Wisdom
The New Age of Workplaces
by Maria Arpa MBE
Managing workplace responsibilities with clear, compassionate communication
Never before have employers had so much responsibility for their staff. Health and Safety have always played an important part in ensuring that workplaces are physically safe places. Now, however, employers are responsible for ensuring that their employees mental health is not compromised in the workplace. This is no bad thing for society as a whole but how employers decide to manage this responsibility is critical to a happy, productive workplace.
Often, by the time an issue shows up as needing attention, the problem or conflict has already escalated and the early signals have not been addressed, or the way it has been addressed has been inadequate. The question of who decides what is adequate can create a power struggle on its own. If even one person believes that the way something is being handled is unfair, it will most likely damage the culture of the workplace in the shadows of gossip, unseen by business owners and directors.
And, no matter how much you communicate your processes, what policies you have in place and what lengths you will go to for employee satisfaction, there are two main areas which business owners and C-Suite executives have little oversight and where independent, expert support is a wise decision.
- How managers talk to their team members when they are stressed, stretched and under pressure.
- How your employees interpret the intentions of their supervisors, managers and leaders.
Added to this, the area in which no one has any control is other people’s attitudes.
So, let’s address these issues in turn:
How mangers talk to their reporting team members
You can spend any amount on HR policies and procedures and put in place every kind of safeguard, yet the quality of an interpersonal interaction is a unique transaction between individuals that transcends rules and regulations, especially when out of sight. In fact, formal policies and procedures operate without redress to interpersonal relationships, and therefore, often, erode goodwill. Conflicts can arise in the workplace or outside when friendships and relationships form. When one person has hierarchical power over another the dynamics require a specific set of communication tools which are simply not taught. In fact, the blueprint for coercive compliance is set in the education system only to be repeated when the powerless person is given hierarchical responsibility and naturally imitates the power dynamic as it was exerted on them. This is one of the factors that contributes to bullying and intimidation, all too common allegations in workplaces today.
How employees interpret their managers and leaders
You can spend any amount on reassuring your employees that they matter but unseen peer to peer conversations and narratives will influence what employees really believe about their workplace and the conditions they work under. When someone has a bad experience with a supervisor or manager, they will want to be heard. If the systems and processes do not allow a person to be heard from the heart, they will tell others. When the risk of telling HR may result in formal procedures, many employees choose to say nothing or say what they believe the senior person wants to hear while finding other hidden outlets to tell their story. This affects attitudes and contribution across the whole team. At this level, Owners and Directors rarely get a true picture of what is happening in their business.
Most employers want the best for their teams and seek to find the balance between individual needs and the success of the business. It has become increasingly difficult to address this balance in a world where rights, responsibilities, the individual agenda and victimisation are in conflict with the strategy, leadership and direction of a business
An alternative viewpoint
In a career spanning well over 40 years, I have been a worker, a volunteer, a manager, an entrepreneur, an executive director, chair and trustee. In every role I have been deeply passionate about relationships with people. How we look after relationships is one of my areas of expertise.Â
Look after the relationships and the work will take care of itself
In a nutshell:
- How we talk to people and instruct them has the biggest effect on what we get back
- How we respond to instructions has the biggest effect on what can be negotiated
- How we listen and act on what we agree builds loyalty and reciprocity, or resentment and hostility
- Everything done by agreement and consent will go well and smoothly. Everything done by coercion and threat will have unseen consequences
- Working by agreement and consent is a highly developed set of skills
- Compassionate communication and rigorous boundaries create solid foundations
- Transparency is essential. This is not the same as sharing confidential information
- Achievable standards, simple measurement tools and learning reviews are essential
- Mastery in the above is a recipe for success, where success includes inner peace as a measurement.
John (name changed) was seen as a friendly, caring, hardworking senior manager by his bosses. However, his team was underperforming. Of course, John had many reasons for this. In his team was a man who was depressed and suicidal. The Managing Director commissioned us to talk to the team as an independent third party with no agenda. In our process we made it possible for employees to speak confidentially and we discovered that John was openly bullying his team member who was from a different race and religion. The rest of the team were too frightened to do anything about it so they watched this man be reduced to the point of becoming suicidal. In fact, John coached the team members on what he wanted them to tell us and threatened them if they did otherwise. With the promise of never being identified, team members spoke up. We were able to identify the real issues and present them to the MD discreetly. The Board were able to take appropriate action and carefully address a serious discrimination issue. Commissioning our independent report was useful in demonstrating due diligence on the part of the employer
Abi and Joanne (names changed) had become friends. They were peers until Joanne was promoted to line manage Abi. Abi felt that Joanne had changed and was particularly upset that Joanne had become closer to the Director. Abi did not enjoy taking instruction from Joanne and found her to be condescending. When she approached the Director, he immediately took Joanne’s side. Abi talked to anyone who would listen about how she was being treated, including Board Members, volunteers and clients. We were commissioned to talk to the whole department as an independent third party. We were able to discover that the relationship between Abi and Joanne was complicated because they often stayed over at each other’s houses and went out socially but after the promotion Joanne was less inclined to pursue the friendship and Abi felt rejection. We were able to recommend and carry out a process of mediation and one to one coaching to ease the situation between them, find mutual understanding for the awkwardness of the situation, and address Abi’s reactions. Our independent report and subsequent remedies were useful in demonstrating due diligence for the whole situation.
Â
Â
Let us guide you
If there is room for improvement in your workplace dynamics, talk to us.
Using our proprietary Dialogue Road MapTMÂ methodology, we can assess your workplace and transform workplace dynamics allowing you to get on with running your business.
