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Someone in the office told me that he heard about the conversations I had, and is worried that I am being "labeled".

February 2006

Dear Office-Politics,

I recently was out a big meeting for our company. While at this meeting I took the opportunity to speak with those above me about issues here in
our office. Someone that is close to me here in the office told me that he heard about the conversations I had and is worried that I am being "labeled". What do you think about this? Should I have not brought up these issues? Should I have just let them linger?

When I previously brought these issues up to my local manager he sat on them and didn't do anything. When I found out that nothing was being done is when I brought it up to lateral management at the meeting.

Please help me understand why it is bad to voice my opinion about current issues that everyone in our office acknowledges.

Voicing-My-Opinion

Dear Voicing-My-Opinion,

A company is fortunate to have employees who care enough to speak out about issues that may be hindering performance. Therefore, it is good you spoke to the local manager some time back.

Now, what to do when you don't get results? Do you escalate to higher ups or do you go back to your local manager to press the issue again?

It depends on the nature of the problem and the personalities involved. The more serious the problem, the quicker you should be escalating. If the problem is not as significant, then perhaps giving the manager a second chance is better. When possible, I like to give people a second chance but let them know that if the problem is not dealt with satisfactorily, it will be escalated. Then if you escalate, there are no surprises.

Also, view the situation from your local manager's perspective. Speak to him in a way that you would want to be spoken to. Be clear in describing the problem and the solution you hope for. Also, speak in a direct, respectful manner. When you express yourself in this way, you are well on your way to ascending the corporate latter.

Lastly, if this response leads you to conclude you should have spoken to the manager again before escalating, then discuss that with the manager. Take responsibility for your part. Let him know what you learned and apologize. But also, make sure your issue is clearly heard.

Let me know how it works out. Thanks for writing to Office-Politics.

Arnie Herz

Arnie Herz, Esq.
Author, LegalSanity
Attorney at Law