Treats and Taboos
I LOVE MY work... have done so for the last two decades. But often I have disliked the workplaces where I spent the better part of my waking hours. I didn't like its whispering walls, the contagious negativity and its taboos. However, we make our choices and we have to abide by them.
Some `official' taboos that get one's goat at times:
Talking about taboos is a taboo! People like to believe that they have an open culture where everyone has the freedom of speech. But guess what, it is taboo to talk about your workplace especially if it is claustrophobic and has a closed mindset
The mention of people in power (in vain or otherwise) - taboo. More so, any talk loose or otherwise about misdemeanours and mistakes. Can you see yourself asking your boss why he treats the company library as his private den?
Your cubicle mate wants to know how much you make every month. Anything remotely pertaining to compensation or special perks, performance bouquets or brickbats or secret job searches are topics not to be touched even with a barge pole. So, stay away!
Personal crisis are just that— personal. However, when personal life events affect the performance of an employee, one needs to discuss it even if it is a sensitive subject (e.g. divorce). Unless one can talk to the employee and point out how his personal crisis is affecting his performance, you will not be able to address the issue
Workplaces dominated by men are high on cynicism and low on sensitivity. Men dislike discussing their emotions or expressing them (a genetic disorder, I am told). So, don't push any buttons here. However, if you can discuss your feelings of disquiet or anger, you will be able to manage them better. Not talking about your reservations will only limit your work effectiveness
Asking inconvenient and uncomfortable questions is another forbidden zone. Fossilised projects that have been management's pet projects are not to be questioned. So, what if they happened to be counterproductive and continue to drain organisational resources?
You win some, you lose most. When the advocates of change are its major beneficiaries, then any talk or commentary on their `good fortune' is sure to be a taboo. It can be seen as a personal attack
Religion, politics and sex are some other unrelated yet forbidden topics at the workplace. It is not that talking about any of these topics is in bad taste but bringing your beliefs to the workplace will make it uncomfortable for your co-workers. At the workplace you are supposed to do just that--work. These are personal issues and the twain should not be confused or mixed. What everybody wants is to keep off the eggshells so that all can get along
The mother- of- all- taboos— office romance. Not only are they viewed as disruptive but is also a major threat to productivity. Most organisations are chary about turning a blind eye. Management scrutiny of office romance has only grown over the years since today's productivity- driven workplaces cannot afford any distractions, which romances are!
Ultimately, as you cannot get rid of a well-entrenched taboo what you should do instead is to try and transform it so that its impact is limited. Transforming taboos will enable organisations to change more readily. We create our own taboos, which eventually become our nemesis. If you find a taboo that's been a useless rule for sometime, then transform it. You will have set down a heavy burden.
PADMA RAMESH
padma.hyd@cnkonline.com
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