Sarah and Lisa were
colleagues who had been working together in the same department of a retail
organisation. Sarah was a middle aged, loyal member of staff who had been in
her role for almost 20 years and Lisa was a young, entry level salesperson who
had been with the company for just over a year. Susan was known to have a
strong, brash personality towards all staff, supposedly a by product of working
in the same job and industry. In her long standing position, several people had
been unable to cope with the demands and clashes of trivial conflict with Sarah
and had even requested for transfers to other departments.
Over the course of the year,
Lisa had grown accustomed to conduct of the department and established a sense
of comfort within the working environment.
She also developed a relatively friendly relationship with Sarah and the
other staff. However, one day Sarah commented something in passing that deeply
upset and offended Lisa. She broke down in tears in the staff bathroom where
several colleagues offered her words of consolation. When she returned to her
department, she stopped conversing entirely with Sarah, except for necessary
work related talk. As this was not the
first time Sarah had affronted a fellow colleague, Lisa approached a manager
about her specific issue and they provided her with a choice to change
department.
Although realising Lisa’s
change of behaviour and demeanour, Sarah was only made aware of the effects of
her comment through other colleagues. Unwilling to address the issue, both
women continued to avoid each other and as consequence, much tension and
rigidity was felt in the department environment.
How can the other colleagues
approach this situation in order to restore the working environment?
Given that Sarah has been in the department for a long time, it may be inappropriate to approach her first to rectify the issue. She may see it as a challenge to her seniority and certainly will not welcome it. Therefore, I suggest the other colleagues to approach Lisa first. Furthermore, it was Lisa who first heard the passing remarks and was deeply offended. She did not make the effort to approach Sarah for her clarification and was carried away by her anger. Such an action escalated into something unfortunate, that is having Lisa to leave for another department.
ReplyDeleteIf you are one of the colleagues, you should probably first speak to Lisa with a soft tone. Being empathetic is key in the conversation. Certainly, she must not have felt good due to Sarah's comment. Therefore, one must emphasize using phrases like, "I understand what you had gone through..." or "I feel what you feel...". This will set the frame of mind in her, letting her know that you are there to help her. After which, politely ask her to talk to Sarah about this. She will probably reject this. This is when foresight is important. Therefore, invite her to have lunch with yourself and Sarah.
During lunch, start off with some work related topics. As the conversation gets lighter, it is then appropriate to bring in what exactly went through Sarah's mind when she made that comment. Hopefully, through negotiation, the matter will resolved.
It is important to apply what we learn through our studies, that is to be able to understand people's situations and react appropriately to them. Understanding their feelings and using the correct words are essential as well.
Jym is Soon Siang. Sorry, I don't know why my supposed Google name becomes Jym.
ReplyDeleteInteresting but too descriptive,; too much narration; and too little analysis. What do you think they could have done to avoid the situation they landed themselves in?
ReplyDelete