Commentary by postal employee Ronald Williams, Jr.
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The American Workplace

I like the quote by Milton Berle “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” I believe if we work together we can use the rough spots of the workplace to move to the next level of making a positive difference where we work. The American workplace should reflect the different cultures and classes of our society. It’s a place where people put differences aside to deliver for the business world. The lifestyle and background of a person from New Jersey is probably different than the daily life of a person from Alaska. Diversity attracts talent, and we are all motivated to be regular in our attendance to earn that water resistant linen with the patriotic symbols, we call money. Speaking of money, E. Pluribus Unum, the U.S. motto on our currency, means out of many, one. As workers we act as if it implies, from one dollar, we can get many. In this essay, I share my personal opinions about the work environment. When I talk with other people from different professions about their working conditions, they concur with similar forms of psychological malnutrition being served to the servants. Work is our home away from home and it’s time for a peaceful transition to a new culture of being in the people business, let’s call it “Operation Appreciation.”

Bosses are the top managers or executives of the workplace. They set the tempo, establish the vision, lead the mission, and carry it out with a strategic plan. The boss should be a highly visible icon to every employee on the payroll so we know whom we are holding the ladder for. Many leaders can’t find time to reach out to their employees. In some places I could not tell you who the VIP’s are or what they look like. If a hefty reward were offered among employees on the floor for spotting them passing through the trenches without an escort there would probably be no payout.

Our society is caught up on numbers, in the form of the lottery, getting the best grades, the highest score, and mass quantity. We know the ultimate focus on numbers is more money. Let me tell you what the math will do. When we chase numbers everything gets exaggerated, and creativity becomes non-existent. If a boss can come into the workplace and look past the numbers with a sincere concern for people they will be applauded. When achieving “the numbers” is the highest priority it appears unethical practices are tolerated leading to a workplace bogged down in “urgency.” Everyone will be on a different page and all we will hear are one-syllable words like, go, move, run, jump, stop, etc… News flash! People can see right through the cosmetics of a personal agenda more than likely motivated by a monetary incentive. I guess what I’m really trying to say is, don’t bon(e)us! When personal agendas are the priority they never pass the smell test. Putting the cart before the horse just won’t work. And putting the numbers before people has the same impact.

More money, more problems, right? I say the leader has the toughest job because they are ultimately accountable for much more than lower level employees. When new bosses take over a new assignment it might be beneficial to bring with them a new leadership team equipped with a wealth of ideas. Arriving on the scene to lead the same stale leaders who have been in place for too many years does nothing to compliment a fresh set of eyes. If a new team is not possible, then survey the employees, elicit written feedback, and compile data, just like you do the numbers. Most of all, listen. If you scramble the letters of the word listen you can spell the word silent which is important to understanding the comments and thoughts of those working under your supervision and management. There seems to be a low premium on listening these days as indicated by employee questionnaires with no space for written comments (we really don’t care what you think.) If you really want to find the truth, dig deep, and face it! Be prepared to see the white space filled with comments like “management is arrogant, and we don’t trust leadership etc… Now acknowledge the truth and prescribe some tangible solutions for continuous improvement. People will believe what you do more than what you say.

After the boss talks about the weather outside, let’s talk about the temperatures inside the corporate camp. Many times after the first one hundred days bosses run for the warmth of their cubby in secluded isolation, and no longer feel compelled to stay in contact with working people anymore. It won’t be fair for a new boss to tell employees in any forum not to worry about the past, when they worry about the past everyday in the form of productivity results. Past performance indicators and same period last year behaviors of human resources are a valid concern under new management too. If we ignore the past we are going to repeat the same mistakes in the future.

Managers are the leaders on deck responsible to the lowest levels and accountable to the upper boss for managing things and ensuring the people are professionally supervised. If we really think about it, managers actually work for us, and not the other way around. We are their internal customers. Managers are the primary agents of change leading the efforts in a positive direction. Change is as important as the technology that comes with it. Being open to diverse ideas can take the business to a whole new level. I don’t think it is a manager’s job to let the boss get blindsided by events happening in the workplace. No one in charge ever expects to ask their team “how come I never heard about this,” because they were intentionally left out of the loop. I’ve experienced a disrespectful manager who acted like it was their responsibility to be a workplace bully in order to be effective. “I call that leading by fear,” A poor leadership trait that puts people on edge.

Bullies never have time to meet with employees, except to deliver doom and gloom. When they are touring the floor with their boss they duck and dodge the areas where they treat people like crap. The only words they have to say around the boss are “everyone is doing a great job”. The bully manager feels powerful keeping employees in the dark. Information is the key to sole power for them. An outstanding leader knows how to work with people and recognize everyone as a valuable member of the business. The workplace is not a personality center where leaders walk around blaming changes and improved policies on the higher-ups. Stop telling employees, Tom said, John said, Jorge said, Diana said, etc… If you came to tell us what someone else said then one of you are redundant. We never seem to have time to talk about work processes which will be in place a lot longer than the person in charge whose name is tossed around like a salad in order to get people to move.

To some fellow employees you can spit your gum out right here. We walk past each other; refusing to make eye contact like we are on a city street, or riding public transportation. Shouldn’t we acknowledge the presence of our teammates? We are in the same line of work, and employed at the same place. C’mon, give respect to get respect! Stop hiding behind titles and positions and let’s combine our warm temperatures to make one great big thermostat capable of regulating heat all the way to the penthouse. Let’s try real hard to get out of our comfort zones where we associate in cliques of people who look like us, act like us, and speak like us. Minimize the drama, and unethical conduct, period. Be courtesy to one another, control our body functions in public, and clean up our messes. Make common courtesy, common.

Each person has a personal obligation to tactfully speak up or out about the things that affect you, or sooner or later they will affect me. The thought of retaliation is real to most of us. We have to be brave enough to look past the onslaught of annoyances, no recognition, no special time off, lost paperwork, the disapproval of coworkers for having morale courage, exclusion, and the wrath of management. Maintain credibility by showing up for work on time, and do whatever it is you get paid to do. This way you won’t have to deal with something like, three hundred sixty five counts of attendance issues which presents the ultimate distraction for management (when they say that person is not in good standing) when you speak out against situations that present a hostile environment in the workplace.

Let’s visit the concept of seniority for a moment. Seniority means that you have been doing something for an extended period of time, and it comes with its privileges in the workplace and being an elder in society. It is also about the information, experience and wisdom someone has achieved, and should never be considered the sole indicator of someone’s worth. It is never a badge to be disrespectful to anyone. Seniors should set the example, or mentor those with excessive energy to run the generation of the workplace relay. Stop saying, I’ve been here for many years and things are never going to change. You’re right! Not when we think like that. Bad experiences past or present weigh heavily on decisions of many employees to disengage from the opportunities to get involved with tough organizational challenges and decision making through involvement with teams, quality circles, and work groups. I see workers today being mostly interested in coming to a safe work environment where they are treated and appreciated with respect.

When I think of labor unions I think of the movie “300” where the Spartans were willing to preserve and defend their heritage at any cost. They were all warriors before craftsman. I am dues paying union member because I feel a strong union can play a critical role in the morale and employment benefits of the work environment. At national levels I am proud to see so much activity on Capitol Hill fighting for the rights of workers who are represented by labor unions. At local levels I’ve experienced elected leaders, and selected stewards acting as though they are on the point to impress the management more than membership. If you impress me, you’ll impress the management. A majority of these representatives only speak to select groups of non-threatening members (people who don’t talk back.) They act unfamiliar with their own references and will read verbatim verbiage in contracts, agreements, memorandums and interpretation manuals to get people with issues to go away. They have false interpretations of what they read and are too proud to get clarification from their seniors. Without Internet access, they can’t have timely lateral discussions with their counterparts to help make informed interpretations, or provide researched responses.

I could be wrong but aren’t those books (union bibles), documents, and references basic guidelines for good order and discipline? They can’t possibly cover every situation that may arise. A new car has an agreement, and a mortgage has a contract. It is my experience that if both parties involved in a negotiation mutually agree on the interpretation of a regulation they can create memorandums of understanding, or amendments. An inability to connect with the people who pay dues will cause members to abandon support for being unionized. You can’t ethically spread the business of members to your friends violating professional credibility, and trust. Labor leaders have to make themselves better under their own power through continuing education. We can’t fight back if we are illiterate by choice. My point is “The undeveloped piece of property for all of us with the greatest potential is still between the ears.”

My solutions for a better working environment start with keeping the lights on for safety. At night in troubled neighborhoods lighting is improved to eliminate crime. If we expose problems there is an excellent chance they will disappear. Negativity does not like the light. Develop a diverse task force to collect data on workplace issues. Post creditable investigated incidents on the company bulletin board in high traffic areas. Require continuous training for supervisors and managers to keep them up to date with changes in workplace leadership. Because someone was trained as a supervisor forty years ago doesn’t mean they are current in the way people want to be led today. A brain surgeon trained in 1969, who has not continued to train, and is out of date with the latest technology in brain surgery, probably should not be delivering hands on health care in the year 2010. Would you like that surgeon to work on you? Would you like that leader who was trained thirty years ago, possibly at a time laced with profanity, and an abusive culture leading you, or your loved ones at anytime?

Invest in an annual eight-hour initial workshop with a one-hour annual update training to review new and revised policies. This must be mandatory for all employees top down to attend. It should be moderated by a trained facilitator, and kicked off by the big boss or designated representative. In this day and time the big boss can easily record a webcast for communication. This would be a great opportunity for mixed groups of employees to sit down face-face in a circle, square, or u-shaped formation and discuss workplace culture, and its impact on business. You can take a man from Virginia, but you can’t take Virginia from the man. We are from unique backgrounds and just because we come together to work at one company doesn’t mean we will immediately be on the same page. You say coke, I say pop. You say tennis shoe, I say sneaker. You sit down and cross your leg pointing the bottom of your shoe at me, and I’m offended. If I say nova to you, it means no go and now you don’t like me. Certain behaviors in our personal cultures can be considered disrespectful to one another unless we understand and talk about them. Let’s talk about the evolution of the company, what it means to be a citizen of this agency, disaster preparedness, teamwork, valuing differences, lines of authority, dignity and respect, time and attendance, safety, special programs, ethics, etc…

Business is a team sport and I think the workplace can best be summed up using the model created by humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow. His Hierarchy of Need theory illustrates the following fives levels on a pyramid with my interpretation attached; Physiological: People want the basic security of a job to earn a paycheck, to pay their bills, and provide other essentials for their families. Safety: Everyone deserves a safe workplace and the right to feel secure in an emergency. Love: Without a doubt we all want to feel like we belong to a group or team. Esteem: Something we get from being respected, and Self Actualization: Having opportunities without limits.

In summary I’ve given you my take on the workplace and it is only one man’s perspective from the street-level looking up. I highlighted my personal observations about the American workplace interpreting bosses, managers, supervisors, workers, and labor organizations, along with some suggestions for improvement. If you look into the night sky and see a plane off in the distance it can be hard to tell what direction it is moving unless you understand the concept of international running lights. The left side (port side) has a red light, and the right side (starboard side) has a green light to communicate what side of the plane you are looking at. I think that by writing this I am flying in a direction toward workplace discussions all over America. I am in the workplace looking for change, and I know I can’t do it alone. We can’t wish for change. Writing this (saying something) makes me part of the solution. This is not personal, and there are no names attached, but, if the shoe fits…

Is this the kind of workplace you work in? In this country we never seem to want to talk about workplace issues until someone gets overstressed and there are shell casings on the floor. Then it is too late as we react to workplace violence, and incidents are inconveniently labeled “isolated” because they are few and far between. Yep, in every company the climate is controlled from the top. If the top is not concerned, then the bottom won’t care. If there is no top down leadership the labor force will continue to come to work for that green paper, and go through the motions until… To those younger generation people joining the workplace, this is your chance to build a better workplace. Don’t just fall into the trap of following the tired leader. Take mental and physical notes of everything going on around you and make informed decisions on how you can contribute to a better business culture for your future.

See you on-the-clock!

Ronald Williams, Jr.

Copyright by Ronald Williams, Jr.
and Postal Employee Network. May not be
reproduced without the consent of the
author.