This section will embrace employment issues. This first blog is designed to help us to explore some of our own attitudes before we go on to explore our perceptions of the attitudes of others. The blog is presented in the form of a short story, although it is fictitious, it draws from a many true stories which are based on fact.
Alexis chuckled as Michael recounted the story of the cheating student. Michael a Professor at the local University was full of amusing stories about student life. As the meal drew to a close, Alexis looked around the table at her friends. Ralph the retired utility company director, Paula his fashionable young wife, Michael, who was just finishing his story, Glenda his long standing wife and Tom her husband, she looked forward to their regular gatherings. The Babur restaurant in Brockley South London was buzzing with exotic aromas and teaming with life as it did every Sunday evening, it created the perfect ambience for their witty discussions. Alexis looked at her watch and relaxed, she would be home in time for the BBC documentary that she particularly wanted to see.
Mary just finished clearing away after Sunday dinner, the exotic but familiar smells of jerk chicken and rice and peas still hung in the air. It was 7pm and she had not sat down to relax all day. "Nathan have you done your homework, she bellowed up the stairs", there was no response. She glanced resentfully at Phillip her partner as he lay where he had spent most of the day, asleep on the sofa, before returning to the kitchen to add that finishing shine to her new granite worktop. The phone rang and pierced the ambient background noises of the TV and play station video game. She answered the phone, grabbed her cup of tea and walked towards the bedroom, to spend the next hour or so, exchanging frustrations with her friend Glennis.
Mary sat at the Radiotherapy department counter, it was 8.55 on a Monday morning, the hospital smelt as it always did, her seat ergonomically optimised for her comfort as it always was and she wore the bored expression she always had on a Monday morning. The first patients came streaming in. Her job was quite simple really, she took the patients appointment card, checked them in, arranged their notes in order of their arrival, under the correct consultant. What messed up her day was patients arriving without the correct paperwork, patients asking her questions she could not possibly know the answer to, arrogant doctors who believed she should be able to read their minds, the same doctors who told patients to book return appointments for periods where all the available appointments would obviously be gone and Alexis, who was always interfering and trying to change things.
After checking in her first batch of patients Mary sat and contemplated her position. Over the past year she applied for five internal positions but was never successful. She finished her BTEC in Computer Studies three years ago and here she was in the same place, with a job she was growing to resent, especially since Alexis moved Terry who previously worked with her to work in another part of the hospital. She had no idea that, that day was going to produce a defining moment, that would shake her world.
Alexis felt a tinge of frustration, she had been brought in to improve patient services and specifically to improve upon the exit surveys from three departments. She knew that she had to play the waiting game to beat the resistance to change, and she knew that her current strategy would bring about results, but it was frustrating to wait. She smiled as she thought of the advice she received from her friend Ralph who was an experienced change specialist. He was a key player in a large downsizing exercise in the early 90's. he still occasionally worked as a change management consultant. Alexis's focus was on meeting her objectives, she knew that success would put her in a good position to apply for promotion in the pending reorganisation. She completed the feedback report on the newly computerised rota system and emailed it to her line manager. Alexis had cleverly positioned her desk so that she had a view of 2 of her 3 reception areas. From this vantage point, she could clearly see the radiotherapy reception area.
The uneven footsteps grew louder and a well dressed woman in her mid 30's walked in through the open doorway. She clearly had something on her mind as she absently handed Mary a scrappy note, signed by Doctor O'Connor. Mary frowned; here we go again she thought as she looked on the system for the patient’s name, of course it was not there. "I'm sorry" Mary said, not sounding sorry at all. "You are not booked in for an appointment today". "I have a note from Dr O'Connor, clearly asking me to attend his clinic today" she said slowly and quietly. Mary should have recognised the tell tale traits of a woman who was very ill, but she rarely noticed body language. "There is nothing I can do about it, Mary said matter of factly, “you need to go back to Dr O'Connor or your GP to get a proper referral letter”, “Next!" Mary announced deliberately turning to the person who had just joined the queue. The woman leaned against the counter and waited patiently for Mary to process the patient. Mary glared at the woman defiantly as she asked to see Dr O'Connor. "No, he's busy" Mary said barely masking the venom she was feeling towards Dr O'Connor who did not respect appointment systems, how was she supposed to know that the woman would feel that the venom was directly towards her. The woman turned and dragged herself wearily out of the department as Alexis approached the counter hurriedly. "Did you just turn that woman away without referring the matter", she asked? "Look Alexis" Mary blurted sternly but quietly, "I know how to do my job…" A thud followed by a clang of a metal kidney dish falling from a trolley reverberated through the waiting area, interrupting the conversation Alexis and a couple of clinic nurses hurried towards the commotion.
Two hours later, Mary emerged through the main entrance of the hospital, she was suspended. The appointment-less woman had collapsed and was undergoing an emergency operation. How could she win when Alexis had it in for her, always criticising, changing things and giving her a poor mark in her appraisal for patient service?
© Roots to Fruits 25 Feb 2007
Questions
How can we share the lessons that some of us have learnt with people like Mary before she hits crisis point?
Are there communication channels that we can use to share and grow?
Alexis chuckled as Michael recounted the story of the cheating student. Michael a Professor at the local University was full of amusing stories about student life. As the meal drew to a close, Alexis looked around the table at her friends. Ralph the retired utility company director, Paula his fashionable young wife, Michael, who was just finishing his story, Glenda his long standing wife and Tom her husband, she looked forward to their regular gatherings. The Babur restaurant in Brockley South London was buzzing with exotic aromas and teaming with life as it did every Sunday evening, it created the perfect ambience for their witty discussions. Alexis looked at her watch and relaxed, she would be home in time for the BBC documentary that she particularly wanted to see.
Mary just finished clearing away after Sunday dinner, the exotic but familiar smells of jerk chicken and rice and peas still hung in the air. It was 7pm and she had not sat down to relax all day. "Nathan have you done your homework, she bellowed up the stairs", there was no response. She glanced resentfully at Phillip her partner as he lay where he had spent most of the day, asleep on the sofa, before returning to the kitchen to add that finishing shine to her new granite worktop. The phone rang and pierced the ambient background noises of the TV and play station video game. She answered the phone, grabbed her cup of tea and walked towards the bedroom, to spend the next hour or so, exchanging frustrations with her friend Glennis.
Mary sat at the Radiotherapy department counter, it was 8.55 on a Monday morning, the hospital smelt as it always did, her seat ergonomically optimised for her comfort as it always was and she wore the bored expression she always had on a Monday morning. The first patients came streaming in. Her job was quite simple really, she took the patients appointment card, checked them in, arranged their notes in order of their arrival, under the correct consultant. What messed up her day was patients arriving without the correct paperwork, patients asking her questions she could not possibly know the answer to, arrogant doctors who believed she should be able to read their minds, the same doctors who told patients to book return appointments for periods where all the available appointments would obviously be gone and Alexis, who was always interfering and trying to change things.
After checking in her first batch of patients Mary sat and contemplated her position. Over the past year she applied for five internal positions but was never successful. She finished her BTEC in Computer Studies three years ago and here she was in the same place, with a job she was growing to resent, especially since Alexis moved Terry who previously worked with her to work in another part of the hospital. She had no idea that, that day was going to produce a defining moment, that would shake her world.
Alexis felt a tinge of frustration, she had been brought in to improve patient services and specifically to improve upon the exit surveys from three departments. She knew that she had to play the waiting game to beat the resistance to change, and she knew that her current strategy would bring about results, but it was frustrating to wait. She smiled as she thought of the advice she received from her friend Ralph who was an experienced change specialist. He was a key player in a large downsizing exercise in the early 90's. he still occasionally worked as a change management consultant. Alexis's focus was on meeting her objectives, she knew that success would put her in a good position to apply for promotion in the pending reorganisation. She completed the feedback report on the newly computerised rota system and emailed it to her line manager. Alexis had cleverly positioned her desk so that she had a view of 2 of her 3 reception areas. From this vantage point, she could clearly see the radiotherapy reception area.
The uneven footsteps grew louder and a well dressed woman in her mid 30's walked in through the open doorway. She clearly had something on her mind as she absently handed Mary a scrappy note, signed by Doctor O'Connor. Mary frowned; here we go again she thought as she looked on the system for the patient’s name, of course it was not there. "I'm sorry" Mary said, not sounding sorry at all. "You are not booked in for an appointment today". "I have a note from Dr O'Connor, clearly asking me to attend his clinic today" she said slowly and quietly. Mary should have recognised the tell tale traits of a woman who was very ill, but she rarely noticed body language. "There is nothing I can do about it, Mary said matter of factly, “you need to go back to Dr O'Connor or your GP to get a proper referral letter”, “Next!" Mary announced deliberately turning to the person who had just joined the queue. The woman leaned against the counter and waited patiently for Mary to process the patient. Mary glared at the woman defiantly as she asked to see Dr O'Connor. "No, he's busy" Mary said barely masking the venom she was feeling towards Dr O'Connor who did not respect appointment systems, how was she supposed to know that the woman would feel that the venom was directly towards her. The woman turned and dragged herself wearily out of the department as Alexis approached the counter hurriedly. "Did you just turn that woman away without referring the matter", she asked? "Look Alexis" Mary blurted sternly but quietly, "I know how to do my job…" A thud followed by a clang of a metal kidney dish falling from a trolley reverberated through the waiting area, interrupting the conversation Alexis and a couple of clinic nurses hurried towards the commotion.
Two hours later, Mary emerged through the main entrance of the hospital, she was suspended. The appointment-less woman had collapsed and was undergoing an emergency operation. How could she win when Alexis had it in for her, always criticising, changing things and giving her a poor mark in her appraisal for patient service?
© Roots to Fruits 25 Feb 2007
Questions
How can we share the lessons that some of us have learnt with people like Mary before she hits crisis point?
Are there communication channels that we can use to share and grow?
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