essay about workplace

Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

What Makes a Great Workplace?

Many of my friends really dread their jobs. They complain about employers who treat them like machinery—there to churn out whatever is required of them, regardless of the cost to their motivation, creativity or personal health. Their bosses seem to expect that they work long hours and stay glued to cell phones at night, but then show little appreciation or, worse, micromanage them. No one likes it; but what alternatives are there when employers have deadlines to meet or products to develop?

Plenty, according to psychologist Ron Friedman. In his new book, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace . Friedman, a psychologist and business consultant, distills decades of research on motivation, creativity, and performance to provide both business leaders and their employees with useful tips for restructuring work environments to increase innovation, efficiency, and even joy in the workplace.

Some of Friedman’s suggestions may come as a surprise for those not familiar with the science and can seem downright counterintuitive. For example, he suggests that companies wanting to be successful and on the cutting edge of innovation need to embrace failure in their employees. That’s right, failure. “Accepting failure doesn’t just make risk-taking easier,” he writes. “In a surprising number of instances, it’s the only reliable path to success.”

This idea comes from research on creativity showing that creative solutions most often come not from individual brilliance but from giving people the freedom try many different solutions to see which one works best. But, who can be a creative problem solver when stressed or when fearing retribution from a boss? We literally drain our brains of needed cognitive resources when we are in an anxiety-induced “fight or flight” mode. That’s why it behooves employers to give their employees permission to fail and to learn from their mistakes: it’s the path to innovation.

Friedman makes several other provocative suggestions for employers wanting to get ahead. For example, he suggests that they encourage employees to pursue outside interests on company time or to take frequent rests or even short naps on the job. Both of these have been shown help people to broaden their thinking and to make cognitive connections, which is important for innovation and job efficiency. And, for employees wanting to increase their work satisfaction, asking for more challenge and variety in job assignments or practicing gratitude can make a big difference in your happiness and productivity.

“Over time a continuous focus on what’s missing trains our minds to center on the negative,” writes Friedman. “But by taking a moment to redirect our attention to things that are going right…we restore a balance to our thinking that elevates our moods and prevents negative emotions like resentment, envy, and regret from creeping in.”

Additionally, he suggests that employers challenge employees without overwhelming them and empower them to find their own best approach to getting the job done (which may mean a flex schedule or working from home). And he provides employers tips for managing mood (important, since moods are contagious) and for thanking employees in ways that increase rather than kill motivation.

Overall, Friedman recommends fostering three things for better workplace environments: autonomy (employees having more control over their work), competence (employees having the tools they need to succeed), and relatedness (better social bonds at work). Though relatedness may be the most overlooked aspect of employee engagement, researchers who study predictors of productivity in the workplace have found that having a best friend at work has many benefits, including increasing employee focus, passion, and loyalty, and decreasing sick time and workplace accidents.

More on Positive Workplaces

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Daniel Goleman explore why leaders need a triple focus .

How to encourage friendships at work? “Proximity, familiarity, similarity, and self-disclosure all play a role,” writes Friedman. “The trick is to create the conditions that naturally foster these elements and integrate them into the work environment.” He suggests employers pay for activities that bring workers together in a shared activity, such as attending a yoga class or working together on a community project, or create break rooms or other communal spaces so that this happens naturally.

But while our social networks are important to nurture, Friedman warns against encouraging workplace gossip, which can have detrimental impacts on a business. Though it might be tempting to simply outlaw gossip, Friedman suggests instead that employers try to use gossip as a way to understand what’s going on interpersonally at work. Gossip often suggests that someone is feeling powerless in a situation or needs help and encouragement to succeed, he writes, and employers would do well to role-model transparency and a willingness to listen rather than prohibiting gossip or, worse, engaging in it themselves.

Friedman’s main message is that workplaces have a lot of room for improvement, and that paying attention to what we’ve learned from the science is a good idea. The old factory model of workplace efficiency—where each worker cog in the system is expected to do what he’s told to do without an understanding of how he’s contributing or the power to control his efforts—is outdated in our information economy. Instead, employers need to find the ways that they can encourage their most important asset—their employees—and strategically foster greater workplace innovation, productivity, and harmony.

“When we provide employees; with the flexibility to succeed in both their personal and professional lives, we achieve more than an extraordinary workplace,” he writes. “We create an organization that performs at its very best.”

About the Author

Jill Suttie

Jill Suttie, Psy.D. , is Greater Good ’s former book review editor and now serves as a staff writer and contributing editor for the magazine. She received her doctorate of psychology from the University of San Francisco in 1998 and was a psychologist in private practice before coming to Greater Good .

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Writing a Teamwork Essay: Importance, Examples, Topics

Never underestimate the importance of teamwork: every great project needs several people to accomplish it. The ability to work in a team is helpful in studies, in the workplace, and even in communication with friends and family. We are sure that you have had an opportunity to work in a team and noticed the benefits of collaboration.

A paper on teamwork is a great opportunity both for research and reflecting on your experience. This article will give you some writing prompts, essay topics, and samples on teamwork. Let’s start!

• Advantages and Disadvantages of Teamwork
• Teamwork Roles and Responsibilities
• The Importance of Teamwork in School
• The Importance of Teamwork at Work

📚 90 Teamwork Essay Topics

📝 3 teamwork essay examples, 💡 essay about teamwork: writing prompts.

Are you wondering what to write in a teamwork essay?

Use the prompts below. Each of them covers a specific theme that you can include in your essay. Develop one idea if you have to write a 100-word paper. If the word limit is more extensive, use several of them.

1. Advantages and Disadvantages of Teamwork

Teamwork has several advantages and disadvantages. They are essential to consider to reach maximum productivity.

Let’s take a look at the advantages that you can discuss in your essay about teamwork:

• Brainstorming in a team is a great tool that helps to produce more ideas.
• Team members altogether possess more skills than one person.
• You can learn new things from other team members.

And here are the disadvantages:

• There can be an unequal division of work which provokes conflicts.
• You need to spend time on various discussions that might go off-topic.
• Decision-making becomes a more complex process and takes more time.

2. Teamwork Roles and Responsibilities

Each team member has a position according to which they are responsible for different functions.

Here are three typical roles in a team:

• Leader . It is the person who provides the whole team with the instructions and resources needed to achieve the result.
• Active participant . These team members are good at performing the assigned tasks. They might be specialists in particular spheres or possess the general knowledge that the team needs.
• Analyzer . When a team needs to make an important decision, an analyzer is always ready to provide knowledge. They inform team participants about possible outcomes and potential pitfalls.

If you have experience with any of these roles, describe it in your paper. For example, it can be an essay on teamwork and leadership if you have been a leader in a team.

3. The Importance of Teamwork in School

Children need to develop their skills of working in a team from an early age. This develops their ability to cooperate in the future.

Let’s focus on the psychological benefits of teamwork for children:

• Socialization. Children learn how to communicate efficiently. They become active listeners and speak their minds.
• Creativity. Brainstorming, sharing ideas, and completing challenging tasks stimulate imagination and intelligence.
• Leadership. Working in a team boosts children’s self-confidence and management skills.
• Healthy competition. It helps children to succeed later in life and not to be afraid of challenges.
• Support and responsibility. Teamwork is an excellent way to learn the balance between helping others and accomplishing own tasks.

4. The Importance of Teamwork in the Workplace

Working in a team towards a mutual goal is an essential part of the corporate culture. However, it might be a challenge for many people.

Discuss the problems that might occur in a team of professionals. Offer your solutions or explain the causes.

Here is what you can describe in an essay on teamwork in the workplace:

• What are the effects of working under pressure?
• What are the ways to solve conflicts among team members?
• How to plan work and meet deadlines?
• Division of responsibilities in a team.
• The efficiency of team-building activities.
• KPIs that measure a team’s efficiency.
• Covid-19 pandemic effects on the organization of teamwork at the workplace.

And here are some teamwork essay topic examples. These titles apply to essays of any difficulty . You can use them for class 5 or 6 papers and college assignments as well.

Let’s choose the best one for you:

• Self-managed teams: Benefits and drawbacks.
• Why children need to learn how to work in a team.
• Describe your understanding of leadership in a team.
• Describe your best experience of working in a group.
• Complementary skills for management teams.
• Managing teams within an organization.
• Is teamwork or individual work more productive for you?
• Effective team and performance management on the Everest.
• How to motivate a team to achieve better results.
• The approaches to teamwork in the workplace in big multinational companies.
• Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams.
• What psychological factors determine the success of a team?
• Project manager performance and team efficiency.
• How can you find out what team role suits you best?
• Technology in distributed project management teams.
• A team culture as an aspect of cooperative learning.
• Have you ever had an unsuccessful experience working in a group?
• Sharpening the team mind and team decision making.
• How many people should be in a perfect team?
• The responsibilities of a project manager in a team.
• Drum Circles as the way to build a strong team.
• The importance of teamwork in competitive sports.
• Leadership: Important keys for an effective team leader.
• Can a team be successful if there are two natural leaders?
• Virtual and global project teams management.
• Importance of members’ personality type for team’s effectiveness.
• The art of task delegation in big teams.
• What is the role of proper communication among team members?
• How to choose the right people for your team.
• Teams and individual motivation in project management.
• Cross-functional teams: Enhancing workforce diversity.
• Can one person spoil the workflow of a whole team?
• High performance project teams and management.
• Is it better to establish professional or friendly communication within a team?
• Effective organisational development and team building.
• Describe your first experience of working in a team.
• Importance of communication, development, and learning in teams.
• What is the best example of successful teamwork?
• Does teamwork make your life easier or more complicated?
• Effectively managing virtual teams and teamwork.
• Conflict in the Human Services Coordination Team.
• Is working in a team harder for remote employees?
• Effective team leadership: Empowering others.
• Describe your dream team for one of your projects.
• How to make sure that every team member has the same workload?
• What skills have you developed while working in a team?
• Management terms: Team and group.
• Effective teams: Team learning and organizational outcomes.
• Describe working with team members who live in different time zones.
• Team teaching and curriculum delivery.
• Building a virtual team: Definition and factors of successes.
• Do deadlines stimulate teams to work better?
• The role of teamwork in the healthcare industry.
• The reasons why collaboration is essential for college students.
• Groups and teams in the workforce.
• What is the essential lesson teamwork has taught you?
• Team performance criteria and threats to productivity.
• Strategies for building effective teams.
• What are the main advantages and disadvantages of teamwork?
• How to deal with conflicts in a team?
• Is it possible for introverts to successfully work in a team?
• Teams’ development, communication, and learning.
• Describe your worst experience of working in a team.
• Sport psychology: Female volleyball team.
• What skills do you need to be a good team member?
• Teams and team working: Organizational behavior.
• The main types of teamwork in medical school.
• What are the ways to measure the productivity of team members?
• The role of collaboration in startups and small businesses.
• Groups and teams: Organizational behaviour and management.
• Describe a current project that you work on with a team.
• Creating and effectively managing a virtual team.
• How often do you work in a team?
• Importance of motivation in teamwork.
• Tell about a problem that you solved working in a team.
• The factors that define healthy leadership.
• What is your typical role in a team?
• The role of team building and interpersonal skills.
• The importance of collaboration in a family.
• Effective team development.
• Is it difficult for you to work with new people?
• The best team-building activities at work.
• How to establish friendly and productive communication in a team?
• Team management strategies and techniques.
• Does multitasking make teamwork more or less effective?
• Management: Power distance effects on team performance.
• The role of emotional intelligence in collaboration.
• The impact of leadership styles and skills on teams.
• How to choose people who will work in your team?
• Leadership in a team-based organization.

And now it’s time to read our teamwork essay examples. You can use them as a reference for long and short papers. Just pay attention to the structure.

Essay on Teamwork and Leadership

I had never thought I was a leader until my first experience working in a group. We had to develop a project on sustainability for our biology class. I had the most knowledge in this sphere, so I became the leader of the team. This experience taught me to delegate tasks, solve unexpected problems, and be an active listener. Even if you know how to do something well, you need to be able to delegate. We were sewing tote bags for shopping. Although I am good at drawing, I assigned print design to my friend. She did the task well, and I had an opportunity to focus on cloth choice and sewing. I know that it would have been so much longer if I had done everything myself. Another challenging moment of working in a team is that the number of potential issues grows with the number of people. One of our boys got sick. I had to divide his responsibilities among the other team members, so everyone got an equal part. If you work in a team, you need to be ready to listen and take notes. As a leader of the group, I was responsible for making a final decision on each thought. Great ideas might be unexpected, and you never know who can come up with the next one. It happened on so many occasions in our team. We created our logo, chose the best materials and designs only because of the ability to support and respect each other’s ideas. In conclusion, I like the role of the leader of a team as I learned many things. I became better at managing others’ responsibilities, reacting to emerging issues, and observing others’ ideas. I look forward to further teamwork to improve these and other skills.

Essay on School Teamwork

You cannot just spend all your student years and not collaborate with others. There are times when you have to work in a team. It might be a group project or just someone’s initiative to do homework together. Teamwork is essential at school as it enables students to work on more significant projects, boosts creativity, and engages in the studying process. Several people can accomplish more than one person within the same timeframe. Besides, each team member has a different spectrum of knowledge and skills. More heads allow you to have more ideas and perform more tasks as a team. That is why companies hire new people to become more successful. Brainstorming is an excellent tool for developing new ideas. One student can have a good thought, while another one can make an action plan out of it. Being able to absorb and analyze each other’s opinions makes your mind more open to new ideas. In other words, it makes you more creative. Society is a person’s natural need. It is always more interesting to study with others. Even if you don’t have much motivation to examine a particular issue, you still learn it while communicating. It was always easier for me to listen to a person than to read a book. Teamwork motivates students to discuss their visions and thoughts, which makes them more involved. School is not only about books and formulas. It is also a place where you learn how to cooperate with other people. Eventually, you see that you can achieve more, broaden your outlook, and have more motivation to study with a good team.

Essay on Teamwork in the Workplace

Every great product is an achievement of teamwork. But how do you know that a team will be successful? There is no playbook as each case is unique, but several components are necessary for effective collaboration. The main factors that define a good team in the workplace are its diversity, efficient communication, and clearly defined responsibilities. It is beneficial for a team if the members have different backgrounds and are proficient in different areas of expertise. It helps to see complex problems from various angles and choose the best solutions. People who possess different strengths choose their roles in a team according to them. Of course, all the skills need to be relevant to the goal of the team. There should be no misunderstandings or communication delays. If something is not one hundred percent clear, it is better to ask additional questions to avoid making mistakes. Working in one place makes communication faster and more accessible for all the participants. That is why regular meetings and quick responses are a must for every team. When everyone knows what they are responsible for, there are fewer conflicts. It is vital to ensure that every team member does what they are good at without interfering with others’ tasks. Teamwork also involves the individual work of each participant that requires deep focus and no distraction. The best solution is to define the members’ responsibilities at the very beginning. Teamwork is essential if you aim to create something meaningful. You need people who will work as hard as you towards a mutual goal. Each particular case requires a specific approach, but certain things are always the same. If you want to do your best as a team, make sure the people you choose have different skills, establish fast communication, and provide them with clear areas of responsibility.

Essay on Work Ethics and Professionalism

Students are often asked to write an essay on Work Ethics and Professionalism in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Work Ethics and Professionalism

Introduction.

Work ethics and professionalism are essential in any job. They help maintain a positive environment and ensure success.

Work Ethics

Work ethics refer to the moral principles that guide our actions at work. They include honesty, responsibility, and respect.

Professionalism

Professionalism means conducting oneself with responsibility, integrity, and competence. It’s about doing your job effectively and respectfully.

Good work ethics and professionalism lead to job satisfaction and success. They build trust and respect among colleagues.

In conclusion, work ethics and professionalism are vital for a successful career. They ensure a positive and productive work environment.

Also check:

• 10 Lines on Work Ethics and Professionalism

250 Words Essay on Work Ethics and Professionalism

Introduction to work ethics and professionalism.

Work ethics and professionalism are fundamental principles that govern the conduct of individuals in a professional setting. These principles are quintessential in defining an individual’s character, commitment, and integrity within the workplace.

Understanding Work Ethics

Work ethics encompass a set of values based on hard work and diligence. It involves a belief in the moral benefit and importance of work and its inherent ability to strengthen character. A strong work ethic emanates from an individual’s inner drive and perseverance to achieve success. It includes attributes like reliability, responsibility, quality, discipline, and teamwork.

Professionalism: A Vital Component

Professionalism, on the other hand, is the conduct, behavior, and attitude of an individual in a work or business environment. It involves maintaining a level of etiquette, exhibiting a positive attitude, showing respect to others, and demonstrating a high level of competence and efficiency. Professionalism is about conducting oneself in a manner that enhances one’s image and the image of the organization one represents.

The Intersection of Work Ethics and Professionalism

Work ethics and professionalism are intertwined. A professional with strong work ethics is likely to be more successful because they are dependable, respectful, and competent. They value their work, respect their obligations, and strive for excellence.

In conclusion, the importance of work ethics and professionalism cannot be overstated. They are the bedrock of any successful career and organization. Cultivating these qualities is vital for personal growth and professional advancement.

500 Words Essay on Work Ethics and Professionalism

Work ethics and professionalism are two integral elements that define the caliber and value of an individual in a professional setting. Work ethics refer to a set of moral principles that guide a person’s actions in the workplace, while professionalism is the conduct, behavior, and attitude of someone in a work or business environment.

Work ethics are a set of values centered on the notions of hard work and diligence. It involves a belief in the moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character. An individual with a robust work ethic exhibits qualities such as integrity, responsibility, quality, and discipline. These values are not inherent; they are cultivated through experiences and societal interactions.

Work ethics play a crucial role in determining the efficiency and quality of work. It influences an individual’s productivity and commitment, which in turn affects the overall performance of the organization. Moreover, it fosters a sense of respect and trust among colleagues, creating a conducive environment for collaboration and teamwork.

The Essence of Professionalism

Professionalism, on the other hand, is the practical application of work ethics. It is reflected in an individual’s conduct, behavior, and attitude in the workplace. Professionalism involves maintaining an appropriate level of etiquette, demonstrating a high degree of competence, and showing respect for others in the workplace.

Professionalism is not just about following a set of rules; it’s about embodying a professional identity. This includes being reliable, respectful, and accountable. It also means being able to handle criticism constructively, communicate effectively, and maintain a positive attitude, even in challenging situations.

The Interplay between Work Ethics and Professionalism

Work ethics and professionalism are intertwined. A strong work ethic fuels professionalism, and a high degree of professionalism reflects a solid work ethic. While work ethics is the moral compass guiding an individual’s actions, professionalism is the manifestation of these ethical considerations in a work setting.

The presence of work ethics and professionalism in an individual can significantly enhance their career growth. Employers value these traits as they contribute to a positive work culture, improved productivity, and a better reputation for the company.

In conclusion, work ethics and professionalism are not just desirable traits but essential for anyone seeking to excel in their professional life. They are the pillars upon which successful careers and organizations are built. By fostering these values, individuals can not only enrich their professional journey but also contribute to creating a healthy and productive work environment. The cultivation of work ethics and professionalism is a continuous process, one that demands conscious effort and commitment. But the rewards, both personal and professional, are well worth the effort.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Work and Leisure
• Essay on Women’s Rights
• Essay on We Can Change the World

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

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Home — Essay Samples — Science — Humanities — Working Hard: The Key to Success

Working Hard: The Key to Success

• Categories: Hard Work Humanities

About this sample

Words: 713 |

Published: Mar 16, 2024

Words: 713 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The value of hard work, the role of hard work in academic success, the connection between hard work and professional success, the impact of hard work on personal development.

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The Realities of Remote Work

Work-life boundaries are blurring and managers worry about productivity. What can be done? by Laura Amico

The Covid-19 pandemic sparked what economist Nicholas Bloom calls the “ working-from-home economy .” While some workers may have had flexibility to work remotely before the pandemic, this unprecedented shift to remote work looks like it could be here to stay in some form.

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How to Manage Stress at Work Essay

Introduction.

Stress is among the major costly and significant cause of health troubles and mental agony. Stress at work place is considered the major primary stressor. Work stress is thought to affect individuals psychological and physical health as well as the organizations effectiveness in adverse manner. Work stress is one of the ailments that are acknowledged worldwide to be affecting the healthiness of the organization and the health or workers.

Workers who are stressed out will probable have a low motivation towards their work. In addition, stress can be detrimental to such member of staff as it possesses potential danger to their safety at work and in generally their efficiency is extremely low.

Pressures at workplace and at home can cause stress. Sometimes it may be beyond employees mandate to protect the staff against the stress caused by external factors for instance domestic strife but they can protect them from the stress that arises from work (Mandler, 2008).

Stress has proved to be a major challenge in the realization of the organization objectives. It may have adverse effects on the organization and the workers. Effective and good management and an aspect of good organizational structure and culture play a vital role in stress prevention.

In case the staffs are already stressed, the management should be aware of the situation and possibly devise a mechanism of addressing the challenge. There is generally low or minimal stress when one is adorned with resources, time, and experience to manage the challenges in any given situation.

Stress can be viewed as a negative experience that deprives the organization of the productivity potential and it is an inevitable consequence of an occurrence. Stress depends on the peoples perceptions and attitudes towards a given situation and this determines how they will cope with the situation.

To be able to develop stress management strategy for any organization, it will be essential to understand the causes of the stress in any given organization (Davis, Eshelman, McKay & Fanning, 2006).

Causes of Stress and Solutions

There are many possible causes of stress in any work set-up. It is vital to recognize and identify the main causes of stress in any organization and be able to develop mechanism of coping up with the challenges that stress at work is likely to present.

Among the typical stress, inducers include the cases of excess workload which most of them do not have realistic deadlines to deliver, this is likely to make people rush, and this puts the employees under pressure. Most of the people are overwhelmed in these situations. On the contrary having insufficient workloads may also result in stress as the individuals feel underemployment and their skills are not being maximized.

In such scenarios, one feels the organizations may not appreciate the potential at their disposal. It would be important to define clearly the tasks to be done in any given timeframe and both the interested parties to be involved in the generation of the work plan that will guide the operations or the activities to be done at any given time.

Another possible cause of stress is when one lacks control of the work he or she is in charge. The lack of control of the activities at work may result in one being stressed since the individuals cannot plan or organize the work according to his or her wish. Poor working relationship and lack of interpersonal support is likely to affect ones performance in any organization.

Such scenarios make staff feel isolated and their general lack of coordination of the activities in the organization. In such cases, it is very important to define the line of command and the individual’s area of jurisdiction to minimize conflicts (Davis, Eshelman, McKay & Fanning, 2006).

The demands on individuals to do the job that they do not have experience on may also expose one to stress conditions. Having insufficient training in most of the tasks one is involved in is likely to frustrate one in carrying out their responsibilities at the organization. Here most individuals are not able to deliver and are at risk as a result of fear of not being able to deliver the expected outputs in a given task assigned to them.

It is important that the right people are employed for the right job. During hiring, it would be important for the supervisor of any individuals to go through the job descriptions and evaluation to be done to identify the training needs that the staff may need to be able to perform the given task effectively.

There are also challenges associated with promotion into a new position. Most people find it difficult to settle when given a new position especially when it comes to promotions.

The requirements for adapting to a new office contribute to such pressure. Such challenges come with the more demands that the position presents and the changes in the possible relationship and associations with colleagues. The organization should have clearly defined rules governing promotions and pay increment procedures that are transparent where every due recognition must be given t9o the deserving individual

There are concerns related to job security, most people feel under pressure to deliver in order to be guaranteed their job. Such scenarios lead to people working extra hours and sometimes out themselves under unnecessary pressure with an aim to impress. This can be said to be caused by lack of other career opportunities, which leads individuals to stick to the job they may not be comfortable with.

People also get stress as they strive to get pay rise or attain a certain level of pay level. Most of the jobs pay individuals based on the output and most of the jobs are such that the more you work the more the possible returns. It will be essential to cultivate the culture where individuals explore mechanisms of working smart rather than working hard. Working harder has shown to detrimental to people physical and health situation.

There are also cases of harassment and bullying that is reported in most organization. This usually happens in all levels of work. The causes for the bullying and harassment are believed to be varied from the racial factors, gender, age, and affiliation in the organization. Cases of sexual harassment have gone unattended because the victims fear the stigmatization that may result.

Such cases have been reported in most organization where men and women have been sexually exploited at the expense of their ethical believes and subscriptions and this has led to many suffering in silence (Muchinsky, 2009). It will be essential for the system to have in place an amicable mechanism that is able to address such cases without making the fuss on the victims.

Most of the racial cases will require the cultivation of the spirit of team work where all the players in organization feel being part of the organization. Such situations will require the top management team lead by example and have an open system where the members work together as a team and not like a gang where consultation is not allowed.

The system must also be open in such a way that appropriate consultation is carried out when any major decision is made that is likely to impact on the life of any staff in the organization to reduce the cases of uncertainty and rise of informal organization.

There are incidences of blame culture where no one wants to be accountable for the action or mistake. The existence of blame culture within any business set up arise when people in the organization are not willing to take responsibility for any action or mistake that has occurred in the organization.

This has resulted in rise in temperature especially when the mistake is likely to have serious effects on the organizations performance or image. It is essential that everybody be trained to take responsibility for his or her actions.

The organizations must clearly define the job profiles for all staff members. Furthermore, the chain of command must be developed and who is in charge of which department be clearly stipulated to reduce uncertainty when it comes to who takes responsibility or credit for any happenings in the department.

Existence of weak and ineffective management in any organization is likely to stress most of the good staff. Such scenarios mostly leave the staff with a sense of absence or lack of direction and this mostly frustrates their effort in pursuing their individuals and organizations goals.

The lack of direction has such far-reaching effect to the organizations performance. On the reverse, there are cases where there is over-management and here we see the employees feeling undervalued in the organization and this may affect their self-esteem. It is very essential for the management to be able to clearly define the lines of command and have an all-inclusive decision making structure in all levels of management.

The organization must have clear organs at the various levels of management. The set up should be in such that the decisions made at operational level are binding. The same should be the case with decisions made at the tactical management level and the strategic management level. The organizations should have an effective decision support system at all levels that are informed of the decisions being made.

All the staff would like to play their role in various levels, the ability of the organizations to delegate the decisions to various levels of management would cultivate the culture of collectiveness, and this would promote the inclusiveness of all the stakeholders in the running of the organization (Hackman, 2007).

In such cases the staff will be motivated and their contribution in various consultative meetings is likely top boost their value to the organizations and their self-esteem.

Another evident cause of stress is the existence of different levels of reporting and mostly with different goals and objectives. This can result in conflict, as each manager would like his or her work to be treated as urgent and important. This is likely to put a lot of pressure on the individuals and forced to treat every work on table as very urgent and important.

Operating in such a quadrant may result to individual breakdown and there are tendencies of poor performance. It will be essential for all the managers to be consulted when drafting the work plan of the staff to minimize the conflict of interest when carrying out the work when one is reporting to multiple managers. This is likely to be achieved when the time allocated for serving each manager is well documented as specified.

There must be a working mechanism put in place to addressing the possible conflicts that may arise in such circumstances. The staff must be advised on how to plan the work and be able to given promises on what he or she can realistically deliver.

Planning your work is likely to reduce the last minute rush to meet every deadline. Having ones, priority right is likely to productively, guide individual’s performance in such cases (Muchinsky, 2009).

The failure by the management to inform the employees of any impending changes is likely to result in stress. Decisions that are likely to have a long term effect on the future of the employees must be communicated clearly to the staff and there should be a reliable conflict address system in place to act as mediators in case such decisions are likely to affect the operations in the organizations (Hackman, 2007).

Determination of the stress causes and addressing the challenges is very important in the survival of any organization. The procedure will always take into account the job analysis of the staff, the psychological assessment of the employees and the management, the legal issues related with the personnel selection and hiring procedures.

All these must be factored when determining the effective program to address the already stressed staff or reduce the likelihood of the situation from deteriorating.

Davis M., Eshelman E., McKay M. & Fanning P. (2006). The Relaxation and stress reduction workbook. California, CA: New Harbinger Publication.

Hackman, R.J. (2007). Leading teams setting the stage for great performances. Massachusetts, MA: Harvard University Press.

Mandler, G. (2008). Thought, memory and learning: Effects of emotional stress . New York, NY: Free Press.

Muchinsky, P.M. (2009). Psychology applied to work. 9th Ed. Summerfield, NC: Hypergraphic Press.

• Techniques Employed by Managers in Ensuring Success of Plans in their Firms
• Motivation Role in Organizational Management
• Physiological Mechanism of Stress
• Stand and Deliver
• Stress and Burnout in Organizations
• “Constructing Factors Related to Worker Retention”
• The Concept of Organization Structure and Teamwork
• Sony's Evolving Human Resource Challenges
• Employee Selection Strategies
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Workplace Conflict, Essay Example

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Conflict is inevitable in the workplace.  Just like conflict is unavoidable in any other type of relationships, relationships within work environments are ripe for difficulties between people.  In an organizational setting, conflict is even more common than in personal situations however, due to there generally being no choice regarding who works together.  Employees rarely have any say in who is hired for parallel positions and even the management who does the hiring bases hiring decisions on skills and meeting certain hiring criteria rather than on friendship potential.  This means that while fellow employees may (or may not) be skilled at their jobs, they may have characteristics that do not match well with the characteristics or personality of other employees.  Conflict in work setting can occur between same level employees, employees and management, and employees, management and external stakeholders (De Dreu, C. K. W. and Gelfand, M.  J. 2008).

An example of a common workplace conflict is one having to do with leadership styles or differences in personality between management and employees. This might involve a variety of interpersonal problems stemming from lack of awareness and appreciation of diversity in the workplace. For example, employees may feel bullied by managers with authoritative personalities or need more direct communication and guidance from mangers who assume that minimal instruction should be enough for the employee to work from. Managers with Type A personalities may hold employees up to their own demanding standards while employees may feel overworked or as if the expectations set by their manager are too ambitious.  Some employers may be extremely extroverted and make more introverted employees feel as if there is something wrong with the way they interact with others (Ayoko, Callan, &Hartel, 2003).

Often conflict arises from managers gravitating toward employees who have the same personality and work style as they do, giving these employees the majority of attention, positive reinforcement, better evaluations and raises despite the fact that another employee may actually be doing the majority of the work and achieving far more than the favored employee. This can result in conflict between the two employees and between the manager and the less favored employee, especially if the favored employee shares information about the conflict with the manager.

Favoritism in the workplace can be the result of several factors. The first involves hiring. Managers have been shown to favor employees they personally hire over employees they had no involvement with during the hiring process.  This may be because managers feel that a personal hire reflects upon them and their decision making ability such that they want the employees they hire to perform at a level above other employees.

The second reason that managers may be biased toward certain employees involves general similarities.  Similarities that may result in such bias include recognized factors such as race, background, gender, and socioeconomic status but may include other factors such as where an employee comes from, where they went to school, common after work hobbies and similarity in personality style.

The third reason that managers may be biased toward some employees is due to a personal relationship that develops either before the employee has been hired or afterwards.  Employees who are liked by their manager because they are perceived to be personable, easy to work with, easy to communicate with or those who seem to display loyalty to the manager may be able to ingratiate themselves with the manager and influence their decisions regarding project assignment and evaluation ratings.

Regardless of the reason for managers favoring one employee over another, when this is displayed by the manager in the form of increased attention, better assignments, special invitations to meetings are get-togethers with higher-ups or better evaluations, bonuses, raises or promotions, this is considered discrimination which is one of the highest level of conflict found within an organization (Shefali, 2013).

This is a conflict I have been experiencing in a personal work situation.  I have developed a plan that I hope to put in place soon.  My boss has been showing a preference for my co-worker who has known the boss for many years and has a personal relationship with him.  My peer also knows what the boss expects and doesn’t need much direction whereas I need more guidance that is provided.  My boss also invited my co-worker out after work in front of me and includes him in upper level meetings I am never invited to.  In order to address this situation I have decided to try the following:

Talk to colleagues to get their impressions of the situation without being negative or judgmental about my boss or co-employee.  This will help me determine if I am over-reacting to the situation or seeing it as it is.

I will keep a record of instances which I view as favoritism, what my co-worker did in my boss’s eyes to receive the favoritism if I can determine it and why I perceive it to be favoritism.  If there are instances when my co-worker and I have done the same amount of work and accomplished the same outcome yet my co-worker gets all the praise I will record this also.

If others confirm my perceptions I will schedule a meeting with my boss.  I will tell him how I am perceiving the situation and provide clear examples of what I have been perceiving as favoritism.  If the boss suggests that I am not remembering correctly I will use my journal to provide evidence of my perceptions based on the events that occurred.  If possible, I will take a colleague with me into the meeting to support my perceptions.  This will hopefully communicate to my boss that others are perceiving the same thing I am and let him know that this is a serious situation so he will change his behavior.

The potential outcomes of this plan could be good or bad.  One outcome might be that my boss understands my perceptions and realizes that he has been showing favoritism.  This could strengthen our relationship or at least lead him to not favor my colleague so obviously at work.  A second outcome might be that my boss acts like he doesn’t understand what I’m talking about suggesting that I am imaging the whole thing such that nothing changes.  I would likely become more resentful if the behavior continues while my boss openly denies its occurrence.  The last option is that my boss could become defensive and lash out at me through a disciplinary action or even by firing me.  I am not sure what recourse I would have should this occur but will look into it before taking this course of action.

Ayoko, O. B., Callan V. J., and Hartel, C. E. J. (2003).  Workplace conflict, bullying and counterproductive behaviors. International Journal of Organizational Analysis,  11(4), 283-295.

De Dreu, C. K. W. and  Gelfand, M.  J. (Eds). (2008). The psychology of conflict and conflict management in organizations. The organizational frontiers series, (pp. 3-54). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Group/Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, xxii, 484 pp.

Shefali, K. (2013). Favoritism strains workplace morale, harms agency performance. Federal News Radio. Retrieved fromhttp://www.federalnewsradio.com/492/3530979/Favoritism-strains-workplace-morale-harms-agency-performance

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Guest Essay

Nate Silver: Here’s What My Gut Says About the Election, but Don’t Trust Anyone’s Gut, Even Mine

By Nate Silver

Mr. Silver is the author of “On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything.”

In an election where the seven battleground states are all polling within a percentage point or two, 50-50 is the only responsible forecast. Since the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, that is more or less exactly where my model has had it.

Yet when I deliver this unsatisfying news, I inevitably get a question: “C’mon, Nate, what’s your gut say?”

So OK, I’ll tell you. My gut says Donald Trump. And my guess is that it is true for many anxious Democrats.

But I don’t think you should put any value whatsoever on anyone’s gut — including mine. Instead, you should resign yourself to the fact that a 50-50 forecast really does mean 50-50. And you should be open to the possibility that those forecasts are wrong, and that could be the case equally in the direction of Mr. Trump or Ms. Harris.

It’s not that I’m inherently against intuition. In poker, for example, it plays a large role. Most of the expert players I have spoken with over the years will say it gives you a little something extra. You’re never certain, but your intuition might tilt the odds to 60-40 in your favor by picking up patterns of when a competitor is bluffing.

But poker players base that little something on thousands of hands of experience. There are presidential elections only every four years. When asked who will win, most people say Mr. Trump because of recency bias — he won in 2016, when he wasn’t expected to, and then almost won in 2020 despite being well behind in the polls. But we might not remember 2012, when Barack Obama not only won but beat his polls. It’s extremely hard to predict the direction of polling errors.

Why Trump could beat his polls

The people whose gut tells them Mr. Trump will win frequently invoke the notion of shy Trump voters. The theory, adopted from the term “shy Tories” for the tendency of British polls to underestimate Conservatives, is that people do not want to admit to voting for conservative parties because of the social stigma attached to them.

But there’s not much evidence for the shy-voter theory — nor has there been any persistent tendency in elections worldwide for right-wing parties to outperform their polls. (Case in point: Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party underachieved its polls in this summer’s French legislative elections.) There’s even a certain snobbery to the theory. Many people are proud to admit their support for Mr. Trump, and if anything, there’s less stigma to voting for him than ever.

Instead, the likely problem is what pollsters call nonresponse bias. It’s not that Trump voters are lying to pollsters; it’s that in 2016 and 2020, pollsters weren’t reaching enough of them.

Nonresponse bias can be a hard problem to solve. Response rates to even the best telephone polls are in the single digits — in some sense, the people who choose to respond to polls are unusual. Trump supporters often have lower civic engagement and social trust, so they can be less inclined to complete a survey from a news organization. Pollsters are attempting to correct for this problem with increasingly aggressive data-massaging techniques, like weighting by educational attainment (college-educated voters are more likely to respond to surveys) or even by how people say they voted in the past. There’s no guarantee any of this will work.

If Mr. Trump does beat his polling, there will have been at least one clear sign of it: Democrats no longer have a consistent edge in party identification — about as many people now identify as Republicans.

There’s also the fact that Ms. Harris is running to become the first female president and the second Black one. The so-called Bradley effect — named after the former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, who underperformed his polls in the 1982 California governor’s race, for the supposed tendency of voters to say they’re undecided rather than admit they won’t vote for a Black candidate — wasn’t a problem for Barack Obama in 2008 or 2012. Still, the only other time a woman was her party’s nominee, undecided voters tilted heavily against her. So perhaps Ms. Harris should have some concerns about a Hillary Clinton effect.

Why Harris could beat her polls

A surprise in polling that underestimates Ms. Harris isn’t necessarily less likely than one for Mr. Trump. On average, polls miss by three or four points. If Ms. Harris does that, she will win by the largest margin in both the popular vote and the Electoral College since Mr. Obama in 2008.

How might that happen? It could be because of something like what happened in Britain in 2017, related to the shy Tories theory. Expected to be a Tory sweep, the election instead resulted in Conservatives losing their majority. There was a lot of disagreement among pollsters, and some did nail the outcome. But others made the mistake of not trusting their data, making ad hoc adjustments after years of being worried about shy Tories.

Polls are increasingly like mini-models, with pollsters facing many decision points about how to translate nonrepresentative raw data into an accurate representation of the electorate. If pollsters are terrified of missing low on Mr. Trump again, they may consciously or unconsciously make assumptions that favor him.

For instance, the new techniques that pollsters are applying could be overkill. One problem with using one of those — weighting on recalled vote , or trying to account for how voters report their pick in the last election — is that people often misremember or misstate whom they voted for and are more likely to say they voted for the winner (in 2020, Mr. Biden).

That could plausibly bias the polls against Ms. Harris because people who say they voted for Mr. Biden but actually voted for Mr. Trump will get flagged as new Trump voters when they aren’t. There’s also a credible case that 2020 polling errors were partly because of Covid restrictions: Democrats were more likely to stay at home and therefore had more time on their hands to answer phone calls. If pollsters are correcting for what was a once-in-a-century occurrence, they may be overdoing it this time.

Last, there is Democrats’ persistently strong performance over the past two years — since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — in special elections, ballot referendums and the 2022 midterms. Democrats shouldn’t hang their hopes on this one: High-quality surveys like the New York Times/Siena College polls can replicate these results by showing Democrats polling strongly among the most motivated voters who show up in these low-turnout elections — but Mr. Trump making up for it by winning most of the marginal voters. So Democrats may be rooting for lower turnout. If those marginal voters don’t show up, Ms. Harris could overperform; if they do, Mr. Trump could.

Or maybe pollsters are herding toward a false consensus

Here’s another counterintuitive finding: It’s surprisingly likely that the election won’t be a photo finish.

With polling averages so close, even a small systematic polling error like the one the industry experienced in 2016 or 2020 could produce a comfortable Electoral College victory for Ms. Harris or Mr. Trump. According to my model, there’s about a 60 percent chance that one candidate will sweep at least six of seven battleground states.

Polling firms are pilloried on social media whenever they publish a result deemed an outlier — so most of them don’t, instead herding toward a consensus and matching what polling averages (and people’s instincts) show. The Times/Siena polls are one of the few regular exceptions, and they depict a much different electorate than others, with Mr. Trump making significant gains with Black and Hispanic voters but lagging in the blue-wall states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Don’t be surprised if a relatively decisive win for one of the candidates is in the cards — or if there are bigger shifts from 2020 than most people’s guts might tell them.

Nate Silver, the founder and former editor of FiveThirtyEight and the author of “ On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything,” writes the newsletter Silver Bulletin . He is a part-time adviser for Polymarket, a political prediction market.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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