Social Interactions at work place Foundation Programme of Class I officers in Government. Dr. Anuradha Sovani Psychologist Professor and Head, Department of Psychology, SNDT University, Mumbai.

Your workplace Can be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ Can make you happy or unhappy Can give you ‘Monday blues’ or ‘Friday blues’ Depending on YOU

Birthdays!

Maintain a cheerful work environment Your department is undergoing renovation, and you all are temporarily moved into an old primary school building for a few months.

Reduce workplace discrimination The place where you work has people ranging from 57 years of age to 21 years of age. The seniors expect the juniors to carry out small tasks for them. The ladies are also asked to make tea during tea break, in a playful manner.

Increase work satisfaction Each task which has to be completed can either be divided into subtasks, so that one person does all the writing, another all the typing, a third all the data gathering a fourth all the meeting people work, etc. Or one task each can be shared out. Also, people can either choose their task or are assigned it.

Ensure no Bullying occurs There are three or four people in the organization, at different levels, whom all fear. It is rumored that they can ensure “bad things” happen to you, that they are “powerful” and have ‘connections’.

Set up norms for a work ethic Who decides what is “quality work”? Is there a rule book to follow?

Prevent groupism There are standard timings in the day when most people want to break work for tea, lunch, etc. Suggest some good practices.

Prevent sexual harassment A very important area. Please share what is being done in each organization you are familiar with.

Discourage social loafing The senior person gives a task to do, to a group of four. Only two of them do the work. What should be done?

Protect against sabotage “cannot find the file” “all are on leave today, we will have to wait till monday” “our old clerk knew all about this job, he has retired now” “ the computer hard drive crashed”

Control gossip Grapevines do exist in offices. However, should precious work time be wasted discussing: Who goes home together Who fought with whom What bad words were used in a quarrel Who is the most likely to get promoted

Control impact of electronic communication Is used for office purposes only or……………

Ensure no one is cold shouldered Sometimes, a new person joins the workforce. Three months later, they still seem to have no friends, have lunch and tea alone, and never discuss anything with anyone. Is it just their personality, or…………………..

Healthy social interaction STEPS

Greeting someone

Engaging in a conversation

Volunteering Help

Asking for advice

Networking

Turning enemies/opponents Into friends/supporters

Simple courtesy

A positive attitude

Observation skills

Honesty

Positive social exchanges at work Most workplaces are pleasant due to positive social exchanges that happen there. Some examples????

Negative social exchanges at work Negative social exchanges cannot be helped sometimes. Performance feedback Denying leave Solving interpersonal problems

Create a collaborative environment Most tasks can be achieved TOGETHER Pooling resources always helps. Put your heads together rather than competing.

Impact of stress at work Stress can lead to: An unpleasant work environment Health problems Delayed deadlines Poor work records

Task v/s relationship oriented One has a choice whether to do the work FOR THE SAKE OF WORK Or FOR THE PERSON who asked you to do it. Which is healthier and why?

Leadership Be a leader at whatever level you are. “Be the kind of leader that YOU would follow” “Be afraid NOT to try.”

Height order! per group

Transactional leaders Followers are given certain tasks to perform and the leader provides rewards or punishments to team members based on performance results.

Transformational leaders There is a high level of communication from management to meet goals. Leaders motivate employees and enhance productivity and efficiency through communication and high visibility.

Autocratic leaders Such managers possess total authority and impose their will on employees.

Laissez faire leaders There is a lack of direct supervision of employees. The leader fails to provide regular feedback to those under his/her supervision.

Participative leaders Such leaders value the input of team members and peers, but the responsibility of making the final decision rests with the participative leader

Important traits Intelligence Adjustment Extraversion Conscientiousness Openness to experience General self-efficacy

IMPORTANT FACT There are no “good” or “bad” leaders. The kind of leadership must vary according to Work setting Kind of task Confidentiality of the work Nature of the team Time deadlines

Thank you