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Rude
Awakenings: Overcoming the Civility Crisis in the Workplace by Giovinella
Gonthier Rating: • (Read only if your interest is strong) |
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Excuse Me It could be the sheltered life we lead in the
civil workplace at Hopkins & Company. After all, we take time out for
afternoon tea. We all work flexible hours. We are consistently polite and
courteous. Somewhere along the line we didn’t get the memo that announced
there’s a civility crisis in the workplace. Thanks to a new book by
Giovinella Gonthier called, Rude Awakenings, we, too, have been awakened to
this crisis, and have learned more about it than we thought we needed to
know. I found no fault at all with her list of the 10 reasons why we behave
uncivilly (p. 12): Ten
Reasons Why We Behave Uncivilly 1.
We’re working
ourselves ragged just so we can buy too many things we really don’t need. 2.
We often put up with
outrageously bad behavior by financially successful people and then feel
compelled to make excuses for them. 3.
Many of the people we
work with every day were raised with little training about manners. 4.
When our employers
tried such experiments as “casual dress,” they failed to formulate guidelines
or think through the effects. 5.
Too many people see
common courtesy as behavior that perpetuates inequality, failing to see that
civility is simply being kind to one another. 6.
Our urban communities
are inhumanely dense and our commutes to work often horrific. 7.
Young people today enter
the work world from families and schools that increasingly fail to set and
enforce rules and limits about behavior. 8.
A frightening number
of our neighbors are feeling so alienated, isolated, and anonymous that they
can be rude with no remorse or fear of reciprocation. 9.
There’s little
fairness and loyalty left in today’s highly transient workplace. 10. Rather than improve our work lives, technology has
stripped us of support services, dehumanized the workplace, and plugged us in
around the clock. If you are experiencing a lack of civility
in your workplace, Rude
Awakenings has some practical solutions for you to make improvements.
Here’s some advice about those uncivilly long voice mail messages that drive
you crazy, for example (pp. 74-76): Problem: Long, convoluted
voice mails Solution: Voice mail is designed for brief messages-generally, about
30 seconds or less. Just tell the recipient what you need when you need it
and sign off (remembering, of course to slowly and distinctly leave your name
and phone number, repeating the number). Longer and more involved messages
should be sent by e-mail, unless the sender has a disability that prevents
typing. (In that case, the disability should be mentioned at the start of the
voice-mail message.) Problem: Not returning voice mail Solution: Voice mail should be returned within 48 hours. Not returning
someone's call is tantamount to standing up that person. It is unbecoming and
inexcusable and marks you as uncaring, disorganized, and rude. If you are going to be out of your office for a
while, leave a recorded message to that effect. If you find yourself
perpetually behind in returning calls because of time management issues, seek
help. If you do not want to talk to the caller at the moment, then ask
someone else to return the call for you. Voice mail messages sometimes do get lost, so give
the person you called the benefit of the doubt and feel free to repeat a call
that has not been returned after three days. You will learn who is
responsible about returning calls and who is not. My advice is never go into
business with someone who does not return calls on a timely basis—it's too
risky! And try not to choose such a person for your team at the office or for
your volunteer committee. Problem: Hiding behind voice mail Solution: Calling after hours, during lunch, or at some other time
when you know the person you are telephoning will be out of the office is all
too commonly practiced by those late with a report, embarrassed over an
unpleasant exchange earlier in the day, or leery of talking directly to a
superior (it's an approach associates in law firms are notorious for
employing to dodge partners). In fact, all of us are tempted on occasion to hide behind voice mail—while we finish a project on deadline or cool off after a misunderstanding. But if this becomes a habit, you should be concerned. The bottom line is that hiding behind voice mail is
cowardly and will only make a bad situation worse. If you have a problem with
someone, go to the individual's office and try to sort it out in person. If
you are being bullied, abused, or harassed, go to the Human Resources
department. If you are late with a report or a brief, call during normal
business hours and explain the circumstances. It is just as cowardly for large organizations to
hide behind voice mail as it is for individuals to do so. Some companies make
it especially difficult and irritating for customers to resolve problems and
confound access to human customer-service representatives. You keep having to
"press 2" for a solution and then are asked to "press 3"
for other options that go on ad infinitum. You never get to a human being,
and your problem remains unsolved. Many large phone companies, Internet
service providers, and banks are notorious for using this poor
customer-relations tactic. Cell Phones The
Whole World Is Listening Problem; Unnecessary, inappropriate, and disruptive use in public Solution: Please turn off your cell phone while in such common areas as lobbies, corridors, rest rooms, or the office cafeteria, and while visiting someone else's office or at a lecture, luncheon, meeting, or training session. Extend your considerate behavior beyond the office to such places as the movie house, theater, restaurant, house of worship, classroom, or hotel public space, as well as on the sidewalk or on a bus, train, or plane. Use a cell phone in public only for an emergency.
If you expect a critical call, turn your phone to the vibrate mode, then
leave the public space to take the call, if at all possible, or speak in a
soft voice to avoid disturbing anyone else. Respect others’ rights not to
hear your conversation. Negotiating a business deal in public is strategically
inadvisable anyway. Shouting out instructions to your broker while on a train
draws unwanted attention to your portfolio and sets you up for potential
fraud. Planning tonight’s menu or rehashing last night’s date in public is
simply boorish. The most egregious violation of cell phone usage in
public that I have heard of in my practice was someone receiving a call on
his cell during the funeral service of a colleague. And he took the call! If you’re looking for practical advice
like the above, then Rude
Awakenings is certainly for you. Most of us either think we don’t need
such advice, or aren’t looking for it. We may receive this book as a gift. I
found the Sprint ethics quick-test to be valuable. Here it is (p.145): Sprint’s
Ethics Quick Test Sprint
values integrity, and wants to maintain its reputation for doing the right
thing. If you’re ever in a situation where the right thing is unclear or
doing the right thing is difficult, examine your options with the Ethics
Test: ·
Could it harm
Sprint’s reputation? ·
Is it ethical and
legal? ·
What would my family
and friends say? ·
How would it look in
the newspaper? ·
Would I bet my job on
it? ·
Should I check? ·
How would my action
appear to others? I wonder if the Sprint executives who
signed up with Ernst & Young’s plan for tax avoidance thought about these
questions first. Readers who don’t think there’s a civility
crisis in society or the workplace have no reason at all to read Rude
Awakenings. Readers who think there are bigger crises that cause greater
concern will want to take a pass. Steve Hopkins, February 27, 2002 |
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ã 2003 Hopkins and Company, LLC The
recommendation rating for this book appeared in the March 2003
issue of Executive
Times URL
for this review: http://www.hopkinsandcompany.com/Books/Rude
Awakenings.htm For
Reprint Permission, Contact: Hopkins
& Company, LLC • 723 North Kenilworth Avenue • Oak Park, IL 60302 E-mail: books@hopkinsandcompany.com |
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