30 Business No No’s (2)
It’s a “No No” to let
your workplace get infected!
Don't hang out with
angry people; don't keep company with hotheads. Bad temper is contagious—don't
get infected.[1] Solomon
Like
a virus… bad temper is contagious!
Do you remember the
bird flu? Do you remember the steps we
were taking to get vaccine to people? We
stopped flights in from China. People
were being screened. There were pictures
on the television of men and women wearing masks. Every effort was made to prevent the bird flu
from getting to these United States.
When it comes to anger we have the same responsibility as leaders.
I was recently
eating lunch with my wife at her place of employment when her team
erupted. There was a loud and abusive
conversation between two members of the team.
Her workplace divides each level into pods for creative planning and to
encourage the exchange of ideas between team members. However, there is no training on how to
handle conflict or on how to deal with abusive language and personality
conflicts. They are only reminded that
they are to behave professionally in their work environment. This amounts to a slap on the wrist for
emotionally toxic individuals who are selfish and self focused rather than team
centered in their approach.
Individuals who act
in such a way discourage productivity and stifle creative workers from
achieving. When an employer allows toxic
workers to go unchecked he actually loses the better employees. One unknown author stated it this way. Anger
is one letter short of danger. [2]
If you are a leader, understand this, you cannot allow the workplace to
become infected with an angry individual.
It is a “No No” to let the workplace become infected with anger.
The fact
is that words kill. Careless angry words
between employees, staff, administrators, and even families kill. What do they kill? They will kill your business. They can kill your family. They can kill the productivity of the
team. Toxic people let loose their anger
when they are frustrated, or feel threatened.
These emotionally disabled employees are an infection to the teams they
are one because they kill the joy of going to work. Words spoken in anger kill productivity. Even Jesus acknowledged the disabling affects
of anger. He said, "… Carelessly call a
brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court.
Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire.
The simple moral fact is that words kill.[3]
A study
from the University of Washington is in agreement. They titled their study “Bad Apples”. They describe the workers as like a
“Virus”.
A study
from the University of Washington Business School published in Research in
Organizational Behavior in 2007 examined how negative behavior by one
person in an organization can impact on teams and groups. Researchers describe
these individuals as "bad apples" acting like a virus within teams,
with the capacity to "upset or spoil the whole apple cart". [4]
Don’t get infected!
I found this article on line from HR magazine from December 1996 issuing a
warning to CEO’s, leaders, and business men about the infection of anger in the
workplace. "This is a very real problem for American business," said
Hendrie Weisinger, "Management can't just ignore this any longer." Employees aged 18 to 34 are more than four
times as likely to report feeling angry than workers aged 50 and over, …” "These are real issues to the
employee," said Weisinger. "They hurt productivity. They block the
teamwork that managers say they want. And, tragically, they lead to the
explosions of violence and aggressive behavior that are now all too frequent
occurrences in the American workplace."[5]
The apostle Paul when dealing with the organization of the church issued
this statement to the churches. “Get rid of all
bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil
behavior.”[6] Paul
As leaders you
can’t tolerate toxic people. I think this is admonition from Paul to his
leaders to be aggressive about protecting the environment of the church from
toxic people. Get rid of it. This policy is applicable to business. Outbursts which are foolish and spoil the
workplace should be offenses which lead to an individual being terminated. In
the book The Five Dysfunctions of Team by Patrick Lencioni, Lencioni
talks about the necessity of building trust in the work place. A team that trusts each other will not be
absent of conflict rather it will be free to engage in conflict. The character of such discussions in a healthy
team allows for disagreement and creative thinking. However, the team is absent of anger and
emotionally toxic behavior. Allowing
teammates that uses their words aggressively breaks down trust. These must be terminated as necessary.
Getting rid of
infected employees goes beyond merely firing a toxic employee. As leaders you have to staff for emotional
changes which take place in your workforce.
One thing I would encourage every company to do is to find spiritual
counselors who are prepared to assist with employees who are going through
difficult life changes. If an employee
is going through divorce, dealing with loss of some kind, or losing their home
do not expect that employee to be that productive and remember their emotional
status will infect the rest of their team if they are endeared to them and even
if they are not. As leaders you get rid
of emotionally toxic environments in your team by finding spiritual advisors to
assist you. This step is proactive and
in this way you are working toward getting rid of the emotionally toxic work
environment by being prepared.
Getting rid of
the infected workplace environment requires that you establish values and a
code of behavior for your workplace.
This may seem a bit severe; however, clearly communicating your
expectations for behavior in the workplace is essential. Every employee should know and understand
what acceptable behavior in the workplace is.
As a leader we cannot assume that employees know right from wrong or
understand what is acceptable office behavior or conduct. If you want to get rid of all anger and
bitterness in the workplace clearly communicate your expectations for behavior
and reward and discipline when necessary.
Evaluate your
attitude. This is a big key in getting
rid of such behaviors. Leaders have a
great influence on the behaviors of their employees. If you have a bad temper you will likely
attract bad tempered people. “As goes
the leader so goes the followers” Author Unknown. You company will naturally take on the
attitude, vision, and values that you hold as a leader. If you want to get rid of the toxic angry
words in the workplace begin with you first and do some soul searching.
Finally,
do everything you can to prevent yourself from hiring people who are toxic or
angry. As a leader you are the primary
protector of your workplace. It begins
with who you allow to work for you.
Hrmguide.com warns leaders about miss firing on hiring.
"Managers
at companies, particularly those in which employees often work in teams, should
take special care when hiring new employees. This would include checking
references and administering personality tests so that those who are really low
on agreeableness, emotional stability or conscientiousness are screened out."
[7]
Make no apologies
for protecting the life and joy of your workplace. Work is a necessity for us, but who said it
needs to feel like work.
Let’s review.
To keep from getting infected you
should fire toxic employees when necessary.
Second, you should prepare to take care of your employees by providing
counselors for emotional situations. Third, you should let your expectations
for behavior be known up front. Fourth,
you should evaluate how your attitude is affecting the workplace. Lastly, don’t hire toxic people.
It’s a “No No” to let your workplace be infected with angry or toxic
people!
Roundtable:
1.
How do angry people
diminish productivity in the workplace?
2.
Describe a work
situation where you were confronted with an angry or toxic individual. How was it handled?
3.
What is your policy for
behavior in the workplace? Has it been
clearly communicated?
4.
What was the best work
situation you have ever been in? What
made it a good place to work?
[1] MSG, Proverbs 22:24-25; Biblegateway.com/
March 4, 2009; 10:25 AM
[2] (http://www.quotegarden.com/anger.html/
March 3, 2009: 8:10 PM)
[3] (MSG, Matthew
5:22-23 " www.biblegateway.com/ March 3, 2009; 8:25 PM)
[4] http://www.hrmguide.com/commitment/negative-behavior.htm/
March 4, 2009; 10:35
[5](Workplace anger, a growing problem HR Magazine , Dec, 1996
by Elaine
McShulskis;http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_n12_v41/ai_19099646/
March 3, 2009; 8:45)
[7] http://www.hrmguide.com/commitment/negative-behavior.htm/
March 4, 2009; 10:35
