Workplace dilemmas
Sometimes workplace matters can cause an employee to feel like they are caught in the middle of the game, “Pickle”. Rather than succumbing to futility, individuals in such frustrating positions may instead choose to initiate a thoughtful and articulated set of responses. While most people strive to abide by a code of ethics and moral responsibility, the following workplace conflicts may challenge these senses, invoke fear, and collide with a need for job security, causing employees to carefully consider effective communication techniques as they navigate troublesome issues.
Case #1—The Boss’s Expense Report
Your boss conveniently loses his expense report for his last trip. On his way into a meeting, he drops a blank report on your desk and asks you to fill in the blanks, saying, “Make it add up to $300 or so.” What will you do?
Given, the matter involves a supervisor and a subordinate, this situation requires the use of subtlety and tact. As the authors of the class text state, “Workplace relationships are more or less mandatory relationships (if one wants a job and intends to keep it)” (Cahn & Abigail, 2014, p.268). In this case I think the prudent approach would be to conveniently assume that my boss simply forgot to give me the receipts and respond accordingly.
I would reply by politely stating, “I would love to complete this for you. However, you may not have realized that I do not have the necessary receipts with which to calculate the business expenses.” If he responded by stating that he did not have these records I would then ask what steps we should follow to ensure that he is reimbursed while avoiding any appearance of impropriety or breaking of company rules. I might use a statement such as “I am sure that you would not want me to go against company policy, so please direct me accordingly.” DeMars, argues, “The “I” approach is always better than the “you” accusatory approach (the latter putting one on the defensive)” (DeMars, 2012, p.14). Additionally, the authors argue that workplace issues must be dealt with promptly. They state, “Conflict that is not managed quickly is a source of hyperstress that can also make employees feel helpless...” (Cahn & Abigail, 2014, p. 272). Certainly, a conflict in which the position of power is unequal is a source of concern for the subordinate. Therefore, quick action may avert future scenarios such as the one in this case.
Case #2—Lunch Reservations
Ever since you took the job last year, your boss has asked you to schedule a weekly lunch date with his mistress. You don’t like doing it, but you’ve made the reservations anyway. Last month you met his wife at a business luncheon. Now that she has met you, whenever she calls and he is out, she asks, “Can you tell me where he is?” You can’t stand being an accomplice. What will you do?
I would ask my boss to schedule a time to meet with me to discuss some concerns that I have regarding my duties. I might begin by stating that it is not my job to judge anyone’s personal life, however, I have been put in a position that I am sure he can appreciate is causing me great discomfort. With regard to moral claims in conflict, Deutsch & Coleman argue, “It is not the justifying or giving reasons for your interests that is harmful but rather the claim of moral superiority, with its explicit or implicit moral denigration of the other” (Deutsch & Coleman, 2000, p.45). In cases such as this, a suggestion of moral superiority may be met with anger and additional conflict. I might suggest the following and say, “To keep me out of the middle of this situation, perhaps I should not know your location for lunch.” This way, he would be responsible for his actions and I could honestly say that I did not know his whereabouts.
Case #3—Dinner a la Corporate Card
A very attractive manager from another department asks you out to dinner. You are surprised when you arrive at a restaurant with average prices of $50 a plate. But you enjoy the meal and the conversation—especially since work doesn’t even come up. Dessert and after-dinner coffee are added to the bill. The big surprise comes when your date pays for everything with the company’s credit card. What will you do?
Certainly, this would cause concern and a little more than a raised eyebrow. However, there may not be enough information to make a valid judgment as to whether or not this is a questionable expense. The following statement addresses perceptions and responses to conflict, “How a recipient interprets and emotionally reacts to indirectly expressed conflict behavior, therefore, will depend to some extent on the contextual cues and characteristics of the individuals involved” (Weingart, Behfar, Bendersky, Todorova, & Jehn, 2015, p.249). In some cases, managers are given expense accounts and given wide discretion as to its uses. In this case, there may be extenuating circumstances which allow for such discretionary spending. Additionally, the manager may have realized he did not have adequate cash, used the company card, and would later alert the appropriate employee and made reparations.
Case #4—The Confidential Report
It is afternoon and you have just received a very bulky interoffice mail package. As you begin sorting the contents, you discover a cover letter addressed to someone else and a folder stamped “Confidential” in big, red letters. As you begin to put it back in the mail bag, half the contents of the folder slip out and fall all over your desk. Since it is “Confidential,” you try not to look, but you can’t help yourself. You discover your company is involved in the scandal of the century. What will you do?
My actions would depend upon what type of scandal it was. If it was something illegal or harmful to the public, I would certainly speak to law enforcement or appropriate company executives and invoke “The Sarbannes-Oxley Act of 2002”, (Baker, 2008, p.40) which provides protection for whistleblowers. Baker asserts, “Communication must also take place on an ongoing basis” and “The key is keeping those channels open and establishing a policy framework around them that allows staff …to communicate their concerns” (Baker, 2008, p.40). While it can be intimidating to take on such a challenge, it is often necessary and reassurances of anonymity may serve to encourage employees to report wrongdoing. However, if it was something they were already working to correct, I would have to maintain my confidentiality.
Case #5—Party Marty
Marty is another administrative assistant who works in your office. Over the last two years the two of you have become great friends. The only thing you don’t like about Marty is her cavalier attitude toward “sampling” company property, like packages of ballpoint pens and reams of paper for her home computer. You have never said anything before, but now she has gone too far. Yesterday she announced that she had “borrowed” the keys to a condo at the corporate retreat. “No one will be there this weekend,” she says, “so I’m throwing a party! Wanna come?” You know Marty’s boss has no idea his keys are missing and you’re uncomfortable participating in such an incriminating activity. What will you do?
I would have to firmly let Mary know that while I like her very much, that the other instances have bothered me, yet I have stayed silent. This incident with the condo and party is in a whole different league and this is not only wrong, but it is endangering her employment and reputation. I might point out a valid statement by one of the greatest businessmen of our time, Warren Buffet. He states, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently” (DeMars, 2012, p.15). I would point out that this would most certainly be something that would be cause for immediate termination and possible legal action, should she be caught. I would ask her to consider whether this type of action would be worth losing her job and ruining her name.
Indeed, conflict will always exist in the workplace. There will be challenges which require thoughtful and careful responses. In each of the five cases discussed in this paper, the practice of S-TLC or the “Stop, Think, Listen, and Communicate” technique as discussed in the class text, (Cahn & Abigail, 2014, p.79) would be advisable. While it can be tempting to rush to judgment in uncomfortable situations, such action can elicit rash responses and cause greater personal damage, resulting in ruined reputations and potential job loss. Therefore, a careful analysis of the conflict, followed by proven methods of communication may increase the chances for a successful conclusion to the matter in question.
References
Baker, N. (2008). See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil: effective whistleblower programs encourage employees who witness company wrongdoing to speak out rather than look the other way. Internal Auditor, (2). 38.
Cahn, D. D., & Abigail, R. A. (2014). Managing conflict through communication (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Deutsch, M., & Coleman, P. T. (2000). The handbook of conflict resolution : Theory and practice. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.
DeMars, N. (2012). Hear no evil; see no evil; speak no evil? Not anymore. Officepro, 72(4), 12-15.
Weingart, L. R., Behfar, K. J., Bendersky, C., Todorova, G., & Jehn, K. A. (2015). The directness and oppositional intensity of conflict expression. Academy Of Management Review, 40(2), 235-262. doi:10.5465/amr.2013-0124
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