Misunderstandings and confusion at the place of work create bad experiences. If this happens that what you are communicating with your colleague is not what they understand, there is a problem. Stress and conflict come as a result. The following are ways of making sure your message is clear, and there is no confusion.
- Be Respectful
- Ensure Communication is Clear
- Ensure Fairness
- Clarify Your Expectation
- Let the Professionals Solve the How Question
- Do Not Ignore the Tense Moments
- Answer the When Question
To build a positive workplace culture, it is important to be respectful. For a message to come out clearly, it must be communicated respectfully. Before you say anything, you should ask yourself whether the message comes out arrogantly or with respect. When you respect your employees’ time and lives, they will always be more motivated and productive.
If you give scanty information about something to be done, you create confusion. Additionally, when you let your employees guess what is happening to the business, they get confused. Make sure your message is understood, concise, correct, and transparent.
It’s recommended to use an employee scheduling software to plan your tasks and notify the specific employees expected to handle those tasks. Remember, if the wrong employee is assigned the wrong tasks, the chances of making mistakes are high. To avoid all this, use the right tech.
It is common for business owners to be accused of being unfair. Every employee assumes that they should be treated equally. Therefore as part of the management team or as a business owner, try to be neutral.
When you are assigning tasks to your employees, you must be 100% sure of what you expect. However, if you do not tell your employees exactly what you want to achieve, it can create confusion. Always think before you talk. Ask yourself if you would clearly understand the message if you were the recipient.
In case you work with professionals, the way they will do the work is up to them. The reason they are called professionals is that they know better. If you start telling them how you want the task done, it becomes an order. Let them know you trust their work.
Avoiding having a face to face talk with your employees when there is an issue will make the situation worse. When there is tension in the business, you can be sure employees are confused, and maybe there is already a conflict. Instead of avoiding the moment, sit down with your employees, and clarify any misunderstanding.
Never leave the when question unanswered. For example, if you assigned your employees a task or sent them a message and did not tell them when you expect the work completed or message responded to, you create misunderstandings. This is because the employees do not know what tasks need to be completed first.
Confusion in the workplace is common. However, knowing how to minimize the chances of getting confused is essential. Confusion can lead to late delivery of services, and therefore it needs to be tackled.
