Problems People Face at Work

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Problems People Face at Work

• Kris Varma

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Problems People Face at Work

• The objectives of this presentation are to
• Consider problems people face at work.
• Examine how individuals within and outside the
  Sai Organisation cope with such problems.
• Consider the implications of such problems for
  human values education.
• Seek input from you to determine whether the
  problems and issues you face at work are similar.
  

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Problems People Face at Work

• To achieve these objectives telephone and face
  to face interviews were conducted of
• 5 Non Sai Organisation individuals currently in
  employment.
• 5 Sai Organisation individuals currently in
  employment.
• The people were selected randomly.
• One person completed the questionnaire
  herself.
• Everyone participating was told that
• Their names will not be disclosed.
• The organisation they work for will not be
  disclosed.

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Problems People Face at Work

• 5 Non Sai Individuals interviewed included
• 1 Community Relations Manager
• 2 Accountants
• 1 Human Resources Officer
• 1 Lawyer
• 5 Sai Organisation Members included
• 1 Risk Analyst Granting Commercial Loans
• 2 School Teachers
• 1 Accountant
• 1 Business Executive

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Problems People Face at Work

• Issues faced by Non Sai Organisation
  Individuals
• 1 individual had a New Manager who found it hard
  to Manage the person and constantly made
  statements to undermine her.
• In the second individuals case, the Manager was
  making the employees life difficult.
• Manager was treating a qualified lawyer like a
  secretary and not taking into account any of the
  sensitivities involved.
• Manager making an employees life very difficult
  and mothering him which the employee found hard
  to cope.
• Newly appointed Manager started to Manage a
  Senior employee very closely which caused the
  employee untold stress.

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Problems People Face at Work

• Non Sai Organisation Individuals (Cont)
• Managerial Behaviour
• 1 individual was asked whether she knows trial
  balance when she is a qualified accountant (CPA)
  and has prepared a number of trial balances in
  her career.
• An individual was asked whether she knows
  anything about SAP when she was a part of the
  implementation team for SAP.
• An individual was told that the Manager does not
  have time to discuss reporting requirements when
  it is the Manager who wants reports in another
  format.
• An individual was told during performance review
  over the past 6 months to improve her performance
  or face disciplinary action when the Manager did
  not identify and discuss specific issues despite
  request.

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Problems People Face at Work

• Managerial Behaviour (Cont)
• An individual was told that he is not performing
  as per client requirements but Manager did not
  have time to provide clarification.
• An individual was told that he has not been
  friendly with clients staff but no specific
  examples were provided.
• An individual was told that he has not been
  delivering work on time and to required standards
  with no further clarification.

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Problems People Face at Work

• Managerial Behaviour (Cont)
• The Lawyer is often asked to search for old case
  files from the vault and this takes half a day.
• The Lawyer is asked to arrange meetings and
  prepare tea and coffee for meetings when the
  secretary who is supposed to provide this service
  is sitting down with nothing to do.
• The Lawyer is asked to work on basic
  documentation only when she has qualifications
  and experience in working on other more complex
  documentation.
• Manager often shouts at the HR Officer in the
  presence of other staff and Managers.
• Manager tells HR Officer how he should eat, drink
  and wear clothes. The HR Officer finds this
  offensive and thinks the Manager is mothering
  him.
• The HR Officer is slow and methodical but the
  Manager feels that he is not performing and tells
  him so in the presence of others.

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Problems People Face at Work

• Managerial Behaviour (Cont)
• The HR Officer sends out by mistake prohibited
  content by an e-mail and realising his error, is
  able to retrieve the e-mail so that only 2 other
  people have seen it. The Manager issues him final
  warning.
• Manager writes reports instead of the Community
  Relations Manager
• Manager attends all internal and external
  meetings and excludes Community Relations Manager
  from such meetings although his area of work is
  not Community Relations and he is often unable to
  answer questions.
• Manager criticises Community Relations Manager to
  people she deals with in Local Councils and
  information filters down to her.
• Manager changes Community Relations Managers
  position title 4 times in 6 months and issues
  different Position Descriptions although the role
  of the employee does not fundamentally change.
• Manager meets all Executive Managers himself
  whereas the Community Relations Manager has been
  doing this in the past.
• Manager goes to meet a State Minister without the
  employee when the Minister asks to deal with the
  Community Relations Manager.

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Problems People Face at Work

• Issues Faced by Sai Organisation Individuals at
  Work
• 2 Teachers face issues with children and 1
  Teacher also faces discrimination in promotion.
• Accountant works with a Manager who does not
  appreciate her work and publicly talks about her
  lack of qualifications and ability.
• Colleagues are engaged in footy talk of no
  interest to the candidate and colleagues are not
  prepared to accept a negative decision and
  question her qualifications and experience.
• Qualifications regarded as basic by fellow
  employees who feel that pronunciation
  difficulties make this apparent.

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Problems People Face at Work

• Sai Organisation Members in employment (Cont)
• Teachers Issues
• One teacher had a complaint against her by a
  child. This went to DOCS for investigation but
  was dropped. The complaint was about the teacher
  slapping a student when this happened
  accidentally as the Teacher was turning.
• One of the teachers has coped with issues such as
  parental abuse of children, pregnancy and
  unwarranted shouting.
• One teacher being Indian by background initially
  faced comments such as
• You are a curry.
• Usage of b. And f .. Words by students.
• Animated debate and shouting with a student which
  resulted in the students suspension.
• Pregnancy of a Year 9 student which was a
  nightmare to handle. The student, a migrant who
  came as a refugee came from a broken family and
  was finding it hard to cope.

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Problems People Face at Work

• Teachers Issues (Cont)
• One teacher faces disengaged students who do not
  want to come to school, claiming often that they
  have lost their books.
• One English Teacher initially faced issues such
  as Miss - Do you speak English?
• One teacher faces more problems with migrant
  refugees. They come initially as refugees and
  find it hard to adjust to mainstream society.
  They are from low socio economic and NESB
  background. They come from broken homes and do
  not respect a female teacher.
• Children use a rubber band to throw things around
  when they do not want to learn as a lesson is
  being held.
• One Teacher has not been promoted despite several
  applications and interviews for higher level
  positions for which she meets all criteria better
  than other applicants. She therefore feels that
  she should not be applying for future roles due
  to bias and discrimination.
• Student discipline is an issue for one of the
  teachers.
• Truancy is a common issue faced by one Teacher.

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Problems People Face at Work

• Work Issues faced by Sai Organisation Individuals
• Accountants work is not appreciated. Manager
  publicly criticises the Accountants work.
• Manager is constantly critical of employees work
  during performance reviews.
• There is footy talk during working hours which
  does not interest the Individual.
• Qualifications of an individual are questioned
  when decisions are made by the individual not in
  favour of the applicant.
• Qualifications are regarded as basic by fellow
  employees.
• Other employees are critical of his
  pronunciation.
• Different cultural background means that the
  candidate is excluded in social gatherings by
  fellow employees.

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Problems People Face at Work

• Coping Strategies Used by People Interviewed

Non- Sai Organisation Individuals Sai Organisation Individuals
2 Accountants have worked harder and longer hours to cope with issues at work. 1 Accountant has grown quieter and less sociable and wants to focus on work alone. 3 People have remained calm to handle their situation and worked smarter rather than harder. 2 Teachers have used Daily Meditation and Prayers as a means of coping.
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Problems People Face at Work
Non- Sai Organisation Individuals Sai Organisation Individuals
2 people have been on stress leave. 1 person has engaged the Union and hired a solicitor to handle her issues with the organisation she works for. 1 Accountant has engaged a trainer to train her on planning and coach her on the steps to take. 1 Teacher feels that the Sai Organisation and its teachings on human values have prepared her adequately to handle each situation well. 2 Teachers feel that STP programs have been an important vehicle for them to handle each daily situation in the classroom.
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Problems People Face at Work
Non- Sai Organisation Individuals Sai Organisation Individuals
1 Lawyer is considering changing her career to become financial adviser and get away from her legal profession on the basis of her treatment. She is not considering a future in her current career. 1 employee is negotiating redundancy. 3 people are using Daily Meditation and Prayers to cope. 1 person has remained calm and her calmness is resulting in her acceptability at work. 1 employee is finding it difficult to mix with people at work and is working on strategies for acceptability.
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Problems People Face at Work

• Implications for Education
• In comparing the Non-Sai Individuals with the Sai
  Organisation individuals, it appears that the Sai
  Organisation individuals are able to cope better
  with problems at work. This is evidence that Sai
  Organisation programs are effective.
• 2 Sai Organisation individuals I spoke to were
  very supportive of programs such as STP. STP
  could therefore be encouraged in other locations
  within the organisation where it has not been
  implemented so far. Other STP style programs
  could be drawn up for adults.
• Meditation and Daily prayers were used by 2 Sai
  Organisation individuals very effectively to deal
  with problems at work. These were learnt through
  the recent STP Code introduced in NSW.
• The calmness of some Sai Organisation individuals
  at work have won friends and also enabled greater
  social acceptability within the organisation.
• 2 individuals outside the organisation were on
  stress leave and 2 others were very close to
  becoming stressed at work. This suggests that
  the Sai Organisation Education programs taken to
  the public will benefit those who are facing
  problems at work.

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Problems People Face at Work

• Implications for Education (Cont)
• Managers within organisations require training in
  People Management. Human Values training if
  included as a part of this training, will assist
  them in managing and interacting with their staff
  better. The question is Should the Sai
  Organisation play a role in such education
  programs?
• Individuals outside the Sai Organisation are
  coping with problems at work differently to those
  within the organisation. The question is Should
  the Sai Organisation produce booklets and
  material on coping with problems at work from a
  Human Values Perspective?
• There are generational and cultural issues faced
  by people at work. What role should the
  organisation have in educating organisations on
  these issues?

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Problems People Face at Work

• Implications for Education (Cont)
• The Fair Work Act and the Unfair Dismissal
  Legislations place an additional burden on
  organisations to manage their staff well or face
  Legal battles. Should the Sai Organisation
  produce programs to educate Managers and
  Organisations in managing their staff from a
  human values perspective.
• 1 individual within the Sai Organisation said
  that the organisation is not ready to go to the
  community with human values education programs.
  This is because we have as an organisation not
  taken action to understand what other programs
  are being offered in the community and how we can
  bland our programs with these. The questions is,
  Is there a need to bland our programs with that
  of other organisations programs, particularly in
  those cases where such other programs are also
  successful?