Career Doctor Articles

With the kind permission of the Career Doctor, jfo is able to bring you a series of articles to help you in your work situation and longer term career management

The Most Common Coimplaints

Every week in my consultancy I hear really sad stories about the work-related problems people encounter whilst doing their job. The consultants in my other branches hear very similar stories, so Berkshire is not unique in the range of work-related problems people experience; indeed it would appear that there are common trends in employment, that bosses, at least, would be ill-advised to ignore.

But how does this affect the reader, going about his / her business and trying to earn a living without undue hassle?

It seems to me that sooner or later a good many readers will encounter at least one of the four most commonly experienced employment problems. So what are these problems and how can you deal with the resulting unpleasantness?

In this article I will discuss the four main problems and finish with some advice about possible actions you can take in response.

THE NEW BOSS

This is by far and away the most commonly heard complaint that we hear in my consultancy. It goes like this: “I was very happy in my job, but then my old boss was promoted / retired / resigned, and the replacement boss is horrible to me. What was once a really nice job is now a nightmare and I am very unhappy. Can you help me to escape?”

Sounds familiar? It certainly has happened to me, even when I was working in HR, so I have first-hand experience of how quickly a good job can become quite the opposite, almost overnight.

Indeed I have had countless senior managers and executives as clients over the years, and I hear the other side of the coin from them: “I inherited a bunch of lazy, inefficient and troublesome people, and these people have held me back from performing my job as well as I would like to. I need to replace them with staff that I have selected; my own people”

Now as I’ve said before, when I was an Employee Relations Manager I soon learned to question the motives and honesty of the complainant; for the new manager could be blaming his / her staff to cover for his / her own deficiencies. “A bad workman blames his tools” is the expression that comes to my mind.

Having said that, “might is always right” and more often than not, the new boss will eventually get his / her own way, usually to the detriment of the staff that manager inherited from his / her predecessor. The new broom sweeps clean …

Being seen as the “old guard” and an impediment to the new boss’s attempts to manage the department in his / her own way is a very demoralising experience to say the very least. And usually the old guard are wary of the new boss and will inevitably compare / contrast the new boss with his / her predecessor, and unless the new boss is a saint, the comparisons are often unfavourable.

When that new boss resorts to underhand tactics to get the old guard out, then that is quite another matter. I have lost count of the number of times I have heard from clients complaining about the new boss’s behaviour towards them. Some of these stories defy belief, and I wonder just what the new boss thinks he / she can get away with. But after a while, I have come to accept that the “new boss syndrome” is a very real problem that senior executives and HR Managers should bear in mind when investigating complaints.

HARASSMENT

The second most frequent complaint that we hear in my consultancy is about harassment. This can have racial or sexual connotations, but more often than not it is about fellow workers and colleagues being horrible, in some form or another, to the complainant.

This form of harassment is often carried out subtlely and away from witnesses. I hear many complaints from my clients about how beastly their colleagues are and how unhappy they are at work. Now I know that my previous comments about questioning the motives of the complainant still apply, but nevertheless having heard this type of complaint many times before, I know that it is a common situation which will make the complainant’s life at work unbearable.

To be on the receiving end of sexual or racial harassment can be most distressing, but in my extensive experience, covering 17 years in HR and 14 years as a career consultant, these forms of harassment are much rarer than bullying / harassment by colleagues. Perhaps this reflects the fact that there is legislation covering sexual and racial harassment, but colleague harassment is more difficult to define. When a person of the same sex / race continuously pesters you in a devious way, how can this be defined or proven?

If I had my way I would also legislate against age discrimination, but that is more difficult to do something about, legally. More’s the pity though.

PERSONAL CONFLICT

The third most common complaint we hear in our offices concerns personal conflict between two people, which makes working life very unpleasant. Obviously the reasons for such conflict are many and varied, although they need not have deteriorated to such an extent that there is overt harassment by one against the other. Nevertheless, such a conflict situation can make going to work a really stressful experience.

Jealousy can be a prime reason behind personal conflict, and that is certainly a common feature of the complaints from our clients that reach my attention. For example I am currently dealing with a case where the boss fancied a young lady working for him. She told him, in response to overtures by him, that it was her policy not to date fellow workers. This was reluctantly accepted by the boss, until she changed her policy and started dating one of his male staff.

The boss became jealous, sacked the new boyfriend, and now I am dealing with a claim by the boyfriend for Unfair Dismissal, and will be representing him at an Employment Tribunal this month. The boss allowed his jealousy to sway his commercial judgement and will be paying heavily for that (I hope).

A BLIND EYE

The fourth category of complaint that we hear about from our clients is where the boss turns a blind eye to what is going on in the workplace. Sometimes what is happening can be very blatant, but the boss may choose to ignore the signs and “bury his head in the sand”.

It is easy to see why a boss may take this approach. Maybe he / she fears the consequences if action is taken. Maybe the miscreant(s) are key workers and the boss does not want to lose them if he / she takes strong action to stamp out the harassment or victimisation. Maybe the boss wants the complainant to be harried out of his / her job and secretly supports the miscreant(s) in their dirty work. This will save him /her having to try and dismiss the complainant, especially if that person has done nothing wrong and the boss has no legal reason to dismiss. Maybe the complainant’s face doesn’t fit?

Yes I know such a policy is short-sighted, but having heard so many claims from my clients that “the boss knows about this but does nothing about it” I remain convinced that this is a fairly common situation in many places of work.

WHAT TO DO?

Let’s assume that you are facing one or more of these common, but unfortunate situations. What can you do about it? Readers with a long memory of some of my earlier articles, or who have been collecting them, will know that there are only two options: fight or flight.

I recommend that you collect as much evidence as you can, and then discuss your situation with unaffected third parties - a priest, a solicitor, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, your most trusted friends, or a specialist like us. Get as many opinions as you can, then you have to make a strategic decision. If you chose to fight, then start by doing it gently and at the lowest level possible. Start with your immediate boss, even if he / she is the cause of the trouble.

If that low key approach fails you can always turn up the volume by going to see HR (if your employer has an HR department), or by asking to meet the Managing Director. Involve trade unions (if they have a presence in your company) and you can always recourse to the law if all else fails.

Alternatively you can turn the other cheek and resolve to take flight at the earliest opportunity. Start by asking yourself how much you want to stay in that company, then ask yourself how much you want to stay in the career you are in.

If the answer to both questions is in the negative, then the decision is easy … find a new job as soon as you can. Get some professional help if you need it. But before you do this, ask yourself one other question: how much have you personally contributed to the situation you are in?

Sometimes the answer may be a valuable lesson to take with you to your new job. If, however, you are an innocent victim, then try not to let that burn you up inside. It is better to escape and rebuild, rather than descend to their level, or become bitter and twisted inside.

Good luck!

The Career Doctor is Eric Hearn, Chartered MCIPD and Managing Director of Milverton Career Solutions Ltd, Ascot, Berkshire, UK.

Contact details:
Tel: 01344 624383
Email: milvertoncareers@btconnect.com
Website: www.careerdevelopment.co.uk