The Department of State's Insider Threat Program will release three educational series catalogs in 2022. This issue is series 2, focused on building strong teams and an inclusive workplace culture to deter insider threats.
MAY, JUN, JUL, and AUG 2022
VOLS 41 - 44
As stated by Cornell University, "Belonging is the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group. It is when an individual can bring their authentic self to work. When employees feel like they don’t belong at work, their performance and their personal lives suffer. Creating genuine feelings of belonging for all is a critical factor in improving engagement and performance. It’s only when people feel a sense of belonging that they can share ideas, confidently speak up, and fully contribute to team success." And we within the Insider Threat Program would argue that belonging also deters insider threats. When you feel like you're part of a group or team, you want what's best for everyone around you, not to cause harm. Studies show that individuals who feel included and not excluded are less likely to sabotage themselves or those around them. A sense of belonging at work can transform individual and team effectiveness, make your job and work environment more enjoyable, and create a better workplace in general for everyone. In this issue of ITP eNews we share information on why belonging is important, ideas to foster belonging, and information on Mental Health Awareness Month. This issue is the first in our Series 2 for 2022 on "Building strong teams and an inclusive workplace culture to deter insider threats." We hope you find this campaign useful and informative to build and encourage a culture of belonging. Let's remember we are all in this together! MAY 2022 VOL 41 Building Culture of Belonging
ITP Video: What it Means to Belong and Why it Matters
ITP Video: Building a Culture of Belonging - Ways to Foster Belonging and Deter Threats MAY 2022 VOL 41 Building Culture of Belonging
MAY 2022 VOL 41 Building Culture of Belonging
JUNE 2022 VOL 42 Principles of Positive Working Relationships
Positive working relationships improve our motivation, our personal health, and our happiness at work and at home. When you feel a connection to others through positive relationships, you do not feel alone during difficult times, and you know there is someone you can go to when you're struggling. There is comfort in the knowledge that you have someone to support you during good and bad times. In this issue of ITP eNews we share information on what destroys working relationships so we can begin to correct those, and ways to build positive working relationships. We offer ways to understand your individual people skills, ways to encourage cohesive teams, and information on our featured partner this month IF you need additional support in managing these workplace relationships. We truly believe that fostering positive working relationships can help build strong teams and an inclusive workplace culture to deter insider threats. Check out the other issues in this series for more information if you haven't yet done so. We hope you utilize the information in this campaign to improve existing and develop new positive long-lasting working relationships to support each other and ultimately protect the Department from insider threats!
ITP Video: Habits that Destroy Workplace Relationships
Step 2: Review the below How-to Guide to learn ways to build and foster positive working relationships...then put them into action. Don't wait, start today!
Step 3: Implement this month's challenge within your team or office -cohesive teams offer opportunities to build connections amongst its team members!
JUNE 2022 VOL 42 Principles of Positive Working Relationships
JUNE 2022 VOL 42 Principles of Positive Working Relationships
Have you ever felt like someone was attacking your work, or the opposite, taking credit for it? Have you worked with someone who has made an insensitive or inappropriate comment? Or do you just feel like there's no common ground or connection with some people on your team? If you're like most people, you've experienced at least one of these tricky situations during your career; this may even be a current issue for you. We want to help you find ways to productively deal with difficult conversations, people, and situations at work. In doing so, we will build a positive workplace culture where everyone is happy and successful, potentially decreasing the likelihood for people to feel like outsiders, for them to be disgruntled, or even dissatisfied in the workplace. In this issue of ITP eNews we share information on how to prepare for a difficult conversation, how to interact with difficult people, and situations, and ways to manage conflict. We also share another team challenge to engage your coworkers and make everyone feel like they're a part of the team.
ITP Video: PREPARE for a Difficult Conversation JULY 2022 VOL 43 Dealing with Difficult Conversations, People, and Situations
ITP Guide: How to Navigate Difficult Conversations, People and Situations
ITP Guide: 9 Types of Difficult People and Ways to Communicate with Each
JULY 2022 VOL 43 Dealing with Difficult Conversations, People, and Situations
JULY 2022 VOL 43 Dealing with Difficult Conversations, People, and Situations Implement this month's weekly challenge to bridge any divide amongst your team members! Click each image below to print and post them on a white board or open wall in your team's space (one image each week). Have colleagues share their input on a post-it note to leave on the wall under the image header for others to see!
ITP Infographic: 5 Tips to Manage Conflict at Work
Have you noticed there is a perceived incompatibility between generations in the workplace? Have you experienced it? We want to help bridge those divides with ideas to help you embrace and communicate across generational differences. As stated in Thrive Global, "Generational traits are a good form of demographic storytelling to delve into the common characteristics that a section of the population may exhibit due to their reactions to shared exposure to events and happenings in a given period of time. There are presently five active generations logging into work every day: Traditionalists, Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. And thanks to social media (and to the horror of most organizations), they are all aware of their differences now more than ever!" In this issue of ITP eNews we share ideas and information to avoid generational isolation, and ways to better understand each generation, what motivates them, how they like to communicate, and ways to embrace the unique differences that create a diverse and inclusive team. As you can tell from the previous three issues in Series 2 of our 2022 campaigns - we are encouraging Department employees to bring their authentic selves to work and to build an appreciation for the same in others. This can build a workplace culture where everyone feels accepted and like they belong. In doing so, they are less likely to become a threat to themselves or others. Through belonging we also build best practices to support and encourage each other even when life circumstances push us towards the Critical Path. We hope you utilize the information in this campaign to build stronger relationships across the generations on your team or within your office, and improve your Generational Intelligence or GQ at work. Learn more on GQ below. Happy reading! AUG 2022 VOL 44 Embracing and Communicating Through Generational Differences
AUG 2022 VOL 44 Embracing and Communicating Through Generational Differences
ITP Video: Understanding Generations in the Workplace
ITP Video: Question - Are you GQ?
AUG 2022 VOL 44 Embracing and Communicating Through Generational Differences
ITP Infographic: Mastering the Multigenerational Workforce
ITP Infographic: 10 Benefits of Generational Diversity
Implement this month's challenge! Bridge the divide with a colleague from another generation by completing the Generational Differences Challenge.
AUG 2022 VOL 44 Embracing and Communicating Through Generational Differences
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