Are Employees Your Organization’s Greatest Asset or Just a Necessary Evil?

Ever since I was introduced to the writings of Peter Senge and his ground-breaking book, The Fifth Discipline, I’ve tried to apply a systems perspective to my interpretation and analysis of business, economic and social trends. So it’s from that point of view that events in the U.S. economy concern me so much and lead me to the conclusion that our political and business leaders are losing sight of a fundamental pillar of this country’s storied economic success of past generations. What’s good for people is good for business.  As the current economic landscape (and recent history) would suggest, the opposite is not true…at least not if it disregards the first.

The featured article in a recent edition of BusinessWeek titled, The Disposable Worker, is a must-read analysis of the plight of U.S. workers. Through interviews and sound trend research, authors Peter Coy, Michelle Conlin and Moira Herbst describe the gradual, but painful decline of both pay and job security for the vast majority of American workers. More importantly, they hypothesize about the potential consequences for both employees and employers, at least at the macro level. A couple of highlights:

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I’m always amazed to hear the stories of how people subtly fight at work. Through procrastination, gossip, stonewalling, and other passive-aggressive methods, co-workers can find clever ways to obstruct progress while appearing helpful.

So much conflict can be hidden under the surface of our actions and conversations. In the theatre, this is called “subtext.”

Here are some examples of ways employees fight while smiling. Names have been changed but the scenarios are true.

1. Creating obstacles. “Tracy” is a talented office manager, but if she feels slighted, her ability to solve problems comes to a screeching halt. Suddenly, numerous intractable obstacles appear. If one is solved, another emerges. Some coworkers have called Tracy, “controlling” and they complain of her micromanaging. Others have learned to keep Tracy “in the loop” and report no problems. They have realized Tracy’s need to feel needed. While some coworkers are stuck in constant battles with Tracy’s procedures, others have found a coworker with incredible talents and a powerful work ethic.

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In last month’s post, I featured an interview with values based top employer Nurse Next Door. Like other employers of choice I feature in Road to Respect, the workplace culture at Nurse Next Door empowers employees to speak up, to raise issues, to talk about problems and ask for help. Speaking up is a cultural norm that promotes organizational success.

Unfortunately, the cultural norm of speaking up experienced by the employees at Nurse Next Door is the exception rather than the rule. In most workplaces, employees routinely make the choice to put up and shut up. In cases of disrespectful behavior like harassment and bullying, a first incident typically turns into a pattern, one that has dire consequences for the individuals involved and their workplace. Productivity drops, absenteeism rises, teamwork and service delivery degenerate.

Research shows that individuals on the receiving end of disrespect at work spend up to 50% of their time on the job dealing with the effects of the disrespectful behavior. New ideas, creativity and innovation are stifled by the fear that disrespect spawns. Math may not be my strong suit, but it is fairly obvious that if employees are spending almost half their time focused on something other than the job that they are being paid to do, that is a serious business problem.

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Did you know that Random Acts of Kindness Week officially kicked off on Monday? This annual event, sponsored by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, is intended to inspire kindness with a “pay it forward” mentality. In today’s society, and especially workplace culture, kindness, it seems, has fallen by the way side. People simply believe they don’t have the time, money, or energy to extend even a small amount of kindness, but times like these are exactly when we need a friendly smile or an unsolicited compliment the most.

Studies have shown that the effects of kindness not only make you feel good but also improve your mental and physical health. In 1991 Allan Luks, former executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of Health and executive director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New York City, conducted a study of several thousand volunteers located around the country to understand what their emotional state was like after they helped someone else. He determined that helping others and performing acts of kindness improved the overall health of study participants, even lowering stress.

So what are the workplace implications of Luks’s results? Well obviously we are living through some extremely difficult and stressful economic times, so if an act of kindness can help, even in some small way, wouldn’t you want to try it? And wouldn’t you want to try it in the workplace, which may well be the most stressful environment you are exposed to on a daily basis?

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I am writing in response to Mr. Remer’s recent post on the topic of names and formality. I agree with half of his argument: it is objectively disrespectful when you forget a friend or colleague’s name. However, I think the second point, about addressing others with a formal title (Mr., Miss), may be a legitimate generational norm. If younger folks (even those who are married and have kids, like myself) feel uncomfortable when so addressed, isn’t it within their rights to forego this convention, and shouldn’t we honor their preference by addressing them in a style that speaks to their perceptions of reality?  Moreover, the point is made in the article that intent matters; we all forget names from time to time and a sincere apology and request for a reminder should not be viewed in a negative light.  In the same vein, if children or even peers fail to address others by their given title, but do so without malice or arrogance, I contend that first names can be used respectfully. If someone else feels slighted, they have the option to handle the situation maturely, and are entitled to politely ask that they be addressed according to their preference.

To take the contextual argument one step further, in certain cultures, bowing when greeting others is a sign of respect and a recognized social convention. It would be unusual, to say the least, if an American businessman (in America) greeted a prospective American client by bowing. In fact, such an act may actually jeopardize the account, for the sheer confusion caused by the gesture!  On the other hand, if the counterpart was Japanese, this would seem appropriate. However, what about a Japanese American? How do we know if a person one generation removed from their home country/culture expects that sort of treatment? How about a person two generations removed? It can be difficult to know what other people want.

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