Re: Bad Behavior in Workplace (was Ugly Incident)

[Beth Agnew <bagnew -at- INSYSTEMS -dot- COM>]

I'd like to address some of the comments that were made about getting along
with others. I think this is a technical communications issue because were
are supposed to be better communicators than other people, and the nature of
our work requires us to work with a diversity of people and job types.
Further, today's high tech company (where many of us are employed) is often
a multi-cultural environment as well as a creative and stressful one.

Someone mentioned people "who would work themselves up into to a perfect
crescendo of crankiness and culminate in such displays of shouting and even
swearing that you stepped back as a
reflex..."

This is _unacceptable_ in the workplace. It doesn't matter who is involved,
if people cannot behave as adults and communicate in a mature and effective
manner, work will not get done. Personnel will suffer, and ultimately it
will affect the bottom line. So it's just good business to have high
standards for behavior on the job. There's a time and place to vent feelings
or express dissatisfaction. As adults, and professionals, we should know
when and how to do this.

This behavior is modeled by management, and has to come from the top down.
You will NEVER, EVER hear a swear word, sexual innuendo, derogatory remark,
ethnic slur, or negative comment about anyone or any company (including
competitors!) at InSystems. Our President and VPs all model that standard of
behavior, and the expectation is that everyone else maintains that degree of
professionalism. We have plenty of opportunities to vent appropriately, and
we have become adept at creatively relieving stress. (Massage therapy for
everyone in the development group works wonders!)

Stress is never an acceptable excuse for bad behavior. Sure, we get
frustrated. Heaven knows, there are some SMEs here I would cheerfully put in
a barrel and send over Niagara... BUT they are treated with respect (as they
are expected to treat me) and we work things out by _communicating_. 

Maybe if we all had more commitment to standards of mutual respect, we
wouldn't have people going postal (etymology of that term!!!). Techwriters,
by virtue of our roles as professional communicators, are in a position to
lead the way in making this happen.

--Beth

Beth Agnew 
Senior Technical Writer, InSystems Technologies Inc. 
65 Allstate Parkway, Suite 100  Tel: (905) 513-1400 ext. 280 
Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 9X1        Fax: (905) 513-1419 
mailto:bagnew -at- insystems -dot- com    Visit us at: http://www.insystems.com 

See my friendly face at: 
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/bute/52/techwr-l/a.htm

 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000