The practical steps to increase employee empowerment often involve organizational programs as well as the individual leader’s actions with direct subordinates. A variety of different empowerment programs have been used, including self-managed teams, democratic structures and processes, and employee ownership of the company. A leader could follow the more detailed practical guidelines and devise effective action plans to empower others for achieving a high-performance workplace.
Take for example an organization that consists of 60 staff members and these members are divided into 6 functional working teams. Listed below are some key steps that an organization leader may take to empower their working teams or empower the workplace. Continue reading What are some practical steps that leaders can take to empower their team or employees and develop a high-performance workplace?
When I first heard the term ghosting, I related it to ghosts in a haunted house or scary events at Halloween or heaven forbid, I got lost in a field on the way home and was at the mercy of some supernatural being. However, on researching this term in greater depth, I found it also relates to a tactic of avoidance in the dating game and in the workplace. My interest, of course, focused on the workplace, and I found some very interesting information, so, keep reading…
Ghosting in the workplace is very similar to giving someone the cold shoulder or avoiding them completely in a romantic relationship – except at work it applies to the boss or company for whom you work. Like the technique of avoidance in the courting game, where the one ghosted in the relationship may feel shafted or dumped, ghosting at work implies a similar situation: an employee snubs his employer either through avoidance or quitting completely. In dating, a person who is dumped feels lost and very reluctant to date someone else. In the workplace, an employee who ghosts the company or boss often leaves them mystified and powerless to do anything, especially if the employee quits suddenly and doesn’t return to work (Leary, M.R., Haupt, A.L., Strausser, K.S., Chokel JT, 1998) .
The question why employees ghost in the workplace is one that has baffled employers everywhere, but one reason for this phenomenon is that the unemployment rate in the US is very low now, jobs are plentiful, and skilled labor is hard to find. So, if an employee gets a good job opportunity, he or she quits their previous job before joining a better place of employment and only informs the employer on the day they leave, which leads to an awkward situation for the employer or management. Ghosting can also be the result of dissatisfaction with a boss or company’s behavior and their attitude towards the employee. Formerly, it was the company or employer that ghosted employees or fired them because the employees could not adapt to a chaotic workplace. The employee would then be left trying to find employment. However, it is clear now that the tables have turned, and many employees are turning to alternative positions when things go awry at their workplace (Cynthia L. Pickett CL, Gardner WL, Knowles M, 2004) (Celestine Williams, Deborah South Richardson, Georgina S. Hammock, Adrian S. Janit, 2012).
Companies can implement a few strategies to discourage employees from ghosting
Give respect to employees. A friendly environment has to be created, and respect for your employee goes a long way. Respect the employees’ opinions, even if you don’t agree with them. This will ease stress or misconceptions about you, the employer, or manager.
The use of direct and indirect communication plays an important role. Maintaining consistency among employees or staff is an important and tough task. The employer has to consider all related aspects and paint a clear picture of the process or instructions to the employees. The employer should never mislead and never over promise and under deliver.
Lastly, the employer must consider the loss of productivity, loss of the required core skills, and loss of morale amongst remaining employees that result from ghosting.
Looking from another perspective
We can consider ghosting from the perspective that an employee wants to get a better opportunity in the labor market, but we must also realize it has an adverse impact on employees as well as employers. When an employee leaves a company without justification, everyone within the organization looks at company management to see how they handled the situation. It’s important not to leave a bad impression among those who remain with the company, or with the employee himself. My office gives everyone a plaque and wishes them well. Some employees have stayed for over 30 years. Remember that the job market is excellent and the unemployment rate is low; employees who leave our company maintain a good attitude towards everyone.
Derrick Darden, PhD (Triple D)
References:
Celestine Williams, Deborah South Richardson, Georgina S. Hammock, Adrian S. Janit. (2012, December). Perceptions of physical and psychological aggression in close relationships: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17(6), 489-494. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2012.06.005
Cynthia L. Pickett CL, Gardner WL, Knowles M. (2004, Sptember 30). The need to belong and enhanced sensitivity to social clues. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(9), 1095-1107. doi:10.1177/0146167203262085
Dewall CN, Macdonald G, Webster GD, Masten Cl, baumeister RF, Powell C, Combs D, Schurtz DR, Stillman TF, Tice DM, Eisenberger NI. (2010). Acetaminophen Reduces Social Pain: Behavioral and Neural Evidence. Psychological Science, 21, pp. 931-7. doi:10. 1177/0956797610374741
Ethan Kross, Marc G. Berman, Walter Mischel, Edward E. Smith, Tor D. Wager. (2011). Social Rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), (pp. 6270-6275). doi:10.1073/pnas.1102693108
Leary, M.R., Haupt, A.L., Strausser, K.S., Chokel JT. (1998). The relationship between interpersona appraisals and state self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1290-9. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.74.5.1290
Author Northouse explains that “Effective leadership offers when the communication between leaders and subordinates is characterized by mutual trust, respect, and commitment.” Such communication and sincerity in our interactions is key to success. This behavior should be displayed by both top management and throughout the organization. It has long been my aim to instill such values in our organizational culture.
Information is key to business today. When it flows, there is innovation and excellence. When it is blocked, dropped, or misconstrued, our business suffers. Sometimes information doesn’t make its way thru the channels to all levels. Many times, valuable information is held by someone intentionally or unintentionally because one may feel that specific information should be on a need-to-know basis. This can create feelings of exclusion or mistrust in management and erodes trust and loyalty within the company.
To resolve this communication problem in my organization, we established a system of feedback that ensures that messages are communicated to and received at all levels. Two-way communication is always the best methodology to ensure that trust is developed, which leads to commitment in our employees.
Developing relationships is vital to building trust. For example, I use to think of going to the dentist an unpleasant experience, especially when it involved a tooth extraction or an annual in-depth cleaning appointment. However, my present experience is quite different. My dentist always communicates to me about the procedure which I am about to undergo, which establishes a rapport between the professional and the patient. The dentist details the procedures and gives me the option to continue the procedure or not. Importantly, my consent signifies my trust in their abilities and in the mutual concern about my well-being before digging into my mouth.
It is vital in our communications that we remove inaccurate mis-perceived ideas and clearly communicate our intentions. Fear of the unknown can be a debilitating factor, employees that do not know what to expect will fear the unknown and will act on their misconceived knowledge, which can be far from the truth.
Importantly, management must form positive relationships with their employees before implementing an action. Just as the dentist created trust in our interaction, managers and leaders must establish mutual respect in their relationships with employees. Promoting an atmosphere of collaboration creates trust and loyalty.
It’s a well-known fact that when employees become loyal to the company, they become dedicated and willing to work harder towards achieving priorities and fulfilling the company mission. They become eager to take on and complete those extra tasks and projects that are vital to success. I believe committed employees see themselves as stakeholders in the company’s overall success.
Derrick Darden, PhD
Researchers have found a growing national trend in employees experiencing some form of negative behavior in the work environment. Schat, Frone & Kelloway reported in 2006 in a prominent study of U.S. workers that 41.4% or approximately 47 million American workers reported being involved at their workplace with psychological antagonism over the past 12 months (Schat et al., 2006). In a survey conducted by the U.S. government of federal employees, out of forty-two thousand or 58% of those participating in the survey, 13% or 1 in 8 witnessed some kind of form of negative behavior in the workplace (Federal Government, 2012).
Studies into negative work behaviors and their environments have researchers looking at the relationship of work-related psychosocial hazards and relationship to psychological illness. Negative behaviors aimed at an individual or a group of co-workers have various labels such as manipulation and exploitation, bullying, degrading and humiliation, and harassment (Zapf & Einarsen, 2003).
Most recent research has linked negative behaviors to the health of the employee. In a study by Bowling and Beehr (2006), found that various behaviors such as depression, anxiety, and physical symptoms had a significant relationship. Other researchers found bullying or negative behavior in the workplace and that employee intention to leave the organization has an indirect link to ill health (Djurkovic et al., 2004).
These studies confirm that when employees experience the negative effects of psychological workplace hazards and the above-mentioned behaviors are prominently displayed amongst the individual or group, it results in high absenteeism and huge turnover rates in the organization.
In a recent study done by the University of Copenhagen psychology department, 2,154 healthcare workers were followed for three years to investigate the risk of turnover when exposed to a negative environment at the workplace. In the first year, the study found that 9.2% of the workers responded to a negative environment on a frequent basis. In years two and three, they saw a strong correlation between frequent exposure to a negative work environment and high turnover rates. This study also pointed out the correlation between the health of the worker and work Conditions (Hogh A, Hoel H, Caneiro IG, 2011b).
Three factors stood out in this study regarding why these workers wanted to quit: poor leadership, constant exposure to negative behavior, and health problems, which can affect the worker in the long term (Hogh A, Hoel H, Caneiro IG, 2011b).
As a result, organizations experience high absenteeism, and high turnover that ultimately end up with low productivity, poor creativity and a decline in work quality (Hogh A, Hoel H,
Caneiro IG, 2011b).
All of this hampers an organization’s ability to compete in a competitive environment, their ability to hire and retain talented individuals, and the fostering of a healthy work environment. Negative behaviors should not be tolerated in the workplace. It is too costly for the organization and the individual. Additionally, it undermines the goals, vision and ultimately the success of the organization.
Whenever this negative behavior is exposed in an organization, a zero-tolerance policy should be implemented throughout the organization. Managers and leaders should monitor the work environment on a constant basis. Managers need to keep an open door policy for all employees to talk about problems they may be experiencing in the organization. Seniors managers should conduct town hall meetings with all employees to understand the work climate. Senior managers should be approachable without being judgmental at all times.
In conclusion, a negative workplace environment affects all employees in both the private and government sector. Mitigating and eliminating a negative work environment may save the organization costly medical bills and decrease absenteeism. Negative behaviors can arise in every workplace environment and need to be dealt with swiftly by upper management and leader.
Further research is needed to understand the nature, causes, and consequences of negative workplace behaviors, such as aggression, and perhaps most importantly, policies and interventions to reduce such behaviors.
References:
Bowling N.A. & Beehr T.A. (2006) Workplace harassment from the victim’s perspective: a theoretical model and meta-analysis. The Journal of Applied Psychology 91 (5), 998–1012
Djurkovic N., McCormack D. & Casimir G. (2004). The physical and psychological effects of workplace bullying and their relationship to intention to leave: a test of the psychosomatic and disability hypotheses. International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior 7 (4), 469–497.
Federal government (2012). One in eight feds have witnessed workplace violence in past two years. Federal Government Publication, Baltimore, MD.
Hogh A, Hoel H, Caneiro IG (2011b) Bullying and employee turnover among health-care workers. A three-wave prospective study. Journal of Nursing Management, 19,742-751.
Schat, A.C.H., Frone, M.R., & Kelloway, E.K. (2006). Prevalence of workplace aggression in the U.S workforce: Findings from a national study. In E.K. Kelloway, J. Barling, and J. Hurrell (Eds.), Handbook of workplace violence. Thousand Oaks, CA:SAGE.
Zapf D., Einarsen S., Hoel H. & Vartia M. (2003). Empirical findings on bullying in the workplace. In Bullying and Emotional Abuse in the Workplace. International Perspectives in Research and Practice, 1st edn., Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 44, 103- 126.
