Workplace Apologies

Workplace Apologies

Concerns about the overuse of “Sorry” in the workplace, have left some people confused (dare we say, “jaded”) about how and when to sincerely apologize.  

Apologizing for everything including things that don’t warrant a response can signal a character flaw of untruthfulness; in fact, such insincerity has been dubbed “a backhanded apology” or a “nonpology”.  However, NOT apologizing in a situation when it IS necessary expands the breach between you and the other party.

For incidents that truly warrant an apology, make every effort to genuinely express regret.  

That said, apologies take on a different energy in the workplace…corporate culture may have a lot do with it.

Keep these three ideas in mind for workplace apologies:

1)  Apologize as soon as possible.  Rectifying the issue quickly enables all parties involved to move forward instead of unnecessarily brooding over the matter.

2)  Own what happened. Taking responsibility for what occurred will open the door to empathy.  Avoid explanations that may be perceived as a defense mechanism…it could lead to a debate which could completely derail the apology.

3)  Discuss with those who were offended what you learned from the mistake.  Doing so will demonstrate that you have the capacity to evolve and that you won’t make the same mistake again.  Make sure your discussion and the apology are concise.

In the comments below, share your tips for crafting the perfect workplace apology and don’t forget…make it a great day!

The ‘People-Pleaser’ Personality at Work

The ‘People-Pleaser’ Personality at Work

To paraphrase Merriam-Webster, the act of people-pleasing is driven by a myriad of psychological motivators and saying “yes” when you really want to say “no”.

Here’s why people-pleasing is a detriment to your company’s growth:

* On the surface, a people-pleaser may give the appearance that all is well, however, he/she actually may be overwhelmed, stressed, and on the verge of burnout leading to costly errors and omissions which will evenutally impact the profit margin. 

* The tendency to give everything to others coupled with fear or disappointment will drive a people-pleaser to over-commit and land up falling short of meeting client expectations.

* Because they operate from a space of sacrifice, resentment can grow if management does not acknowledge their sacrifices or offer “acceptable levels of praise”.  

For these reasons, it is important for supervisors to pay careful attention to all employees’ non-verbal cues.   Make a point to be empathetic and to encourage employees to give self-care.  Foster a company culture that rewards extraordinary efforts for all employees.

A myriad of professionals have opined the answer to business success.  A sure answer to business failure is trying to please everybody.

Let’s talk.  We welcome your input for managing people-pleasers in the comment section below. 

In the meantime, make it a great day!

How to Turn Irate Customers Into Raving Fans

How to Turn Irate Customers Into Raving Fans

Photo Provided by Pixaby

Upon returning from a business trip, a hotel employee who participated in one of my workshops, walked up to me and exclaimed, “It worked !!”.  Not being completely sure what he meant, I asked.  He told me that he successfully applied the techniques that he learned about turning furious customers into raving fans.  

I was happy that he courageously used the knowledge he gleaned from my training session and joined him in the celebration.  Something as simple as acknowledging the problem and taking ownership can quell a potentially volatile situation.

Large and small businesses share this problem.  In many cases, not enough money is budgeted to train how to successfully solve “outraged customer” complaints.  That said, organizations, especially small businesses, experience stunted growth or actually go out of business due to customer attrition and the loss of key employees.

Take charge of the situation by:

Yikes! They Saw Me !

Yikes!  They Saw Me !

Melon Slices Photo for 10:16:15 Blog

Caught Eating at the Cash Register

 

A colleague and I were between client appointments and decided to stop and buy a healthy take out meal from a fast casual restaurant.  While our orders were being prepared, we noticed that the cashier took what she probably thought was a discreet bite of food from a plate that she had under the cash register.  Since she was not ringing up a customer at the time, she probably thought that it would be okay to “sneak a bite or two”.