Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Was in the Hospital

Sorry for missing some posts but I had a brief stint in the hospital. Better now, but still trying to figure out what's going on. Anyway...

By way of a post for today, I have an update on a previous post where I discussed two Black workers, who were facing termination at my job. One worker was fighting on his own, with silent manager support--but no one willing to put themselves on the line for him. The other worker had a manager actively fighting for him and the manager was doing more to keep the employee on staff than the employee was doing to save his own job.

The final result, the solo worker was indeed fired and the worker with management support was indeed retained--job safe and starting from scratch.

I'll say it again, having someone, even one person, willing to back you can go a long way to keeping your job when any sort of trouble pops up at work. But, having a manager support you can make the most difference. When a manager isn't the problem, for instance you have a harassing coworker, a manager can set things straight, can be a character witness for you with higher-ups, can argue your case, and can be a strong influence on the end result.

We need more managers and workers to be vocal, when there is wrongdoing or a simple lack of fairness in the workplace. Managers are paid the big bucks to deal with all sorts of issues, so they shouldn't act like shrinking violets, when the time comes to make a decision or do the right thing. Even if an employee has been singlged out by higher-ups for termination, suspension or whatever, if a manager feels that this isn't justified by circumstances, shouldn't they speak up? If not, what is their purpose?

In the case at my job, management support made all the difference in who was fired and who wasn't.

So, here's my advice--and I've written it before--try to build positive relationships at work. Not just with coworkers, but with managers. And, not just the managers in your department. Try to get to know managers throughout the company. Be friendly. If opportunities to work on different teams come up, volunteer to work with other staff. Spread your wings. You don't know which person at work can be the one to make a difference in a critical situation.

Work smart. As the old saying goes, it's not what you know, it's who you know!!

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