Communication in the Workplace
Communication in relationships, between peers, or between superiors and employees can be very difficult at times. While many are fortunate enough to hold a job that requires little to no communicative effort between colleagues and superiors, others are not so lucky. Communication is a delicate thing that can make life easy or very difficult depending on how it is used. In some situations, subordinates may use it to speak disrespectfully to a superior, which can cause issues in a workplace. It can take a lot of work to correct a situation like this, and may even end in termination. A situation I experienced, however, concerned a superior using a position of power to verbally abuse employees. Not only did it result in poor leadership, but it also set a poor example among my peers and myself; we began using poor communication patterns against one another. We typically communicated very well, but a breakdown began among us after our supervisor began to act that way. It took a lot of effort to correct the communicative mistakes our superior had made.
According to “Professional Communication at Work: Interpersonal Communication for a Better Workplace,” in a professional space, it is up to the superior to set an example for employees on how to behave . The boss must command respect and remain in charge of the employees, but must also give respect to the employees. This reciprocation of respect typically ensures even if a disagreement arises, all parties will be met with reverence and conflicts will be solved as quickly as possible . My superior did not understand these methods. His communicative tactics toward myself and my fellow colleagues, or his subordinates, was abrasive and aggressive. Respect was never shown. Many times when anybody working under him had a problem, he would laugh about it or openly tell them that it was not worthy of his time. He always appeared to have better things to do than a vital part of his job, which was communicate successfully with his employees. One such instance that lacked effective communication involved a young girl I worked with reporting an incident of sexual harassment. To this, my boss laughed and said she was being too sensitive. He did not show respect, nor did he show compassion. Because there was such little regard for our feelings, we did not see him as a leader . We were belittled and some were even verbally abused. Because of this, we did not function as a unit, and began turning on one another through our communicative transactions.
As stated, one job of the superior is to set an example. Unfortunately, my coworkers and I had a supervisor that did not understand this, or simply did not care what example he set. Our superior used communication to let us know it was satisfactory to disregard not only one another, but also to disregard him. The typical reciprocal relationship of respect between superior and employee was non-existent. He did not appear to understand that a certain element of reciprocation was required to receive the respect he demanded so harshly. To say he was not leading us would be a lie; he was leading us, it just in the wrong direction. He did not comprehend, evidently, that he was setting a bad example for us, nor did he understand that part of his job was to pull us, his employees, together as a unit so we could feel unified. Because we did not feel unified, and because it was made apparent that bad behavior and verbal abuse was entirely acceptable, my fellow employees began to turn on one another .
Prior to the bad examples and verbal abuse, coworkers spoke pleasantly to one another, worked well in groups, and listened intently when problems were mentioned. As we began to realize that our voices did not matter to the individual in charge, the voices of those around us mattered less as well. We stopped listening to one another. Verbal harassment against women happened more frequently. However, women stopped reporting it, opting to dress more modestly or find other means of employment in order to avoid the harassment; their complaints of this treatment were met with little concern. It was difficult for my coworkers and I to work in groups with the lack of communication, as well. We were still doing our jobs separately, but when it concerned working together, we ambush listened, and blamed one another for mistakes rather than speaking our minds, listening, and taking responsibility. Working as a team was impossible without communication.
The situation became increasingly worse until those of us that were left and the new hires realized we needed to find a solution. Before consulting any communication texts or realizing communication was the issue, we began to disrespect our superior as he was disrespecting us. This action led to more employees being terminated and nobody’s complaints being heard; we were still not working as a team. Finally, a coworker suggested we work as a united front, constructing a leadership framework amongst ourselves. He was our boss, but he was ill equipped to lead us. Moreover, he would not listen to our complaints individually. Eventually it was decided that if we presented one problem as one group, he could not ignore us.
As a group, a boss was not leading us. We were united, however, in our exhaustion over the lack of communication. We were tired of being bullied, the women were tired of being harassed, and it was decided we would present these complaints as one unit. “Understanding ‘Communication Gaps’ Among Personnel in High-Risk Workplaces From A Dialogical Perspective,” suggests individuals in a seat of power sometimes misunderstand the employees point of view or forget what it is like to have a so-called ‘small voice. Since it appeared this was the case with our boss, we decided to remind him. Normally the demand of one would have been swept under the rug, but because we met him with the forthright honesty of a united group, he had no choice but to listen to us. We formally introduced our problems, stating the biggest one was his lack of communication and respect for us as individuals and employees. Unfortunately, our first solution did not work, and he continued to resist. We were forced to turn in a formal complaint to the head of Human Resources, something that should have been done to begin with. As a group of coworkers, we were able to see our communication mistakes: we needed to be respectful, listen more, and be accepting of the thoughts, feelings, and ideas of others. Our superior, however, forced us to replace him.
In sum, many workplaces never see monumental communication breakdowns. Every professional space has an issue or two, but nothing like what my coworkers and I handled. Our boss metaphorically abandoned ship, leaving us to toss in the waves of the professional world. We did not fare well at first; we treated one another almost exactly as he had treated us. We spoke to one another the same way and ignored one another the same way. However, we were able to address these issues and become more compassionate and respectful communicators. Our superior was unable to see our complaints or bridge the gap between supervisor and employee. Therefore, he was replaced and we were met with new, more communicative supervision.
References
Chesebro, Joseph L. Professional Communication at Work: Interpersonal Communication for a Better Workplace. London: Routledge, 2014. Book.
Lutgen-Sandvik, Pamela and Sarah J. Tracy. "Answering Five Key Questions About Workplace Bullying: How Communication Scholarship Provides Thought Leadership for Transforming Abuse at Work." Management Communication Quarterly (2012): 3-47. Article.
Miller, Katherine. Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes. Chicago: Cengage Learning, 2014. Book.
Rasmussen, Joel and Asa Kroon Lundell. "Understanding “communication gaps” among personnel in high-risk workplaces from a dialogical perspective." Safety Science (2012): 39-47. Article.
Rodriguez, Joel O., Scott W. M. Burrus and Melanie E. Shaw. "Models of Performance Improvement for Strategic Planning, Relationships, Communication, Competencies, Training, and Management in the Workplace." Journal of Virtual Leadership (2011): 10-22. Article.
