Page 213 - An Indispensible Resource for Being a Credible Activist

❱❱ TELEPHONE DON’Ts

Long before e-mail, workers regularly picked up the phone and called each other. Speaking
to another human is still part of the daily workplace experience, and when done poorly, it
is a good way to lose credibility. Avoid these two poor phone habits:
● Shouting on the phone. There is no reason to shout on the phone. People who do
this at work either work in an organization culture where this is accepted and/or
encouraged (like the stock market) or they are carrying over behaviors they learned
as children into the workplace and are probably causing a great deal of discomfort
for those around them and for those at whom they yell.
● Hanging up on people. Similarly, this is a behavior people learn in their childhood
years as a way of dealing with something unpleasant, and I cannot think of any
company culture that would accept or encourage this behavior. Even if someone is
having a very bad day, this is not a behavior that should be used at work. If you
encounter this behavior, make a note that this person may not have the best
self-control skills and that you will need to be careful in how you interact with this
person. This is an amount of stress for you, even when this person is being pleasant,
because you know that at any given moment, this person can suddenly and without
warning lose control of him- or herself and engage in some other form of aggressive
behavior that lacks self-control. The important thing is to make sure that as an HR
professional, you are not engaging in this behavior yourself.

DON’T WASTE OTHERS’ TIME!
IS THIS REALLY THE RIGHT TIME TO TELL A STORY?

How many times have you been on your way to the restroom after having just sat through
a long meeting or phone call only to have someone approach you and say, “I really need to
speak with you now”? Take care of your physical needs first. Unless the person is in extreme
crisis, say that you will make yourself available and be able to give him or her your full
attention after you’ve visited the restroom.
If you are the person who needs to speak to someone or wants to speak to someone,
ask yourself if you are catching that person after a long meeting, on his or her way to the
restroom, at lunchtime, just before an important meeting, or at an otherwise obviously bad
time. Pay attention to these things. It is a very good awareness to have. In addition, once
you are in someone’s office talking the pressing issue, always assume that person is busy.
We are all busy. Ask the person if they have xx minutes. Have a sense of how much time
you need to talk to someone, give an accurate estimate of how much time you need, and
stick within those time parameters whenever possible.
You can also use this skill in reverse when others come to your office. Try to gauge how
much time you have available to give them. Know your day. Know your schedule. Know this
person. Will this person cut to the chase and be concise? Will this person meander into an
unrelated long story about her grandfather and how he used to take her fishing and what

196 The H R Toolkit