The office would be a happy place if it wasn’t for one individual. If it wasn’t for all this bureaucracy we could do the work quicker and better. Every thing was fine before they changed to this new computer system. It takes forever to fill posts because of HR’s insistence on these new EDI recruitment procedures. Management would be so much easier if we were allowed to get rid of the awkward squad. Health and Safety officers need to chill out instead of making us jump through all these hoops. If senior management just stuck to one set of priorities instead of constantly changing them life would be a lot less confusing. Organisations are made up of people and they are complex, complicated and sometimes contradictory. If the office is an unhappy workplace scapegoating one individual will not solve the problem even though colleagues think it will. Cutting the red tape is always seen as a popular move but cutting corners usually ends badly. The new Computer system may well have been over sold and is underdelivering then again the old system had it limitations which frustrated the hell out of a lot of people. Filling posts quickly and smoothly takes the pressure off teams and helps hit targets but making a bad appointment is often regretted for a very long time. The EDI process for recruitment is standardising best practice so less chance of a bad appointment. People management is in my opinion the most challenging aspect of management and all too often it is insensitive and heavy handed. The guiding motto should be treat people how you would want to be treated , worth remembering next time you need a little compassion and understanding rather than a kick up the backside. Everyone thinks Health and Safety are over cautious and assume employees will do stupid things. That is until they do and someone gets badly hurt as a result. Yes we would all like a simple straightforward set of priorities that remained constant but the business environment is constantly changing and senior managers have to ensure the organisation is keeping pace with those changes. Unfortunately complex problems rarely have simple solutions which is why in organisations things get complicated.
Blair Mcpherson former director author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
