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The Little Words that Destroy Workplace Communication

You ask a colleague or employee a thoughtful question and he or she releases the words that so often destroy workplace communication: It’s not my problem.

Think of the power that one statement possesses and how easily it completely sinks any attempt at civil conversation or degree of caring. In one brief moment, the person who says it completely bypasses being helpful in any way or even trying to communicate on any meaningful level. It’s like trying to talk with someone who just shrugs or rolls their eyes at everything you say.

These kinds of interactions occur all the time in our workplaces and can lead to all kinds of unwanted outcomes including angry employees, hurt feelings, reduced morale and lower productivity.

The reason, “It’s not my problem,” has such negative repercussions is that it halts all interaction in a shocking, disrespectful way. There are many variations on this phrase but they all make having a conversation more difficult rather than more enjoyable. The challenge in the workplace is to find ways to help people say yes instead of no as well as putting some effort into communicating positively rather than looking for ways to get out of it. Here are ten positive alternatives to, “It’s not my problem” type statements:

1. Let’s collaborate on this to find a solution.
2. I’ll give it some thought and let you know what I come up with.
3. What can I do to help?
4. Let’s look for other ways to do this.
5. Who might be able to help us with this?
6. What can I do to make things easier?
7. This is important to me too.
8. I hear you and understand what you’re saying.
9. I’m open to brainstorming ideas.
10. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do.

Think about all the words we use at work that keep us from communicating meaningfully at work. These types of interactions waste time and don’t lead to positive results. The good news is that you can make small changes that greatly impact the way we communicate at work. It can be as practical as training people on the alternatives to saying “It’s not my problem.” What will you do to encourage positive workplace communication?

Take care,

Guy

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