The Baggage Handlers
Im
sure you have shared the experience with me of preparing for a
long trip. You pack either with great care days in advance or
throw things into the nearest duffle bag at the last minute.
Whatever style you may have, when you arrive at the airport,
or cruise ship, you encounter the baggage handlers. They
gracefully (usually, that is) take the baggage off your hands
and take care of it for until it is ready to be picked at that
the right place at the right time (again, usually, that
is).
The
handlers take what we bring to them and take on the weight,
the bulk, and the risk of back strain or hernia which
accompanies the hand off of our baggage. They relieve us of
the care and the lugging around of all that we have packed, or
over-packed. "Lugging" must be the origin of the word
"luggage."
Most human resources staff
members are similarly employed Ñ spending considerable
portions of their careers engaged in a related form of baggage
handling. Not a day goes by when employees or job applicants
do not unload an array of personal items on the desk or at the
feet of the HR professional, fully expecting or even demanding
they be relieved of what they regard as excessive
burdens.
This same is true of managers who
may drop off packages in the form of poorly behaving
employees, hoping to leave them for somebody else to deal with
until they can be picked up like dry cleaning, when some
magical process of transformation has been applied. In the
world of the early 21st century, many job applicants and
employees bring to the table expectations that developed,
perhaps, early in their childhood centering around unrealistic
expectations, entitlements and less willingness to accept
personal responsibility for their own actions.
Every one of these folks and, in
fact, everyone reading this article, as well as the person
writing it, carries around "baggage." The baggage may include
lead weights in the form of financial, family or health
problems. They may feel weighted down by insecurity at work
or, although they may not realize it, by their own bullying
attitude toward others. They may seek actively to avoid work
and responsibility or to shift the blame for any failures on
anyone walking around in their work neighborhood, but
especially their supervisors or their coworkers.
The
continuing and negative effect of such baggage carriers in any
workplace is damaging and wasteful. This is especially true of
a public agency where the workers in a civil service or merit
system often come wrapped in the body armor of a wide array of
appeal rights and entitlements far beyond what is found in
private sector "at will" employment.
All
were created for very noble purposes, including insuring that
employees are treated with respect and equity in workplace.
Unfortunately, the baggage carrier represents a chronic
challenge to managers who are often untrained, inexperienced
and insecure in handling the issues presented by this type of
person.
When confronted by the requests
or the demands to take away other peoples baggage, the
managers often retreat, tolerate or "walk by" poor behavior or
performance. An alternative strategy is to expect or demand
that someone else assume responsibility for what the managers
themselves should be doing. That someone may be their own
supervisor, HR staff, or even family members who may suffer
because of the attitudes and frustrations brought home after
work by the person unable to cope under the strain of excess
baggage.
As
with many things in life, including work life, the treatment
begins with a vow to "not walk by" problems and to not let
others hand off to you as a manager, or as a parent or spouse
for that matter, all or even significant amounts of their own
personal baggage. If we dont take a coaching and clear
communication of expectations approach, we will all find
ourselves no longer serving as elected or appointed officials.
We will all become qualified to work as either adult day care
providers or as airport baggage handlers
The
HR Doctor hopes that you dont strain yourself carrying your
own or other peoples baggage!
Phil Rosenberg The HR
Doctor http://www.hrdr.net/
|