British Council-Complaining
Transcript of the podcast
HRO: Good Morning Mr Johnson, how can I help you
Mr J: Well I’d like to talk to you about Tim Bond, the department manager
HRO: What seems to be the problem
Mr J: Well… ever since Sandra left the department I feel like I’ve been targeted to do all her work, as well as mine. Tim has made me work overtime; I’m expected to attend too many meetings and I seem to be spending a lot of my time doing unnecessary paperwork
HRO: I’m sorry to hear that
Mr J: And…on top of that, I’d specifically asked if I could leave early last Friday, as I’d done a lot of overtime during the week. But we had a deadline on Friday afternoon and even though I’d finished my specific work I was expected to help other colleagues finish their work too
HRO: But surely that is a positive sign showing that Mr Bond has a lot of trust in you, in getting you to help other colleagues
Mr J: Yes, but I feel like I’m being singled out! Other colleagues get to leave early, and they don’t have such a lot of work to do
HRO: So you feel he’s been making unrealistic demands on you
Mr J: Yes, absolutely
HRO: Do you think it’s because Mr Bond is unaware of what you’re doing
Mr J: Well he never seems to ask us to do a job. He just delegates, and that’s another thing, he never listens
HRO: Right. Have you approached Mr Bond about this particular problem
Mr J: I’ve tried to approach him but whenever I go to his office he is either in meetings, or he is never there. It seems like he just has no time for us
HRO: Well at this stage it would be better if you approached him directly. If nothing else, showing that you’ve tried to solve the problem yourself, before you take it further, makes it clear that you’re not just a complainer and can boost your credibility. Why don’t you send an email requesting a meeting with him in private
Mr J: Hmmm, I’d be a bit worried about his reaction. I wouldn’t know what to say
HRO: Well firstly, you’ll need to plan what you are going to talk about before going ahead with a meeting. You can always take notes to which you can refer. This shows that you have considered what you need to discuss
Mr J: Ok
HRO: This is obviously a delicate situation so be very careful not to criticise as this could bring on a defensive reaction. You need to be diplomatic when you speak to him
If after you have spoken to him in a rational way, you still find he is being unreasonable come and speak to us and we can arrange a meeting between the three of us. But do remember you need to have evidence for us to be able to take further action
Mr J: OK, I’ll send him an email now to request a meeting, and we’ll see what happens from there. Thanks for your advice
HRO: Good luck and let us know the outcome
Answers
F | ۱ |
T | ۲ |
T | ۳ |
F | ۴ |
T | ۵ |
F | ۶ |