Deanna Baumgardner of Employers Advantage On How To Prevent Politics From Disrupting Your Work Culture
An Interview With Cynthia Corsetti
Set boundaries. There are the ground rules that I just mentioned but it’s also leading by example and knowing the boundaries that you as a leader need to stay within. Pushing your personal agenda isn’t going to help the team know the boundaries to stay in during these conversations.
In an age where political discussions have become more polarized than ever, workplaces are increasingly becoming arenas for political debates. While it’s essential to respect diverse opinions and encourage free speech, unchecked political discussions can create rifts, hinder productivity, and disrupt the harmony of a work environment. How can organizations strike a balance? How can they create a culture that values diversity of thought while preventing divisive political discussions from overshadowing work objectives? As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Deanna Baumgardner, President and Owner of Employers Advantage LLC.
Deanna Baumgardner started Employers Advantage LLC in August of 2010 to provide small businesses with a viable option for Human Resources support that fits the specific needs of small businesses and non-profits. Deanna and her team work with a variety of small businesses across the US and in a multitude of industries. Prior to starting Employers Advantage, Deanna worked in multi-faceted corporate HR roles giving her exposure to a wide range of both HR and business operations.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about succession, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
When you talk to most HR people, they typically don’t start out in HR but rather fall into at some point. That is what happened to me. I started out in accounting and was working at a large company that had a pretty toxic environment but also a horrible HR person. I hate to say that, but there are good and bad folks in every industry and unfortunately, bad HR people have a significant impact on the culture. At the time, I didn’t know much, if anything, about HR but I knew that it didn’t seem right to treat people the way that she did, so I took an introductory to HR course at my local university and it all fell into place. I ended up getting my Bachelors in HR Management, then moved into an HR role after graduation and the rest is history. Since that time, it has been a mission of mine to be better and do better in HR but also to help people understand HR and see it for what it is rather than what the stereotype that gets perpetuated by people like the bad HR lady I mentioned. Since starting and building Employers Advantage LLC, me and the team have been able to carry out this mission and make positive HR impacts to hundreds of small businesses.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
This is a tough question. My career has been over the course of so many years and I know there have been some really great things that have happened to get me where I am, but interesting, I am not sure about. Since I’ve started my business 13 years ago, I regularly get other HR folks that I don’t know reach out to me and ask if I would be willing to talk to them about how I did it because they are interested in doing the same thing. Always happy to help and I always take the calls. What I found interesting is that in the last 3 years on 2 separate occasions, 2 of these HR folks that reach out to me for help ended up stealing my website content and making it there own so that they could quickly start their HR Firms and not have to put in the work. The first person called and actually pretended to be a prospective client and made up a fake company to try and figure out how we would structure our services. She then called back a month or so later from the same number saying she wanted to start her own HR firm and if I would be willing to talk to her. When I realized this was the same person, I confronted her and she confessed that she was calling the month before to try and get information. I ended up looking her up on google and found that she launched a website for her HR firm and used my packages and services page from my website on her website. I know this because there were hyperlinks in my content that linked back to my site from her site. The kicker is she is a Business Ethics Professor at a College in Florida… The other HR person that did this is a seasoned HR executive in the Columbia SC area that reached out and asked if I would talk to her, which I did. She connected with me on LinkedIn and within a few weeks, she announced the launch of her new business and website. When I went to her website, it was my website but with a different name. Word for word, even the “letter from the owner” was what I wrote. It’s really sad, but I also find it very interesting that both of these ladies absolutely knew better and chose to steal rather than represent themselves in their work. I never expected that to be something I would have to deal with. I, of course, took legal action against both. But if you are a small business owner looking for HR services, be very careful of who you pick and be sure to thoroughly vet them and their services.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor — Franklin Roosevelt — This one almost speaks for itself, but for me, it’s a good reminder that the hard times are how we learn and grow. When things get tough, I often recite this in my head and I forge ahead knowing that whatever it is, I can get through it and will be better on the other side. Plus, my grandfather was a sailor in the Navy in World War II and one of my favorite people that taught me a lot.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
I really wanted to build a business in which people were able to live and work how they want to. If someone wants to work part time, we will make it work. If they want to work full time, we will make that work. If they want to work somewhere in between part time and full time, we make that work too. That gives people the ability to better manage their family time, personal time, volunteer time and other interests that they have. I think that is what makes Employers Advantage stand out. We are proof that focusing on the human element and seeing people as individuals works and is successful in business. How employees are treated internally, not only by me, by their co-workers, directly translates to the work they do, their productivity and how they treat the clients that they work with. Because of that, we are lucky enough that a large portion of our business is driven by referrals from current and past clients and other contacts in our network.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. In an era where political discourse is more polarized than ever, what proactive steps do you take within your organization to ensure politics don’t disrupt the harmony and productivity of the work culture?
It’s a combination of things that happen in order to make this work but the biggest thing, I think, is recognizing that politics is everywhere and it impacts everyone. As a leader, recognizing that and then being the one to make space and time for these types of discussions allows the opportunity for there to be more control over the flow of the conversation. Setting boundaries and expectations at the beginning of the any of those conversations is important, but also making sure people stick to those boundaries and expectations. By making space with boundaries for these types of conversations, it gives people an opportunity to express themselves in a more controlled environment rather than the potential for any one of conversations that may somehow go off the rails.
Can you share an experience where political discussions began to impact team dynamics and how you addressed this situation to maintain a positive work environment?
Being a Human Resources firm, a lot of what we do revolves around workplace and employment compliance, which are federal, state, and local regulations, so we are a bit entrenched in politics and what happens in the political space. When we are in our HR roles and working with clients, we have to be neutral when delivering the information to clients why. Sometimes with that, we have clients that will veer off into their political opinions and why they don’t agree with the employment regulation that they now have to abide by. In those situations, we stay pretty neutral and keep the focus back on the workplace itself and the purpose of the law to protect their company and the employees. Because of that, even though we do as a group have open discussions, we haven’t had any that I believe had an impact on team dynamics. Everyone is pretty respectful of each other and knows what the boundaries are.
How do you balance the importance of allowing free speech and personal expression with the need to keep a cohesive and focused work culture?
I do think it’s important for people to feel comfortable expressing themselves and who they are in the workplace because I believe that is part of belonging and feeling valued.
For me and my team, it really comes down to knowing who each person on the team is as an individual and understanding the dynamics across the team as they interact with each other. I pay close attention to understanding what’s important to each person and knowing when to allow time for them to share versus when may not be the best time.
What strategies do you believe are most effective in creating a neutral work environment that respects diverse political views without allowing them to cause division among team members?
Leadership needs to understand that people don’t flip a switch from personal to business when they are “on the clock” and that their lives don’t revolve around the company. Once that is understood and you focus on employees as individuals and know that when things are happening in the world that impacts us all, that carries over to the workplace. From there, it’s about making space and time for people to be able to express their thoughts and feelings however they may be most comfortable doing so. Whether as a group discussion or one on one with a peer or leader. That is something that we’ve done a few times over the past few years, in particular, is set aside time for people to share their thoughts or feelings around certain things happening in the world in a productive and safe place. If people are comfortable talking to each other in a group, that is great. If not, I set aside time to offer to listen to anyone that is more comfortable one on one.
What role do you think leadership should play in setting the tone for political conversations at work, and can you provide an example of how you’ve navigated this delicate balance?
Leadership plays the primary role. They are the ones that drives how, what and when things are discussed in the workplace. Leadership is the example of what and what isn’t acceptable in the workplace and people will see that. I think it’s important for leadership to acknowledge things that are happening in politics and the world so that employees know we understand that it’s impacting them. For example, we were on an all teams call a week or two into the Israel-Hamas War and before we got going into our meeting agenda, I acknowledged what was happening and told the team that if there was anything on their minds or hearts that they wanted to share about what’s going on, let’s talk about it. I shared my thoughts and maybe 1 or 3 other people shared some thoughts. Although There wasn’t a lot of conversation in the moment, afterwards I received notes from a couple of employees thanking me for acknowledging it and providing the space even though they didn’t speak up. It was the acknowledgement of the situation that they appreciated.
What are your “Five Things You Need To Do To Prevent Politics From Disrupting Your Work Culture”?
1 . Hire right. This doesn’t mean hiring people that think the same way you do or have the same views that you do. Outside of hiring for the skills and experience directly related to the job they will be doing; this means hiring people with diversity of thought and perspective BUT also respect for others thoughts and opinions.
2 . Set expectations. From the beginning and as part of your culture, it is important to set expectations of what is acceptable and what isn’t. For us at Employers Advantage, one of our Core Values is “Respect Everyone”. That is foundational for us and carries through all that we do, including interacting with each other. We may not agree with someone, but we respect them as individuals and their different perspective. When you keep respect in mind, you tend to seek to learn from different perspectives more so than defend your own.
3 . Make space and time. As I mentioned earlier, it’s important for leaders to make space and time for fragile conversations that revolve around politics and political situations. Creating space for people that want to be there and have the conversation is important because it acknowledges what is happening and gives a controlled environment for people to have the conversation. During this time, it is important to start the conversation with “ground rules”. Typically, that involves telling everyone that we are not here to judge anyone, we respect all opinions, and we allow everyone that wants to talk the opportunity to talk. There needs to be a mediator that maintains the boundaries and keeps the conversation moving forward. Also, it’s important to not make this time mandatory, it should be optional for people to attend or not.
4 . Set boundaries. There are the ground rules that I just mentioned but it’s also leading by example and knowing the boundaries that you as a leader need to stay within. Pushing your personal agenda isn’t going to help the team know the boundaries to stay in during these conversations.
5 . Immediately address any issues. Whether it’s during the time that is set aside for these conversations or outside of that time, as a leader you must immediately address any issues that deviate from expectations and the boundaries that were set. This will course correct any potential derailing and maintain the culture.
Off-topic, but I’m curious. As someone steering the ship, what thoughts or concerns often keep you awake at night? How do those thoughts influence your daily decision-making process?
Oh my gosh, where do I start with this? Sometimes when I think about my role and what I do in my role, oddly enough, it seems that it’s more thought — thinking about strategy, the team, economic conditions, what can we control, what can’t we control… it goes on and on. But, to answer the question more directly, I would say the biggest concern or thought I have that keeps me awake is if I am doing everything that I can to ensure the wellness and happiness of each person on the team. Particularly during the ebbs and flow of business, making sure that the decisions I make at certain times are fair and in the best interest of all parties — the business, employees, clients, community — so that we continue to have a thriving and growing business to provide even more opportunity to the team.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Again, where do I start with this! It would be something around respect because I feel like a lot comes from having basic respect for others. One of our core values here at Employers Advantage is Respect Everyone. When you think of that and have that top of mind when dealing with people, it really changes your approach and how you interact with people. Having respect for a fellow human allows them to be who they are and allows you to be who you are, whether you agree with each other or not. If there is respect, there is an open mind and an open heart to understanding. You can respect someone and not agree with them or even have them as a part of your life.
Just because someone’s journey isn’t the same as yours, doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Respect it.
How can our readers further follow you online?
I welcome individual connections on LinkedIn as well as following Employers Advantage LLC on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly twitter) and Instagram. Our website is where you can sign up for our monthly newsletter, read out latest articles or watch our Team Live discussion videos.
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About the Interviewer: Cynthia Corsetti is an esteemed executive coach with over two decades in corporate leadership and 11 years in executive coaching. Author of the upcoming book, “Dark Drivers,” she guides high-performing professionals and Fortune 500 firms to recognize and manage underlying influences affecting their leadership. Beyond individual coaching, Cynthia offers a 6-month executive transition program and partners with organizations to nurture the next wave of leadership excellence.
Deanna Baumgardner of Employers Advantage On How To Prevent Politics From Disrupting Your Work… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.