HOW DOES IT WORK
The first step is to identify the things that impact you in the workplace. We do this using The Duck System.
It works like this.
Imagine a duck is a unit of energy. Now imagine you get 30 ducks at the start of each day. Something mildly annoying might take away one duck, whereas something huge might take away seven ducks.
A DUCK IS A UNIT OF ENERGY
The day of an average employee might involve several things that take away ducks
Drive to work - 3 Ducks
Boss being unfair - 5 Ducks
Printer not working - 1 Duck
Making an error - 3 Ducks
As each duck is taken away, we have a little less energy.
EXPERIENCE OF DIFFERENT GROUPS
Some people belong to a group or groups that have additional experiences in the workplace. This might be because of the way they are perceived by others or because of additional responsibilities or considerations they have to take into account. What matters is understanding that on top of the day to day things that everyone experiences, members of these groups have another set of challenges to overcome. Examples of these challenges might be.
Comments you make in a meeting are ignored - 2 ducks
Your capability is continually questioned - 3 ducks
You have caring responsibilities at home - 2 ducks
People assume English is not your first language - 2 Ducks
Given more admin work than colleagues - 3 ducks
THE BEGINNINGS OF STRESS
The duck system aims to show how these little experiences impact us, building up over time, leading to frustration, stress and apathy.
When you have less than ten ducks to give it can be harder to concentrate on the work you need to do, as you become increasingly distracted by how many ducks you have left.
THEN YOU EXPLODE
When you have no ducks left to give it can only take something small to spark a huge reaction.
That's because its the build-up of small challenges, issues and messages that are impacting upon you, rather than one isolated incident. We refer to this as death by a thousand paper cuts, but academic books will talk about microaggressions.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
OBSTACLES INTO ADVANTAGES
Imagine if, instead of holding us back, we could use these experiences to drive us forward.
By taking control of our experiances we can use them to build our skills, develop our emotional intelligence and teach us how to manage and lead.
We believe that by identifying inappropriate behaviours and understanding why they happen we can start to put a plan in place to address and learn from them.
GET INVOLVED
Our vision is to turn workplace obstacles into advantages.
Our mission is to provide tools and systems that understand and give meaning to the experiences you have in the workplace.
The Duck Project is the hub of tools, information and resources that will enable us to make our vision a reality.
If you think The Duck Project can help you sign up to access the latest news and updates.
Isn't it time you felt in control of your career?