“Communication is the key to a healthy relationship.” You’ve undoubtedly heard this phrase before, and most likely in reference to romantic endeavors. In reality, however, this adage is applicable not only to romantic partnerships, but also to relationships that develop in the business world.
While hectic workweeks typically indicate that business is good, impending deadlines create stress. Though convenient, fast-paced communications technologies such as e-mail make discerning one’s tone difficult to achieve, and can easily give rise to a variety of misunderstandings. And in spite of the conventional wisdom that one should leave their emotional baggage at the door when entering the office, employees’ personal misfortunes are bound to occasionally affect their attitudes and productivity in the workplace.
All of this is to say that the work environment is, unfortunately, a space that harbors the potential for a variety of conflicts and miscommunications. This being the case, one of the best things an employee can do to ensure both his or her own job satisfaction and, more broadly, the contentment of his or her workplace colleagues and supervisors, is to maintain a habit of open communication.
In the early stages of an individual’s employment with a new company, meeting with a representative of their staffing firm can help to work through an unpleasant workplace situation—be it a strained relationship with a boss or co-worker, an inequitable delegation of job responsibilities, or a simple misunderstanding-turned-nightmare. Long-time employees likewise benefit from maintaining a policy of open, honest communication, so this is a crucial habit to form from the very beginning of one’s term of employment.
In addition, one’s failure to communicate effectively regarding workplace concerns can negatively impact not only their personal job satisfaction and relationships, but also future employment opportunities. For example, imagine that you are a business owner. You have recently hired a new employee, Joe, to whom you were introduced through a staffing firm. After three days on the job, Joe fails to show up for work. You scramble to cover his shift, after which you contact the staffing firm to inform them of his absence. Joe, you later learn, had felt as though he had been assigned too many responsibilities for a new employee. Joe, evidently, let this concern wear him down until he decided to drop the job altogether. Had Joe contacted his staffing firm for advice, his representative could have helped you and Joe to come together and decide on a manageable workload. Instead, however, he has not only inconvenienced you but has also found himself on the firm’s No Call, No Show list—effectively destroying his chances of ever seeking a job through this firm again.
In the end, a little communication can go a long way toward establishing and maintaining a happy, healthy workplace environment. By practicing open communication with their hiring firm, colleagues, and supervisors, one gains not only the potential to take charge of his or her own workplace satisfaction, but also by example encourages others to do the same.
This article is brought to you by Staffing Kansas City, a full-service Kansas City employment agency that provides contract-to-hire, direct hire and temporary employment placements.
