At Work - Column by Lindsey Novak

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'Whistle While You Work' Only Works for Disney's 7 Dwarfs

Lindsey Novak

Q: I have an employee -- our office receptionist -- who will just burst out into whistling, with no tune and for no reason. Our office is in a very old building with 30-foot ceilings. Her whistling travels and echoes down the hallway straight into my office. I don't know how to confront her. She is sensitive and shows her feelings openly. If I say anything, it will be passed throughout the office that I am a you-know-what. I have been very lax with my employees, but this is one thing that annoys and distracts me, and it is not professional. She has done this even when customers are sitting and waiting in our lobby. Any helpful hints?

A: Imagine a customer's thought about your staff's capabilities as he or she sits and waits to be helped. Whistling in front of customers is not only terribly annoying but also unprofessional, and it destroys the confidence you want them to have about your employees. Think of how many customers want to tell her to stop but feel it's not their job to correct her; it's the boss's job.

No matter how lax you have been in the past, you must act to gain your employees' respect if you want to manage the department properly. Managers should be friendly to their employees, but they should not be friends to them. It opens the door for favoritism and changes the level of respect and the willingness of the employees to listen to that manager.

Speak to her privately about her behavior. Whether she is whistling because of boredom or she does it unconsciously is not important. She is creating a negative image for your department, and you need to ask her nicely to stop. Customers who aren't irritated by the whistling probably leave your department laughing, also not an image you want because her behavior reflects on your hiring and management skills. Tell her that you don't want her to feel embarrassed and that you will keep your meeting with her confidential. She may be less likely to be angry if she realizes you are saving her from being laughed at by others.

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Employee Never Trusted To Work Alone

Q: My husband and I work at a franchised sandwich shop near where we live. I have good experience and was hired for the opening shift. The district manager assured me I am doing a good job, but the DM always has another worker there to help me. I never am scheduled to work alone. My husband, however, was allowed to close the shop on his own after working there for just a couple of days. Closing is even more difficult than opening. Another co-worker told me she was allowed to open the shop alone after working there for a week or two. This also happened to me at my previous job; I never was scheduled to work alone there, either. I am getting almost full-time hours, so I have no complaints about that, but I am worried it will hurt my work record if I never am allowed to work alone.

A: You've made an astute observation -- and perhaps one your husband will answer, even if the district manager won't. Tell him you've noticed a pattern in your jobs, and ask what image he thinks people have of you. If you always ask questions at work, your DM may worry about your capability in opening the store on your own. If you are diminutive in size, the DM may worry about whether you'd be safe if people were to see you working at the shop alone. Because you like your new job and the hours, don't mention the issue until you have been there for at least a year.

Please send your questions to: Lindsey Novak, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. E-mail her at LindseyNovak@yahoo.com, or visit her Web site at www.LindseyNovak.com. She answers all e-mails. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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Copyright 2009 Creators Syndicate Inc.

This news arrived on: 09/24/2009

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