Reading the article Communication in the Workplace, I found that I have
encountered issues due to ambiguity and filtering. I tend to be a positive, hands-off
manager that entrusts in my employees so working with an employee that was not meeting
expectations, I found myself running into issues communicating. As a manager, I
understand that constructive criticism is necessary to convey concerns in the work product
of my employees but sometimes I found that I would “sugarcoat” the criticism to make
myself feel less awkward. I relied heavily on filtering where I would not use phrases “You
did a good job here, but this piece needs improvement” as I worried that it was too harsh
and would be taken with offense. I find that as a woman I like to keep the peace rather
than be disruptive, so I choose my words carefully and consider others’ emotions while
doing so.
I ran into an issue with this recently where I had an employee ask for guidance on
ways to improve and I took the time to meet and train on the specifics only to find that he
was taking advantage of my kindness. I soon realized that my filtering was not just
hindering him from learning and growing as an accountant but also hurting our team as I
was not providing the truth about his work product and only adjusting after the fact to save
myself from dealing with the awkwardness of reprimanding my employee for working
very little and creating stops all throughout our month end close process. I have taken this
experience and learned from it that sometimes kindness can be misleading, and it is best to
avoid filtering, regardless of the awkward tension it may create.
Reference:
Wienclaw, R.A. (2021). Communication in the Workplace. Salem Press Encyclopedia.
