Managers urged to embrace face-to-face communication
Managers are being urged to deal with any workplace issues face-to-face after a new study revealed that the majority resort to problem solving via virtual means.
Research by Highscores.com highlighted that a fifth of managers confess to using email or instant messaging to deal with issues arising from office politics, despite the fact that 31 per cent admitted this can often make things worse.
Lisette Howleet, the founder of the firm, urged managers to deal with any staff issues face-to-face.
"Meetings have proven to be much more effective when trying to ascertain the facts, not only by making the member of staff feel at ease but also by watching their body language and prying all of the relevant information from them to resolve the problem efficiently," she added.
The study also revealed that staff tend to resort to email when raising issues with their manager, with 68 per cent saying they are more comfortable with this method of communication.
A study by IT recruiter Parity recently highlighted that 70 per cent of managers think good communication skills are one of the most important areas for development in IT teams.
How do you resolve issues at the moment?
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Comments
To me this is obvious. You never resolve personal issues through email. You need to see the "white in a person's eyes".
Whilst I agree with Vince the problem for many members of staff is that they do not feel comfortable to challenge management with their views verbally. Whilst it may be seen as a cowards way out it is easier for them to ensure they get their point across and putting it in writing also makes it official.
To some extent this can be seen as a failing on the managers behalf because he/she has not created an open enough environment to encourage staff to speak to them personally and make them feel heard.
It can also be that the manager doesn't want to have to confront the issue and so sends a note hoping it will resolve itself - which it rarely does.
People have more respect for you when you deal with issues face to face.
It is also important to focus on the facts as opposed to the people. Look at what exactly is causing the problem - the specific actions people take, the words or way in which they speak, etc - so that the criticism is not of the person but what they are doing. It takes some of the emotion out of the issue and also makes it easier to agree changes that can solve the problem. Don't be afraid to say how a certain action makes you feel as that helps show the impact it has which is a very valid point.
A coaching style can be good for issues where you want people to consider the impact they have - getting them to say how they think others would react, how they would feel, what they could do about it etc.
I guess the other thing to consider is that most managers still reside in the corner office. The whole environment is designed to be imposing and 'authoritative'. It's certainly not designed with openess in mind.
Hi Karen,
I had a corner office on purpose so that it gave me a great view of everybody - left hand side faced towards the reception area and support team, right hand side towards the sales managers and sales teams - the sales managers all had rooms directly opposite their teams. It also meant I could see and hear most of what was going on so was in touch with things rather than being remote.
Whilst any office can appear imposing and authoritative it is more often down to the individual manager and their style as to how 'open' the open door policy is or isn't.
If the manager regularly has people walking in and out of his/her room and is also willing to get out of his/her room and go round chatting to staff then the atmosphere should feel much more open. The lines of communication are already there - they just need to make sure they use them and encourage feedback.