I'm not a robot; how am I supposed to do that?
A new concept was introduced into the American workforce some decades ago. That is: Leave your emotions at the door. Better yet, leave them home. I question this concept: If a worker is concerned about an ailing spouse he should never be distracted? If a colleague is going through bankruptcy, that won't ever reflect in her attentiveness? When someone is struggling with a nasty divorce, his morale should never be affected? Many organizations are finding that this isn't a realistic expectation.
Many employers, bosses or supervisors don't want feelings in the workplace and certainly don't want the negative impacts they could have on the workplace. But, the truth is, organizations benefit from certain emotions. Passion helps the organization succeed. Excitement is encouraged because it boosts morale. Energy and happiness are good because they increase productivity. But when an employee exhibits fear, frustration, or disappointment they might be told to "leave it at the door".
As leaders, we often don't realize that a person's fears can lead them to make careful decision-making. We overlook the possibility that a person's frustration could stem from valuable past experience. And, do leaders stop to consider that when someone seems disappointed it could be because they care deeply about an issue?
The workforce is made up of people and people have feelings. Instead of discouraging them, acknowledge and nurture them. Find out what's causing those emotions. Make it a part of the
conversation. This could lead to powerful sharing of ideas, rationale, and possibilities.
When we work for an organization we become a member of a family. If we have problems, and we all do from time to time, it is useful to share this with the family. To be able to do this requires a great deal of trust since you are placing yourself at risk, maybe even losing your job.
ReplyDeleteIf you feel that your family can be trusted thats great, because a problem shared is often aided through great advice and compassion. With that said it would be interesting to see what others think about the trust factor.
From my own experience I have had two cases where I trusted my employer. In the first they were very compassionate and did a great deal to help me through a particular situation, I am forever grateful to them for this.
In a more recent case my wife was diagnosed with cancer. I knew this would be a source of distraction and would involve some small amount of time off. I did what I thought was the right thing and shared my personal challenge with my employers. A few months later I was released in a RIF and could only handle medical through COBRA. Sometime later a close friend who was in the executive team trusted me enough not to do anything rash and divulged that the company used company medical insurance costs as one criteria for selecting who would be part of the RIF.
Since that time I definitely park my emotions at the door and am now working for myself since my faith in human nature was severely dented.
Great blog Angela!
ReplyDelete