I MUST RESPOND TO 2 CLASSMATES POST. EACH RESPONSE MUST BE 120 WORDS. THE DISCUSSION PROMPT IS LISTED BELOW FOR REFERENCE
DISCUSSION PROMPT:
* share a real-world experience involving workplace communication dealing with bad news expectations. Consider the following items when sharing your story:
* The example should be one in which you were personally involved.
* You may want to change details (names, employer, etc.) to protect the people involved, including you.
* Keep the focus of the story on managing perceptions and expectations (formal and informal) about how you communicate in a workplace setting.
CLASSMATE POST #1:
How you choose to address issues in the workplace can have a big impact on the future of the organization. Choosing to privately address issues or a reprimand is vital to finding the source of the problem and laying out steps to fix the problem. You never know what people are going through deep down and a public humiliation in front of their peers can tip the scales. I firmly believe that mistakes and failures will happen, and fixing the root cause is vital. Public humiliation can lead to a lack of respect, lack of work ethic, and fear for other employees.
A specific example that stounds out in my head is a time in the military when an individual made a mistake doing maintenance. The individual did not properly tighten down a door hinge on an aircraft and it came loose when closing it, causing the door to swing and smash the aircraft. The individual was publicly reprimanded on the spot, everyone moving forward tip toed around every little step when working. The outcome was longer work days for everyone and lack of maintenance being accomplished, primarily because everyone was afraid to make a mistake. Eventually, the commander had a conference with everyone and let them know that mistakes happen, and to learn from others mistakes.
CLASSMATE POST #2:
Bad news in the workplace should always be delivered to the individual directly unless it is directly impacting the whole group. I have not had any bad interactions regarding bad news being delivered at any job I have held. However, I have seen it done poorly. While working at a restaurant we had a manager who did not enjoy conflict at all. He would send an assistant manager as the bearer of bad news to avoid conflict. Even though the interactions would be one-on-one it created a very awkward and uncomfortable environment for many people working there. The main reason is they felt a lack of respect was being shown. Even though it is not as embarrassing as being called out in front of a group it was certainly not as effective as just pulling a person in for a quick one-on-one.
