The Toxic Avenger Asks “Dear EB”

Dear EB:

I need some advice on how to deal with a toxic person in the workplace. One of my co-workers, "Rob", is kind of a jerk. He is rude and sarcastic when communicating with his teammates and with clients. He only does the work that he likes, and he manipulates others into doing the work he doesn't like. He lies to cover up any of his mistakes and short-comings. In addition to all of this, he considers himself to be the office "prankster." The only problem is, his pranks aren't funny. In fact they are extremely inappropriate and offensive. They typically exploit another person and make them look stupid, while, of course, making him seem superior.

Several attempts have been made to discuss this gentleman's behavior with his immediate supervisor and when that failed, with her immediate supervisor. However, nothing has been done to hold this man accountable for his behavior. In fact, I have a feeling the supervisors aren't taking these issues seriously at all.

I have accepted the fact that this man is not going to change or be fired and that I'm going to have to find a way to accept that until I can find a new job. How should I structure my communications with this man to ensure that I can get what I need from him in order to complete my own assignments? What are some strategies I can employ that will minimize the effects of his horrible attitude on my own morale? What can I do to help boost the morale of the rest of the team who have also been affected negatively by his behavior? 

Thanks in advance,
The Toxic Avenger

Dear Toxic Avenger:
Thank you for writing. Your decision to take positive action by reaching out for suggestions is evidence of your natural leadership. You have chosen to make a difference in a situation where compassionate management is essential. Well done!

In the scenario outlined above, a state of affairs has developed that places a strain on you along with department team members. Consequences may also be felt in the overall business because when relationships are impacted, productivity is delayed, and that drives up costs. Change is required at each level from the individual, to the departmental, and finally the organizational.

During the days ahead, consider that you don't know the full scope of Rob's motivations. There is more than what you see at the office; there may be circumstances outside the workplace that influence his behavior. Additionally, he may be unaware of how deeply his conduct is felt by others.

Take this opportunity to show your desire for mutual respect through your professionalism. Address issues as they arise. Quietly, take Rob aside when there is a workflow matter or inappropriate behavior which directly affects you, and share your concerns or questions. Help him become attuned to the various interpretations and the impact of his actions.

Prepare for your conversation by clarifying your goals. Be specific. What is the desired outcome? Define the dependencies in your mutual work areas, and be prepared to dispassionately and concisely discuss those intersection points. Review the current objective and existing problems without adding blame for past events.

For example: "Today our goal is to improve manufacturing schedule forecasts to support supply management. The current issue is that when required data is not received by the 15^th of the month critical reports are delayed. This holdup forces inconsistent forecasting estimates and therefore manufacturing schedules become challenging for supply management."

Arrange time to meet with Rob, and stay focused on the goal at hand when you do. During the subsequent discussion, take time to listen while keeping an open mind to Rob's responses. Different expectations can evolve into a new arrangement in which the requirements for both parties are acknowledged and can be successfully accomplished. This type of interaction works for teams too. Specific planning discussions often progress into facilitated team sessions to review general workflow, handoffs, and role responsibilities. From here process improvements emerge because the stage is set to share ideas and focus on a common goal.

In the event there is minimal improvement after your meeting with Rob, schedule a private conference with your supervisor. Provide a detailed, yet, neutral account of the problem. The same applies when inappropriate "prankster" behavior occurs. Speak with your supervisors in a timely manner. Do not wait for resentments to fester--deal with issues quickly to eliminate work distractions and prevent frustration.

However, if after bringing the issues forward to leadership, you still find the results unsatisfactory, it is time to ask yourself some tough questions. "Have I done all I can do to improve this situation?" If you answer no, what else is left for you to do? Are you willing to do it? If you decide that you have done your best, define your next steps and take action.

In the meantime, consider how each person individually influences the energy of the workplace. Every word spoken and every action taken creates a far-reaching ripple within the team. These ripples are the responses that either contribute or detract from the essential foundation of mutual respect and trust.

Trust is vital in life and paramount in professional interactions. It is built on credibility and behavior, by demonstrating the expertise required to successfully fulfill the job responsibilities coupled with clear communication skills and considerate conduct. Trust is defined by saying what you mean and doing what you say you'll do -- every time.

We thrive in an environment of trust, where there is a shared vision, transparency, and dedication to a common goal along with a sense of fun. People feel empowered and act accordingly; they are committed to the well-being of their workmates and sustainability of the company.

In this situation you have the chance to build trust and lead the way through change; by recognizing the opportunity, identifying and evaluating potential options, and then taking appropriate action, transformation occurs. You can play a vital role in that process. In summary:

1. Maintain open communication.
2. Define what you need from your teammates and learn what they need from you.
3. Develop shared expectations.
4. Request assistance from management to improve workplace harmony and productivity.
5. Reflect on job satisfaction and decide on your personal course of action.

Wishing you and your team all the best.

Judith Lukomski
Organizational Development and Change Consultant

About our Dear EB author: Judith Lukomski is a recognized change expert who brings a fresh perspective, proven methodologies, and transformational tools to client collaborations. Leveraging best practices and introducing New Dimension™ systems synthesizing logic, intuition, and creativity she delivers original Organizational Design and Readiness solutions for sustainable success. Ms. Lukomski merges practical experience with new business models to facilitate bottom-line success for clients. Building on the principles of shared passion, purpose, and profitability she is dedicated to ensuring a positive future for all!

If your organization is currently experiencing or anticipating changes in leadership, software systems, organizational structure, or any major shift in operations, contact Escoe Bliss (949.336.6444) to find out how our team of experts, like Judith, can help you achieve project success.

Connecting the Dots Between "Talented People...Exceptional Service"

If you've seen the home page of our website, our email signature or brand documents, two of the first things you will notice are our company name and motto. Our motto, "Talented People...Exceptional Service," does a great job of summing up who we are and what we do. What about the three dots in between? Those three dots are a quiet yet integral part of the Escoe Bliss brand and motto. They represent the communication and development that take a group of talented people and pull them together into a team that believes in and applies exceptional service every day to everyone the members interact with. Escoe Bliss doesn't have a patent on talented people. Talent is all around us. Talented people are reading this blog, sitting in your offices and conference rooms, and buying your products or services. 

The Escoe Bliss consulting team effectively connects the dots between your people and your service, whether internal or external. Our experts know the importance of each of those three dots, what they mean for your company, and how to transform a pool of talented people into an exceptional and engaged team.

This year the core team at Escoe Bliss headquarters is connecting our dots by utilizing an external, trusted strategic partner to facilitate continued team development and growth. Go Team consists of distinct training modules that can be employed precisely when they're needed -- a just-in-time program. The team can choose which modules will be most beneficial at any given time. We might start with a Setup for Success module (operational guidelines, purpose, goals, or roles), or push the team in areas of opportunity using a See You at the Top module (building trust, sharing leadership, managing change). There are modules that deal with ongoing challenges (communication, decision making, conflict resolution, and more). The program consists of eighteen modules in all, and you can repeat whenever and wherever needed.

To date, we have completed Getting Grounded in Team Basics, Establishing Team Purpose and Goals, and Building Team Trust modules. Each one has done an extraordinary job at leading our team toward thoughtful discussion and has helped create some very relevant outcomes for our current and future business needs and goals. Dedicating just a small amount of our time to the modules has yielded an enormous benefit. For detailed descriptions of the modules and helpful ideas for where your team can start, visit the Go Team website. If you'd like to hear more about our Go Team successes, why we can't wait for our next session, or to learn how to incorporate this custom training solution into your team building call or email us.

Blogging with Bliss contributor Regina Gormanly is Brand Ambassador & Project Coordinator at Escoe Bliss. She finds her bliss by writing and managing content for Escoe Bliss' social media. Regina's love of learning and communication are the driving forces behind her blogs.

Is Energy Management Child's Play?

Everyone is familiar with time management. It's either a skill you've mastered or something you're working hard to improve. Some professionals have their calendars synced, task lists efficiently organized, and days tightly scheduled from start to finish, while others (perhaps more creative types) operate more freely, and with less structure. So which way is the right way? Suppose they are both correct. It is possible and energy management is the reason why.

Energy management takes time management to a deeper level and argues that in order to achieve maximum productivity, you need to do more than just plan your time and set goals for tasks. In order to properly manage your day, you need to evaluate which tasks are going to require the most energy and plan so that you have the energy you need, when you need it.

There are many articles circulating in the media right now about energy management and other topics related to efficiency and work-life balance. The popularity of the subject isn't really surprising when you consider that the vast majority of us are interested in making the best use of our time. Productivity and concentration can be hard to find in our busy, super-connected world that is constantly bombarding us with distractions, updates, and immediate access communication. So, how do we stay focused and task-oriented amid the information onslaught? The key is using energy carefully and purposefully.

There are experts who argue that to keep our energy levels high, we need more time off and shorter work days. (These experts are my personal favorites.) In an ideal world, this would be the obvious fix, but in the real world less work and extended vacations are unlikely solutions. The overwhelming consensus is that we bring the energy drain on ourselves by packing our schedules with too many activities and bombarding our brains with constant media distractions. There might be some truth to these thoughts. Think of how often your smart phone informs you that you have a new voice mail, text message, or email in just one hour of time. But try to tell aspiring med students they should dial it back a few notches, busy parents balancing work, family, and life that they need to cut something out, or successful C-level professionals that they don't have their priorities straight, and you better be ready for a backlash of eye rolls, sarcasm, and possibly a flying object or two.

Before making any drastic changes in lifestyle, perhaps it is easiest to start with the simple. With summer upon us, we are surrounded by the gentle reminders of childhood and light hearted activities such as playing outdoors, settling down with a good book, and enjoying time with family and friends. This leads one to wonder if some of the basics of energy management can be found by connecting with our inner child. 

Why do children seem to have an endless supply of energy? Their secret isn't a groundbreaking one. They are taken care of -- and people who are taken care of flourish. So, if we want to flourish in our careers or help our businesses to succeed, we need to take care of ourselves and our employees. Here are five simple energy management techniques that we can glean from our inner child:

1. Eat well: Provide yourself with regular, balanced, and healthy meals. No skipping breakfast, working through lunch, and then picking up fast food on your way home. Don't underestimate the power of good nutrition and what it can do for your focus, creativity, and productivity. 
2. Sleep: Do yourself a favor and set a bedtime. In each day there is much to get done and there never seems to be enough time to do it all. Denying your body and brain the rest they need to renew will only start you off with a disadvantage tomorrow. There is personal variation in regards to the magic number for a perfect night’s sleep. But that’s the great part about being an adult; you know how much sleep you need. Now just make sure you’re giving yourself the opportunity to get it.
   
3. Avoid energy vacuums: Energy vacuums are elements of the adult world that consume our energy or distract us during what could be our most productive times. We can't avoid distractions all day, because work and life just won't allow for that. However, you do have the power to avoid, or at least lessen your distractions for a small part of the day. By simply paying attention to how you work, you should be able to easily figure out when you are usually at the top of your game. It may be the first 90 minutes of work in the morning. Others may not be morning people, so for them it could be late morning or early afternoon. Whenever that time is, make it yours; turn off or silence your phone, close your email, and politely let co-workers know that you're focusing on projects during this time. Making time for you and your thoughts for an hour or two will have a huge impact on your productivity.
4. Dream/Imagine: The magic of truly believing that most anything is possible enables us to continue creating new and different things and keeps our minds free of barriers and discouragement. As adults we can get very comfortable with what is and forget to spend some time focusing on what could be. You may be past the point of becoming an astronaut or a race car driver, but the journey toward the best version of yourself, your product, or your business is a never ending one. "Bigger and better" isn't out of reach, it's right there with you if you have some energy for it.
5. Celebrate the big and small: As children, every drawing, misshapen clay pot, and good report card was adored and displayed by those who loved us, but in adulthood recognition is much less frequent. Every now and then, a co-worker or friend might see me do the smallest thing and then hear me exclaim a quiet, but celebratory, "Ta-da!"  I don't really think I'm super awesome because I've just emptied my wastebasket, but what I've done is cheer myself on, and it feels good to get credit for doing something right. By celebrating the small, you will start a chain reaction of motivation. Maybe for you, "Ta-da!" is too vocal, so figure out what feels celebratory for you (i.e., checking things off your to-do list, taking a short break, grabbing a snack or a drink from the break room, etc.) and give yourself credit for the work that you do well. 

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review stated, "To effectively reenergize their workforces, organizations need to shift their emphasis from getting more out of people to investing more in them, so they are motivated—and able—to bring more of themselves to work every day." This is true for organizations, but it is also true for us individually. Are you treating your parents’ pride and joy the way you should be? If you’re not, then maybe it’s time to make a few small changes.

Ta-da! 

Blogging with Bliss contributor Regina Gormanly is Brand Ambassador & Project Coordinator at Escoe Bliss. She finds her bliss by writing and managing content for Escoe Bliss' social media. Regina's love of learning and communication are the driving forces behind her blogs.

Annual Corporate Event Gives Companies a New 'Leash' on Life!

It is said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but perhaps an old dog can teach corporate America a thing or two. Friday, June 24th is Take Your Dog to Work Day™ (TYDTWDay) and as a self-professed animal-lover, veterinary assistant, and a member of the pet-friendly Escoe Bliss team, I am a huge enthusiast of this annual corporate event that has been gaining momentum since its launch in 1999.

Being one of the fortunate few and working primarily in pet-friendly offices for most of my career, I have a good idea of the benefits and adjustments that come along with having four-legged co-workers. In fact, I would not have my two "furry babies" if it were not for my first pet-friendly position at Peine Engineering in Indianapolis, IN. There is convincing research to support that a pet-friendly workplace can have a positive effect on productivity, creativity, employee-morale, and decreased levels of employee absenteeism in the office. An all-out pet-friendly policy might be too big of a hurdle for your established, 'don't-fix-what-ain't-broken' company, but TYDTWDay might be an easy little addition that even the most conservative of businesses can embrace in one way or another.

If you and your pooch plan to teach your company a new trick or two, then you better have a few tricks up your sleeve. Your first ally will be the Take Your Dog to Work Day™ website, sponsored by Pet Sitter's International. This website has everything you need; a Participant Action Pack, which is a great tool you can utilize in order to get TYDTWDay started at your company and make it successful; links to published articles that document the benefits that pets can play in the workplace; and even a photo gallery of other pooches hard at work across the country.

As you begin your pursuit to introduce TYDTWDay in your office, remember that diplomacy will get you the most results. If our four-legged friends have taught us anything it's that you make far more friends with tail wags, sitting-pretty, and playing well with others. Start sticking your nose where it doesn't belong or marking territory that isn't yours and you're bound to end up in the dog house. Be prepared to take some important facts into consideration:

• How many dogs can your office handle?
Providing a sign-up sheet may be necessary so that you don't accidently turn your office into a dog park. Inform those planning to bring their pups in that they will need to come prepared with a gate, kennel, or a leash at the very least.

• Are there members of your team that have pet related allergies or a fear of dogs?
The premise of TYDTWDay is to make the workplace a more enjoyable environment for the day so you certainly don't want the event to cause discomfort or disruption to any of your fellow co-workers. Make sure you address these concerns and take them into strong consideration. Some companies have chosen to leave their furry friends at home, but still celebrate TYDTWDay in other ways, such as; organizing a pet photo contest; finding creative ways of raising money for a local animal shelter; or inviting a representative from a local shelter to visit the office with a couple of adoptable animals.

• Is your office prepared to welcome several pups for a full workday and are those pups prepared as well?
Some of our favorite stories as pet owners are those hilarious tales of mischief that we share about the time Rex got into the garbage while we were out or how he got that 5 lb. bag of sugar that we're still trying to vacuum out of the cracks in our floor. Our offices however are full of expensive equipment and potentially harmful objects that could make Rex's first day at work an unpleasant one. Be aware of cords that look chewable, plants that may be poisonous, and candy or snacks that are left in tempting places. It will also be important that any employee choosing to bring their pup with them has kept their dog up-to-date on vaccines and well-groomed. The truth of the matter is that certain contagious diseases can spread quickly between canines and so can fleas! Make sure you impress this important fact upon all participants of TYDTWDay.

The Escoe Bliss team wishes everyone the best in their pursuits to participate in TYDTWDay! All of the pooches at Escoe Bliss (Lizzie, Tinkerbelle, Honeybun, Milo, Maggie, Jack, Guinness & Bass) send a big, enthusiastic "Thank You" for any support that you can provide to their fellow furry friends in need of help. We hope that your Take Your Dog to Work Day™ unleashes abounding success and fun at your office!

All my best,
Regina Gormanly
Escoe Bliss Administrative Assistant

My two, "furry babies" Guinness and Bass. "It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it."