Chronical/Ken Stevens http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2007/11/shoppers_were_out_in_force.html
Work, wherever you work, is one of the hardest, most annoying things ever imagined. And I love my job. I do something that fits my skill set but yet challenges me on a daily basis. I do something that is very good for the ‘me’ at this moment. I don’t see myself doing this the rest of my life, but I’m learning so much.
I was recently promoted to a supervisor position from an entry level. So besides doing the work that I very much enjoy, I know how to deal with fellow workers. I thought I would do ‘okay.’ I know I’m very young to be in this position and I expected to meet resistance from the people that had been with the company for decades but I didn’t expect to meet it from my age peer group. The older workers accept me as a supervisor, I know my shit and they can see that. But I’m struggling with the people my age. And I think that’s happening for several reasons.
- They thought that having a ‘buddy’ as a supervisor would be fun. But it’s not. I have the same expectations as any other supervisor. And I know all the places where they would slack.
- They think that I’m the same as them. To me this is a joke. I have a three year old son, I don’t party, I want to excel at my job. This job to them is their ‘collage’ job. They don’t see it as a career so they don’t give a shit. But I very much do and so we are coming into conflict over our two very different goals and views of the work.
- They know that they can complain about me. They know I’m young, and new at my job. They know that my supervisors will listen and talk to me about it. And it’s just me doing my job.
Even though this has been a struggle adjusting to this job, I’ve learned many valuable lessons already that I will hopefully carry on to my next job. The first is to be Aware. Part of the problem was that I wasn’t aware of what was happening when I wasn’t looking, how I was speaking to them, or their attitudes towards me. I’ve learned to watch what they are doing at all times, and take note of it. It may not seem important but having a source of information about problems is a good thing whenever talking to a supervisor. The second is, be aware of how I was addressing them. Was I being controlling? Was I acting like a know it all? Do they have justification in their complaints? I really wanted to know if I was treating them in a way that I wasn’t aware of. So I kept a notebook of all our interactions. I wrote down what I said to them and what they said to me. I was sick of being blindsided by complaints that I had no memory of. I didn’t like it becoming ’she said this’ when I had no clue! Keeping a notebook leads me to the third point. By keeping a record, by being aware of our conversations, I saw that they were giving me attitude. They didn’t respect me and they made it very clear in the tone that they spoke to me. And I didn’t realize it!!! I had just been brushing it off. And now, I have tools available to me if the conflict continues.
The second step to work conflict is to Evaluate. Is this conflict worth the effort of solving? Is it that important. There are going to be situations/conflicts that just don’t matter. They may be annoying but meaningless. Are these conflicts going to show up on review? Are they going to impact future promotions? These questions matter a lot in my decision of conflict resolution. Do I really care that these girls say that I make them ‘feel’ bad? Not really. But if it affects my future I do care.
The last step is Solution. So I have my notebooks of information. I have evaluated that this conflict matters. What is next? First, reduce your interactions with them to the minimum to do your job. Why give them more ammunition? Just stay away, they can’t complain if they never interact with you. The second step may be controversial but it makes me feel better. Make their life boring (I wanted to say ‘hell’ but that has too many nasty connotations). You want them to find their job boring. You want them to realize that they don’t get to do pet projects or fun extras. They are replaceable, but you don’t want to say that outright, it needs to be a slow revelation. I am their supervisor, I determine the work that they do and I don’t want to reward them for complaining about me. I’m trying to do it in the least obvious spiteful way. I don’t want to get in trouble for punishing them for complaining about me. But I don’t have to make their lives enjoyable. Lastly, if your supervisor is still talking to you about them, bring out the notebooks. Show them the evidence. Let them see for themselves how you are treating the girls and let them know about their negative behavior. Conversing with a supervisor is a good thing, let them know your frustrations with the workers. It’s not a one way street, you don’t have to take complaints lying down.
If you are good at your job, if you work hard, and you care, complaints from a few individuals won’t matter. I was promoted over these girls for a reason, and I will do my job well regardless of what others may think of me. I won’t let their negativity drain my creativity and love for my job. If I didn’t create a course of action, if I didn’t funnel my creativity into this problem, I would be incredibly frustrated. Creativity isn’t just taking photos, or drawing, it’s dealing with life’s problems in a positive manner. Don’t limit your creativity to your days off or when you’re not at work. By seeking creative solutions, you’re increasing your prospects.
