A friend utterly declined a superior’s instruction to perform another function which was left by a staff who resigned. Actually, there were no contingency plans even after she submitted her resignation to the President. There is no way the information will be denied from the said superior. But there was no movement or action from him after that meeting between the President and the staff. The clearance was not even manufactured immediately.
A few days passed by without a word of instruction to those concerned regarding the policies when somebody resigns. It could have been normal if a meeting was held in order to talk about the workload that will be turned over and who is going to take over temporarily, about their plans regarding the position which is a vital one, and about the possibility of work or process interruptions. Then the news about the staff leaving for abroad prior to the said date in her letter of resignation broke. She was already absent for almost a week by that time.
The superior became panicky, I guess, after the process customer frequented his office about the materials not yet analyzed (this is what the staff who resigned do – analyze the materials before production). It was discovered that there was a significant backlog.
This is when he burst into my friend’s office and asked her to perform the function ‘temporarily’. Just like that, very informal, without plans laid for her. Of course, my friend got angry but she managed to talk in a proper demeanor but was very firm in her stand that she cannot afford to accept another function. She clearly suggested what she can do the least – that is, to assist whoever will be placed in that position.
My friend had been telling me during the intensity of the situation that she is in positive resistance – a phrase I was not aware of and had first heard from her. It sounded technical to me and to my doubt asked her, what exactly does she meant. She simply said she was resisting not because she was just refusing work. She was opposing the idea because she wanted to make things straight. It is high time that they (those in top) realize that they cannot just pull out anybody and accept with arms wide open whatever they desire even if it causes trouble or work overload.
This piece of information has this to say about positive resistance:
Managers often perceive resistance negatively, and employees who resist are viewed as disobedient and obstacles the organization must overcome in order to achieve the new goals. However in certain instances, employee resistance may play a positive and useful role in organizational change. Insightful and well-intended debate, criticism, or disagreement do not necessarily equate to negative resistance, but rather may be intended to produce better understanding as well as additional options and solutions. de Jager (2001) claims, "the idea that anyone who questions the need for change has an attitude problem is simply wrong, not only because it discounts past achievements, but also because it makes us vulnerable to indiscriminate and ill-advised change' (p. 25).
It is also interesting to note that there are seven (7) levels of resistance or what Marco Dorantes mentioned as 'resistance continuum':
Blind loyalty (Ask no questions) - DANGER: "Friends"
Believers but also questioners
Skeptics (‘Show me’)
Passive observers ('What’s in it for me?')
Opposed (fear changes)
More opposed (Fear loss of power)
Militantly opposed (will undermine and destroy) - DANGER: Enemies
Perhaps your situation at the office is different but me, I always accept the tasks given to me by my boss even if they're not in my job description. As long as they contribute pogi points to our team (and to my boss), I'm okay. Wag lang naman nya akong pagagawin ng kape para sa kanya. Sobra na ata yan. Tapos basta bigyan din ako ng due credit for a work well done, masaya na ako. :)
ReplyDeletehi, nico. 'ika nga, each organization has its own culture. but i think it is how it was delegated. it will not even add up to the pogi or ganda points. added work lang, no credit, no pat on the shoulder. it feels like if one employee will refuse the task or the work, it will be given to those who are more able and willing. as in her case, she is able, but not willing. :-)
ReplyDeleteBeing out of the corporate workplace for a couple of years now made me miss office politics, haha. Just kidding... :-D
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, Bing.
have a great weekend, too, single. which is which - are you unemployed currently, or already a boss of your own company? :-D
ReplyDeleteFor those who are employed and are going through the grind of looking forward to a weekly, bi-monthly or mothly paycheck, the least we could do is be grateful for it.
ReplyDeletepositive resistance is good! but should be racticed with responsiblity.
A team effort among the employees is essential to the company's success and growth which in turn will result in a healthy secured income for everyone to expect on schedule.
ei,noypetes, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the matter.
ReplyDeleteas far as i know, she was and is being responsible when she declined. the present function of my friend at present is a complicated one and requires much attention. and to add another would complicate it more. i just hope i can divulge the nature of the work but i cannot. there are some individuals in the company who are just liabilities and there were no actions or sanctions given for their incompetence. personally, i think it would be too much to burden one's self when you are already burdened. sometimes those at the top should sit down and talk frequently about what these resistances imply.
personally, too, one must not be contented with the thought of a possible salary on the 15th and end of the month, and disregard the right to voice an opinion. but one must be ready also for the consequences. if one is not ready, he or she just have to shut his or her mouth and swallow the discomfort. :-)
On the answer to your question, Bing. I work freelance these days, short of saying I'm a jobless bum... :-)
ReplyDeletelol @ Sngl :) if I know mas mayaman ka pa sa amin na may regular work lolz
ReplyDeleteAnyway normally if you resign, may "grace period" but then again the staff was leaving for abroad pala. When I resigned from my previous job they hold on to me for 1 and a half months pa bago ako nakaalis. I didn't want to do it kasi it's too long for me but I reckoned to just do it. I don't want burn bridges by saying no or something. They were not able to get a replacement kaagad for me (even until now I believe) My ex-boss delegated the work to the remaining staff (3 kaming sabay2x na nagresign kaya nahirapan sila) but they discussed it first, hindi yung agad2x lang na sinabi :)
hmmm sounds unbelievable, single.
ReplyDeleteif a person wants to resign, verns. he/she should at least notify the company a month before the intended date. he/she should not leave the company hanging. what happened to her case was simple negligence of those concerned. a proper turn over should have been made. i dont know but it's like 'good riddance'. pero marami naman ang naapektuhan.
Resignation is normally given with 2 weeks notice so management can react to the change. There's really no rule that says a person's job description cannot be added with new tasks, as long as such tasks are related to his/her job function. Welcome to the world of downsizing, when staffing is reduced, work distributed to the remaining staff , a practice that is done by companies to boost productivity and consequenty, boosting profits. It sounds horrible but it is fact of life and happens a lot in the corporate world. The catch phrase is - "additional workload must not be excessive". There is a fine line between increasing productivity and enslavement and management must be aware of this.
ReplyDeleteIn my company, our workload increased by 20% due to additional mandated compliance and controls tasks as requirement of corporate information security but we can't do much about it - it's a take it or leave it kind of issue really. It is not enslavement but can be irritating. A couple of people left, irate with the new rule and they were promptly replaced by new staff. No one is indispensable really.
Now if I may apply the scenario with your example. Where I am, the staff's refusal to accept additional load elbeit temporary is considered insubordination as long as he/she cannot substantiate a reason that it infringes on his/her health condition :)
bw,management always has the prerogative. but it is also the reason why a lot suffer from enslavement. management people are becoming used to the idea that whatever they want, it is possible. no one will contradict.
ReplyDeletethey can always say it is insubordination. but as i have always believed, if one is not ready, he has to do whatever they wanted even if it cost them their principle and beliefs. more so, the situation in the philippines is different from other countries. compensation is a factor.
You are absolutely correct, that management has the prerogative and in truth, most managements go by the numbers game and are tempted to ignore the predicament of their staff. For this reason, there is always the human resources dept where staff can file a grievance in case of a dispute. I have worked in RP and I can say that people here have more rights than Pinoys when it comes to labor related issues. More rights means more caveats and potential for abuse/misenterpretation of policy. Here staff can file for extended sick leave and it is UNLAWFUL for the manager to call him and find out what is wrong with him/her. It is the HR dept and the employee's doctor who should talk and sort things out ! This is an example of how wide these issues can stretch here :)
ReplyDeleteIn a case where a person is not willing to work, for some reason, he/she must file a greivance the HR dept who will mediate and establish the merits for the reason for refusal - i.e, unreasonable workload, physically challenging ( lifting objects), stressful, etc. Outright refusal to work can be deemed an insubordination; but if one had officially filed a grievance with HR, then the person is covered. In the end, for the good of everyone, such an issue must be handled within the bounds of policy and the proper approach must be employed. Hope you don't mind me sharing .
no, i don't mind at all, bw. i appreciate your thoughts on the matter very much. it is quite informative.
ReplyDeletethat is exactly my point - to have a policy regarding resistances, how they will go about the grievances, and how they will act on matters like the situation my friiend got herself into. most of the time, dito sa pinas ay pakiramdaman at patatagan ng loob.
i am happy to note that she somehow won. the task was given to somebody who has 'more' time to do it temporarily. she was assisting that individual. one must really have to assert one's right.
thanks very much, bw!