Venue: public restaurant in Tallinn city centre
Characters: manager, subordinate, computer (protagonist)
Time: noon
Genre: documentary drama
The manager fills in a spreadsheet or a form on the computer, occasionally asks the employee questions that have been entered in the spreadsheet. The answers to the questions are not commented on by the manager, but he (the protagonist) clicks away on the computer and scrolls around in the meantime, thinking something like this: “Okey, ๐ข๐ฉ๐ข๐ฉ, itยดs, here, ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฏ๐ฉ, listen, …, ๐ข๐ฉ it is not necessary, ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฎ, ๐ฏรค๐ฉ๐ฉ, ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆy.”
Meanwhile, the employee looks bored out of the window, waiting for the next question.
Manager: “How do you summarise this year’s results?”.
Employee: “I don’t know. I quess very well. I can do everything I guess, and when I need help, I’ve got it..”
Manager: “๐๐ฌ๐ฆy, that is ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆy.”
The manager types something into the computer for 2-3 minutes.
The questions follow a predetermined table from the annual appraisal and if the employee tries to bring a more personal viewpoint when answering some of the questions, the manager skilfully uses a conversational technique called ignoring, glancing at the computer, where he or she writes a lot. The role of the manager requires the ability to type 2-3 minutes of text from 3-word answers into a computer.
The hit of the conversation by the manager: ‘So, … development needs. Well what can I write here? Well in any case, you’re much better than Kristel. You still communicate, she doesn’t communicate with clients at all? You’re much more normal than she is”
The worker nods, smiles awkwardly and looks out of the window again. No comment.
The manager clicks on the computer again for a few minutes. After some clicking, it announces:
“God I can’t write at all. ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ข.”
Employee: “๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ข๐ฉ, ๐ซ๐ข๐ข-๐ข๐ข๐ฉ”
The manager makes friends with the computer typing again and asks for something else, but at this point an observer named Ivar Raav has finished his meal. The observer’s view of the world is enriched by a more realistic view and he leaves. The manager and the employee continue the conversation. Curtain.
The observer takes the nice conclusion that there is still a big job ahead as a trainer and mentor! ๐ But at the same time, he is happy that this manager has at least taken the first step and is talking to his people and maybe at some point will be ready to improve his conversations.
Do you feel that as a HR professional or manager you have given people expectations and guidelines for one-to-one conversations. You may have offered training, but you’re not sure what’s really going to happen in the talks, so get in touch.
Together, we’ll come up with a longer development programme so that the staff in your organisation don’t have to experience anything like what I heard as an observer.
Photo: Andrea Piacquadio, Pexels
