Interpersonal Communication Problem
One of my most recent encounter with interpersonal communication problems happened a month ago at my workplace with my boss. Now don't get me wrong, she is a nice person and I generally work very well with her but it was just that particular incident in the process of getting work done that day. So the following was what happened.
One month ago, some client forms had to be submitted and I was tasked to do it as my boss was overseas. However before I could submit them, I had to date them. Therefore, a set of instructions were sent to me via message and it was as follows:
"Must help date each form some on 22nd some 21st and some on 23rd but 23rd ones must only submit on 23rd afternoon k. Keep in touch when you come in."
As you can see from the text, there were a lot of dates and it was rather confusing.So on the day I went to the office, I did not know which dates she wanted on each form and as she was not contactable, I went to consult with other colleagues.
Then it came to my understanding that the forms had to be dated on the day I submit it. Meaning, if I were to submit the forms on 22nd February, they had to be dated 22nd February. And that was exactly what I did, I wrote 22nd February on all of the forms and submitted them on that day. Also, all of the forms had to be submitted on that day I went to work because it was the day with the highest exchange rate and doing so would let her clients capitalize on that.
After the submission, I sent a message to my boss to let her know that the job was done. However after work, she replied that what I did was wrong.
She said that it was not possible that she went to meet her whole list of clients and gotten their signatures in one day on 22nd February and because I dated all of them the same, it would raise suspicion. She had gotten their signatures beforehand so that they can be readily submitted when the exchange rates are the highest. However, for some reason, the company did not allow that.
So after that, I apologized and went on to tell her that I would fix the problem. However, as the forms were already submitted, there was nothing much I could have done but wait to see if the submissions were approved.
Fast forward to the next day, all of the forms were approved and there were no further issues. Turned out there was nothing wrong with what she did to be more efficient and what I did was correct as well.
But what do you think I could have done better?
Hi Marcus
ReplyDeleteThe text was really confusing, even i got confused myself. I am glad that in the end the problem was solved and there was nothing wrong on your part. Good job on that!
Dear Marcus,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with us the communication problem you encountered. To ensure clarity and completeness, you may want to clarify some points in the post:
- However, for some reason, the company did not allow that. >>> Did not allow what?
- I dated all of them the same, it would raise suspicion >>> doctoring documents? raise who's suspicion?
- I apologized and went on to tell her that I would fix the problem >>> If there weren't anything you could do, how could you 'fix the problem'?
- company did not allow that...there was nothing wrong with what she did to be more efficient>>> So is the practice allowed or not allowed?
Regards,
Ms. Lim
Hi Marcus, I resonate with you regarding the unclear instructions especially when it comes to alternative methods in the workplace. If it were me, I would get the other experienced colleagues to endorse the form submission instead, and notify her via email to ensure that the whole process was documented in black and white. This is to protect yourself in case the blame will be placed on you if anything goes awry, especially when it the forms are dealing with financial matters (exchange rate). I am glad that all went well in the end though!
ReplyDeleteDear Marcus,
ReplyDeleteNice blogpost name you got there. I believe it is inevitable that some things happen at the workplace.Perhaps with your newfound efficient process, you could have taken the opportunity to refine and streamline the process, pitch to your boss to alleviate this chokepoint.
Best regards,
Nicholas Ong
Dear Marcus,
ReplyDeleteI must agree with you that it was rather confusing to receive such unclear instructions from your superiors. On top of that, it involves money which can really complicate things in nature.
Being an effective communicator that I know of you, I suggest that you could have taken the initiatives to text or call her to clarify on the matters to avoid any miscommunication. This could be a win-win situation for you, her, your clients and the company.
Nevertheless, I am glad to hear that all was well and all the best for your work, Marcus!
Warmest regards,
Hao Yi