Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

It is never easy to give bad news. It is even harder to be on the receiving end. One never knows how one is going to take bad news; will the news be received as well as can be expected considering the nature of the news? Or could the outcome become one with a tragic end? In order to have a positive outcome in these types of situations, it is important to come prepared with the right tools.

Consider this situation:

“You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services. You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service. One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers. In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment. You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal,” (Serra, 2012).

This particular situation has the potential to become even more toxic than it already is. Questions that come to mind are how long has the substandard behavior gone on? Is this behavior something that has been ongoing, or is this something that has just recently started? Are there are other factors that may be going on outside of work which may be affecting his work performance, such as marital problems or financial difficulties?  Does the employee feel overwhelmed? Have they received additional responsibilities that they cannot keep up with? Do the need assistance in prioritizing their workload? The first step to resolution is to accurately assess and to define the problem. “You need to be clear on what the problem is, and what changes need to be made” (Needleman, 2006). Once the problem has been defined, the next steps are to meet with the company’s human resource and legal departments to determine how to proceed with resolution."Internal friction can affect a company’s bottom line” (Goforth, 2000). Complaints from external customers can be detrimental to a business. “The trick is to control conflict and to channel it into something constructive” (Goforth, 2000).

 

Resolving employee complaints is a task that is time consuming. Managers spend “as much as 20 percent of their time resolving employee battles” (Goforth, 2000). Factor in the time of consulting with the company’s human resource and legal departments, it would seem that time being productive is lost. A loss in productivity, results in a loss of profit. Internal conflict can also result in the loss of good employees, who due to toxic, corrosive and non-conducive working environments, leave. Human resource departments have determined that the cause of these conflicts stem from management. Managers need to ensure that “they have a conflict resolving system as part of their organization structure” (Goforth, 2000) and that it is utilized.Once the problem has been identified, and the appropriate departments have been consulted, the next step would be to set up a meeting with the employee. I would utilize a collaboration technique to approach the situation. This would be an attempt to “work with the other person to find some solution which fully satisfies the concerns of both persons” (Blitman, 2002). A human resource representative should also be in attendance to document the meeting, as well as having the proper paperwork for all parties to sign off on once the meeting is complete. The facts should be presented to the employee, allowing the employee a chance to respond to the allegations. It should be understood to the employee that the behavior that has been displayed is not one that is tolerated and changes need to be made. A specific time should be allowed for the changes to take effect so everyone is on the same page. Alternatives should also be offered as well, such as employee assistance programs if there are problems outside of the workplace that are affecting the employee’s work. The question that should be resolved prior to meeting is “whether the disciplinary action is a punishment or an attempt to correct and change behavior” (Labig, 1996). If what is being conveyed is an attempt to correct and hange behavior, the news will be received favorably, as opposed to a punishment. The goal for the meeting is to have it as non-confrontational as possible. If the meeting does become confrontational, the meeting should quickly end before escalating to a dangerous level. Procedural guidelines should be in place to ward off any potential workplace violence. The meeting may potentially end with the employee being terminated. Potential termination should also be discussed and documented in the meeting so this way all parties are aware of the outcome. 

If termination is the final option, the employee needs to feel as if they have some “form of recourse” (Labig, 1996). If a person feels “powerless and hopeless, feelings of retaliation can take over” (Labig, 1996). It is important to let the employee know that they are important, even if the outcome is not favorable.

Media Communication Styles

No matter which type of media communication that is released, it is important that the information is

sent to the correct audience. For example, a company’s annual report would probably be lost on the average teenager who is more concerned about Justin Bieber.

 

TIME Magazine boasts a conservative media kit. The median age of their audience is 47.8 with a median household income of $74,951. Most of their readers are college graduates, working in a professional/managerial capacity. TIME also gives the statistics for their other publications such as TIME.com and TIME Style & Design. By accessing the ever growing  digital market, they also explain the easy use if one downloads the TIME Magazine app. TIME for Kids is targeted toward kids; discussing the issues as kids face such as bullying. The visual and written elements are easy to read, not too flashy, but conservatively laid out. No pop up ads to distract from what one is looking at, the white background and the font makes the website clear and concise. The media kit is based upon facts, not flashiness. The pictures that are displayed, do not detract from the site, but enhance it. This could be something that a businessman or woman would utilize.

Seventeen Magazine has been around since 1944. Who did not want to be a “Seventeen Cover Girl"? I know I did. Famous Seventeen cover girls include Cybill Shepard, Brooke Shields and before she became a legendary songstress, a teenaged Whitney Houston. The articles have changed from where in 1944, a girls’ only dream or mission was to how to gain a husband, to one of empowerment; where you too can have a successful career. Admittedly, some of the articles still focus on how to turn your crush into your boyfriend, but it is not the main focus. By focusing on fashion, hair and makeup articles, what to and what not to wear to prom, music, and celebrity pictures and interviews, Seventeen hits the mark for its intended youth target.  I do like that although they have articles on working out, the focus remains on staying healthy, not being skinny.

When I was heavily into hip-hop music, I used to read VIBE Magazine more than I would read my Bible. VIBE Magazine highlights hip-hop and r &b artists, existing and artists to watch out for. What I remember in the actual print magazine was not anywhere near what is online. The audience is not defined; anyone who shares a love of hip-hop and all things “urban” would enjoy the online version of the magazine. Articles are as diverse as Diddy winning an Oscar at the Academy Awards for his documentary “Undefeated”, a day out with baby Blue Ivy Carter with her famous mom and dad Beyoncé and Jay Z, to a “famous” stripper in Miami retiring after she fell off of a dancers pole. To me, the website had too much going on: pop up ads throughout the website, stories where you had to go to another website in order to read the full story, videos that did not load; everything just seemed clustered and cluttered together. Maybe I am past the magazine’s target demographic. My 17 year old son had no problems navigating through this website. If this is a representation of who and what VIBE has become, I would rather read the print magazine.

Strengthening the Threads Between Us

For the past three years, I have subscribed to a beauty practice for my eyebrows known as “threading”. Commonly practiced in Egypt and India, the art of threading has moved its way to the United States. With the use of a cotton thread, the hair is trapped and pulled out of the hair follicle resulting in a cleaner look as opposed to tweezing or waxing. During this time, I have bonded with a worker at the shop simply known as “Maya”.

 

Maya, a 53 year old slim woman and I are around the same height of 5’5”. Maya has an air of regality that I wished that I possessed. Originally born in India, she has been an immigrant twice in her life: the first, moving to Nairobi, Kenya as a bride to her husband at the age of 22 and again three years ago when she and her family relocated to Rochester, New York; moving here at the wishes of her family due to the unrest that has sadly become a way of life in Kenya. Maya has become more than the woman who makes my eyebrows look beautiful. We have often discussed issues such as children, work and school over the years. But I sense that there is a deeper story behind this soft spoken, but strong woman. I know that she has a son who is slightly older than my oldest child who is a student in college or university, as it is known in Europe, studying engineering. Maya has shared with me struggles that her son faced, particularly financial; working two jobs in order to subsist. Money earned goes toward tuition, where Maya and her husband Patel contribute as much as they can from their earnings. Literally, Maya works twelve hour shifts, anywhere from six to seven days a week. I was extremely grateful when Maya granted me the opportunity to get to know her further.

 

I found out that Maya, like myself, is a wife and mother to 28 year old twin sons. Her youngest twin son died four years ago in a car accident. Amazingly enough, when Maya shared that tragic news, not a glimmer of sadness crossed her face; as if she had made peace with the situation. Her eyes remained steady with mine, as she described in matter of fact tone how he perished. This was a woman with great strength. I knew then if the situation were reversed, I would still be in tears. Not to say that she had not shed any tears of anguish or sorrow. I believe that strength is laced in faith, of knowing that her son is in a better place, and the knowledge she would see him again.

 

Moving to Nairobi was a daunting task. Learning a new language, a new set of customs was one that any new wife would be nervous to experience. One of the things that she remembers of being an immigrant at that time was though she had to leave her family and friends, Maya understood the importance of her place as a wife; traveling to a new land. Although it was a new land, I am sure that she may have relaxed being surrounded in the Indian community that existed in Nairobi. The impressions from that time that stood out for her was that sense of community. Everyone knew everyone else. From Maya’s description, it all seemed like a large extended family. I have no doubts that she adapted to the Kenyan customs quickly. From living in Kenya for almost thirty years, her citizenship is listed as Kenyan on her passport.

 

Not that everything is peachy, or hunky-dory in Kenya. Since the death of Osama Bin Laden in 2011, there have been multiple reported kidnappings, suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks. As previously stated, Maya and her husband immigrated to the US as a result of these attacks for their safety. Civil and political unrest are commonplace. The political climate in the US may at times resort to mudslinging, is definitely friendly in comparison. From what Maya shares, the temperature is similar to Rochester’s, minus the snow. The temperature “ranges from 48° to 84° in January and 45° to 79° in July” (Kenya Information Guide, 2012). Who knew? I thought that all of Africa was hot, brutally hot year round. Transportation, Maya believes, was easier than the US as shops were in closer proximity. Maya does not drive, wherever she needs to go, her husband takes her. Economically, although there are greater opportunities in the US, Maya admitted they were harder to get. Barriers such as language may account for the lack of opportunity.  Educational opportunities were best granted elsewhere, as Maya’s son went to university in England to study engineering.

 

Are we experiencing an influx of immigrants? States Lowry (2012), “According to the Center of Immigrant Studies, the immigrant population had doubled since 1990, nearly tripled since 1980, and quadrupled since 1970. By 2010, the immigrant population was 40 million,” (par. 3). One of the problems immigrants experience, either intentionally, or non-intentionally, is possible assimilation to American culture. Lowry (2012) also states, “At its best this country absorbs immigrants and makes them fully American” (par. 5). I find this to be true, from the American style of dress that our immigrants adopt, to name changes to make immigrants seem more American. Technicians in nail shops are known as “Tiffany”, “Brittany” and “Tina” as opposed to the names they were given in their native homelands. When asked whether or not if she assimilated to the American customs, Maya

informed me that she had not. Maya is the name that her parents gave her, and although she may wear sneakers on her feet, that is just a comfort factor, as she is on her feet all day. Maya still wears her tunics and pants; I have not seen her in T-shirts, or jeans in all of the three years that I have known her. She analogized that even though she could watch me, and copy what I do, but she would never understand the “why” behind what I did. In saying that, she believes that one can fully never understand another’s culture, despite studying or reading up on it. She continued saying, “If you receive a recipe from your mother, who got it from her mother, who got it from her mother, everyone who gets the recipe adds their own twist to it. You may add something to the recipe different than what your mother did, but you understand that the recipe is a part of you; there is a heritage to it, a reason behind it, that it is more than just another recipe.”

The issue of coming to a new country is not the “move to a strange land, it is the settling in” (Mentek, 1998). One thing that I did sense from Maya was a sense of loneliness at times. She shared that although people pass by the shop and may smile in passing, they do not stop to speak. She felt that Americans have an air of superiority, where they feel as if speaking to someone from another subculture is beneath them. In Kenya, it was not like that, everyone knew whose family individuals belonged to. I think that is unfortunate, as even when I am trying to keep up with my husband as we walk through the mall, I make it a point to stop in and give her a hug. She shared a story where a customer came in to have her eyebrows threaded. The customer kept staring, and then greeted her with “Jambo!”-Swahili for “welcome”. Maya then relayed that the customer asked her in Swahili if she ever lived in Kenya and was she related to Patel who drove a bus! Maya responded that she had. As it turned out, the two individuals were acquaintances in Kenya. Maya was happy to talk to someone from the country she grew to know so well. I asked Maya if, after that visit, she received referral business; did other individuals from their community in Kenya come to the shop? Maya said that others did come to the shop because of that referral. I was a referral client myself and I have referred others to her as well.

 

Some of the immigrants that come to other countries have held other jobs in their lands of origin. I have heard stories of individuals who were doctors, lawyers or engineers in their homelands come to the US only to hold minimum wage jobs. These immigrants are not allowed to practice their former professions as they need to be relicensed, and in most cases, reeducated before they are allowed to practice their former professions. If an immigrant comes over who was a doctor, and they may be approaching either middle age or older, once they complete college courses, then an internship, then a residency, to practice medicine would be close to impossible. Maya learned the practice of threading from another family member, presumably her mother, aunts or grandmother. In New York State, one does not need to be licensed for threading, as one would need to be for other esthetic services such as waxing, facials, or make-up application. I am not sure how much Maya makes per hour at the shop, her income is supplemented by tips. Some of her income is sent to her son in Kenya. Literally on a good day, Maya brings in a few hundred dollars from her work. Although there is another worker at her shop, most individuals, including myself, will wait for Maya to do their eyebrows.

But, alas, there is another customer who has come into the shop. In the course of our interview there ave been three other customers, who the other worker, as I found out is Maya’s niece, handles. But this particular customer wants Maya. I give Maya a hug, thanking her for the interview; promising her that I would be back in the shop on Friday to have my eyebrows done. Maya reminds me that she will be going on vacation at the end of July for two weeks. She is going home to visit her family. When she went on vacation a couple of years ago, she was gone for a month. Two weeks is not bad, my eyebrows will survive. I will just pray for her safe return. More than just my eyebrow technician, she has become my friend.

Media Technologies-An Ongoing Evolution

A rock and tablet used to communicate evolves into a sheet of paper and a quill, then a pen and paper. A typewriter evolves into a word processing unit, evolving yet again into a home computer. That same computer has evolved from a huge desktop, to portable capability in the form of a compact laptop. Compact portability was further enhanced by going smaller still to a net book, and smaller still to an IPad. Most cell phones have the functionality to process as a small computer, receiving email, and most Microsoft office functions.

Media technology has evolved or expanded in the same fashion. Whereas at the beginning of the twentieth century, print media was the be all and end all, by the quarter of the century, print media although still a viable media outlet, was being challenged by radio media. By the middle of the twentieth century, radio media was being replaced by television media which went through its own evolution. As the 20^th century drew to a close, the Web was arriving fast upon the horizon as a new media outlet.

Print media encompasses newspapers, books and magazines. Newspapers can be printed either once or twice daily, depending upon the region. Magazines are printed either weekly or monthly, while books are printed when demand requires it. Newspapers are used to impart the latest news, entertainment, business or sports information. Typically when one receives the information being distributed, it has already become old news. Newspapers are fine to announce upcoming events, highlighting current trends, or even cartoons to make us laugh. But as for up to date, breaking news, this medium seems to be outdated.

Even though the New York Times and The Boston Globe report “lower print advertising sales dragged down first quarter revenue and profit” (Saba, 2011), print media is not as dead and buried as we may believe. Subscribers for magazines such as People and Cosmopolitan boast circulation rates of 3,556.753 and 3.032,211(Kantor, 2011) respectively. Not surprisingly, the magazine with the highest subscription rate is AARP Magazine with a circulation rate of a whopping 22,395,670 (Kantor, 2011). The numbers may show the age demographic that values print media over the Web. The age demographic for AARP starts at 50. The individuals are baby boomers, who are reluctant to change their tried and true methods, such as newspapers, magazines and other print media.

Morning hosts wake us up with mindless chatter and music to get us up and moving. Midday hosts play work friendly music to keep us moving throughout the day. The evening ride’s host gives us music that is upbeat on our way home. And the late evening’s “quiet storm” radio hosts, play soft, sultry music suitable for a late night rendezvous. Today’s radio media boasts anything from music stations, to talk radio programming. It could be argued that radio was the first medium to broadcast breaking news. News such as the stock market crash, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, for example, was announced via radio. Radio media can be broadcast live, via a live feed or by a delayed broadcast. Broadcasts can be pre-recorded to be played at a specific time, or spot, on the air. Radio media has evolved where one can hear not just their favorite station across the country, but preprogrammed stations on satellite programs such as Sirius or Iheartradio where you can hear a mix of your favorite music or programming. Commercial ads are also run on radio media. Radio media allows for live telecasts of sporting or other events. Radio media is geared more so toward local communities, allowing the community to vent or ask questions in regards to local issues. There are also nationwide syndicated programs that are designed to make us think, laugh, or offer opinions at whatever topic of the day is being discussed.

At one time, video media consisted of three nationwide channels, ABC, CBS and NBC, and a public broadcasting channel, PBS. In the 1980’s an up and coming network called FOX joined the lineup of channels on basic television. With the advent of cable television in the 1980’s, television channels multiplied. There were channels devoted to news, channels devoted to sports and even channels devoted to music. How times have changed! Music channels, such as MTV and VH1 have now resorted to becoming reality television hosts. There are channels that are televised in English as well as Spanish. If there is an interest, there is a channel for it. Video media is one of the better mediums for imparting news quickly in real time. For example, the terrorist attack of the World Trade Center was televised on Good Morning America as it took place. As radio has talk shows, video media also is overrun with talk shows, court shows and reality shows. Commercials, advertising products of whatever one may need or don’t need. Cable and satellite providers knock each other’s products in television ads. Political campaigns start to lose sight of the issues for the smear tactics thrown by the individuals running against one another. Similar to radio, shows can be live, recorded in front of a live studio audience, or pre-recorded.

Web media offers all of the three mediums. One can read a newspaper article, read a magazine, listen to music via Internet channels, podcasts, or sites such as ITunes, Rhapsody, Pandora or Spotify, or even watch television online via You Tube, Hulu or even the network channels themselves. The Internet is also an excellent source of receiving information quickly. Social media such as Facebook, or Twitter, or professional network sites such as LinkedIn are sites that are utilized on the web. Sites such as Wikipedia, one needs to be cautious in taking the information as Gospel, as the information is typically not verified. Information can be found on search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. The web is used for commerce, from purchasing a pair of Louboutin’s online, to purchasing and trading of stock. The danger in imparting so much information is the risk of it being distributed outside of the party it was intended.

So which media is best? I would not say there is a best media per se. All are good in their own way, it just depends on each individuals comfort level. All are designed to distribute information. As long as the information being distributed is accurate, they are all good methods to use.

My First Blog!

I thought that I was social media savvy. I have a Facebook account, a defunct Myspace account and multiple email accounts. My phone is one of an Android variety and when I can remember what I am doing to be followed, (not to mention my password) a Twitter account. Instagram and Pictogram are loaded onto my IPad. At best, I suppose that I am social media savvy. At worst, I can maneuver through a media site.

Until now.

I have read blogs and even commented on them in the past. It could not be that hard to create a blog, right?

Wrong. So wrong.

I first ran into problems identifying my audience. I have envisioned a site where it may not necessarily be topic specific; just a hodgepodge of different topics dependent upon the day. I just wanted to be able to vent what may be on my mind in a humorous fashion and hope that I have followers! Every person is different; the design should be one that depicts their personality. I have been told for years that I am a diva; I love shopping and I suppose I am an overall pain to some people; especially my family. Hence, the name of my blog is “One Diva’s Point of View”, because that is exactly what it is. The design is still basic as it is a work in progress, but I wanted one that was elegant, and font that is easy for others to read. Keeping the background white, also allows for ease on the eyes. I will add links to the page, but not too many; I did not want the page to be overrun with links as in my own opinion, it just clutters the page. The concept of creating a blog initially started off as a foreign one. But I am excited to see where this may lead!