Mar 30, 2016

The results of a survey entitled “The Communication Issues That Prevent Effective Leadership,” ( in the Harvard Business Review of 06/2015) were as follows:

1. Not recognising employee achievements
2. Not giving clear directions
3. Not having time to meet with employees
4. Refusing to talk to subordinates
5. Taking credit for others’ ideas
6. Not offering constructive criticism
7. Not knowing employees’ names
8. Refusing to talk to people on the phone/in person
9. Not asking about employees’ lives outside work

This is not a definitive list by any means, but I’d like to focus on number 8 (refusing to talk to people on the phone/in person) and number 3, which concerns not meeting with employees. This latter one also includes where bosses do meet with employees, but without giving them their full attention. Finally, I’d like to add another complaint to the list, which is the boss who shows no respect to his/her employees.

Refusing to talk to people on the phone/in person

This is a tricky situation when you have someone on the line who’d like to talk with your boss, and he/she indicates that they’re not available. You then have to reply along the lines of “He/she’s not in the office right now. May I take a message”. All good and well if that’s where it ends but usually you will be confronted by a caller who then says “I bet your boss is sitting at his/her desk and just doesn’t want to take this call”. This can be very confronting for you if it’s true, since essentially you have to lie to protect your boss.

I’d suggest that you chat with your boss and explain that you feel awkward about having to cover for him/her. If you say nothing, then you are condoning the behaviour. You need to work out a joint response to the caller that you can live with.

Not having time to meet with employees

Many employees feel short-changed by not being able to meet with their boss. This covers the frequency and consistency of the meetings i.e. that meetings when they do occur, are too infrequent, and that there is no regularity and consistency. The complainant will often say that meetings are cancelled or postponed indefinitely. The consequence is that the employee feels that there is no interest and investment in them.

Another concern is where the meeting occurs, but the manager is multi-tasking with the mobile, or laptop, or paperwork. Again, this is pretty rude and undermines the relationship between them.

As hard as it may be to speak up, I believe that talking with the manager about the problem is a first step. If you don’t speak up, you do yourself an injustice. You could say something like “Mary, I appreciate how busy you are. When we’ve arranged a meeting to discuss my task priorities/issues, I feel frustrated when they are not addressed because I need your guidance to get on with my tasks. What I would really appreciate is if we could talk about the key points raised, and give me your input, in a short, focused meeting.”

Disrespecting subordinates

This can stem from a myriad “little” things during the course of the day. It might be giving you a big task to do, which needs to be completed there and then, 10 minutes before the end of the day. It would be compounded if the boss was aware of the task earlier on in the day, but “forgot” to give it to you earlier on.

Another issue might be negative feedback delivered to you, in front of all staff, causing you to feel humiliated and embarrassed. This would be compounded if the feedback were also derogatory and directed at your person, rather than about your work.

Also, when you are taken to task for being away from work, be it for illness or bereavement, bosses comes across as being uncaring and it often feels as though you are being regarded as disloyal to the organisation.

I could say that you should find yourself another job, but regrettably, these bosses are all around. So the next best thing is to deal with it. I find that a private, quiet word, expressed in a non-confrontational way works best. Show some understanding for the fact that they are busy, stressed and sometimes unwitting of the effect that their words and actions have. By starting with “I appreciate how busy you are, or that my being on sick leave caused problems,” or whatever. Then tactfully express how you felt “I felt embarrassed because it seemed as though I was being disloyal to the company for taking off sick leave” and then finish by expressing what you would like to see happen. “ What I would prefer, is that I’m given tasks as soon as they come up, so that I have enough time to do a good job”.

In conclusion, the responsibility for discontinuing poor communication and behaviour is twofold: both the boss needs to be aware of their words and actions, as does the employee.