How do I manage this hellish office?
August 14, 2012 3:34 PM Subscribe
How does one 'fix' the culture of a toxic office? How do you get employees with resentments and a variety of interpersonal issues to work together as a team?
Sorry for the length, I'm writing this while frustrated. I work in a tiny, windowless office with seven ladies and my boss: the owner of the business and the architect of this hell. Four of the seven ladies as well as my boss are native Russian speakers (all speak fluent English), the remaining three (including me) are native English speakers and do not speak a lick of Russian.
I have been tasked with fixing the toxic office culture and creating/revamping policies that'll scale up smoothly as the company grows. The company is about five years old. I've been there for six months.
The current employees are negative, not at all invested in the company, and simmering with undisclosed resentments. Beyond that, many of them have trouble meeting the base level of expectations: e-mails to customers are riddled with grammar and spelling errors, they're rude and unengaged on the phone, last week and I had to walk an employee (who'd been with the company for a year and who used a PC daily) through how to add a BCC on an e-mail.
There are a TON of unaddressed interpersonal issues:
• The proportion of Russian speakers to native English speakers means that a lot of important information is communicated in a language that half of the office can not understand. Example: last week we had a (horrible) meeting. About half of it, a good twenty minutes, was in rapid-fire, clearly agitated Russian. I and the two other English speaking ladies just sort of sat there and stared uncomfortably into the distance.
• The majority of office communication happens over Skype. This includes questions about specific issues or policies but also bitching about what people are wearing, (not like, 'that's unprofessional,' but 'omg, can you believe she's wearing that!', gossiping about weight gain (really), tittering over another's employee's mistakes, and other unnecessary unproductive things. A lot of this happens in Russian.
• This seven person office is broke up into a number of "departments" with almost no intercommunication. If someone's gone, their work just doesn't get done. Someone may know how do it but it's not their job so they won't. Have a question about an issue in their department? Better wait till they get back. Hilarious, customer service torpedoing backlog ensues.
• The division of labor in the office is broken at a pretty fundamental level. There are two ladies on the phone who are incapable of managing our current call volume. Not incapable as in they suck a their jobs (they do a little), incapable as in we currently receive THOUSANDS more phone calls per week than two people are physically capable of taking. The two ladies on the phones are resentful and overwhelmed but one half of the office is extremely opposed to taking calls. Before I starting working there, my boss would be like, "How about getting on those phones, guys?" The response would basically be, "No!" and he'd be like, "Alright." The end. For years.
• Everyone is extremely touchy. No one can say, "next time, try this," or "Usually I do things this way," or "I've found it's easier to handle this this way," to a coworker without said coworker taking it really personally. Every suggestion, no matter where it's coming from[if it's not coming from my boss] and no matter how it's phrased, is an intensely negative statement about their job performance.
Additional issues:
• No benefits and pretty low wages: I make 35K. In addition to having to deal with all of the above stuff, I am also responsible for: all the office IT (server administration, setting up and maintaining the work stations, managing the phones and in-house PBX, handling administration for our live chat software, managing e-mail and user accounts, and general tech support for my non-computer savvy coworkers), employee training, I'm creating an operations manual and an employee handbook from scratch, and I do all the copywriting for the company's website. I don't even have health insurance.
• The above combined with the expectation on my boss' part that employees (including me) be available at all times: after hours, weekends, etc. Basically, requiring above and beyond commitment for a job that gives back very little.
• Our office manager is my boss' sister in law. Our accountant goes to his church. Our "IT Manager" is his brother. In Russia. He's surrounded himself with people he knows personally that he's not willing to stand up to. This has lead to an extremely stratified company. Everyone's supposed to be on equal footing but there are clearly employees who feel that they are 'above' certain duties. This impression is reinforced by my boss (see next bullet point).
• I'm "Interim Operations Manager" however he doesn't back me up at all so I have essentially no authority. Example: last week, after about a month of e-mailing and discussion between my boss and I while we developed the plan, we announced at a meeting that because of the extraordinary number of missed calls every day, everyone would be taking calls (this was the meeting with the 20 minute tirade in Russian). The phone ladies were elated, the other ladies were displeased, one lady in particular (his sister in law) was ripshit and not having it. Fast forward to the very next day and my boss was like, "Phone ladies on the phones, the other ladies are back ups." Exactly how it was set up before. I pressed him on it and he said basically that we'd misunderstood each other. That over the course of dozens of e-mails and in person conversations about this topic wherein I had said, verbatim, "Everyone should answer the phones all the time," he thought I meant, "The phone ladies should answer the phone." I got the distinct impression that he was trying to get me to stop hassling him about it by pretending that he didn't know what I'd meant. I feel like he has issues with confrontation or with ladies being 'mad at him' if that makes sense.
It's just all around a deeply unpleasant place to work. I've brought up all of these issues to my boss and his response is "Fix it." That's it. I'm beginning to think that his intention in hiring was to have another point of contact for the angst so that he could check out.
Every bit of change I've attempted has been a failure. Every meeting has been a farce. I feel like the problem is my boss (also the fact that everyone hates each other and does not give a fuck) but I'm open to it all being me. I do not know if these issues are in my power to fix or how to even approach fixing it. How does one 'fix' the culture of an office like this? How do you get everyone on the same team?
Sorry for the length, I'm writing this while frustrated. I work in a tiny, windowless office with seven ladies and my boss: the owner of the business and the architect of this hell. Four of the seven ladies as well as my boss are native Russian speakers (all speak fluent English), the remaining three (including me) are native English speakers and do not speak a lick of Russian.
I have been tasked with fixing the toxic office culture and creating/revamping policies that'll scale up smoothly as the company grows. The company is about five years old. I've been there for six months.
The current employees are negative, not at all invested in the company, and simmering with undisclosed resentments. Beyond that, many of them have trouble meeting the base level of expectations: e-mails to customers are riddled with grammar and spelling errors, they're rude and unengaged on the phone, last week and I had to walk an employee (who'd been with the company for a year and who used a PC daily) through how to add a BCC on an e-mail.
There are a TON of unaddressed interpersonal issues:
• The proportion of Russian speakers to native English speakers means that a lot of important information is communicated in a language that half of the office can not understand. Example: last week we had a (horrible) meeting. About half of it, a good twenty minutes, was in rapid-fire, clearly agitated Russian. I and the two other English speaking ladies just sort of sat there and stared uncomfortably into the distance.
• The majority of office communication happens over Skype. This includes questions about specific issues or policies but also bitching about what people are wearing, (not like, 'that's unprofessional,' but 'omg, can you believe she's wearing that!', gossiping about weight gain (really), tittering over another's employee's mistakes, and other unnecessary unproductive things. A lot of this happens in Russian.
• This seven person office is broke up into a number of "departments" with almost no intercommunication. If someone's gone, their work just doesn't get done. Someone may know how do it but it's not their job so they won't. Have a question about an issue in their department? Better wait till they get back. Hilarious, customer service torpedoing backlog ensues.
• The division of labor in the office is broken at a pretty fundamental level. There are two ladies on the phone who are incapable of managing our current call volume. Not incapable as in they suck a their jobs (they do a little), incapable as in we currently receive THOUSANDS more phone calls per week than two people are physically capable of taking. The two ladies on the phones are resentful and overwhelmed but one half of the office is extremely opposed to taking calls. Before I starting working there, my boss would be like, "How about getting on those phones, guys?" The response would basically be, "No!" and he'd be like, "Alright." The end. For years.
• Everyone is extremely touchy. No one can say, "next time, try this," or "Usually I do things this way," or "I've found it's easier to handle this this way," to a coworker without said coworker taking it really personally. Every suggestion, no matter where it's coming from[if it's not coming from my boss] and no matter how it's phrased, is an intensely negative statement about their job performance.
Additional issues:
• No benefits and pretty low wages: I make 35K. In addition to having to deal with all of the above stuff, I am also responsible for: all the office IT (server administration, setting up and maintaining the work stations, managing the phones and in-house PBX, handling administration for our live chat software, managing e-mail and user accounts, and general tech support for my non-computer savvy coworkers), employee training, I'm creating an operations manual and an employee handbook from scratch, and I do all the copywriting for the company's website. I don't even have health insurance.
• The above combined with the expectation on my boss' part that employees (including me) be available at all times: after hours, weekends, etc. Basically, requiring above and beyond commitment for a job that gives back very little.
• Our office manager is my boss' sister in law. Our accountant goes to his church. Our "IT Manager" is his brother. In Russia. He's surrounded himself with people he knows personally that he's not willing to stand up to. This has lead to an extremely stratified company. Everyone's supposed to be on equal footing but there are clearly employees who feel that they are 'above' certain duties. This impression is reinforced by my boss (see next bullet point).
• I'm "Interim Operations Manager" however he doesn't back me up at all so I have essentially no authority. Example: last week, after about a month of e-mailing and discussion between my boss and I while we developed the plan, we announced at a meeting that because of the extraordinary number of missed calls every day, everyone would be taking calls (this was the meeting with the 20 minute tirade in Russian). The phone ladies were elated, the other ladies were displeased, one lady in particular (his sister in law) was ripshit and not having it. Fast forward to the very next day and my boss was like, "Phone ladies on the phones, the other ladies are back ups." Exactly how it was set up before. I pressed him on it and he said basically that we'd misunderstood each other. That over the course of dozens of e-mails and in person conversations about this topic wherein I had said, verbatim, "Everyone should answer the phones all the time," he thought I meant, "The phone ladies should answer the phone." I got the distinct impression that he was trying to get me to stop hassling him about it by pretending that he didn't know what I'd meant. I feel like he has issues with confrontation or with ladies being 'mad at him' if that makes sense.
It's just all around a deeply unpleasant place to work. I've brought up all of these issues to my boss and his response is "Fix it." That's it. I'm beginning to think that his intention in hiring was to have another point of contact for the angst so that he could check out.
Every bit of change I've attempted has been a failure. Every meeting has been a farce. I feel like the problem is my boss (also the fact that everyone hates each other and does not give a fuck) but I'm open to it all being me. I do not know if these issues are in my power to fix or how to even approach fixing it. How does one 'fix' the culture of an office like this? How do you get everyone on the same team?
Best answer: I have been tasked with fixing the toxic office culture and creating/revamping policies that'll scale up smoothly as the company grows.
If you have not been given the power to fire people along with this task, then you have been set up for failure and should be looking for another job right now.
posted by kindall at 3:43 PM on August 14, 2012 [63 favorites]
If you have not been given the power to fire people along with this task, then you have been set up for failure and should be looking for another job right now.
posted by kindall at 3:43 PM on August 14, 2012 [63 favorites]
This is not going to work. Like dfriedman said, consider changing jobs. (In case it needs to be spelled out: no, it's not you, it's the boss and the other employees, and they're not going to change.)
posted by languagehat at 3:44 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by languagehat at 3:44 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
It's just all around a deeply unpleasant place to work. I've brought up all of these issues to my boss and his response is "Fix it." That's it. I'm beginning to think that his intention in hiring was to have another point of contact for the angst so that he could check out.
This is passive-aggressive bullshit. He doesn't really intend for you to fix anything.
posted by Wordwoman at 3:44 PM on August 14, 2012 [16 favorites]
This is passive-aggressive bullshit. He doesn't really intend for you to fix anything.
posted by Wordwoman at 3:44 PM on August 14, 2012 [16 favorites]
Best answer: Sorry to say, that sounds like an unfixable situation. If you had the boss's support and he was honestly on board with solving these issues, you might have a fighting chance of changing the office culture. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like he is willing to support you.
I think in your shoes, I'd be looking for something else.
If you want to try to make things better while you're looking, I highly recommend Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog, which is full of useful strategies and ways of thinking about this kind of situation.
I'd also recommend reading about sick systems, because it sounds like that's what your boss has created here.
posted by pie ninja at 3:44 PM on August 14, 2012 [4 favorites]
I think in your shoes, I'd be looking for something else.
If you want to try to make things better while you're looking, I highly recommend Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog, which is full of useful strategies and ways of thinking about this kind of situation.
I'd also recommend reading about sick systems, because it sounds like that's what your boss has created here.
posted by pie ninja at 3:44 PM on August 14, 2012 [4 favorites]
Nope. Unless the boss does more than just say "fix it" you are never ever going to be able to change this office culture.
Culture changes are top-down and he isn't going to change a damn thing. Do not take on this project. Take on the project of finding a new job.
posted by magnetsphere at 3:44 PM on August 14, 2012
Culture changes are top-down and he isn't going to change a damn thing. Do not take on this project. Take on the project of finding a new job.
posted by magnetsphere at 3:44 PM on August 14, 2012
You've been set up. There isn't a way to fix it because no one's invested in fixing it, least of all the boss. You'll grow grey hair and some great ulcers, and none of it will be end up being fixed. Run as soon and as fast as you can.
posted by rtha at 3:49 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by rtha at 3:49 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Hi there. Ex-teambuilding/hiring consultant checking in.
This is not fixable, least of all as a task for an employee to undertake. Replace staff or leave.
posted by rokusan at 3:50 PM on August 14, 2012 [4 favorites]
This is not fixable, least of all as a task for an employee to undertake. Replace staff or leave.
posted by rokusan at 3:50 PM on August 14, 2012 [4 favorites]
I've worked in a couple of highly toxic workplaces. The only solution is to quit.
posted by KokuRyu at 3:52 PM on August 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by KokuRyu at 3:52 PM on August 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
I just fired a client for similar challenges and reasons and additionally, he's not really committed to his own startup either.
Highly recommend you start looking for another job.
posted by infini at 4:01 PM on August 14, 2012
Highly recommend you start looking for another job.
posted by infini at 4:01 PM on August 14, 2012
You can't. There ain't no way to do it. If you put any of the people in a different company, maybe they can be fixed individually, but as a group, no way.
posted by pyro979 at 4:04 PM on August 14, 2012
posted by pyro979 at 4:04 PM on August 14, 2012
The "additional issues" are the issues: Long hours, low pay, no benefits, everyone's related in some way, the workers are both unable and unwilling to perform their job tasks, and the boss doesn't have your back? Yeah, I'd be a terrible worker, too. You gotta get out of there.
posted by Houstonian at 4:06 PM on August 14, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by Houstonian at 4:06 PM on August 14, 2012 [5 favorites]
What everyone else said. This is your boss's job, not yours unless he promotes you to Vice President or something. This guy is setting you up to fail. Run far, far away!
posted by smirkette at 4:11 PM on August 14, 2012
posted by smirkette at 4:11 PM on August 14, 2012
Everything you mention has to, HAS TO come from the boss. There is nothing you can do without him leading the charge.
posted by rhizome at 4:24 PM on August 14, 2012
posted by rhizome at 4:24 PM on August 14, 2012
You are refereeing a family game as an outsider. Boss is gutless, employees/relatives are bold and undisciplined. All are boxed into a windowless office! How could they possible be less than grumpy? Physical situation is toxic, personnel situation is toxic. Either give boss some ultimatums about restructuring and firing, or save yourself. Leave.
posted by Cranberry at 4:42 PM on August 14, 2012
posted by Cranberry at 4:42 PM on August 14, 2012
Nthing that without your boss taking the lead in fixing this in good faith, that this is 100% bound for failure, and that he is actually setting you up for failure (whether he's consciously aware of it or not) and likely dismissal.
posted by scody at 4:43 PM on August 14, 2012
posted by scody at 4:43 PM on August 14, 2012
I know Russians. I know why they hire nepotistically. This is a disaster.
posted by k8t at 4:51 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by k8t at 4:51 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Bail. Rarely, does Metafilter agree so strongly. In all seriousness, you are living a Russian novel without the exuberance.
posted by jadepearl at 5:21 PM on August 14, 2012 [11 favorites]
posted by jadepearl at 5:21 PM on August 14, 2012 [11 favorites]
Best answer: OK. I think all of the comments have pretty much summed it up. This is a no-go. Your boss is in over his head and while any change would be policy based, your boss couldn't effectively change ONE minor policy.
HOWEVER, let's say you'll be looking for different job. In the mean time, fool around on company time by brainstorming policy with your boss. Develop some ideas and sell them to him.
Actually try and see if you can get them to the mass-email stage. Ask your boss to allow you to facilitate some training on Office Etiquette and Team Building. Try to have some fun with this chaotic situation and use it to gain some experience. (Learn some Russian foul language to use during training. Get a surprised laugh. Just make sure to you keep simple and don't offend anyone's mother etc.) You may not be able to save the company, but you might make a difference.
Why would anyone bother doing ANYTHING in this no-go situation? Because it's great experience and it will look GREAT on your resume. This is definitely good stuff for a resume. And who knows? Your boss may be impressed and give you a raise.
Best of luck to you!
posted by snsranch at 5:22 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
HOWEVER, let's say you'll be looking for different job. In the mean time, fool around on company time by brainstorming policy with your boss. Develop some ideas and sell them to him.
Actually try and see if you can get them to the mass-email stage. Ask your boss to allow you to facilitate some training on Office Etiquette and Team Building. Try to have some fun with this chaotic situation and use it to gain some experience. (Learn some Russian foul language to use during training. Get a surprised laugh. Just make sure to you keep simple and don't offend anyone's mother etc.) You may not be able to save the company, but you might make a difference.
Why would anyone bother doing ANYTHING in this no-go situation? Because it's great experience and it will look GREAT on your resume. This is definitely good stuff for a resume. And who knows? Your boss may be impressed and give you a raise.
Best of luck to you!
posted by snsranch at 5:22 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
You already know what the right thing to do is. If you had a friend that was in the same situation, would you recommend them to do anything else than look for a new job?
posted by Foci for Analysis at 5:24 PM on August 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Foci for Analysis at 5:24 PM on August 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
I had a boss who liked to tell me "JUST GET IT DONE!" without giving me the tools to do it. I was promptly let go as soon as they had an excuse to do it.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 5:27 PM on August 14, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 5:27 PM on August 14, 2012 [3 favorites]
Best answer: This can't be fixed as long as your boss is your boss. He's the problem in the office since he's allowed this situation to get so out of hand and unless he steps right back and gives you total authority in the office or quits somehow, this situation can't get better. He's not managing his resources well and with the call example you've shown that avoiding conflict is more important to him than running his business. If he doesn't care, no one else will.
For real, if you want to give this a try, the best thing I can suggest is rotating duties and cross-training everyone, you and the boss included so that everyone has a better sense of the duties involved. Moving another person to the phones full-time is also a must since that's a job that's not getting done right now. Turn off the Skype if possible. It's seven people, get up and go talk to the other person face to face.
I've been in a shitty work situation and once I left every part of my life got better. You alone cannot fix this office. Polish up your resume and start looking elsewhere. The good news is that your boss avoids conflict so if you don't end up changing the culture in the mean time, he probably won't say anything to you about it.
posted by GilvearSt at 7:50 PM on August 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
For real, if you want to give this a try, the best thing I can suggest is rotating duties and cross-training everyone, you and the boss included so that everyone has a better sense of the duties involved. Moving another person to the phones full-time is also a must since that's a job that's not getting done right now. Turn off the Skype if possible. It's seven people, get up and go talk to the other person face to face.
I've been in a shitty work situation and once I left every part of my life got better. You alone cannot fix this office. Polish up your resume and start looking elsewhere. The good news is that your boss avoids conflict so if you don't end up changing the culture in the mean time, he probably won't say anything to you about it.
posted by GilvearSt at 7:50 PM on August 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Everyone's advice about getting out of there is correct--I'm sure you already know. While you job hunt or if circumstances mean you're stuck there for now, here's my experience.
Situation: Italy. I inherited a department that included a section of 17 women. Similar atmosphere: ladies sitting opposite one another would speak to eat other on the phone, whispering down the mouthpiece. Working language officially English but obviously a lot of conversations in Italian amongst the Italians. I initially exacerbated the situation by promoting a well-liked, relative newcomer who was significantly more diligent, smarter and more competent than some colleagues. The sulkiness and bitchiness was hidden from me but reported to me.
What I did:
(1) Set 15 min appointments for everyone, in my office. Asked them what they didn't like about the environment and their jobs. Asked them what they liked. If it didn't fall out earlier I then asked explicitly about the bad attitudes and any particular behaviour that pertained to them. To those that were bitchy / mean to others, I changed my tone and made it clear I would not stand for it.
(2) Recruited males. This helped break up the cliques.
(3) Acted on their dislikes and genuine grievances. (Not just for the sake of it but because I cared.) Made sure that weekly meetings gave everyone a voice and followed up--even (especially) where I couldn't address it. Made it clear I was on their side (I was).
(4) Made sure the seniors and supervisors earned it--previously they had similar responsibilities as the others. By giving them more tasks such as rostering, managing hours and vacation etc. they started to better manage their small teams. This was key.
I had senior management / HR that would support me, which you clearly don't have. I didn't need them though. In your case, it sounds like the troublemakers might go above your head--that's the key issue. If your boss won't support you, you just need to make sure he won't be drawn into it and undermine you (see one suggestion below).
Other thoughts:
As far as getting the phone ladies to be supported by the non-phone ladies, I think you need to drawn up a formal rota and constantly monitor it to ensure they are adhering to it. If someone doesn't, then address it. Don't have a discussion in front of others--do it in your office. If you don't have an office, use a meeting room.
If you need to implement x hours a day on phones for people, draft an email and send it to your boss for approval. Make sure you get it. Once you have it, announce it and follow it up with the email and copy him. (Perhaps you've tried all this, but if you haven't he might be less reticent to contradict himself in writing.)
Once you get people working better, make sure you praise them and let them know. Whether it's a one-off post-it note on a monitor thanking them for a great job or calling them into your office for positive feedback.
(Note, I didn't like being a manager--I'm a techie--and I don't manage now. But I do care about making other people's lives better--as you obviously do--and that's what I used to drive me. If I got wind of meanness it would drive me nuts.)
posted by NailsTheCat at 8:37 PM on August 14, 2012 [3 favorites]
Situation: Italy. I inherited a department that included a section of 17 women. Similar atmosphere: ladies sitting opposite one another would speak to eat other on the phone, whispering down the mouthpiece. Working language officially English but obviously a lot of conversations in Italian amongst the Italians. I initially exacerbated the situation by promoting a well-liked, relative newcomer who was significantly more diligent, smarter and more competent than some colleagues. The sulkiness and bitchiness was hidden from me but reported to me.
What I did:
(1) Set 15 min appointments for everyone, in my office. Asked them what they didn't like about the environment and their jobs. Asked them what they liked. If it didn't fall out earlier I then asked explicitly about the bad attitudes and any particular behaviour that pertained to them. To those that were bitchy / mean to others, I changed my tone and made it clear I would not stand for it.
(2) Recruited males. This helped break up the cliques.
(3) Acted on their dislikes and genuine grievances. (Not just for the sake of it but because I cared.) Made sure that weekly meetings gave everyone a voice and followed up--even (especially) where I couldn't address it. Made it clear I was on their side (I was).
(4) Made sure the seniors and supervisors earned it--previously they had similar responsibilities as the others. By giving them more tasks such as rostering, managing hours and vacation etc. they started to better manage their small teams. This was key.
I had senior management / HR that would support me, which you clearly don't have. I didn't need them though. In your case, it sounds like the troublemakers might go above your head--that's the key issue. If your boss won't support you, you just need to make sure he won't be drawn into it and undermine you (see one suggestion below).
Other thoughts:
As far as getting the phone ladies to be supported by the non-phone ladies, I think you need to drawn up a formal rota and constantly monitor it to ensure they are adhering to it. If someone doesn't, then address it. Don't have a discussion in front of others--do it in your office. If you don't have an office, use a meeting room.
If you need to implement x hours a day on phones for people, draft an email and send it to your boss for approval. Make sure you get it. Once you have it, announce it and follow it up with the email and copy him. (Perhaps you've tried all this, but if you haven't he might be less reticent to contradict himself in writing.)
Once you get people working better, make sure you praise them and let them know. Whether it's a one-off post-it note on a monitor thanking them for a great job or calling them into your office for positive feedback.
(Note, I didn't like being a manager--I'm a techie--and I don't manage now. But I do care about making other people's lives better--as you obviously do--and that's what I used to drive me. If I got wind of meanness it would drive me nuts.)
posted by NailsTheCat at 8:37 PM on August 14, 2012 [3 favorites]
Recruited males. This helped break up the cliques.
Reading back, this sounds awfully sexist. To be clear: the suggestion to recruit males was made by quite a few of the employees. And it really did seem to help.
posted by NailsTheCat at 8:39 PM on August 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
Reading back, this sounds awfully sexist. To be clear: the suggestion to recruit males was made by quite a few of the employees. And it really did seem to help.
posted by NailsTheCat at 8:39 PM on August 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
I agree that you just need to change jobs and there is nothing you can do to fix this place. However, two practical things did stand out to me in your narrative that might be worth considering.
how to add a BCC on an e-mail
No good comes of BCC. I'm not going to claim that there is never a reason to use BCC in business, but I personally never ever do it. I think using it may be indicative that the toxicity of your office is leaking out to customers (if that was an external email). I'm not trying to be all high and mighty on you - it seems like such a practical email tool and I'm sure there are some professions that require it. But if it's possible to remove it from your work-life, I recommend it. Somehow things with BCC just end up being like that scene in Mean Girls where one listens in on the other two talking shit and the third doesn't know.
Example: last week, after about a month of e-mailing and discussion between my boss and I while we developed the plan, we announced at a meeting that because of the extraordinary number of missed calls every day, everyone would be taking calls (this was the meeting with the 20 minute tirade in Russian).
It is not surprising that this announcement resulted in a 20 minute tirade. As you already know, you're lacking buy-in. Theoretically, that lady who was ripshit is the one you start with. (I say "theoretically" because you are actually going to quit this hellish job, right?) But anyway, theoretically, you take her aside, tell her what you are trying to do, and ask her for her advice. "That meeting went terribly. What do you think we should have done differently?" Ego-stroking may be required. See if she will ally with you and come up with better ways to handle the phones. Or get her to help you plan a meeting where everyone brainstorms. Or just get some insight into why things are the way they are, because she is probably a subject-matter expert. If you can get her to want to change the office culture, then you'll get the rest.
But that probably still won't work, so please just find a new job. I'm so sorry - this sounds awful.
posted by juliplease at 8:48 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
how to add a BCC on an e-mail
No good comes of BCC. I'm not going to claim that there is never a reason to use BCC in business, but I personally never ever do it. I think using it may be indicative that the toxicity of your office is leaking out to customers (if that was an external email). I'm not trying to be all high and mighty on you - it seems like such a practical email tool and I'm sure there are some professions that require it. But if it's possible to remove it from your work-life, I recommend it. Somehow things with BCC just end up being like that scene in Mean Girls where one listens in on the other two talking shit and the third doesn't know.
Example: last week, after about a month of e-mailing and discussion between my boss and I while we developed the plan, we announced at a meeting that because of the extraordinary number of missed calls every day, everyone would be taking calls (this was the meeting with the 20 minute tirade in Russian).
It is not surprising that this announcement resulted in a 20 minute tirade. As you already know, you're lacking buy-in. Theoretically, that lady who was ripshit is the one you start with. (I say "theoretically" because you are actually going to quit this hellish job, right?) But anyway, theoretically, you take her aside, tell her what you are trying to do, and ask her for her advice. "That meeting went terribly. What do you think we should have done differently?" Ego-stroking may be required. See if she will ally with you and come up with better ways to handle the phones. Or get her to help you plan a meeting where everyone brainstorms. Or just get some insight into why things are the way they are, because she is probably a subject-matter expert. If you can get her to want to change the office culture, then you'll get the rest.
But that probably still won't work, so please just find a new job. I'm so sorry - this sounds awful.
posted by juliplease at 8:48 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
In the US, recruiting and/or hiring by gender, or any protected class (age, race, religion, national origin, color, disability, genetics, veteran status) is illegal.
Try being less direct, but building some structure. Write job descriptions for everyone, describing what they really do, and the level of quality expected. Document the cost of missed calls, which is probably pretty high. Point out to boss how much money is being lost. Develop an incentive plan to reward staff when calls are answered. The incentive plan is only available to staff with phone answering in their job description.
Let people be tacky on skype; it's not manageable. Set an example of professional, cheerful, supportive communication.
Analyse the flow of work through the departments. Ask the staff how to improve it. If there are bottlenecks that cost money in lost sales (or whatever), offer incentives for improvements. Write some standardized emails that can be used for the most common issues; that helps with grammar and accuracy. Ask the Russian speakers to teach you Russian. At lunch, hold up your apple or pretzel, and ask what it's called in Russian.
Bring in food once in a while - brownies, donuts, coffee, etc. Find out when everybody's birthday is, and make sure there's a card and maybe a cake. Look for what's going right and recognize. Praise and thank people for incremental improvements.
posted by theora55 at 9:33 PM on August 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
Try being less direct, but building some structure. Write job descriptions for everyone, describing what they really do, and the level of quality expected. Document the cost of missed calls, which is probably pretty high. Point out to boss how much money is being lost. Develop an incentive plan to reward staff when calls are answered. The incentive plan is only available to staff with phone answering in their job description.
Let people be tacky on skype; it's not manageable. Set an example of professional, cheerful, supportive communication.
Analyse the flow of work through the departments. Ask the staff how to improve it. If there are bottlenecks that cost money in lost sales (or whatever), offer incentives for improvements. Write some standardized emails that can be used for the most common issues; that helps with grammar and accuracy. Ask the Russian speakers to teach you Russian. At lunch, hold up your apple or pretzel, and ask what it's called in Russian.
Bring in food once in a while - brownies, donuts, coffee, etc. Find out when everybody's birthday is, and make sure there's a card and maybe a cake. Look for what's going right and recognize. Praise and thank people for incremental improvements.
posted by theora55 at 9:33 PM on August 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Oh my god, this is insanity. Start looking for a new job and jump ship. If I were you, I wouldn't even worry about making more money or getting a higher title or any of that -- just look for a position that seems like a decently-run place, pays approximately the same, and has typical employee benefits.
In the meantime...focus on the possible. Let go of what is right, what would be better, what could be if people would cooperate, and put your energy into things that are not dependent on unreliable crazy. When you get that feeling of "this needs to be fixed," stop and take a moment before you get too invested in a plan. Break down the components of the things that would need to change. Decide if this is remotely possible, barring a miracle. Bag the stuff that will not result in you producing/achieving SOMETHING.
All the office IT (server administration, setting up and maintaining the work stations, managing the phones and in-house PBX, handling administration for our live chat software, managing e-mail and user accounts, and general tech support for my non-computer savvy coworkers), employee training, I'm creating an operations manual and an employee handbook from scratch, and I do all the copywriting for the company's website.
Like this stuff. All things that can be expressed objectively and quantifiably. Keep copies of all the written materials you produce.
And stop taking this personally. A reasonable job description is not "fix it." Not without authority, backup, and the compensation that goes along with that level of responsibility.
posted by desuetude at 10:11 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
In the meantime...focus on the possible. Let go of what is right, what would be better, what could be if people would cooperate, and put your energy into things that are not dependent on unreliable crazy. When you get that feeling of "this needs to be fixed," stop and take a moment before you get too invested in a plan. Break down the components of the things that would need to change. Decide if this is remotely possible, barring a miracle. Bag the stuff that will not result in you producing/achieving SOMETHING.
All the office IT (server administration, setting up and maintaining the work stations, managing the phones and in-house PBX, handling administration for our live chat software, managing e-mail and user accounts, and general tech support for my non-computer savvy coworkers), employee training, I'm creating an operations manual and an employee handbook from scratch, and I do all the copywriting for the company's website.
Like this stuff. All things that can be expressed objectively and quantifiably. Keep copies of all the written materials you produce.
And stop taking this personally. A reasonable job description is not "fix it." Not without authority, backup, and the compensation that goes along with that level of responsibility.
posted by desuetude at 10:11 PM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
This is unfix-able with the resources and support you are given, but I will say that there is a bit of contradiction when you say that you don't speak Russian and then you describe in detail the gossipy topics being discussed. It is normal -- and irrational -- to distrust when people speak another language.
posted by dgran at 5:33 AM on August 15, 2012
posted by dgran at 5:33 AM on August 15, 2012
The current employees are negative, not at all invested in the company, and simmering with undisclosed resentments.
Fire them. Hire new people with positive attitudes. Job done.
posted by the foreground at 9:25 AM on August 15, 2012
Fire them. Hire new people with positive attitudes. Job done.
posted by the foreground at 9:25 AM on August 15, 2012
You have no authority to implement any solutions you might come up with and the boss counteracts your plans if anyone whines.
Even if toxic offices COULD be fixed (this place? Fire everyone including the boss and start fresh), this is not a possible thing for you to do without authority and backing. You are being set up to fail. Flee.
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 11:03 AM on August 15, 2012
Even if toxic offices COULD be fixed (this place? Fire everyone including the boss and start fresh), this is not a possible thing for you to do without authority and backing. You are being set up to fail. Flee.
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 11:03 AM on August 15, 2012
I would say that one of the only possible strategies I can see working is to only recommend things for the boss to do. Only give him things to do, perhaps never even mentioning specific employees.
posted by rhizome at 3:36 PM on August 15, 2012
posted by rhizome at 3:36 PM on August 15, 2012
Please take lots of notes or journal because this sounds like a great novel or sit com!
posted by Ideefixe at 9:49 PM on August 15, 2012
posted by Ideefixe at 9:49 PM on August 15, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks, metafilter. Time to polish up that resume.
posted by Tha Race Card at 11:20 AM on August 17, 2012
posted by Tha Race Card at 11:20 AM on August 17, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by dfriedman at 3:41 PM on August 14, 2012 [29 favorites]