The interpersonal communication issue which I encountered when I was working full-time happened frequently whenever I worked with the store manager. During the opening shift, if there were tasks that were omitted or done incorrectly, he would go into a tirade and message the group chat that was meant for communication among the store employees. There were around 15 store employees which consisted of the store manager, four supervisors, and a mix of full-time and part-time staff members. The store manager would take pictures and send it to the group chat with captions that were written in capital letters. He will also be in a bad mood throughout the remainder of the shift.
One of the possible root causes is his assumption that they were lazy because he has already given what he thought was enough time to complete the tasks. He also had high expectations for himself and the people around him. It did not help that sometimes he caught them playing with their phone when there was still a lot of work to be done. It is also possible that the motivation behind his actions could have stemmed from his belief that scolding them was the only way to get his message across. This explains why his tone was always very aggressive. On top of that, he chose to message the group chat rather than message them personally. This could have served as both a warning and a reminder to everyone.
In the beginning, I felt shocked. As time passed by, I tolerated it and just took it in stride. I also noticed that the staff started feeling resentment. It seemed as though only those who worked during a closing shift would get the brunt of his dissatisfaction the next morning. Apparently, this store manager has always reacted this way, perhaps even worse previously.
Dear readers, how would you have reacted and why? Do you think there is a solution to this interpersonal communication issue?
Edited as of 27th February 2019
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Sarah
Carolyn
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ReplyDeleteHello Fifa!
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting read and thank you for sharing it on your blog. I would have felt as shocked as you did too but I would not have tolerated it. Such incidents may cause a very negative working experience and prevent us from enjoying our day at work.
I believe that we should never resent going to work and go with the mindset that we are going to learn something new. Unfortunately, such managers make it strenuous for the employees.
I feel that a solution to this would have been to approach the manager and address the issue as a team stating how his messages and mood affected the team's performance negatively. If it didn't work, then perhaps other measures like communicating with the higher management could be considered.
Hi Swathi,
DeleteI completely agree with you. It does create a negative working experience. It was not possible to for me to communicate with the higher management as they rarely come around. Also, I had no means to contact them. However, I did share my thoughts regarding this recurring issue with the other supervisors. One of the supervisors had previously talked to him about it; he improved a little after their talk.
Luckily, I tend to work more opening shifts than closing shifts. So I would not be on the receiving end of his tantrum. However, this means that I’ll be running the shift with a grumpy manager. This is something that I do not mind as long as he does not misplace his frustrations and lash out on me instead. Seeing how often the group would receive such negative messages, I made an effort to commend and compliment anyone who has done a good job. This would be done in the group chat so that they will be given recognition and credit for the work done.
Over time, whenever I worked opening shifts with this particular manager, I would offer to text the group. This gave me the opportunity to be mindful of the words I was using and I made it out to be a friendly reminder to everyone. Over time, I realised that it was better to personally message them regarding any issues I came across.
In the end, the manager decided to quit after working with the company after a falling out with higher management. That concludes the end of this issue within that workplace setting.
Thank you for reading.
Warm regards,
Afifah
Hi Afifah,
ReplyDeleteOh dear, it must be a dread to go to work knowing that your boss always acts in an unfavourable way. I have yet to experience a situation like yours as my previous bosses were quite nice to me, thankfully. Personally, I would react in a similar way as yourself where I would tolerate all his reminders and scoldings. However, I would communicate with my colleagues to voice out on this matter instead. For example, the whole team should focus more during working hours instead of playing on their phones. A checklist can also be done to ensure that nothing is forgotten during the opening shift. If the behaviour of the team is changed, it might improve the performance of a team. As a result, no scoldings by the boss are then needed.
Hi Nadiah,
DeleteI hope that you, and no one else, has to go through this situation in any workplace setting. It is very uncomfortable, and it definitely had an impact on the employee motivation. Regarding the usage of phones during working hours, it was hard for me to advocate change as the other supervisors themselves would behave the same way too. Thus, it seemed futile to do so.
I really like your suggestion that there should be a checklist for tasks. It would be very helpful and ensure that no task would be forgotten.
Let me share with you the ending to the situation I shared. As, I tend to work more opening shifts than closing shifts, I was not on the receiving end of his tantrum. However, this means that I’ll be running the shift with a grumpy manager. This is something that I do not mind as long as he does not misplace his frustrations and lash out on me instead. Seeing how often the group would receive such negative messages, I made an effort to commend and compliment anyone who has done a good job. This would be done in the group chat so that they will be given recognition and credit for the work done.
Over time, whenever I worked opening shifts with this particular manager, I would offer to text the group. This gave me the opportunity to be mindful of the words I was using and I made it out to be a friendly reminder to everyone. Over time, I realised that it was better to personally message them regarding any issues I came across.
In the end, the manager decided to quit after working with the company after a falling out with higher management. That concludes the end of this issue within that workplace setting.
Thank you for reading.
Warm regards,
Afifah
Hi Afifah,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience on your blog. If I were you, I would have address your store manager anger after they have taken chill pill. I would try to seek the root cause of his anger through probing. For instance, I would ask them what happened and just listen so he feels like he is being heard out and understood. Sometimes after that, the person would be able to think rationally and come up with better solutions. If they are still stubborn, you can always offer alternatives to the said situation and end it of on a neutral tone like, "but it is up to you/ end of the day, it is your choice." This way they will not feel like you are scolding or taking sides. Always remember to assure them of what a good job they are doing! (Fake it till they believe it)
Love,
Christine, Sarah, Tricia
Dear Afifah,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this interesting problem situation.
I see that you have gotten some useful feedback from your peers, including the trio from our most recent class. They mentioned the value of exploring the cause of your manager's anger by asking questions.
I also see that you were able to handle the situation by relying on your instinct and prior experience. It was smart and rational of you to take up the duty of writing the text messages to the group by yourself and thus controlling the tone and content of your boss' communications. It's also interesting that you employed the 'stroking' strategy, by thanking/complimenting those who had made a contribution.
I appreciate your effort in telling this story and in reflecting on it for the purpose of this assignment.
Cheers,
Brad