Workplace Drama – Part 2

We often see drama unfolding at work because people feel ashamed, isolated, hurt, angry, embarrassed, defensive, blamed or let down by another person’s behaviour or lack of support. Too often, drama occurs because people are unable to adequately name or express what they are feeling and why. This is why emotional intelligence is such an important skill in the workplace. Emotional intelligence encourages skills such as self-mastery, self-awareness and the ability to understand your own feelings. It also means being able to deal with situations where others are experiencing strong emotions, whether or not you agree or approve of their behaviour. I have referred to this process as attaining emotional wellness, in my book, Coaching Interpersonal Skills and Wellness Competencies, 2013.

Workplace drama can occur because a supervisor loses patience with an employee who seems to need longer than expected to perform at a certain level. The pent up frustration over having to spend extra time with the employee or with correcting errors or repeating themselves, coupled with a busy schedule and new demands, may have caused the supervisor to lose their temper and call the employee degrading names. This kind of drama falls under the more serious category. However, there are the less offensive dramas such as gossiping, rumours, telling lies about someone, sending or receiving nasty e-mails, refusing to speak to co-workers or confronting a co-worker in an abrupt way that may seem churlish and unpleasant. Regardless of what the cause may be, drama is very distracting and employers lose millions of dollars every year because employees were distracted away from being productive, due to workplace drama.

Bio: Joyce Odidison, M.A, PCC

Conflict Analyst, Strategist, Workplace Wellness Improvement Coach

Joyce Odidison is President of Interpersonal Wellness Services Inc & Coaching Institute since 1997. Joyce is the founder of Manitoba’s only internationally recognized coach training certificate program, approved by the International Coach Federation (ICF). ICF is the largest governing body for coaches globally. Joyce has 20 years’ experience as a trainer and facilitator, is a member of the Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD) and has worked with many large and medium size companies in Manitoba. Joyce is a professional certified coach, a strategist, conflict analyst and workplace wellness consultant, known for creating successful results oriented corporate programs and systems. Joyce is an author of four books and the creator of the Wellness Improvement System (WIS) programs.