How to Handle a Major Disagreement at Work

Sometimes, no matter the size of your company or your place in it, you disagree with the direction your company is headed, or you think a project is headed for disaster, or you don’t believe in a project you’ve been tasked with, and you must decide how to maneuver through the situation.

You can voice your disagreement or refuse to go with the flow, but you are risking your future with the company. There might be a better way to proceed.

Consider the following four steps when your confronted with a scenario or project that you don’t agree with in your job.

Do your research. It’s certainly possible you are wrong about the direction your business is taking or the project you’ve been asked to lead. Be sure to take your time and do the necessary research to understand how the decision was made to move forward and what it means. Talk to the decision-makers to gather more information. Then use all the data you’ve collected to reach your decision. If you still believe the decision is wrong move on the next step.

State your case. Meet with your supervisor or manager to present your case. Be clear and provide the reasoning behind your decision, including data that supports your opinion. Do not become angry or aggressive but calmly provide your reasoned opinion and move on.

Accept the outcome. Your appeal might be met with silence. Or you might receive some thanks, but your company or manager decides to move ahead with the previous decision. If that is the case, you need to accept the outcome and realize there might be factors influencing the decision that you are unaware of. You don’t need to like the decision or agree with it, but if you are planning to remain at your company you need to accept it without becoming bitter or angry that your opinion was not heeded.

Do your best work. This should go without saying but continue to strive to do your best work. Even if you believe a project is doomed to failure market conditions or customer needs could change and you could help turn a potential disaster into success by doing your best work and applying your skills and expertise to a situation or project that you initially disagreed with.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Make Work Fun Again

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Make Work Fun Again: "Gamification takes mundane tasks and adds play elements, like point scoring. For me, crossing off to-do list items gives me a hit of the 'doing' hormone dopamine that’s as strong as a triple shot of espresso."

• To Be Happier at Work, Invest in Relationships: "People whose work is mundane or demanding are just as likely to feel satisfied and fulfilled as those with fun or inspiring jobs if they proactively invest in relationships that nourish them and create a sense of purpose."

• How to Deal With the Pitfalls of Remote Work: "It’s one thing if a remote team member is working late because they took advantage of their job flexibility to take care of something else in the afternoon. But there might be a problem if it happens regularly."

• 36 Insanely Useful Productivity Hacks: "When it comes to getting off to a productive start each day, 57 percent of the (extremely productive) have a morning routine to make this happen."
• 5 Reasons Personal Finance Should Be Taught in School:"People’s attitudes around money can be instrumental in shaping their character, plus promotes the desire to give back."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: The Top 5 Ways Work Changed in 2016

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• The Top 5 Ways Work Changed in 2016: "In April, New York and California both enacted legislation to progressively raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next few years. That proposal gained prominent support on the campaign trail."

• 9 Things to Do When You're Feeling Burned Out: "Part of the high level of stress and burnout that we currently experience is the intense connectivity and demand for attention placed on us by the supercomputer in our pockets. By checking emails, social media and text messages every few minutes, it’s easy to burn out"

• 7 Ways to Live With Job Stress That Isn't Going Away: "Recognizing the first signs of on-the-job-stress is crucial to finding ways to cope with it. Focus on your core goals, organize yourself correctly and establish a routine of calming your nerves so you can be sure to keep anxiety in check."

• 3 Ways to Increase Productivity While On a Team at Work: "recognize that what feels 100 percent correct and true to you is no more important than what feels 100 percent correct and true to someone else – even (or especially) when the truths are not the same."
• When You Want to Be #Boss (and Beyond) Reach for These 10 Books: "But the thing I wish someone had told me sooner is that you can learn a lot about being a leader today from reading books."

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 6 Ways to Recharge at Work

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below, Cassey Ho, identifies six ways to recharge at work, especially for those sitting at a desk all day.