” Foucault laughed and said, “Damn, I’m sorry I missed that.” In which Albert replied: “Probably a good thing you did, your name came up seven times…”

Foucault laughed, paused for a second, and said “You know what Albert, what is peculiar to modern societies is not that they consigned sex to a shadow existence, but that they dedicated themselves to speaking of it ad infinitum, while exploiting it as the secret.” Albert stood in the morning sun, hungover, staring at Foucault and said: “You know Michel, that’s too deep for me right now, catch you later.”

After that, Foucault went home and wrote another essay on the history of sexuality.
I Was Complimented On My Looks. Now I Feel Gross.
By: John Gorman
Tags: John Gorman, Feminism, Psychology, Life Lessons, Sociology

I am a 36 year-old white guy who yo-yos between rail-thin and festively doughy. (My friends call me “skinny fat.”) I’ve previously referred to my looks as “a blank canvas upon which you could paint another, more attractive human.” It’s true — I’m kinda short, kinda slight, kinda fat, olive complexion, not very symmetrical, the opposite of stylish. I’m a solid 5-out-of-10, and I’m not breaking any necks when I walk by. Hell, if I didn’t make it a point to crack jokes at a party, I would blend into the wallpaper. I’m the C-SPAN of people, physically. I don’t think I’m ugly, I just think I’m visual white noise.

I don’t flaunt my looks, either. I don’t take selfies. I only dress up when I’m instructed to. I don’t ever, ever take my shirt off. (Someone should think of the children.) For as long as I can recall, I’ve been confident about a lot of things — my singing, my writing, my problem-solving skills, my listening abilities, and my ability to academically and intellectually run circles around pretty much anyone in the room with me, no matter the size of the room — yet my looks are not one of those things.

I tell you that to tell you this: I do not get complimented on my looks. Ever. Occasionally, someone will say, “I like that shirt.” Or, “that’s a good color on you.” It’s been several months since I’ve heard either of those two things, which means I’m due in just a couple more months to hear one of them again.

So when I got that unsolicited compliment, I sure was surprised. At least at first. And then I felt something akin to finding a dead cockroach in the kitchen sink. And that gave me pause.
Lazy-Brain Neuroscience
By: Brad Senekal
Tags: Society, Prejudice, Politics, Race, Sociology

It takes effort to process and embrace the uniqueness of the other.

Photo by Matteo Paganelli on Unsplash

Our brains are hard-wired to categorize, to make sense of the world. Literally creating lanes in our brains to group concepts: foods, colours, animals, phone-devices…

Brains do this to order the chaos of the world around us, and to attempt to make the world more predictable. This process silences the “noise” of nuance and detail, to allow our brains to proceed with the task at hand without becoming overwhelmed by the diverse stimuli.

However, a major problem occurs when our brains attempt to do that with people. Our minds may quickly attempt to make sense of a person by placing them in a group based on appearance of what it can see: a race, a nationality, social stature, wealth (or lack of)… and our brains attempt to assign certain prejudices to each of those groups so we don’t have to spend time trying to figure out who that person really is or what they are really about.

The problem is that HUMANS are infinitely diverse, unpredictable, and unique. Unlike the vast majority of OBJECTS which our brains deal with. There may be some similar patterns that ‘sometimes’ emerge, but our brains’ lazy attempts to categorize people based on appearance has led to the extremes of genocide, racial oppression, gender inequality, xenophibic discrimination, etc. It starts with polluting our human heart with lazy thinking, and starts a slow burn against social cohesion in our neighbourhoods, communities, cities and nations.

It is more taxing — it requires more effort — to treat each person as unique and to give each person the benefit of the doubt, but it is the only way we fight against our brain OBJECTIFYING and REDUCING when it should be HUMANISING and EXPANDING our view of THE OTHER.

Lets not be so busy, and so fast paced in our lives, that we allow lazy thinking to pollute our view of other people. Lets spend the time to get to know individuals, and let them show us who they really are.

#ReadingABookAboutNeuroscienceSoThinkingDeep
Recommended book to people who are interested in learning about Islam
By: Fatima Karim
Tags: Philosophy, Reading, Writing, Islam, Sociology

In every society, at every time, people who believe only in this temporary material life have argued against the existence of an afterlife. Many have used such arguments as an excuse for doing whatever they like. The Qur’an is full of references to such people: Those who disbelieve imagine that they will not be raised again. Say, [0 Muhammad] On the contrary, by my Lord! You shall be raised again, and then you will be informed of what you did. And that is easy for my Lord. (Qur’an 64:7)

The arguments of such people have no basis in logic, for God, who creates and destroys, can just as easily recreate. He can also change the attributes and forms of His creation as He wills.

―Suzanne Haneef, Islam: The Path of God, page 59-60.

Written by an American Muslim, this work presents a brief yet comprehensive survey of the basic teachings on the significance of Islam’s central concept, faith in and submission to God. It introduces the reader to how Muslims feel about various aspects of life, how they worship, and how Muslims living in the West practice their religion. Perhaps you have been hearing a lot about Islam and Muslims in the news and are interested in knowing, justifiably, just what this religion is all about. This is the classic English-language book for introducing Islam to non-Muslims in the West. It is a well-balanced book that does an excellent job of covering the basics of belief, practice, and culture, without overwhelming the reader in minutia. This is generally the first book that I recommend to people who are interested in learning about Islam.

To download: https://islamicbulletin.org/free_downloads/new_muslim/islam_the_path.pdf

To read online:

great book to read!
Rarity in the Animal Kingdom
Tags: Entertainment, Wildlife Conservation, Opinion, Wildlife Photography, Sociology

The structure of a society is fundamental for socialization. There are sets of authority that have been placed to maintain the law and order. This is known as the hierarchical organization. In modern days, majority of our nations function in a patriarchal system, with about six nations that hold a matriarch government.

Lemurs

It may be quite fascinating to learn that the Lemur chain of command is matriarchal, which is quite rare in the animal kingdom. The majority of the Lemur population are female dominate. This ruling is not just a Queen calling the shots, but every matrilineal have the opportunity to lead.

Androgen

In the human area, our culture of power is inspired by values that in return set norms, which are the accepted behaviors. This then turns to law makings, which is enforced by the authority figures. What makes these primates so incredibly unique is the natural ability for female dominance. Biological the intrasexual selection is higher among males and with high rates of androgens levels, males typically dominate females. After a study done by a university in Germany, where scientist collected data on agonistic behavior to see the concentrations of the hormone through saliva and faeces. It is interesting to discover that female lemurs do not have high rates of androgen. Even during mating season, the females still do not have a increase of this hormone.

The dominance of the female lemurs is not based on physical superiority or the androgen levels. Unlike hyenas, where the females do have a high concentration of testosterone compare to the males. It seems to be that the social and behavioral mechanisms may play an important role in the female dominance.

Lemur’s Roles

Some lemurs will live their lives completely arboreal and live off the high grounds. Some will live in solitary and others will live in groups. Some of Madagascar’s 60 species of lemur are purely nocturnal, but the ring- tailed lemur is active during daylight. During their lives, the females stay with the group they are born into, while the males will leave and integrate with the neighboring groups between the ages of 3–5.

The lemurs are very important to the Madagascar’s forest. These mammals serve a wide variety of ecological roles from seed dispersal and pollination to maintaining forest structure. To understand their social structure and discover they are quite similar to how humanity functions, creates hope that these endangered primates will have more awareness and activism.
Undocumented Immigrants and the Economy
By: Guadalupe Moreno
Tags: Taxes, Undocumented, Immigration, Economy, Sociology

Undocumented Immigrants and the Economy

Immigration today is a sensitive topic that sparks up debate on the legality and moral aspects it has in this country.

The contribution from undocumented immigrants into the local and state government in the U.S. has had a positive impact in the economy. Without their contribution the economy could be negatively impacted.

Ever wonder how undocumented immigrants contribute into the countries economy?

Well they pay taxes. Using an ITIN number a person without a Social Security number can legally pay taxes. Although tax money gets circulated onto the economy it still does not allow undocumented immigrants to seek Social Security benefits or the Earned Income Tax Credit.

According to The Economic and Fiscal Consequences of Immigration, second generation immigrants go on to be the “among the strongest fiscal and economic contributors in the U.S”. Their contribution averages $1,700 each per year while native-born Americans contribute $1,300 on average.

FWD.us

There are many different illegal entry of people from other countries that are often overlooked. The overstay of an expired visa or other legal permit to enter the country and not renewing their visas often occurs. Those who travel have their data collected by the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) that have different expiration dates.

With the deportation of undocumented workers the U.S. economy will see a negative impact in the shortage of workers and higher cost to employers. The U.S. economy benefits from illegal immigration with the low cost of agriculture products and services due to the low wages of undocumented workers.

theconversation.com

Undocumented workers have important roles in the U.S. economy as farm workers, in construction, and even as caretakers. Although it is claimed that undocumented immigrants steal jobs from American citizens the reality is that these jobs are rarely sought after by them. A 2017 study by the Cornell Farmworker Program found that 20 New York farmers were unable to find reliable or willing American citizen farm workers.

The contribution from undocumented immigrants into the local and state government in the U.S. have a positive impact in the economy. The currency from taxes and as a consumer contribute more into the economy than what they spend on public services. The contribution of undocumented immigrants on the economy help fund the local and state government from taxes that they often can not benefit from. Without their contribution the economy could be negatively impacted.
Modern Sociology with Students.
Tags: Modern Life, Student Life, Socialization, Sociology

What is the focus of sociology?

Is it thoughts in the mind, people in society or cultures across the world? It is all of these levels together. Imagine a giant microscope looking not at cells or creatures, but people.

What is Modern Sociology?

Modern Society evolve with growing civilization, the more Industrialized a society become the more opportunities arise. Giving every person equal right to fulfill his/her dream.

Socialization in Students.

In many International Universities, Schools and Institutes student come across from different number of countries in a same classroom, where they get to know each other and understand their ethnicity and culture. Students respect every one, participate with them, they help and learn.

When two friends come from two different countries, they just not understand each other, but their belongingness to his/her country. Means diversification in numbers only matters in a state but not in Modern Social Life.

Modernization with Students.

Students learn new Technology and Techniques and they solve different numbers of problem and come up with new alternative solution, which should be innovative and creative for their society.

A good innovative solution spill over more easily in society and creates new opportunities and new way of thinking for tomorrow.

Modern Socialization in Students.

Modern technology like Facebook, Twitter, WeChat and Internet are quite popular social networking groups today. Students take advantages of this technologies, they make friends from anywhere around the world, they can publish their blogs, letters, messages and trending news in a wide scale.

Making Social groups in internet is very easy, group members could be from anywhere and this helps group to take different skills, technology, techniques, and knowledge from around the world. This kind of collaboration helps groups members to learn new things and they come with new ideas and knowledge which could be revolutionary.

Why we want Modern Socialization?

Modern Socialization is not just helpful for our society but it could be more impactful to other societies and the way we see now it could be change tomorrow. The given following points helps you to illustrate more easily….

1. Better living, Healthy Relationship, Common Trust, Believe, and Value leads society towards Ultra-Modernization.

2. Lot to learn from different community or groups can help redevelop our society into more Educated and Industrialized modern living.

3. Creative Innovation helps societies to change into more developed and advance in technology, making country more fuel towards self-reliance.

4. Advance Technology makes easier for students to make online community with different region peoples to come up with more innovative and creative ideas to change present generation.

5. Modern Socialization helps people to understand different community so that everyone in this world should feel they belong to same family and build generosity for their planet earth.
Why Indian Middle-Class Suffer The Most?
By: Prince Kumar Kushwaha
Tags: Society, India, Life, Anthropology, Sociology

Why Indian Middle-Class Suffer The Most?

Middle-Class Children

Generally, people in Indian society talks about middle-class suffering. Even in history, we don’t find proper documentation of middle-class life. And if we see the composition of this class, it’s always changing with time. Mainly farmers, group C or D employees always remain in this class. They were suffering in British ruled India and even their position is the same. But they are the most satisfied class in society.

“Even after 74 years of independence, they are hustling to get a better life.”

Even the necessities of the 21st century such as food, education and medical facilities, etc. are not available to them. Now if you ask them about their present condition they sound hopeless. But if you try to dig deeper you will find many problems in the system and class itself. Majorly we can segregate the problems in 3-P i.e Politics, Policies and People.

Indian Election

Politics — The elected government in India at every level i.e centre, state and panchayat have failed to build trust with them. Influence of caste-politics, corruption and not holding important ministries by their elected leaders or their ignorance are delaying their overall development from a long time. Policies — Every ruling government introduced some policies to uplift them such as Kisan Rojgar Yojana, Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act, etc. But most of the time it lacks proper implementation. People — People in the middle-class are mainly working class. They are less educated so they are not able to avail the government’s benefit. Even the digitalization of documentation for availing/enrolling in some schemes/policies they need some middle- man or assistance. Some times they are unaware of the benefits or policies specially designed to ensure their betterment.

“The country is independent but even now middle-class is dependent on others to earn it’s living.”

Middle-Class

Everyone knows the problem plus solution and even the leak in the implementation. But even after knowing responsible authorities are not working on it. This is just a failure of government! Government has to make committees comprising of bureaucrats, anthropologists, sociologists, economists, lawyers, etc. to come up with a concrete solution to their problems. And to strengthen India on global fronts, proper implementation of committees suggestions on middle-class is a must.

And if we get successful in eradicating the major problems of middle-class such as education, medical facilities, etc. it will be a great achievement!

— Keep Reading…and if you like the article kindly clap, comment and follow!
Hello, Medium
By: Justin Van Ness
Tags: Introduction, Graduate School, UX Research, Sociology

Hello, Medium

I am a UX Researcher currently at Facebook. I earned my Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Notre Dame with a specialization in social psychology, culture and cognition, and social interaction. I began my path into UX at Facebook with an internship and returned full-time a few months later.

I am frequently asked about my graduate school training and industry experience from Ph.D. students and others looking to enter the field of UX. Many want to learn about what I wish I knew while a graduate student, how I made graduate school work best for me, or advice on how to make the transition into industry. Others are interested in learning where qualitative research fits into product design. A quick Google search will find many others from the UX field sharing their stories and advice. So while it is unclear on how valuable my voice will be in the chorus of blog posts, I did want to write about these conversations while my graduate school experience still felt familiar and relevant.

Here are some frequently asked questions that I anticipate writing about:

What is UX and how did I end up here?

What are the similarities or differences between UX and academia?

What did I benefit from the most while in graduate school?

What advice would I give a graduate student that is looking into industry?

What do I most enjoy about my job?

What is most challenging about research in industry?

In addition to these types of questions and any new questions that I remember to write down over my meetings with graduate students in the next few weeks, I’ll share some resources that helped me make the transition into industry, research-related curiosities (e.g., articles and blogs), and helpful advice I’ve received from peers and mentors from within industry.