The Fair Fix
I last blogged that I would suggest how to really fix what's not fair in your laboratory. We've all felt rising resentment from unfair treatment: an extra weekend, being blamed for another's mistake, a poor evaluation. Let's consider the chronic problem that's unfair to everyone -- if it hasn't happened to you, it will soon – when the system is broken.
Examples: nurses "writing up" a tech, how holidays are staffed, ignoring the laboratory staff's accomplishments. These shared resentments erode morale and frustrate solutions.
Here are a few "knows" from experience:
- Know the problem – generally, an idea that something isn't fair arises out of conflict; if there is consensus, then everyone works to fix the problem. Your first step is to identify what is not fair and why.
- Know the players – this is not assigning blame but identifying those parties directly influencing, making, or reciprocating decisions. They may not always be obvious.
- Know who loses, and what – you need to answer the question, "Who loses what?" This may be perceived as status, influence, power, or authority. Face it, your fair treatment is perceived as someone's loss.
- Know who wins, and how – the flip side of knowing loss is to understand how to turn what you want into someone's win. This doesn't mean that you lose!
Let's suppose your holiday schedule isn't fair. You've asked for a different schedule and been told NO. To make your priority important – regardless of how you feel about politics – you'll have to identify who "loses" if you get your way. Maybe, it's a senior tech losing status, and that person directly influences the manager who creates the schedule. (Keep in mind that most managers love the status quo.) You may have to approach both with an idea that changes the staffing on the holidays to make it easier for senior techs, such as twelve hour shifts. By identifying the "win," you can make your priority everyone's priority.
You may not get exactly what you want, but doing nothing usually does nothing. And that's unfair for everyone. Especially you!