Dear Joan: I recently started a "dream job" at a marketing company. It is an increase in pay and benefits, and a rise on the career ladder.

When interviewing for a job, you never know the real climate of a company, until you start working there. I started six months ago, and in that time, have found out some disturbing facts.

They operate on a very tight budget, and fail to replace old equipment. If it is not in the budget, the items are not replaced and they are not repaired. We work with substandard equipment. I have faster and better computers, faxes, and printers in my own home, than I have on the job.

The powers that be, do not believe in increasing our department budgets, to handle inflation, and the on going needs. Many of my co-workers are frustrated, but do not know what to do about it. Any request to the administration, goes without notice.

The atmosphere in the workplace is one of being on guard. Everyone is afraid of losing their job, even though they hate coming to work. Many have quit their jobs here to date, and we do not always get replacement workers. Someone else is expected to pick up the slack and do the work in the same number of hours.

The boss is always walking around listening and observing. He is looking for mistakes. They never say anything, they just keep writing them down.

I have thought of leaving, but the pay is so good. But yet I do not want to work where everyone is afraid.

Why don't they trust us to do our job? Is there something I can do to make it better for everyone?

Answer:

And the reason you are staying is...?

This situation is not likely to get better. Over time, your pay and benefits will become handcuffs that will chain you to a job environment that squeezes creativity out of you and the team.

The “administration” is apparently trying to increase profits by cutting costs, rather than investing in the resources that will increase business. This is a no-win strategy. Eventually they will sink under their own burden of lost business and lost staff.

We like to think we can change a dysfunctional culture, but it's usually a futile battle

If you want to try to change things, you may want to talk with your manager about the lack of resources. Tie your remarks to bottom line needs, costs and lost opportunities, rather than to complaints.

Explain how the faulty equipment creates excessive downtime. Or, describe how you have to spend money outsourcing because your computer can’t perform common functions that are required to produce a quality product. If this falls on deaf ears, there’s little you can do to change the mentality.

Regarding your manager walking around and looking for mistakes, say to your manager, “Is there something you are concerned about regarding my performance?”

If he says, “No,” say, “When you walk around and write down mistakes, it makes me feel that you don’t trust me and that you aren’t happy with my performance. It makes me feel nervous and watched. If I’m not doing something you want, I’d rather you simply told me about it so I can correct it.”

If the overall culture is fine and your boss is the problem, there is something you can do: go talk to the owner if you don’t get results from your discussions with your boss. But be forewarned—it could backfire and you could be out the door.

If the entire organization is miserly and Scrooge-like, the senior management is driving this behavior and there is little you will be able to do to change it. The idealist in all of us wants to think there is something we can do to change a dysfunctional culture, but it’s usually a futile battle.

An outside consultant might have some success helping to changing the culture, but of course, the senior management has to realize it needs help in the first place. Unless something drastic happens, such as their entire workforce walks off the job, or their business is on the brink of disaster, they aren’t likely to take corrective action soon enough. And they will surely not think they are a core cause of the problems.

My advice is to start looking for something else now and, at the same time, begin to discuss your concerns with your boss in a professional, business-like way. Hopefully, you will find a better job before the environment becomes lethal.

Do you need answers to tough job hunting questions? Are you looking for some added punch to help you stand out from the crowd? Joan Lloyd’s has developed job hunting tools that can help you to maximize your job search:
Savvy Negotiation Strategies to Get Paid What You’re Worth on a New Job (Detailed, special report)
Easy, Step-by-step Guide to Using the Internet to Land a Great Job (Detailed, special report)
How to Get Your Dream Job (VHS video)
The Resume that Gets Results and the Interview that Gets the Job (37 page, detailed instructions)

Joan Lloyd has a solid track record of excellent results. Her firm, Joan Lloyd & Associates, specializes in leadership development, organizational change and teambuilding. This includes executive coaching, 360-degree feedback processes, customized leadership training, conflict resolution between teams or individuals, internal consulting skills training for HR professionals and retreat facilitation. Clients report results such as: behavior change in leaders, improved team performance and a more committed workforce.

Joan Lloyd has earned her C.S.P. (certified speaking professional) designation from the National Speakers Association and speaks to corporate audiences, as well as trade & professional associations across the country. Reach her at (800) 348-1944, mailto:info@joanlloyd.com, or www.JoanLloyd.com.

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