ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 16, 1997 TAG: 9702180012
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Working It out
SOURCE: CAMILLE WRIGHT MILLER
Q: I've called several times in response to an advertised position. The receptionist answers in an awful voice and tells me the person who hires is out and no one else can help. I'm ready to abandon attempts to get this job. Do I want to work there?
A: Don't assume your initial contacts represent the company's culture or operating philosophy.
But it does sound like there are problems with this company. They may be minor and easily resolved.
Smart companies recognize that everyone is a customer service representative. Clients, sales, and hiring decisions depend on how well every contact is treated. Concerned companies monitor all aspects of their customer service. If managers there took the time to place a call through the receptionist, they would see how the company appears to others.
Your experience also suggests that communication and openness are problems. The hiring individual should anticipate inquiries and leave information with the receptionist and others.
There's no way of knowing the extent of problems without a closer look.
Call the receptionist again and ask for the name of the person in charge of hiring. Mail your resume and cover letter; in that letter, mention that you've called and you're sorry you haven't been able to reach the individual.
If you land an interview, evaluate whether the entire company operates as the receptionist did. If so, look elsewhere. If not, go after the job. Once hired, introduce customer service practices to the receptionist and help open communication companywide.
Q: Our manager arrives an hour early for work and leaves an hour early. No matter what we do once he's gone, he finds fault and says we don't keep him informed. We tried talking to him. That backfired - he wrote notes to our personnel files about our "insubordination." The tension is awful.
A: At the managerial level, it's understood that people give up the time clock mentality. Managers remain available to their staff during normal working hours and stay until the day's work is completed. Further, good managers look for opportunities to give their staff increasing responsibility. All this, and more, is lacking here.
Your manager's response to your concerns, coupled with his faultfinding, suggest he has emotional problems. He's unlikely to be receptive to your suggestions for counseling. Because his boss hasn't become involved, work to minimize the damage he can do to you and your personnel records.
Try to predict what business might occur in his absence. Before he leaves each day, ask how he would like those events handled should they arise. Take notes.
Where appropriate, suggest that the problem wait until he returns in the morning.
Consider getting other managers involved in handling problems. Call the most sympathetic manager and ask for help in resolving problems or making decisions. Explain your boss has gone for the day.
When other managers are helping, you might gently hint of past problems with the staff's handling of matters. Done frequently, the word may reach appropriate levels that a serious problem exists in your department. At the end of each day, write executive summaries explaining what happened. The title "executive summary" will appeal to his ego, and the summaries will work toward his feeling informed and that he has your support.
While engineering new approaches for handling an old problem, consider an intensive job search.
Your manager may eventually leave, but that's not likely because his situation works well for him.
However, the emotional costs are too high for you to wait him out much longer.
Q: In a disagreement over a personnel request, my boss and I sent the form back and forth, each scribbling comments until the paper was full but nothing resolved. The comments were simply needles back and forth. We don't like one another, and this will probably happen again. How should I handle it next time?
A: Paper battles shouldn't be played by bosses - they're supposed to be above that level of pettiness. Because your boss does play at that level, the only way to handle it is face to face. Paper warriors often cave when confronted.
When you receive a needling reply to a request, go to his office. Ask to discuss the underlying problem. You may not always get what you want or deserve, but you'll retain your dignity. Don't let another's pettiness draw you into unprofessional behavior.
Camille Wright Miller, an organizational behavior sociologist who works in Lexington, answers questions from our readers about workplace issues. Please send them to her in care of The Roanoke Times, Business News Department, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010 or call 981-3100 ext. 498. Please give your name and phone number in case she has questions.
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