Supervision in the workplace can be a challenge and
is often the part of being a manager that we’re least prepared
for. I remember a staff member that I once supervised who was particularly
difficult to manage. He was not warm to his co-workers, treated
aspects of his job with disdain, and possessed an elevated opinion
of himself despite having accomplished very little in his field.
In short, he was a young man who failed to age out of his twenties
with grace.
The difficulty was that he was a part of the team, my team, and
that meant I needed to support him. As his editor, I improved his
writing during my 18 months in charge of publishing an online magazine.
As his supervisor, I aimed to protect him, reviewing his performance
on official company documentation much more liberally than in one-on-one
meetings behind closed doors.
As a person occupying a senior role, I was privileged to be able
to hire new staff with stronger personalities that could guide
and support the inexperienced employees who I inherited. Although
his workload lessened as a result, the young man's tendency to
be adolescent did not. Yet, he played an important role, completing
the key components of his job well enough to be worth keeping around.
His work got done and as long as that continued it was not fair
to build a case for dismissal on the basis of serial surliness.
Having worked in a few corporate environments, I know optimum
harmony is a myth. The reality is we have control over the quality
of the work we produce, not the quality of the people we produce
it with.
When managers say they don't get paid enough, it's often in reference
to the personality issues that permeate so many aspects of the
job. I am trained as a writer and editor. I know how to improve
sentences and I can explain why when I do. I can put together a
publishing schedule using my experience and news judgment to ensure
comprehensive coverage. I have the education to explain to others
who are not writers the importance of quality content in the information
age. What I can't do is make an unhappy person happy, nor can I
please a group of eight people all of the time.
No sure way to guarantee a harmonious
office
Although there are courses and degree programs meant to breed
managers for the workplace, there is no rule of thumb, trendy acronym
or catch phrase to help ensure a happy team 24/7/365. People are
different, work environments are strange. Watch an episode of "The
Office" and you're likely to recognize a significant degree
of truth beneath the biting satire.
A manager is part psychologist, part teacher, part counselor.
Very few have training in all of those areas. We are experts in
our respective fields. Quite likely, that's why we were given our
positions. The work is a little easier for us, we can ensure it
gets done well and on time. Each of us is the one person in the
company best suited to explain departmental strategies to our peers.
Also, managers are often models for the type of person a particular
company wants to employ.
Another trait many managers share is more human - we hope our
direct reports consider us a good boss. Likewise, many employees
want to believe they're good workers. But some bosses will shirk
responsibilities and take advantage of their positions while some
employees will take advantage of theirs, pushing the limits of
what's allowable in a workplace.
Pink slips can't be handed out as regularly as in previous generations,
and that's a good thing. People shouldn't be let go on whims. Multiple
opportunities for improvement by both parties should exist. A good
worker doesn't have to be a good person by any definition other
than what's stated in a company's handbook. Those documents don't
require you to ask how a co-worker's weekend was, volunteer to
pick up tasks when someone else on the team is falling behind,
or avoid snickering when a person the cubicle over suffers a wardrobe
goof.
The challenge for employers and co-workers when confronted with
a personality they find difficult to be around is to restrain the
urge to reprimand. Sometimes we need to realize the impetus for
profound change in a person's life will have to come from much
more important people than those encountered at work, including
the boss.
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