December 2007

EDITOR’S COLUMN: IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR VIEWPOINT

First of all, I wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season!

This month I’d like to discuss a chasm existing in every organization. Owners and managers can easily get trapped in their view of the workplace. Often their perception doesn’t match that of their work force. For example, when I conduct employee surveys, I always find that management thinks that they’re more responsible to employees than vice versa. Not surprisingly, employees feel it’s they who are more responsible. The point is this: Don’t get stuck in your viewpoint.

So I get a full sense of what is going on ‘out there,’ I will often visit such Web sites as AboutMyJob.com. Sure, there’s a lot of whining; yet the fact is, most of these complainers want to do a good job every day. Of course there are always those who love staying in their ‘miserable’ jobs. (This is a choice!)

Here’s a sampling of recent postings on the AboutMyJob site related to the nursing profession:

"My dirty secret is out: I hate nursing"
"Nursing: love and hate, mostly hate"
"It’s sad to know I will need to leave nursing"
"Returning Nurse: the stress isn’t worth the stress and responsibility"
"Nursing is Beyond Hell"
"LPN underpaid, treated like slaves"
"I never thought I’d leave nursing!!!"
"My nursing career is KILLING me."
"What a bunch of whiners! - nursing"
"Worst mistake of my life...becoming an RN"
"Love nursing and always will!" Nurse
"Loves Nursing, but not the system" LPN Nurse
"I have come to hate the nursing career I was so proud to join"

Although nursing is certainly stressful, it wasn’t the only job with these types of comments. The point: Don’t let employees play ‘victim’ on you. Tap into their viewpoint proactively, address the fears and concerns that they harbor. Solicit input, understand employee motivations, and show that you care. You, your company, and your employees will all be better off when you do.