The First Facility Management Blog

You’ve likely had coworkers complain to you about a fellow staffer, but how you handle these negative comments and complaints impacts your working relationship with your supervisors and your professional image in the office. Here are some suggestions for handling criticism of supervisors appropriately in various situations:

When you’re standing in for a superior at a meeting: If attendees decide to air complaints about the supervisor during a meeting, you need to respond as effectively as possible. Take time to find out the reason for their anger, answer questions, clear confusion, and explain his/her position. Your overall mission is to support your superior.

When you’re in a social atmosphere: Social gatherings are sometimes a popular forum for office gossip. When the gossip is about a superior, steer the conversation in another direction. If you’re not able to change the subject, simply excuse yourself from the discussion.

When you’re at work: Whether you overhear comments or colleagues complain to you directly, gather the information and try to find out as much as you can in order to respond appropriately.

While it’s necessary to support your supervisor when others criticize him or her or spread gossip, you should make him or her aware of what’s going on when:

* The criticism or gossip stirs up professional issues. For instance, gossip may be circulating around the office that could tarnish a supervisor’s professional image.
* Your supervisor is able to take steps to correct the complaints or criticism.
* You’re able to take corrective action to stop the criticism.

You’ve likely had coworkers complain to you about a fellow staffer, but how you handle these negative comments and complaints impacts your working relationship with your supervisors and your professional image in the office. Here are some suggestions for handling criticism of supervisors appropriately in various situations:

When you’re standing in for a superior at a meeting: If attendees decide to air complaints about the supervisor during a meeting, you need to respond as effectively as possible. Take time to find out the reason for their anger, answer questions, clear confusion, and explain his/her position. Your overall mission is to support your superior.

When you’re in a social atmosphere: Social gatherings are sometimes a popular forum for office gossip. When the gossip is about a superior, steer the conversation in another direction. If you’re not able to change the subject, simply excuse yourself from the discussion.

When you’re at work: Whether you overhear comments or colleagues complain to you directly, gather the information and try to find out as much as you can in order to respond appropriately.

While it’s necessary to support your supervisor when others criticize him or her or spread gossip, you should make him or her aware of what’s going on when:

• The criticism or gossip stirs up professional issues. For instance, gossip may be circulating around the office that could tarnish a supervisor’s professional image.
• Your supervisor is able to take steps to correct the complaints or criticism.
• You’re able to take corrective action to stop the criticism.

Millions of Americans do it every work day—head to their home offices instead of their cars to start their day. While the benefits of telecommuting or working from remote locations are numerous, so are the pitfalls. Especially for the manager who faces the daunting task of building a cohesive team of employees when not everyone is on-site.

Balancing deadlines, projects and employees’ personalities can be a juggling act when workers actually show up at the office each day. Add “virtual” workers to the mix, and that juggling act can end in a resounding crash if a manager isn’t prepared to overcome the many obstacles of being a virtual manager. So how can a manager successfully lead a team of workers who might never meet face to face?

The secret lies in understanding the dynamics of building and leading a virtual team. Successful virtual managers realize they can’t just cut and paste the skill set for traditional management to lead a virtual team, according to international project manager and author of Managing Without Walls (MCPress, 2006), Colleen Garton.

“Today, many virtual and outsourced projects are failing due to managers’ lack of expertise in virtual management,” says Garton. “The successful virtual manager has developed the knowledge and expertise needed to overcome the unique challenges of working together while the team is physically apart.”

The telecommuting trend shows no signs of slowing. The International Telework Association and Council in Washington estimates that 20 million Americans now telecommute. That’s why it is increasingly crucial for managers to develop and polish their virtual leadership skills.

Garton draws a clear and concise picture of the tools virtual managers need to lead their teams successfully. Garton also outlines the challenges posed by a virtual team; where personality clashes and office politics can still take a detrimental toll.

“A virtual manager must learn how to recognize, manage, and control virtual politics and virtual conflict,” says Garton. “Managers need to understand how virtual communication differs from traditional communication and how to communicate effectively to build a team.”

There are also ways to improve communication when a team includes workers who live in another time zone or overseas. It is equally important to understand the subtext of a conversation and look at how cultural differences can dictate an employee’s behavior. Managers must also overcome the problem of missing out on non-verbal cues—a cumbersome barrier to effective communication.

In a highly competitive and always changing world market, facility professionals must be prepared for the challenges of virtual management. “Whether a team has 1, 20, or 200 virtual workers, traditional methods of management fall short in the virtual world,” says Garton. “Unless managers can adapt quickly to this new business model by making changes to the way they manage and communicate, they will not be successful.”