5 Things We Need to Retire in Our Work Culture
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Let’s create a better workspace for everyone…
You spend the majority of your day at the office, so why not make it pleasant for you and everyone else around you? Ditching some bad office habits can really make a difference in creating an environment where everyone wants to pitch in and is excited to come to work. So let’s dive into the top things we all hate in the workspace and see how we can change them. Let’s not be the negativity that kills the vibe.
1. CC’ing Someone’s Boss without explanation
Copying someone’s boss or even an entire team on an email can really make someone feel like you are putting them on blast. It’s uncomfortable for everyone and simply only paints you to look like a bully. This can easily create a divide in a team, especially if you are using that platform to prove they are not doing something or did something inaccurate.
Tip: Let’s be adults here. If you have something to say, just go talk to that person and work with them on coming up with a plan together. This will not only be highly appreciated by your co-worker, but it shows that you are a team player. This simple change can bring co-workers to work together, not against each other.
2. “Per my last email”
Just saying it is cringe-worthy. Nothing says do as I just said like “per my last email”. If you want someone to really resent working with you, this definitely does the trick! There’s a big difference between being bossy and being a boss. No one wants to work with someone that is bossy or has an ego. Let’s humble ourselves a little and retire this cringe-worthy phrase.
Tip: There is nothing wrong with a simple “Hey, Just following up on my last email. Let me know if you want to schedule a time to discuss” or simply pick up the phone or talk to them in person. You will show that you want to work towards the same goals together. True leaders inspire others, not bring them down with dictatorship.
3. Friendly Reminder
It’s just annoying to see this. There really isn’t anything friendly about the “friendly reminder”. Nothing more to say here. Let’s officially retire it right here, right now. Thank you.
Tip: Let’s just keep things direct here. “Hey Team - Let’s get this done by EOD. Thanks in advance for getting this to the finish line.” No need to fake sugar coat what needs to get done.
4. Thanks for your input.
“Thanks for your input” is the classic I hate your idea so stop talking. It looks like you are not open to hearing others, and actually pushes everyone to not speak up. It creates a counterproductive environment. You want everyone to feel like they have free reign to express themselves and innovate. Trust us, your team will appreciate this nasty work habit getting retired.
Tip: Ask questions! Really try to understand what they are suggesting and why. It’s always great to encourage everyone to also test their own theories. Ask them to come up with a plan and why they think this would be a good option. Have them present to the team at the next meeting. Even if you don’t agree, it’s good practice to let members on the team experiment and you never know...you could be surprised, you don’t know everything! This also shows you are willing to listen to ideas other than your own.
5. I’m a little confused.
This is a subtle way of saying you didn’t do what I asked. This alone can easily make co-workers feel uncomfortable and feel like they didn’t perform up to your standards. If you want to see why something didn’t happen the way you wanted, then come from a place of compassion. Did they have another priority they needed to finish? Are they swamped with other tasks? Were your instructions unclear? Coming from a place of understanding and compassion will go a long way here.
Tip: Ask to schedule a meeting to go over the project to see how it's doing and what help is needed to get it done. You might be surprised how much more productive this is. The key is to encourage everyone to work together and not come off as bossy. It also changes the dialect within the culture towards let’s work together to fix, versus creating the blame game.
Whohoo! Don’t you feel better getting those ugly habits off your chest? We are all guilty of doing them at some point, but it’s important to recognize how this actually gets interpreted. In order to have a fully productive team, it requires working on how we communicate with each other. Setting those examples will encourage others to follow, and for anyone that doesn’t, it will be obvious they might not be a cultural fit. As mentioned before, we spend so much time at work, let’s make it a productive and happy place!