What Coworkers Expect From Managers

Meeting the Work Expectations of Peers at the Office

Aug 21, 2009 Jennifer Harshman

Those who don't understand what coworkers expect run into trouble at work. Expectations might include teamwork or working overtime, but always include doing one's job.

Managers who don’t understand what their coworkers expect often run into trouble at work. Expectations might include teamwork and working independently.

Workers who don’t meet the expectations of coworkers may find that their peers resent them for not "playing by the rules." These people may withhold cooperation as a result. This is true even if those rules are never made clear. This kind of situation can jeopardize a manager’s job; the wise will try to avoid it.

Developing Teamwork and Collaboration at Work Beneficial to Business

Very few businesses consist of one department. The shipping, receiving, accounting, sales, and customer service departments might need to work together to solve a particular problem. Project management software and inventory management software help greatly in this regard, but human elements can interfere. If customer service and accounting aren’t getting along well, a customer who has an issue might remain stuck in limbo.

Even organizations that don't have "teamwork" mottos need people to work well with each other. Business flows more smoothly, orders can be processed more efficiently, and customers can be served more effectively. When a business is performing well, profits can increase.

Pull Own Weight: Perform Job Duties and Show up on Time

Asking for assistance once in a while can be beneficial. Not only can one get some help, but one can also build relationships at work, and work can go more smoothly for everyone involved. This kind of situation benefits

• the employees,
• the company as a whole,
• the company's customers, and
• the stockholders or other stakeholders.

The Successful Manager’s Handbook, 6th Edition published in 2001 by Personnel Decisions International, encourages teamwork and acknowledges its necessity, saying, "The complexities of today’s business challenges more than ever require collaboration across the organization and among management team members."

Dropping the ball and expecting a coworker to pick up the ball and handle it is not what "working together" looks like. That is not to say that one can never drop the ball. Most people do make mistakes and let things slip on occasion, but a few shirk responsibility on a regular basis. An occasional small goof and nice save can build relationships in the workplace. Those who rely on coworkers to do their work on a regular basis, however, are not popular among coworkers. Each person is expected to perform his own job duties the majority of the time. It doesn’t take too many instances of dropping the ball before officemates begin keeping their distance and wishing someone else was on the team.

Successful People are Prompt and Unsuccessful People Run Late

Those who show up on time resent the coworker who is chronically late. Being late on occasion is tolerated, and when it is truly unavoidable, people usually understand. Henry Cloud, Jack Canfield, and other experts claim that being late on a regular basis often indicates irresponsibility and a lack of respect for others. Furthermore, those who are chronically late are unsuccessful people. In The Success Principles (2005), Canfield explains that successful people are on time. He quotes Werner Erhard, "Your life works to the degree you keep your commitments."

Those who keep their commitments, including showing up on time to work, have a better likelihood of being successful. The chronically late person might choose to test this, doing whatever is necessary to be on time to every scheduled event (including work on each work day) for 30 days, and then take note of the effect is has on his life.

The copyright of the article What Coworkers Expect From Managers in Workplace Culture is owned by Jennifer Harshman. Permission to republish What Coworkers Expect From Managers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Coworker Always Late