Toxicity in Government Workplaces and Using Humor and Self-Care to Cope

Do you ever feel like government acronyms and procedures, processes and timelines leave you saying, “Pardon the apprehensiveness of my terminology but your vocab is too in dubious for my comprehension”? And you want to say, “please endeavor to articulate this matter more distinctively”? If so this session is for you! This session will focus on how self-care in the workplace in the midst of toxicity or toxic stress, where is there not toxic stress in the workplace? Facilitator will use humor (Facilitator is also a stand up comic :)) and provide useful tips and tools for government employees on dealing with workplace stress that is unique to government work. Some of the topics covered include; what is toxic stress and how does it differ from regular stress? Examples of facilitator’s own experiences with toxic stress and how she achieved resolution within state government, funny quotes and quips from the government workplace, operating at the speed of a turtle, dealing with aggressive co-workers, working with different generations in the workplace and bureaucratic bullshit at its best!

This session will focus on finding the humor in the government work so that employees can provide the most effective service to the states and their most vulnerable populations. Humor, tools and tips for self-care are instrumental to longevity of employees, employee satisfaction and overall staff production. Humor can increase morale, provide insight and serve as a coping mechanism on the tough days. Facilitator will utilize an interactive Power Point to engage participants in this session and provide resources and self-reflection (her own and the participants) to help participants understand how resilient they are or have been in spite of a stressful workplace.