Office Drama: How to DEAL with it

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Office Drama How to DEAL with it!

• Brought to you today by
• Do-Over Dave as Drama King
• alias Dave Sauter
• University Registrar, Miami University
• OTC, May 30, 2008

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Introduction

• The drama of a full-blown workplace conflict can
  rival the best made-for-television movie. All
  eyes are glued to the episode of the day, instead
  of on the work at hand. Does the office worker
  next to you arrive ready to pounce on the first
  piece of gossip and start laying blame on others?
  What can YOU do about the ongoing whiner that
  derails office productivity? Relax, and

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!

• Welcome to the
• FIRST DAY
• of a future of drama
• ENJOY the Production!

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Drama King Dave

• Miami Middletown 1984-91
• 5 staff in admission, records and registration,
  and financial aid
• Xavier University 1991-1999
• 11 staff in records and registration
• Wright State University 1999-2006
• 18 staff in records and registration
• Miami University 2006-retirement ?
• 28 staff in records and registration

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Todays Production

• Act One Definitions
• Act Two Parental Drama
• Act Three Causes of Office Drama
• Act Four Drama Attributes
• Act Five 6 People to NOT Hire
• Act Six Success Without Drama
• Act Seven Rumor Control
• Act Eight Whining at Work
• Act Nine Your Turn!

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Staff Workday Realities

• Laws, i.e., FMLA, FERPA, professional
• Coping with emergencies
• Union environments
• Human Resource Issues
• Sick/Vacation Accrual (abuse?)
• Flex time
• 85 Staffed
• Salaried vs. Hourly
• Other?

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Act One Definitions

• Drama designed for theatrical performance
• Relationship quality of two or more things
  together
• Conflict emotional tension
• Paradigm pattern
• Diversity to increase the variety
• University facility to teach and research
  offering degrees
• Understanding to grasp, to accept as fact

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Act Two Drama from Parents

• WORTH A SPECIAL MENTION!
• In your words Letter to the Editor, Miami
  University, Miamian, an alternate look at
  Helicopter Parents who might add drama to our
  workplacebut is it well-founded drama, or
  ill-founded drama?
• Helicopter Parents Swoop in handout
• Do family members of students bring drama to our
  workplace?

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Act Three Causes of Office Drama

• Physical Proximity
• Reporting lines
• Age
• Gender
• Personality differences
• Differences in values
• Jealousy

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MORE Causes of Office Drama

• The unknown
• Change
• Insecurity
• Home Issues
• Other causes
• ??
• ??
• ??

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Act Four Drama Attributes

• Charlie o Changeand more change
• Winnie the whiner
• Ira the irresponsible
• Barbie badmouth
• Christopher cross
• Evan the eye roller
• Carla Coffee clotch

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more attributes!

• Greta the grouch
• Ginger the gossiper
• Nancy nosey
• Shelly web surfer
• Omar the obsessive
• Mark the online card shark
• Marge the sarge

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and MORE attributes

• Harry the hotdog
• Eddie eager
• Sam the silo
• Suzie sniper
• Leonard the letch
• Cory complainer
• Leering Larry
• Daggering Doug

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Even More Attributes?

• Passive Paula
• Over-zealous Oscar
• Manipulative Miranda
• Others that YOU KNOW?

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Act Five6 People you should NEVER hire

• The Loaferfast out of the gate and then sputters
  to a stop!
• The Weaselback-stabber!
• The Bridegroomwants to be you but will not help
  make decisions!
• The Psycho Killertoo many adversaries!
• The Workaholicno other life!
• The Future CEOtoo much I focus!

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Act Six What Defines Success?without drama!
(handout)

• Ambition
• Strive for respect first
• Mental and physical fitness
• Intuition
• Edit your ideas
• Think big but grow slowly
• Focus
• Be a detective
• Let one solution lead to another one

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Act Seven Responding to Rumors

• Avoid conversing about personal detailsall you
  say will be repeated at least once
• Ignore the speculationdont let it fester
• Ignore gossipersdont give them attention

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More Responses to Rumors

• Do not badmouthperson might be your boss someday
• Take responsibilityif you hurt someone, be
  honest and apologize
• Do NOT be a victim, do NOT get swept into the
  production

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Act Eight Whining at Work handout

• Whining is a coping mechanism.
• Workplace changes make us more likely to whine.
• Hierarchies are flattening, so new workers have
  less fear of managers.
• If praise cranks up, whining cranks down.
• Whining releases tension in todays demanding
  environment.

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Whining at Work, continued

• Whine and Winetry it!
• What is in it for ME!!!
• So little salary raise, so much expected!
• How do YOU handle it?

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Act NineYour turnbut NO WHINING!

• Your examples of Office Drama in the next
  office!

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In ConclusionDrama ? vs. DRAAAMA!!

• A Human Condition we all need to acknowledge
  and master, to not let it control us or our
  office
• Good and Bad Dramalife with NO drama may be
  boring SOME drAma adds some spice, TOO MUCH
  DRAAAMA is destructive
• Drama vs. Dramaticbe dramatic w/o so much drama!
  Balance, balance, balance