You supervise a team of six employees in a large company. Last week, your manager announced some substantial changes in the department’s work regulations. The new regulations are part of a program meant to make work more automated in order to simplify work and make work processes more convenient. You were present in the meetings in which these changes were discussed and offered some of them yourself. You felt pleased with the result.
However, today your team members approach you and complain that the new regulations are causing a lot of problems, resulting in slower work rates. They feel that this new program was not thought through and that their needs were not taken into consideration.
What would you do?
Tell your employees that you actually took part in the formation of this program and that their needs were very much in mind when it was planned.
Let your employees brief you on the problems they encounter and say that you will bring them up with your manager.
Tell your employees that you are sorry that they feel this way, but the program has already been set and nothing can be done. Say that you believe things will get easier over time.
Suggest that they write an email to your manager and explain their position.
Correct answer is B
In this scenario, your team is having trouble with the current changes taking place. As a supervisor, you have your team’s interests in mind, as well as a wider perspective of the company’s goals.
Response A is quite an emotional response. Here you seem offended and fail to listen to your employees’ complaints seriously enough. Whether or not the new regulations were designed to assist them, your employees are trying to tell you something about the effectiveness of their result.
In response B, you encourage your team to tell you about the problems and show a willingness to address them. Notice that you didn't say that any changes would necessarily take place, but you do exhibit an openness to criticism and a sense of responsibility towards your subordinates. You let them voice their concerns, take their concerns seriously, and function as a mediator between your team and higher management. Notice that this is not a perfect response. A better response would be to listen to the employees’ briefing before deciding whether or not you should bring it up with your manager.
In response C, you show respect and care for the team’s feelings, but you take a very passive approach. Your team is asking for your help, not just sympathy. You may decide not to take any further action regarding their complaints, but this decision should be based on professional considerations, after hearing the details of the problem. In general, you should refrain from statements like 'nothing can be done' as they may discourage your employees from approaching you in the future.
Suggesting that the employees write to your manager (response D) shows a lack of responsibility for subordinates as you fail to function as a mediator between your team and higher management. Instead, you choose to remain passive.