Hands up if you’re dreading going to work tomorrow?
It’s a sad truth that for many, the weekend drawing to a close fills us with dread for the coming week. Perhaps it’s volume of work, a looming deadline, a tricky client or maybe its more personal than that?
For many, we spend 40+ hours a week at work, and for that time to be positive, we rely on the relationships we build in the workplace. The camaraderie from colleagues, the satisfaction of a happy client, the support and development from a trusted and respected leader. Even the toughest of technical challenges, or the tightest of deadlines seems far for achievable with the support of those around us.
So, what happens when those relationships falter, or breakdown completely? We are left with feelings of anxiety, anger and frustration, our performance is affected, our colleagues are affected, and ultimately we may choose either to walk away from a job we love, or raise a grievance against the party who has injured us. And when you raise the grievance, or write the resignation letter, what’s the first question you’re likely to be asked? “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” “Why didn’t you tell us the first time ‘X’ made you feel uncomfortable at work? Or the first time ‘Y’ shouted at you?” “Why did you let it go so far?” “How can we help if we don’t know?”… Grievances based on relationship issues rarely solve much. They tend to become a case of “he said, she said”, with little evidence to demonstrate any wrong doing on either side, and create further bad feelings between the parties who still have to work together, unless one of them decides to walk away. Rarely is there a winner when it comes to the Grievance process.
So, if you are dreading going to work tomorrow because of how you feel about colleague, ask yourself what needs to change? If the answers include “for me to be heard”, “for them to know how they make me feel”, “for us to work positively together”, then the answer to your problem could be Workplace Mediation. Mediation helps both parties come together in a safe space, to have a facilitated discussion which enables them to put forward their view, in a way that is constructive and focussed on resolving the conflict between them. So before you raise that grievance, why not speak to your Manager or People Team about the taking a proactive approach to resolving the issue, and consider engaging an independent Workplace Mediator. At Legon Consulting, we offer Workplace Mediation nationally, so please do get in touch to find out how we can help.
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