Making Work Work by Shola Richards

Author:Shola Richards
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sterling Ethos

CLIQUES: THE ANTIFRIENDSHIP

A quick word of warning: As you build your Solutionist Society, you could easily fall into the trap of making this movement worse, instead of better.

One reason that certain people are opposed to friendships at work is that, in some cases, friendships at work turn into cliques. And cliques don’t make any workplace more positive.

A clique is a small group of people with shared interests who do not allow others to join them, and that is the antithesis of this movement. People who create cliques often build their group on the shaky foundation of gossip, mean-spiritedness, and exclusion. Being part of a group of people who cut themselves off from the rest of the department or company, in hopes of becoming the new workplace cool kids, is nothing more than a bizarre, ego-fueled exercise in stupidity. I have never known a clique that has positively changed the world.

If you feel that your Solutionist Society is devolving into a clique, get yourself back on track by asking these two questions:

1. Do we spend more time talking about people or to people? It is very naive to think that we will never talk about other people from time to time, but if that is all we are doing, we have lost sight of the purpose of this movement. Our goal is a simple one: to solve our workplace issues by creating a more positive experience at work. Gossip will not make that happen. If someone is the frequent target of your gossip sessions, why are you just talking about it? Wouldn’t it make more sense to take action to make it better? Using up your discretionary time berating a person who is not even present to defend himself is not a useful practice.

Also, if you are stuck in the habit of talking about people, I would highly recommend instituting Gossip-Free Fridays (feel free to designate any day of the week; I just happen to like doing this on Fridays). Choosing one day a week when you are not allowed to say anything negative about another person behind her back is such a simple, yet brilliant, exercise. I dare you to try it—you may be shocked at how much time you spend talking negatively about other people. Awareness is the first step when it comes to kicking any unhealthy habit, and once you try it for one day, you will want to do it more often.

2. Are we exclusive or inclusive? Solutionists are not an exclusive group. The purpose of this movement is to share it with as many people as humanly possible who are passionate about creating a kinder and more respectful workplace. We are not here to leave anyone out or behind—entry is open to anyone who is willing and able to do the work of creating a more positive workplace. The more the merrier.

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