Comments on: Open Communication is a Must, Especially in Tough Times http://www.workhappynow.com/2009/04/communicate-in-badtimes/ Develop your happiness. Live your passions. Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:48:13 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Drew Tarvin, Office Humorist http://www.workhappynow.com/2009/04/communicate-in-badtimes/comment-page-1/#comment-5307 Drew Tarvin, Office Humorist Fri, 01 May 2009 13:13:23 +0000 http://www.workhappynow.com/?p=894#comment-5307 It's amazing the ingenuity people will come up with when they are included in on the what's going on. Why companies haven't learned that yet, I have no idea. It’s amazing the ingenuity people will come up with when they are included in on the what’s going on. Why companies haven’t learned that yet, I have no idea.

]]> By: Daphne @ Joyful Days http://www.workhappynow.com/2009/04/communicate-in-badtimes/comment-page-1/#comment-5111 Daphne @ Joyful Days Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:28:38 +0000 http://www.workhappynow.com/?p=894#comment-5111 Hi Karl, Great read, and I loved the coffee mug example and what a single employee can do to boost morale, just through simple, practical actions like bringing a few mugs to work. Stumbled! Hi Karl,

Great read, and I loved the coffee mug example and what a single employee can do to boost morale, just through simple, practical actions like bringing a few mugs to work. Stumbled!

]]> By: Patricia http://www.workhappynow.com/2009/04/communicate-in-badtimes/comment-page-1/#comment-5109 Patricia Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:26:21 +0000 http://www.workhappynow.com/?p=894#comment-5109 stumbled it... good read - easy to understand - relevant material stumbled it…
good read – easy to understand – relevant material

]]> By: marj -thewayofmoney http://www.workhappynow.com/2009/04/communicate-in-badtimes/comment-page-1/#comment-5012 marj -thewayofmoney Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:18:19 +0000 http://www.workhappynow.com/?p=894#comment-5012 Ah I can definitely relate to this. I used to work for a small IT company 3 yrs ago: One Monday my colleagues and I arrived at an EMPTY building. The Director gathered us and gave us directions on how to get to our NEW office. When payday came, none of us got paid. We asked questions & no satisfactory answers were provided. We started to speculate between ourselves. Then the Director held a meeting and expressed his anger and disappointment about how we (my colleagues and I) were handling the situation. Later that week I've had enough and resigned. 4 more people quit shortly after. I have worked with (and for) small businesses and in every single one of them, the primary problem had been communication problems. When it comes to communication, the most enlightening resource I've found so far is Marshall Rosenberg's "Non-Violent Communication". You can <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dpk5Z7GIFs" rel="nofollow">watch Videos about it here</a> Ah I can definitely relate to this. I used to work for a small IT company 3 yrs ago:
One Monday my colleagues and I arrived at an EMPTY building. The Director gathered us and gave us directions on how to get to our NEW office. When payday came, none of us got paid. We asked questions & no satisfactory answers were provided. We started to speculate between ourselves.
Then the Director held a meeting and expressed his anger and disappointment about how we (my colleagues and I) were handling the situation. Later that week I’ve had enough and resigned. 4 more people quit shortly after.
I have worked with (and for) small businesses and in every single one of them, the primary problem had been communication problems.
When it comes to communication, the most enlightening resource I’ve found so far is Marshall Rosenberg’s “Non-Violent Communication”. You can watch Videos about it here

]]> By: Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy http://www.workhappynow.com/2009/04/communicate-in-badtimes/comment-page-1/#comment-5011 Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:49:36 +0000 http://www.workhappynow.com/?p=894#comment-5011 Hi Juliet, transparency isn't done well by every company. What your company should be doing is asking employees what they are doing right and wrong. They need to make small improvements until they get it right. Marelisa, surprise puts a damper on morale. We expect one thing when we come into work and we get another. The mood sinks and it's hard to pick this back up if it isn't handled correctly. Hi Communicatrix, thanks for stopping by. Always love seeing new faces around here. Hi Mike, good point. Management can't be so transparent that they worry the employees before there is something to worry about. They have to know the majority of the facts and convey to their people what steps will be taken. Hi Juliet, transparency isn’t done well by every company. What your company should be doing is asking employees what they are doing right and wrong. They need to make small improvements until they get it right.

Marelisa, surprise puts a damper on morale. We expect one thing when we come into work and we get another. The mood sinks and it’s hard to pick this back up if it isn’t handled correctly.

Hi Communicatrix, thanks for stopping by. Always love seeing new faces around here.

Hi Mike, good point. Management can’t be so transparent that they worry the employees before there is something to worry about. They have to know the majority of the facts and convey to their people what steps will be taken.

]]> By: Alik Levin | PracticeThis.com http://www.workhappynow.com/2009/04/communicate-in-badtimes/comment-page-1/#comment-5010 Alik Levin | PracticeThis.com Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:45:40 +0000 http://www.workhappynow.com/?p=894#comment-5010 100% with you! Open communication is a great tool and best performing teams know that. What I also like is vulnerability based trust - communicating to the other party my most sensible stuff, becoming vulnerable. It usually builds great trust and helps to boost personal and team's performance. 100% with you!
Open communication is a great tool and best performing teams know that. What I also like is vulnerability based trust – communicating to the other party my most sensible stuff, becoming vulnerable. It usually builds great trust and helps to boost personal and team’s performance.

]]> By: Mike King http://www.workhappynow.com/2009/04/communicate-in-badtimes/comment-page-1/#comment-5006 Mike King Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:20:44 +0000 http://www.workhappynow.com/?p=894#comment-5006 Great points and a strong message missing in too many workplaces. Transparency around what the company is working to protect and care for is important. You don't want to necessarily share specifics prematurely or that you are not confident in getting through a situation but showing that you care and having an organization's management assess that will be far better than surprising them and adding more worry to the situation. Great story to demonstrate this! Great points and a strong message missing in too many workplaces. Transparency around what the company is working to protect and care for is important. You don’t want to necessarily share specifics prematurely or that you are not confident in getting through a situation but showing that you care and having an organization’s management assess that will be far better than surprising them and adding more worry to the situation.

Great story to demonstrate this!

]]> By: communicatrix http://www.workhappynow.com/2009/04/communicate-in-badtimes/comment-page-1/#comment-4986 communicatrix Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:31:27 +0000 http://www.workhappynow.com/?p=894#comment-4986 That's a mighty nice story. Love it when it works like that. And thanks for the kind words. Maybe I'll try to write SO much, you get TOO much of it! That’s a mighty nice story. Love it when it works like that.

And thanks for the kind words. Maybe I’ll try to write SO much, you get TOO much of it!

]]> By: Marelisa http://www.workhappynow.com/2009/04/communicate-in-badtimes/comment-page-1/#comment-4982 Marelisa Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:28:54 +0000 http://www.workhappynow.com/?p=894#comment-4982 Hi Karl: I definitely agree that communication is vital. When you start taking small perks away from employees without any prior warning you add fuel to the rumor mill and you keep people guessing as to what you'll take away next. Actions like Sarah's--bringing in mugs for her coworkers to use--definitely help diffuse the tension, but it would have been much better if the employees hadn't been surprised one day with the news that all the cups were gone and no new cups would be bought. Hi Karl: I definitely agree that communication is vital. When you start taking small perks away from employees without any prior warning you add fuel to the rumor mill and you keep people guessing as to what you’ll take away next. Actions like Sarah’s–bringing in mugs for her coworkers to use–definitely help diffuse the tension, but it would have been much better if the employees hadn’t been surprised one day with the news that all the cups were gone and no new cups would be bought.

]]> By: LifeMadeGreat | Juliet http://www.workhappynow.com/2009/04/communicate-in-badtimes/comment-page-1/#comment-4968 LifeMadeGreat | Juliet Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:29:57 +0000 http://www.workhappynow.com/?p=894#comment-4968 Hi Karl Such an interesting example to show what is so true. And it doesn't only happen in the workplace. The company where I work places a huge emphasis on "transparency", yet I feel that they just don't get it right. I'm not sure why... I think perhaps they are trying to do it in every situation and that is simply not possible. But now I am wondering off the topic ;) Juliet Hi Karl

Such an interesting example to show what is so true. And it doesn’t only happen in the workplace.

The company where I work places a huge emphasis on “transparency”, yet I feel that they just don’t get it right. I’m not sure why… I think perhaps they are trying to do it in every situation and that is simply not possible. But now I am wondering off the topic ;)

Juliet

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