Trouble in the Workplace

By: Donna MacMillan
Submitted: 2007-01-17 12:48:45
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

More and more I am hearing about problems in the office revolving around people issues. We are all familiar with sexual harassment and discrimination of various types. But what if you are experiencing feelings of discomfort due to actions that fall within the cracks. Such as inappropriate language or jokes of a sexual or racist nature? Perhaps your boss is asking you to handle tasks in a way that you know border on the not quite right side of an issue or even down right illegal. And he/she makes it clear that you are expected to do as you are instructed.

Is the accepted culture of your company making you feel isolated? Do you get "punished" for not attending company social functions? These and many other situations sometime make it difficult to stay in a company. There is often no workable solution - the culture of a company comes from the top down and if the top guy or girl is not the most respectable or moral person than mostly likely most of the rest of your co-workers will fall short of your expectations. And since, like you, in an interview and through out the beginning of you joining the company, everyone will be on their best behavior, it might be some time before you realize just what you have gotten yourself into.

So what is a person to do? You have just four choices:

1. Go along with everyone else's bad behavior

2. Try to get everyone to change

3. Lead by example

4. Find a better place to work

Number one is never a good idea. It is too easy to fall prey to bad behavior and before too long this behavior becomes a natural way for you to act.

Number two never works. A leopard will not, can not change it's spots. The only way people change is to recognize their faults and make a personal effort to improve.

Three is a great way for you to be however, it probably will not make a dent in the office behavior. In fact, you might even end up more isolated.

Four is the only real solution to save your sanity.

Copyright all rights reserved Bookkeeping R Us 2006

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Workplace Communication category

  • Work From Home and Avoid the Traffic - By: Michiel Van Kets
    Working from home sounds like it might just be the ticket to me. Your own time being able to complete your required jobs in the time you have rather than driving to the job and being forced to sit for seven and half or eight or nine hours behind a desk. So what do I need to learn to get started? Well here we can look at some of the options available and some of the most common jobs you could do working from home.
  • Centralising Printing to a Multifunctional Photocopier - By: Jennifer Chilton
    A combination of photocopying, printing and scanning needs to be done in most schools and businesses, with many running several small printers for printing documents, a photocopier for copying -documents and separate desktop scanners for scanning documents. Now that most photocopiers are multifunctional and can be connected to the print server, is it necessary to still also run desktop printers, or can it be more cost effective and still convenient to re-route all, or at least most, printing to the photocopi-er and get rid of desktop devices?
  • 28 Web Conference Training Tips - By: Mary Polley-Berte
    This article offers some helpful tips specifically targeted to web conference training.
  • The iRC1021i copier bridges the office gap - By: Jennifer Chilton
    Canon have release-d the iRC1021i to -try and bridge the gap in the colour photocopier market between desktop and colour printing. ---
  • Gossip in the Workplace - The Expert's Opinion Versus the Spiritual Master - By: Gary Zalben
    Those who are called experts share some of their revelations about gossip in the workplace in the next four paragraphs and after that follows the judgment of the spiritual master.
  • An Employee "Perk" That Actually Boosts Productivity for Outside Salespeople - By: Steve Sasman
    There is an easy way to give your Sales Team a great "Perk" that will not only excite your team, keep them happy, and help retain employees, but also increase their effectiveness on the job.
  • The Benefits of Having a Self Service Kiosk in Your Business - By: S. Roberts
    Doesn't it seem that more and more machines are springing up in the most unlikely places? Self-order express kiosks can be found in retail shops. Local councils have touch screen computers offering information to the public. Chemists have machines giving customers health checks, and even supermarkets have self-checkout tills now. So why are kiosks so popular? Are companies benefiting or is it all just a waste of money?
  • 7 Easy Ways to Build Workplace Collaboration - By: Stephen James Joyce
    Collaborative leadership further enhances the sense of connection people have with their team. So developing collaborative intelligence (defined as the ability to harness the energy and intelligence of a group or team) should be the prime objective of any business or team wishing to ‘up their game’.
  • Getting Punctual Notifications - By: Ajeet Khurana
    A timely alert can help us sort out our routines. Here are some efficient ways to send out notifications.
  • Laughter Makes the Workplace Lighter - By: Gail Solish
    Did you know that the average preschooler laughs or smiles 400 times a day? That number drops to 15 by the time people are 35 yrs. old.