Creating a Drama-Free Workplace
Our manager would demand more of the hard workers in my old workplace and leave the slackers alone. This behaviour leads to teammates resenting each other. It was common knowledge that everyone made the same amount of money, and so people who worked hard were resentful that the slackers got paid the same amount. When it came time to give out the batch orders, the more extended, more complicated orders would always go to the hardworking team.
Throughout the months that I was there, the manager did nothing to fix the issue. This problem caused very high turnover rates because the employees were unhappy with the working conditions. The manager would ignore the problem and continue to do what was best for him. When I went to him for advice on how to handle this, he told me to worry about doing my work instead of worrying about what others were doing. His advice frustrated me, and I eventually also ended up leaving.
This manager did not care about what was happening with his employees. He only cared about the result. Our interactions with him were always hurried and unsatisfactory. He always told us to worry about our progress in the company and to ignore everyone else. His behaviour only encouraged everyone to start taking it easy. In the end, it became challenging to get all the work out because everyone felt entitled to take it easy. The people who stayed just saw the job as an easy paycheck and did not care about finishing their job.
Agarwal (2018) talked about encouraging employees to take pride in their work. Building on the core values and making sure the employees understand this, I believe my manager could have set the example and helped expand on those beliefs. Taylor (2020) also talked about getting rid of the bad apples in his article. The manager should have taken the steps necessary to make sure all his employees were following the standard. If this had been the case, he could have avoided the resentment between the employees. Also, if his employees were not working satisfactorily, he should take corrective actions to see if they are willing to put in the work to make the corrections.
In the future, I would suggest that the manager hold an open-door policy and take the time to hear his employees out. If his employees continue to offer the same frustrations, the manager should take the steps necessary to help make sure the work environment continues to stay positive.
References
Agarwal, P. (2018, August 29). How to create a positive workplace culture. https://www.forbes.com/sites/pragyaagarwaleurope/2018/08/29/how-to-create-apositive-work- place-culture/#c535bb542727
Taylor, B. (2020, February 17). Don’t let negativity sink your organization. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 2–4. http://hbr.org
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Question
The ways in which managers deal with—or fail to deal with—drama and negativity in the workplace have far-reaching effects on the overall organizational culture. The average professional spends a significant portion of their life in the workplace, so it would be sensible to ensure that it is as enjoyable an experience as possible. Although many people “put up with” toxic work environments, they also frequently leave those environments to be treated better. For those who stay, it can be expected that they would be less committed and connected to their job. Instead of thinking of ways to innovate or cut costs, they might spend their mental energy imagining what they will be doing on their next vacation. Leaders who strive to create a drama-free workplace do their part to avoid that outcome.
In this Discussion, you will recall an instance of workplace drama or negativity you’ve observed or experienced. You will then analyze the manager’s role in the experience and develop specific behavioural suggestions for ways that the same manager could have responded to foster a more positive overall environment.
BY DAY 3
Post an analysis of the role of a manager in influencing workplace culture and formulate some recommended managerial action steps for addressing drama and negativity and improving the workplace culture. Specifically:
- Describe, in detail, the situation involving workplace drama and/or negativity.
- Interpret the manager’s role in either fueling or permitting the drama or negativity.
- Explain how the manager might have behaved differently and propose some recommendations for the manager to foster a more positive, drama-free work environment in the future.
Refer to the Week 3 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.
Read some of your colleagues’ postings.
To prepare for this Discussion:
- Review the resources from this week focusing on creating a drama-free workplace.
- Identify an example—from your own experience—either of a workplace that was characterized by drama or negativity or a singular incident involving drama or negativity that was poorly handled by management.
- Also, consider the role of the manager in the situation.
Resources: